AkalPurakhDiFauj

July 27th 1649 Janam Utsav, Shaheed Baba Jorawar Singh Ji. Shaheed Baba Jorawar Singh Ji, son of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Jioto, was born at Anadpur Sahib. On 27th Dec. 1704, he was martyred by being bricked alive at the orders of Vajir Khan, Suba Sirhind. The place of this incident is known as Gurudwara Fatehgadh Sahib and the place of his body's cremation is known as Gurudwara Joti Saroop Sahib. 1925 Akali prisoners released upon victory of Jaito Morcha. ==> WHERE IS JAITO? A village under Nabha, which falls on the Bathinda-Ferozpur railway line. It is 96 miles from Lahore and 17 miles from Bathinda. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JAITO? On this place situated near a fort, is a historical Gurudwara of Guru Gobind Singh Patshah. Maharaja Hira Singh constructed the beautiful buildings of this Gurudwara. The sarowar is popularly known as "Gangsar". About a mile and a half north of Jaito is "Tibhi Sahib" Gurudwara, where Guru Gobind Singh Patshah used to organize and participate in the evening recitation of Rehras. Both Gurudwaras have extensive land sanctioned to it by the Nabha rulers. Additionally, extensive financial resources are made available on an annual basis from the Nabha rulers and the surrounding villages. A maela celebration is held every 7th of Pooh month (Dec.-Jan.) and Katak (Oct.-Nov.) Puranmashi. Jaito's markets are well renowned. People come from far distances to buy and sell their herds. WHY AKALIS COURTED ARREST? The key issue involved was resoration of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha. Maharaja of Nabha, well-known for his pro-Tat Khalsa Proclivities, had a dispute with Maharaja of Patiala, known for this pro-government role. Although Maharaja of Nabha had absolutely no dispute with the government, as a result of mediation, he was forced to abdicate in July 1923. Col. Michin, with the help of troops and armoured cars, took the Maharaja by surprise on July 8, 1923 and taunted him with the query, "Where is that Akali?" The news of deposition by the government raised a strom of protest against the Government's interefernce in Nabha and was decsribed as a challenge to the Akali movement. As a result tensions mounted. The Akalis, in defiance of state orders, continued to hold diwan indefinitely. The Nabha police in order to arrest all the Akalis, including the one reading the holy Granth Sahib, was said to have disrupted the Akhand Path on Sept. 14, 1923. This dispute took such a tragic shape and got so inflames by Feb. 21, 1924 that several people lost their lives. After sixteen shaheedi jathas apart from one from Bengal and another from Canada, the agitation process was completed two years later, on August 6, 1925, after the concurrent bhog of 101 Akand Paaths. -Ref. Mahan Kosh "The Sikhs in History," by Sangat Singh, 1995. 1984 and July 28, an International Sikh Convention was held at New York city, in the wake of June 5 and 6, 1984, when the Indian army stormed the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. A group of Sikhs in New York formed an ad-hoc International Sikh Organization to represent Sikhs interests. They called themselves the World Sikh Organization. The objectives of the Convention were: 1. to send the strongest possible message to the Government of India that Sikhs of India and abroad will not gorget its actions, 2. to inform the international community in the clearest possible terms of Sikh aspirations and of the Indian government's perfidy, 3. to chart a course of action that the Sikhs can unitedly follow in order to make their own destiny and be responsible for their own future.

yes, thats exactly it.

lol, your not supposed to play the other strings khalsa ji. they are there to resonate by the pitch of the main sargams you play.

July 26th 1940 4 Sikhs of No.4 Regiment were hanged to death. 1981 World Sikh Convention held at Manji Sahib, Amritsar resolved to initiate Dharam Yudh morcha to seek Sikh's righteous demands. A list of 45 demands was submitted to the government. Aug. 31 was set as the dealine for government's acceptance of Sikh demands. Harchand Singh Longowal was elected as the Morcha Director.

July 25th 1710 Bahadhur Shah ordered Pheroj Khan, Muyarif Khan, and Shikar Khan to arrest Baba Banda Singh Bahadhur. 1982 Akali Dal adopted Bhindrawala's agitation.

