WOMEN WRITERS OF INDIA

DALIP KAUR TIWANA-I

Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana

Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana is universally regarded as one of the leading Punjabi novelists of today and has published twenty seven novels, seven collections of short stories, the first part of her autobiography and a literary biography She has won awards, both regional and national, and is widely translated author.
Born on May 4, 1935 in Village Rabbon of Ludhiana district in a well-to-do land-owing family, she was educated at Patiala where her uncle, Sardar Sahib Sardar Tara Singh Sidhu was Inspector General of Prisons. She had a distinguished academic career, getting a first class first M.A., and the first woman in the region to get the Ph.D. degree from Punjab University in 1963, Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana joined the Punjabi University at Patiala, as a Lecturer and then went on to become Professor and Head of the Department of Punjabi and Dean, Faculty of Languages. She was a brilliant teacher and researcher and made a significant contributions to literary and critical studies in Punjabi. She was also a UGC National Lecturer for a year.
Dr. Dalip Kaur's literary career as a creative writer commenced with the publication of her first book of short stories Sadhna in 1961, which was declared the best book in its genre by the Department of Languages, Government of Punjab. She produced seven collections of short stories before switching over to novel-writing, in which art-form she was destined to achieve great eminence. Her second novel Eho Hamara ZeeUna won her the Sahitya Akademy Award in 1972. Thereafter, virtually every one of her works won her an award. The Ministry of Education and Social Welfare honoured her book of stories for children called pa11jan IJiCh Parmeshwar in 1975, while the Department of Languages, Government of Punjab, conferred the "Nanak Singh Puruskar" on her novel Peele Patian di Dastan in 1980 and "Gurmukh Singh Mu safir Puruskar" on her autobiography Nange pa rion da Safa r in 1 982. Awards and honours have flowed from outside the Punjab as well. In 1985, the International Association of Punjabi Artists and Authors (IAAPA) based in Canada honoured her with an award in 1985. "Nanjanagudu Thirumalamba" award for her novel Katha Kuknoos Di came from Shashwathi, Karnataka and "Vagdevi" award for Duni Suhava Bagh was given by Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad, Calcutta, in 1998.
For her outstanding contribution to Punjabi literature, Dr. Dalip Kaur received the "Shiromani Sahityakar" award from the Punajb Government in 1987, the "Best Novelist of the Decade" award from Punjabi Academy, Delhi, in 1994 and the "Kartar Singh Dhaliwal" award from Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana. She was among the distinguished Sikh personalities who were honoured on the occasion of the Tricentenary Celebrations of the Birth of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib in 1999.

A List of Literary Awards:

• Govt. of Punjab award for Sadhana, as the book of short stories. 1961-62.
• Sahitya Akademi award for the novel Ehu Hamara Jeewana, 1972.
• Ministry of Education and Social Welfare award for panchoan vich parmesar - book of short stories for children, 1975.
• Nanak Singh Puruskar (Languages Department, Govt of Punjab) for the novel Peele Patian di Daastan, 1980.
• Gurmukh Singh Musafir award for the autibiography Nange Pairan da Safar, 1982
• Canadian International Association of Punjabi authors and artists Award, 1985.
• Shriromani Sahitkar award, Languages Department of Punjab, 1987
• Praman Pattar award from Punjab Govt., 1989
• Dhaliwal Award, Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana, 1991.
• Best Novelist of the Decade (1980-90), Punjabi Academy, Delhi 1994
• Nanjanagudu Thirumalamba Award for the novel Katha Kuknus di
• Wagdev Award for the novel Duni Suhava Bagh from Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad, Calcutta, 1998.
• Honoured during Tercentenary celebrations of the Birth of Khalsa for outstanding contribution in the field of language, art and literature at Anandpur Sahib on April 11, 1999.
• Saraswati Samman for the Year 2001 by the KK Birla Foundation.
• Entries in "Famous Women of India," "Who's who of India","Reference Asia","Internatinal Biographia","International Who's who, 1995"
• Works have been translated in English, French, Russian, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati and other Indian languages.
• Three novels have been telecast from doordarshan and many more are on the waiting list.

