Professor Darshan Singh Khalsa: Difference between revisions

From SikhiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
(removed as advised by sikhiwiki mod. as it is a controversial issue)
Line 12: Line 12:


'''Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa''' (also referred to as ''Singh Sahib'' - his title when in seva at [[Shri Akal Takhat]]) is a well known Sikh keertani and a prolific author. An ex-Jathedar of the [[Shri Akal Takhat]] Sahib, he is married to Bibi Manjit Kaur. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Sangat usually refers to him as professor due to his teaching style of the [[Guru Granth Sahib ji]].
'''Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa''' (also referred to as ''Singh Sahib'' - his title when in seva at [[Shri Akal Takhat]]) is a well known Sikh keertani and a prolific author. An ex-Jathedar of the [[Shri Akal Takhat]] Sahib, he is married to Bibi Manjit Kaur. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Sangat usually refers to him as professor due to his teaching style of the [[Guru Granth Sahib ji]].
Recently, he got [[Tankhya]] from Takhat Jathedars for not presenting himself before them. Due to his ego he did not appear before jathedars and remain sat in Akal Takhat. He wanted that decision should be before people, but this maryada is not following by takhat since 10 years. The Hukumnama declaring him tankhaiya was made before hand by GS Lamba. Later Akal Takht Sahib added date and signatures. This shows that there is a big conspiracy to shut the mouths of people speaking up against Dasam Granth. He want that Judge should come before Mujlim to solve the case. He also attacked nitnem banis.


==Introduction==
==Introduction==

Revision as of 15:46, 22 January 2010

Professor (Prof.) Darshan Singh Khalsa
ProfessorDarshanSingh.jpg
Full Name : Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa
Birth : 1940 [1]
Parents :
Spouse : Bibi Manjit Kaur
Children :
Death :
Other Info: Presently living Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa (also referred to as Singh Sahib - his title when in seva at Shri Akal Takhat) is a well known Sikh keertani and a prolific author. An ex-Jathedar of the Shri Akal Takhat Sahib, he is married to Bibi Manjit Kaur. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Sangat usually refers to him as professor due to his teaching style of the Guru Granth Sahib ji.

Introduction

Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa was born in November of 1940 in the village of Sur Singha, in undivided Punjab. He has been doing keertan and katha sewa for the past 40 years. He remained at seva of Shri Akal Takhat Sahib during one of the most turbulent times of the 20th century for Sikhs, from 1987 - 1990. [1]

During the partition of India when West Pakistan was carved out of the Punjab, the threat of violence forced thousands of Sikh and Hindu families to leave their ancestral homes. Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa was forced to move to India when he was eight years old. His grandfather was a great scholar and ragi who served as bhai sahib's teacher and guide. As a young child he was taught by his grandfather to memorize a multitude of topics and writings; such as Gurbani kirtan, sakhi's and katha. [2]

By the time he was he was nine years old, he had done his first kirtan. Over time, as sangat began to enjoy his style of kirtan he became inspired to learn more. [2]

On December 5 2009, Professor was declared a Tankhaiya by the Akal Takht for his Nindya of Guru Gobind Singh Jee.

Kirtan Seva & Philosophy

Darshan ragi-2.jpg

At a very young age he began to memorize gurbani quickly. He seemed to know so much that one could hear a new shabad from him daily without him having to reference the Guru Granth Sahib ji. Eventually, based on his abilities and level of interest in Gurbani, kirtan and katha became his way of life. His goal, at this point in his life, became to fully comprehend the Guru Granth Sahib ji, not only to have memorized it.

[2]

During the period of 1984 he realized that Gurbani taught him to stand up for the panth. He was bestowed the seva of Jathedar of Shri Akal Takhat because he had a dynamic voice and only required the authoritative foundation for expressing the panth's needs. His priority during that period was to maintain the foundation of the Guru Granth Sahib ji and that of the panth. [2]

He eventually stepped down from that seva; his major reasons for leaving were the aggressive politics and unfair dealings that lurked within those committees. For three years of his seva, he did not ever leave the country as he knew the panth was in need. Today he believes that a conflict against panth or the Guru Granth is also his conflict. This explains why he spends half of his year in Canada and the rest in India. [2]

Against Nitnem Banis of Dasam Granth

Guru Granth Sahib Academy

To continue his seva (to bring the message of the Guru to the panth), he realized that the use of online media would be an appropriate solution. Ggs Web Academy was created in 2004; Sukhmani Sahib and Kabir ji's Bani have been taught ever since, through the use of the website: ggsacademy.com. [2]

Having moved from Punjab to Canada he has busied himself by founding, in the first floor of the large home, the Guru Granth Sahib Academy ggsacademy.com. In a recent article featured on sikhchic.com, by the wordsmith T. Sher Singh, Singh describes his joy over finding out that the former Jathedar, raagi and Sikhi Pracharak, who he had admired for a long time, in his words, “for his spirituality and intellectual discourse has moved from Punjab, crossed the proverbial Seven Seas, and plunked himself down in a quiet rural community…”. [3] Besides teaching classes on the interpretation of bani in person and over the internet, he performs in a small hall on the first floor each friday night and saturday morning. More information can be found here. [1]

Words such as; Gem, source of inspiration, lighthouse of Sikhi, 'icon', Panth Ratan" are used to describe Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa in the comments written in response to Singh's article. [3]

One person, who gives his name as Rajinder (from San Francisco, U.S.A.), reminds us that (after the invasion of the Harmandir Sahib in 1984) when every politician, intellectual and gyani decided to keep quiet to save themselves from persecution by the Goverment of India, Prof. Darshan Singh stood tall and sang a very emotional shabad, "Jab baan lagyo, tabe ros jagyo" , in New Delhi.