July 24th 1954 Baba Gurdit Singh, leader of Koma-Gata Maru passed away. ==> KOMA GATA MARU: Punjabis traveling to foreign land in search of better jobs were being discriminated against at the begining of 20th century. The Canadian government had issued prohibition against their entry and the British ships had refused to accept any Punjabi travelers. The Canadian law stated, for the purpose of preventing immigration from india and other countries, that only those passengers could land in Canada who travelled on a through ticket without any break in journey from their land of birth. However, no company provided such a service between the Indian and Canadian ports. As a result, many Punjabis were stranded for months in Hong Kong, unable to get tickets for their final destination, Canada. Baba Gurdit Singh of Sarhali village, a well established businesses in Calcutta, Malaya, etc., heard of the stranded Punjabis in Hong Kong and decided to challenge this prevalent situation. He rented Koma Gata Maru, a Japanese ship and named it Guru Nanak Jahaj. Sri Guru Granth Sahib accompanied the passengers along with Kesri Nishan Sahib. On April 4, 1914, this ship sailed out of Hongkong and reached the Vancouver port on May 23, 1919, with 167 passengers. However, these passengers were not allowed to land at Vancouver and were forcibly returned to Calcutta in the same ship, after a long and painful struggle. Upon return, the ship was fired upon by the British at BajBaj Ghat in Calcutta. The returning passengers were either arrested or killed. Only a few managed to escape. Baba Gurdit Singh jee escaped the death and lived in disguise for almost 8-9 years. What started as a simple individual business venture turned into a major political event. The returning passengers were no longer considered as better job opportunity seekers but were prosecuted as freedom fighters. -Ref. Hindustan Gadar Party: A Short History by Sohan Singh Josh, People's Publishing House, New Delhi, 1977 KOMAGATA MARU INCIDENT - A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Komagata Maru was a merchant ship leased by S. Gurdit Singh to move Indians to Vancouver, Canada. The Canadian govt. was anti-Indian and did not favor their entry to Canada. This adventure was neither directly connected to the Ghadar Party nor was it an outcome of any freedom figting organization. However, it gave a unique twist to the Indian history and freedom struggle in India. The Ghadar journal helped to give it a direction of prevalent discontent and moulded it into a radical movement. And there was a very good reason for it. The Canadian govt, in order to check further influx of Indians, adopted tought measures. Most notorious of them was Canadians Privy Council Order No. 920, popularly known as Continuous Journey Clause. This made the lives of Indo-Canadians very difficult. They could not visit their families and they could not visit them because there was no direct ship service from India to Canada. The Indians, specially Sikhs, used all means to persuade the Canadian govt to withdraw the order, but they won't listen. A deputation of Bhai Balwant Singh, Narain Singh, Bhai Jawala Singh, and Bhai Nand Singh even went to London in April 1913, and later visited India to present their case to the British and British-Indian govt, respectively. It all failed. Baba Gurdit Singh, a wealthy businessman from Singapore, in order to satisfy the continuous journey clause, chartered his own ship from a Japanese company that would take passengers directly to Canada. The ship sailed on April 4, 1914 from Hong Kong with 165 passengers on board. More passengers joined in Shanghai, Moje and Yokohama and the number rose to 376. 346 were Sikhs and remaining were Punjabi muslims and Hindus. (Some people put the total at 372.) Before leaving, he consulted a leading Britsh solicitors at Hong Kong who assured him that there was no bar to the Indian admission to Canada. He agreed to pay $60,000 as the charter fee. The ship arrived on the shores of Vancouver on May 23, 1914. The passengers were not allowed to land and the ship was cardoned off by the police. The Times (London) of that day carried a categorical statement of the Prime Minister of British Columbia that they would not admit these orientals. Leading Indians (mostly Sikhs) in Vancouver formed a 'Shore Committee.' It paid $22,000 as installment of the charter money for the ship, and filed a test case in the Supreme Court in the name of one passenger Munshi Singh in the hope that they would get more favourable verdict. On July 7, the full bench of Supreme Court gave its unanimous decision that they cannot overrule the Immigration Department's dicision. Food had run out in the ship. Some local Sikhs managed to deliver potatoes and other things on one occasion during the night on a hired boat. The passengers were very angry and they took control of the ship from the Japanese Captain. The Canadian govt retaliated by ordering a harbour tug Sea Lion (sort of tow truck for ships) to push the ship out of the shore. The angry passengers mounted an attack on the police by throwing lumps of coal and bricks. The army regiments had taken positions and it was like a war zone. The Sikhs of Vanocuver were so angry that and decided to burn the city of Vancouver if their countrymen were fired upon by the police, army and the militia who had sourrounded the ship. Somehow a decision was made and the ship sailed back into the sea towards India. Before the ship reached Yokohama, the war broke out. The British govt ordered that no passengers were allowed to land from where they had boarded the ship. At Yokohama, Bhai Sohan Singh Bhakna had delivered 200 pistols and a several hundred cartridges when the ship docked there for a short period. In addition, Ghadar Party literature was also loaded into the ship in flour bags. Many Ghadarites had also boarded the ship from Shanghai. The Komagata Maru (Guru Nanak Jahaj) reached Calcutta at Budge Budge harbour on July 23, 1914 after a two-month long struggle. Note: The Canadian govt had employed agents to commit murders of the Indian community leaders. One such agent was Bela Singh and his band who worked for the Canadian immigration and Mr. William Hopkinson (a high official on the govt) who was a great enemy of the Indian community. Their main job to strike terror in the heart of the Indian (Sikh) community. On September 5, 1914, Bela Singh fired at the Sikh congregation which had gathered to mourn the death of one Ram Singh by Ram Singh. Bela Singh went on firing with two pistols and killed two people and seriously wounded several others. A case was filed agaisnt him. Bhai Mewa Singh shot dead Mr. Hopkinson in the court who was there as a defense witness. Bela Singh was later acquitted. This infuriated the Indian immigrants in Canada. Bhai Mewa Singh was later sentenced to death. Mewa Singh, in his confessional statement said, This is what led me to take Hopkinson's life and sacrifice my own life to in order to lay bare the opposition exercised upon my innocent people through his influence in the eyes of the whole world. And I, performing the duty of a true Sikh and remembering the name of God, will proceed towards the scaffold with the same amount of pleasure as the hungry baby does towards its mother. I shall gladly have the rope around my neck thinking it to be a rosary of God's name . Bhai Mewa Singh's martyrdom day used to be celebrated in Vanvouver Gurdwara every year (maybe it still is). (I have added this note only to emphasise that govt agents are always active in our own community.) In the diwans held at Gurdwaras of Shanghai and Hong Kong, Komagata Maru formed a central issue and Indians were asked to return to India to avenge the insult. It was no coincidence that the first jatha of Ghadarites came from Shanghai and reached Calcutta alomost on the heels of Komagata Maru. All those who arrived on subsequent ships at Calcutta were rigorously inspected, and those suspected to be dangerous were either arrested or forbidden to reside elsewhere other than their native villages. Many Ghadarites reached Punjab using various routes and methods. Komagata Maru Reached Budge Budge Harbour (ghaat) Komagata Maru arrived at Calcutta on September 29, 1914. The passengers pretty much knew what was in store for them in India. Therefore, they threw all the objectionable things in the sea. When they arrived in Calcutta, they were searched thoroughly three times. No arms were found. At Calcutta, the police wanted the passengers to board the train bound for Punjab immediately, but the passengers insisted that they have to deposit the Holy Guru Grnath Sahib (which was on baord) in one of the local Gurdwaras. Some boarded the train while the other defied the police and started to march towards Calcutta