ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>KART&#256R SI&#7748GH JHABBAR (1874-1962)</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="KARTR,SIDGH,JHABBAR,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">&#65279KART&#256R SI&#7748GH JHABBAR (1874-1962), famous for his spirited role in the Gurdw&#257r&#257 Reform movement, was born the son of Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh in 1874 at the village of Jhabbar, in Shei<u>kh</u>&#363pur&#257 district, now in Pakistan. His grandfather, Ma&#7749gal Si&#7749gh, had served as a commandant in Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's army. Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh had no formal education, but somewhat late in life he went through a course of Sikh religious learning and trained as a missionary at <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Updeshak Mah&#257vidy&#257l&#257, Gharj&#257kh, which he attended from 1906 to 1909. Upon completing the course, he took up preaching. In 1912, he set up <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n Khar&#257 Saud&#257 B&#257r at Gurdw&#257r&#257 Sachch&#257 Saud&#257, Ch&#363ha&#7771k&#257&#7751&#257. He also opened in the town in 1917 a middle school. In 1919, Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh took active part in anti-government demonstrations and addressed meetings protesting against the Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> massacre. For this he was arrested and was, on trial, sentenced to death on 22 May 1919. The punishment was reduced on 30 May 1919 to transportation for life. He was, however, released from Andamans jail in March 1920 in the wake of royal clemency.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In early October 1920, Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh led a <i>jath&#257</i> of Sikh volunteers to Si&#257lko&#7789 to liberate Gurdw&#257r&#257 B&#257be d&#299 Ber from the control of a corrupt <i>mahant</i> or custodian. The shrine was taken possession of and a committee of lay Sikhs was formed to manage it, with B&#257b&#257 Kha&#7771ak Si&#7749gh as president. This was the beginning of the Gurdw&#257r&#257 Reform movement. Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar, along with Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Bhuchchar, got the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t released on 12 October 1920.Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh was appointed <i>jathed&#257r</i> or provost of the Ta<u>kh</u>t. Jhabbar was included in the 9-member committee set up for the management of the Golden Temple. He continued to be in the vanguard of reformist Sikhs' campaign for liberating historical shrines. The more important ones he helped to take possession of were Gurdw&#257r&#257 Pañj&#257 S&#257hib (November 1920), Gurdw&#257r&#257 Sachch&#257 Saud&#257 (December 1920), Gurdw&#257r&#257 Tarn T&#257ran (26 January 1921), and Gurdw&#257r&#257 Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> (31 January 1921). Following the possession of Gurdw&#257r&#257 Janam Asth&#257n at Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib, the birthplace of Gur&#363 N&#257nak, where about 150 reformist Sikhs had been murdered by the <i>mahant</i> and his men on 20 February 1921, Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh was arrested on 11 March 1921 and remained in jail for about six months. He was rearrested in June 1924 and sent to Campbellpore jail. In September 1925 he was transferred to Mult&#257n jail and in April 1926 to R&#257walpi&#7751&#7693&#299. He remained in custody for more than four years and was released in December 1928.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After the control of the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> was, by government legislation of 1925, made over to a representative board of the Sikhs, Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh retired to a comparatively quiet life at his village. In January 1933 he faced a charge of murder following a clash which took place at Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib over the possession of a portion of the Gurdw&#257r&#257 land, but was acquitted by the court. In 1937, he led a <i>jath&#257</i> to Ko&#7789 Bh&#257&#299 Th&#257n Si&#7749gh and convened, in defiance of the orders of the local Muslim chieftain, a Sikh <i>d&#299v&#257n</i>. After the partition of Punjab in August 1947, Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh came over to what was then designated as East Punjab, and settled down at the village of H&#257b&#7771&#299, in Karn&#257l district, where he died on 20 November 1962.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Narain Si&#7749gh, ed., <i>Ak&#257l&#299 Morche te Jhabbar</i>. Delhi, 1967<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"> Josh, Sohan Si&#7749gh, <i>Ak&#257l&#299 Morchi&#257&#7749 d&#257 Itih&#257s</i>: Delhi, 1972<BR> <li class="C1"> Pi&#257r Si&#7749gh, <i>Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Samundr&#299</i>. Amritsar, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"> Mohinder Singh, <i>The Akali Movement</i>. Delhi, 1978<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Kulwant Si&#7749gh Virk<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>