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Bhai Sumitar Singh Ji was born on 20th February 1928 into the home of Sardar Jaimal Singh in the village of Lasara, Jalandhar. At the age of 5, he lost his vision due to an illness and was sent to the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar, which provided opportunities for visually impaired children to become independent. He stayed at the orphanage until the age of 12. In those years spent at the orphanage, he learned Kirtan, Gurbani Santhiya and the Braille writing system.<\/p>\n
Soon after, he came into the service of Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar as a Hazoori Raagi. Initially, he accompanied Bhai Hari Singh Ji on the side harmonium and later formed his own ‘jatha’. He also spent some time performing Kirtan in Gurdwara Janam Asthan Nankana Sahib before coming back to Amritsar. He remained in service at Harmandir Sahib for many years. In between, he took a leave of absence and made a tour to England for about one to two years. Having faced some issues with his ‘saathis’ while on tour, he returned to Amritsar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Subsequently, Bhai Sumitar Singh Ji went to Jammu and taught Kirtan to children for free during his stay there. In 1980, he came to Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib and served as a Hazoori Raagi until his retirement in 1989 or 1990. He also opened a school for the blind in Anandpur Sahib using the money from his ‘dasvandh’. He taught hundreds of children for free at this school and also prepared Langgar for them using his own savings. He never took any money from his students until his death. He passed away peacefully on the evening of 10th February 2008, after having a cup of tea. After his passing, the school came under the care of one of his trusted associates, Sardar Darshan Singh Ji.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The information above was obtained from Bhai Sumitar Singh Ji’s daughter-in-law, Bibi Baljeet Kaur Ji who was also a student of his. She narrated that although being blind, Bhai Sumitar Singh Ji was independent and could perform all the daily tasks by himself, without asking for help from anyone. Sometimes, he even walked home on his own from Keshgarh Sahib which was about 1.5 kilometers away from their home. If anyone has more recordings or photos of Bhai Sumitar Singh Ji to share, please contact us.<\/p>\n
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The recording below is a partial Asa Di Vaar from the 1960s and it was kindly contributed by Sardar Didar Singh Chana and family. Please ‘right click’ and ‘save link as’ to download audio files. Enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n Bhai Sumitar Singh – Asa Di Vaar 1960s<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n *New Recordings Added \u2013 10th June 2022<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Shabads below were recorded at Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar in 1969 by Sardar Manjit Singh Aujla (UK).<\/strong><\/p>\n Bhai Sumitar Singh – Tu Mera Sakhaa<\/a><\/p>\n Bhai Sumitar Singh – Hum Peekakh Peekhari<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Two incomplete recordings contributed by an anonymous ‘Kirtan Premi’.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Bhai Sumitar Singh – Asa Di Vaar (Ending)<\/a><\/p>\n Bhai Sumitar Singh – Guru Arjan Vito Kurbani<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n *New Recordings Added \u2013 17th June 2022<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A few more recordings contributed by Sardar Manjit Singh Aujla. These were recorded by him in Manchester, UK in 1984. Previously we had uploaded a part of this program, but now that we have the complete recording, we have removed those that were uploaded earlier.<\/strong><\/p>\n Bhai Sumitar Singh – 01 Raaj Na Chaahun Mukat Na Chaahun<\/a><\/p>\n Bhai Sumitar Singh – 02 Sewak Ki Ardas Piare<\/a><\/p>\n