Born in 1905[1] at Lyallpur (now in Pakistan), Mohan Singh spent the early years of his life at his ancestral village Dhamial in Rawalpindi District.

In 1940, he joined as a lecturer in the Sikh National College, Lahore, but after some time he left the job and started a firm, Hind Publishers to promote the literary standards of Punjabi publications.

The credit of bringing this village to the international map goes to Sardar Abninder Singh Grewal an artist and industrialist.

The other poets who contributed significantly to the growth of modern Punjabi poetry in the initial years include Amrita Pritam, Harbhajan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi.

Mohan Singh has been hailed as the greatest Punjabi poet of the 20th century[10] He is hailed by many modern artists including Hadiqa Kiani who refers to him, and recites his lyrics in her live versions of "Buhe Bariyan".