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| During past more than ten years, there has been a great upsurge in the activities of the Sant (Neo-) Niranakri of Delhi in the West. Their magnificient Darbars are mushrooming all over. I am giving below my write up on the establishment of the Real and Neo-Nirankaris which was written a couple of years ago. I shall be obliged for the coments by the enthusiats of <sikhnet>. Pritpal ********************************************************************************************** Nirankaris and Sant (Neo-) Nirankaris A Historical Perspective Pritpal Singh Bindra ****************** A prominent jounalist, Sat Pal Baghi revealed in the India Express,".... She (Mrs. Gandhi) wanted to weaken the Sharomni Akali Dal.... She thought an elaborate plan to strengthen the Nirankaris ... throughout the country and abroad...." The Nirankaris were known to be getting financial help from Govenrment funds, neither open to audit nor scrutiny by Parliament. ******************* Annual All India Samagam and Bhandara of the Sant or Neo-Nirankaris fall in the month of October. The day is celebrated universally by the followers of Nirankari Darbar, Delhi. At his murder or martyrdom--as his followers believe--Baba Gurbachan Singh was succeeded by his son, Baba Hardev Singh, the incumbent. Every year hundreds of people from all over the world gather in Delhi to have his, so called, Darshan and listen to his expositions. Real Nirankaris: In the wake of Neo-Nirankaris' powerful indoctrination and strong lobby, not many people realize that Baba Gurbachan Singh's (Sant) Nirankaris have nothing in common with the Nirankari Sect that was established in early nineteenth century. The latter was the pioneer of reforms in Sikhism. In fact original Nirinkari operation was the harbinger of the Sikh reform movement, the Singh Sabha Lehar. The country was in `turmoil'. Baghel Singh Karor Singhia was on the verge of establishing Sikh Raj in Delhi. Various Missals were consolidating and collaborating with each other for a joint Sikh confederacy. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was only a baby boy of three. That was the time Baba Dyal was born. He was the first Sanchalak, the director and conductor, of the Nirankari Movement. He was born in 1783 in Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province, now in Pakistan. His parents were devoted Sikhs and had visited Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur a few times. One of his great-maternal-grandfather was an employee in the Treasury of Shri Guru Gobind Singh. Consequently, Baba Dyal's mother was an ardent believer in Sikh scriptures and thought. Baba Dyal was just three years old when his father died. His mother brought him up in Pooran Sikh Gurmaryada. She used to take him to the Dharamsal of Bhai Joga Singh in Peshawar regularly. He was barely eighteen when his mother died too. At `her deathbed' she `enjoined on him to study Gurbani and mould his life according to the teachings of Granth (Sahib).' `Maharaja Ranjit Singh was, no doubt, a Sikh but his Government was not a theocracy.' His administration was almost in the hands of Muslims and Hindus. Brahmin and Dogra dominance promoted Brahminical ceremonies and rituals, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh attended the same regularly. A number of high ranking Sikh Sardars, as well, frequented such superstitious phenomenons to please Maharaja. Later on, they themselves became the victim of going astray from the teachings of Gurbani. Ultimately this led thousands of Sikh laymen to the black liturgy, as well. Baba Dyal had become a zealous devotee, and to abide by his mother's dying wish he started to attend the Dharmsal regularly. He observed and performed the duties there most earnestly. He discerned, how people were forgetting the true spirit of the Sikh Gurus' teachings. They were indulging in the acts contrary to the Sikh ethics. One day doing Chaur over Guru Granth Sahib, his mind was enlightened: ritualistic practices were not in keeping with the teachings of the Gurus, idols were contrary to the Sikh teachings, and God was a formless spirit. He perceived that the main purpose of his life should be to dispel ignorance and impart the true message of the Gurus. He set upon his mission of reformation and always recited Dhan Nirankar, Glory to the Formless, and eventually people designated him the name Baba Dyal Nirankari. He considered himself just a