YOUTH TO ADULT YEARS

Baba Ji did kirtan at Jalundhar Makhdumpura gurdwara and the management Ranjit Singh and Balwant Singh and the sangat were so impressed with the love, dedication, and humbleness of Baba Ji that they asked them to stay, and they continued to ask until Baba Ji relented. Baba Ji went back to Dhan Samanda to get permission to leave (sewa-mukhat) but they would not let Baba Ji go and wanted them to stay but Baba Ji persuaded them, and Baba Ji came to Makhdumpura for good. Baba Ji’s family are now residents of Makhdumpura to this day.
Baba Ji and jatha were on a kirtan and parchar tour spreading the word of Guru Nanak and they were in the city of Benaras. The city of Benaras is now known as Varanasi but in times gone by was also known as Kanshi. Spent time here going kirtan at gurdwaras dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji and Bhai Gurdas Ji. Stayed here about 2 months and the committee had allocated 100Rs per day (which was a lot in those times) for the jatha and this included feeding them morning, lunch and dinner

As well as Mukhdumpura Baba Ji also did sewa at Ali-Mahala Jalandar, Kumiar Maseet Centre Town Jalandhar.

One day met some Kabir-panthies, followers of Bhagat Kabir Ji who showed Baba Ji around all the various places associated with Bhagat Ji, where they lived, their house and garden and Baba Ji was filled with tears became very emotional. The seveks were all very helpful and full of piyar, the only disagreement occurred when Baba Ji said that Kabir Ji had two children - Kamala and Kamali as stated in gurbani, but the Kabir-panthies insisted Bhagat Ji had no children.

They were close to the birthplace of Bhagat Ravidas Ji and decided to visit and have darshan of the asthan. They set out asking anyone they came across the directions to Bhagat Ji's asthan but every Brahmin person they met would mistake it for Vishvanath and they would give directions to the mandir of Vishvanath. They then met a cobbler who was from a low Hindu caste, he knew where Bhagat Ji's mandir was and told them it was another 14kms and pointed the way. They found the asthan and paid their respects and stayed for a while meeting a local teacher. There was no food, so Baba Ji bought some mooli's did adraas with Siri-sahib and companions ate them, much to the bemusement of the locals.

By the time they started to leave it was getting late in the afternoon and as you know once the sun goes down it gets dark very quickly. They asked one of the people at the mandir if there was any chance of a ride back to the city, but he said that there were none from here. The rest of the jatha became a little concerned about how they were going to get back, but Baba Ji assured them to keep faith, they had come to the place of a revered Bhagat and AkalPurkh Ji would surely look after them.

Just then a Raksha came by. As it was getting chilly the driver had a scarf wrapped around his neck and around his face. He said " Har Jaan Ji'o bettho" meaning Gods beautiful disciples come and sit. As the jatha sat in the back and started travelling back to the city they felt amazingly calm and contented, even the tabla player noticed this and said that he felt to amazingly calm and relaxed as never before. They were followed a dirt road next to the Ganga (Ganjes) river and soon neared their destination. They followed the river for quite a while until they driver stopped as they could now walk to the gurdwara where Baba Ji and the jatha were staying. They got out and Baba Ji took out some money to pay the driver, but he said "We dont take money from Har Jann". Baba Ji thanked him and he turned his cart around. As the jatha took a few moments to gather themselves Baba Ji turned to look at the cart driving away, but to their surprise there was no Raksha, no driver, no sign of them at all. The Ganga was flowing on one side of the dirt track and there was a low wall on the other so he could not have turned into any side opening. Baba Ji's companions were very surprised and asked who the driver could have been?

Baba Ji said it was "him" in whose memory we had been travelling all day and come all this way to have darshan of. They got back to the Gurdwara in time for the evening divan and the kirtan done on that evening was just amazing.

Baba Ji got sewa-mukhat from Makdumpura while the hall was being extended to make a larger darbar sahib. From here Baba Ji went to Ali-mahula in Sheiken Bazzar, this was around 1970'ish and stayed here for 3 years, performed 3 years of kirtan and sewa from here went to Basti-Sheikh where there is a gurdwara dedicated to the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji where Baba Ji taught kirtan and sangeet to around 80 students. When got sewa-mukhat from here went with Sant Dhaya Singh Ji, Mittey Twaneywale. Sant Ji were very taken with Baba Ji's sincerity and dedication to Guru Ji and asked to accompany them to Hoshiarpur to teach kirtan there. Mahant Tara Singh was also there, a very humble soul in whose presence one wanted to just close your eyes and start doing simran, they also asked Baba Ji to teach in Hoshiarpur, but Baba Ji was already teaching in Basti-Sheikh and did not want to let down the students so returned there. At this point in time with all their other duties and sewa Baba Ji was doing an intense amount of Naam Simran, getting up at early amritwela and doing severe tapasia. Baba Ji used to lock themselves away in a bhora, a small windowless room like a cellar, and do continuous simran. After 3 years of tapasia Baba Ji was rewarded with darshan/vision of 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

One day while Baba Ji was doing sawa at Shiekan Bazzar gurdwara there came a mahapursh and told Baba Ji that Guru Gobind Singh Ji had sent hukam/order that they should become sewa-mukhat, get leave from their daily duties, and start dharam parchar and spread Guru Nanak Dev Ji's word all over India and beyond. Baba Ji accepted Guru Ji's hukam and accompanied the sant to Anandpur Sahib and to Keshgarh Sahib to do ardaas for blessing for this sewa.

