The Gursikh behind this Exhibition of Sikh Warriors, valour and bravery is Bhai Harchand Singh Bedi from Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. He started his career as a research and development executive with a Japanese Organization in Ipoh Perak in 1990. He graduated in Master of Business Administration, now owns an event management company in Ipoh. He started his first exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History in 2007 and produced a documentary on The Battle of Kampar and The Malayan Emergency in 2008.
He started out as a hobby which turned into a life quest to preserve the legacy of Sikh soldiers. He has a huge photography collections of Sikh armies of the British Indian Army involvement in war worldwide obtained from archives and libraries all around the world.
Recently, 30,000 people visited Exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History which was held at Stadium Indera Mulia, Ipoh Perak on 23rd of April 2010 in conjunction with Vaisakhi(Creation of the Khalsa Panth in 1699) celebrations. The Chief Guest was The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. In his speech, Najib referred to the Sikhs as warriors and praised the community for their sacrifices and contribution. "Sikhs may be the minority with only about 150,000 in the country like Malaysia but their contributions are relatively phenomenal compared to the size of the community," He also said. "They did not flinch, but instead lost their lives when defending the country in the Second World War," said Najib.
This exhibition will soon become global and will be coming to London in September. This Exhibition is jointly organised by Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail and will be held for 2 weeks in Southall Central Gurdwara, and in Gurdwara Leamington Spa. United Sikhs will also play a role in organising this event in certain part in UK, Belgium and France.
The organiser rationale is to get the message to the masses that the Sikhs have a rich culture, traditions and rituals that structure their lives and the articles subsumed below is indicative of their tales of sacrifice, heroes and legends that give its true essence to their distinguished achievements. The stories also chronicles the zealous, effervescent and never-say-die spirit that exemplifies the true virtues of the Sikh; alongside the righteous valour and bravery in the Sikh character, reveals the genteel humility. The pictures reveal the truth and the genuine dedication and commitment of the Sikhs.
The following articles written by Harchand Singh Bedi bring forth the true spirit of sacrifice and loyalty for righteousness and fair justice. There have been positive feedbacks from the readers which has kept the interest buoyant.
1.The Kings Army and the French Woman Heroes:
On the 8th August 1914 the first two Indian troops to fight in World War I left India headed for Egypt to be held in reserve. However, the fighting on the Western front was so desperate that they were needed on the front line instead of being kept in Egypt as reservists. So the troops were re-directed to the fighting on the Western front in Europe.
The troops arrived in France on 26th September 1914 ready to battle. The King sent two messages of greeting to troops landing at Marseilles. The first, to the British troops, said: "I have implicit confidence in you, my soldiers. Duty is your watchword, and I know your duty will be nobly done."
The second message, to the Indians, read: "I know with what readiness my brave, loyal Indians soldiers are prepared to fulfil their sacred trust in the field of battle, shoulder to shoulder with comrades from all parts of Empire. I bid you go forward and add fresh lustre to the glorious achievements, noble traditions, courage, and chivalry of my Indian army, honour and fame are in your hands."
The first Indian divisions, totalling around 24,000 men, arrived at Marseilles to the cries of 'Vive les Hindus'. Every road was crowded with excited spectators, crying 'Vive les Hindus' and struggling to shake hands with the smiling soldiers. The woman gave them fruit and cigarettes, and girls strewed flowers on the road or pinned them to the tunics or turban of the men.
They took part in the battles at Neuve Chapelle, Festubert and Loos, served with distinction and won some of the first Victoria Crosses to be awarded to Indians. The first Indian who won the Victoria Cross was Sepoy Khudadad Khan.
It has been well said that Sikh Soldiers are "Warriors by tradition and descent. They were often used as cannon fodder by allied forces who pushed them into the killing zone first. A large number of those killed in Neuve Chappel were Sikhs.
More than 96 years ago, French woman pinned flowers on the turban of the Sikh Soldiers to honour them. Today, Sikhs are denied the right to wear their turbans and even kirpan in France.
2. Where Valour Is a Tradition
IPOH, MALAYSIA: An exhibition of photographs of Sikh soldiers will offer Malaysians a rare glimpse of their military contributions all over the world, from the late 19th century till the end of World War II in 1945.
