Was born in 1882 at Sarai Alamgir, in Gujrat
district, where his father, Lal Singh, was a village moneylender.
Passing his middle school examination from Jehlum, he trained as
a junior vernacular teacher at Rawalpindi, and took up service at
Khalsa Middle School, Pindi Gheb, in Attock district. Simultaneously,
he started giving sermons in gurdwaras. He also wrote polemical
pamphelts in Urdu to propagate Sikh teachings as well as to rebut
the critical propaganda of the Arya Samajists. Some of his titles
were Guru Nanak Sahib our Islam, Afzalul Ambia, Nur ka Fatur, vedik
Shadi ki Fazflat, and ved Bhagvan.
Once Bhai Seva Singh, accompanied by his wife, visited Amritsar,
to participate in a religious debate. The couple were so fascinated
by the Golden Temple that they decided to settle in the city for
good. Seva Singh got an appointment in Sant Singh Sukkha Singh Middle
School as a teacher. A regular reader of the Khalsa Samachar, a
Punjabi weekly owned and edited by the Sikh poet and savant Bhai
Vir Singh, Seva Singh was deeply impressed by its tone and style.
He started contributing articles to the journal. This led to personal
acquaintance with Bhai Vir Singh who offered him appointment as
a sub-editor in March 1914.
Seva Singh rose to be the editor of the paper which he served ably
and diligently for over 30 years. Modest and humble-looking, Seva
Singh wielded a sharp pen. His name will go down in Punjabi letters
as a formidable editor, revelling in religious discussion and debate.
An attack of paralysis towards the end of August 1944 incapacitated
him, the end coming on 28 January 1945. Besides his monumental work
in the field of Punjabi journalism, Bhai Seva Singh was the author
of a number of books. These included Mokhsh Marag, Amrit, Svargi
Jivan, Anha Chuha Thothe Dhan, Daya Nand Charitra, Surme Lai Mamira,
Quran di Kunji, Quran di Kahani, Quran Sharif and Bahadar Singhanian.
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