Zail Singh was born in a mud house to a humble family in Faridkot district in Punjab, India. His father Kishan Singh was the village carpenter. His mother was Mata Ind Kaur. Singh lost his mother when he was a little boy.
From a very young age itself, he had showed enthusiasm in reading the Sikh scriptures. Geeta, and Ramayana.
He was accepted into the Shahid Sikh Missionary College at Amritsar in spite of the fact that he did not have a matriculation certificate. He was actively involved in politics from his teenage days and joined the Shiromani Akali Dal when he was just 15.
He later joined the Indian National Congress, and took part in the freedom movement. In 1938 he established the Praja Mandal, a political organisation allied to the Congress Party, in Faridkot. This act provoked the maharaja. Zail Singh was imprisoned for five years. He was kept in solitary confinement and was also tortured for his political activities. During his incarceration, he took the name Zail Singh.
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