Entitled "Exploring the Role of Sikh Soldiers - Where Valour is a Tradition", the exhibition opens on November 24, 2007 at the Wadda Gurdwara Sahib in Ipoh.
The exhibition will have more than two hundred black-and-white photographs of Sikh soldiers in action in Malaya, Singapore, Indonesia, Burma (now Myanmar), China, the Middle East, and all over Africa and Europe.
It is being held in conjunction with the 538th birthday of Guru Nanak on November 24.
Organiser Harchand Singh Bedi, the proprietor of Mega Sound Machine, said all the photographs are from the archives of the Imperial War Museum in Elephant and Castle, London.
He says it is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to learn more about the role the Sikhs have played in the world's military history.
"The gems of the three-day exhibition are six photographs of the ruins after the Battle of Saragarhi on September 12, 1897, in the North-West Frontier Province (now in Pakistan)", said Harchand Singh Bedi.
The battle, recognised by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation ("UNESCO") as one of the greatest stories of collective bravery in human history, pitted 21 Sikhs from the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment of British India against a ferocious attack by more than 14,000 Afghan tribal forces.
All 21 Sikhs were killed defending their post.
The significance of the exhibition has not escaped historians like Mohd. Taib Mohamed, the vice-president of the Perak Heritage Society and librarian of the Perak State Secretariat.
He welcomes the display as an opportunity for Malaysians to learn more about the bravery and gallantry of the Sikhs.
"Admittedly, there is not much material in our own archives on the role played by Sikhs in the defence of Malaya, Singapore and other parts of Asia.
"This should serve as an informative platform for all Malaysians to learn more about the Sikhs and their martial contributions to this country and elsewhere".
Sikhs were blessed to be born warriors and defend for others. They stood for rights of others and never were down-trodden. Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa Panth and the amrit gave them the prowess and innate strength to deal with challenges in life. Guru Gobind Singh Ji is a great inspiration to others. His humble teachings expressed the Oneness of mankind, love and worship of the Infinite in All people and things, self-awakening, freedom from attachment, valour and service to all - consciously taking responsibility for the welfare of others. He lived the life of a saint-soldier, combining love and devotion with courage and strength.
The whole life of Guru Gobind Singh exemplified "chardhi kala" (perpetual optimism and high spirits). He beautifully proclaimed:
Chiron se main baz turaun; sawa lakhse ek laraun. Tabe Gobind Naam Kahaun (I have turned sparrows to hawks. A single Singh can triumph over a hundred thousand in battle. Then alone can I call myself Gobind Singh.
Guru Ji also inspired others and asked others to humbly greet their fellow human beings by saying "Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji ki Fateh, meaning The Khalsa belongs to God and all victories are His.
3. Britain has a proud tradition of valiant armed forces and a capable military which has managed to defend these isles effectively for hundreds of years. British Military achievement is well known throughout the world and the bravery and versatility of its soldiers, seamen and airmen is unquestioned and forever stamped in history.
Today as we look at the VE Day Celebrations there is an abundance of information in the media that provides an insight into what life would have been like in those troubled times. It is right that we remember them, the fallen, and the living whose numbers dwindle with every passing year. To them we owe our freedom as they fought for this land and often lost their lives so that we might remain a free country.
However, whilst each country has a right to blow its own trumpet and remember the heroic gestures, hardships and victories that made this nation what it is today, we should also remember the massive sacrifice given by others from nations further afield.
The Sikhs sacrificed a great deal for this country. During the Anglo-Sikh wars of 1845 - 1849 the British had been so impressed by the Khalsa Army they decided to enlist many battalions of Sikh forces. The former Sikh enemy became so loyal that in 1857 when most of the Indian Army revolted, the Sikhs remained totally supportive and fought side by side with the British Army. Subsequently, the Panjab became the recruiting ground for the British. This staunch and loyal Sikh support was to show itself again during the great wars.
During the First World War Sikhs joined the ranks of the British Army in great numbers. They fought in the trenches of Germany and at Gallipoli where thousands of Sikhs fought and died. The British Indian Army was made of nearly 20% Sikhs, despite the fact that Sikhs account for only 2% of the population in India.
During the Second World War this action was repeated. Even though there was now a quest for Indian Independence the British Indian Army grew from 189,000 at the start of the war to over 2.5 million through voluntary recruitment and a large proportion of those were Sikh. At no other time in history has a foreign army this large been voluntarily mobilised to fight for a foreign land as if it were their own country.
