The Forgotten EPIC Battle in India's Golden History

Image Source : Saragarhi: The Forgotten Battle by Jay Singh-Sohal

It is really fascinating to watch the movie 300, where King Leonidas and his army of 30 brave Spartans battled the Persian King Xerxes and his army of 300,000.

Now what if I told you that a battle of such a magnitude had also occurred in our country however not known to most of us. This is really a surprise as many don’t know this battle.

Known as the Battle of Saragarhi, it really is moment of pride for India but sadly this tale of heroic action and sacrifice is hardly recorded in the books of Indian History as it was fought on the behalf of British Government.

Saragarhi was a small village where a communication relay post, which connected British India forts of Lockhart and Gulistan on the border areas of Afghanistan, was established in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of the erstwhile British India. The outpost was established as a signalling post to communicate between two British forts and to alert against any surprise attack.

On 12th September 1897, exactly 119 years ago, 21 soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment fought against the ten thousand Pathans and Afghan tribesmen under the leadership of Havildar Ishar Singh, and despite being faced with heavy odds (1:476) they chose rather to fight then surrender and thus saving the invasion through Fort Lockhart.

Unfolding of the Battle (Event Highlights)

At 9:00 am September 12th 1897, Gurmukh Singh peered through his binoculars from the watchtower of Saragarhi fort came down running after spotting some horde of 8000 to 10000 Pathans and Afghans with rifles marching towards the fort.

The commanding officer - Havildar Ishar Singh asked to send the signal to Colonel Haughton, situated in Fort Lockhart, that they are under attack. Colonel Haughton replied that he cannot send immediate help to Saragarhi.

Havildar Ishar Singh called for discussion together with his men to decide whether to surrender, abandon their post or fight. Each one present in the fort looked up to Havildar Ishar Singh. They were not sure as for them as they had never been in situation where they were outnumbered so heavily. Literally it was like time stopped and instead of words the eyes of soldiers were enough to tell the situation of every mind present.

Finally Havildar Ishar Singh spoke:

“I know exactly the state of your mind, and you all might be thinking of surrendering. We are faced with heavy odds. We can retreat or surrender and no one will question our decision.”

Everyone was confused as what should be our next steps.

He took a long pause before speaking again.

Havildar Ishar Singh continued:

“Remember the words of our Dashmesh Father Guru Gobind Singh Ji,

ਚਿੜੀਯੋਂ ਸੇ ਮੈਂ ਬਾਜ਼ ਲੜਾਊਂ

ਗਿਦੜੋ ਸੇ ਮੈਂ ਸ਼ੇਰ ਬਨਾਊਂ

ਸਵਾ ਲਾਖ ਸੇ ਏਕ ਲੜਾਊਂ

ਤਬੇ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਨਾਮ ਕਹਾਊਂ

“If we surrender and move away from this now, we will not be doing justice to our turban and Khalsa as we all are son of Badshah Darvesh Dashmesh Pita Ji. Sikhs have fought many such battles but never have we turned our backs. It is upon us my brothers to decide our fate, fate of the thought that Badshah Darvesh propagated while making us a KHALSA.”

His voice grew much stronger motivating everyone present there with

“ਦੇਹ ਸਿਵਾ ਬਰੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਇਹੈ ਸੁਭ ਕਰਮਨ ਤੇ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਨ ਟਰੋਂ ॥ਨ ਡਰੋਂ ਅਰਿ ਸੋ ਜਬ ਜਾਇ ਲਰੋਂ ਨਿਸਚੈ ਕਰਿ ਅਪੁਨੀ ਜੀਤ ਕਰੋਂ ॥
 ਅਰੁ ਸਿਖ ਹੋਂ ਆਪਨੇ ਹੀ ਮਨ ਕੌ ਇਹ ਲਾਲਚ ਹਉ ਗੁਨ ਤਉ ਉਚਰੋਂ ॥ ਜਬ ਆਵ ਕੀ ਅਉਧ ਨਿਦਾਨ ਬਨੈ ਅਤਿ ਹੀ ਰਨ ਮੈ ਤਬ ਜੂਝ ਮਰੋਂ॥”

And with Screaming the war cry “Jo Bole so Nihaal, Sat Shri Akal” they decided to fight to the last to prevent the enemy reaching the forts. They all fought bravely and strategically delaying Afghans from advancing to other neighboring forts so that the neighboring forts would be in a position to prepare themselves.

The enemy broke in through a weekly defended section of the outpost and set the fort to fire. The leaders of the Afghan forces reportedly made promises to the soldiers so as to entice them to surrender.

