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Dr Kharak Singh – My Gurmukh Friend Philosopher
Guide –
Col Parminder Singh*
My association with the global Sikhism visionary Dr Kharak
Singh Mann was as an on-call helper, whenever he needed
an odd-job volunteer for any humble seva. As a courier/flag-bearer,
he felt free to call up this simple retired mechanical
engineer-cum-soldier-sevadar. This set apace the course
of my post-retirement seva in many other different roller-coaster
assignments both in and around Chandigarh/ Mohali/Punjab/India
and abroad in an vast variety of international forums
and thus this global Sikhism visionary Dr Kharak Singh
Mann unwittingly became my silent gurmukh friend philosopher
guide!
It was my last assignment before retirement from the Army
on transfer from Hyderabad/posting to Chandigarh in 1987,
that I had the pleasure of renewing old memories/privilege
of calling on my respected uncle Sardar Daljeet Singh
IAS at his residence Kothi No 127 in Sector 9-A, Chandigarh.
I expected to espy him as usual in his old age, basking
away in a quiet corner of the lawn, but this time was
surprised to find him so busy dictating some notes which
were being equally energetically typed on an equally antique
manual typewriter, by an equally retired elderly typist!
I requested my respected Aunt Mrs Daljeet Singh, not to
disturb Uncle, apparently engrossed in writing his after-retirement
memoirs, to convey him my regards, and after having the
ever ready hospitable cup of tea with her, said I would
come by again. A few days later, I again found the same
scene – Sardar Daljeet Singh and the typist, both
busy as bees, hunched over their beehive – the ancient
typewriter. However, this time Sardar Daljeet Singh, became
aware of my presence, and called out to me saying that
they had finished for the day. I requested Sardar Daljeet
Singh to kindly give me the seva for typing – as
I could easily get it done from my regiment typist –
and that too on the computer – and save the elderly
typist struggling on the antique manual typewriter. Both
the wise old men laughed at my suggestion – and
it was then that I was introduced by Sardar Daljeet Singh
to the – elderly typist – as none other than
– Dr Kharak Singh Mann – and informed that
they were both busy composing and preparing a Research
Paper for the Abstracts of Sikh Studies (Journal of the
Institute of Sikh Studies) for educating some scholars
in the West, who are trying to misrepresent the very basics
of Sikhism. Dr Kharak Singh Mann said that it was more
a pleasurable seva for him to do the typing himself, but
before he drove off in his antique Mercedes, both Sardar
Daljeet Singh and Dr Kharak Singh Mann said they looked
forward to my offer of seva in many other ways, thereby
setting apace the course of my post-retirement amid many
other different roller-coaster seva.
Thus started my association with the elderly typist, Dr
Kharak Singh Mann, who, in due course, became my silent
gurmukh friend philosopher guide!
The news of the end of the glorious seva-yatra-marg on
this mother earth of my irreplaceable Gurmukh Friend Philosopher
Guide was indeed sad!
