Bhagat Puran Singh Biography 
Bhagat Puran Singh was a great social worker from Punjab who lived in the 20th century. He is undoubtedly the single Sikh Hero of this century who worked totally selflessly for poor and sick – both mentally and physically. He gave due respect to death and is known for preparing a grave by his own hands whenever he see a dead body or animal. He was almost nominated to receive Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 and his space in Sikhism can be compared to the services of Mother Teresa to Catholicism. In 1947, he started an organization Pingalwara with a few neglected patients and mentally retarded people and he strived hard to accumulate monetary fund from wherever he can, to offer a helping hand to the needy people. His life story is a saga of grit, determination, faith in the almighty and love towards humanity and human kind.
Singh was born at Rajewal of Ludhiana district of Punjab in 1904. Ramjidas was his birth name. Known as a writer who self-published his books, he couldn’t complete his school education. He once disclosed how he became a Sikh. He used to travel a lot from village to village and would stay at a Hindu Temple during his early days. Once he was asked to clean the temple by Brahmins and when he completed the job, they ate food without offering him. Later he happened to stay at a Gurdwara, which offered him both food and milk without asking any sewa (help) for the Gurdwara. This incident inspired him to become a Khalsa.
Later he set out in the service of poor man as he felt it’s the biggest religion. He founded Pingalwara in 1947 with a few discarded patients. In parallel he wrote books and spread awareness among people as an environmentalist. His ideas of environmental pollution, and increasing soil erosion also gained attention. He was honoured with Padma Sri in 1979. But he returned back the award as a protest of the infamous army attack on the Golden Temple in 1984. He passed away in 1992.
Published: N/A
Updated: January 28, 2016