In an act of outstanding bravery, Ishar Singh ordered his men to fall back into the inner layer, whilst he remains to fight. Afghans made two determined attempts to rush the open gate, but are unsuccessful. Later, Fort Lockhart is breached.

The Sikhs were running low on ammunition and hence some of the fiercest hand-to-hand fighting occurs. This was the time when the outnumbered Sikhs made an epic last-stand till their last breath.

However, all but one of the defending soldiers was killed, along with many of the Afghans and Pashtuns. Gurmukh Singh, who summarised the battle to Colonel Haughton, was the last Sikh defender. As per the facts he is stated to have killed 20 Afghans, the Pashtuns having to set fire to the post to kill him.

As he was dying he yelled repeatedly the battle-cry “Jo Bole So Nihaal, Sat Shri Akal.”

Having destroyed the Saragarhi post, the Afghans turned their attack to the nearby Fort Gulistan but the latter had been alerted and reinforcements arrived in mean time and the attack was not successful. The Afghans at the end of the day lost despite its huge numbers and ammunition.

The Afghans later stated that they had lost around 180 killed and many more wounded during the fight against the 21 Sikh soldiers, but some 600 bodies are said to have been seen around the ruined post when the relief party arrived.

Entire Unit got awarded

After the battle, when Colonel Haughton described the brave and courageous act of the Sikh soldiers, it drew a standing ovation from the members in the memory of the defenders of Saragarhi. The account was received all over the world with awe and admiration. The fierce bravery, valour and courage of the 21 Sikhs sent ripples across the world.

“The British, as well as the Indians, are proud of the 36th Sikh Regiments. It is no exaggeration to record that the armies which possess the valiant Sikhs cannot face defeat in war” -- Parliament of the United Kingdom.

“You are never disappointed when you are with the Sikhs. Those 21 soldiers all fought to the death. That bravery should be within all of us. Those soldiers were lauded in Britain and their pride went throughout the Indian Army. Inside every Sikh should be this pride and courage. The important thing is that you must not get too big-headed it is important to be humble in victory and to pay respect to the other side.”--Field Marshal William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim.

“It is no exaggeration to record that the armies which possess the valiant Sikhs cannot face defeat in war.” -- Queen Victoria, British Parliament 1897.

As a result all 21 soldiers were awarded the prestigious Indian Order of Merit Class III award and is considered equivalent to Victoria Cross (VC) at that time and the present-day Vir Chakra. A rare and unparalleled achievement in a single battle. It was also for the first time in history that each and every member of unit won the gallantry awards for a single battle.

Memorial Gurdwaras were built just a few years after the battle in Amritsar and Ferozepur in remembrance of the bravery, courage and sacrifices made by 21 Sikh soldiers. This Valiant 21 Sikh Soldiers act reminds us the Values of Honour, Courage and Sacrifice any Soldier stands for.

Time to present the truth

As significant and important as this historical truth is, this is one of many such event in our history that lack awareness among the general masses.

The history of India has been glorious and inspiring but there are times when it fails to highlight certain significant facts which serve as our nation’s pride. In this age of electronic media we need to have Game boys and computer apps where the history is shared with the young generation in the medium of their choice.

Every generation needs its own inspirational connection, saga of courage and determination, but we still have not laid our claim to it. This is the time to do it by making it our national heritage, a heritage that we can be proud of and have it serve as our national inspiration.

Due to this the mainstream is really unaware of many unacknowledged and unsung examples which glorifies our country’s culture, grit and legacy. 

It truly is our nation’s loss to forget such great events of our history and I am afraid due to this, our coming generations will be forced to read the half-truths or corrected lopsided tales. 

The defence of Saragarhi and the 21 brave Sardaar’s who did their duty and died at their posts over a century ago should never be forgotten. Saragarhi should inspire us not only in times of war but also in everyday life.

It is high time that such events are being remembered and are celebrated as the sheer glory of our Indian men and women. Also the sacrifices of the Sikhs and other soldiers needs to be acknowledged. 

Well it is now also the subject of not one, but two Bollywood films being made on the event — at the same time. While Ajay Devgn is making Sons of Sardaar: The Battle of Saragarhi, director Rajkumar Santoshi will be releasing Battle of Saragarhi, which stars Randeep Hooda. 

It would be great if this battle could be re-enacted on the big screen so that the whole world could also get a chance to see the bravery of those 21 men who chose to die fighting rather than surrender which may make people realize why it is a battle worth commemorating.

I hope this article and the upcoming movies does proper justice to bring awareness about our Heroes to the masses.

Sources:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saragarhi

       Few excerpts and quotes from Saragarhi: The Forgotten Battle by Jay Singh-Sohal, Birmingham: Dot Hyphen    Publishers, 2013 (ISBN 978-0957054073).