Ram Singh Kuka


Ram Singh was the twelfth guru in the Namdhari Sikh lineage. He is credited as being the first Indian to use non-cooperation and boycott of British goods and services as a political tool. In 2016, the Government of India officially decided to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Ram Singh.

Early life

Ram Singh was born to Mata Sada Kaur and Pita Jassa Singh. He lived in the village of Raiyan, near Sri Bhaini Sahib, Ludhiana.
Ram Singh was a member of a unit of Prince Naunihal Singh's platoon, sent in 1841 from Lahore to Peshawar to bring the royal coffers. On its way back, the unit rested at Hazro Fort, now in Pakistan. It is said that Satguru Ram Singh Ji and some soldiers of his regiment went to meet Satguru Balak Singh Ji, a great saint who was living nearby. Balak Singh was overjoyed to see Ram Singh and told him: "I had been waiting for you."
Balak Singh taught the guru mantra to Ram Singh and asked him to keep it in his heart and pass it on to deserving seekers. Balak Singh gave him "Batasha", a coconut, five paise coins and took five rounds around him in reverence and bowed before him. In 1845, Ram Singh left the Khalsa army and returned to Sri Bhaini Sahib to live the life of a pious householder pursuing the spiritual path.