DHADI, one who sings vars or ballads to the accompaniment of a musical instrument called dhad, a drumlet held in the palm of one hand and played with the fingers of the other. A concomitant of dhad is the sarangi, a stringed instrument. Dhadis, patronized by chiefs and princes, eulogized

SARMUKH SINGH, BAVA, a staunch member of the Kuka sect and a brother of Bava Nihal Singh, author of the much talked about book in the closing decades of the nineteenth century, Khurshid Khalsa. It was under his supervision that the book was printed at the AftabiHind Press at

GANDA SINGH (d. 1845), of Butala, in Gujranwala district of undivided Punjab, was a soldier in the Sikh army. Early in his career, he was assigned by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to Prince Sher Singh`s troops. Ganda Singh`s father, Dharam Singh, had also served in the army and taken part

SRI GURU UPKAR PRACHARNI SABHA, i.e. an association for the propagation of the Guru`s deeds of compassion and charity was formed by a group of Sikh youth at Amritsar during the opening years of the twentieth century, with Bhai (also known as Pandit, being a learned scholar of religion) Ganda

GANDA SINGH MASHARIQI (1857-1909), Urdu poet, scholar and religious guide in the line of family preceptors to the chiefs of Ropar in the Punjab. His grandfather, Bhai Bagh Singh (1757-1822), and his father, Bhai Bishan Singh (1809-90), had served the Ropar family as priests and counsellors. When the British

SUDDH SINGH, one of the twenty-two subas, lit. governors or deputies, appointed by the Kuka leader, Baba Ram Singh, to look after missionary work in different parts, was born in Ambala district in 1830. His father`s name was Ram Singh. Suddh Singh was initiated into the Kuka faith by

GANDA SINGH (d. 1845), of Butala, in Gujranwala district of undivided Punjab, was a soldier in the Sikh army. Early in his career, he was assigned by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to Prince Sher Singh`s troops. Ganda Singh`s father, Dharam Singh, had also served in the army and taken part

THAKAR SINGH ATARTVALA (d. 1842) was the eldest son of Sham Singh Atarivala, the celebrated general of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. During the expeditions against Bannu and Peshawar in the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, he served as a commandant of artillery. He died in 1842 during the lifetime of

JANG SINGHAN TEFIRANGIAN, by Matak, is a versified account, in Punjabi, of the first Anglo Sikh war (1845-46) by a contemporary or near contemporary poet about whom no biographical details are available. The poem, in its present incomplete form, is included in Panjabdian Varan (Amritsar, 1946) edited by Dr

KAHN SINGH ATARIVALA (d. 1873), soldier and jdgirddr, was the second son of Sham Singh Alarivala, the celebrated general of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He inherited only a small part of the jdgir of his father, subject to the maintenance of 97 horse, 25 foot and 10 zamburds. His contingent

LAL CHAND, a confectioner turned warrior, won praise from Guru Gobind Singh for his feats in the battle of Bhangani (1688). Thus does the Guru eulogize him in his Bachitra Natak, "Wrathful became Lal Chand. His face turned red, he humbled the pride of many a lion (i.e. enemy

MAHITAB DEVI (d. 1839), known as Rani Katochan or Rani Gaddan, was daughter of Raja Sansar Chand Katoch of Kangra. She was married to Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1829 and had great influence over him. At Lahore she introduced the art of Phulkari embriodery, arranged marriages of orphan girls