Many of Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana's short stories and novels have been translated into Hindi and other Indian languages, and English. Such is her Fate (Punjabi University), Journey on bare feet (Orient Longman), Gone are the Rivers (Macmillan) are some of the English translations, which are readily available. The Tale of the Phoenix (Ajanta) translated by Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh and Bhupinder Singh and Elizabeth Siler of the USA will soon be out. Urvaslu is being rendered into English by Prof Jasbir Jain. Khushwant Singh, Jai Rattan and Danielle Gill from Paris are some the other translators of Dr. Tiwana's works. Doordarshan has also telecast a few serials based on her writings.
Dr. Daiip Kaur has played important roles in distinguished bodies, both academic and literary. Currently, she is associated with the Sahitya Academy (Delhi), Punjab Arts Council (Chandigarh), Punjab Sahit Academy (Chandigarh), Punjabi Sahit Academy (Ludhiana), National Book Trust of India, Bhartiya Janapith, K K. Birla Folmdation, Kendn Punjabi Lekhak Sabha in various capacities. She is President of the Punjabi Sahit Academy, Chandigarh and Life-Fellow auld nominated Senator of the Punjabi University.
During the course of her career as writer and academician, she visited several countries to preside over or participate in important international conferences. For example, she chaired sessions at the International Punjabi Conference held in U.K. in 1980, participated in International Writing Together anal Women in the 20th Century held in Scotland in 1990 and presided over an international literary meet organised by California Sahit Sabha in the U.S.A. in 2000.
By common or general consent, Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana is the leading, most productive and most popular Punjabi novelist of our Ages. For the last forty years or more, she has been engaged in creative writing without any major interruption. There is thematic and formal variety in her writings. Her language in particular is spontaneous, lyrical and compressed to the point of being a marvel of economy and elegance.
Over the years, she has moved from a preoccupation with gender issues to intellectual contemplation of fundamental human problem, and from there to spiritual transcendence. While negotiating the problems of life and death, tradition and modernity, men and women, towns and villages in her works, she remains committed to the Indian spiritual and ethical vision. One could say of her that she combines European energy with Asiatic calm in her life and thought.

INDIAN FOLK SINGERS

TEEJAN BAI

Teejan Bai (born 24 April 1956) is an exponent of Pandavani, a traditional performing art form, from Chhattisgarh, in which she enacts tales from the Mahabharata, with musical accompaniments.

Early life

Teejan Bai was born in village Ganiyari, 14 km north of Bhilai, to Chunuk Lal Pardhi and his wife Sukhwati .
The eldest among her five siblings, at, heard her maternal grandfather, Brijlal Pradhi, recite Mahabharata written by Chattisgarhi writer, Sabal Sinh Chauhan in Chattisgarhi Hindi, she instantly took a liking of it and soon memorized much of it, and later trained informally under Umed Singh Deshmukh

Career

At age 13, gave her first public performance in a neighbouring village, Chandrakhuri (Durg) for Rs 10., singing in the Kapalik shaili (style) of 'Pandavani', a first time for a woman, as traditionally women used to sing in the Vedamati, the sitting style. Contrary to the tradition, Teejan Bai performed standing singing out loud in her typical guttral voice and unmistakable verve, entering what was till now, a male bastion
Within a short time, she became known in neighbouring villages and invitations poured to perform at special occasions and festivals.
Her big-break came, when Habib Tanvir, a famous theatre personality from Madhya Pradesh, noticed her talent, and she was called to perform for then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. There was no turning back from then on, in-time she received national and international recognition, a Padma Shri in 1988 , Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, and Padma Bhushan in 2003.
Beginning in the 80s, she travelled all over the world as a cultural ambassador, to countries as far as England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Tunisia, Malta, Cyprus, Romania and Mauritius
Today she continues to enthralled audiences, the world over with her unique folk singing and her powerful voice; and passing on her singing to the younger generation.

Personal life

Though she was married at 12, she was ostracised by the community, the 'Pardhi' tribe, for singing Pandavani, being a woman. She built herself a small hut and started living on her own, borrowing utensils and food from neighbours, yet never left her singing, which eventually paid off for her.. She never went to her first husband's home and later split(divorce). In the following years, she was married twice times over, though none of her marriages succeeded. Later she fell in love with Tukka Ram, a former harmonium player in her troupe, and they had three children.
Today she lives with her fourth husband, Tukka Ram(fourth love), her five children, in Bhilai, where she is employed at the Bhilai Steel Plant. She travels the world for her performances. She is also a grandmother(aged 52).

Performance style

Pandavani, literally means stories of Pandavas, the legendary brothers in Mahabharat, and involves enacting and singing with instrumental accompaniment an ektara or a tambura in one hand and sometimes a kartal in another. Interestingly, as the performance progresses, the tambura becomes her only prop during her performances, sometimes she uses it to personify a gada, mace of Arjun, or at times his bow or chariot, while others it becomes the hair of queen Draupadi, allowing her to play various character with effective ease and candour.. Her acclaimed performances are of, Draupadi cheerharan, Dushasana Vadh and Mahabharat Yudh, between Bhishma and Arju

 Awards

• 1988 Padma Shri
• 1995 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
• 2003 Hon. D. Litt, Bilaspur University
• 2003 Padma Bhushan                             
 

INDIAN BUSINESS PIONEERS

KARAM CHAND THAPAR

Karam Chand Thapar (1900 to 1963) was the founder of the Thapar group of companies. He was originally from Punjab. He started his career in 1920 as a coal trader in Calcutta, and built up the family fortune through Karam Chand Thapar and Bros. He then started JCT Limited[1] that is into textiles as well as molasses and alcohol. He also took over The Oriental Bank of Commerce [2], and ventured into paper manufacturing with the Ballarpur Industries Limited. In 1956 he started the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Tech. In 2006 the college was made a university Thapar University[3].

