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Jaswant Singh (Khoji)

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Jaswant Singh Khoji (??? - 1999) (also known as Baboo ji ) was the founder of Braham Bunga Trust and Naam Simran congregation camps at Dodra.

Contents

Background

At the age of 24, while serving as a clerk in the Indian Army in Burma, he became greatly impressed by the writings of Sikh scholars Professor Puran Singh and Bhai Vir Singh, was baptized at Sri Akal Takhat Sahib Amritsar, and began leading his life according to the principles of the Sikh religion. Upon retirement from the Army, he founded the Sikh congregation camps movement with former army companions from Myanmar. Khoji never intentionally promoted himself or his works, even late in life distancing himself from the very camps he'd founded to dissuade people from worshiping him. He lived his final days in relative solitude, restricting himself to his home and the company of a few friends. During a visit to Calgary in 1981, he spread the movement of periodic Sikh congregations for Kirtan and Naam Simran to the United States, Canada, and other countries.

Movement of Sikh periodic congregations

Singh started this movement in the village of Dodra in 1960 with some of his Burmese army companions. Initially, fortnightly congregations were organised in various villages. More recently, 2-day congregations take place in various Indian cities, especially in Punjab. Annual 4-10 day congregation camps are also held in the villages of Dodra and Doraha

Establishment of Gurdwaras

In 1972, he established the first Gurdwara in the village of Dodra on a plot of land donated by his army companion Subedar Kishan Singh. In 1990, he established a bigger hall (200 ft x 150 ft) in new Gurdwara Building in village Dodra and established Braham Bunga Trust in 1983. He also established a Gurdwara in the village Doraha in the district of Ludhiana in Punjab

Writings

Based on hymns of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, holy book of Sikhs, he wrote 132 articles in Punjabi on various topics about concepts and principals of Sikhism like Sangat, Haumai, Sabad, Dooja Bhau, Simran, Dharam or Mazahab, Bharam, Bandhan-Chhuttan. These are available in 13 books and have been published by Braham Bunga Trust. These books have been translated in Hindi and five articles are in English.

References

Jaswant Singh (Khoji) Wikipedia