'Guru Uday Singh'/'Guru Daleep Singh'?

On December 13th 2012 C.E. at 6.28pm local Indian time, the Namdhari Panth - in the form that existed after Satguru Ram Singh's exile - came to an abrupt end.

As per His Wish, Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji - The Benevolent Satguru Who permeates within all and yet in none at all - decided to leave His earthly Body.

The Sri Granths state that without the Satguru there is nothing but darkness. In Satguru Partap Singh Ji's Updesh (Divine Discourse) - Narrating Satguru Gobind Singh Ji's Hukam in Saw-Sakhi - it can be heard that in the coming height of Kaljug (Age of Darkness) there shall be new self-justifying philosophies being fabricated every day. From within the pages of Satguru Bilas by Kavi Santokh Singh Bahoval it is written that Satguru Ram Singh Ji's Hukam is such that the Namdhari Panth shall be destroyed before it shall be recreated after His Return.

It would appear that the Satgurus' Orders have come true before our very eyes.

Immediately after the Satguru's decision to leave His Body, newspapers across Punjab reported the same exact narrative regarding the succession of the Satguru: "THE SATGURU DID NOT NAME ANY SUCCESSOR".

The Hindustan Times reported on December 13th 2012: Asked about the declaration of the successor by Satguru Jagjit Singh, Harbhajan Singh, suba pradhan of the sect, said, "As of now nobody in the Namdhari community knows anything about his successor. His nephew, Uday Singh, or his son-in-law, Jagtar Singh, would be in a position to say something after his last rites." "

The Tribune reported on December 14th: "Thakur Uday Singh (50), nephew of the late Satguru Jagjit Singh, was today announced administrator of the Namdhari Darbar. the announcement was made by Suba Balwinder Singh Jhall on the directions of Bibi Chand Kaur, wife of the Satguru, after the cremation ceremony.

Thakur Uday Singh said a final decision on the Satguru's successor would be made after a meeting of the Namdhari sect top brass. He denied there was a race for the top post. "

The Indian Express reported on December 15th 2012: "Other than Uday, the names of Sant Jagtar Singh, son-in-law of the Satguru, his son Jai Singh and Uday Singh's son Uttam Singh are being considered for successor.

H S Hanspal, former PPCC chief and a sect member, said: "The Satguru had indicated few names before he passed away, so our entire family will be sitting together to reach a conclusion. For the time being Thakur Uday is the incharge as per the decision of Mataji Chand Kaur." "

For anyone who has read even a single Holy Page of the Sri Aad Granth Sahib, it cannot be expected that a Satguru can ever be chosen by a bunch of businessmen - or farmers turn businessmen - let alone corrupt politicians.

Yet despite all that is sensible, Uday Singh - son of the Highly Revered and Educated Sri Maharaj Bir Singh Ji, who spent his entire lifetime fighting corruption and lies posed by Singh Sabhias as well as corrupt politicians that had infiltrated the Namdhari Panth - decided to name himself as the guru.

There is little doubt that Uday Singh was forced to do this for a number of reasons including the fact that - according to eye-witness reports of a former Sewak (Servant) of the Satguru - Mata Chand Kaur Ji had begun to treat her grandson, Jai Singh, the same as the Satguru and had him sit on a 'Chownki' (wooden stool) higher than others and proceeded to offer him food in the same manner it was done to the Satguru. It is a well-known fact that Jai Singh, a Jatt by caste, has been perpetuating himself as the next guru even during the era of the Satguru Himself. This despite the fact he possesses no extraordinary knowledge of history nor any other arts. Neither has he made any note-worthy contribution for the progress of the Khalsa Panth.

