27

Sep

Reviving Memories of an Epic Battle that  has Been  forgotten

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Prabhjot Singh

A person wearing a red turban Description automatically generated

Toronto, Canada | Friday | 27 September 2024

“Our mission has been accomplished,” says Dr Gurinderpal Singh Josan, Chairman of the Saragarhi Foundation, holding  “now tourists can walk down the park created on the battlefield of Saragarhi in Pakistan. It is open to the public.

“On July 8, 2019, the Foundation hoisted ‘Nishan Sahib’ at Saragarhi. With the help of the British, American, Canadian and Indian Army and the support of the Government of Pakistan, we have been able to recapture the ethos and spirit of one of the eight most historic battles recognised and published by UNESCO,” adds Dr Josan.

A gurdwara has also been set up at Hangu in the Khyber Pakhtoon region where the battle was fought on September 12, 1897.

Dr Josan talks about Prem Nagar, a fenced locality at the foothills of Saragarhi where Hindu, Sikh and Christian families live. Incidentally, Indians and Americans are prohibited from visiting this belt of Pakhtoon area which is known to be the Taliban’s belt. He says he has been to Hangu valley, where the battle of Saragarhi was fought, several times. “With the help of locals, I have been able to revive some of the historic sites, including the “pyramid” where gallant Sikh soldiers were cremated. A “minor” (tower) was raised at the venue with the names of all 21 soldiers inscribed on it in 1901 by the British was reduced to ruins in the absence of any upkeep and maintenance.

 

Article at a Glance
The Saragarhi Foundation, led by Dr. Gurinderpal Singh Josan, has successfully revived the historic battlefield of Saragarhi, where 21 Sikh soldiers made their last stand against thousands of Pathans in 1897.
The foundation has created a park on the battlefield, set up a gurdwara in Hangu, and re-erected a "minar" with the names of the heroes inscribed on it. Dr. Josan has also traced the families of the gallant soldiers and set up 56 galleries worldwide carrying their portraits.
The 127th anniversary of the epic battle was celebrated with events in the UK, USA, Canada, and India, including the inauguration of a stadium in Dumanda village, near Adampur. The foundation's efforts have ensured that the heroic deeds of the Sikh soldiers are remembered and honored globally.

 

“We have been successful in re-enacting the ‘Minar’ with the names of the heroes of the battle written on it. Because of our efforts and work, the historic battlefield is now fenced and protected. With the start of the Gurdwara at Hangu, our first mission of revisiting the epic battlefield has been completed.

New York-based Dr Josan has taken upon himself the onerous task of not only tracing the families of all those gallant soldiers from 36 Sikh, now the 4th battalion of the Sikh Regiment, who while holding a small fortress atop Samana ridge between two forts, decided to fight to their last then desert the battlefield.

He set up the Saragarhi Foundation in Amritsar in 1987. Now 56 galleries in the world carry the portraits of all 21 Sikh soldiers.

The 127th anniversary of the epic Battle of Saragarhi falls on September 12 (Thursday). Fought on September 12, 1897, in the Tirah region of North West Frontier Province, then part of British India, 21 Sikh soldiers made their last stand against thousands of Pathans.

Overwhelming odds notwithstanding, the soldiers held off repeated enemy attacks on the fortress. The tribesmen finally set fire to the bushes and shrubs surrounding the post and under the cover of smoke managed to breach the wall. This was followed by fierce hand-to-hand combat.

When the British Parliament heard of the battle, its members stood in unison to give an ovation to the defenders of Saragarhi. The story of the heroic deeds of these men was also placed before Queen Victoria. The account was received all over the world with awe and admiration.

All 21 soldiers were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (posthumously) then the highest gallantry award applicable to Indian troops. It was considered equivalent to the Victoria Cross. The battle is included in the school curriculum in Punjab,  and Haryana may also do the same.

The Sikh Regiment carries the Battle Honour Saragarhi 1897 and Saragarhi Day is observed in India, the USA, Canada, Great Britain and many other countries. The battle has also been featured in a Bollywood film that Dr Josan claims is based on his coffee table book on the Saragarhi battle.

Dr Josan was recently in the UK where the 127th anniversary celebrations marked the holding of Sri Akhand path sahib at Gurdwara Wednesfield in the midlands. There is a memorial raised in front of the Gurdwara carrying the statue of Havildar Ishar Singh, who led the Sikh soldiers.

A ceremonial band and march by the Sikh Regiment of the British Army marked the event.

In November, Dr Josan says, Saragarhi Stadium will be inaugurated at Dumanda village, near Adampur. Surrey-based Co-Chairman of the Saragarhi Foundation, J. Minhas, is from Dumanda. Two Saragarhi heroes   – Gurmukh Singh and Jeewan Singh – belonged to his village. In June this year, one of the commemorative galleries of the Saragarhi battle was inaugurated in Surrey.

The Stadium will have football, basketball and volleyball playfields of international standards. There will be the latest gymnasium hall in the Stadium whose gate will be the replica of the Saragarhi fort in Pakistan.

A day before the 127th anniversary, a musical tribute to Saragarhi, by Satnam Punjabi, was released.

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