Sewak, the disciple, and became known as Sanchalak, the director or conductor. He never claimed superiority. Rather he used to denounce the Saints who claimed Go dly-perception and Gurudom. In this regard he always uttered, "Japo Piario Dhan Nirinkar: Jo dehdhari, sabh Khuar". (Meditate on the one Formless God, O dears, for the humans who claim to be Guru, will all be reduced to the dust). In the true spirit of Guru Nanak Bani, `Nah Ham Hindu, Nah Muslman' (Neither I am Hindu, nor I am Muslim), he believed in distinct entity of Sikh Maryada, tradition and decorum. In certain respects he went to the extremes. As reported in Annual report of Ludhiana Christian Mission 1853, (under Baba Dyal's guidance) `they (Nirankaris) do not burn their dead because that would assimilate them Hindus; nor bury them, because that would make them too much like Musalmans but throw them into river'. At the death of Baba Dyal his own body was prostrated in River Leyee near Rawalpindi. Such radical revisions ensued lot of commotion culminating into riots and Civil Court proceedings. Baba Dyal's righteousness always triumphed Baba Dyal's uncle Milkha Singh inspired him to move to Rawalpindi in 1908. `He soon attracted the attention of the local Sikhs with his honest, truthful dealings, and regular attendance at the Gurdwara known as Pashorian de Dharmsal.' He established his Nirankari Darbar in 1851--`two years after the lapse of Sikh Raj'. His fidelity did not permit him to make his living out of the money denoted by people for the Darbar. For his livelihood he ran his own grocer's shop. This tradition has been maintained by all his predecessors. He laid emphasis on the observance of meticulous meditation timings and procedures. His maryada thoroughly covered most aspects of life: Births, Deaths, Marriages, Celebration of Auspicious Days, Avoidance of Star Observations, Pilgrimages, Widow Marriage, etc. Historically his most significant and noble reform was the introduction of Anand Karaj, the simple Sikh Marriage ceremony. A couple in the village called Bhera in Jehlam District was impressed by his religious devotion and personality. They offered him their daughter in marriage, which he accepted. It was the month of Chet. This month is thought by the Brahminical priests as inauspicious for marriages. Moreover, the priests were distressed with his reform policies. They refused to perform the marriage ceremony. Baba Dyal persuaded his in-laws and the marriage service was performed in the Sikh Dharmsal. After the narration of hymns from Guru Granth Sahib, the Anand was recited, and with the ardass at the end they were declared married. It added to the reputation of Baba Dyal as a practical reformer, as no expenses were incurred on ritualistic marriage extravaganza. Baba Dyal died in 1855. His son, Baba Darbara Singh succeeded him as the Sanchalak. He continued the Nirankari mission even more fervently. He created a written Mgana Carta of Sikh Maryada--a hand written copy of the same was available in the Sikh Reference Library, Amritsar before it was destroyed in the Operation Blue Star. Most of all he regularised the ceremony of Anand Karaj, which is followed in letter and spirit till today. His such efforts, and the Nirankari Conference which he had organised in Rawalpind, brought almost all the prominent Sikhs, from all over the Punjab, together. His efforts inspired Maharajkumar Ripudaman Singh of Nabha to move a bill in the legislature to legalise the Sikh Marriage ceremony. Not only the ceremony entailed the recitation of Anand from the holy book, it introduced the four circumambulations as well. At the time it was the biggest achievement for the Sikhs. Baba Darbara Singh was succeeded by his younger brother Baba Ratta. By this time some of the Nirankari missionaries had become lax and a few contradicting rites and rituals crept into the movement. Baba Ratta's hukamnama issued in April 1873 revamped the Maryada. Baba Ratta himself nominated his son, Sahib Gurdit Singh, as his successor. Baba Gurdit Singh's biggest contribution was the establishment of more than sixty Gurdwaras in Rawalpindi, Jehlam and Campbellpur Districts.