KESAR SINGH NOVELIST
Giani Kesar Singh Novelist (1912 – 21.9.2006), son of Bhai Prem Singh, was born at village Mughal Khalsa (district Rawalpindi, Pakistan). His parents died when he was a small child. He was orphaned at the age of three and had to spend his childhood in Amritsar’s Dera Sant Gulab Singh and orphanage. He got his Post-graduate degree from Khalsa College, earning it through hard labour. Then he came in contact with Netaji Subhash Chander Bose and senior commanders of the Indian National Army and went to Malaysia, where he developed his passion for writing. His first book was in English ‘Indian Independence Movement in East Asia’, published by Singh Brothers, Lahore, few months before the Independence. The foreword of the book was written by Sriyut Sarat Chandra Bose, brother of Netaji with his autographs. Sarat Bose, wrote, “Very little is known to the younger generation about the great Indian revolutionaries who left India in the early years of this century and went to Japan, China, Siam, Malaya and other lands and started their revolutionary activities there with the object to liberate India from foreign yoke. Sardar Kesar Singh has done well in giving to young India a short account of the activities of those great revolutionaries who dreamt dreams of India’s freedom and worked for their realisation. The greater part of his book is devoted to the Indians National Army — its formation, its dissolution, its reformation under the leadership of its supreme commander Netaji Subhash Chander Bose and the fight it launched for the achievement of Indian Independence.” From 1943 to 1945, he was Civil Administrator in the Provincial Government (in exile). After 1947, he was offered pension for his services to the Aazad Hind Fauj, but he refused to accept it. From 1948 to 1951, he served as the secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal. From 1955 to 57, he served as Guide of Darbar Sahib. After the death of his wife, Giani Kesar Singh moved to England and then settled in Canada in 1963. He served in the Education department of Canada for 14 years. In Canada, his last appointment before retirement was as the Director of Guidance and Counselling in Alberta School System. A great humanitarian, Giani Kesar Singh Novelist is a superb writer of historical novels. His main field is the Ghadr and independence movement. His writings include: Canadian Sikhs; Indian Independence Movement in East Asia (both history); Shaheed Udham Singh (novel in English); Lehar Wadhadi Gai, Jangi Qaidi, Shaheed Udham Singh, Madan Lal Dhingra, Baba Hari Singh Usman, Shaheed Mewa Singh, Singh Sahib Di Shahadat, Janj Larhean Di, Tiji Pihari, Ware Shah Di Maut, Green Card, Ghadri Ghulab, Hiroshima, London Road; Hathiarband Inqlab (all novels in Punjabi); Poetry of Ghadr Movement; Aazad Hind Fauj Di Diary. His novel Jangi Qaidi has been published in several languages, including Russian. The Language Department gave him an award honouring his contribution to the Punjabi literature, but he refused to accept it and asserted that “Kesar Singh is not on sale.”
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)