Our Historical and Philosophical Origin
Pothi Seva understands ‘Pothi Sambhal Seva’ to be an intrinsic part of the Sikh parampara. In various Sikh Sampradaya, there have been various figures recognised for their role in Pothi Sambhal Seva. Up until the early 20th century, there were learned individuals from various Sampradaya who produced Pothi Sahibs by hand and, as part of their expertise, would have repaired Pothi Sahibs. Most of these figures remain unknown and un-named but their work can be seen in the form of the thousands of Pothi Sahibs with historical repairs. Nonetheless, there are some specific historical Gur-Sikhs who were known for their role in the Sambhal Seva of Pothi Sahibs, these are listed below.
Baba Buddha Ji
Baba Buddha Ji is recorded in many historical texts as being the first ‘Granthi’. A ‘Granthi’ is responsible for the physical care of all Pothi Sahibs in an asthan. To some extent, this is a unique position within the Sikh Parampara and it is quite possible that some of the earliest known repairs to the earliest Pothi Sahibs in the Sikh tradition were carried out by Baba Buddha Ji and by the tradition of Granthis which was established after them.
A photograph of Baba Shaam Singh, circa early 20th century in Sant Gatha, a biography of Baba Ji
Baba Shaam Singh Sevapanthi
Baba Shaam Singh Ji Sevapanthi (1803-1928CE) is well known for their contributions to Raag Kirtan, but they also made significant contributions to the world of manuscript creation and restoration. Baba Shaam Singh would encourage the Sambhal Seva of Pothi Sahibs and there are many documented examples of this from their life.
​​​​​​​​​​​A small number of anecdotes below are taken from Sant Gatha (originally written by Major Prem Singh) as well as Baba Shaam Singh Ji (by Daljit Singh Bedi) :
'At one time the 'Jild' (cover) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji became damaged. Seeing this, Baba Ji took the manuscript to a famed muslim bookbinder. The whole time that the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji manuscript was being repaired by the bookbinder, Baba ji would visit the place and offer a garland of flowers for Guru Sahib daily.'
'When Baba Ji would go and visit different Gurdwaras he would keep a few things in mind. One point he would always keep in mind was that whenever he saw that a Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji manuscript had become damaged, he would firstly explain to the Granthis to get the manuscript repaired. He would then make the Granthis promise that they would get Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji's Jild (cover) repaired by a skilled bookbinder. If it was needed, they would also give money towards this cause.'
'Whenever visiting a Gurdwara Sahib, Baba Ji would offer Chandoa Sahib, Rumala Sahib, Manji Sahib, Cushions, Chaur Sahib as needed.'
'Baba Ji would always carry with them Hartaal (correction fluid), Ink, Bamboo Pens (kalam), Paper, 'levi' (paste prepared from wheat flour/starch), whenever they saw an ang of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji requiring minor repair, they would do this immediately.'
- Extracts from 'Sant Gatha' and 'Baba Shaam Singh Ji' by Daljit Singh Bedi
Baba Shaam Singh derived much of their knowledge from the Sevapanthi/Addanshahi Sampradaya and it is likely that they would have derived their knowledge of sambhal-seva from a variety of learned figures from this sampradaya.
Bhai Gobind Shah Singh
Bhai Gobind Shah Singh was a close sevak of Baba Shaam Singh who personally carried out the sambhal-seva of Pothi Sahibs at Baba Shaam Singh Ji’s Dera/Dharamshala during the later years of Baba Shaam Singh’s life. There are a number of manuscript Pothi Sahibs, including Sri Guru Granth Sahibs, which can be found in various asthans, particularly in Amritsar. It is likely that they were encouraged and perhaps even trained in this seva by Baba Shaam Singh Ji.
Giani Gurnam Singh Ji in their later years, photographed at Aurangabad.
Giani Gurnam Singh
Giani Gurnam Singh Ji Sampradai Bhinder Kalan (~2020CE) was known for their skill in repairing Pothi Sahibs and especially Sri Guru Granth Sahibs. During their time as a student of Sant Giani Gurbachan Singh Ji Khalsa, he was already known for repairing Sri Guru Granth Sahibs. As a nomadic Giani, they would travel from village to village performing sambhal-seva and also Gurbani Katha.