A warrior who carried his severed head into battle to keep a sacred vow — Baba Deep Singh Ji is remembered every year with reverence across the Sikh world, and this year Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri joined that remembrance with a heartfelt tribute on his Shaheedi Diwas.

Posting in Punjabi and Hindi on Sunday, 15 November, Minister Puri opened with the timeless Gurbani verse — ਜਉ ਤਉ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਖੇਲਣ ਕਾ ਚਾਉ — 'If you wish to play the game of love, come to my lane with your head placed on your palm.' The lines, attributed to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, have long been invoked to honour those who sacrificed everything for faith and principle.

The legacy of the warrior-saint of Damdama Sahib

Baba Deep Singh Ji stands as one of the most revered martyrs in Sikh history. He was the first Jathedar of Damdami Taksal — the preeminent Sikh religious seminary — and a head of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, one of the five temporal seats of Sikh authority. In the 18th century, when Mughal forces desecrated the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, Baba Deep Singh Ji led a force of devoted Sikhs to reclaim it. According to tradition, he continued fighting even after being mortally wounded, and is said to have carried his own head on his palm as he pressed forward — a story of resolve so profound it has become inseparable from Sikh martial identity.

Minister Puri wrote in Hindi: 'Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji's indomitable courage, unwavering devotion to faith, and supreme sacrifice will always inspire us.' He offered koti koti pranam — a crore-fold salutation — to the martyr's memory.

Senior BJP voices and the Sikh martyrdom calendar

Senior BJP leaders and Union ministers regularly mark Sikh shaheedi anniversaries with public tributes, reflecting both personal faith and the party's sustained outreach to the Sikh community — particularly in Punjab and among the Punjabi diaspora. Baba Deep Singh Ji's Shaheedi Diwas is among the most widely observed such occasions, drawing commemorations at gurdwaras across India and abroad.

Damdami Taksal, the institution Baba Deep Singh Ji once led, continues to be a central force in Sikh theological education, and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda remains an active seat of religious authority — making the anniversary as living and present as it is historical.

Courage that places faith above self-preservation does not age. Baba Deep Singh Ji's story endures precisely because it asks a question every generation must answer for itself.