Iqbal Singh (spiritual leader)

Singh was born to Sanwal Singh and Gulab Kaur in Bharyal Lehri, Gurdaspur district of Punjab.[16] Young Iqbal Singh was particularly fascinated by the lives of Dhruva and Bhakta prahlada on the one hand and Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, the younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh on the other hand.[17] While in 6th grade, he was touched by the lives of Sanghamitta and Mahinda, the daughter and son of Ashoka.[18][19][16]

Singh completed a Bachelor of Science Agriculture in 1949 from Lyallpur, Pakistan. In Pakistan he met Teja Singh Ji and Attar Singh and was influenced by their teachings. He later became disciple of Teja Singh Ji.[20][21] Singh was highly impressed by their lives and teachings.[22] He remained in constant touch with Teja Singh while pursuing his master's degree in Agriculture science.[20][23]

Iqbal Singh later joined the Himachal government.[20] He revealed the hitherto known Tapo Bhoomi at Baru Sahib, which was established in 1956.[21] Later in 1982, Iqbal Singh founded and registered The Kalgidhar Trust and later The Kalgidhar Society.[3]

Iqbal Singh retired in 1986 from his job with the Himachal government.[24] He moved permanently to Baru Sahib after his retirement and immediately started working on Brahm Vidya Kendra.[21] He started the Akal Academy assisted by Khem Singh Gill, with only 5 students as a 1-room school.[25][26] The school later evolved as a 10+2 English-medium private school, affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi. This school is now affiliated with the International Baccalaureate for IB Primary Years Programme.[27]

Apart from the educational programs, 129 low-cost Schools and 2 Private Universities were established by Iqbal Singh at Baru Sahib in Himachal and at several other places in Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan.

Iqbal Singh has been working with the support of beneficiaries and volunteers in the direction of imparting education in the rural marginalised areas of North India.[28] He believes that rural children are excluded from the mainstream and cannot contribute to the nation's growth, hence the drive to “educate-enshrine-empower” these large masses is necessary.[29][30][31][32]

He established Eternal University at Baru Sahib in 2008[33][34][35][36] and Akal University,[37] Guru ki Kashi at Damdama Sahib in Punjab in 2015.[38] His biography by Benedict Parmanand was released in April 2017 by former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

• Sikh Sidhant (2001)
• Sikh Faith (2014)[39]
• Tribute to Saint Teja Singh (2015)
• Turban - The Pride and Honour of India (2008)[40]

• Benedict Parmanand, Mission to Reboot Punjab through Value-based Education (2016)[41]

• Relief & Rehabilitation during Kashmir Earthquake in 2005.[42] This effort was recognised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India.[43]
• Creating awareness for Students from Minority communities[44][45] to avail Government Scholarships.[46] This program led to a multi-fold increase in the release of Minority Scholarships[47] from a few lakh of Rupees to Rs. 100 crores in 2016.[48]
• After having researched Canola Oil, Baba Iqbal Singh inspired a group of youngsters[49] to educate and sell Canola Oil to Indian masses for their health benefits. This has now become a large social business.[50]
• Horticulture farming in arid Tamil Nadu.[51] Baba Iqbal singh successfully inspired[52] and guided a group of youngsters,[53] with his own agriculture background and turned parched lands[54] into thriving farms[55] in drought hit Tamil Nadu.[56]
• Anahad Bani[57] wherein the whole Guru Granth Sahib (Holy Book of the SIkhs) was sung in the original 31 ragas that they were composed in. This was a unique and a very costly project that was telecast over Television channels for four years.
• Deedaday[58] wherein marginalised children were offered free education. Now Akal Academies benefit around 14,000 students especially the children of farmers, suicide victims[59] granthi singhs (preachers) and sewadars (religious volunteers) who are either studying free or subsidised.
• FIBA Turban[60] Ban on Sikh basketball players.[61] Baba Iqbal Singh took up the fight and initiated a signature campaign against this ban on Change.org.[62] This ban was then kept on abeyance[63] for two years by FIBA[64]

• In January 2011 he attended a Workshop on Global Development and Institutions Inspired by Faith in South and Central Asia in Dhaka organised by Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, Georgetown University, Washington, USA[16][65]
• In November 2013 he was adjudged as the fifth most influential Sikh in the world by World Sikh Awards UK.[66]
• In April 2014 he was awarded a Citation for being an Outstanding Individual, one which is worthy of the esteem of the country, the community, and the Great State of New York in 2014 by the New York City State Assembly for promoting tolerance to all people irrespective of culture or race.[67]
• In December 2014, he attended The Alliance of Religions: Peace Summit of the Americas as a guest of honour and signed the symbolic Peace Agreement[68]
• In March 2016 he was awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award by NICER (National Institute of Cleanliness Education Research).
• Also, Baba Iqbal Singh has been awarded with the Sikh Lifetime Achievement Award by Top Sikh 100, London on 19 Nov 2016.
• Helped fight the Turban[60] ban by FIBA International[69]
• In July 2018, he was bestowed with "Shiromani Panth Rattan" by Takht Sri Harmandir ji, Patna Sahib

Iqbal Singh has been criticised for his take on the early regimen of his students, vegetarian habits and simple dress code of the school. In the institution established by him, students are punished even with expulsion if caught defiling their hair or beards as per Sikh tenets.[70]

Akal Academy became the center of a controversy in 2008.[71] There was an allegation that the 'Turban' was being imposed on them.[72] Akal Academy later replied to the controversy explaining that Sikh students were expected to wear the Turban and that children from other faiths needed to cover their heads with a simple patka (piece of cloth as a headgear).[73][60]