Hoshiarpur- Known as a steadfast and industrious Sikh leader, Jathedar Giani Gurdial Singh Ajnoha was born on December 27, 1927, to father Hakam Singh Parmar and mother Niranjana Kaur in the village of Ajnoha, Tehsil Garhshankar, District Hoshiarpur. His family was known for its religious disposition from the beginning and was recognized in the village as the “Bhagat Family.” 
From childhood, he was a regular practitioner of Nitnem (daily Sikh prayers) and followed the path laid out by Gurbani. He was deeply rooted in Gurmat principles, embodying truthfulness and simplicity. He received his primary education at the village primary school and completed his matriculation at Khalsa High School in the nearby village of Baddon.
Once, when Master Tara Singh visited the village of Baddon for a religious event, Jathedar Ji learned of his arrival. A strong desire to meet Master Tara Singh arose in his heart, and he, along with his companions, went to Baddon to meet him. 
Jathedar Ji was so inspired by Master Tara Singh’s personality that he resolved to dedicate himself fully to serving the Sikh Panth. At that time, India’s so-called independence had just been achieved a few months earlier, and Sikhs were still languishing in refugee camps. On October 10, 1947, the Governor of East Punjab, Chandu Lal Trivedi, issued a circular to all Deputy Commissioners, which stated: “Sikhs as a community are a lawless people and are a menace to the law-abiding Hindus in the Province. 
Deputy Commissioners should take special measures against them.” When Master Tara Singh reminded Pandit Nehru of the promises made by the Congress before 1947 and urged their fulfillment, Nehru responded, “The times have changed.” This was a great betrayal of the Sikhs. Due to this deplorable behavior of the Indian government, the Akalis began organizing themselves and dreaming of an independent Punjab.
In 1948-1949, several significant changes took place. The eight princely states of East Punjab merged to form a new state union called PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union). On January 20, 1949, this government was established, with Maharaja Yadavindra Singh appointed as Rajpramukh and Gian Singh Rarewala as the Chief Minister of the Union, along with eight ministers included in the cabinet. 
However, traditional Akalis were restless under Gian Singh Rarewala’s leadership, viewing it as a “maternal uncle-nephew government” and demanding an independent Punjab. Master Tara Singh raised the slogan “Panth Azad, Desh Azad” (The Sikh Nation is Free, The Country is Free) and decided to offer arrests. Announcements were made in villages, and groups of Akalis began departing from every district to offer arrests. Sant Bakhtawar Singh Ji Balachaur was the Jathedar of Hoshiarpur District at the time. 
A group of eight Akalis from Ajnoha also set out to offer arrests. When they stayed at Gurdwara Ramgarhia in Phagwara, Sant Bakhtawar Singh Ji Balachaur instructed them to choose a Jathedar for their village. The Akalis from Ajnoha unanimously selected Giani Gurdial Singh Ji as their Jathedar. As this group proceeded, they were arrested in Sultanpur Lodhi and sent to Kapurthala Jail.
Jathedar Sahib also served as the Sarpanch of Ajnoha village, a member of the Panchayat Samiti, and a member of the Zila Parishad. He also served as the District Jathedar for the Hoshiarpur unit of the Akali Dal. After independence, when Punjab was denied its rightful rights, the Punjabi Suba Movement was launched under Master Tara Singh’s leadership, in which Jathedar Ji faced challenges both personally and as a family. 
Chief Minister Bhim Sen Sachar imposed a ban on this movement. Akalis were arrested across the state, and police repression was unleashed. In the Punjabi Suba Morcha, 57,129 Sikhs, including men, women, and youth, were arrested, 43 Sikhs attained martyrdom, and Sikhs paid fines amounting to lakhs of rupees. 
Jathedar Giani Gurdial Singh Ajnoha endured 14 jail terms under various political and religious movements and had to stay away from his family and home. He became so engrossed in Panthic and religious services that he never looked back. In his absence, his wife, Sardarni Charanjit Kaur Ji, managed the family responsibilities with great diligence, fulfilling the roles of both mother and father.
In 1972, during the time of Sant Fateh Singh Ji, he was appointed Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib and served this responsibility with utmost honesty for eight consecutive years. According to Prof. Joginder Singh, a member of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee, since both Akali Phoola Singh and Giani Gurdial Singh were born in Ajnoha, it feels as though the village of Ajnoha has been blessed with a legacy of Khalsa valor, Panthic progress, and fearless leadership.
 About 150 years ago, Akali Phoola Singh, born in Ajnoha, exemplified a fearless and resolute Jathedar dedicated to establishing the Sikh Empire and preserving Panthic traditions. As it is often said that history repeats itself, Jathedar Giani Gurdial Singh Ji similarly established himself as a pure Akali, fearless, and an epitome of courage. 
An example of his courage and refusal to bow to political pressure is evident from an incident when he was Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib. Giani Zail Singh, then Chief Minister of Punjab, arranged his daughter’s Anand Karaj at Sri Kesgarh Sahib. When Singh Sahib Jathedar Gurdial Singh Ajnoha observed that the groom was a Patit (apostate Sikh), he immediately expressed his strong opposition and boycotted the event.
On March 2, 1980, Jathedar Gurdial Singh became the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. His predecessor, Jathedar Sadhu Singh Bhaura, had proven weak on several Panthic issues, and many Sikh intellectuals were dissatisfied with his anti-Panthic decisions. 
They had high expectations from the newly appointed Jathedar Giani Gurdial Singh Ajnoha. During that time, the Hindu press was claiming that Sikhs were Keshdhari Hindus, and the Sikh community wanted Sri Akal Takht to issue a Hukamnama to permanently silence this issue. The followers of Daya Nand, known as “Mahashe Lale,” had previously resorted to such tactics. 
When Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha wrote the book Hum Hindu Nahin, the Mahashas filed numerous lawsuits against him, which Bhai Sahib fought and won single-handedly despite financial constraints. To resolve this issue permanently, Jathedar Giani Gurdial Singh Ajnoha fearlessly decided to issue a Hukamnama on April 21, 1981, declaring that “Sikhs are a distinct nation.” If a weak Jathedar had been at Akal Takht at that time, such a decision would not have been expected. Angered by this decision, the Indian government and Jathedar Santokh Singh Delhi, backed by Hindus, published a statement in Lala Jagat Narain’s newspaper, alleging that Jathedar Sahib was collecting funds abroad for Khalistan. 
Upon returning from abroad, Jathedar Ajnoha resigned from his Jathedar position due to these allegations. After the accusations were proven false, he resumed his role as Jathedar. However, due to this irresponsible statement, Jathedar Ajnoha summoned Jathedar Santokh Singh Delhi to appear before Sri Akal Takht Sahib to present his side.
 Santokh Singh Delhi refused to appear, citing a threat to his life in Amritsar, and sent a message through his emissary denying the statement. Jathedar Akal Takht did not accept the message sent through the emissary, and ultimately, Santokh Singh Delhi had to appear before Sri Akal Takht Sahib and receive Tankhah (religious punishment). A few days after this incident, Santokh Singh Delhi was assassinated by unidentified individuals, which was another nefarious attempt by the government to defame Sikhs.
During the early 1980s Punjab Assembly elections, when Satnam Singh Bajwa faced a crushing defeat against Akali Dal’s Ujagar Singh Sekhwan in the Kahnuwan constituency, unable to bear the humiliation, he approached the Punjab High Court, demanding a judicial inquiry into his defeat.
 He claimed that Sri Akal Takht Sahib had ordered the local people to vote only for Akali Dal candidates. Following Satnam Singh Bajwa’s petition, the Punjab High Court issued summons to Jathedar Gurdial Singh Ajnoha to appear in court. With great courage, Jathedar Ajnoha refused to accept the court summons and wrote to the court that the position of Jathedar of Akal Takht is above all worldly courts. 
He further stated that if the High Court needed any clarification, it could send its emissary, and the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib would provide the necessary clarification. In light of this decision, Satnam Singh Bajwa submitted a written statement to the High Court, stating that he never intended to summon the Jathedar of Akal Takht to court and that he recognized the supreme authority of Akal Takht. Thus, a potential conflict between a worldly court and the divine court of Akal Takht was averted.
A letter from Nirankari Baba Hardev Singh, alias Bhola, was published in newspapers, suggesting that if Jathedar Sahib withdrew the Hukamnama issued against the Nirankaris from Akal Takht, they were willing to remove derogatory remarks against Sikhism from their books. When Sikh intellectuals read this letter in the newspapers, they became alarmed, and many wrote to Jathedar Sahib, urging him to reject the letter. 
Jathedar Ajnoha had already decided to reject the letter and, on March 12, 1982, dismissed it, stating that it was like thousands of other letters. He declared that the Nirankaris were not a recognized entity, and the Hukamnama issued by Akal Takht could not be withdrawn. If someone sought forgiveness for their mistakes, they must submit a request to Akal Takht, accept appropriate punishment as per Akal Takht’s Maryada, and become an Amritdhari Sikh; only then could their mistakes be forgiven.
Following Akali Phoola Singh, Jathedar Ajnoha was the only Jathedar who, with fearlessness and Panthic vision, made four significant decisions in a single year, decisions that a weak Jathedar could not have made. The four major decisions taken by Jathedar Ajnoha as Jathedar of Akal Takht are as follows:

Sikhs are a distinct nation.
Akal Takht is supreme and above all worldly courts.
Nirankaris have been expelled from the Panth.
The Hukamnama issued by Akal Takht Sahib cannot be withdrawn.

While writing about the personality of Jathedar Giani Gurdial Singh Ji, I must also mention his close associate, the great Sikh warrior of the twentieth century, the highly respected Sant Sipahi, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, who, like Jathedar Ajnoha, was farsighted, fearless, resolute, and a true embodiment of his words and actions. Jathedar Ajnoha deeply admired Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale and was inspired by his services to the Panth. 
During a conversation at a Bhog ceremony, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale told Jathedar Ajnoha that the time had come to offer martyrdoms. Jathedar Ajnoha responded briefly with a simple “Yes” at the time. However, during the Ardas after the Bhog, he prayed before Waheguru, saying, “O True Father, Akal Purakh Waheguru Ji, may my remaining years be added to Sant Bhindranwale’s life, as he has many great tasks to accomplish for the Panth.”
After the Ardas, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale asked Jathedar Sahib, “What have you done? Why did you make such a request to Guru Sahib?” Jathedar Ajnoha smiled and replied, “I care more for the Panth than my own life. For the work you are doing for the Panth’s progress, I prayed to Guru Sahib that my years be added to yours.”
 As the saying goes, “An arrow shot from a bow never returns,” and exactly one month later, on March 18, 1982, without any illness, Jathedar Ajnoha left his mortal body and departed for Gurpuri at the age of only 58. 
His final rites were performed in his ancestral village of Ajnoha. Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, along with his group, attended Jathedar Sahib’s cremation, and thousands of Sangat bid farewell to the fearless and resolute Jathedar with tearful eyes. Jathedar Sahib was a noble-hearted, justice-loving, and truth-protecting individual whose entire life was dedicated to the Panth for the sake of Dharma and righteousness. 
He served the Panth with hard work, honesty, and dedication. The Punjabi Departments, Religious Studies Departments, and Sikh institutions of all Punjab universities should conduct research on this great Jathedar and provide information about his personality to as many people as possible so that future generations can draw inspiration from his life.