Outstanding Lobana Personalities 1. Baba Makhan Shah Baba Makhan Shah was a great merchant of the Lobana tribe. According to the Sikh legends he was born in 1619. But there is controversy about the place of his birth. Baba Makhan shah rendered praiseworthy service both to Sikhism and the Lobana community. According to the Sikh legends he identified Guru Teg Bahadur as the successor of Guru Harkrishan. It was a very significant event in the history of the Sikhs. Moreover, it glorified the name of the Lobana tribe. 2. Baba Lakhi Shah Baba Lakhi Shah was the second well-known merchant of the Lobana community. According to Sikh legends he showed great bravery and devotion for Sikhism. He cremated the dead body of Guru Teg Bahadur after the Gurus execution at Delhi in 1675. Thus, he hained popularity for the Lobana community. 3. Sant Prem Singh Sant Prem Singh worked for the uplift of the Lobana community in the first half of the twentieth century. He was an important social, political and religious leader of the Lobanas. Born in 1882 at Khori Dunna Singh, a village in Gujrat district, he went to Morala Sahib in his early age and learnt Panjabi and KIRTAN. In 1908 he was nominated as SANT of the DERA by Baba Bishan Singh. Henceforth he took keen interest in his community. He regarded education as the best means of upward social mobility. Many schools were started under his guidance. He was the prominent leader of Vihar Sudhar Movement. Sant Prem Singh preached Sikhism enthusically and remained a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandak Committee from 1926 to 1950. He also became the member of its executive committee in 1948. Sant Prem Singh was an active Lobana participant in the Akali Movement. He sent a Jatha of 25 Lobanas for the Morcha under Giani Chet Singh. He contested for the membership of Legislative Assembly and was elected twice, in 1937 and then in 1946. He remained its member upto his death in 1950. 4. Sant Majha Singh (1866-1971) He was born at Maksudpur in Kpurthala state in 1866. His parents died in his childhood. Compelled by the circumstances he had to take shelter in Dera Hoti Mardan. After a long service he became a SANT second in command in 1912. He became prime SANT in 1937. Sant Majha Singh paid his attention to eradicate the social evils. He preached the gospel of Sikhism. After partition, his contribution to the Lobana community in the fields of education and social reforms is praiseworthy. He died in 1971. 5. Sardar Bahadur Mehtab Singh Galowal Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Sardar Bahadur Mehtab Singh was born in 1854 at Galowal, Tehsil Dasuya, district Hoshiarpur. After getting some education, he joined the army. He was recruited in the 1st Sikh Regiment in 1874. On account of good performance he became Subedar Major. He won many medals and got allotment of 5 squares of land in Chak 115 in Shahpur district and was also honoured with the title of Sardar Baahadur. Mehtab Singhs services for the Lobana community i the army and agriculture are well- known. Firstly, he was able to create separate companies of the Lobanas in the 48th Pioneers in 1901 and 12 Bengal Pioneers in 1903. Secondly, due to the efforts the Lobanas of ten districts were included among the agricultural tribes of the Punjab in 1906. 6. Dr. Sunder Singh He was born in 1870 at Bazurgwal in Gujrat district. After fetting middle standard education he joined Lahore Medical School and got the degree of Local Native Doctor in 1893. He joined regular as a Sub-Assistant Surgeon in Burma and was promoted first to Assistant Surgeon and then to a Civil Surgeon in 1912. He retired from service in 1920 and came back to India. After retirement Dr. Sunder Singh devoted his whole time for the betterment of the Lobana community. He also assisted Sant Prem Singh in Vihar Sudhar Movement. On the educational side, he played an important role for the establishment of Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa Lobana High School, Tanda in Gujrat district. He remained the secretary of that institution upto his death in 1940. He opened two primary schools in his own village one for boys and the other for girls. In these schools free education was given to the poor. Later, one school was upgraded as Middle School. He died in 1940. 7. Sardar Bahadur Gopal Singh Sardar Gopal Singh was born in 1862 at Nurpur Lobana in Kapurthala state. He got knowledge of Urdu, Pesian, English and Gurmukhi in his early career. He joined army in 1882 but left it in order to manage the estate awarded to his father in Lahore district. During the First World War, he sent maximum recruits from the Lobana community. Recognising his services, two squares of land in chak 28 in Chunnian tehsil of Lahore district and five squares in te Okara tehsil of Montgomery district were awarded to him. He was honoured with the title of Sardar Bahadur in 1916. From 1919 to 1922 he remained a member of the Punjab Legislative Council. Gopal Singh supported the planned programmes for the uplift of the Lobanas. He did a lot to establish Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa Lobana High School at Tanda in 1921. He Participated in the VIHAR SUDHAR LEHAR. In 1928, he arranged Vihar Sudhar Conference at Chak No. 37 Pattoki in Lahore district. He died in 1947 at Nurpur Lobana. 