On the other hand there were the groupies of Daleep Singh - the elder son of Sri Maharaj Bir Singh Ji - who also started shouting slogans and advertising him as the next guru. They in fact claimed that they were going to 'bestow' guruship upon Daleep Singh in a grand function that would be organized soon after. This claim, however, turned out to be nothing more than empty threats when Daleep Singh - agreeing to the fact that the Satguru had clearly not named a successor - declined to be titled as a Satguru. Taking a page out of the time when Satguru Gobind Singh disappeard from Nander in 1708 and the Sikhs treated Mata Sundri Ji as the Head of State, Daleep Singh decided to use the function to announce his allegiance to Mata Chand Kaur Ji and claimed her to be his guru. This well-meaning but short-sighted strategy backfired quickly as Mata Chand Kaur Ji - similar to Mata Sundri Ji who was influenced by the Mughals to thwart Baba Banda's attempts - was firmly on the other side and co-operated with Uday Singh's plan to be a guru.

It is worth mentioning here that Uday Singh, formerly titled 'Thakur', was stripped of his title by the Satguru in the summer of the year 2007 C.E. via a public announcement that was published in the Satjug newspaper as well along with his older brother Daleep Singh. Recently a certain dirty and failed politician has begun to propagate a lie that the Satguru did this because Uday Singh was to assume a more powerful position later. This is utterly untrue and baseless. This type of propaganda from the failed politician is absurd and an insult towards the Satguru for no human-being can claim to speak for Him and that is precisely the reason why it is officially forbidden for the Namdhari Singh Khalsa to translate Gurbani.

But the dirty politician was not done with his trick. He colluded with his money-hungry minions to propagate a complete lie that Satguru Partap Singh Ji was titled Satguru by Mata Jeewan Kaur Ji!

More saddening, is the fact that when the question was posed directly to Uday Singh about why his supporters are perpetuating this lie, the response was heart-breaking. Uday Singh - son of the learned Sri Maharaj Bir Singh - apparently never read any of his father's books and proceeded to spew the same baseless propaganda.

Apart from the fact that every history book from Satguru Bilas to Jas Jeewan and all publications made public by the Namdhari Darbar under the direct Blessings of Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Maharaj and the supervision of Maharaj Bir Singh clearly state that it was Satguru Hari Singh Ji who bestowed Guruship upon Satguru Partap Singh Ji, the fact has also been independently confirmed by a Sikh whose direct relatives, namely an uncle by the name of Moola Singh (who was a Sarpanch) and father by the name of Sant Phoola Singh (who was a beloved Sikh of Satguru Hari Singh Ji and titled Sant by Satguru Partap Singh Ji), were present at the time of Satguru Hari Singh passing on the Guruship. The source confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Satguru Hari Singh had Created a Will, signed by the Sarpanch Moola Singh, stating that Satguru Partap Singh was His Successor.

This pure fabrication by the Uday Singh camp is done in order to justify how he was made a guru by Mata Chand Kaur. Unfortunately for Uday Singh, however, the only other time in history when the Satguru's Mahal (Wife) has ever tried to name a successor, it ended in a tragedy. Refer to Ajit Singh, the adopted son of Mata Sundriji who was named the successor of Guru Gobind Singh after the Satguru left Nander in 1708 and all of the Satguru's belongings from the time of Satguru HarGobind Sahib Ji were signed over to him and endorsed by the government under Bahadur Shah. Ajit Singh soon after lost his mind and attacked Mataji and was done away with.

History indeed has a habit of repeating itself. On 4th of April, 2016, Mata Chand Kaur, the Mahal (wife) of Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji was shot by 2 assailants in Bhaini Sahib. The two assailants approached Mataji as if to pay obeisance to her and when they got close enough, one of them took out a pistol and shot her in the chest. Mataji was still alive when the ambulance arrived and breathed her last either in the ambulance or at the Satguru Partap Singh Hospital.

A war of words ensued. Uday Singh immediately blamed Daleep Singh, a matter that was widely publicized and echoed by his sheep-like herd of followers.