in the form of a procession. The police informed the 2nd Battaion of Royal Fusileers. Thirty English policemen barred the processions' entry into the city. A brawl followed and police opened fire, killing 18 processionists and wounding at least 25. The police chief was shot dead by Bhai Munsha Singh who was one of the passengers. Two other officials were killed and and eleven got injured. Two Punjab policemen were also dead. The officials were cared for and got medical treatment, but no one cared for the wounded passengers. Many passengers were tortured. Sixty passengers escaped from the police seige and crossed river Houghley during night. Seventeen of them were later arrested. Komagata Maru incident created a sharp reaction against the injustice to the passengers all over the world, but the premier organization of India, Indian National Congress, which was supporting the British Imperialist Goverenment's war efforts in the World War I with money amd men, did not utter single word of condemnation against the foreign rulers. The saga of Komagata Maru is the story of callous attitude of the Imperial Government and the racist policy of the Canadian government at that time. While every action of the passengers cannot be justified, it was a reaction to the treatment that was meted out to them. Komagata Maru became a by-word for British oppression among the Punjabis. A passenger told an enquiring British officer, This ship belongs to the whole of India. This is the symbol of the honour of India and if this was detained, there would be mutiny in the armies. Soon after this incident, Ailane-e-Jang (Proclamation of War) was prepared by the Ghadar Pary which was circulated to a very large number of people. An important meeting was held in Sacramento, (California) and Indian were asked to go back home and wage a war against the Britors who were fighting the World War I. A large number of Punjabis did go back to India and started their revolutionary activities. Shahid Kartar Singh Sarabha, Raghubor Dyal Gupta and many others did not even wait for the meeting and left for India. Little bit later 60-70 Indians left by S. S. Korea which included some prominent leaders on the West Coast of USA. Some of them were sent to other countries to persuade the Indians of other countries such as Burma, Phillipines, China, and Hong Kong to go back to India and start the revolution. Baba Gurdit Singh, who escaped the police bullets, remained underground until 1920. On the advice of Mahatma Gandhi, he made a volunatary surrender at Nankana Sahib and was imprisoned for five years. (Mahatma Gandhi did not help him in any other way!) He died on July 24, 1954. Such was the story of Komagatu Maru. Sources: 1. Sailani Desh Bhagat by Harnam Singh Tundilaat, a well-known Ghadarite (ghost written by Lal Singh Kamla Akali) 2. The Punjabi heroic Tradition by Dr. Satya M. Rai, Professor, Department of Political Science, Hindu College, Delhi Uni. 3. Ghadar Movement by Harish K. Puri, professor, Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev Uni. This book is published by Guru Nanak Dev University. -Ref. Babbar Akali Movement, A Historical Survey, Dr. Gurcharan Singh, Aman Publications, 1993. 1985 A written agreement took place between the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Harchand Singh Longowal and the Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. This agreement is known as the Rajiv-Longowal Accord. On January 25, 1986, Chandigarh was to be transfered to Punjab. Even this was deffered under the plea that Fazilka and Abohar, etc. were to be transferred to Haryana province. A farce in the form of the Mathew Commission and the alleged referndum/linguistic survey was held in the area on January 14, 1986. Under such a pretext, the transfer of Chandigarh was refused. This was the end of the historical accord. ==>RAJIV-LONGOWAL ACCORD July 24, 1985 1. Along with ex-gratia payment to those innocent killed in agitation or any action after 1. 8. 82, compensation for property damaged will also be paid. 2. All citizens of the country have the right to enroll in the Army and merit will remain the criterion for selection. 3. The jurisdiction of Shri Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission inquiring into the November riots of Delhi would be extended to cover the disturbances at Bokaro and Kanpur also. 4. For all those discharged, efforts will be made to rehabilitate and provide gainful employment. 5. The Government of India agrees to consider the formulation of an All India Gurdwara Bill. Legislation will be brought forward for this purpose in consultation with Shiromani Akali Dal, others concerned and after fulfilling all relevant constitutional requirements. 6.1 The notifications applying the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to Punjab will be withdrawn. Existing Special Courts will try only cases relating to the following type of offences: (a) Waging War (b) Hijacking 6.2 All other cases will be transferred to ordinary courts and enabling legislation if needed will be brought forward in this Session of Parliament. 7.1 The Capital Project Area of Chandigarh will go to Punjab. Some adjoining areas which were previously part of Hindi or Punjabi regions were included in the Union Territory. With the capital region going to Punjab the areas which were added to the Union Territory from the Punjabi region of the erstwhile State of Punjab will be transferred to Punjab and those from Hindi region to Haryana. The entire Sukhna lake will be kept as part of Chandigarh and will thus go to Punjab. 7.2 It had always been maintained by Smt. Indira Gandhi that when Chandigarh is to go to Punjab some Hindi-speaking territories in Punjab will go to Haryana. A Commission will be constituted to determine the specific Hindi- speaking areas of Punjab which should go to Haryana, in lieu of Chandigarh. The principle of contiguity and linguistic affinity with a village as a unit will be the basis of such determination. The Commission will be required to give its findings by 31st December 1985 and these will be binding on both sides. The work of the Commission will be limited to this aspect and will be distinct from the general boundary claims which the other Commission referred to in para 7.4 will handle. 7.3 The actual transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab and areas in lieu thereof to Haryana will take place simultaneously on 26th January 1986. 7.4 There are other claims and counter-claims for readjustment of the existing Punjab-Haryana boundaries. The Government will appoint another commission to consider these matters and give its findings. Such findings will be binding on the concerned States. The terms of reference will be based on village as a unit, linguistic affinity and contiguity. 8.1 Shiromani Akali Dal states that the Anandpur Sahib Resolution is entirely within the framework of the Indian constitution; that it attempts to define the concept of Centre-State relation in a manner which may bring out the true federal characteristics of our Unitary Constitution; and that the purpose of the Resolution is to provide greater autonomy to the State with a view to strengthening the unity and integrity of the country, since unity in diversity form the corner-stone of our national entity. 8.2 In view of the above, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, in so far as it deals with Centre-State relations, stands referred to the Sarkaria Commission. 9.1 The farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan will continue to get water not less than what they are using from the Ravi-Beas system as on 1. 7. 85 Waters used for consumptive purposes will also remain unaffected. Quantum of usage claimed shall be verified by the Tribunal referred to in para 9. 2 below. 9.2 The claims of Punjab and Haryana regarding the shares in their remaining waters will be referred to adjudication to a Tribunal to be presided over by a Supreme Court Judge. The decision of this Tribunal will be rendered within six months and would be binding on both parties. All legal and constitutional steps required in this respect be taken expeditiously. 9.3 The construction of the SYL canal shall continue. The canal shall be completed by 15th August 1986. 10. Existing instructions regarding protection of interests of minorities will be recirculated to the State Chief Ministers. (PM will write to all Chief Ministers). 11. The Central Government may take some steps for the promotion of the Punjabi language. The settlement brings to an end a period of confrontation and ushers in an era of amity, goodwill and cooperation, which will promote and strengthen the unity and integrity of India. (Signed) Rajiv Gandhi Prime Minister of India Harchand Singh Longowal President, Shiromani Akali

