Sundar Singh, was a deeply religious Sikh expected to become a sadhu (a Hindu/Sikh monk who has renounced the worldly life). He vehemently opposed Christianity as a western intrusion, even burning a copy of the Bible. Then he encountered the living Christ in a vision in December 1904. His family tried to dissuade him from becoming a Christian, but he cut off his hair (one of the 5 symbols of the Sikh religion) and was baptised on his 16th birthday.

He then decided to become a Christian sadhu, endeavouring to present Christianity in a cultural form that would be meaningful to his people in India. He began to travel around India, sharing the message that Christ by his death saved us from our sins. Sundar Singh committed himself to eat only if food were offered to him, and to sleep in a house only if invited to do so. This led to much hardship. He was confirmed in 1907, and in 1909 was sent to St John’s Divinity School in Lahore by Bishop Lefroy, to train to be an Anglican Priest. He left after only 8 months. The expectation that he would minister only in Anglican churches was unacceptable to him, and he felt the theological study was too much about academic theology and not about the personal knowledge of Christ, the heart of his spirituality and the foundation of theological study.

Although preaching Christianity was forbidden in Tibet, Sundar Singh paid annual visits there for several years from 1912. He was thrown into a dry well in Tibet and on another occasion into prison in Nepal. In his desire to emulate Christ, he undertook a major fast in 1913, and in the course of it had another vision of the glorified Lord. He had a number of ecstatic visions after that, from which he drew spiritual strength.

By 1917 he had become known even outside India. In 1918 he toured South India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Burma (Myanmar), Malaya, Japan and China. He visited England, America and Australia in 1920 and Europe in 1922. He made a considerable impression as a modern saint and mystic, above all by the serenity and radiance of his appearance. After 1922 his health deteriorated and he remained in India. He made use of a bungalow at Subathu, bought with money from his father and the royalties from the sale of his books, which were widely read at the time. He wrote 8 books and there are also 3 volumes of his work that have been compiled by others.

He had a strong desire to go back to Tibet, but after visits in 1919 and 1921 was unable to do so, He made a final effort in 1929. He was last seen in April of that year in Kalka, a small town below Simla. A prematurely aged figure in his yellow robe, among pilgrims and holy men, beginning their own trek to one of Hinduism's holy places some miles away. He disappeared and was not seen again. He may have passed away on the road, in the mountains or died for his faith.

BORN: 3 September 1889, Ludhiana, Punjab, British India

MISSING PRESUMED DEAD: April 1929, In the foothills of the Himalayas.