AKAL TAKHT JATTHEDAARS

JATTHEDAR TEJA SINGH BHUCCHAR

GREAT PUNJABIS

TEJA SINGH SWATANTAR

SWATANTRA, SHRI TEJA SINGH, M.A., (Com.) Punjab-Sangrur—1971, Son of Shri Kirpal Singh; b. at Aluna [Distt. Gurdas Pur], Punjab, July 16, 1901; educated at Punjab University and Kutb University, Moscow, and also graduated in Military Sciences (Turkey); married to Shrimati Tej Kaur Bhajan, June, 1918; Prominent Social Worker, political activist; associated with Congress, 1919; Akali Movement, 1921, Kirti Party and Founder, C.P.I.; Member, Punjab Legislative Assembly, 1937—45 and Punjab Legislative Council, 1964—69.

Social activities.—Working for the betterment of peasants and was President of All India Kisan Sabha.

Hobbies and favourite pastime and recreation.—Studies and touring.

Special interests.—Fighting for the poor classes regarding land reforms.

Books published.—Punjabi Suba. 

Sports.—Hockey.

Travels abroad.—Afghanistan, U.S.S.R., Turkey and toured the whole world.

Permanent address.—Village Aluna (अलूणा ), P.O. Hardo Chhanni (हरदो छन्नी ), District Gurdaspur, Punjab. 

A BRIEF NOTE:
Comrade Swatantar was a truly  versatile personality. He was a polyglot with proficiency in about a dozen languages. His father Sardar Kirpal Singh was a Zaildar. Like every other zaildar he too was expected to be a toady of British imperialists. But the patriotic and self-respecting zaildar stood against the firangees and supported his son's anti-British activities in the wake of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. As a result his zaildari, along with whole his property was confiscated, but the valiant father and son duo did not betray the national movement. On the other hand Teja singh emerged as fearless and far-sighted young leader.
    He, along with his close confidants organized group of dedicated nationalist youths. They worked as an radical outfit within the fold of  Sikh reform  and anti- British movement  known as THE GURDWARA SUDHAR LEHAR. This group was  'Swatantar Jathaa'. From then on the name 'Swantantar' struck to his name. Teja Singh Tibri, Kishan Singh Naano Nangal Were prominent members of this group.
[Updated on April 14, 2019]

SIKH LEADERS

Teja Singh Akarpuri

Teja Singh Akarpuri, Jathedar, was an Indian politician, an active figure in the Gurdwara Reform movement. He was born at Akarpura, a village 13 km northwest of Batala (31°49'N, 75"12'E), in the Gurdaspur district of the Punjab. His father was Pala Singh and mother Partap Kaur. He matriculated from Khalsa Collegiate School, Amritsar, in 1911, and enlisted in the 24th Sikh Battalion of the Indian Army the following year. Leaving the Army, he became a patvanin the revenue department of the Punjab at the end of 1914. He was promoted ziledarm 1918.
The Nankana Sahib massacre of February 1921 proved a turning point in the life of Teja Singh. He resigned from government service and joined the Akali agitation. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee appointed him administrator of Gurdwara Premsati at Kamalia, in Montgomery district, now in Pakistan.
In 1921, he was appointed Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht at Amritsar.
On 13 October 1923, he was taken into custody by the Punjab Government and released on 27 November 1926, in the second batch of Akali detainees.
He resumed his duties as Jathedar Sri Akal Takht which position he retained until 21 January 1930.
During 1932, he was appointed as first acting president and later president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and president of Shiromani Akali Dal.
He became a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee again in 1933 and was elected its vice president.
He was president of Sri Nankana Sahib management committee from 1935 to 1938.
In the Punjab Assembly elections in January 1937, he contested the Batala constituency as a nominee of the Shiromani Akali Dal, but lost to Sir Sundar Singh Majithia, leader of the Khalsa National Party.
He was again elected a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 1939.
In 1940, he became president of the Shiromani Akali Dal and presided over the first Sarb Hind (lit. All India) Akali Conference at Atari, in Amritsar district, on 1011 February 1940.
Jathedar Teja Singh Akarpuri was a member of the first Lok Sabha from 1952 to 1957 representing his native district, Gurdaspur. He died at his ancestral village Akarpura on 20 November 1975.

