Bhai Sahib's loving letter to his daughter in 1922, from jail

In April of 1922, when Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh jee was in jail, he wrote a number of letters to his son Bhai Balbir Singh, daughter Bibi Daler Kaur, his wife Bibi Kartar Kaur and a number of his companions. His daughter Bibi Daler Kaur was very young at that time, perhaps 8 years old. She must have written a letter to Bhai Sahib complaining that her elder brother beats her sometimes. Bhai Sahib has written back, as a loving father of his daughter, that he would punish Balbir Singh when he comes home. The letter is both funny and heartbreaking at the same time. It's funny since Bhai Sahib talks to her daughter like any loving father would, by coming to the level of an 8 or 9 years old child. It's heartbreaking because Bhai Sahib expresses his desire to have his child in his lap and loving her. These Mahapurakhs suffered so much in jails but kept their Sikhi alive. They were Dhan Dhan Dhan!

Second noteworthy thing is that Bhai Sahib addresses his daughter not by her name but by calls her "Bibi". Bhai Sahib's children address their mother as Bebe jee and their grandmother (Bhai Sahib's mother) as Amma jee.

I will post the original Punjabi letter soon but here is an English translation of Bhai Sahib's letter to his daughter:

Ik-Onkaar Vaheguru jee kee Fateh 12/4/22

My dear daughter Bibi Daler Kaur!! Bibi your letter arrived and I read it. Reading it caused extreme happiness and bliss. May Guru give you long life and from His Dar-Ghar (Divine Court) bless you with perfect gift of Sikhi. Bibi your intelligence, with Guru’s Kirpa, is very illuminated. Even though your age is still very young, yet your intelligence/wisdom is not. This is Guru’s grace on you. Bibi, Guru Sahib has placed qualities within you, even more than your sister Bibi Bhagwant Kaur. Bibi Bhagwant Kaur has passed away. But Bibi, with you alive, her loss has been fulfilled. Balbir Singh must be beating you. I was sure about this even before (you wrote to me). But just see Bibi, when Guru Sahib brings me home, I will make you sit in my lap and give you lots and lots of love and will give Balbir Singh such punishment that he will always remember. At that time, your Bebe jee (mother) and your Amma jee (grandmother) will come to support him (or save him from punishment) but I will not listen to anyone. Now I will not write letter to him at all. Then I will write to him if he places both hands on his ears and will write to me that he will never hit Bibi again. This time I have written a letter to him and have explained to him to not hit you. If he does not understand, then I will have no love for him. …
(Courtesy of Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Simriti Granth - edited by Bhai Jaitegh Singh Anant)

Kulbir Singh

Thanks for sharing this Kulbir Singh Jee. Great letter. Where did you get this letter from?

Sometimes I feel really sad that in this modern age of phones and emails the art of writing letters is lost. Just until the early 90s it was common for people to write letters to each other. But those good old times are now gone. Thank God we did not have phones and emails during the times of Bhai Randhir Singh Jee or today we would not have Jail Chittiya book. There is even a book based on letters of Bhai Vir Singh Jee.

Quote
Kulbir Singh
It's funny since Bhai Sahib talks to her daughter like any loving father would, by coming to the level of an 8 or 9 years old child. It's heartbreaking because Bhai Sahib expresses his desire to have his child in his lap and loving her.

We don't actualy know a lot about Bhai Sahib's personality I realized earlier this year while in Narangwal.
You post reminded me of 2 sisters I meet in Narangwal who in their childhood used to play in Bhai Sahib's house.They live near his house still. The younger one told me Bhai Sahib was very loving and playfull with kids. He use to become child-like with them. Bhai Sahib used to hide something in his hand(something sweet-I have forgotten) made her played guessing in which hand it was all the time.

The elder sister went blind...her story was very touching .She also narated a few stories... will write these stories she narated to me maybe in the near future.

Chota veer

After reading this, one can't ignore the fact of what a HUGE sacrifice Bhai Randhir Singh Jee made. He went to jail when his children were so small. From the letter one can see he must have done a lot of Laad Pyaar with his children. Just imagine how how those children missed their father and how Bhai Sahib must have also missed them as well. By the time Bhai Sahib came out of Jail, his children were probably no longer children. So he missed their childhood. What a sacrifice by Bhai Sahib. Dhan are Gursikhs.

Vahegurooo