FATEH SIṄGH, SANT (1911-1972), who enjoyed wide religious esteem among the Sikhs (sant, lit. a holy man) and who during the latter part of his career became a dominant political figure, was born, on 27 October 1911, the son of Bhāī Channaṇ Siṅgh, a resident of Baḍiālā in present-day Baṭhiṇḍā district of the Punjab. He had no formal schooling and started learning to read Punjabi only at the age of 15. In view of his interest in religious texts, his father apprenticed him to a well-known scholar, Sant Īshar Siṅgh, of Sekhā, a village near Barnālā. In company with Sant Channaṇ Siṅgh, another holy man, he migrated to Gaṅgānagar district of the then princely state of Bīkāner in Rājasthān, where a large number of Sikh peasants had settled down in the newly established canal colony. Having established himself at Buḍḍhā Jauhaṛ, a little known place which he made famous, Fateh Siṅgh moved from village to village preaching the Sikh faith through kīrtan and discourse and administration of amrit or the vows of the Khālsā. He simultaneously worked for the promotion of education among the masses and was instrumental in the construction of, besides a number of gurdwārās, several schools and colleges, an orphanage and a centre for imparting training in kīrtan. In this task he was assisted by Sant Channaṇ Siṅgh who, though senior in age, always acknowledged him as his elder, and their partnership and their respect for each other lasted till the very end. His pious way of living earned Fateh Siṅgh the title of Sant.

         In a final bid for the attainment of a Punjabi-speaking state, Sant Fateh Siṅgh put his own life at stake and started on 18 December 1960 a fast-unto-death. Before submitting himself to the ordeal he offered prayers at the Akāl Takht and at the Harimandar, and addressed a mammoth gathering of the Sikhs adjuring them to remain calm and peaceful in any eventuality.

         Political negotiations ensued between the Government of India and the Akālī Dal. Sant Fateh Siṅgh had three meetings with Prime Minister Nehrū --- on 8 February, 1 March and 12 May 1961, but with no positive result. His personal political authority had however been firmly established among the Sikhs. In July 1962, he directly challenged Master Tārā Siṅgh, forming his own Akālī Dal which on 2 October 1962 wrested control of the Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee from the hands of the latter. In the Gurdwārā elections on 17 January 1965, Sant Fateh Siṅgh annexed 90 of the elected seats, conceding only 45 to Master Tārā Siṅgh. To force the issue of Punjabi Sūbā, he proclaimed from the Akāl Takht on 16 August 1965 that he would restart his fast from 10 September 1965 and that, if he survived the fast for 15 days with his demand still not conceded, he would commit self-immolation by burning himself alive on the 16th day. But as hostilities between India and Pakistan broke out in September 1965, he not only postponed the fast but also issued an appeal to all his countrymen, particularly Sikhs, to rally behind the government. The war ended on 22 September 1965 and on 23 September, the Home Minister of India announced in Parliament the setting up of a Cabinet Committee consisting of Indirā Gāndhī, Y.B. Chavān and Mahāvīr Tyāgī to pursue further the question of the formation of a Punjabi-speaking state. He also requested the Speaker of the Lok Sabhā and the Chairman of the Rājya Sabhā to form for the same purpose a Parliamentary Consultative Committee. Matters moved fast thereafter. The report of the Parliamentary Committee, headed by Speaker Hukam Siṅgh, was made public on 18 January 1966, recommending the reorganization of the existing state of Punjab on linguistic basis. Mrs Indirā Gāndhī who had, after the sudden death of Lāl Bahādur Shāstrī, taken over as Prime Minister, finally conceded the demand on 23 April 1966. On 3 September, the Punjab Reorganization Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabhā and on 1 November 1966 Punjabi-speaking state became a reality. A lifelong bachelor, Sant Fateh Siṅgh greeted the event with the words : "A handsome baby has been born into my household."

         Sant Fateh Siṅgh thereafter became a controversial figure and his influence began to decline. He started another fast-unto-death on 26 January 1970, with self-immolation to follow on 1 February 1970 if Chaṇḍīgaṛh was not merged with Punjab by then. On 29 January, the Union Government announced that "the capital project area of Chaṇḍīgaṛh should as a whole go to Punjab," but this was hedged round by stipulations such as the transfer of Fāzilkā tahsīl from Punjab to Haryāṇā. The All-Parties Action Committee and the Akālī Dal High Command at their separate meetings on 30 January 1970 passed resolutions welcoming the decision regarding Chaṇḍīgarh, but opposing that on Fāzilkā. These resolutions were conveyed to Sant Fateh Siṅgh, who was persuaded to end (30 January 1970) the fast he was going through. On 25 March 1972, he announced his retirement from active politics.

1. Ghai, Charan Das, God's Man : A Biography of Sant Fateh Singh. Ludhiana, 1969
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2. Harbans Singh, The Heritage of the Sikhs. Delhi, 1983
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3. Ashok, Shamsher Siṅgh, Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Prabandhak Committee dā Pañjāh Sālā Itihās. Amritsar, 1982
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Jitinder Kaur