SIKH EDUCATIONISTS

PRINCIPAL TEJA SINGH

Teacher, scholar and translator of the Sikh sacred texts, Principal Teja singh (1894 - 1958) was born Tej Ram on 2 june 1894 at the village of Adiala in Rawalpindi district, now in Pakistan. His mother's name was Srusti (Saraswati) and his father's name was Bhalakar Singh. At the age of three, Tej ram was sent to Gurdwara to learn and to read and write Gurmukhi and later to the Mosque to learn Urdu and Persian. While still a small boy, he received the initiatory rites of the Khalsa at the hands of Baba Khem Singh Bedi, taking the name, Teja Singh.
His early life was very hard and full of adventure. Since his father could not afford to send him to a regular school, one day he ran away from home in search of an education. He managed to attend schools in Rawalpindi and later in Sargodha, but after passing his matriculation examination, he was enrolled at the Khalsa College, Amritsar.
Teja Singh had a sensitive nature. The babbling brooks of Pothohar and the stories of the Gurus and heroes, he had heard as a child, shaped his imagination. In his seventh form, he wrote a treatise on painting, in English, and depicted in drama the noble and heroic martyrdom of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh. He painted pictures and although he had to work to pay his way through college, he had engaged a musician from a neighbouring village to come daily to his hostel to play the sitar for him.
After passing the intermediate examination from Khalsa College, Teja Singh returned to Rawalpindi to join the Gordon College which had afforded him a fee concession. He took his master's degree in English literature in 1916. In March 1919, he got an appointment back at the Khalsa college at Amritsar. He first taught history and then for a quarter of a century he taught English literature.
AS A POLITICAL ACTIVIST
Those were the days of much political activity in the Punjab and Amritsar was one of its important centers. Teja Singh was among the 13 Sikh professors of Khalsa College who resigned as a protest against government's control in the management of the institution. This gave rise to a widespread agitation and the government was forced to replace all 11 official members of the Khalsa College Managing Committee by "non-official" Sikhs. Teja Singh was also connected with the Sikhs long-drawn struggle, in the twenties, for the release of their Gurdwaras from the control of an 'effete and corrupt priestly order'. In 1923, he was arrested during this campaign and served more than one year in jail. He was released in 1925, for reasons of health, and returned to Khalsa College and his old profession of teaching, but he retained his contact with public causes through his writings and lectures. In 1939, he undertook a lecture tour of Malaya and delivered neatly 300 speeches in two months time. 

A CULTURAL TITAN
A gracious and kindly figure radiating warmth and friendliness, Teja Singh presided over the cultural and literary activity in the Punjab for three decades. Punjabi letters and Sikh history and philosophy were his special fields of study. In the former he exercised an almost 'pontifical' influence, initiating new values and standards. With his vast background in 'oriental learning', combined with his in depth study of Western Literature, he was an ideal critic and an 'arbiter' of literary excellence. His writings helped in setting (fixing) the form and structure of Punjabi idiom. He encouraged and introduced to readers many young writers and it became an accepted custom for all new practitioners of the literary arts to first show their work to him.
As a scholar of the Sikh religion, he wrote copiously and authoritatively on the subject, for many years he was the interpreter and expositor of Sikhism to the outside world through his articles in English. Such writings of his were collected in book form and published under the titles; Sikhism: Its Ideals and Institutions (1938) and Essays in Sikhism (1944). In collaboration with Dr. Ganda Singh, he wrote, A Short history of the Sikhs ( 1950). Some of his renderings of the holy texts such as japu, Asa ki Var and Sukhmani had established themselves as classics, during his lifetime. The Sabadarth, an annotated edition of the Guru Granth Sahib (sponsored by the Gur Sevak Sabha), which was completed in five years ( 1936-41), was primarily the work of Teja Singh. Teja Singh also compiled an English-Punjabi dictionary. One of his ambitions was to render the entire Guru Granth Sahib into English. The portion he had completed during his lifetime was published by the Punjabi University in 1985 under the title The Holy Granth (Sri Rag to Rag Majh).
In Punjabi literature Teja Singh is remembered primarily as an essayist. The first collection of his essays in Punjabi was published in 1941 under the title Navian Sochan, followed by Sahib Subha in 1942 and Sahit Darshan in 1951. His autobiography, Arsi (Finger-glass of Memory), a model of chaste and crisp Punjabi prose, was published in 1952. A scholarly work in Punjabi was Sri Guru Granth Sahib vich Shabadantik Lagan Matran de Gujhe Bhed (Subtle distinctions of word ending vowel symbols in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib).
In 1945, Teja Singh took over as Principal at the Khalsa college at Bombay. He stayed at this post for about three years and then returned to Punjab as secretary of the Publications Bureau of the Panjab University. In January 1949, he was appointed principal of Mohindra college, Patiala. At Patiala, he also held additional charge for a time as Secretary and Director of the newly established Punjabi department. He retired from the service of the PEPSU (the Patiala and East Punjab States Union) in 1951.
"Next to Bhai Vir Singh, perhaps, the substantial contribution to the progress of the Punjabi language is that of Prof Teja Singh," wrote the celebrated Punjabi historian, Sita Ram Kohli. His works included a translation of Japji Sahib (1919) and of Sukhmani Sahib, which he called The Psalm of Peace (1938), it was published by Oxford University Press. Reviewing a reprint of this book, The Sunday Tribune, Ambala, dated 7.1.1951, said: "The English speaking world owes Prof Teja Singh a debt of gratitude for his translation."
Other famous books by this scholar in English include:

• Growth of Responsibility in Sikhism (1919)
• The Asa-di-Var (1926)
• Highroads of Sikh History, in three volumes (1935), published by Orient Longman
• Sikhism: Its Ideals and Institutions, published by Orient Longman
• Punjabi-English Dictionary, revised and edited for Lahore University
• English-Punjabi Dictionary, Vol.1 (Punjabi University Solan).

He also wrote a number of books in collaboration with other scholars, including, The Short History of the Sikhs. Besides these, he also penned 18 books in Punjabi, including his famous autobiography Arsi.

 Teja singh died after a stroke at Amritsar on 10 January 1958. He is remembered as a great man of letters who combined with his deep love of learning, a rare personal charm and kindliness.
 

