THAKAR SINGH, BHAI (1890-1921), one of the Nankana Sahib martyrs, was the son of Bhai Indar Singh and Mai Atar Kaur of the village of Manak Ghumman, in Jalandhar district. In the hope of a better living he migrated to Chakk No. 91 Dhannuana, district Lyallpur, in the Lower Chenab Canal Colony, and settled on an agricultural farm he had rented. Most of the colonizers of this village had come from Jalandhar district.
Thakar Singh had felt at home here from the very beginning and soon became very popular for his open and polite manner. Dhannuana was a village which, had become politically very alive under the influence of Akali reformation. Like other Akali activists of the village, Thakar Singh joined the jatha of Bhai Lachhman Singh Dharovali and fell a martyr under the shower of bullets from the opponents of reform (20 February 1921).
References :
1. Shamsher, Gurbakhsh Singh, Shahidi Jivan. Nankana Sahib, 1938
Bhai Thakar Singh (1890–1921) is remembered as one of the brave martyrs of the Nankana Sahib massacre—a pivotal event in Sikh history that occurred on 20 February 1921. Born to Bhai Indar Singh and Mai Atar Kaur of Manak Ghumman in Jalandhar district, Thakar Singh later migrated to Chakk No. 91 Dhannuana in District Lyallpur (now in Pakistan’s Punjab), where he quickly became known for his integrity and warm nature. Immersed in the politically charged atmosphere of the Akali reformation, he joined the jatha of Bhai Lachhman Singh Dharovali, aligning himself with a movement that sought to reclaim Sikh Gurdwaras from corrupt, hereditary custodianship.
Thakar Singh’s fearless commitment to the cause of Gurdwara reform ultimately cost him his life. As the reformist movement gathered momentum at Nankana Sahib—the revered birthplace of Guru Nanak—the peaceful activists, including Thakar Singh, faced brutal retaliation from opponents of change. In the ensuing massacre, Thakar Singh was struck down under a hail of bullets, a sacrifice that profoundly galvanized the Sikh community’s resolve to fight for the sanctity and proper management of their religious institutions.
His martyrdom is not only a somber reminder of the sacrifices demanded by the quest for justice and religious integrity but also a beacon of inspiration for generations of Sikhs. It underscored the power of collective action in confronting institutional corruption and played a crucial role in strengthening the Gurdwara Reform Movement, which radically transformed Sikh religious life in the early twentieth century .
