Birth and Early Life of Sadhu Kishan Singh
Sadhu Kishan Singh and his sister Shanta Kaur were born into a devout Sikh family in Punjab, India. Their father, Sardar Pratap Singh, was a wealthy and influential man who was deeply committed to the Sikh faith. However, the family faced a great sorrow – despite being married for 12 years, Sardar Pratap Singh and his wife Dhannan Kaur had not been blessed with children.
Encounter with Sadhu Sundar Singh
It was during this time that the renowned Christian saint, Sadhu Sundar Singh, who was a relative of Dhannan Kaur, started visiting their home occasionally. One day, Sadhu Sundar Singh prayed for the couple, and soon after, Dhannan Kaur gave birth to twins – Kishan Singh and his brother Virasa Singh on 22 July, 1926. Over the years, Pratap and Dhannan were blessed with 10 children, including these twins. The 10th child was Shanta Kaur. Shanta Kaur was born on 22 July 1953, and was 27 years younger than Sadhu Kishan Singh.
Influence of Miss Ruth
As Kishan Singh grew up, he was deeply influenced by his school teacher, Miss Ruth, who was a foreigner but had a deep appreciation for Indian culture. Miss Ruth constantly studied the Bible and taught its teachings to her students, including the young Kishan. Kishan started practicing Christian prayers at home, much to the dismay of his father, Sardar Pratap Singh.
Conflict with Father
Kishan Singh’s father, Pratap Singh, stopped him from studying the Bible and English. He asked Kishan to learn Farsi, Urdu, and Punjabi instead. After this, Kishan stopped going to school and started indulging in mischief in the village.
Religious Ritual and Near-Death Experience
Miss Ruth complained to Pratap Singh about Kishan’s bad behavior in school. Pratap Singh then arranged for a 40-day religious reading at home, inviting relatives, hoping it would reform Kishan. During this period, Kishan Singh had to survive only on one tumbler of milk a day as part of the ritual. No solid food was to be given to him. This weakened him, and he was on the verge of death. Dhannan Kaur couldn’t see her son dying. So, she secretly sent a message to Miss Ruth to come and pray for her child.
Divine Intervention
Miss Ruth came there with her brother Bishop Bulmer and started crying out to God to save Kishan Singh’s life. The crowd became furious and tried to prevent them from praying. Suddenly there was a bright light in the room with a figure of a cross. Miss Ruth’s brother urged Kishan to commit his life to Christ, and he obeyed.
Martyrdom of Miss Ruth
Sardar Pratap Singh became furious, and the angry mob then surrounded Miss Ruth. Despite their threats, she kept preaching about Jesus. Ultimately, Miss Ruth was killed by Kishan Singh’s cousin. On her deathbed, she gave Kishan her Bible and asked him to spread the word of God across the world.
Kishan Singh’s Transformation
Kishan was deeply moved by Miss Ruth’s sacrifice. His mother consoled him not to cry and told him to take the teachings of Jesus Christ forward by preaching the Bible everywhere to spread God’s kingdom.
Secret Training and Discovery
Dhannan securely kept Ruth’s Bible and started teaching Kishan in secret using the same Bible. A change began in the teenager. The sacrifice that gave him new life made him want to do good for society. Throughout school, his mother secretly trained him as a disciple of Christ.
Violent Opposition
One day, Sardar Pratap Singh discovered that his wife, Dhannan, was nurturing their son Kishan as a disciple of Jesus, which enraged him. He intended to kill them for bringing shame to the family. Despite Dhannan’s plea about Sadhu Sundar Singh’s prediction, Pratap violently attacked her and Kishan. Servants and Pratap’s brother intervened to save them, but Pratap’s fanaticism led to Kishan being ordered to be thrown onto railway tracks. Servants, instead, placed him on a train. Severely beaten and ticketless, Kishan was helped by a European passenger who paid his fare. Later, in 1942, Pratap and his family immigrated to the USA.
Return to Punjab and Family Tragedy
Sadhu Kishan Singh returned to Punjab in September 1958, after years of spreading the gospel in the Himalayas. Seventeen years earlier, he was expelled from home for following Jesus. Upon his return, he learned his parents had died earlier that year and that he had a younger sister, Shanta, born in 1953. Before her death, his mother dedicated Shanta to Christ. Pratap Singh, who had also by then accepted Lord Jesus in his life, regretted his past actions. He tried to locate Kishan to give the family assets to him and Shanta, but died before succeeding.
Miraculous Healing of Shanta Kaur
Sadhu Kishan Singh came to know that his sister Shanta Kaur was very ill. The doctors informed him that she didn’t have many days left to live. Kishan Singh took his ailing sister to his uncle’s house so that her last rites could be performed there. However, Kishan’s uncle asked him to return to Sikhism in exchange for helping with Shanta’s last rites. Kishan refused, as he had embraced Jesus Christ.
Baptism and Revival
With no place to perform Shanta’s last rites, Kishan took her to a church where the pastor agreed to baptize her first. Miraculously, after the baptism, Shanta regained life, leaving everyone amazed at God’s power. Shanta’s uncle opposed them preaching about Jesus, even threatening to kill them. But Kishan and Shanta remained steadfast in their faith.
Journey of Faith
One night, they secretly left the village to spread the word of God. They faced numerous hardships like hunger and lack of shelter, but God always provided for their needs in miraculous ways. Their devotion was tested, but they passed by, keeping their faith firmly in Jesus.
Preaching Across India
Kishan Singh and Shanta Kaur traveled across India, from Kashmir to Ladakh, preaching the gospel and performing miracles in Jesus’ name. Their unwavering faith led many to accept Christ in their lives. God had used Sadhu Kishan Singh to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, even with the dreaded Dacoit Rambha Singh. Rambha left his sinful ways and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Kishan Singh spent his whole life serving the Lord.
Final Days
In 1998, Sadhu Kishan Singh was diagnosed with kidney related ailments. In the final hours of his life at a hospital in Assam, Deepak, who was Sadhuji’s protégé, came to be by his side. After spreading God’s word across every corner of India, Sadhu Kishan Singh passed away, having served the Lord faithfully until the very end.
Sources: 1) Thunder in the Himalayas – by Dr. Babu K. Verghese.
2) Video testimony by Sister Shanta Kaur (YouTube)