BIKRAMA SINGH, KANVAR (1835-1887), one of the pioneers of the Singh Sabha movement, was born in 1835. He was the son of Raja Nihal Singh of Kapurthala. As he grew up, he developed interest in classical learning and music. He received several honours and distinctions from the British government. During the 1857 uprising, he commanded a Kapurthala contingent of 300 men, horse and foot, and 2 guns to defend Hoshiarpur.
NAURANGABAD, village 7 km southeast of Tarn Taran (31°27`N, 74°56`E) along the Tarn TaranGoindval road, came into prominence when during the 1840`s the Gurdwara established here by Baba Bir Singh (1768-1844), reputed for his sanctity, started attracting devotees and pilgrims in hundreds every day. During the crisis that followed the assassination of Maharaja Sher Singh on 15 September 1843, and the entrenchment in power of Hira Singh Dogra and his mentor, PanditJalla, Baba Bir Singh`s dera or seat at Naurarigabad, became a rallying point for protesting soldiers and political fugitives, including such persongaes as Prince Pashaura Singh, Prince Kashmira Singh and Sardar Atar Singh Sandharivalia.
DEVA SINGH, SARDAR BAHADUR(d. 1872), son of Fateh Singh and a great grandson of Savan Singh, cousin of Sarigat Singh, the leader of the Nishanavali misi, came of a Shergil Jatt family of Mansurval, in Firozpur district. Deva Singh joined service under Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1816 at a very young age. After some time, he was put under Lahina Singh Majithia who made him commandant of the regiment of his brother, Gujjar Singh. In 1834, he accompanied the young Sardar to Calcutta on a mission half complimentary, half political. In 1842, he was transferred to the Gurkha regiment to serve in Hazara.
DHARAM SINGH, SARDAR BAHADUR (1881-1933), Sikh philanthropist, was born at the village of Kopra, in Sialkot district, now in Pakistan, on 18 January 1881. His father, Bhai Nattha Ram, was a sahajdhari Sikh who became Nattha Singh after receiving the rites of amrit. Dharam Singh learned Gurmukhi characters at the village dharamsala from Bava Narayan Singh. He had a religious bent of mind, and could read fluently the Guru Granth Sahib before he was 8 years of age. For his primary education, he joined the Mission School, Wazirabad, later passing his matriculation from Khalsa High School, Gujrariwala. In 1901, he qualified to be a sub overseer from Thompson Engineering College, Roorkee, and got a job in Burma.
