A far more nefarious deed was to follow the desecration
of Rattan Singh Bhangu’s and Kavi Santokh Singh’s works
by the lumpenproletariats of the Khalsa Tract Society. Bhai Vir
Singh and his associates stole the works of the great Sanatan Sikh
scholar, poet, and historian, Giani Gian Singh Nirmala.
Sriman 108 Giani Gian Singh Nirmala
The accomplished Nirmala historian, intellectual and poet who's
works were stolen by Bhai Vir Singh
Bhai Vir Singh, accompanied by his associates visited
Giani Gian Singh who was very ill, and on his deathbed. They managed
to persuade the delirious and elderly Giani Ji to sign over his
life’s entire unpublished works to the society.
Ironically, on the day Giani Gian Singh signed his
works over, he miraculously began to recover. However, he had lost
his entire life’s work to the devious Bhai Vir Singh. After
pledging to publish Giani Gian Singh’s works, the Khalsa
Tract Society failed to do so, nor did they give him his
lifetime pension, which had been promised to him.
Sriman 108 Giani Gian Singh Nirmala
Author of many landmark Sikh historical texts
Instead, Bhai Vir Singh published expunged
portions of Giani Gian Singh’s works under the name of the
Khalsa Tract Society, ensuring the articles conformed to Tat Khalsa
Singh Sabha ideology. Giani Gian Singh attempted for a further 17
years to regain possession of his works from Bhai Vir Singh, but
the greater portion of his works was either lost, or destroyed.
In despair, Giani Gian Singh wrote about his anguish, as quoted
in Giani Kirpal Singh’s introduction:
‘Then they [Bhai Vir Singh et
al] had a pledge made to me. Whatever they desired
they wrote down, I signed it. For my upkeep, they promised 12
Rupees a month. They also wrote down a special ‘Gurmata’
(Guru’s pledge): “Whatever Giani Ji writes, we will
publish it”. These pledges they made, they kept none.
Great injustice, great atrocity they did to me.
Nor did they give back my scripts, nor themselves published
them. 17 years has passed since I wrote and gave them. They
kept them and kept putting me off. May the Guru himself,
bless such Sikhs with right thinking. May they not do to others,
as they have deceived me. The hard work of this old
man done in 30 years. These unappreciative, unthankful have
kept wasting. The service, which I had done for the Panth forsake
of its good, [they have ruined] as hail destroys a ripened crop
field. The benefit that the Khalsa would have had from my works,
the society did not let it be - the Panth remained without benefit.
From my ocean-like (immense) work, the society published tracts.
Money and fame they gained [from the works] these [so-called
Tat Khalsa] leaders of the Panth.’
‘Ripudaman Prakash’, edited by Giani Kirpal Singh,
Pa. 9-10
Sriman 108 Giani Gian Singh Nirmala
A painting of Giani Gian Singh Nirmala, a descendant of Bhai Mani
Singh Shaheed
Giani Gian Singh further summed up Bhai Vir Singh
and his associates of the Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhias thus:
‘Their name is ‘Singh’ but
they are thieves at heart. They deceive, feigning sweet intentions.
Taking up the banner of Panth’s service. They
steal from your pockets. They exclaim aloud of doing ‘Panthik
Seva’. This way, deceiving the people they eat.
Then, I explained to my mind - Oh mind you have been greatly
deceived by them...Then I became greatly disheartened, I stopped
singing glory of the Panth. I indulged myself in but ‘Sas
Abhias’ (meditation on God). My mind I fixed on God.’ ‘Ripudaman
Prakash’, edited by Giani Kirpal Singh, Pa.6-13
