As a child, Bhai Fauja Singh Ji was very popular and would lead the local village boys. Despite his popularity, his mind would stay detached from the world and always be seeking the deeper truth to life.
Bhai Sahib Ji was blessed with Amrit di Daat in 1964, after having done Sangat with Gurmukhs. Bhai Sahib Ji was tyar bar tyar and remained that way until his very last breath. Bhai Fauja Singh Ji was so imbued in Naam that sometimes he would sit up all night doing Simran. No matter where he was, he would always complete his Nitnem. On Vaisakhi of 1965 he was married to Bibi Amarjit Kaur Ji. Bhai Jeevan Singh Ji did Kirtan at the Anand Kaaraj.
Bhai Sahib Ji had deep love for everyone. His love was based solely on Gursikhi virtues. Bhai Fauja Singh Ji revolutionized the way in which Gurmat Pacrhaar was done. The method of Parchaar that we see at Khalsa Camps and Sikhi Camps of today was pioneered by Bhai Fauja Singh Ji. Bhai Sahib Ji was blessed with the Gurmat virtues of honesty, contentment and Bhagti. He was content with whatever he had and always sought to live by the will of Vaheguroo.
Bhai Fauja Singh Ji lived his life spreading Pyaar. He had no attachment to the materialistic world, whether it be the roof over his head or the clothes on his back. Bhai Sahib Ji was a very giving soul. One time, Bibi Amarjeet Kaur Ji had sewn him a new chola. A poor Gursikh who had just recently taken Amrit came to visit Bhai Sahib Ji. Seeing the state of his clothes, Bhai Sahib Ji immediately took off his new chola and gave it to the Gursikh and he himself put on an old tattered chola. Bibi Jee was upset to see that the new chola had been replaced by a tattered one. Seeing Bibi Ji’s reaction, Bhai Sahib Ji laughingly told her, “One day when I give you my last darshan, I will be wearing a tattered chola just like this!” As always, Bhai Sahib Ji lived up to his words. Even after his Shaheedi, the last darshan Bibi Ji had of him was in a tattered chola.
Seeing the lack of Sikhi in villages and the rapidly increasing drug and alcohol addiction across Punjab, Bhai Fauja Singh Jee started a ‘Chalda Vaheer’ parchar program. A group of Gursikhs, which sometimes consisted of just Bhai Fauja Singh Jee and Bibi Amarjeet Kaur Jee, would travel from village to village teaching about Sikhi. Many other Gursikhs also joined in this parchar effort, including Shaheed Bhai Keval Singh Jee and Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Jee (both attained Shaheedi during the Vasaikhi Saka) as well as Shaheed Bhai Kulwant Singh Jee Babbar (aka BhaiMengha Singh) who would later become the first Shaheed defending Sri Darbar Sahib during the Indian Army assault in June of 1984.
During these parchar programs, Bhai Fauja Singh would ask the villagers to attend at the local village Gurdwara in the evening. There, he would provide advice on farming practices. The jatha of Gursikhs would then do Simran, Keertan, and give lectures on Gurmat. Bhai Keval Singh would teach Shastar Vidiya and to build further interest in the martial arts practices of the Khalsa, he would show them Shastar that he had made himself. Bibi Amarjeet Kaur and other Singhnia of the Jatha would tell the women and girls stories about Gursikh women and explain to them the beauty of living according to Guru Jee’s Rehit.
The most impactful parchar may have been Shaheed Bhai Fauja Singh Jee’s actions and Gursikhi lifestyle. People would often ask the Jatha of Gursikhs to stay in their homes. Seeing their daily Gursikhi lifestyle often inspired the host families and created a thirst for Amrit. As a result, many Amrit Sanchaars were held in these villages.
Seeing the lack of Sikhi in villages and the rapidly increasing drug and alcohol addiction across Punjab, Bhai Fauja Singh Jee started a ‘Chalda Vaheer’ parchar program. A group of Gursikhs, which sometimes consisted of just Bhai Fauja Singh Jee and Bibi Amarjeet Kaur Jee, would travel from village to village teaching about Sikhi. Many other Gursikhs also joined in this parchar effort, including Shaheed Bhai Keval Singh Jee and Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Jee (both attained Shaheedi during the Vasaikhi Saka) as well as Shaheed Bhai Kulwant Singh Jee Babbar (aka BhaiMengha Singh) who would later become the first Shaheed defending Sri Darbar Sahib during the Indian Army assault in June of 1984.
Prior to Bhai Fauja Singh Jee’s Shaheedi in 1978, Bhai Sahib Jee had repeatedly demonstrated a fearless love for Sikhi. In 1972, a group of thugs had engaged in extremely disrespectful acts against Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee in Misri Bazaar. The police were too scared of the criminal thugs to take any action. Bhai Fauja Singh Jee, disgusted by the inaction of the police, apprehended the thugs and punished them accordingly. This incident had a strong effect on Bhai Sahib. He was deeply saddened that the Panthic leadership, to avoid upsetting Hindu-Sikh relations, tried to keep the entire incident quiet. Any notion of love and respect for Guru Sahib Jee was set aside for political expediency. Bhai Fauja Singh Jee also could not understand how Sikhs could sit by quietly while Guru Granth Sahib Jee was treated with such disrespect. One question engraved itself on Bhai Sahib’s mind: What has happened to the Khalsa Panth?
