Giani Sant Singh Maskeen: Difference between revisions

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'''[[His Foreign Trips]]'''
'''[[His Foreign Trips]]'''
 
[[Image:Giani_Sant_Singh_Maskeen_at_Wolverhampton.JPG|thumb| Maskeen Ji discoursing at Wolverhampton West Midlands U.K.Gurdwara]]
He visited different countries and places including Kabul, Kandhar, Kuwait, Singapore, Malaysia, England, Iran, Thailand , Canada and America among others. Sikh communities in all these countries had great respect for him and always awaited his arrival with great enthusiasm.  
He visited different countries and places including Kabul, Kandhar, Kuwait, Singapore, Malaysia, England, Iran, Thailand , Canada and America among others. Sikh communities in all these countries had great respect for him and always awaited his arrival with great enthusiasm.  


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He authored more than a dozen books and innumerable audio cassettes and CDs, which have impacted the thinking and way of life of the Sikh Community. His daily discourses of Guru Granth Sahib on National TV network were beamed worldwide. His words provided guidance to many a wavering mind.
He authored more than a dozen books and innumerable audio cassettes and CDs, which have impacted the thinking and way of life of the Sikh Community. His daily discourses of Guru Granth Sahib on National TV network were beamed worldwide. His words provided guidance to many a wavering mind.
==='''Maskeen was an epitome of learning '''===
(From a news story in the tribune at his demise on 18.02.2005)


Giani Sant Singh Maskeen was a colossal striding across the contemporary Sikh Society for nearly five decades. His demise has created a vacuum, which would be very difficult to fill. The Sikh Community needed him at this crucial juncture when western influences are making inroads into the Sikh Culture. The loss of Giani Sant Singh Maskeen is indeed, a great loss to the worldwide Sikh Community
Giani Sant Singh Maskeen was a colossal striding across the contemporary Sikh Society for nearly five decades. His demise has created a vacuum, which would be very difficult to fill. The Sikh Community needed him at this crucial juncture when western influences are making inroads into the Sikh Culture. The loss of Giani Sant Singh Maskeen is indeed, a great loss to the worldwide Sikh Community
Maskeen was an epitome of learning
GIANI Sant Singh Maskeen, who died following a massive heart attack at Etawah in Uttar Pradesh yesterday, was not only an exemplary preacher, interpreter of religious scriptures but also an epitome of learning. His limited formal education notwithstanding, Gianiji had studied various granths in depth.
Born in Lak Makwat tehsil of Ban district in North West Frontier province in 1931, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen had to skip his matriculation examination because of partition. His parents moved to Alwar in Rajasthan where he joined the sacred company of various religious heads, preachers and saints. His interest in religious studies did not wane even after he got married to Bibi Sundar Kaur in 1958.
Though his family got into motor parts business, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen dedicated his life to religion. He leaves behind besides his widow, three sons and two daughters.
Interestingly, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen had immaculate familiarisation with the works of some of greatest Urdu poets, including Ghalib and Iqbal. His knowledge of Bhagwad Geeta, Quran and holy scriptures of other religions made it easier for him to interpret Guru Granth Sahib and recitations of various other saints, including Sufi saints. Bhai Gurdass, Guru Ravi Dass, Bhagat Kabir and Sheikh Farid often used to get mention in his discourses. He also used to refer to work done by various religious scholars. For example, he had gone through all 23 interpretations of Japuji Sahib, including by Bhai Nand Lal, Acharya Rajnish, Giani Gurdit Singh and Bhai Veer Singh.
He was a globe-trotter and delivered discourses on various aspects of Gurbani at gurdwaras and religious congregations on important occasions. Known for his candid comments, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen was bestowed with the tile of ''“Panth Rattan”'' by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. In fact it went to his credit that coming from a Hindi belt, he turned out to be an undisputed number one interpreter-cum-preacher of Gurbani.
Though just a matriculate, he authored a number of books on various religious scriptures. His Gurbani interpretation programmes were regularly serialised on various channels. One of the channels used to telecast his discourses every morning.
Some of his famous books included Guru Chintan, Ras Dhara, Shabad Guru, Ratnagar and Amrit Manthan. Giani Sant Singh Maskeen also frequented Chandigarh and other areas in Punjab and Haryana every year.
As a mark of respect to him, both the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee closed their offices for two days. He will be cremated at Alwar on Sunday.
[[Category: Famous Sikhs]]

Revision as of 06:14, 25 December 2006

GIANI SANT SINGH MASKEEN, Designed by Harpreet Singh

Birth

Born in 1934 at a place called Lak Marwat in District Bannu in present Pakistan, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen was the only son of his parents.


Parents

His parents were S. Kartar Singh and Mata Ram Kaur.


Education

He received his primary education from the Khalsa School but was unable to complete his higher education from Government High School due to the partition of India in 1947. After the partition, he and his family went and settled in Alwar in Rajasthan.

