sikh

JOGA SINGH. a Sikh youth from Peshawar, who had lived in the presence of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) at Anandpur for many years and served him with devotion. One day as his parents, eager to see him married, arrived to escort him back home, the Guru permitted him to depart, saying that he must return at once when recalled. Joga Singh was in the midst of his nuptials and had completed only two of the customary four circumambulations when a Sikh delivered to him the Guru`s letter of recall. He left the ceremony midway and, despite the protestations and importunities of his relations, immediately set out for Anandpur.

KAMAL, BHAT, a Kashmir! Muslim, was, according to Bhai Santokh Singh, Sn Gur Praldp Suraj Granth, a devotee of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644). He remained in attendance on the Guru at Kiratpur, in the Sivalik hills.

KESAR SINGH, BHAI (1893-1921), one of the martyrs of Nankana Sahib, was born on 3 Bhadori 1950 Bk/17 August 1893, the son of Bhai Pal Singh and Mai Lachchhi of Chakk No 38 Nizampur Deva Singhvala, in Sheikhupura district. He made his living by cattle grazing. Blessed with a sweet singing voice, he used to recite Sikh hymns in the village gurudwara and snatches from Giani Kartar Singh Kalasvalia`s versified accounts of Sikh martyrs at lay gatherings. When the call came from Nankana, Bhai Kesar Singh, ignoring the protestations of his family, joined Bhai Lachhman Singh Dharovali`s jathd which was massacred to a man on 20 February 1921. See NANKANA SAHIB MASSACRE

KHARAK SINGH, BABA (1868-1963), Sikh political leader and virtually the first president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, was born on 6 June 1868 at Sialkot, now in Pakistan. His father, Rai Bahadur Sardar HarT Singh, was a wealthy contractor and industrialist. Kharak Singh, having passed his matriculation examination from Mission High School and intermediate from Murray College, both at Sialkot, joined Government College, Lahore, and was among the first batch of students who graduated from the Parijab University in 1889.

LAHINA SINGH MAJITHIA (d. 1854), son of Desa Singh Majithia, was commander, civil and military administrator, and one of the principal sardars of the Sikh court. Of all the Majithias associated with the ruling family of Lahore, Lahina Singh was the ablest and most ingenious. He succeeded his father Desa Singh in 1832 as the nazim (governor) of Kangra and the hill districts, with the title of Qaisar ul-Iqtidar. Earlier, he had served the Maharaja in various capacities. He commanded 2 battalions of infantry, a topkhana of 10 light and field guns, and 1,500 horse. In 1831, he was assigned to the task of collecting monies from the Nakais; the same year, he along with General Ventura took part in the Dera Isma`il Khan expedition.

MACNAGHTEN, SIR WILLIAM HAY (1793-1841), born in August 1793, was the son of Sir Francis Macnaghten. He was educated at Charter house and joined the service of the East India Company in 1809. He studied Hindustani, Persian and other Asiatic languages. His diplomatic career began towards the close of 1830, when he accompanied Lord William Bentinck as secretary on his tour through the upper and western provinces of India. He was also present at the Governor General\'s meeting with Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Ropar in October 1831.

MANJH BHAI, a well to do Rajput of Doaba country, converted a Sikh and earned repute for his piety, selfless service and complete surrender to the Guru`s will. His real name was Tiratha and Manjh was his clan name. He had been a follower of Sultan Sakhi Sarwar, a Muslim saint, until he once visited Guru Arjan. He did not wish to leave the Guru`s presence and begged to be initiated a Sikh. He was told that to be a Sikh he would have to break away from his old beliefs and that he might thereby lose caste with his own people.

MEVIUS, also recorded as Frank Ernest Mevins, was a Prussian who came to the Punjab in March 1827 and was employed in the Sikh army in the rank of a colonel. According to the Khalsa Darbar records, Mevius had to sign a pledge that he would, "during his period of service abstain from eating beef, smoking or shaving, would never quit the service without formal permission from the Maharaja and would engage to fight any nation with whom the Maharaja declared war, even should it be his own." These were the usual conditions under which foreigners were admitted into Sikh service. Once Mevius used a whip against a Sikh soldier. 

MURRAY, Dr, a British physician attached to 4th Native Infantry, who was in 1836 sent from Ludhiana to Lahore by the British for Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s treatment after he had suffered a stroke of paralysis. During his 8 months` stay in Lahore, Murray found it difficult to persuade the Maharaja to accept his treatment. Nevertheless, his despatches from Lahore to the Ludhiana Political Agency provide interesting information about the Maharaja, his government and his nobles.

NARALI, village in Gujjarkhan subdivision of the Rawalpindi district in Pakistan, had a historical Sikh shrine, Gurdwara Patshahi VI, commemorating the visit of Guru Hargobind who briefly halted here during his journey towards Kashmir in 1619. The Guru`s purpose was to meet in this village an old Sikh, Bhai Harbans, popularly known as Harbans Tapa, i.e. Harbans the Ascetic. The Gurdwara, which had within its compound Harbans` samadh or tomb, had to be abandoned as a sequel to the partition of the Punjab in 1947 causing a two way migration of population.