Born: September 3, 1889, Rampur Kataania, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
Died: Believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929.
Singh accepted Christ after receiving a vision of Jesus just before attempting suicide around age 15. After announcing his decision, his family rejected him, and numerous attempts were made on his life, including poison and snakes.
On his 16th birthday, he was publicly baptized in the parish church in Simla, Hinachal Pradesh. Before this, he had been staying at the Christian Leprosy Home at Sabathu, near Simla, serving the lepers there.
In October 1906, he set out on his journey as a new Christian, wearing a turban and the yellow robe of a Hindu sadhu, an ascetic devoted to spiritual practice. Singh viewed himself as a sadhu, albeit one within Christianity rather than Hinduism, because he realized Christianity could only penetrate India in an Indian way.
I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord,
he said, but, like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating with those who will give me shelter, and telling all men of the love of God.
Singh had a wide and varied career as a missionary in India and surrounding areas.