danng. thanks singho. :1singh1: :wub:

does anyone know where i can find an audio of this video? http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=keer...a=N&tab=wv# thanks in advance! =) :1singh1:

July 23rd 1627 Baba Atal Rai, son of Sri Guru Hargobind Ji, left for heavenly abode. Highest tower was erected in his memory mear the Harminder complex at Amritsar. ==> ATAL RAI - son of Guru Hargobind Sahib, was born to Matta MahaDevi, in sunmat 1676 at Amritsar. [Please NOTE that according to Suraj Prakash, Atal Rai's mother is Matta Nanaki Ji]. Atal Rai left this earth at his birth place on SawanBadhi 10, sunmat 1685. This place is marked with a six story mandir whose foundation was initially laid by Sikhs in sunmat 1835. Subsequently Sardar Jodh Singh Ramgarihia constructed a few stories in sunmat 1841. This building is still incomplete. Yet it provides food and shelters to all travellers, courtesy the residents of Amritsar. This concept is well capture by the famous phrase "Baba Atal, Paki Pakai Ghal" (Baba Atal, send precooked food) -Ref. Mahan Kosh (pp. 49) 1707 Guru Gobind Singh and Bahadur Shah meet in Red Fort, Delhi. 1914 Kamagata Maru was compelled to leave Canadian waters without being granted entry. ==> KOMA GATA MARU: Punjabis traveling to foreign land in search of better jobs were being discriminated against at the begining of 20th century. The Canadian government had issued prohibition against their entry and the British ships had refused to accept any Punjabi travelers. The Canadian law stated, for the purpose of preventing immigration from india and other countries, that only those passengers could land in Canada who travelled on a through ticket without any break in journey from their land of birth. However, no company provided such a service between the Indian and Canadian ports. As a result, many Punjabis were stranded for months in Hong Kong, unable to get tickets for their final destination, Canada. Baba Gurdit Singh of Sarhali village, a well established businesses in Calcutta, Malaya, etc., heard of the stranded Punjabis in Hong Kong and decided to challenge this prevalent situation. He rented "Koma Gata Maru", a Japanese ship and named it "Guru Nanak Jahaj". Sri Guru Granth Sahib accompanied the passengers along with Kesri Nishan Sahib. On April 4, 1914, this ship sailed out of Hongkong and reached the Vancouver port on May 23, 1919, with 167 passengers. However, these passengers were not allowed to land at Vancouver and were forcibly returned to Calcutta in the same ship, after a long and painful struggle. Upon return, the ship was fired upon by the British at BajBaj Ghat in Calcutta. The returning passengers were either arrested or killed. Only a few managed to escape. Baba Gurdit Singh jee escaped the death and lived in disguise for almost 8-9 years. What started as a simple individual business venture turned into a major political event. The returning passengers were no longer considered as better job opportunity seekers but were prosecuted as freedom fighters. -Ref. Hindustan Gadar Party: A Short History by Sohan Singh Josh, People's Publishing House, New Delhi, 1977 KOMAGATA MARU INCIDENT - A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Komagata Maru was a merchant ship leased by S. Gurdit Singh to move Indians to Vancouver, Canada. The Canadian govt. was anti-Indian and did not favor their entry to Canada. This adventure was neither directly connected to the Ghadar Party nor was it an outcome of any freedom figting organization. However, it gave a unique twist to the Indian history and freedom struggle in India. The Ghadar journal helped to give it a direction of prevalent discontent and moulded it into a radical movement. And there was a very good reason for it. The Canadian govt, in order to check further influx of Indians, adopted tought measures. Most notorious of them was "Canadians Privy Council Order No. 920," popularly known as "Continuous Journey Clause." This made the lives of Indo-Canadians very difficult. They could not visit their families and they could not visit them because there was no direct ship service from India to Canada. The Indians, specially Sikhs, used all means to persuade the Canadian govt to withdraw the order, but they won't listen. A deputation of Bhai Balwant Singh, Narain Singh, Bhai Jawala Singh, and Bhai Nand Singh even went to London in April 1913, and later visited India to present their case to the British and British-Indian govt, respectively. It all failed. Baba Gurdit Singh, a wealthy businessman from Singapore, in order to satisfy the continuous journey clause, chartered his own ship from a Japanese company that would take passengers directly to Canada. The ship sailed on April 4, 1914 from Hong Kong with 165 passengers on board. More passengers joined in Shanghai, Moje and Yokohama and the number rose to 376. 346 were Sikhs and remaining were Punjabi muslims and Hindus. (Some people put the total at 372.) Before leaving, he consulted a leading Britsh solicitors at Hong Kong who assured him that there was no bar to the Indian admission to Canada. He agreed to pay $60,000 as the charter fee. The ship arrived on the shores of Vancouver on May 23, 1914. The passengers were not allowed to land and the ship was cardoned off by the police. The "Times" (London) of that day carried a categorical statement of the Prime Minister of British Columbia that they would not admit these orientals. Leading Indians (mostly Sikhs) in Vancouver formed a 'Shore Committee.' It paid $22,000 as installment of the charter money for the ship, and filed a test case in the Supreme Court in the name of one passenger Munshi Singh in the hope that they would get more favourable verdict. On July 7, the full bench of Supreme Court gave its unanimous decision that they cannot overrule the Immigration Department's dicision. Food had run out in the ship. Some local Sikhs managed to deliver potatoes and other things on one occasion during the night on a hired boat. The passengers were very angry and they took control of the ship from the Japanese Captain. The Canadian govt retaliated by ordering a harbour tug "Sea Lion" (sort of tow truck for ships) to push the ship out of the shore. The angry passengers mounted an attack on the police by throwing lumps of coal and bricks. The army regiments had taken positions and it was like a war zone. The Sikhs of Vanocuver were so angry that and decided to burn the city of Vancouver if their countrymen were fired upon by the police, army and the militia who had sourrounded the ship. Somehow a decision was made and the ship sailed back into the sea towards India. Before the ship reached Yokohama, the war broke out. The British govt ordered that no passengers were allowed to land from where they had boarded the ship. At Yokohama, Bhai Sohan Singh Bhakna had delivered 200 pistols and a several hundred cartridges when the ship docked there for a short period. In addition, Ghadar Party literature was also loaded into the ship in flour bags. Many Ghadarites had also boarded the ship from Shanghai. The Komagata Maru (Guru Nanak Jahaj) reached Calcutta at Budge Budge harbour on July 23, 1914 after a two-month long struggle. Note: The Canadian govt had employed agents to commit murders of the Indian community leaders. One such agent was Bela Singh and his band who worked for the Canadian immigration and Mr. William Hopkinson (a high official on the govt) who was a great enemy of the Indian community. Their main job to strike terror in the heart of the Indian (Sikh) community. On September 5, 1914, Bela Singh fired at the Sikh congregation which had gathered to mourn the death of one Ram Singh by Ram Singh. Bela Singh went on firing with two pistols and killed two people and seriously wounded several others. A case was filed agaisnt him. Bhai Mewa Singh shot dead Mr. Hopkinson in the court who was there as a defense witness. Bela Singh was later acquitted. This infuriated the Indian immigrants in Canada. Bhai Mewa Singh was later sentenced to death. Mewa Singh, in his confessional statement said, "This is what led me to take Hopkinson's life and sacrifice my own life to in order to lay bare the opposition exercised upon my innocent people through his influence in the eyes of the whole world. And I, performing the duty of a true Sikh and remembering the name of God, will proceed towards the scaffold with the same amount of pleasure as the hungry baby does towards its mother. I shall gladly have the rope around my neck thinking it to be a rosary of God's name ." Bhai Mewa Singh's martyrdom day used to be celebrated in Vanvouver Gurdwara every year (maybe it still is). (I have added this note only to emphasise that govt agents are always active in our own community.) In the diwans held at Gurdwaras of Shanghai and Hong Kong, Komagata Maru formed a central issue and Indians were asked to return to India to avenge the insult. It was no coincidence that the first jatha of Ghadarites came from Shanghai and reached Calcutta alomost on the heels of Komagata Maru. All those who arrived on subsequent ships at Calcutta were rigorously inspected, and those suspected to be dangerous were either arrested or forbidden to reside elsewhere other than their native villages. Many Ghadarites reached Punjab using various routes and methods. Komagata Maru Reached Budge Budge Harbour (ghaat) Komagata Maru arrived at Calcutta on September 29, 1914. The passengers pretty much knew what was in store for them in India. Therefore, they threw all the objectionable things in the sea. When they arrived in Calcutta, they were searched thoroughly three times. No arms were found. At Calcutta, the police wanted the passengers to board the train bound for Punjab immediately, but the passengers insisted that they have to deposit the Holy Guru Grnath Sahib (which was on baord) in one of the local Gurdwaras. Some boarded the train while the other defied the police and started to march towards Calcutta in the form of a procession. The police informed the 2nd Battaion of Royal Fusileers. Thirty English policemen barred the processions' entry into the city. A brawl followed and police opened fire, killing 18 processionists and wounding at least 25. The police chief was shot dead by Bhai Munsha Singh who was one of the passengers. Two other officials were killed and and eleven got injured. Two Punjab policemen were also dead. The officials were cared for and got medical treatment, but no one cared for the wounded passengers. Many passengers were tortured. Sixty passengers escaped from the police seige and crossed river Houghley during night. Seventeen of them were later arrested. Komagata Maru incident created a sharp reaction against the injustice to the passengers all over the world, but the premier organization of India, Indian National Congress, which was supporting the British Imperialist Goverenment's war efforts in the World War I with money amd men, did not utter single word of condemnation against the foreign rulers. The saga of Komagata Maru is the story of callous attitude of the Imperial Government and the racist policy of the Canadian government at that time. While every action of the passengers cannot be justified, it was a reaction to the treatment that was meted out to them. Komagata Maru became a by-word for British oppression among the Punjabis. A passenger told an enquiring British officer, "This ship belongs to the whole of India. This is the symbol of the honour of India and if this was detained, there would be mutiny in the armies." Soon after this incident, Ailane-e-Jang (Proclamation of War) was prepared by the Ghadar Pary which was circulated to a very large number of people. An important meeting was held in Sacramento, (California) and Indian were asked to go back home and wage a war against the Britors who were fighting the World War I. A large number of Punjabis did go back to India and started their revolutionary activities. Shahid Kartar Singh Sarabha, Raghubor Dyal Gupta and many others did not even wait for the meeting and left for India. Little bit later 60-70 Indians left by S. S. Korea which included some prominent leaders on the West Coast of USA. Some of them were sent to other countries to persuade the Indians of other countries such as Burma, Phillipines, China, and Hong Kong to go back to India and start the revolution. Baba Gurdit Singh, who escaped the police bullets, remained underground until 1920. On the advice of Mahatma Gandhi, he made a volunatary surrender at Nankana Sahib and was imprisoned for five years. (Mahatma Gandhi did not help him in any other way!) He died on July 24, 1954. Such was the story of Komagatu Maru. Sources: 1. Sailani Desh Bhagat by Harnam Singh Tundilaat, a well-known "Ghadarite" (ghost written by Lal Singh Kamla Akali) 2. The Punjabi heroic Tradition by Dr. Satya M. Rai, Professor, Department of Political Science, Hindu College, Delhi Uni. 3. Ghadar Movement by Harish K. Puri, professor, Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev Uni. This book is published by Guru Nanak Dev University. -Ref. "Babbar Akali Movement, A Historical Survey," Dr. Gurcharan Singh, Aman Publications, 1993. 1982 The police arrested two Sikhs from a bus and later they were killed (on July l9 and July 23 respectively) in fake encounters. These two were Amarjeet Singh of Daheru village and Baljeet Singh of Sultanpur (Kapurthala). The later was shaved after being murdered by the police. Kashmir Singh of Ladhuwal (Jallalabad) and Bhola Singh of Rode (Moga) were arrested by police. Their bodies were broken with sticks. Most of their limbs were either broken or cut by the police. Later they were killed in fake police encounters. It is extremely lucky on the part of the police that no policemen has ever been killed or injured in any of these 'encounters'. -Ref. THE SIKHS' STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY, An Historical Perspective by Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer and Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon. Edited By: A.T. Kerr Page 110-119 1985 A meeting was held between Rajiv and Lonfowal. Although it was Longowal who represented the Akalis, it was Barnala and Balwant who were the real negotiators. The meeting was simply a formality -- everything had been agreed upon beforehand between Rajiv and Barnala-Balwant. An agreement was reached by the parties. This so-called "agreement" included the transfer of Chndigarh to the Punjab and a referral of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution to a Commission. This agreement said nothing about: 1. The thousands of Sikh solidiers who had rebelled. 2. The thousands of the Sikh Youth languishing in different jails of Punjab and India. 3. The families of those Sikhs (in thousands) who had alledgely crossed to Pakistan but actually had been killed by the Indian police or army. 4. Those who had gone underground or had fled under duress. 5. Police lawlessness, Black laws, withdrawal of the army, CRPF, etc. from Punjab. 6. Victims of the killings of Black November. 7. Killers of Black November. However, the Indian Government labeled it as a "Historical accord."