SIKH SAINTS

MAHANT 
TIRATH SINGH JI
 SEVAPANTHI


Mahant Tirath Singh Ji 'Seva Panthi' (February 12, 1925 - January 14th, 2008) was the 12th spiritual descendant of Bhai Kanhaiya Ji. He was a true saint and gnostic, and a soul of a very high order. He perceived the Almighty immanent in His creation and was always absorbed in Him. He was a very kind and generous humanitarian. He was extremely knowledgeable and his true genius showed in his spiritual and religious discourses. He was so imbued with Divine Love, that often during his spiritual discourses, while talking about Almighty God or the10 Gurus, or narrating a devotional story of the Bhagats, tears would well up in his eyes.

Mahant Sahib was a true practitioner of equity. When asked to assist in resolving matters of the Sikh Panth or by a member of the Sangat, he would present ideas that almost reminded one of the exactness of divine justice. It was no wonder that he was venerated by politicians, religious leaders, preachers, householders and accomplished professionals, alike.

He had a very soft corner for those in pain and would immediately ask his Sevadar to produce a copy of a particular shabad, or would recommend the recitation of a particular bani, or would perform an ardas. He had a kind for word for everyone he met and especially appreciated those that he recognized as having true devotion to Vaheguru and were truthful. That is why everyone who came to know him, in India or abroad, in the United Kingdom or the United States or elsewhere, honored him as a genuine 'parupkari'.

Early Life

Mahant Sahib was born on February 12, 1925 in the village Jandan Wala, in district Mianwali, in the North Western part of the Punjab province, now in Pakistan. He was born to Bhai Tara Singh, a well known devout Sikh of exemplary moral character, who had unwavering faith in the Gurbani, and who besides his Nitnem, would recite upwards of 5 Sukhmani Sahib paaths everyday.

Mahant Sahib, early in his childhood was enrolled in the local school where he was taught to read and write Urdu. He was an excellent student and an avid sportsman, especially excelling in Volley Ball. He then passed his Matriculation examination and the 'Gyani' studies, which is equivalent to a B.A.(Hons) in Punjabi, with honors.

His life took an uncommon turn at the age of 15. An honored saint Sant Bhai Asa Singh Ji visited his father, Bhai Tara Singh's home and while there, his kind eyes came to rest upon young Bhai Tirath Singh, who was at the time not keeping good health. Sant Bhai Asa Singh Ji who was always kindhearted and nurturing, asked Bhai Tara Singh if he could take Bhai Tirath Singh with him to his Dharamsala at Noorpur. He promised to take care of him.

So with his father's consent, Bhai Tirath Singh came to Noorpur and was presented to then Mahant of the dharamsala, Mahant Bhai Gulab Singh Ji. Sant Bhai Asa Singh Ji requested Mahant Gulab Singh Ji to take this exceptional young man under his wing and to bring him up. At the Noorpur Seva Panthi asthan, young Bhai Tirath Singh ji learnt Gurbani, memorized several Banis, continued advancing his education and learnt the protocols, mannerisms and traditions of the dharamsala.

There he met and was inspired by many prominent Sadhus, who gave his life a spiritual meaning and helped him to imbibe the Divine Word, equity, and the spirit of rendering humanitarian service. He learned how to practice celibacy, modesty and purity. In addition, there was an unending flow of religious scholars, theologists, poets and raagis, who would come to the Dharamsala to meet with with Mahant Gulab Singh Ji.

These new associations and contacts molded his thoughts giving him new insight into the spiritual, religious, social and practical aspects of life. His perception of things, distinguishing right from wrong, truth from untruth, reality from falsehood, changed dramatically. He was able to discern the beauty of righteousness from the ugliness of false ego and illusory Maya. Divine truths were being revealed to him and he now began to understand the path before him. Imbued with Divine love, he soon decided to follow the Gurmat Maryada and the ways of pure and holy souls around him.

Induction into the 'Seva Panthis'

Seeing young Bhai Tirath Singh evolve into a pious soul, Mahant Gulab Singh Ji, prophesized that he would acquire more knowledge and spiritual wisdom and that one day he will shine like a bright star and will be known for his great spirituality and divine knowledge. He will also enlighten the sangat with discourses from the Gurbani and provide them with practical insights on how to live a life of purity as taught by the scriptures.

On one occasion, while Mahant Bhai Jawahar Singh Ji of the Mitha Tiwana Seva Panthi dera was visiting, he foretold that young Bhai Tirath Singh will be initiated into the Seva Panthi fold by Sant Bhai Asa Singh Ji and under his discipleship he will be establish several educational, charitable and religious institutions. All of these prophecies came true and dozens of institutions, large and small, were founded and subsequently flourished under the leadership and benevolent guidance of Mahant Tirath Singh Ji.

Mahant Gulab Singh Ji and Mahant Jawahar Singh Ji arranged for young Bhai Tirath Singh to attend Gurmat Taksal at Dera Sant Bhai Amir Singh, Satto Wali Gali, Amritsar, to learn etymological annotation, philology and Gurbani grammmar from Sant Amir Singh Ji Seva Panthi, who was the most well renowned scholar and annotator of Sikh Scriptures of his time. He also was introduced to and later lived with Sant Bhai Nischal Singh Ji, the first President of the All India Seva Panthi Addan Shahi Sabha, Amritsar, and acquired a good deal of theological knowledge and experience from him.