The whole article, The Gift may be read at: Sikh Chic [3]

Prof Darshan Singh Attacked

Few people on 19th Jan Tuesday attacked Prof Darshan Singh at Asansol in West Bengal when he reached there for a program. The Gurmat Prasar Sabha of Asansol had invited Prof Darshan Singh in defiance of a Hukumnama of Akal Takht and incumbent Sikh clergy that had directed the Sikh sangat not to invite the Ragi because of his views against Dasam Granth. Many sections of the Sikh Panth have refused to abide by the edict, calling it as a directive motivated by political vested interests.

The World Sikh News sources said one Bhai Harpal Singh, a nominated SGPC member, was instrumental in garnering support to stop Prof Darshan Singh's program. As soon as prof Darshan Singh reached the venue, a group of people surrounded his car and humiliated him, abusing him for allegedly opposing the Akal Takht. Prof Darshan Singh's associate and private secretary Tejpal Singh was also with the Ragi at the time of the attack.

Only last Sunday, the Hoshiarpur district administration had banned a programme of Prof Darshan Singh at Garhshankar in a move that was widely being seen as direct state interference in Sikh affairs.

Sangat's Comments

Comments from Sikhchic[3]

Binder Mandur (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) Prof. Darshan Singh ji is certainly all that has been said of him in the comments already given above. And, he is more than that. He is today the 'Brave Voice of Reason' - giving direction to the Guru Khalsa Panth to bow to only Guru Granth Sahib as our One and only Guru. This stand takes great courage as the proponents of rival granths and enemies of the panth are many and powerful. I admire him for being brave and taking the bull by the horns - in 1984 he was the vocal conscience of the Sikh Panth - today, he is the voice of reason to take back our religion from the brink of sinking in the abyss of manmatt-ism/ brahminism. He definitely is a Panth Rattan. I wish him well.

Arvinder Singh (London, U.K.) Great article by T. Sher Singh. Touched me deeply and brought back some memories. I think we need to still learn a lot form this great soul who is a great source of wisdom and knowledge. Also, his sacrifices for the Sikh Nation have yet to be fully appreciated. Thanks to the Guru for Professor Sahib.

Taranjit Singh (U.K.) Professor Darshan Singh ji's kirtan has always blown me away. I have only ever heard him live once, and it was beautiful. He truly is a heera of the panth. You are so lucky.

Amrit (India) The question is not only of melody, but also of the amount of preparation one puts into the kirtan and the pleasure one derives from reciting a shabad. This difference puts Prof. Darshan Singh totally on a different plane from the others. Then, there is the question of faith in what the shabad says, and fearlessness in dealing with difficult topics. In recent times, we've enjoyed the presence of a formidable trio - Prof. Darshan Singh, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen and Bhai Jasbir Singh Khanne-wale - but never benefited from their full potential. I hope that we'll learn as much as we can from those who are still amongst us.

M. S. Uppal (Delhi, India) Really, words are not capable of explaining all the great qualities of this extraordinary man, Prof. Darshan Singh. He sings Gurbani with so much enjoyment and enthusiasm. He also selects shabads and topics which connect well with real, day-to-day events. He is clear and manages to explain the finer points of difficult topics by making them so simple. And, he displays courage and fearlessness, when it is needed. It is a pity that the community has not found a way of benefiting from him more fully. I do believe we would've done better under his leadership, instead of the ones we are suffering from today.

Bobby Khanna (USA) I was looking for some information on Prof. Darshan Singh when I stumbled upon this page. You have portrayed him just the way I too would have liked to portray him: he is indeed a true legend. I am one of his many ardent fans. I say this because I am just like any other, average person who goes to the gurdwara, listens to the shabad kirtan but then, in the end, says to himself: "I wish I could understand it!" When Prof. Darshan Singh does kirtan, all-of-a-sudden all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and the words begin to make sense. It's like a 'duh' moment, each time. Thank you for posting such a wonderful article and making me feel good.

Davinder Pal singh (Village Khera, Jalandhar, India) Prof. Darshan Singh has truly been an insiration for my family and I. What a wonderful article on this much respected individual of the Sikh community. We are fortunate to have such a personality amongst us who provides us deep insights into Gurbani. I wish we had many more scholars like him.

Satbir Kaur (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) Wow! I also listen to him on TV sometimes on the weekends. He's amazing. I love his facility with language when he does Gurbani viyakhya. He's ... well, I don't have the words ...

and many more...

Featured Articles

Maskeen on Darshan Singh

Katha & Media

  • ggsacademy.com – The website of the Guru Granth Sahib Academy, Ontario, Canada, which contains many recordings by Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa
  • sikhnet.com – Sikhnet has some recordings by Prof. Darshan Singh Khalsa

Pictures

SinghSahib-1-.jpg SinghSahib04-1-.jpg SinghSahib05-1-.jpg

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.ggsacademy.com/volunteerteam "Prof Darshan Singh Khalsa" in Volunteer Team
  2. ^ a b c d e f Prof. D. S. Khalsa, public presentation, August, 2008
  3. ^ a b c d http://www.sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?id=217&cat=12

More Topics

Readers are invited to add any info on the following:

  • Parents
  • Education
  • Marriage
  • Lifestyle
  • Style of Narration and its Impact
  • His Foreign Trips
  • His books
  • Achievements
  • Other comments