Jathedar Kartar Singh Jhabbar was born in 1874 in a Virk family in the village of Jhabbar, district Sheikhupura, Pakistan. He was the grandson of Sardar Mangal Singh, whom Maharaja Ranjit Singh appointed Kumedan in his forces after compromise with the Jhabbars. Jhabbar’s early life was like that of any other spirited young man of rural agricultural family, whose passion was to look after their buffalo herds, take plenty of milk and butter, build muscles and take courageous and a firm stand for righteous causes.<\/p>\n
Since early life, his demeanour and behaviour and his social environment were of superior nature. Bodily, he looked noble, was well built and appeared destined to play some great role in the future. Fear was foreign to his nature. All through his youth, he wore rural dress with a turban on his head and a Dang with an iron knob in his hand. He would neither indulge in light talk, nor let anyone do it in his presence. He would not bow before anybody.<\/p>\n
1904<\/span> His first meeting with Bhai Mool Singh Gurmula took place in 1904, when, along with his young companions, he listened to his speech at a conference in village Varan. He was so captivated with it that wherever Bhai Gurmula delivered his lectures, Jhabbar would attend with his party. This was the period when the campaign for shudhi (conversion of Muslims and scheduled castes to Sikhism) had been launched. At an amrit ceremony at Nankana Sahib, Bhai Gurmula had initially declined to initiate Jhabbar, but on his insistence Jhabbar was initiated and, by and by, became Bhai Gurmula’s companion.<\/p>\n In the late autumn of 1904, a huge Shudhi conference was held in the village Kotli Dasu Singh, district Sialkot, with the efforts of missionary Sant Sarup Singh, attended by Bhai Lall Singh Gujranwala, Sardar Tirath Singh Gharjakh, Bhai Takht Singh Ferozepur and Bhai Ganga Singh. A group of 50 to 60 Muslims attacked the audience, and two prominent Sikhs were seriously injured. Jhabbar, though under a vow of silence, spoke out and led the defence, snatching a lathi and striking down several attackers until they fled. Sardar Tirath Singh Gharjakh, who witnessed the scene, began to cherish great regard for Jhabbar.<\/p>\n 1906\u20131909<\/span> Sardar Tirath Singh persuaded Jhabbar to join the Gharjakhar Vidyala to acquire Gurmat knowledge. Jhabbar joined this seminary in 1906 and studied with faith and vigour until 1909, after which he adopted the life of a Gurmat missionary and moved to Lahore to begin his missionary career.<\/p>\n At that time there were only 19 members of the Lahore Singh Sabha, with no scheduled programme and no weekly congregations. Jhabbar began enrolling members, and within two months had registered 500. He started weekly congregations at Gurdwara Baoli Sahib, publicised through newspapers and pamphlets, and would address audiences in the thousands.<\/p>\n When Dr. Baldev Singh, newly returned from England and appointed Chairman of the Singh Sabha, introduced benches and chairs into the congregation hall, Jhabbar objected on the grounds that it disrespected the Guru Granth Sahib. After a spirited hour-long exchange of views on Gurmat tradition, it was decided that the benches be removed.<\/p>\n Jhabbar remained at Lahore for seven years, carrying out Gurmat missionary work without salary or compensation \u2014 in fact, he never once worked for pay in his life. He travelled throughout Punjab preaching on invitation, and in 1912<\/span> founded the Khalsa Diwan Khara Sauda Bar, the organisation with which he remained associated for the rest of his life and through which he carried out the monumental Panthic services for which he became known.<\/p>\n 1913\u20131918<\/span> This period was devoted to the spread of education among Sikhs. In 1913, Bhai Mool Singh Gurmula purchased land near Gurdwara Khara Sauda and built a school. In 1917, Jhabbar opened a Middle School in this building, and in 1918, at the request of the residents of the newly settled Mandi Chuhar Kana, moved the school there under the management of a local committee.<\/p>\n 1919<\/span> In April 1919, Jhabbar travelled to Lahore with a school teacher, Bhai Arjan Singh, to purchase text books for new classes \u2014 his life’s passion being the spread of Gurmat knowledge among young students through Khalsa schools. It was from this platform that Jhabbar would soon be catapulted from a humble preacher into the position of Panthic leadership that would define the rest of his life, at the head of the movement to reform and reclaim the Gurdwaras of Punjab.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jathedar Kartar Singh Jhabbar was born in 1874 in a Virk family in the village of Jhabbar, district Sheikhupura, Pakistan. 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