Quick Facts
Biography
Jaswant Singh Khoji (??? - 1999) (also known as Baboo ji ) was the founder of Braham Bunga Trust and Naam Simran congregation camps located at Dodra. During Singh's service with the Indian Army, while posted at Burma at age 24, he was baptized at Sri Akal Takhat Sahib Amritsar and began leading his life according to the principles and teachings of the Sikh religion. In the army he served as a clerk and was nicknamed "Baboo Ji" by his friends. After retirement, with some of his old army companions from Myanmar, he started the Sikh congregation camps movement. During his lifetime, he never intentionally promoted himself or his works. In the later years of his life, he even detached himself from the very congregation camps that he helped start in order to prevent people worshipping him. He lived the final days of his life in virtual solitude restricting himself to his home with few of his friends. He was greatly impressed by the writings of Professor Puran Singh and Bhai Vir Singh, both Sikh scholars and writers. 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.
Works
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 (200ftx150ft) in new Gurdwara Building in village Dodra. & 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 5 articles are in English.