Dr Preetam Singh Jee

Dr. Preetam Singh jee AnjaaN, Jalandhar valay
In Soora, July 1999
Translated by Admin www.tapoban.org

Dr. Preetam Singh jee was born in the home of Bhai Jasvant Singh jee and Mata Jasbeer Kaur jee on April 24, 1961. Dr. Sahib's father was a leading Singh in the Jalandhar AKJ and Mata jee was also a leading keertanee. So, according to past karma Dr. Sahib was born in a religious atmosphere and from his childhood remained coloured in naam. He would go to smaagams with his mother and father and would pass through the sangat and come to the front and sit beside the keertanee Singhs and be lost. From amongst his two brothers and six sisters, Dr. Sahib was the best in his schooling and studied homeopathic medicine. Along side his difficult medical studies, he also studied Gurmat with full dedication and received training from his parents and other Gursikhs.

Dr. Sahib had a lot of baaNee memorised and besides his nitnem of 5 baaNees, he would recite many others as well. His consciousness was so attuned to shabad that when he'd sing GurbaaNee Keertan, he would be so attached to the meanings of the baaNee that he would be lost in vairaag and divine colours and leave the listeners immersed as well.

Dr. Sahib's heart was always tormented by the rise of bad practices in the Sikh Panth and with his writings, he would speak out against them. He would also encourage his companions to resist these wrong practices as well.

Writing about unnecessary and thoughtless "PramaaN" or examples in keertan Dr. Sahib wrote (sarcastically), "We Jatha Singhs, what need do we have to study GurbaaNee? We've studied from the Divine Court of course and are leaders. The rest of the world is stuck in "churaasee" or reincarnation. Using unsuitable examples (PramaaN) and attaching unsuitable lines from baaNee to our keertan and doing dhunee of Gurmantar at inappropriate places has become our identity." Then Dr. Sahib prays, "Oh God, keep us away from such an identity, and give us such a rebirth that we only consider ourselves capable of judging ourselves and finding our own mistakes. Let us reflect on GurbaaNee Paath, Keertan, GurbaaNee veechaar and Guru-History with such humility but sharp intellect that our identity becomes that of only Naam-loving Ranglay Sajjan."

Dr. Sahib made the lines "Prithmai man parbodheh apnaa paachhai avr reejhaavai" or " First, he instructs his own mind, and then, he leads others" apply to his life completely. He would encourage his companions to look at themselves first and shape their lives according to GurbaaNee. His heart was a spring of faith for GurbaaNee. As a sign of this faith, he wrote a pothee of the 5 baaNees with his own hands and give it to his wife as an amazing gift.

Dr. Sahib was always ready to help the needy. He wouldn't care for his own life when helping others. Once when going to Delhi, someone's house was on fire. In that house a young child was trapped. Dr. Sahib fearlessly went through the flames to pick up the child and bring him out. He became the subject of the child's parents and others blessings.

Bhai Preetam Singh jee AnjaaN wanted to live every part of his life according to GurbaaNee. He didn't just desire this, he always tried to bring it into practice as well. He called himself the most lowly and addressing his wife, he wrote: "I'm bitter, dirty and shameless and all other things, but I've always been afraid to do wrong. Perhaps this fear will one day bring some big change within me and I'll become a good person and then become a good life partner for you. When loving words and baaNee become our life, then the desire to meet in [Barahmaha's] Vaisakh and Jayth's desire to unite will become our fortune. Then I don't know why our luck is so bad. Let's work together and according to Guru Sahib's description of both these months let's have the pangs of love and bring Gursikhi jeevan into this love. Both of our births falling in the month of Vaisakh are no small or insignificant thing. Nor is it just usual. It's important for both of us to understand the meaning of this."

Dr. Sahib would read Bhai Sahib Bhai Randheer Singh jee's books with great interest and seeing the example of a great Sikh in these books would try to bring his example into his own life and encourage others to do the same. Being influenced by these books, Dr. Sahib warned about the weakness coming into the practice of Tat Gurmat: "Today, we need a Tat Khalsa which Guru Gobind Singh prepared by giving amrit. We shouldn't try to just administer amrit and increase the number of amritdhaarees, but today we need religious and Naamee Singhs who live practical Gursikhi Jeevans. Bhai Sahib Bhai Randheer Singh jee writes in Ranglay Sajjan about amrit sinchaars in those times. What kind of Punj pyaaray and what kind of abhilakhees there were and what kind of lifestyle they should have. Only those Punj Pyaaray who are coloured in GurbaaNee in mind and body can choose worthy candidates who know the value of Amrit. But today in the Sikh Panth and our Akhand Keertanee Jatha, there are changes being made according to individual mindsets, which are bringing a downfall in the Khalsa Panth. Bringing our own changes into the rehit maryada has resulted in apostasy and prevalent drug use in the Sikh youth."

In this way Dr. Sahib always desired the chardee kalaa of the Khalsa Panth and attempted to guard the Tat-Gurmat lifestyle. If we try to write about other examples in his life for this goal, we could write an entire book.

Like puraatan Gursikhs, by being coloured in naam, Dr. Sahib knew that his final days were approaching but didn’t' tell anyone about it. Sometimes though, his words gave hints about this. In a Smaagam at Bastee Sheikh at Jalandhar, he unconsciously said, "I'm going to be wounded in my head. There's little time and so much to do."

Knowing about his final days, Bhai Sahib did not let any weakness or change enter his life. He desired to obey the divine orders only. Some time before, Dr. Sahib's mother had a dream of his dying in a car accident. Instead of saying something else to confuse his mother, he said "Thank Guru Sahib. Maybe Guru Sahib is giving you a signal and preparing you to accept his will."

Finally that time arrived on June 27, 1998. The Sangat of Ludhiana had called him to do keertan at a RaN Sabaaee, and even though he didn't feel like going due to both bodily and mental fatigue, he accepted the orders of the Sangat and left for Ludhiana. Seeing his arrival, the Sangat of Ludhiana was very happy and for 1.25 hours he sang the shabad "Man mayray sachay naam vitho(n) bal jaao" and he kept doing svaas svaas Khanda of Naam.

After this, he played joRee (tabla) for some time and enjoyed the bliss of keertan. According to divine will, Dr. Sahib rose at amrit vela 3AM from sangat and taking the blessings of sangat and doing naam hugs with other Singhs, he left with his wife and children. 5KM from Filaur on the road to Goraaiyaa(n), Dr. Sahib's jeep was in an accident and just like his mother's dream, he was injured in his head and left for his place at the Guru's feet. At his final moments, his mind and voice were both repeating Gurmantar which was heard by a guard who stood nearby who then told the Singhs who came to get the body.

Dr. Preetam Singh jee was an amazing NirbaaN Keertanee but was also a very sweet Akhand Paathee. When he read BaaNee, it was like arrows piercing the listeners' hearts. He was a total bundle of good qualities. Whoever did his Sangat, could not help but make an eternal place for him in their hearts.