ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>FATEH SI&#7748GH SANT (1911-1972)</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="FATEH,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">&#65279FATEH SI&#7748GH, SANT (1911-1972), who enjoyed wide religious esteem among the Sikhs (<i>sant</i>, lit. a holy man) and who during the latter part of his career became a dominant political figure, was born, on 27 October 1911, the son of Bh&#257&#299 Channa&#7751 Si&#7749gh, a resident of Ba&#7693i&#257l&#257 in present-day Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 district of the Punjab. He had no formal schooling and started learning to read Punjabi only at the age of 15. In view of his interest in religious texts, his father apprenticed him to a well-known scholar, Sant &#298shar Si&#7749gh, of Sekh&#257, a village near Barn&#257l&#257. In company with Sant Channa&#7751 Si&#7749gh, another holy man, he migrated to Ga&#7749g&#257nagar district of the then princely state of B&#299k&#257ner in R&#257jasth&#257n, where a large number of Sikh peasants had settled down in the newly established canal colony. Having established himself at Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 Jauha&#7771, a little known place which he made famous, Fateh Si&#7749gh moved from village to village preaching the Sikh faith through <i>k&#299rtan</i> and discourse and administration of <i>amrit</i> or the vows of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. He simultaneously worked for the promotion of education among the masses and was instrumental in the construction of, besides a number of <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i>, several schools and colleges, an orphanage and a centre for imparting training in <i>k&#299rtan</i>. In this task he was assisted by Sant Channa&#7751 Si&#7749gh who, though senior in age, always acknowledged him as his elder, and their partnership and their respect for each other lasted till the very end. His pious way of living earned Fateh Si&#7749gh the title of <i>Sant</i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh made his debut in politics when he joined the Punjabi S&#363b&#257 agitation (1955-56), a campaign launched by the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal under the leadership of Master T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh for the creation of a new state comprising Punjabi-speaking areas carved out of the then-existing Punjab. His rise in the Ak&#257l&#299 hierarchy was very rapid. As the Punjabi S&#363b&#257 agitation entered its second phase, Fateh Si&#7749gh unfolded at a specially convened conference at Amritsar (12 October 1958) the plan of action to be pursued by the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal of which he had by that time become the senior vice-president. On 15 March 1959 he led a massive march of Sikhs in the Indian capital, New Delhi. As the Punjabi S&#363b&#257 movement gathered momentum in May 1960, the responsibility of directing its course fell to Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh. He displayed rare qualities of leadership and restraint in running in a most orderly manner the seven-month-long agitation in which, according to one estimate, 57129 Ak&#257l&#299 volunteers courted arrest.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In a final bid for the attainment of a Punjabi-speaking state, Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh put his own life at stake and started on 18 December 1960 a fast-unto-death. Before submitting himself to the ordeal he offered prayers at the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t and at the Harimandar, and addressed a mammoth gathering of the Sikhs adjuring them to remain calm and peaceful in any eventuality.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There was universal applause for the purity of Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh's motive and no one questioned the sincerity of his resolution. Yet everybody wished that the worst might somehow be averted. There was intense activity in government and political circles. Indian leaders of diverse opinion tried to intervene and persuade Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh to abandon the fast. The Prime Minister of India, Jaw&#257harl&#257l Nehr&#363, issued several conciliatory public statements, but Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh judged them as falling short of his stipulation. Al last the one issued on 8 January 1961 was pronounced by Master T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh and the Working Committee of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal to be satisfactory and they as well as Pañj Pi&#257re or the Five Elect, speaking for the entire <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Panth, asked him to end his fast. On the morning of 9 January 1961, Fateh Si&#7749gh took his first sip of nourishment in twenty two days --- a glass of juice from the hands of Bh&#257&#299 Chet Si&#7749gh, one of the Golden Temple priests.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Political negotiations ensued between the Government of India and the Ak&#257l&#299 Dal. Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh had three meetings with Prime Minister Nehr&#363 --- on 8 February, 1 March and 12 May 1961, but with no positive result. His personal political authority had however been firmly established among the Sikhs. In July 1962, he directly challenged Master T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, forming his own Ak&#257l&#299 Dal which on 2 October 1962 wrested control of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee from the hands of the latter. In the Gurdw&#257r&#257 elections on 17 January 1965, Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh annexed 90 of the elected seats, conceding only 45 to Master T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh. To force the issue of Punjabi S&#363b&#257, he proclaimed from the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t on 16 August 1965 that he would restart his fast from 10 September 1965 and that, if he survived the fast for 15 days with his demand still not conceded, he would commit self-immolation by burning himself alive on the 16th day. But as hostilities between India and Pakistan broke out in September 1965, he not only postponed the fast but also issued an appeal to all his countrymen, particularly Sikhs, to rally behind the government. The war ended on 22 September 1965 and on 23 September, the Home Minister of India announced in Parliament the setting up of a Cabinet Committee consisting of Indir&#257 G&#257ndh&#299, Y.B. Chav&#257n and Mah&#257v&#299r Ty&#257g&#299 to pursue further the question of the formation of a Punjabi-speaking state. He also requested the Speaker of the Lok Sabh&#257 and the Chairman of the R&#257jya Sabh&#257 to form for the same purpose a Parliamentary Consultative Committee. Matters moved fast thereafter. The report of the Parliamentary Committee, headed by Speaker Hukam Si&#7749gh, was made public on 18 January 1966, recommending the reorganization of the existing state of Punjab on linguistic basis. Mrs Indir&#257 G&#257ndh&#299 who had, after the sudden death of L&#257l Bah&#257dur Sh&#257str&#299, taken over as Prime Minister, finally conceded the demand on 23 April 1966. On 3 September, the Punjab Reorganization Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabh&#257 and on 1 November 1966 Punjabi-speaking state became a reality. A lifelong bachelor, Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh greeted the event with the words : "A handsome baby has been born into my household."</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The demarcation of the boundaries of the new Punjab basically on the recommendations of a commission appointed by the Government of India, however, started a new polemic. Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh protested that Cha&#7751&#7693&#299ga&#7771h, city built as capital for the Punjab after Partition, and some Punjabi-speaking areas had been left out of the new state. On 5 December 1966 he announced that to have this injustice undone he would sit afasting on 17 December 1966 and commit self-immolation on 27 December 1966 if he survived till that day and his demands remained unfulfilled. The demands were : (i) inclusion of Cha&#7751&#7693&#299ga&#7771h and the Punjabi-speaking areas assigned to Him&#257chal Pradesh and to the newly created state of Hary&#257&#7751&#257 in the Punjab; (ii) severance of common links (governor, high court, etc.) between Punjab and Hary&#257&#7751&#257; and (iii) restoration. of the control of Bh&#257kh&#7771&#257 and other multipurpose projects to the Punjab. Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh began his fast on the appointed day (17 December). Simultaneously, moves were initiated by government and influential political leaders to have him terminate the fast and thus avert the threatened tragedy. At last, Hukam Si&#7749gh, the Lok Sabh&#257 Speaker, and Gi&#257n&#299 Gurmukh Si&#7749gh Mus&#257fir, Chief Minister of the Punjab, communicated to him assurances on behalf of the Prime Minister Indir&#257 G&#257ndh&#299 and persuaded him to break his fast. Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh ended the fast on 27 December 1966.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh thereafter became a controversial figure and his influence began to decline. He started another fast-unto-death on 26 January 1970, with self-immolation to follow on 1 February 1970 if Cha&#7751&#7693&#299ga&#7771h was not merged with Punjab by then. On 29 January, the Union Government announced that "the capital project area of Cha&#7751&#7693&#299ga&#7771h should as a whole go to Punjab," but this was hedged round by stipulations such as the transfer of F&#257zilk&#257 <i>tahs&#299l</i> from Punjab to Hary&#257&#7751&#257. The All-Parties Action Committee and the Ak&#257l&#299 Dal High Command at their separate meetings on 30 January 1970 passed resolutions welcoming the decision regarding Cha&#7751&#7693&#299garh, but opposing that on F&#257zilk&#257. These resolutions were conveyed to Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh, who was persuaded to end (30 January 1970) the fast he was going through. On 25 March 1972, he announced his retirement from active politics.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sant Fateh Si&#7749gh died at Amritsar on 30 October 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"> Harbans Singh, <i>The Heritage of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> <li class="C1"> Budh&#299r&#257j&#257, Arjan Si&#7749gh, <i>Do Mul&#257k&#257t&#257&#7749.</i> Amritsar, n.d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Ashok, Shamsher Si&#7749gh, <i>Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Prabandhak Committee d&#257 Pañj&#257h S&#257l&#257 Itih&#257s</i>. Amritsar, 1982<BR> <li class="C1"> Dilgeer, Harjinder Si&#7749gh, <i>Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal</i>. Chandigarh, 1980<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Jitinder Kaur<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>