July 22nd 1685 Foundation stone of Paonta Fort laid by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. 1923 Subedar Amar Singh of Dhaliwal, a military pensioner and a member of the SGPC was arrested. 1984 Santa Singh, Jathaedar Budha Dal, expelled from Khalsa Panth. 1984 Regional Conference in Toronto. Regional conference was held at Toronto. The attack on the Golden Temple by the Indian army struck teh Sikh world like a thunderbolt. All shades of Canadian Sikhs came together at the desecration of teh supreme emblem of their faith. Because of the shoartge of time, the Sikh institution's executives decided to take the Canadian Sikhs into immediate confidence on the kind of action required. This was done by holding regional conferences at Kamloops and Toronto. The Kamloops conference was attended by representatives of all Sikh Societies from Western. While the Toronto Conference was attended by the socities of the eastern region. The Calgary Sikh Society, which was not on good terms with the federation, provided unqualified support for any action the Federation recommended. Nelson A. Riss, the Members of parliament from Kamloops, addressed the conference and it was here that general J.S. Bhullar from India made the first appearence on the Canadian scene. The Conference recommended: that the Federation will work to establish a Sikh homeland; that the damaged Akal Takhat should be left unrepaired to remind Sikhs of the desecration by Government of India, and the decision to carry repairs should be left to the Panth; that Canadian Sikhs boycott all functions of the Indian diplomatic missions; that media, especially ethnic media which published anti-Sikh material, should be warned suitably to desist from harming the Sikh community; and that a trust-fund be established to provide pensions to the next of kin of the martyrs.

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July 21st 1915 Sardar Chanan Singh and Gadhari Sikhs were hanged until death in Lahore. 1925 The police and army of Nabha State lifted the seize of Gurudwara Gangsar and Tibhi Sahib Jaito in 1925. Additionally, all Akalis imprisoned in connection with this movement were also released. This concluded the successful completion of Jaito Morcha. Hence a special Jatha of a few hundred valiant Akali Satyagrahies replaced the police and army forces and initiated Akhand Path of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. ==> WHERE IS JAITO? A village under Nabha, which falls on the Bathinda-Ferozpur railway line. It is 96 miles from Lahore and 17 miles from Bathinda. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JAITO? On this place situated near a fort, is a historical Gurudwara of Guru Gobind Singh Patshah. Maharaja Hira Singh constructed the beautiful buildings of this Gurudwara. The sarowar is popularly known as Gangsar. About a mile and a half north of Jaito is Tibhi Sahib Gurudwara, where Guru Gobind Singh Patshah used to organize and participate in the evening recitation of Rehras. Both Gurudwaras have extensive land sanctioned to it by the Nabha rulers. Additionally, extensive financial resources are made available on an annual basis from the Nabha rulers and the surrounding villages. A maela celebration is held every 7th of Pooh month (Dec.-Jan.) and Katak (Oct.-Nov.) Puranmashi. Jaito's markets are well renowned. People come from far distances to buy and sell their herds. WHY AKALIS COURTED ARREST? The key issue involved was resoration of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha. Maharaja of Nabha, well-known for his pro-Tat Khalsa Proclivities, had a dispute with Maharaja of Patiala, known for this pro-government role. Although Maharaja of Nabha had absolutely no dispute with the government, as a result of mediation, he was forced to abdicate in July 1923. Col. Michin, with the help of troops and armoured cars, took the Maharaja by surprise on July 8, 1923 and taunted him with the query, Where is that Akali? The news of deposition by the government raised a strom of protest against the Government's interefernce in Nabha and was decsribed as a challenge to the Akali movement. As a result tensions mounted. The Akalis, in defiance of state orders, continued to hold diwan indefinitely. The Nabha police in order to arrest all the Akalis, including the one reading the holy Granth Sahib, was said to have disrupted the Akhand Path on Sept. 14, 1923. This dispute took such a tragic shape and got so inflames by Feb. 21, 1924 that several people lost their lives. After sixteen shaheedi jathas apart from one from Bengal and another from Canada, the agitation process was completed two years later, on August 6, 1925, after the concurrent bhog of 101 Akand Paaths. -Ref. Mahan Kosh The Sikhs in History, by Sangat Singh, 1995

