ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>PREM SI&#7748GH HOT&#298 B&#256B&#256 (1882-1954)</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="PREM,SIDGH,HOT*,BB,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">&#65279PREM SI&#7748GH HOT&#298, B&#256B&#256 (1882-1954), historian and biographer, was born on 2 November 1882 at Hot&#299, near Mard&#257n, in North-West Frontier Province, now part of Pakistan. His father Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh, a man of means, traced his ancestry back to Bhall&#257 family of Goindv&#257l, in Amritsar district, to which noted Sikh savant Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s belonged. One of his ancestors, B&#257b&#257 K&#257hn Si&#7749gh, had moved to the western frontier during the reign of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, who had granted <i>j&#257g&#299rs</i> to his soldiers in that turbulent Pa&#7789h&#257n territory. When this northwestern region was finally annexed by the British in 1849, the <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> which B&#257b&#257 Prem Si&#7749gh's father had inherited from his forefathers was confiscated. But Sar Buland <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the Muslim Naw&#257b of Hot&#299, gave him lands within his own territory. The family continued to enjoy the patronage of the Naw&#257bs of Hot&#299 until it migrated to Pati&#257l&#257 in 1948.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Prem Si&#7749gh was reared on Sikh teaching and folklore. As a young boy, he was especially fascinated by stories of Sikh valour and heroism. A meeting with Bh&#257&#299 V&#299r Si&#7749gh, Sikh poet and scholar, at the first Sikh Educational Conference convened at Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257 on 18-19 April 1908 proved crucial in determining the calling of his life. After the conference, he took Bh&#257&#299 V&#299r Si&#7749gh to visit his homeland the beautiful country of the trigger-happy Y&#363safza&#299 and B&#257rakza&#299 Pa&#7789h&#257ns, and showed him round important historical places commemorating Sikh heroes. Bh&#257&#299 V&#299r Si&#7749gh prompted him to write biographies of Sikh heroes who had fallen fighting for the glory of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. Prem Si&#7749gh took to the task with a rare zeal and biographies flowed from his pen prolifically, establishing this genre firmly in Punjabi writing and creating a new interest in Sikh history. The series began with a biography of Ak&#257l&#299 Ph&#363l&#257 Si&#7749gh (1914), followed by those of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh (1918), Ka&#7749var Nau Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh (1927), Sard&#257r Har&#299 Si&#7749gh Nalv&#257 (1937), Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Sher Si&#7749gh (1951) and Naw&#257b Kap&#363r Si&#7749gh (1952). His <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 R&#257j de Usrayye</i> "Builders of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 R&#257j" (Vol.in 1942 and Vol. II in 1944), and <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 R&#257j de Bades&#299 K&#257rinde</i> "Foreign employees of the Sikh Kingdom " (1945) were collections of shorter biographies. His lives of Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s, Bh&#257&#299 Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh and Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Duleep Si&#7749gh remained unfinished. In 1952, he was honoured by the Punjabi Department of the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 and East Punjab States Union Government for his monumental work for the advancement of Punjabi letters.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;B&#257b&#257 Prem Si&#7749gh died at Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 on 10 January 1954.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Sudarshan Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>