The significance of this should not be underestimated.
In 1944, Sikh Soldiers halted the advance of the Japanese in Burma and prevented them from invading India. Four VC's were awarded in this campaign.
As the British Empire came to a close many Sikhs were encouraged to settle in the UK. Their loyalty, hard work ethics and historic connection with the British should be remembered. Many Sikh families in Birmingham are direct descendents of those who put so much into this country.
The British police force and the Army are visiting the Gurdwaras to recruit the Sikhs to contribute to the social fabric of society and maintain law and order.
4. The Sikh Regiment is one of the highest decorated regiments of the Indian Army, with 72 Battle Honours, 15 Theatre Honours and 5 COAS Unit Citations besides 2 PVCs, 14 MVCs, 5 KCs, 67 VrCs and 1596 other gallantry awards. The history of the Regiment spans 154 years with heroic deeds of valour and courage which have few parallels if any.
Regimental Insignia: A lion, symbolic of the name Singh that all Sikhs have encircled with a sharp-edged Quoit or Chakra.
Regimental Motto: Nischey Kar Apni Jeet Karon (I Fight For Sure To Win). Battle Cry: Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal (He who cries God is Truth, is ever victorious).
Although the Regiment's official history dates back to 1846, the biological heritage has its roots in the noble teachings and sacrifices made by the ten Gurus. The Sikh Regiment of today has imbibed the culture and chivalry of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh's erstwhile Khalsa Army. The ethos and traditions of the Regiment got formalised with the raising of 'Regiment of Ferozepore Sikhs' and Regiment of Ludhiana Sikhs' on 01 August 18446 by Captain G. Tebbs and Lieutenant Colonel P. Gordon respectively. A major portion of the substance of the Regiment traces its origins to Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Army. With a humble beginning of two battalions in 1846, today the Sikh fraternity has grown 20 battalions strong.
The Battle of Saragarhi fought by 36th Sikh (now 4 Sikh) in 1897, is an epitome of Valour, Courage, Bravery and Sacrifice. Havildar Issar Singh with 21 Other Ranks made the supreme sacrifice repulsing 10,000 of the enemy. This sacrifice was recognised by the British Parliament, when it rose to pay its respects to these brave young soldiers. All 22 were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM), the then highest decoration for the Indian soldiers. This 'Kohinoor' of the Sikh Regiment is one of the ten most famous battles of the world. Even to this date, this battle forms part of the school curriculum in France. 12 September 1897, the day of the Battle of Saragarhi is celebrated as the Regimental Battle Honours Day.
Lance Naik Karam Singh, 1st Sikh, was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra for the Regiment in 1948, with Subdedar Joginder Singh, also from 1st Sikh, being the second recipient to get the Param Vir Chakra (Posthumous) for the Regiment in 1962.
Lance Naik Karam Singh was born on 15 September 1915, in Barnala, Panjab. He was enrolled in 1 Sikh on 15 September 1941. He had earned a Military Medal in World War II. During the Jammu & Kashmir operations in the summer of 1948 the Indian Army made substantial gains in the Tithwal sector. The led to the capture of Tithwal of 23 May 1948. The enemy fled in utter confusion across the Kishanganga after dumping their arms and equipment in the river. But the enemy quickly recovered from this shock. They re-organised their forces and mounted a strong counter-attack to recover the lost ground. As a result, the Indian Army could not withstand the enemy pressure and withdrew from their positions across the Kishanganga River. Finally, they settled on the Tithwal ride to take on the enemy.
The Battle of Tithwal went on for months. The enemy could not, however, make a dent on the Indian defences. On October 13th, they launched a desperate attack in brigade strength to evict the Indian Army from their strongly held positions. The objective was to recapture Richhmar Gali to the south of Tithwal and to outflank the Indian Army by marching on to Nastachur Pass to the east of Tithwal. Both attempts failed. During this attack, some bitter fighting took place in the Richhmar Gali area on the night of October 13th. The attack commenced with heavy shelling of guns and mortar. The fire was so devastating that nearly all bunkers in the platoon area were damaged. In this action the 1 Sikh played a very important role in beating back the enemy onslaught. Lance Naik Karam Singh was commanding a forward outpost when the enemy launched the attack. His post was attacked by the enemy in vastly superior strength. The outpost was attacked eight times and the Sikhs repulsed the enemy every time. When ammunition ran short, Lance Naik Karam Singh joined the main company position, knowing full well that due to the heavy enemy shelling no help would be forthcoming. Although himself wounded, he brought back two injured comrades with the help of a third mate.