After the partition of India, Mahant Bhai Gulab Singh Ji, brought everyone to East Punjab where in 1950 he established the Noorpur Dera, known as Tikana Bhai Jagta Ji at Goniana Mandi, Bathinda. Soon after Mahant Gulab Singh passed away giving the reins of the Tikana Bhai Jagta Ji to Mahant Bhai Asa Singh Ji. Mahant Bhai Asa Singh Ji continued preaching the Gurbani to the sangats in India and following in the footsteps of Mahant Gulab Singh Ji, he became a very influential personality within the Sikh Panth, brilliantly continuing his work.

After rendering a distinquished service of 23 years, Mahant Asa Singh Ji decided to hand over the reigns to a successor. In 1973, he had three disciples, Sant Bhai Tirath Singh, Sant Bhai Kahan Singh and Sant Bhai Harpal Singh. Sant Bhai Kahan Singh passed most of his time in the attendance of his master, Mahant Asa Singh Ji, while Sant Bhai Tirath Singh Ji mostly attended to missionary duties outside the Tikana, preaching Gurbani all over India. Both were very close to Mahant Ji's heart and he showered blessings upon them equally. When the situation for succession arose, both disciples suggested that the other be chosen for this great honor.

Mahant Asa Singh Ji finally chose Sant Bhai Tirath Singh to succeed him on on Jan 14, 1974, at a huge gathering at the Tikana Bhai Jagta Ji, in the presence of several eminent Seva Panthi Sadhus and Sadhus of other Sampradas, Mahant Asa Singh Ji performed the Tilak ceremony, and anointed Sant Bhai Tirath Singh as the Mahant of the Tikana, at the age of 47.

Mahant Sahib being a true philanthropist, accomplished an immense amount in his lifetime, started and supported numerous prestigious institutions in the field of education, medicine, social welfare and the upliftment of the poor.

On the evening of January 14th, 2008, upon receiving a call from Vaheguru, after entertaining a crowd of almost 55000-60000 people at the Tikana Sahib, after celebrating the birth anniversary of Baba Jagta Ji, distributing gifts to the Sangat, anointing his successor by performing the Tilak ceremony, he saw the last members of the sangat leave and almost as if by design, departed this world to go and sit on his appointed seat besides the Almighty Vaheguru.

Tikana Bhai Jagta Ji

Tikana Bhai Jagta Ji, Goniana Mandi, Bathinda is the head quarters of all Seva Panthi Tikanas. There are 40 such Tikanas in North India. Mahant Baba Tirath Singh Ji was the President of the Seva Panthi Addan Shahi Society (Regd.) Amritsar and the chief Sarparasth of Tikana Bhai Jagta Ji Sahib. He chose Mahant Baba Kahan Singh Ji, the current Chief Sarparasth of the Tikana Sahib, to succeed him as the 13th spiritual descendant of Bhai Kanhaiya Ji.

The Tikana Sahib complex is home to many institutions like, Bhai Kanhaiya Charitable Hospital, Mahant Asa Singh Girls College, Mahant Asa Singh College of Computer Science, Mata Tripta Charitable Trust (Free knitting and Tailoring Center), Free Eye Clinic, Free Dental Clinic, Turban Tying Teaching Center, Seva Jyoti Monthly Magazine, which has a monthly circulation of 14,000 copies, which are mailed free of charge to cities in India, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and Bhai Jagta Ji Model High School.

The Tikana Sahib has about 100 rooms with attached bathrooms for travellers and visitors, an elaborate museum, two huge Divan Halls and 2 large Langar Halls. Under the auspices of the Mahant of the Tikana Sahib, are the following additional institutions, namely, Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Abohar, Dukhniwaran Education and Medical Trust, Patiala, which includes a Heart Institute, Guru Tegh Bahadur Medical College, Ludhiana, Guru Nanak Girls College, Yamunanagar, Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa Polytechnic, Malout, Sant Nischal Singh Public School, a top boarding school, Yamunanagar, Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Bathinda, ten branches of Bhai Jagta Ji High School, Saint Soldier Public School, Jaipur, Mahant Gopal Singh College of Competitions, Patiala and Bhai Mani Singh Educational Trust(Regd.) Ludhiana.

Literary Works

Mahant Sahib spent his entire life studying Sikh scriptures and performing katha in gurdwaras all over the world. He showed his typically wonderful generosity in writing several books like the famous 'Jap Bodh' and exegesis on Sidh Gosht and Asa Di Var and even had his Katha on Japji recorded and distributed all the materials free of cost all over the world. His katha on Japji Sahib was acclaimed worldwide by the most learned of Sikh scholars and Sikhs all over the world clamored to get a hold of the 12 CD set. This Katha is now available on the internet on sites like gurmatveechar.org, gurbaniupdesh.org and proudtobesikh.com.