8. Bawa Harnam Singh Bawa Harnam Singh was born on 10 June 1915 at Khori Dunna Singh in Gujrat district. He passsed matriculation examination from Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa Lobana High School, Tanda, in 1921. For higher education he joined Khalsa College, Amritsar. After sometimes he migrated to Sikh National College, Lahore. He did his B.A. from the same institution in 1936. After study he participated in the programme chalked out for the uplift of Lobana community. In order to preach against social evils and bring socio-religious awakening among the Lobanas, he started a weekly, Prem Sandesh, in 1942. After 1950, he dominated Lobana community. He was elected M.L.A. a number of times and taken in the Akali Ministry as Minister of State for Agriculture and Forests in 1970. He died in 1981. 9. Major Sharam Singh Major Sharam Singh was born in 1901 at Dhamkin in Lahore district. He got his primary education from his village, middle from Sharaqpur and did matriculation from Lahore. For higher education he joined Khalsa College, Amritsar and passed F.A. in 1918. Afterwards, he joined education core in the army as an Havaldar in 1920. He was promoted as jamedar in 1928, Subedar in 1932, Subedar Major in1934, Liutenant in 1939, Captain in 1945 and Major in 1948. He retired as Major in 1963. While in service he extended support to the programmes for the uplift of the Lobana community. He had a keen desire to spread education in the community and gave financial assistance for this purpose. He encouraged female education and set an example by sending his own daughters for higher education in good institutions. Occupationally his contribution to the Lobanas was really praiseworthy. He taught and qualified many young boys of the community for taking service in the army. Due to his efforts many Lobanas joined army. After retirement, in order to bring socio-cultural awakening among the Lobanas he started a monthly Lobana Sewak in 1955. This journal continued uptil 1960. His health deterioted afterwards and he died in 1963. 10. Chaudhary Lakhi Singh Chaudhary Lakhi Singh was born on 1 January 1902 at Tanda in Gujrat distrct. He did B.A. and passed various degrees related to accounts. He joined service as Financial Adviser and Accounts Office in the Custodian and Rehabilitation Department in 1920. On 17 January 1960 he retired as Examiner Local Fund Punjab. Keenly interested in the spread of education he worked as the secratary of Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa Lobana High Schools, Tanda, established a middle School named Lakhi Singh Middle School in 1931 and gave financial assistance to Lobana educational institutions. He had a great interest in writings. He wrote various books like Accout and Audit, Municipal Laws, Civil Service Regulations, Fundamental and Supplementary Rules. Chaudhary Lakhi Singh was close to Sant Prem Singh. He preached against social evils and unique features of Lobana culture. After retirement, he took active part in politics. He was elected a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly as an Akali candidates in 1962. He died on 1 January 1977 at Miani Afghanan in Hoshiarpur district. 11. Giani Chet Singh Giani Chet Singh was born in March 1902 at Bhakhrewali, Gujrat district. He learned Punjabi from the village Granthi. but he got primary education in Urdu medium. Under the guidance of Pundit Narain Singh he studied many Granths in Urdu and Hindi. In 1919, he analysed Sri Guru Granth Sahib under the guidance of Giani Amir Singh Ji at Amritsar. In 1921 Giani Chet Singh went to Dera Morala Sahib. He supported the Vihar Sudhar Movement, educational and religious programmes arranged under the guidance of Mahant Prem Singh. A good number of the Lobanas were baptised by him. He was appointed a head-granthi in Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Gujranwala in 1936. In 1944 he was appointed a granthi in Sri Harimandar Sahib Amritsar. he bacame the head-granthi of the same institution on 10th February 1963 and retired from this post in 1974. Politically, Giani chet Singh participated in the Akali Movement. He led a JATHA of 25 Lobanas for Pheru Morcha and was imprisoned on 7th April 1924. He was punished for 6 months imprisonment and sent to Multan Jail. He is still alive. 12. Giani Harcharan Singh Giani Harcharan Singh was born in March 1904 at Nangal Lobana in Kapurthala Sate. He passed middle standard examinationfrom Anglo- Vernacular English School, Nadala in 1921. He did Giani in 1926. Then he joined Shaheed Sikh Missionary College started by shiromani Gurudwara Prabandak Committee in 1927 and studied there for two years. He also taught in same institution in 1929-30. Giani Harcharan Singh was important leader of the Vihar Sudhar Lehar in the third decade of the twentieth century. He was the stage secretary of Vihar Sudhar conference arranged at Khokharwali in Sialkot district in 1925. He was ont of the close associates of Sant Prem Singh. His role in the politics is also noteworthy. He took part in the Non-Cooperation and Akali Movements and was imprisoned on 20th March 1922. He supported Sant Prem Singh in his elections for the Legislative Assembly in 1936 and 1946. He is still alive.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 09:47:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015