Ringed by enemy fire, it was almost impossible for them to break out.
Ignoring all dangers, he crawled from place to place encouraging his men to keep up the fight. Often he beat back the enemy with grenades.
Twice wounded, he refused evacuation and continued to hold on to the first-line trenches. The fifth enemy attack was very intense. Two enemy soldiers came so close to his position that he could not engage them without hitting his men. Lance Naik Karam Singh, jumped out of his trench and bayoneted the two intruders to death. This bold action so demoralised the enemy that they broke off the attack. Three more enemy attacks which followed were also repulsed by Lance Naik Karam Singh and his men. Lance Naik Karam Singh was an inspiration to his comrades and a threat to the enemy. He was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra, for his outstanding role in the battle of Tithwal.
With 73 Battle Honours, the largest collection of Victoria Crosses-Param Vir Chakras and equivalent, the Saga of Saragarhi, the young soldiers of the Sikh Regiment are proud to wear the regimental colours of India's highest decorated regiment. Since it's rising more than 150 years ago, the regiment has been in the vanguard of various actions and operations both in the pre and post-independence era in India and abroad.
The Battle of Saragarhi fought by men of 36th Sikhs in 1897, is an epitome of raw courage, sheer grit and unshakable determination.
Saragarhi was a small signalling post located between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan on the Samana Ridge in the N.W.F.P. On September 12, 1897 about 10,000 Afridis and Orakazais tribesmen swarmed towards Saragarhi, while another group cut off all links from Forts Gulistan and Lockhart.
For the next six hours the small detachment of 22 men led by Havildar Ishar Singh stood firm and repulsed all attacks. With passage of time the ranks of the Sikhs started getting thinner and their ammunition was running out. But they never faltered and continued to punish the enemy.
The enemy succeeded in making a large breach in the outer wall and swarmed in, the Sikhs fought to the last man. When the news of the battle reached London, the British Parliament rose to give a standing ovation. All the 22 men were given the posthumous award of Indian Order of Merit, Class 1, (IOM). This was the highest gallantry award given to Indian ranks in those days and was equivalent to the Victoria Cross.
All dependants were given two squares of land and Rs. 500 as financial assistance and memorials were built at Ferozepore and Amritsar. The award of so many posthumous IOMs to a single group of men in one day was something unheard of and remains unparalleled in the annals of military history. After Saragarhi the tribesmen then attacked Fort Gulistan, which was held by 160 men of 36th Sikh. The fort held out until relief arrived. A group of Sikh soldiers in a daredevil attack managed to capture 3 Afghan standards (flags). 30 IDSM's were won by the defenders of Fort Gulistan.In 1901 another battalion, composed entirely of Jat Sikhs was raised and it came to be known as 47th Sikhs (later 5 Sikh).
World War 1
During WW1 the Sikh battalions fought in Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and France. The 14th Ferozepore Sikhs were in Gallipoli in April 1915 and fought in a number of battles in the Gallipoli campaign. After Gallipoli the battalion was in the Persian Gulf region and took part in some fierce fighting on the Tigris River. The 15th Ludhiana Sikhs were in France in September 1914 and participated in fighting at Fauquissart, Festubert and Neuve Chapelle.
World War 2
To overcome the heavy demands of manpower six new battalions of the Sikh Regiment were raised. They being 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 25th. Out of the old battalions 1st and 5th saw action in Burma and three others, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fought in the Middle East.
1st Sikh landed in Rangoon in February 1942 and took part in some fierce fighting but the Japanese had built up their strength in the area and pushed the British forces to the Indian border. The battalion was rested and refitted and was back in the war zone on the Indo-Burma border. On March 11, 1943 the battalion was the advance party along the Maungdaw-Buthidaung road. The Japanese were holding a knife-edge hill feature and putting up stiff resistance. The only way to approach the hill was by means of a narrow track. On this track leading the attack was the section commanded by Naik Nand Singh. When the section reached the crest it came under heavy machinegun fire and every man in the section was killed or wounded. Naik Nand Singh dashed forward alone; he was wounded by a grenade as he neared the first Japanese trench. He took out his bayonet and killed the two occupants. Under heavy fire Nand Singh jumped up and charged the second trench, he was again wounded by a grenade and knocked down, but he got up and hurled himself into the trench again killing two Japanese with his bayonet. He then moved on to the third trench and captured it single-handed. With the capture of the third trench the enemy fire started to die away and the rest of the platoon charged the other Japanese positions, killing with bayonet and grenade thirty seven out of the forty Japanese holding it.