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky by Nikolay Kuznetsov, 1893




BIOGRAPHY

    Born: 7 May 1840 
    Birthplace: Votkinsk, Russia
    Died: 6 November 1893
    Best Known As: Russian composer of The Nutcracker 

Russian composer Peter (Pyotr) Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most-recognized melodies of classical music, and his ballet The Nutcracker endures as a winter holiday favorite. He began composing in St. Petersburg in the 1860s, while studying and teaching music at the Conservatory. By the 1870s he was gaining public notice, and after 1878 he devoted himself to composing full time. Tchaikovsky's expressive melodies and orchestrations made him an audience favorite beyond Russia, and his international travels included an American tour in 1891. Many of his works are part of the canon of classical music of the Romantic era, including the opera Eugene Onegin, the ballet Swan Lake, the overtures Romeo and Juliet and 1812 Overture and his Sixth Symphony, known as Pathétique.
Tchaikovsky had a personal reputation as emotionally fragile. His brief 1877 marriage to a woman he barely knew is now considered an ill-fated attempt to mask his homosexuality, and possibly led to what has been called a nervous breakdown. The issue of his sexuality is also considered by some modern scholars to have played a part in his untimely death. Originally it was held that Tchaikovsky died from cholera, a result of drinking tainted water. Further research a century later led to the suggestion that he may have deliberately poisoned himself, forced to by a "court of honor" as punishment for his relationship with a young male aristocrat.
From 1877 to about 1890 Tchaikovsky received financial support from Nadezhda von Meck, a wealthy widow who admired but did not know him... Cambridge University made him an honorary Doctor of Music in 1893... Transliterations of his name include Petr, Piotr and Peter, and Tschaikowsky and Chaikovsky.




From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(born May 7, 1840, Votkinsk, Russia — died Nov. 6, 1893, St. Petersburg) Russian composer. Sensitive and interested in music from his early childhood, Tchaikovsky turned to serious composition at age 14. In 1862 he began studying at the new St. Petersburg Conservatory; from 1866 he taught at the Moscow Conservatory. His Piano Concerto No. 1 (1875) was premiered in Boston and became immensely popular. He wrote his first ballet, Swan Lake (first performed 1877), on commission from the Bolshoi Ballet. In 1877 he received a commission from the wealthy Nadezhda von Meck (1831 – 94), who became his patron and longtime correspondent. The opera Eugene Onegin (1878) soon followed. Though homosexual, he married briefly; after three disastrous months of marriage, he attempted suicide. His composition was overshadowed by his personal crisis for years. His second ballet, Sleeping Beauty (1889), was followed by the opera The Queen of Spades (1890) and the great ballet The Nutcracker (1892). The Pathétique Symphony (1893) premiered four days before his death from cholera; claims that he was forced to commit suicide by noblemen outraged by his sexual liaisons are unfounded. He revolutionized the ballet genre by transforming it from a grand decorative gesture into a staged musical drama. His music has always had great popular appeal because of its tuneful, poignant melodies, impressive harmonies, and colourful, picturesque orchestration.

For more information on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, visit Britannica.com


 MUSIC ENCYCLOPAEDIA:

Pyotr Il′yich Tchaikovsky

(b Kamsko-Votkinsk, 7 May 1840; d St Petersburg, 6 Nov 1893). Russian composer. His father was a mine inspector. He started piano studies at five and soon showed remarkable gifts; his childhood was also affected by an abnormal sensitivity. At ten he was sent to the School of Jurisprudence at St Petersburg, where the family lived for some time. His parting from his mother was painful; further, she died when he was 14 - an event that may have stimulated him to compose. At 19 he took a post at the Ministry of Justice, where he remained for four years despite a long journey to western Europe and increasing involvement in music. In 1863 he entered the Conservatory, also undertaking private teaching. Three years later he moved to Moscow with a professorship of harmony at the new conservatory. Little of his music so far had pleased the conservative musical establishment or the more nationalist group, but his First Symphony had a good public reception when heard in Moscow in 1868.

