A Saga Of Valour And Sacrifice

[Greater-Punjab]

THE battle of Saragarhi is a saga of 21 heroes of 4 Sikh (then 36 Sikh) who thought nothing of their lives when it came to devotion to duty.

Saragarhi was a small communication post on the Samana Ridge in the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP). It was held by 20 men under the command of Havaldar Ishar Singh. On September 10, 1897, the tribals started gathering and by September 12, about ten thousand of them surrounded the post and started attacking it early in the morning. By repulsing charge after charge, the 4 Sikh jawans fought valiantly for seven hours.

Finally, the number of defenders dropped to a single man and that was Sepoy Gurmukh Singh. Shouting the war cry, “Wahe Guruji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guruji Ke Fateh”, he fought like a ferocious tiger till he fell to join his comrades in death.

This memorable act of rare bravery and reckless courage evoked a plethora of public appreciation. The British Parliament gave a standing ovation when this act of unprecedented bravery was narrated to it. An immediate award of IOM to each of the Saragarhi heroes was announced. The dependents of these heroes were given two morabhas (50 acres) of land and a monetary grant each. Three memorials, one each at Ferozepore, Amritsar and Saragarhi, were raised in their memory. Besides, September 12 was declared as a regimental holiday for all the regiments enlisting Sikhs. The Saragarhi Day continues to be celebrated by the Sikh Regiment.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060912/ct8.jpg

Source:http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060912/cth1.htm#10

[Mehtab Singh]

VAHEGURU