Sant Teja Singh
Sant Teja Singh earlier named Narahjan Singh, was born on 14 May 1877 in a Mahita Khatri family ( father: Ralia Singh : mother: Sada Kaur) at the village of Ballovali, in Gujranwala district of the Punjab (now in Pakistan). Teja Singh completed his schooling at Fazilka and then went to Lahore where he received his Master's degree in English literature in 1900 from Panjab University. Studying at Government College, Lahore he also took the Law degree. His first appointment was as headmaster of the Anglo-Sanskrit High School, Bhera. He was vice-principal of the Khalsa College at Amritsar when he received the rites of initiation at the hands of Sant Atar Singh of Mastuana (1906), receiving the Name of Teja Singh.
Sant Atar Singh sent him abroad, along with four other young Sikhs, for higher studies. In August 1906 Teja Singh joined the University College, London, but left it without completing the course to join the Teachers College at Columbia University, in New York City, U.S.A., to train as a teacher. From Columbia, he transferred to Harvard when he got his A.M. in 1911. Along with his academic work, Teja Singh had continued preaching the gospel of Guru Nanak. To this end he had, when in London, established a Sikh Jatha, and when in the U.S.A., lectured extensively in that country as well as in Canada.
Returning to India, he settled down at Mastuana, the headquarters of Sant Atar Singh. Briefly he was at Bhasaur, not far from there, teaching at the Sikh women's college. He served as principal of the Guru Nanak Khalsa College from 1917-19. For a brief spell he also worked as principal of Teachers' College at Banaras Hindu University (1920-21). He was the founder principal of Akal Degree College, Mastuana, an institution, aiming, as Sant Atar Singh had willed, at combining humanistic study with crafts and mechanics.
Sant Teja Singh attended, in 1910, the Congress of Free Christianity and Religious Progress at Berlin, set up by the Unitarian Church of Chicago. In 1956, he participated in the 8th Conference of Religion for World Peace held in Japan contributing a paper entitled, "The Way to Establish World Peace." His major publication was a biography in Punjabi of Sant Atar Singh ( Languages Departmtent, Patiala, 1970).
- In recogntion of his services to register Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver Canada in early 1900's he was posthomusly awarded the title of ‘First Ambassador of Sikhism to the Western World’ See link below:
- Sant Teja Singh died at the village of Chima on 3 July l965. Before that he laid seeds for the spirtual centre at Baru sahib in Hamachal Pradesh and a great institution, the Kalgidhar Society which is presently being led by Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji. The Society has already established a large number of higher secondary schools in the villages of the Punjab and neighbouring states to build world class citizens of the world with Singh characteristics as preached by our Gurus. The Society has aimed at 150 such schools to be established in the coming years. Its Services also include education, healthcare, social welfare, relief and rehabilitation for people of rural, backward and remote areas of Northern India.
More details about the society can be seen at:
http://www.akalacademy.in/index.asp
References
1. Visakha Singh, Sant, Malva Itihas. Kishanpura, 1954
2. Teja Singh.Jivan Katha Gurmukh Piare SantAtar Singh Ji Maharaj. Patiala, 1970
3. Balwant Singh, Giani, Agam Agadh Purakh Shnman Pujya Sant Atar Singh Ji Maharaj Ma.stua.ne Valian da Sampuran Jivan Charittar. Mastuana, 1983
