ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>CHANNA&#7750 SI&#7748GH SANT (1907-1972)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="CHANNAF,SIDGH,SANT,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279CHANNA&#7750 SI&#7748GH, SANT (1907-1972), elected president of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee, successively from 1962 till his death in 1972, was born in 1907 to Tarlok Si&#7749gh and Prem Kaur, a peasant couple of modest means, belonging to the village of M&#363ll&#257&#7749pur, in Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 district of the Punjab. As a small boy, he attended the Nirmal&#257 monastery located in his village where he learnt to read and write Gurmukh&#299 and made his early acquaintance with Sikh scriptural texts. In 1923, when batches of Sikh volunteers were marching through the countryside to Jaito, site of the Ak&#257l&#299 agitation, Channa&#7751 Si&#7749gh, along with some other pupils of the Nirmal&#257 <i>&#7693e&#7771&#257</i>, persuaded one such <i>jath&#257</i> or band of volunteers to make a detour to his village, where he served them food with love and devotion. In 1928, when his elder sister's husband suddenly died, he migrated to her village, Chakk No. 18 Z, in Ga&#7749g&#257nagar district of R&#257jasth&#257n, to take care of her and her young children. Four years later, he joined the army as a sepoy. He was in Calcutta with his regiment when he fell sick and had to be hospitalized for some months. During this illness he decided to withdraw from worldly affairs, lead a celibate life and dedicate himself to religious pursuit. As he obtained his discharge from the army, he came in contact with Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh, who then (in 1933) barely 22, remained absorbed in meditation most of the time. This determined his life's calling. He began to assist Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh in his programme of religious and educational uplift of the Sikhs. From 1940 onwards, he was Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh's constant companion and helpmate in his campaign for opening Sikh schools and preaching the word of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. This work was confined mainly to Ga&#7749g&#257nagar district of Bik&#257ner state.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sant Channa&#7751 Si&#7749gh's first introduction to politics was in 1949, when he led a <i>jath&#257</i> of 20 Sikhs from Ga&#7749g&#257nagar to participate in the Ak&#257l&#299 agitation against the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) ministry. He was arrested and sentenced to eight months in prison. On release from jail, he took out another <i>jath&#257</i>, this time from Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 district, and reached Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, where he was again arrested and detained in jail till the end of the agitation. He served a brief term in jail in 1953 when he took part in the farmers' agitation in Ga&#7749g&#257nagar against the increase in land revenue and a longer one in 1960 in the Ak&#257l&#299 campaign for a Punjabi-speaking state. In 1950, he was unanimously elected Jathed&#257r of the Ak&#257l&#299 Dal of Ga&#7749g&#257nagar, a position he retained until his election as president of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee in 1962. During the period, he also served as president of Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 of Ga&#7749g&#257nagar and was a member of the working committee of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal, representing Ga&#7749g&#257nagar. From 1958-60, he was vice-president of the Dal. He represented Ga&#7749g&#257nagar district in the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee as well. In October 1962, he was elected president of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee. He continued to hold this office until his death on 29 November 1972.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Ghai, Charan Das, <i>God's Man : A Biography of Sant Fateh Singh</i>. Ludhiana, 1969<BR> <li class="C1"> Sarhadi, Ajit Singh, <i>Punjabi Suba</i>. Delhi, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Ashok, Shamsher Si&#7749gh, <i>Shiroma&#7751&#299 Kame&#7789&#299 d&#257 Pañj&#257h S&#257l&#257 Itih&#257s</i>. Amritsar, 1982<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Park&#257sh Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>