` His son, Hara Singh, was very much active in spreading the Nirankari message. Up to that time most of the Nirankaris were Sehajdhari. An incident in 1910 inspired Hara Singh to persuade the Sehajdhari Sikhs to grow their hair and observe `the rahit of Amritdhari Singhs after formal baptism. This inspired almost all the Sehajdhari Nirankaris to be formally baptized as Khalsa.' The day Baba Gurdit Singh died in Rawalpindi in April 1947, the time when the city was torn with communal riots, Baba Hara Singh took over the movement, as was ordained by Baba Ratta, his grandfather. When millions of Hindus and Sikhs were uprooted and forced to leave Pakistan, Baba Hara Singh had no alternative but to move to India as well. Most of Nirankari devotees were scattered far and wide in India. He tried to consolidate forces. He established the Nirankari headquarters at Chandigarh, the foundation stone of which was laid by Maharaja of Patiala in 1960. But the movement had lost all its impetus, the people who were its back bone had been dispersed hundreds of mile apart. And soon it was over shadowed by the activities of Neo-Nirankaris of Baba Avtar Singh. Neo (Sant) Nirankaris: Although real force behind the stupendous establishment of Delhi Nirankari Darbar, the Neo-Nirankaris, was Baba Avtar Singh, its real founder was Shri Buta Singh. Baba Buta Singh was born in 1883 in Campbellpur District in West Punjab. After serving in army for about 9 years, he ran a photographer's business in Rawalpindi for 12 years. In 1924 he took a legitimate contract of opium and started a shop there. A year later he went to Murree Hills Cantonment and started the work of tattooing. Baba Buta Singh was endowed with musical trait. Impressed by his singing talent, Kahan Singh, a granthi at Nirankari Darbar had introduced him there. His `melodious voice' captured the audience and he became very popular. Unfortunately, he developed a habit of drinking. A few times he was reprimanded for coming to the Gurdwara and singing under the influence of alcohol. Ultimately he was expelled from the Darbar and banned ever to come back. Kahan Singh, who was his drinking partner, took him on his shoulders, went round the streets of Rawalpindi and pronounced him as the Guru of Nirankaris. As he did not have much success there, Baba Buta Singh moved to Peshawar. There he met Shri Avtar Singh who ran a bakery business. Though Baba Avtar Singh had no formal schooling, he was bestowed with brilliant intellect and was master of eloquence. He collaborated with Baba Buta Singh and started a parallel Nirankari Darbar. (My father--himself a social reformer and the Editor of the monthly Temperance Magazine published from Amritsar--frequently visited Baba Dyal's Nirankari Darbar in Rawalpind. Once on his social visit to Murree he called at Baba Buta Singh's Darbar, as well. He had scant impression of Baba Buta Singh's aptitude, but he admired the intellect and persuasiveness of Baba's, then, assistant, Shri Avtar Singh. My father was very much offended to learn about their drinking indulgence, and often refered to the fact in his lectures). In 1943, Baba Buta Singh nominated Baba Avtar Singh as his successor. Baba Avtar Singh took over the rein and declared himself as the Nirankar incarnate. In his book, Yug Pursh he wrote, "Towards the end of 1900 when the people of the world had forgotten the teachings of their avatars and prophets and tyranny and un-righteous conduct prevailed all-round, Nirankar decided to send another great soul to the world to retrieve people from the wrong path. He convened a meeting of Rama, Krishna, Mohammed, Jesus Christ and Nanak and apprised them of the situation, but all of them expressed their inability to undertake the Mission on account of the bad treatment meted out to them perviously by the people. I too was latently present in the meeting and was listening to the whole talk. At last after persuasion by other prophets, God asked me to go to the world to re-instate righteousness. I bowed my head and expressed my willingness to carry out God's behest, subject to the condition to which God agreed, that if any s inner of the world showed respect to my Sant Brahm Giani, that is to me, even by mistake, then he will attain salvation." In 1947 Baba Avtar Singh moved to Delhi and `set up the Sant Nirankari Mandal as a registered body in 1948 with an executive of seven members. He issued special scripture under the title Avtar Bani and laid down the following five fundamentals of the sect: `(1) All our possessions are a divine loan which we must utilize only as trustees and not as masters. `(2) No discrimination on caste, creed, colour, religion in our worldly status. `(3) No criticism of any one's diet, dress or living. `(4) No renunciation of the world. `(5) No divulgence of