July 20th 1935 Muslims took control of Shaheed Ganj, Lahore. 1950 Akali Dal Executives asks its legislatures to form a separate group in the Assembly.

July 19th 1708 Guru Gobind Singh Ji arrived at Nandedh (Hazur Sahib) with his Sikh soldiers and set up his camp there near the Mughal camp. Here he met Banda Bairagi who became his devout disciple. The Guru was treacherously attacked by some Pathan agents of the Governor of Sarhind or the Mughal emperor. ==> ABICHAL NAGAR - situated near Nandedh city in South India, on the banks of river Godawari, is the famous place where Guru Gobind Singh left his earthly body on Katak Sudi 5, sunmat 1765. According to Suhi Shant phrase "Abichal Nagar Gobind Guru Ka", Guru Khalsa named this Gurudwara as Abichal Nagar. However, it is popularly known as "Hajur Sahib" and marks the fourth Takhat of Khalsa. Several weapons of Guru Gobind Singh are presereved at this location including :- Chakar wide Taegh Folaadh Guraj Narach five decorated Sri Sahibs small kirpan Additionally several other historical weapons are preserved at this location. Other Gurudwara in Nandaedh include: Shikar Ghat, on south side of Nandaedh, that served as a resting place during Guru Sahib's hunting expeditions Sangat Sahib, place where Guru Sahib preached the gathered public upon reaching Nandhaedh Hira Ghat, south of Nandaedh, on the banks of Godawari river that marks the location where Guru Sahib threw away a beautiful diamond into the river, which was presented to him by Bahadhur Shah. Gobind Bagh, a place for Guru Sahib's infrequent visits Nagina Ghat, on banks of river Godawari where Guru Sahib threw away the Nagina presented by Sikhs into the river. Banda Ghat, place where Madho Das Baeragi resided. Guru Gobind Singh visited this place and introduced Madho Das to Sikhism. Subsequently, Madho Das came to be known as Banda Bahadhur. Matta Sahib Kaur's residence, which is near Hira Ghat. Matta Ji accompanied Guru Gobind Singh Sahib to South India. During her trip she resided at this location for some time. However, she left for Delhi, following Guru Sahib's instruction, shortly before Guru Sahib's Jotti Joot. Malltokadhi, a place north of Nandedh where Guru Sahib unearthed the hidden treasures to pay his solidiers. The remaining treasure was hidden by Guru Sahib at this location. -Ref. Mahan Kosh (pp. 70) ==> GURU GOBIND SINGH JI (1666-1708), tenth Patshah of the Sikh faith, was born on Saturday, Dec. 22, 1666 at Patna Sahib to father Guru Tegh Bahadhur Patshah and Matta Gujri. On, Nov. 11, 1675, he assumed Guruship at Anandpur Sahib. <"Rahao Gur Gobind" Salok Mahala 9 Since early childhood, Guru Sahib was keen on weapons and their use. It is for this reason, that Guru Sahib became a scholar on weapons and mastered their usage, at a very early age. Guru Sahib continually emphasized scholarly works throughout his life. As a results, scholars around the world traveled long distances to participate and receive honors in his courts. He was always surrounded by renowned scholars. One of Guru Sahib's objective was to translate all scholarly works in Gurmukhi and commissioned several such translations. His vision of Sikh Kaum included a communion of scholars. In an attempt to turn Anandpur Sahib as the center of knowledge, Guru Sahib actively encouraged and sent Sikhs to study at various renowned institutions in the world. To uplift the suppressed people, Guru Sahib instituted the tradition of Amrit during Vaisakhi diwan of sunmat 1756 at KeshGadh Sahib. Further he established a communion of Amritdharis (who received Amrit) and called it "Khalsa". Guru Sahib, himself was the sixth member of the Khalsa order. Witnessing the false practices and prevalent injustices, Guru Sahib propagated the message of Guru Nanak so vigorously that the neighboring hill rulers felt threatened. Without understanding either his message or appreciating his objectives, these rulers suddenly turned enemies and attacked on several occasions. Each time Guru Sahib had to fight for his defense. In sunmat 1761, the Turk forces sought Guru Sahib to leave Anandpur Sahib under promises that were proven false through subsequent events. Once Guru Sahib was out of Anandpur Sahib, he was attacked and suffered heavy losses. The hard work of 52 poets, accumulated over the years, along with several commissioned translations was burned by the enemies of knowledge. However, Guru Sahib patiently but bravely faced the enemy and escaped into the neighboring forest. Here with his influence, Guru Sahib turned this ghost land into Saint land and the forest into civilized Malwa. With his message of patience and valor, Guru Sahib preached the importance of sacrifice and true knowledge. He had four sons from Mata Jeeto and Sundari, namely, Baba Ajit Singh, Baba Zujar Singh, Baba Zorawar Singh, and Baba Fateh Singh Ji. All four sacrificed their lives to protect and further the growth of the institutional plant sown by Guru Sahib. After bestowing Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Sahib left this earth on Oct. 7, 1708, near the banks of Godawari river in Nanded, Guru Gobind Singh bravely fulfilled the responsibilities of Guruship and guided the Sikh Panth for 32 years, 10 months, and 26 days. He spent a total of 41 years, 9 months, and 15 days during his visit to this earth. -Ref. Mahan Kosh 1982 The police arrested two Sikhs from a bus and later they were killed (on July l9 and July 23 respectively) in fake encounters. These two were Amarjeet Singh of Daheru village and Baljeet Singh of Sultanpur (Kapurthala). The later was shaved after being murdered by the police. Kashmir Singh of Ladhuwal (Jallalabad) and Bhola Singh of Rode (Moga) were arrested by police. Their bodies were broken with sticks. Most of their limbs were either broken or cut by the police. Later they were killed in fake police encounters. It is extremely lucky on the part of the police that no policemen has ever been killed or injured in any of these 'encounters'. -Ref. THE SIKHS' STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY, An Historical Perspective by Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer and Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon. Edited By: A.T. Kerr Page 110-119

July 18th 1982 Amrik Singh and Baba Thara Singh were arrested under false implications. On this day, the police snatched a jeep belonging to Gurdwara at Chowk Mehta, arrested three men and snatched their belongings. The next day Amrik Singh went to the courts for their release. The police arrested them too. They were charged under flimsy causes. At this Jarnail Singh Bhindrawalae started an agitation for their release. The Sikhs started courting arrests every day. On July 25, 1982 the Akali party adopted the agitation. -Ref. THE SIKHS' STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY, An Historical Perspective by Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer and Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon. Edited By: A.T. Kerr Page 110-119.