Rather less successful was his first opera, The Voyevoda, given at the Bol′shoy in Moscow in1869; Tchaikovsky later abandoned it and re-used material from it in his next, The Oprichnik. A severe critic was Balakirev, who suggested that he wrote a work on Romeo and Juliet: this was the Fantasy-Overture, several times rewritten to meet Balakirev's criticisms; Tchaikovsky's tendency to juxtapose blocks of material rather than provide organic transitions serves better in this programmatic piece than in a symphony as each theme stands for a character in the drama. Its expressive, well-defined themes and their vigorous treatment produced the first of his works in the regular repertory.
The Oprichnik won some success at St Petersburg in 1874, by when Tchaikovsky had won acclaim with his Second Symphony (which incorporates Ukrainian folktunes); he had also composed two string quartets (the first the source of the famous Andante cantabile), most of his next opera, Vakula the Smith, and of his First Piano Concerto, where contrasts of the heroic and the lyrical, between soloist and orchestra, clearly fired him. Originally intended for Nikolay Rubinstein, the head of Moscow Conservatory, who had much encouraged Tchaikovsky, it was dedicated to Hans von Bülow (who gave its première, in Boston) when Rubinstein rejected it as ill-composed and unplayable (he later recanted and became a distinguished interpreter of it). In 1875 came the carefully written Third Symphony and Swan Lake, commissioned by Moscow Opera. The next year a journey west took in Carmen in Paris, a cure at Vichy and the first complete Ring at Bayreuth; although deeply depressed when he reached home - he could not accept his homosexuality - he wrote the fantasia Francesca da Rimini and (an escape into the 18th century) the Rococo Variations for cello and orchestra. Vakula, which had won a competition, had its première that autumn. At the end of the year he was contacted by a wealthy widow, Nadezhda von Meck, who admired his music and was eager to give him financial security; they corresponded intimately for 14 years but never met.
Tchaikovsky, however, saw marriage as a possible solution to his sexual problems; and when contacted by a young woman who admired his music he offered (after first rejecting her) immediate marriage. It was a disaster: he escaped from her almost at once, in a state of nervous collapse, attempted suicide and went abroad. This was however the time of two of his greatest works, the Fourth Symphony and Eugene Onegin. The symphony embodies a ‘fate’ motif that recurs at various points, clarifying the structure; the first movement is one of Tchaikovsky's most individual with its hesitant, melancholy waltz-like main theme and its ingenious and appealing combination of this with the secondary ideas; there is a lyrical, intermezzo-like second movement and an ingenious third in which pizzicato strings play a main role, while the finale is impassioned if loose and melodramatic, with a folk theme pressed into service as second subject. Eugene Onegin, after Pushkin, tells of a girl's rejected approach to a man who fascinates her (the parallel with Tchaikovsky's situation is obvious) and his later remorse: the heroine Tatyana is warmly and appealingly drawn, and Onegin's hauteur is deftly conveyed too, all against a rural Russian setting which incorporates spectacular ball scenes, an ironic background to the private tragedies. The brilliant Violin Concerto also comes from the late 1870s.
The period 1878-84, however, represents a creative trough. He resigned from the conservatory and, tortured by his sexuality, could produce no music of real emotional force (the Piano Trio, written on Rubinstein's death, is a single exception). He spent some time abroad. But in 1884, stimulated by Balakirev, he produced his Manfred symphony, after Byron. He continued to travel widely, and conduct; and he was much honoured. In 1888 the Fifth Symphony, similar in plan to the Fourth (though the motto theme is heard in each movement), was finished; a note of hysteria in the finale was recognized by Tchaikovsky himself. The next three years saw the composition of two ballets, the finely characterized Sleeping Beauty and the more decorative Nutcracker, and the opera The Queen of Spades, with its ingenious atmospheric use of Rococo music (it is set in Catherine the Great's Russia) within a work of high emotional tension. Its theatrical qualities ensured its success when given at St Petersburg in late 1890. The next year Tchaikovsky visited the USA; in 1892 he heard Mahler conduct Eugene Onegin at Hamburg. In 1893 he worked on his Sixth Symphony, to a plan - the first movement was to be concerned with activity and passion; the second, love; the third, disappointment; and the finale, death. It is a profoundly pessimistic work, formally unorthodox, with the finale haunted by descending melodic ideas clothed in anguished harmonies. It was performed on 28 October. He died nine days later: traditionally, and officially, of cholera, but recently verbal evidence has been put forward that he underwent a ‘trial’ from a court of honour from his old school regarding his sexual behaviour and it was decreed that he commit suicide. Which version is true must remain uncertain.

works:
Dramatic music

• The Voyevoda (1869)
• The Oprichnik (1874)
• Vakula the Smith (1876)
• Eugene Onegin (1879)
• The Maid of Orleans (1881)
• Mazeppa (1884)
• The Sorceress (1887)
• The Queen of Spades (1890)
• ballets: Swan Lake (1877)
• The Sleeping Beauty (1890)
• The Nutcracker (1892)
• incidental music

Orchestral music

• Sym. no.1, g, ‘Winter Daydreams’ (1866, rev. 1874)
• Sym. no.2, c, ‘Little Russian’ (1872, rev. 1880)
• Sym. no.3, D, ‘Polish’ (1875)
• Sym. no.4, f (1878)
• Sym. no.5, e (1888)
• Sym. no.6, b, ‘Pathétique’ (1893)
• Manfred, sym. (1885)
• Romeo and Juliet, fantasy ov. (1870, rev. 1880)
• Francesca da Rimini, sym. fantasia (1876)
• 1812, ov. (1880)
• Hamlet, fantasy ov. (1888)
• Pf Conc. no.1, b♭ (1875)
• Pf Conc. no.2, G (1880)
• Pf Conc. no.3, E♭ (1893)
• Vn Conc., D (1878)
• Variations on a Rococo Theme, vc, orch, A (1876)
• Serenade, strs (1880)
• over 20 other works

Chamber and keyboard music

• 3 str qts (1871, 1874, 1877)
• Pf Trio, a (1882)
• Souvenir de Florence, str sextet (1890)
• 12 other chamber works
• Pf Sonata, G (1879)
• over 100 other pf pieces

Vocal music

• c30 choral works, incl. sacred pieces, secular cantatas
• over 100 songs and duets