This question arose again on the 17th of October 1975. Sikh Sangat had gathered to celebrate Sangrand at Gurdwara Bhai Salo Jee. Langar was being served when a gang of thugs, motivated by religious hatred, came and treated Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji with disrespect. They also assaulted the sewadar and Granthi of the Gurdwara and announced plans to burn down the Gurdwara Guru Keh Mehal that night. Bhai Fauja Singh Ji heard about this incident later in the evening. Without hesitation, he gathered some Gursikhs and immediately headed to Gurdwara Bhai Salo Jee to investigate the attack. Seeing the damage to the Gurdwara Sahib, the Gursikhs started Jaikaray and positioned themselves outside of Gudwara Guru Keh Mehal, ready to defend the Gurdwara Sahib. The thugs, bent on carrying out their religiously motivated attacks, surrounded the Gursikhs from tall buildings and attacked them with stones, bricks and bottles of acid. The Gursikhs were drenched in blood but managed to drive away the attackers and protect the Gurdwara. However, once again, the Panthic leaders of the time took no action and tried to downplay the attack.
Bhai Fauja Singh Jee, as a true son of Guru Gobind Singh Jee, showed love not just for Gursikhs but all humanity. He risked his life and freedom not just in defence of Sikhi but to protect the honour and dignity of anyone under attack. Knowing about Bhai Sahib’s fearlessness and his righteous nature, people being bullied or harassed would approach Bhai Sahib for assistance.
One such incident occurred in 1977. A Hindu woman was arrested by the Police. During her interrogation, she was gang raped by several police officers. Her husband, unable to stop her from being gang-raped, went to the magistrates to secure her release. He also filed a formal complaint against the Police. However, there was no intervention. In desperation, he went to various community leaders for help, including Pundits and Mullahs, but to no avail. It was at this point that the husband decided to approach Gursikhs. Various people had told him about one Gursikh, named Fauja Singh, who was well known in the region for his fearless attitude and Khalsa ideals. The aggrieved husband went to see him. Bhai Fauja Singh Jee, along with some other Gursikhs, immediately went to the Police station. Without any fear of the consequences, they rescued the woman and served a deserving punishment on the guilty police officers. As a result of these actions, Bhai Fauja Singh Jee was branded a criminal, arrested and imprisoned. However, to the Sikh Panth Bhai Sahib’s actions were heroic. His actions were also a timely reminder of Sikh history, of a time when the Khalsa went on daring and dangerous missions to liberate enslaved women from marauding Afghan armies.
Bhai Fauja Singh Jee, as a true son of Guru Gobind Singh Jee, showed love not just for Gursikhs but all humanity. He risked his life and freedom not just in defence of Sikhi but to protect the honour and dignity of anyone under attack. Knowing about Bhai Sahib’s fearlessness and his righteous nature, people being bullied or harassed would approach Bhai Sahib for assistance.
One such incident occurred in 1977. A Hindu woman was arrested by the Police. During her interrogation, she was gang raped by several police officers. Her husband, unable to stop her from being gang-raped, went to the magistrates to secure her release. He also filed a formal complaint against the Police. However, there was no intervention. In desperation, he went to various community leaders for help, including Pundits and Mullahs, but to no avail. It was at this point that the husband decided to approach Gursikhs. Various people had told him about one Gursikh, named Fauja Singh, who was well known in the region for his fearless attitude and Khalsa ideals. The aggrieved husband went to see him. Bhai Fauja Singh Jee, along with some other Gursikhs, immediately went to the Police station. Without any fear of the consequences, they rescued the woman and served a deserving punishment on the guilty police officers. As a result of these actions, Bhai Fauja Singh Jee was branded a criminal, arrested and imprisoned. However, to the Sikh Panth Bhai Sahib’s actions were heroic. His actions were also a timely reminder of Sikh history, of a time when the Khalsa went on daring and dangerous missions to liberate enslaved women from marauding Afghan armies.
Bhai Fauja Singh Jee led the Jatha of Singhs from Manji Sahib in their protest against the Nirankari cult's attacks against Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee. As a tyar-bar-tyar Khalsa, Bhai Sahib Jee had a Sri Sahib (sword)and shield with him. Once the Nirankari cultists ambushed the protesting Sikhs, Bhai Sahib, a trained master in Shastar Vidya, darted forward with his Sri Sahib and shield through the attacking cultists and their police allies, heading to where the Nirankari cult leaders were gathered. Bhai Sahib Jee was struck in the head by a bullet that pierced his eye and delivered what should have been a death blow. However,eye-witnesses recount that Bhai Fauja Singh Jee stood up, quickly retied a portion of his Dumalla tightly over the wound, and once again proceeded forward. Upon seeing Bhai Sahib shake-off a wound that would have killed any ordinary man, the Superintendent of Police emptied the bullets from his pistol into Bhai Fauja Singh Jee. Bhai Sahib, however, remained alive, chanting Vaahiguroo. Once the shooting stopped, two Sikhs attempted to carry the still breathing and chanting Bhai Fauja Singh Jee to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. They were quickly intercepted and arrested by police.
The police took Bhai Fauja Singh Jee and threw him into the “dead wagon”. Another Sikh came uponBhai Fauja Singh and found him still breathing and doing simran. He attempted to help, but half an hourlater, when Bibi Amarjit Kaur Jee arrived, Bhai Fauja Singh Jee had attained martyrdom.
