Rev Gurbax Singh ‘Rajkavi’ Ji Passes Away

 Rev.Gurbax Singh Rajkavi Ji, Member Central Planning and Advisory Board passed into his eternal abode at 00:30 hrs on Monday, December 27, 2010 at his residence in Amritsar (Punjab).  He was 82.

Rev Rajkavi Ji was admitted to Escorts Hospital in Amritsar on Wednesday, December 15, 2010.  Doctors found a blood clot which had paralyzed the body.  He was, however, discharged from the hospital on December 25.  His Holiness met him in hospital on December 19 where Rev Rajkavi Ji sought his divine blessings.  He again spoke to Baba Ji over telephone on Sunday, December 26.

 Thousands of devotees of the Mission continued to visit Rev. Rajkavi Ji’s residence to have his last Darshan.  The cremation took place on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at cremation grounds near Sitala Mandir in old Amritsar.  Thousands of people including devotees of the Mission, friends and well-wishers gathered at Nirankari Avenue and at 4 p.m. a procession commenced through the streets of Amritsar. The Nirankari band led the way and congregants walked behind, the Sewa Dal volunteers guiding people and dealing with traffic control. A van bedecked with banners and flowers took the body of Rev Rajkavi ji across the city to the chants of Tuhi Nirankar, songs of praise and speeches.  The cremation took place at 5:00 p.m.  A large number of devotees from all other places in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir, Chandigarh and Delhi also participated.

The final rites and Prayer was conducted by respected H.S. Upashak ji who had traveled all the way from the United Kingdom to attend the funeral. The sounds of Simran of this Formless Nirankar echoed the entire environment.  Rev. Rajkavi Ji’s sons Shri Sukhdev Singh Ji and Surinder Pal Singh Ji, his daughters-in-law holy sister Niranjan Kaur Ji and Smt. Parneeta Ji as well as his daughter Smt. Rani Ji and son-in-law Shri Gurdev Ji all thanked those who attended the cremation.

A special congregation to pay tributes to Rev Rajkavi Ji and take inspiration from his long devoted and dedicated life, was held in the Khankot Nirankari Satsang Bhawan in Amritsar on Thursday, December 30, 2010 from 10 am to 2 pm in the benign presence of His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj.

Born in the family of Rev Karam Singh Ji and Rev Dyoti Devi Ji in Village Bilaul in Tehsil Fatehjang, District Kaimalpur (now in Pakistan) on August 15, 1928, Rev Rajkavi Ji was associated with the Sant Nirankari Mission right from childhood.  He received lots of blessings from the founder of the Mission Baba Buta Singh Ji as also from Baba Avtar Singh Ji.  He had passed his Matriculation when his family migrated from Pakistan to India in 1947 and settled in Amritsar as ordained by Shahenshah Baba Avtar Singh Ji.  He was married to Rev Chandrauli Ji, daughter of Shri Teja Singh Ji.  Shahenshah Baba Avtar Singh Ji, however, named her as Amrit Kaur.

Initially, Rev Rajkavi Ji started selling cloth to support the family. Later in 1951, he came to Jalandhar and joined Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji to learn the trade of motor parts.  No doubt, he started this trade in Amritsar, but he was least interested in business.  He was wearing white Dupatta, the spiritual symbol of the Mission, all the time.  He loved to spend his time in preaching the message of the Mission.  In particular, he was known for writing and presenting devotional songs and poems.  He helped and guided other young poets also in writing poetry.  Pleased with his poetry, Shahenshah Baba Avtar Singh Ji gave him the title of ‘Rajkavi’ in 1948.  Even today the devotional songs written by him are quite popular with the singers as well as the listeners.

It was with the untiring efforts of Rev. Rajkavi Ji that the first Sant Nirankari Satsang Bhawan was set up in Amritsar on January 1, 1961.  In 1967, Rev. Rajkavi Ji was permitted to award Brahm Gyan on behalf of Satguru.

Rev Rajkavi Ji was one of the founder members of the Working Committee constituted in 1979.  He was nominated as a Member of the Executive Committee also the same year.  He continued to hold this responsibility till he became a Member of the Central Planning and Advisory Board in 2009.  The same Year Rev Rajkavi Ji’s wife, Rev Amrit Kaur Ji merged into her eternal abode, but Rev Rajkavi Ji continued with the preaching Sewa as usual.

Rev Rajkavi Ji was a powerful speaker and well known for his forceful presentation of the Mission’s ideology.  He toured almost every nook and corner of the country to spread the message of the Mission.  With the blessings of Satguru, Rev Rajkavi Ji visited abroad in 1969, 1986, 1994 and 2009 also.  The countries he toured include Afghanistan, UK, USA, Canada, Austria, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand.