Babu Karam Singh Bal

Babu Karam Singh Bal (c. 1927 – 7 October 1992) was a Sikh Sarpanch for Sathiala. He was also a politician for the Shiromani Akali Dal party and in addition, the manager of Gurdwara Baba Bakala Sahib (SGPC), a position he held for 38 years.

Babu Karam Singh Bal was also the chairman for Sathiala College and led various committees within the institution.

Karam Singh Bal was born in Sathiala around 1927. He had three brothers and two sisters, out of which he was the third youngest. Babu Karam Singh Bal was born in Sathiala, however, he eventually moved to Baba Bakala as he was appointed as the manager of Baba Bakala Sahib.

He had a wide range of interests such as reading books and always showed an ardent interest towards current affairs. Babu Karam Singh was also an avid chess player. Besides, Babu Karam Singh had a great passion for music (mainly Ghazals) and for writing poetry.

Babu Karam Singh went to college in Lahore prior to the partition of India. However, Babu Karam Singh Bal never pursued further education, as at the time universities were often distant and in cities such as Delhi or Mumbai.

Babu Karam Singh Bal was a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal Party. In the 1980s, Babu Karam Singh Bal was offered a seat for being an MLA for the Beas constituency, but he never went on to take part in the elections. In the world of politics, Babu Karam Singh Bal had many companions such as Parkash Singh Badal, Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Jiwan Singh Umranangal.

Babu Karam Singh was also known for doing much charity work for the local area. He gave many jobless people places to work and also paid for the education of children whose parents could not afford to do so. Overall he was a keen philanthropist.

In memory of Babu Karam Singh Bal, a pillar has been erected on Bathala Road in Sathiala. It is built where his ashes lay and is also the location where his funeral took place in 1992.