ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>HARKISHAN SI&#7748GH B&#256W&#256 (1892-1978)</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="HARKISHAN,SIDGH,BW,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">&#65279HARKISHAN SI&#7748GH, B&#256W&#256 (1892-1978), educationist, lover of poetry and intellectual, was born at &#7692er&#257 Ism&#257'&#299l <u>Kh</u>&#257n on 26 July 1892, the son of B&#257w&#257 Dasaundh&#257 Si&#7749gh. After taking his Master's degree in English literature from Forman Christian College, Lahore, in 1912, he joined the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College at Amritsar, as a lecturer in English. Later, he had a long spell at <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College, Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257, where he remained Principal for many a long year. B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh was among the pioneers of the Sikhs' Gurdw&#257r&#257 Reform movement of the 1920's. He attended the <i>d&#299v&#257n</i> of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Bar&#257dar&#299 in Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u>, Amritsar, on 12 October 1920, and accompanied the group to the Harimandar and the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t, which event ushered in the movement for Panthic control of the Sikhs' sacred shrines. He was a member of the 9-member provisional committee appointed by the Amritsar deputy commissioner for the management of the Gurdw&#257r&#257s. The Sikhs formed on 15 November 1920 their own 175-member Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee. Its first meeting was held on 12 December 1920. B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh was one of the Pañj Pi&#257re who on this occasion checked on the religious claims of those present.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh took an active part in the Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> agitation of 1922. During the Ak&#257l&#299 campaign demanding the restoration of the deposed Sikh Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 of N&#257bh&#257 to his throne, both the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee and the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal were outlawed by government. Three Professors of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College -- B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh, Professor Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh and Professor Nirañjan Si&#7749gh -- were taken into custody on 13 October 1923. Professor Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh was released on medical grounds, Professor Nirañjan Si&#7749gh because of his basic objection to the aims of the movement. B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh served a longer term in jail and was released only when an overall settlement was arrived at with the government. Sard&#257r Bah&#257dur Meht&#257b Si&#7749gh, a senior leader of the agitation, offered to implement the provisions of the Gurdw&#257r&#257 Act as proposed by government. So did some other leaders, among them B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh. The hardliners such as Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Samundr&#299 and Master T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh who refused to accept the terms suffered further detention. In March 1927 when all detainees were set free the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee set up a forum to formulate the Sikh Rahit Mary&#257d&#257, i.e. code of conduct for the Sikhs. B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh was one of the members of the committee.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Sikh Gurdw&#257r&#257s Act provided for democratic elections to the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee. This gave birth to factionalism. B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh not only kept himself aloof from these internal acrimonious wranglings but also worked for amity among the groups. He along with some other Sikh leaders formed a society, Gur Sevak Sabh&#257, for this purpose in December 1933. After several months of protracted talks and arguments, the Sabh&#257 managed to bring round certain contestants from the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal and the Central Ak&#257l&#299 Dal to agree on a common list of candidates for the 1936 shrine elections prepared by Sant Vas&#257kh&#257 Si&#7749gh and Sant Jav&#257l&#257 Si&#7749gh. The unity so achieved however proved short-lived.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh himself had no political ambitions nor had he ever sought any official position. He was of a shy and retiring nature. However, during the Punjabi S&#363b&#257 agitation of 1955, he was co-opted a member of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee and, after the arrest of Master T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh on 10 May 1955, elected its president. The <i>morch&#257</i> or agitation continued with the <i>jath&#257s</i> or bands of volunteers daily shouting the banned "Punjabi S&#363b&#257 Zind&#257b&#257d" (long live the Punjabi state) slogan and courting arrest. In spite of the restraint shown by the Ak&#257l&#299s, police raided the Darb&#257r S&#257hib complex on 4 July 1955, burst tear gas shells on pilgrims and made many arrests. The <i>morch&#257</i> continued until the ban on sloganeering was withdrawn on 12 July 1955. Master T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh on release resumed the presidentship and B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh again became an unencumbered intellectual committed solely to the Panthic weal. He remained till the end the adviser and counsellor of the Sikh Panth. At all crucial moments and on all crucial issues, his advice was avidly sought. He never hankered after power or position. Positions of honour and dignity came to him unasked. In 1960, he was nominated a member of the prestigious Punjabi University Commission, but he did not take part in any of the meetings of the Commission. He was totally indifferent to fame and exhibition.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Earlier in 1955, he had been called upon to assist a very important Sikh committee in its political negotiations with the Government of India. He was named among the six Sikhs to conduct the talks with the nominees of the government. He kept himself aloof from all active transactions, although he stayed put in Delhi for all those days in Sard&#257r Hukam Si&#7749gh's residence to make himself available for advice and consultation. The committee on the government side was led by the Prime Minister Jaw&#257harl&#257l Nehr&#363 himself, but B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh did not attend any of its sittings. He was of a unique cal&#299bre among the Sikhs of his time.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; B&#257w&#257 Harkishan Si&#7749gh died on 20 August 1978 at the Military Hospital, Delhi Cantt.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Harkishan Si&#7749gh, "Statement" (unpublished), Oral History Cell, Punjabi University<BR> <li class="C1"> Nirañjan Si&#7749gh, Principal, <i>J&#299van Y&#257tr&#257 Master T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh</i>. Amritsar, n.d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Prat&#257p Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Gurdw&#257r&#257 Sudh&#257r arth&#257t Ak&#257l&#299 Lahir</i>. Amritsar, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"> Dilgeer, H.S., <i>Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal</i>. Chandigarh, 1980<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>