ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>TAKHT SI&#7748GH BH&#256&#298 (1870-1937)</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 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">&#65279TA<u>KH</u>T SI&#7748GH, BH&#256&#298 (1870-1937), a pioneer of women's education, was born at F&#299rozpur around 1870. His father, Dev&#257 Si&#7749gh Niha&#7749g, is said to have fought in both of the Anglo-Sikh wars (1845-46 and 1848-49). Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh passed the High Proficiency (Vidv&#257n) examination in 1887 from the Oriental College at Lahore, where two of his teachers, Bh&#257&#299 Gurmukh Si&#7749gh and Gi&#257n&#299 Ditt Si&#7749gh, both leading figures in the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 reform movement, deeply influenced him. Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh returned from Lahore resolved to dedicate himself to the cause of women's education among Sikhs. To a modest open--air school he had established at F&#299rozpur, he added in 1904 a boarding house which marked the beginning of the Sikh Kany&#257 Mah&#257viday&#257l&#257. The institution, the first of its kind, gave a fillip to education among Sikh women and became a centre of cultural and literary activity. In running this school, Bh&#257&#299 Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh received great support from his wife, B&#299b&#299 Harn&#257m Kaur. Upon her decease in 1906 he married, on 17 September 1910, B&#299b&#299 &#256gy&#257 Kaur, who also proved a worthy helpmate. Bh&#257&#299 Takht Si&#7749gh travelled to distant places, such as Rangoon, Malaya and Singapore to raise funds for the Mah&#257viday&#257l&#257. In 1907 was begun the erection of the main building of the school. The same year was launched a literary and social magazine, the <i>Pañj&#257b&#299 Bhai&#7751</i> (Punjabi Sister). At the Sikh Kany&#257 Mah&#257viday&#257l&#257, Bh&#257&#299 Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh started assembling books, manuscripts, journals and newspapers, mainly in Punjabi. This was the beginning of what in course of time grew into a prestigious collection, named Bh&#257&#299 Ditt Si&#7749gh Library in honour of his teacher of Oriental College days. The collection came to the Punjabi University at Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 in 1983. Bh&#257&#299 Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh remained actively associated with the Sikh Educational Conference and was, as a rule, called upon to say <i>ard&#257s</i>, supplication prayer, at its annual sessions. Such was the quality of his dedication to his work that his colleagues affectionately called him Zinda Shah&#299d, the Living Martyr.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bh&#257&#299 Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh died on 18 December 1937.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Ganda Singh ed., <i>Bhagat Lakshman Si&#7749gh : Autobiography</i>. Calcutta, 1965<BR> <li class="C1"> L&#257l Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Gur&#363 Ba&#7749s&#257val&#299</i>. Singapore, 1939<BR> <li class="C1"> Karam Singh, <i>J&#299van B&#299b&#299 Harn&#257m Kaur</i>. F&#299rozpur, 1907<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Gursharan Si&#7749gh <br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>