Kids Corner

Columnists

Remember Saragarhi:
Janam Da Firangee,
Sikhi Main Mangee

FATEHPAL SINGH TARNEY

 

 

 





Every September, on or around September 12, I try to make a short presentation to our local saadh sangat, commemorating the Battle of Saragarhi, which was waged in 1897.

To be sure, ceremonies regarding the tragic events of September 11, 2001 overshadow this observance, which is quite understandable. Of course, battles waged earlier in Sikh history, such as those fought during the time of our Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, also serve as inspiration for modern Sikhs in everyday life and in war, but Saragarhi is particularly instructive.

My initial interest in Sikhi had little to do with spirituality and much to do with the military heritage of the Sikhs.

In 1965, I entered the American military about the time India was at war with Pakistan. That was my first exposure to Sikh soldiers in TV news stories. Then, shortly after I returned from the Vietnam War, India was again fighting Pakistan in 1971. Every evening, General Jagjit Singh Aurora would have a press conference shown on American TV. I was so impressed with his intellect and demeanor. He was not arrogant, but was self-confident.

When I first saw his dastaar, chardi kala muchchh and sundar daarhi, my reaction was rather immature. I did not just want to be like him; I wanted to look like him!

At first, my focus was not on the Sant-Sipahi ideal, but on the sipahi exclusively. In time, I came to better appreciate Sikh spirituality.

Quite recently, I was reminded of something very significant by a dear friend of mine, a young man who is a member of our sangat. I was discussing my upcoming presentation on Saragarhi with him in our langar hall before our Sunday divan. I made mention of the qualities that I thought Sikh soldiers always had which gave them courage and effectiveness on the battlefield: patriotism, intellect, training, and physical fitness.

Amrinder Singh reminded me that the ultimate and highest source of Sikh military bravery and success is gurbaani. On my drive home I discussed this with my wife and remarked that I learned, or rather re-learned something from a young lad 45 years younger than me and then realized, of course, that we had a boy Guru, Harkrishan who taught us much as well.

About a week before I was to give my short presentation on Saragarhi, I went into a Dunkin Donuts shop. In south Florida it is very likely that one will encounter an employee from the subcontinent in such a place.

The person who served me was a young mussalmani in a hijab. I greeted her with “As-salamu alaykum,” and she responded, "Wa-Alaikum-Salaam." She then pointed her finger at me and said, “I know you people!” “I'm from Bangladesh and you people are our friends! You helped us get our independence from Pakistan!”

Because the store was not busy we chatted briefly and here was a young lady, a college student, born long after 1971, who knew the names of two Sardar generals – not only General Jagjit Singh Aurora, but also General Shabeg Singh. Of course, how many young Sikhs know the names of these great Sardar generals?

One reader recently wrote a comment to a Sikh chic.com article on General Harbakhsh Singh about a relative of his who was captain of a ship in the merchant navy. Once, when the ship arrived at a seaport in Pakistan, this ship captain was on the dock when a Pakistani man approached him, saying that he was a veteran of the Pakistani military and had fought against India in the 1965 war. In Punjabi, I gather what he said was that the Pakistanis held their own against the Indian Army until the Sikh units arrived … and that the Sikhs fought like lohaa – iron!

The Battle of Saragarhi was fought over a very short time frame at a remote outpost of the British Raj in what is now the North West Province of Pakistan. 21 members of the 36th Sikh Regiment (now the 4th Sikh Regiment), held out against an attack of a large force of Afridi Pathans. Reinforcements could not get there in time.

Havildar Ishar Singh had asked his 20 subordinates that they had three options: retreat and abandon their post; surrender to the attackers, or fight to the death. Of course, they chose the latter. All 21 Sikhs died fighting, but when a relief column finally arrived, there were over 600 dead Pathans in or around the outpost. One fact, less well known, is that two of the Sikh sepoys at Saragarhi were non-combatant cooks.

There is a Sardar I know who was raised in the NWFP near Peshawar. He conveys three interesting things about the Pathans there:

They are proud of how they have fought the Americans;

Of how they have fought the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani military; and

To this day, they still respect the military prowess of the Sikhs!

The outpost at Saragarhi during the British Raj was of such minor importance that there was not one commissioned officer there. The commander was a havildar – a sergeant. The outpost became important because 21 Sikhs chose to defend it – to the death.

Therefore, whenever we find ourselves under stress in the workplace or experience harassment on account of our saroop, Saragarhi should come to mind to enable us to face any and all situations with lohaa.


October 10, 2015
 

Conversation about this article

1: Kaala Singh (Punjab), October 11, 2015, 12:13 AM.

While the Sikhs achieved so much on the battle ground, I know of no other race that lost so much off the battle ground. There must have been something wrong in the "boardrooms". Why could the Sikhs not retain some of what they had conquered? They have became perennial gun-fodder for others. Those interested in Sikh history should research this.

2: Jasbeer Singh (New Delhi, India), October 11, 2015, 4:01 AM.

Sardar Fatehpal Singh ji - Thank you so much for writing this excellent piece.

3: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), October 12, 2015, 6:25 PM.

This is the Sikh version of the British Rourkes Drift battle when 100 British soldiers and officers took on and repelled 4000 Zulu Warriors in Natal, South Africa, just around the same time. A fantastic film, Zulu, was made way ahead of its time. There should be an effort to get a good film director to make one on the Battle of Saragarhi.

4: Rup Singh (Canada), October 13, 2015, 6:19 PM.

Sardar Fatehpal Singh ji, thank you. I enjoy reading your column, it's written from the heart. I'm attaching the names of these brave Sikhs. The names of the 21 recipients of the gallantry award are: Havildar Ishar Singh (regimental number 165[13]); Naik Lal Singh (332); Naik Chanda Singh (546); Lance Naik Sundar Singh (1321); Lance Naik Ram Singh (287); Lance Naik Uttar Singh (492); Lance Naik Sahib Singh (182); Sepoy Hira Singh (359); Sepoy Daya Singh (687); Sepoy Jivan Singh (760); Sepoy Bhola Singh (791); Sepoy Narayan Singh (834); Sepoy Gurmukh Singh (814); Sepoy Jivan Singh (871); Sepoy Gurmukh Singh (1733); Sepoy Ram Singh (163); Sepoy Bhagwan Singh (1257); Sepoy Bhagwan Singh (1265); Sepoy Buta Singh (1556); Sepoy Jivan Singh (1651); Sepoy Nand Singh (1221). In my opinion those who consider Sikh soldiers to be mere cannon fodder are being disrespectful to these great brave men. They laid down their lives so others could be free. Those who have never enlisted nor served (I have not) will never know what it takes to be a soldier, or know what it's like to be in life and death situations. Soldiers go away from their families and loved ones for extended periods of time, and don't know when or if they will ever see them again, yet they go and fight. Think about the burden of the parents when they are told that their child has given the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless them. Sure Sikhs have failed miserably in the boardroom and continue to do so, but that should not take away from the respect and gratitude these Shaheeds deserve. If there were no Sikh Shaheeds, would there be Sikhs now?

Comment on "Remember Saragarhi:
Janam Da Firangee,
Sikhi Main Mangee "









To help us distinguish between comments submitted by individuals and those automatically entered by software robots, please complete the following.

Please note: your email address will not be shown on the site, this is for contact and follow-up purposes only. All information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sikhchic reserves the right to edit or remove content at any time.