Question

Guru Nanak Dev Ji's father Kalu Mehta was a
A.Patwari
B.Tehsildar
C.Jagirdar
D.Kotwal

Answer 1

Hint: Mehta Kalu was also known as Kalyan Chand Das Bedi or Kalidas Chandrana. Mehta Kalu’s father had worked as an accountant in the town of Patthevind which was later taken on by him after his father’s death.

Complete answer:
Mehta Kalu was also known by names such as Kalian Chand, Kalu Rai, and Mahita Kalu. He was born to a Brahmin clan but later converted to Sikhism.
Let us review the options and discuss the answer.

Option A. Patwari implies an accountant or book-keeper of records. Mehta Kalu served as a Patwari for Talwandi village under Rai Bhular Bhatti. He was the bookkeeper of land income in the public authority. The post of Patwari was passed to him after his father’s demise.
Option B. Tehsildar implies tax-collector. This option is incorrect as Mehta Kalu’s father worked as a Patwari and it is after his death, Mehta Kalu got the Patwari job. Also, the role of Tehsildar originated around the 1930s which centuries later Mehta Kalu’s time.
Option C. Jagirdar implies land ownership. This was introduced in the 13th century by the Sultans and it was after Mehta Kalu’s time. Hence, the incorrect option.
Option D. Kotwal implies chief police officer, a role established during the medieval period. It is an incorrect option as it nowhere implies a revenue collector.

Additional Information
-Mehta Kalu was the father of Guru Nanak Dev, organizer of Sikhism. Kalu Ji was married to Mata Tripta who was the child of Baba Rama and Mata Banarasi of Chahal, a town close to Lahore. They had two kids - a little girl called Bibi Nanaki conceived in 1464 and a child called Nanak, who was born on 13th April 1469.
-Kalu Mehta is the tree from which the seeds of Sikhism radiated as the principal Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Mehta Kalu was a Hindu Bedi, a standing that should be knowledgeable in the Vedas. Baba Kalian Chand died in 1522 at Kartarpur, a town established by Guru Nanak on the bank of the River Ravi.

Hence the correct answer is Option ‘A’.

Note: Mehta Kalu was originally a Hindu Brahmin but later on in his life, he became an ardent follower of Sikhism, a faith founded by his son Guru Nanak Dev.
-Guru Nanak Dev was the first Sikh Guru and Guru Govind Singh was the 10th and last Sikh Guru.