JAWAHAR SINGH KAPUR

Bhai Jawahar Singh Kapur (1859 – 14.5.1910), son of Bhai Atma Singh, was born at Amritsar. As a child, he joined the Dera of Gulabdasi sect. Here, he came into contact with Giani Dit Singh. In 1876, he joined a job in the railways. On September 13, 1878, he became a member of Arya Samaj, a fundamentalist Hindu organisation. For the next eight years, he was one of the senior leaders of the organization. In 1886, he applied to be a Granthi of Darbar Sahib but was not accepted because he was an Arya Samajist. On November 25, 1886, when Guru Dutt, a senior Arya Samajist, used insulting words for Guru Gobind Singh Sahib at Amritsar, Bhai Jawahar Sigh resigned the Arya Samaj. He had been a fellow of the Anjuman-i-Punjab. He founded Khalsa Diwan Lahore. He was the first honorary secretary of the management council of the Khalsa College, Amritsar, registered on April 14, 1892. He continued to serve this institution till 1902. In 1899, he was appointed a member of the Punjab Text Book Committee. He was also appointed a Fellow of the Punjab University in 1904. Bhai Jawahar Singh wrote a couple of books, including: Khalsa Dharam, Dharam Vichar, Itihas-i-Hind. After 1900, he withdrew from active social work due to his differences with the other leaders. He died in 1910. Bhai Jawahar Singh died at the age of 51 but during this short period he made great contribution. Besides his social and religious work, he had very good relationship with the British regime, the Sikh States of Patiala, Nabha, Kapurthala, Jind and the others as well as the Sikh elite.

(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)