The truth is, however, that Mata Chand Kaur Ji's role and influence in the Khalsa Panth has been very complex. Mataji was a towering figure and wielded tremendous political powers. A selfless statue of Sewa (Service) she had spent a lifetime building her virtuous image in the Khalsa Panth. While Mataji had admittedly made what casual observers would call "mistakes" in the past, one of the biggest being to petition with the Satguru to allow her only daughter, Biba Sahib Kaurji, and her husband Jagtar Singh to be brought back to live with her in Bhaini Sahib, Mataji reportedly realized this "mistake" and had once lamented with a Sikh in Thailand that "things are not how they were in the past. Bad characters have come into the inner circle.". There is little doubt these "bad characters" referred to the likes of the 3 so-called sewaks and Uday Singh's gang, if not including Uday Singh himself, as well as Mataji's own relatives who often publicly displayed outright disrespect towards the Satguru and Mataji. Nevertheless, Mataji also played a major role in the Bakshbandi (Forgiveness) of Maharaj Bir Singh Ji by Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji and was also a major supporter of Maharaj Bir Singh Ji's antim saskar (final rites) on 12th October 2008 in Bhaini Sahib, one day after he left his body at Satguru Partap Singh Apollo Hospital on 11th October 2008.

After 13th December, 2012 CE, Mataji had traveled with Uday Singh to Gurdwaras and Dharamsalas in order to help Uday Singh, who until then had paid no attention to the benefit of the Panth, and spent all his time running his businesses, to build credibility with the Sangat. Mataji was also, however, of the opinion that the bickering between Uday Singh and Daleep Singh should come to an end. She was indeed the only thread of hope that Daleep Singh had to be allowed back into Bhaini Sahib, the same way she did for him at Maharaj Bir Singh's last rites. It is therefore unfathomable that Daleep Singh would betray his only well-wisher in all of Bhaini Sahib and have her murdered.

Uday Singh, on the other hand, was living in the shadow of Mataji. His authority took a back seat in presence of Mataji, and the notion that Mataji could be swayed to allow Daleep Singh back into the fold, must have greatly threatened his ego. Uday Singh, has been a pompous tradesman by profession and the author's perception from speaking with him it seemed that winning at all costs had been his only motive in life. Forsaken by his own parents, Uday Singh would turn out to lack courage and moral character when upon the death of his own mother on 24th January, 2018, he would not show up in person to attend her funeral. Similarly, Uday Singh's moral bankruptcy was on display when he forbade his brother Daleep Singh from entering Sri Bhaini Sahib to attend the Saskar of Satguru Jagjit Singh's Deh (Body). Upon Mataji's death, Uday Singh's wife was elevated from "Bibiji" (Lady) to "Mataji" (Mother) and Uday Singh no longer lived in the shadows of Mataji. Frankly speaking, Mataji's death benefited Uday Singh and his gang the most, and Daleep Singh the least.

It is also true, however, that there was discontent and ill-will towards Mataji in Daleep Singh's ranks of followers who were displeased with Mataji's handling of the events that transpired after the Jyoti Jyot of Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji. It is therefore also possible, though unlikely, that the assailants were from amongst them. Whatever the case maybe, however, the eternal truth that those who meddle with the passing of Guruship suffer in this world and the next, is a lesson that Uday Singh, Daleep Singh, and their flock will do well to remember. Even the Gurus' own worldly "family members" are no exception.

It is indeed with a great level of embarrassment that this article is being written. But the Uday Singh and Daleep Singb camps have been taking advantage of the current level of historical illiteracy of the "Namdhari" population of today to spew their lies and tarnish the image of the Satgurus with almost no interruptions. Not very different from how the Singh Sabha Was able to propagate their ideas with the backing of the British government and take advantage of the gullible population in the past. The actions of Uday Singh's camp in this regard in fact takes a direct page out of the Singh Sabha's playbook that it is embarassing as well as disappointing that the son of Maharaj Bir Singh, Who had been outspoken during his entire career against similar dirty tactics used by the Singh Sabha is now using the same dirty tricks in order to stay in power.

It is sincerely hoped by all educated persons that Uday Singh and Daleep Singh would immediately cease their futile efforts of tarnishing the Divine Lineage and History of the Satgurus and advise their cronies to do the same. If not for the respect of History then for the Satguru Who has Taught His Sikhs to value Truth and accurate portrayal of the Namdhari Singh Khalsa's History above all else.

The future, as it unfolds, is in the Hands of The Satguru.