Giani Ditt Singh Ji was born on 21 April 1850 and passed away on 6 September 1901. He was a great scholar of Sikh religion and history, a poet of high stature, a noted writer, an excellent interpreter, a distinguished commentator, and a powerful preacher. He is also regarded as the father of Punjabi journalism, the founding editor of Khalsa Akhbar, a founder of Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Amritsar and Lahore, and a pioneer of Khalsa Diwan Lahore and Khalsa College, Amritsar.
Giani Ditt Singh was born in village Nandpur Kalour, district Fatehgarh Sahib, to Baba Diwan Singh and Mata Ram Kaur. He was originally named Ditta Ram. At a young age, Ditta Ram gained as much knowledge as possible through self-study at the dera of the Gulabdasi saint Sant Gurbakhsh. At the age of 9, Giani Ditt Singh came to village Tiyur. There, over the next ten years, he learned Punjabi, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, and Hindi from various saints and scholars, and also studied Gurbani.
Although his father Bhai Diwan Singh came from a poor working family that earned its living by weaving cloth, he strongly wished to educate his son. For this reason, in 1862, he sent Ditt Singh to the Gulabdasi dera at Tiyur (three kilometers from Kharar). There he studied Vedanta, ethics, philosophy, and many other books. Seeing his talent, at the age of 16 he was sent to the main Gulabdasi center at Chhatianwala, district Kasur.
There he also read the Guru Granth Sahib, as well as the works of Bhai Gurdas and other authors.
This same child later became famous throughout the world as Giani Ditt Singh. In the village today stand Gurdwara Taposar Sahib and Giani Ditt Singh Janam Asthan Kalour in his memory. In 1880, he was married according to Sikh tradition to Bishan Kaur, daughter of Sant Bhag Singh. While living with his wife in village Chhatta, district Lahore, he received further education from Sant Desa Singh. Inspired by Professor Gurmukh Singh of Lahore, he took Amrit, became a Singh, and within a year passed the Giani examination from Punjab University, Lahore.
He had a son, Baldev Singh, and a daughter, Biba Vidyawanti Kaur. Even though Giani Ditt Singh never attended school for a single day, he became the first professor of Punjabi in the world. In his early phase, he also worked with the Arya Samaj movement.
A split began after the disrespect shown to the Sikh Gurus during the 11th session of Lahore Arya Samaj on 25 November 1888. Along with becoming a pioneer of Singh Sabha Lahore and Khalsa College Amritsar, he used his scholarship to defeat Swami Dayanand, the leader of Arya Samaj, in three religious debates. At the same time as he tried to restore the declining prestige of Sikhism, Giani Ditt Singh made tireless efforts to eradicate many social evils from society.
Through his weekly Khalsa Akhbar Lahore, his writings, and his speeches, he strongly opposed superstition, empty rituals, charms and spells, grave worship, female infanticide, exorcism, hypocrisy, and blind faith, and inspired people to place complete trust in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
By bringing together 37 Singh Sabhas, he, along with Bhai Jawahar Singh, established Khalsa Diwan Amritsar.
He believed that a society filled with discrimination based on color, race, caste, hypocrisy, superstition, and blind faith could never progress. Giani Ditt Singh Ji took such distortions in society very seriously. He even pulled down the seat of Baba Khem Singh Bedi, who used to sit on a throne equal to Sri Guru Granth Sahib at Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, and threw it onto the street. Along with Prof. Gurmukh Singh, he also took the initiative to remove idols installed in the Darshani Deori of Darbar Sahib.
During his short lifespan from 1850 to 1901, Giani Ditt Singh enriched Punjabi literature with 72 books, made Punjabi flourish, nourished the Sikh cause with his own blood, served the Khalsa Panth selflessly until his final breath, and tried to guide society and the Sikh community onto the right path. He is also known as the “Father of Punjabi Journalism.”
(With inputs from Wikipedia)
Remembering Giani Ditt Singh Ji on his 21 April birth anniversary.
Kachchi kulli da chiraag
Lat lat baliya
Hanhere raahan te laat ban turya
Mombatti vaang
Sir ton pairan teek pighalya
Nand Pur Kalour di
Mitti da jaaya.
Os lai dharti kaagadi si
Te siaahi di thaan
Aapni paak pavittar ratt
Tepa tepa balde akhar baniya
Akhar shabad bane
Te shabad bebaak vaak
Vaak ture kadam dar kadam
Guru Nanak de vishvaas
Nu labhde pairan ban gaye.
Puraatan panthi butt tore
Gyanvant hathore naal.
Vadaan vaahiya
Har poorable os pathar te
Jo Rabb ban baitha si
Kaali boli raat di bukkal ’ch.
Singh Sabha lahar Lahore
Usaar ke jaikara laaya.
Dharm di beri ton
Amarvel laaho.
Main agge lagda haan.
Peelian taaran
Ikk nahi hazaaran
Taar taar kar suttiyan.
Punjabi patrakari da jaamakar
Ikk kinke da bahu vistaar
Punjabi sahitt te bhaasha da
Pahil palakkra adhiaapak
Pro: Gurmukh Singh vaang.
Khalsa College Amritsar da
Morhigadd sansthaapak
Swami Dayanand nu keha
Tera Satyarth satya nahi
Asatya hai yaar
Aa ja baith ke kariye vichaar.
Saanu tu edaan na maar
Tinn vaar takkria
Siddhe mathe sookham chintak
Vichaararth jittiya
Satyarth nirshabad
Veehvi sadi da
Sarvotam tarksheel
Vahiman, bharaman da khandanhaar
Bipran ki reet da vairi.
Paakhandan da kilhaator Singh.
Punjabi sahit de vihre
Bahattar chiraag baalanhara
Gyanvant gaurav
Vidvata da dhru taara.
Vaddi dastaar vaala vidvaan.
Hethaan oda hi sir.
Panth ratan kahi ditta ikk vaar
Phir ditta visaar.
Je os Bhai Ditt Singh da
Kise Singh nu cheta hove
Taan dassna.
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