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July 17th 1656 Prakash Utsav, Eighth Patshah, Guru Har Krishan Ji. ==> Guru HAR KRISHAN Patshah (1656-1668), was born on monday, Sawan 8 sunmat 1713 (July 7, 1656) at Kiratpur, to father Sri Guru Har Rai Patshah and mother Matta Krishan Kaur. On Katak 8 sunmat 1718 (Oct. 7 1661), Guru Sahib ascended to Gur Gadhi. Based on the complaints of Baba Ram Rai, Guru Sahib were summoned to Aurangzeb's court in Delhi. While in Delhi, Guru Sahib suffered from small pox (Chaechak) and subsequently left for heavenly abode on Vaisak 3 sunmat 1721 (March 30, 1664). Two historical Gurudwaras marking Guru Sahib's visit to Delhi include Balla Sahib and Bangla Sahib. Guru Har Krishan, served as the eighth Guru of GurSikhism for a total of 2 years, 5 months and 26 days. Guru Sahibs's entire journey through our planet totaled to 7 years, 8 months, and 26 days. Sri Har Krishan Dayia Jit Ditha Sab Dukh Jae (Chandhi 3) -Ref. Mahan Kosh (pp. 265) 1926 Sardar Teja Singh Samundri passed away in Lahore Fort as a result of the strain from the lengthy detention there. He was among the main Panthic leaders around the Gurudwara Sudhar period and had been jailed for a long period. His antim saskar was conducted the following day on July 18. To his memory Teja Singh Samundri Hall was erected, where the general body meetings of SGPC are usually held. Master Tara Singh elected the leader of the Akali Dal. ==> MASTER TARA SINGH: Master Tara Singh was born on 24 June, 1885, in Haryal in Rawalpindi district of North Western Province of undivided India. His mother, Moolan Devi, was a pious lady and his father, Bakshi Gopi Chand, was a patwari of the village and was a well known and respected person. Tara Singh's original name was Nanak Chand. In 1902 Nanak Chand embraced Sikhism and came to be called Tara Singh. Tara Singh had a bright educational career and was a scholarship holder almost at all stages of his education. In 1907 he passed his B. A. examination from Khalsa College, Amritsar. Later Tara Singh joined as headmaster of Khalsa High School, Lyallpur, at an honorarium of Rs. 15 per month. Since then he came to be known as Master Tara Singh. His career as a teacher ended in 1921, following the Nankana tragedy. He also edited two Akali newspapers, Akali (Udru) and Akali te Pardesi (Grumukhi) in which he forcefully put forward the aims and objectives of the Akali Dal. He took an active part in national politics till his death on 22 November 1967. -Ref. Master Tara Singh, by Verinder Grover, Deep & Deep Publications Delhi, 1995.

July 16th 1984 1st Shahedi Jatha, under the leadership of Dr. Rajinder Kaur, marched for the liberation of Sri Harimandir Sahib. This jatha was arrested near Sri Harimandir Sahib. 1985 Longowal wrote a letter to Rajiv Gandhi to find a solution to the Punjab problem.

