Sant Balbir Singh ji took over as the Mahant of Nirmal Kuteya
on 6 June 1988. The rites of his Tilak and Dastar Bandi were performed
by Sant Darshan Singh, Mahant of Shri Dev Pura Ashram Haridwar
and Mahant of Panchayati Akhara Kankhal. On this occation the
Sangat from Sant Ashram Lopon, Seechewal and Barsalan, apart from
the members of Sant Avtar Singh's family, was present. It was
under his charge that Nirmal Kuteya Seechewal became revolutionized
in many ways. It came out of its ancient anonymity and became
popular among the people of a large area of Punjab. Sant Balbir
Singh Ji was born on 2 Feb, 1962 in Seechewal village. The name
of his mother is Mata Chanan Kaur and of his father was Shri Chanan
Singh. He had a religious bent of mind from the very outset, although
there was no such atmosphere in the family. He used to recite
Japuji, Rehras and Kirtan Sohila daily. But the experienced divine
grace only after he came into contact with Sant Avtar Singh ji
in 1981. He left his college studies without completing his graduation.
For about three years he fully devoted himself to the service
of his Guru. His parents and relatives were worried to "lose"
their efficient and hard working son. But Sant Balbir Singh ji
did not look back. By means of his devotion and with the grace
of the Guru and God, he became a favourite and choicest disciple
of Sant Avtar Singh ji. After Sant Avtar Singh's departure for
Sach Khand he was anointed the Mahant of the Dera as desired by
the Guru. In accordance with the tradition of Nirmal Kuteya so
far, Sant Balbir Singh ji never married although it is not necessary
for a Nirmal saint to strictly observe celibacy.
By bringing religion to the service of humanity, sant Balbir
Singh ji has underlined the true spirit of Sikhism. His whole
effort is directed to this end. In this, he was more impressed
by Sant Darbara Singh of Lopon's social work. While Sant Darbara
Singh's work was mainly in field of education, Sant Balbir Singh's
work is multiple. For him, this is the only true way to remember
God. To think of the welfare of all, to rise above the selfish
motives, to share the sorrows of the suffering people and to help
the needy, is, for him, the real meaning of religion. To meet
requirements of the modern times in the light of such humanitarianism,
sant Balbir Singh ji has grand plans:- to open new schools and
colleges to eradicate intellectual and spiritual illiteracy, to
provide technical training in the advanced fields like electronics
and computer sciences, to introduce spiritual education with a
view to boost up good moral character, and arrange sports programs
to develop physical as well as mental health among the young people,
and so on. Apart from attending to the building and maintenance
work of the religious places he takes up an important task of
preparing new roads, path and ways to join different people and
places. To combat pollution he proposes a modern kind of sewerage
system in cities and villages. Through his practical programs
he shows the way how to clean and keep clean the polluted waters
of our holy veins and rivers. All this is not an empty talk, a
utopian dream. If you ever have an opportunity to visit Nirmal
Kuteya or any of the different sites of practical work done by
Sant Balbir Singh ji, or to see Sant ji face to face, you may
very well realize the reality of this ideals and the feel the
force of his positive thinking. He has a self confidence based
on a firm faith in God that enables him to move forward in implementing
his projects of constructive work even in the face of opposition
from many people with vested interests.
Sant Balbir Singh ji is a simple, straight forward, clear-hearted,
transparent personality who has nothing to hide from the people.
He is the spiritual leader of common people. Numberless people
daily crowd around him to pay their heartiest greetings to him
and get his blessings. He is always ready to share their sorrows
and sufferings and give them solace. People come to discuss with
him their problems and get sympathetic and satisfactory solutions
to them. The light that cheers up his bright face is the spiritual
light that comes from God. The divine ecstasy that fills his soul
and informs his speech is perennial source of inspiration for
his followers. He is a great teacher and preacher of faith in
God and total submission before God. He takes away the frustration
and mental sorrows of the people who come to seek his divine grace.
He is beloved of the Sikhs and the Hindus alike. In this he brings
out the true spirit of Sikhism which embraces whole humanity.
As is already mentioned, Nirmal Kuteya Seechewal was mainly a
secluded place before Sant Lal Singh came to stay here. Being
an ascetic, he did not take much interest in renovation and repair
of Nirmal Kuteya. As a result, the building was in an utterly
dilapidated condition when Sant Avtar Singh came over here.