Gian except with permission of the True Master (i.e. Nirankari Baba himself).' Contemplating on Baba Avtar Singh's declaration of self-incarnation, and the his fundamentals, there could have been no quarrel with the Sikhs. A number of other sects with their own theories of incarnation and fundamentals, such as Naanmdharis, Nirmalas, Radha Swamis, Ram Raias, Nanak Sarias, etc. have been flourishing in Punjab and all over the world, for decades. They had no physical or ideological qualms with Sikhs. Thousands of practicing Sikhs have been attending both the Gurdwaras and the centres of such sects simultaneously. Then what did cause so much tension between the Neo-Nirnkaris and Sikhs? The preaching of Nirankari faith through the `vocabulary and symbolism' of Sikh religion caused the resentment among the Sikh masses. The Panj Pyaras of Guru Gobind Singh were imitated as seven stars of Nirankaris. `Names of venerable Sikh personages from history were assigned to the members of the Nirankari leader's family and followers. Among them may be mentioned Mata Sulakhni (Guru Nanaks wife), Bibi Nanki (Guru Nanak's sister), Bhai Gurdas and Bhai Gurdas, both highly regarded in Sikh piety.' The Sikh terms, Sangat, Satguru, and Sachapadsha were peculiarly used. Most of all `inspired utterances of the Sikh Gurus, were frequently quoted, but with slant. The scriptures were quoted and expounded openly to suit the Nirankari bias.' Baba Gurbachan Singh's, recorded and published, articulations, such as the following, further inflamed the situation; *Kar-sewa at Harimandir is Bekaar-sewa. *Sarovers of Gurdwaras are pools which serve no purpose, these better be filled up. *Guru Gobind Singh was either fighting battles or hunting, he knew nothing about meditation. *The Nirankaris summing up their supplication by repeating `jo tudh bhave sai bhali kar, toon sadha salamat NIRANKAR'. *How can any sensible pesrson call the writings in this bulky miscellany (Guru Granth Sahib) as Divine Revelation? The ideological strife was augmented by the open patronage and support extended by Mrs.Gandhi's regime. A prominent jounalist, Sat Pal Baghi revealed in the India Express,".... She (Mrs. Gandhi) wanted to weaken the Sharomni Akali Dal.... She thought an elaborate plan to strengthen the Nirankaris ... throughout the country and abroad...." The Nirankaris were known to be getting financial help from Govenrment funds, neither open to audit nor scrutiny by Parliament. The bitterness took an ugly turn when a few followers of Keertni Jatha of Bhai Randhir Singh went to Nirankari Samagam at Amritsar to request him to desist from distortions of Sikh tenets. While the negotiations were going on, the Jatha were hit with the volleys of bullets. That culminated into the death of thirteen of the Sikhs. Ultimately the saga ended in the assassination of Baba Gurbachan Singh a few years later. No doubt, since the demise of Baba Gurbachan Singh, there has been drastic shift in the teaching and prayer practices of Nirankaris. I had the opportunity of attending a couple of Nirankari congregations in Massori in the summer of 1985 (with the courtesy of Madan Jee, the mother-in-law of Baba Hardev Singh); once the congregation was addressed by `Rajmata', mother of Baba Hardev Singh and the second time by Baba Hardev Singh himself. Neither there was any reference to the Sikh Gurus nor any recitation of Bani from Guru Granth Sahib, distorted or otherwise. Their discourses were confined to the teaching of morality based on the above mentioned fundametals. Almost all the verses recited by various congregants were in honour of Nirankari preceptors. Had this been the attitude during previous Nirankari leaders, perhaps there would have been no conflict with the Sikhs, and no bloodshed. Pritpal Singh Bindra Missisauga, Ontario ***************************************************************** References: *The Nirankaris by Dr.Man Singh Nirankari. *Nirankaris-The Pioneers of Social Reforms in Punjab by Mann Singh Nirankari. *The Sikh Faith and the Nirankaris by Harbans Singh. *Sikhism and The Nirankari Movement by Dr.Ganda Singh. *Sant Nirankari Mandal by Fauja Singh. *Sant Nirankaris by Jarnail Singh. *True Nirankaris--A White Paper by the S.G.P.C. *Sikh Faith and Real & Pseudo Nirankairs by Dr. Khushdeva Singh. *History of the Sikh People by Dr.Goal Singh. *History of the Sikhs by J.D.Cunningham *India Commits Suicide by G.S.Dhillon |
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