July 15th 1775 Sikhs, under the leadership of Jai Singh, establish complete control over PahadGanj and JaiSinghPura, Delhi. 1923 Bishan Singh Sandhara assaulted by the Babbar Akalis. 1932 Rattan Singh Babbar of Rakkar killed in an encounter with the police. 1934 Gandhi reiterated to the Khalsa darbar deputation that "no constitution would be acceptable to the Congress which did not satisfy the Sikhs." He added, "Similarly, the Congress would not reject what the Mussalmans wanted, nor could it accept what Hindus or Sikhs reject." -Ref. "The Sikhs in History," by Sangat Singh, 1995. 1948 The Patiala and East Punjab States Union, PEPSU, was inaugurated. ==> EAST PUNJAB STATES: Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Faridkot, and Malerkotla were the Sikh states in the East Punjab before the integration of Indian States in 1948. The first four were the Sikh states under the sovereignty of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and were brought under British protection by the 1809 treaty of Amritsar. Patiala, Nabha, and Jind, also known as Phulkian states, share a common ancestor Phul, who was descendent of Baryam. The Emperor, in 1526, had granted Baryam, the office of revenue collection for the waste country south-west of Delhi. Emperor Shah Jahan continued Phul in this office. From his eldest son descended the families of Nabha and Jind while from his second son the Patiala family. The Faridkot family, founded in the middle 16th century sprang from the same stock as the Phulkians chiefs. The remaining two states were Kapurthala and Malerkotla. The Kapurthala rulers belonged to the Ahluwalia family. The real founder of this family was Raja Jessa Singh, a contemporary of Nadir Shah. The malerkotla rulers were Sherwani Afghans who traced their descent from Sheikh Sadruddin who had received 68 villages near Ludhiana in marriage gifts when he married the daughter of Sultan Bahlol Lodi. The Sikh states geographically lay in three blocks. The main block comprising the territories of Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Malerkotla and Faridkot was in the centre of East Punjab and was fairly compact. Kapurthala State, composed of two enclaves in the Jullunder district, was in the north of East Punjab. The outlaying districts of Narnual, Dadri, and Badwal, which formed parts of Patiala, Jind, and Nabha States respectively, lay with the geographical orbit of the southern districts of East Punjab. There were also islands of Patiala State in what is now Himachal Pradesh. At the time of India's independence, there were divergent opinions as to the integration of the above states. On Feb. 11, 1948, Giani Kartar Singh, then President of Akali Dal, suggested the formation of the Union of Sikh States.He was opposed to the idea of merging those States with East Punjab, as it would further undermine the Sikh's position who had suffered tremendously because of the partition of Punjab. On Feb. 22, there was a much advertised proposal to form a unit of 4 States of Est Punjab, but that proposal fizzled out because of disagreements among their rulers. The Nationalist Sikh opinion, though not vocal at that time, was in favor of a separate Union of all the Punjab States. Further, the government of India felt special responsibility to ensure that these States, particularly as they were border States, should be organized on proper and efficient lines. On May, 5, 1948, Patiala and Easy Punjab States Union, hereafter called PEPSU, was formed. The covenant was signed by the rulers of eight States, the Maharaja of Patiala signing also on behalf of the minor rulers of Kalsia. On July 15, 1948, PEPSU was inaugurated. Sardar Patel called this occasion a landmark in the history of India's progress. The area of PEPSU was to be 10,000 square miles, while its population was 34,24,060, and an annual budget of a little more than 5 crores. Sardar Patel administered the oath of to the Maharaja of Patiala as the first RajPramukh, who in turn administered the oath to Maharaja Kapurthala as teh UprajPramukh, swearing allegiance to the Centre and Indian Union, promising to do justice to all people in accordance with the laws and usages of the Country without fear, favor or ill-will. Due to the obvious differences between the three major parties at the time, no ministries could be announced. A care-taker ministry was formed with Sardar Gian Singh Raraewala as the head. The three major parties included Prajamandal (Congress party in the state was generally addressed by this name), Akali Dal, and Lok Sewak Sabha (patronized by Sardar Udham Singh Nagoke). On Jan. 13, 1949, a broad based ministry was constituted to conduct the adminsitration of PEPSU. It comprised of Sardar Gian Singh Rarewala (as the head), Col. Raghbir Singh, Gianai Zail Singh, Chaudhri Nihal Singh Takshak, Pandit Ram Nath, Mr. Lachhman Dass Advocate, Sardar Ajit Singh of Rampura Phul, and Sardar Harcharan Singh Advocate of Bhatinda. Only 10 month later, this ministry was disolved and the government of India took over the administration of PEPSU. On May 23, 1951, a 7-person ministry was sworn in. It consisted of Sarvshri Raghbir Singh (Col.), Brish Bhan, Giani Zail Singh, Nihal Singh Takshak, DEs Raj Gupta, Tirath Singh, and Sampuran Singh as cabinet ministers while Sardar Harchand Singh and Mr. Roshan Lal were the two deputy ministers. On Jan, 7, 1952, PEPSU went to the polls for electing a 60-member state assembly with Congress winning 26 seats and Akali winning 19 seats. On March 1, 1952, Col. Raghbir Singh was unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Assembly Party. On March 19, the Congress Ministry was announced and administered the oath of office. Political activities in PEPSU centered around economic and social but certainly not on religious considerations. The problem of antagonistic relations between the landlords and tenants was so enormous that it almost defied a solution. Maharja Patiala's father-in-law, Sardar Harchand Singh Jeji, played a vital role in PEPSU politics. He has always been associated with the Akali movement in the pricely States. After the settlement of disputes over the Gurudwaras, the Akalis from the states began to agitate against teh autocratic misuse of power by the maharajas, chiefly Bhupendra Singh of Patiala. Bhupendra Singh retaliated by having the leading agitator, Seva Singh Thikrivala, transfered from Lahore and interned in Patiala on false charges of theft. The Akalis took up the case of Thikrivala and let loose a campaign publicising Bhupendra Singh's amorous escapades and the sadistic behavior of his police. Though Maharaja was able to win over a section of the Akalis, he could not silence the Punjabi and Urdu press. In 1928, Akalis from the states joined with Hindu nationlists and founded the Praja Mandal (States People's Association). The mandal was later affiliated to the All India States People's Congress, which in turn was associated with the Indian National Congress. Sewa Singh Thikrivala was the moving spirit behind the Mandal. He was arrested several times and in 1935 succumbed to third degree methods practised on him by the Maharaja's Jailers. As a result of the murder of Thikrivala, the anti-Maharaja, anti-British movement gained momemtum in all princely ststes of the Punjab. As far as the language problem, PEPSU was linguistically divided for educational purposes. The Hindi speaking region consisted of the districts of Mahendragarh and Kohistan (including Chhachrauli tehsil minus Dera Bassi) and the tehsils of Jind and Narwana. The rest of the State was declared to be Punjabi zone. In one zone, Hindi in Devnagri script; in the other Punjabi in Gurmukhi were made the media of instruction and in both the other language was made compulsory from the 4th primary class upwarsd. There was no provision for choice of the medium of instruction in Punjab. -Ref. The Illustrated History of the Sikhs (1947-78), by Gur Rattan Pal Singh ==> PATIALA FAMILY traces its descent to Maharaja Gaj, founder of the town Gazni (now in Afghanistan) in the first quarter of the 16th century. His descendents, Maharawal Jaisal, founded the State of Jaisalmer and his grand son, Rao Hans Raj, is considered the ancestor of Patiala family. However, Tawarikh Guru Khalsa written by Giani Gian Singh, traces the Patiala family descent to Chaudhri Phul, a Sidhu Jat in "Malwa country" and the Chaudhri belonged to the 23rd generation of the family of Bhatti Rajputs. When Bhim Mal came to Punjab in 1237 he helped Shahabuddin Gauri, in his attack on Delhi and in lieu of that, he was given the area comprising of Hissar, Sirsa, etc. In 1251, he built a fort in Hissar town. After his death, his son Jawand Rao succeeded and had 21 sons. According to Giani Gian Singh, Chaudhri Phul, son of Chaudhri Rup Chand, belonged to the family tree belonging to the descendents of Jawand Rao. When Guru Har Rai Patshah visited Malwa in 1702 B.K., Chaudhri Kala, brother of Chaudhri Rup Chand, brought his two nephews, Phul and Sandali to the Guru. On instructions of their uncle, who was acting as their guardian, both Phul and Sandali started beating their bellies and when Guru Sahib asked the reason, Chaudhri Kala explained that his nephews wanted to sariate their hunger. At that time, Guru Sahib blessed and ordained that the Phul family would reign for a considerable period of time and that it would feed lakhs of people. Chaudhri Phul died in 1745 B.K. and was succeeded by his two sons, Talok Chand and Ram Chand, who were introduced to amrit by Guru Gobind Singh in 1761 and were subsequently named Talok Singh and Ram Singh. Because of their great services to Guru Sahib, the two brothers were blessed and the Guru ordained "My house is your house and I am much pleased with you". Maharaj Ram Singh, who effectively controlled the areas surrounding Patiala, was murdered in 1771 B.K. (1741) at the hands of Chain Singh, Uggar Sain and Biru. He was succeeded by six sons, Baba Ala Singh proved to be the most dominating and promising. He was introduced to amrit by Nawab Kapur Singh. The Patiala family attained prominence during Baba Ala Singh reign, who founded the State of Patiala by defeating the neighboring chieftains. Emperor Shah Jahan conferred the title "Raja" on Baba Ala Singh. Unfortunately, the Patiala family often acted against interest of the Sikhs. They were often concerned with propagating their own family business interests firs and foremost. Among the damage they did to the Panth was the reinforcement of the Brahminincal tradition of Nirmalae Sikhs and in total disrespect to GurSikh women many Patialites kept countless Ranis, performed anti Sikhi parades, etc. When Gadarites were orgainzing in US and Baba Khadak Singh was pursuing Keys Morcha and Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh was organinsing Rakab Ganj protest, Patialites were busy bootlicking British reprentatives. They offered many naive young rural Sikhs for deployment in Greece, North Africa and Europe, who eventually sacrificed their lives for a war they had absolutely nothing to do with. The Sikhs continously failed to recognize Patialites and remained loyal to them, even during partition talks (when Patiala family's daughter was to be wed with Dr. Ambedkar's nephew and 100 million of Dalits who were going to embrace Sikhism were thrown out by a series of calculated malicious events). For these reasons and many more, PATIALA FAMILY were never considered a part of the Khalsa Misls and remained as fringe elements to GurSikh society. -Ref. The Illustrated History of the Sikhs (1947-78), by Gur Rattan Pal Singh.