This is an interview with a Singh who was very close to Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. It explains the personality of Sant Jarnail Singh and teaches us so many things. I will urge others to write more about Jarnail Singh personality and other Singhs who sacrificed their lives for Sikhi Kaum in June-Galughara. Their love and sacrifice should always resides in our hearts. It reminds us this game of love and keep us alert from the Kaumi enemies.
“Was it odd for you that you used to have Sant Jarnail Singh as just your friend, and then he was suddenly in a high position like that?”
“No, we understood that he was now the head. And friendship is……. Well, the friendship was of course still there. But we now showed greater respect to him because of his position.”
He went on. “Sant Jarnail Singh Ji was not really very different as head of Damdami Taksal. He was just like he always was. He had a great peace of mind before he attained this position and after. He used to come to our rooms in the dormitory and we would laugh and laugh. He would ask about our troubles and problems and help us with them. He was so strict, too. If we would do anything wrong, he would not spare us!”
The Granthi laughed as he remembered, fondly, being disciplined by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
“Would you say he was growing in his spiritual power during that time?”
“He had always made a strong impression on people, even before he was a Leader. He was the only person that virtually everybody respected. Even Sant Kartar Singh Ji, he would not treat Sant Jarnail Singh Ji as a student or a disciple, but as an equal, a real Gursikh. He felt his power.
“Sant Jarnail Singh Ji had so much respect for Gurbani and Guru. Once I know we were sleeping in the same room, and we used to just lie in the floor rather than using beds. There were some prayer books up in the rafters and one time one somehow got loose and fell down at Jarnail Singh Ji’s feet. He was sleeping and didn’t realize what had happened. When he got up and saw the book lying by his feet he cried, “This is an insult to Gurbani, how could I do that?” He was very disturbed about this and wouldn’t eat or sleep. Sant Kartar Singh Ji went to him and said, ‘Jarnail Singh, this is not your mistake. You didn’t do anything wrong.’ But Jarnail Singh was in such a pain that he read the whole of the Guru Granth Sahib as an apology.
“You only love Gurbani like that when you know it has provided you so much. There are some people who respect it for nothing, it’s just a gesture. Just because of tradition they bow before it. Sant Jarnail Singh Ji was not a tradition. He was the living image of Gurbani. If you wanted to see some Sikh out of the Guru Granth Sahib, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji was the one.”
Amarjit added, in a mood of nostalgia, “Sant Jarnail Singh was such a gentle man, a very loving and spiritual person. Everybody felt this from him. You would have really liked to know him.”
