Sahibzada Baba Sumer Singh Bhalla | |
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Born | 1847 |
Died | 1903 |
Occupation |
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Part of a series on |
Sikh literature |
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Sikh scriptures • Punjabi literature |
Sumer Singh (1847-1903) was a Sikh historian, a writer and poet of Braj literature, interpreter of Sikh Scripture, and teacher. Sumer Singh was called Sahibzada, prince, and Bābā, because of his direct lineage to the Bhalla clan, associated with Guru Amar Das.
For some time he also was the Mahant (now termed Jathedar) of the Takht Sri Patna Sahib. He was Mahant of Takht Patna Sahib between the years 1882 to 1903.[1] He also served as the chairman of the Faridkot Teeka Committee, overseeing the writing of the Faridkot Teeka.
Mahan Kosh lists Sumer Singh's works as including: Khalsa Shattak, Gurpad Prem Prakash, Khalsa Panchasika, Gurkeerat Kavitavali, Gurcharit Darpan, Prem Prabhakar, Brahmand Puran, Makke Madine Di Gosht, Sumer Bhushan.
A master poet, Sumer Singh's Gurpad Prem Prakash (1881) is a narrative life story on Guru Gobind Singh and has been recently published in 2000 by the Punjabi University, Patiala, Publication Bureau, edited by Dr. Achhar Singh Kahlon.[2]
Valerie Ritter (2010) writes that,
Ritter (2010) comments on the extrodinary life lived by Sumer Singh,
Sumer Singh founded the Patna-Kavi-Samaj, at the request of Patna University students, where he mentored students on their poetry.[3] Sumer Singh mentored and taught an esteemed poet, Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay, who took the penname, nom-de-plume, Hariaudh from the inspiration of Sumer Singh's pen name, 'Sumer Hari'.[5]
Sumer Singh viewed poetry as a way to connect, and break divisions between Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh, as his student Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay writes:
Sumer Singh was politically involved with Khem Singh Bedi and others of the Amritsar Singh Sabha in planning to resurrect Sikh rule in Punjab, but their plans were destroyed by the British along with the support received by the Lahore Singh Sabha.[8]