Poet, scholar and exegete of the Singh Sabha movement; 1872-1957
Bhai Vir Singh
Bhai Vir Singh wrote the first modern Punjabi novels and the epic Rana Surat Singh, founded the Khalsa Tract Society and the Khalsa Samachar, and helped build the institutions of the Singh Sabha movement. The Encyclopaedia calls him the creator of modern Punjabi literature.
Early life
He was born at Amritsar on 5 December 1872, the son of Dr Charan Singh, and learned traditional scholarship from his grandfather Giani Hazara Singh. He passed his matriculation at the Church Mission School in 1891, chose not to enter government service, and set up a press.[EoS]
Public work
He founded the Khalsa Tract Society in 1894 and the weekly Khalsa Samachar in November 1899. He helped promote the Chief Khalsa Diwan, the Sikh Educational Society and the Punjab and Sind Bank, and kept out of politics.[EoS]
Writing
His novels Sundari (1898), Bijay Singh (1899) and Satvant Kaur recreated the eighteenth century. Baba Naudh Singh followed, and Rana Surat Singh, over 14,000 lines of blank verse, began appearing in 1905. Later came short lyrics. He passed away at Amritsar on 10 June 1957, having completed about half of a commentary on Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.[EoS]
Images
Detail of a 1908 photograph showing Bhai Vir Singh with his grandfather, Giani Hazara Singh of the Gianian Bunga at Amritsar.
Unknown photographer, 1908. Public domain. Source
