BIR SINGH, BABA (1768-1844), soldier become religious preacher and saint, was born in July 1768 at the village of Gaggobua, in Amritsar district of the Punjab, the son of Seva Singh and Dharam Kaur. After the death of his father in one of the campaigns against the Afghan rulers of Multan, Bir Singh joined the Sikh army. He participated in Maharaja Ranjit Singh *s campaigns for the capture of Kashmir and Peshawar. After several years of active service, he secured his dismissal from the army as he came under the influence of Baba Bhag Singh, a Sikh saint belonging to Kuri, in Rawalpindi district.
BISHAN SINGH, SANT (1862-1949), much honoured in recent Sikh piety, was the son of Bhai Atar Singh of Kanjhia, a village 18 km northwest of Sarigrur (30°14`N, 75°50`E) in the Punjab. Born in March 1862, Bishan Singh received instruction in reciting Scripture from Sant Jagat Singh of his own village. As he grew up he enlisted in the army, but did not serve long. Back in his village after getting his discharge, he married and had a son, whose death at the age of 13 years proved a severe blow.
