Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji is an exemplary personality of devotion and dedication in Sikh history. Reading his life history may evoke the same enthusiasm in few of us and urge us to perform our duty of preaching and delivering the word of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji entered the Sri Guru Singh Sabha movement when it was at its lowest ebb and he infused life and activity into it. Bhai Sahib's life history is the origin of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha movement. We owe the present situation of Gurmat, development of the Punjabi language and education to Bhai Sahib ji. There is a diring need in the Sikh Panth for such dedicated and sincere leadership at this time also.

Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji was born on August 15, 1849 in a poor family at Kapurthla. His father, Basava Singh, was a native of Chandhar village in the district of Gujranwala. He was in the service of the royal family of Maharaja Sher Singh as a cook. He learnt cooking food for the royal family from other cooks at Lahore. He was a hard working person and learnt all the skills of trade in a short time. It happened that on September 15,1843 Maharaja Sher Singh was killed by the Sardars of Sandhawalia. With the help of Commandant Ganda Singh he was introduced to Raja Nihal Singh. Basawa Singh was transferred to the service of Raja Randhir Singh and later to Raja Bikram Singh.

As fortune would have it the capable child Gurmukh Singh came into the notice of Raja Bikram Singh ji. Bhai Basawa Singh was in the good books of Raja Bikram Singh ji who was a man of wisdom, a poet and religiously inclined. He took a keen interest in the upbringing and education of child Gurmukh Singh who showed signs of intelligence and acumen. His schooling was done at Kapurthala. When child Gurmukh Singh completed his schooling at Kapurthala, he was admitted to Government College, Lahore. While studying at Lahore, he accompanied Raja Bikram Singh on many occasions to the meetings of the Singh Sabha. This familiarity made Gurmukh Singh interested in the affairs of the Sikh society. In 1873, Sri Guru Singh Sabha was established in Amritsar. Gurmukh Singh left his studies without graduating as he felt duty bound to uplift the state of affairs of the Sikh society.

Gurmukh Singh ji felt the need of producing literature in the Punjabi language in order to educate the masses in Sikhism. Literature has always been a good channel to deliver the message. He was also concerned about the wrong activities taking place in the Sikhs. All this happened because of the ignorance of the Sikhs of their own religion. Education was the only answer to bring an end to the iniquitous activities that were damaging the image of Sikhism. We can see this happening even nowadays. Precipitating awakening in the Sikhs was the need of that day. When he made Raja Bikram Singh aware of his ideas, he assumed him of his support in all respects.

In 1876, Punjab University Oriental Lahore was established and with the efforts of Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji the Punjabi language was included in the curriculum of this college. Bhai Sahib was appointed the first professor to teach the Punjabi language . In 1885 he was transferred to the Government College, but he was brought back to the Oriental College in 1888 for teaching the Punjabi language which included the reading and understanding of the Guru Granth Sahib.

At the same time he never slackened in the activities of the Singh Sabha of which he was the secretary. In fact, he initiated the establishment of Sri Guru Singh Sabha Lahore in 1879. Khalsa Diwan Amritsar was founded in 1883 and Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji was the first chief secretary.

Bhai Gurmukh Singh visualised that the strongest means of disseminating the doctrines and tenets of the Singh Sabha would be publications. Thus in 1880 he launched the Gurmukhi Akhbar and Vidyarak Punjab. In 1885 he started the Khalsa. 1886 saw the beginning of a magazine, Sudharak, and the Khalsa Gazette. In 1889 Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji published a jantri called Gur Baras in Gurmukhi script. He also wrote a book, History of India, in Punjabi. In order to simplify the understanding of Gurbani he wrote Gurbani Bhavarth, but it remained unpublished.

Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji played a very important role in the establishment of the Khalsa College. The foundation of this college was laid at Amritsar on March 5, 1892 by Sir James B.Lyall, the Lt.-Governor of the Punjab.

Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji was a dedicated and devout Sikh of service whose only aim was to see the Panth in ascendency. He had no personal axe to grind. He could not tolerate anything done that was not according to the tenets of Sikhism. This vision of Bhai Sahib brought him into conflict with Baba Khem Singh ji who was a descendant of Guru Nanak Dev ji ; hence he sat on a special cuslbioned seat in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. This was against the tenets of Sikhism and naturally Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji resented this behaviour as the basic principle of Sikhism is equality and no one can claim the privilege of being higher in status than the other Sikhs on any basis. The Rawalpindi Singh Sabha, which was under the influence of Baba Khem Singh, wanted the non-initiated Sikhs to become the members of the Singh Sabha and the name of the Singh Sabha to be changed to Sikh Singh Sabha.

In 1885, Bava Nihal Singh and his brother Bava Sarmukh Singh of Chhichhrauli wrote and published a book, Khurshid Khalsa in Urdu. These two brothers were followers of Baba Khem Singh. This book contained statements that were contrary to the very basic principles of Sikhism. For this reason Singh Sabha Lahore wanted the Khalsa Diwan to dissociate itself from the views expressed in this book, but Baba Khem Singh supported this book and thus the proposal was defeated. Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji had no choice, but to resign from the Diwan. Representatives of several Singh Sabhas followed suit.

Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji and his followers felt insulted and convened a meeting in April 1886. At this meeting it was unanimously decided to form a separate Khalsa Diwan of Lahore. The first president of this Diwan was Sardar Attar Singh ji of Bahadur and Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji was the chief secretary. This Khalsa Diwan was completely free of any link with the Khalsa Diwan of Amritsar. All the members of Khalsa Diwan Lahore were progressive, dedicated and staunch followers of the Sikh Tenets. They preached according to the Sikh principles and revived the ceremony of Anand marriage vigorously. They also administered Amrit to many Sikh ladies.

The Amritsar Khalsa Diwan retaliated by getting Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji excommunicated by a resolution issued by the Akal Takhat in April 1887. As the Khalsa Diwan Lahore had the support of the majority of the Singh Sabhas this resolution was ignored and Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji continued in office as the chief secretary. In May 1887, Kanvar Bikram Singh, the patron and benefactor of Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji, passed away. It was a great loss to him, but there was no slacking in the activities of Bhai Sahib. At the same time his position was strengthened by the advent of Bhai Jawahar Singh and Giani Ditt Singh. He pulled them out of the influence of Arya Samaj and brought them into the Singh Sabha. It became a closely knit team of three people who were sincere and dedicated towards the ascendancy of the Sikh Panth.

Giani Ditt Singh ji was the editor of the Khalsa and wrote many articles to awaken the Sikh masses. His aim was to clear the meaning of Sikhism according to the teachings of Gurbani and make the Sikhs aware of the misconstrued facts and interpretations. This changed the wind and Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji was encouraged by the support. After the establishment of Khalsa College, Bhai Gurmukh Singh renewed the organisation of the Khalsa Press and the Khalsa newspaper in order to make them more effective. The people who had control over the Gurdwara Sahibs remained opposed to Bhai Gurmukh Singh for fear of losing the property of Gurdwara Sahibs. Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji's reform movement wanted the Gurdwara Sahibs and the properties to be in the control of Panthic organisations. These indifferent movements and activities could not move Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji and he carried on what was just and beneficial for the Sikh Panth.

During the days when Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji was very actively involved in the activities of establishing the Khalsa College, he developed heart trouble. He died of heart attack on September 24, 1898 at Kandaghat in Simla Hills. He had gone there to collect funds for Khalsa College from Maharaja of Dhaulpur. Although Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji married twice, he had no children.

Giani Ditt Singh ji who had enormous respect and love for the dedication and sincerity of Bhai Gurmukh Singh ji made attempts to establish a memorial in his memory but the opposers in the Singh Sabhas aborted these efforts. In Sikh history the outstanding personality of Bahai Gurmukh Singh ji will always shine and be a guide for generations to come.