On the mamouth tours that Baba Ji undertook they were normally accompanied by at least two other kirtanias, one on harmonium and one on tabla. On many tours Baba Ji was accompanied by their bhai sahib/brother on mandolin. Some tours the jatha (group of kirtanias) was accompanied by Sant Shangara Singh Ji, others by Giani Gian Singh Ji. Every stop the jatha made in a town or village they stopped there for at least one day but more likely for a number of days that could run into weeks or months depanding on the love of the sangat or how long the gurdwara management committee wanted them to stay. At each location there would be daily kirtan, katha (discourse), parchar and on many occasions amrit sanchar - the Sikh baptism ceremony to initiate Sikhs and non-sikhs into the Khalsa fold. From this day forward and for many decades Baba Ji dedicated his whole life to parchar of Sikhi and spreading the word of Guru Nanak Dev Ji to the world.

On one occasion Baba Ji and his jatha were touring villages around India when they arrived at a village intending to do kirtan. In the village there was a Gurdwara which was situated on the outskirts and next to it was a group of derelict buildings. These ruins had fallen into disuse and disrepair a long time ago. The roof of part of the building had fallen in and some of the walls had crumbled. The area had been invaded by creeper vines and overgrown with long grass and bushes. However, if looked at carefully it could be acknowledged that the buildings had once been majestic, with ornate decorations around the window frames and doorways.

Baba Ji and the jatha were met by the village folk and taken to the Gurdwara where kirtan was performed much to the delight of the sangat of the village and surrounding areas. After the kirtan and langar the sangat invited Baba Ji and the jatha to stay the night at the home of one of the village elders but Baba Ji politely declined saying that they would be staying at the Gurdwara. The villagers said that they would be better accommodated at one of the village houses instead, but Baba Ji said that they would rather stay at the Gurdwara. There were nervous looks between the villagers and one of the villagers said to Baba Ji that it would be advisable not to stay at the Gurdwara overnight due to the proximity of the ruins next door as a spirit resided there and roamed the area at night. Many people had tried to stay overnight at the Gurdwara over the years, but none had succeeded; most had fled during the night in fright. Baba Ji assured them that Guru Nanak Dev Ji was with them at all times so they had nothing to fear and that they would be staying at the Gurdwara overnight. With some trepidation the sangat relented and as the sun disappeared over the treetops, they all bid farewell and left for their homes.

Baba Ji’s two companions were none too happy either, they did not fancy staying the night where others had fled due to some spirit that haunted the old ruins, but again Baba Ji assured them that Guru Ji was with them and that they should get some rest. Next to the Darbar hall was a large area for the sangat to sit and then three small steps led up to the stage and Baba Ji and the jatha settled down to get some rest. Baba Ji fell asleep while the other two lay under their blankets nervously eyeing the area. Darkness fell quickly and all became quiet.

Hours passed and even the two companions fell asleep. Then gradually there was a chill in the air and a rhythmic noise of “shank, shank” drifted over from the ruins. The sound became louder and the two companions sat up and quickly awoke Baba Ji. Baba Ji sat up straight and faced the doors at the end of the hall, with the two now cowering behind. The “shank, shank” sounded like the ankle bracelets popularly worn by women in India. At the doorway at the end of the darbar hall appeared in silhouette a form of a woman. After a few moments she moved towards Baba Ji and exuded an aura of melancholy and fear. As she came to the three small steps leading up the stage she stopped. Now Baba Ji could see more detail in the darkness, she was a tall lady of noble stock and very beautiful. She wore an elegant dress and a thin silken like shawl draped over her head and shoulders and she was adorned with jewellery. She looked very much like a royal rani of the time period when the Mughals ruled India. She tried to intimidate and frighten them with a stare from her piercing brown eyes. When Baba Ji did not move, she spoke and told them to leave the place. “This is my place and I roam here at night, leave now” she said. Baba Ji was unmoved and asked her who she was and why she was here and why she scared the local villagers.

She could see that this was no ordinary person. When a person has done so much naam simran that parkash has manifest itself in the heart then that soul has the blessing of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the spiritual aura around them can be felt by lost spirits.

So, the lady told her story. She was the youngest rani of the local Raja and they lived in the building complex that had now fallen into ruin. The Raja was very fond of her and she loved him very much. The times in which they lived in were very turbulent and volatile and it happened that one day they were attacked by Mughal forces. The Raja told his ranis to stay within the confines of the building and he took his men to meet the enemy outside the gates. A fierce battle took place in which most of the Raja’s band of men were killed, including the Raja. There was much confusion after that as the enemy entered the gates and into the house. The rani was killed, maybe she did Sati but she didn't say, but rather than her soul moving on from the place it became attached through MOH (attachment, one of the five negative forces that rule the soul, the others being KAAM (Lust), Karodh (anger), Lobh (greed) and Hunkhar (ego)) to her husband and to the house. She knew not where her husband had gone, and she longed for him so very much. Now she wonders the ruins and goes around the Gurdwara at night. She cannot find her husband Raja and cannot find a way out of this place. Baba Ji asked her what she wanted now, and she replied that most of all she wanted to be reunited with her husband. Baba Ji said that they did not know where her husband was or where his soul had gone to, but she was inconsolable she just wanted to be with her husband.

Naam Simran souls are very “dhayawaan”, merciful, and Baba Ji felt her pain and so started to do paath and when this had finished Baba Ji stood up and did Ardas to Akaal Purkh saroop and asked Guru Ji that this soul be relieved off her torment. Once the ardas was done and jakara made the lady disappeared in a thin mist. With Guru Ji's grace she had been given a route out of the place, whether she found her husband we shall never know.

The next day the villagers came to the Gurdwara early fully expecting to find no one there but were surprised that Baba Ji and the two companions were still there. Baba Ji told them about the soul that had been roaming the ruins and that Guru Ji had done kirpa on her and that the soul had now moved on and that they should not fear the place anymore