 Singh was born in the village of Kusumdesar (Moda) in Churu district of Rajasthan on 14 July 1919 to Brijlal Singh Rathore of Kusumdesar and Jadao Kanwar of Hadla.The oldest of three brothers and six sisters, he completed his schooling from Walter Nobles High School at Bikaner in 1936.He joined Dungar College at Bikaner but was enrolled as a Naik in Bikaner Ganga Risala after his intermediate exam in 1938.