The demise of his father in 1952 created an adverse impact on him and he started feeling sad and isolated from worldly issues. Therefore he left home and started learning the basic tenets of Gurbani from various places and from different scholars. He became so engrossed in Gurbani that he himself soon became a learned narrator.


Marriage

He was married to Bibi Sunder Kaur in 1958 and thereafter made Alwar his permanent home.


Lifestyle Maskeen Ji was a very simple person who advocated simplicity. Wearing simple white clothes with a black turban, he looked very distinguished. His associates and other people accompanying him also followed the same simplicity of dress. He was very down to earth and had a simple and frugal lifestyle. Where ever he went he always preferred to stay at the Gurudwara Sahib and partook his meals from the Langar.


Style of Narration and its Impact His way of narration was uniquely different from all other scholars whether old or new. He began a particular topic and continued to elaborate on it giving different examples and thereby creating a style which the common person readily understood and could follow in their daily life. His concepts were quiet clear and his voice created a deep impact on all his listeners. Every person whether educated or not would be inspired by him.

Since he himself led the life he preached, and which was based on Gursikhi and Gurmat, people would relate to him easily. This had a tremendous impact on his audiences as he was the living example of what he advocated.

He didn't hesitate in speaking out the TRUTH and could discourse with the best. Giani Sant Singh Maskeen even used to speak in the gathering of the people belonging to other communities and religions. And everybody was impressed by his persona.

GIANI SANT SINGH MASKEEN, Designed by Harpreet Singh


His Foreign Trips

Maskeen Ji discoursing at Wolverhampton West Midlands U.K.Gurdwara

He visited different countries and places including Kabul, Kandhar, Kuwait, Singapore, Malaysia, England, Iran, Thailand , Canada and America among others. Sikh communities in all these countries had great respect for him and always awaited his arrival with great enthusiasm.


Achievements He also established a meditation center at his home town Alwar in Rajasthan, India where a Samagam (function) is held every year on the eve of "Hollah Mohallah" and which is attended by the scholars, preachers and learned people of the Sikh Community. The Khalsa School he established at Alwar has been a great success.

He authored more than a dozen books and innumerable audio cassettes and CDs, which have impacted the thinking and way of life of the Sikh Community. His daily discourses of Guru Granth Sahib on National TV network were beamed worldwide. His words provided guidance to many a wavering mind.

Maskeen was an epitome of learning

(From a news story in the tribune at his demise on 18.02.2005)

Giani Sant Singh Maskeen was a colossal striding across the contemporary Sikh Society for nearly five decades. His demise has created a vacuum, which would be very difficult to fill. The Sikh Community needed him at this crucial juncture when western influences are making inroads into the Sikh Culture. The loss of Giani Sant Singh Maskeen is indeed, a great loss to the worldwide Sikh Community Maskeen was an epitome of learning

GIANI Sant Singh Maskeen, who died following a massive heart attack at Etawah in Uttar Pradesh yesterday, was not only an exemplary preacher, interpreter of religious scriptures but also an epitome of learning. His limited formal education notwithstanding, Gianiji had studied various granths in depth.

Born in Lak Makwat tehsil of Ban district in North West Frontier province in 1931, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen had to skip his matriculation examination because of partition. His parents moved to Alwar in Rajasthan where he joined the sacred company of various religious heads, preachers and saints. His interest in religious studies did not wane even after he got married to Bibi Sundar Kaur in 1958.

Though his family got into motor parts business, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen dedicated his life to religion. He leaves behind besides his widow, three sons and two daughters.

Interestingly, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen had immaculate familiarisation with the works of some of greatest Urdu poets, including Ghalib and Iqbal. His knowledge of Bhagwad Geeta, Quran and holy scriptures of other religions made it easier for him to interpret Guru Granth Sahib and recitations of various other saints, including Sufi saints. Bhai Gurdass, Guru Ravi Dass, Bhagat Kabir and Sheikh Farid often used to get mention in his discourses. He also used to refer to work done by various religious scholars. For example, he had gone through all 23 interpretations of Japuji Sahib, including by Bhai Nand Lal, Acharya Rajnish, Giani Gurdit Singh and Bhai Veer Singh.

He was a globe-trotter and delivered discourses on various aspects of Gurbani at gurdwaras and religious congregations on important occasions. Known for his candid comments, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen was bestowed with the tile of “Panth Rattan” by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. In fact it went to his credit that coming from a Hindi belt, he turned out to be an undisputed number one interpreter-cum-preacher of Gurbani.

Though just a matriculate, he authored a number of books on various religious scriptures. His Gurbani interpretation programmes were regularly serialised on various channels. One of the channels used to telecast his discourses every morning.

Some of his famous books included Guru Chintan, Ras Dhara, Shabad Guru, Ratnagar and Amrit Manthan. Giani Sant Singh Maskeen also frequented Chandigarh and other areas in Punjab and Haryana every year.

As a mark of respect to him, both the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee closed their offices for two days. He will be cremated at Alwar on Sunday.