Naik Nand Singh wounded six times in the assault literally carried the position single-handed. For his valour an immediate award of Victoria Cross was bestowed upon him. The company commander Maj. John Brough was awarded the DSO and the platoon commander Jemadar Mehr Singh the IOM.
Two IDSMs were also awarded for this attack.
The battalion then moved to Imphal and took part in the famous battle at Kanglatongbi. After this battle the battalion was among the vanguard in pushing the Japanese back and recapturing Rangoon. During the Second World War the battalions of the Sikh Regiment won 27 battle honours.
India-Pakistan War 1965
Ten battalions of the Sikh Regiment saw action in the 1965 war. In a bid to seal off routes of infiltrations for the Pakistanis in J & K, 1 Sikh who were in the Tithwal sector attacked Pakistani positions. A company lead by Major Somesh Kapur captured Richhmar Ridge on 24 August
1965 and then attacked and captured the Pir Sahiba feature on the night of 25/26 August. From this feature the Indian troops could now overlook an extensive area under Pakistan control. Throughout September, Pakistani troops tried hard to recapture this feature but were unsuccessful. 1 Sikh received 3 Vir Chakras (Major Somesh Kapur and L/ Havildar Gurdev Singh and Sepoy Gurmel Singh (posth.)) for these operations. 3 Sikh were in the Keren -Kishanganga sector. A platoon of
22 men under Subedar Sunder Singh withstood attempts by Pakistanis to capture the Pharkian Ki Gali feature. In the end of September the Sikhs blew up the Shahkot Bridge.
India-Pakistan War 1971
A number of Sikh battalions fought during the 1971 war, most of them on the Western Front. 8 Sikh were in the Uri sector and 9 Sikh in the nearby Tangdhar sector. Two companies of 9 Sikh attacked and captured Thanda Pani and Kaiyan on 5 December night. The battalion then captured some more positions. At one stage they had advanced so rapidly that they went beyond artillery range. When the Sikhs came under Pakistani fire, they manhandled a medium gun over the mountains to take on the enemy by direct fire. On 14 December, 9 Sikh then cleared the heights dominating Naukot.
2 Sikh were in the Lahore sector and part of the battalion was defending the Ranian Post, which the Pakistanis seemed determined to capture. They attacked the post repeatedly on 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th December, but each time they were beaten back. At the start of the war the Pakistanis had managed to capture the village of Pulkanjri and had sited 12 BMG's and some 3.5 inch rocket launchers around it. On December 17th and 18th, 2 Sikh attacked and recaptured the Pulkanjri village. During this attack L/Naik Shangara Singh displayed conspicuous gallantry in clearing two machinegun posts which were holding the attack up. Shangara Singh dashed through a minefield and hurled a grenade at one of the post. He then charged the second gun and leaping over the loophole he snatched the gun from its occupants. As he stood with the gun in his hands he received a fatal burst in his abdomen and fell to the ground with the gun still in his hand. He was awarded a posthumous Maha Vir Chakra. N/ Sub. Gian Singh received a posthumous Vir Chakra. The Pakistanis tried to recapture the Pulkanjri village using a company of 43 Punjab and two companies of 15 Punjab. The Sikhs stood firm and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy's 15 Punjab. In a local counter attack they captured 1 officer and 8 OR's of 43 Punjab and 4 OR's of 15 Punjab. 19 Sikh was in the Ajnala area and captured the border post Budhai Chima on the night of December 5/6.
10 Sikh was in Rajasthan along the Nayachor axis. On December 11, they were part of a brigade attack along with 2 Mahar and 10 Sikh LI to capture Parbat Ali a feature which dominated both the main road and railway line to Nayachor and it was turned into a formidable defensive position by the enemy. In a grim battle working with bayonets and going from trench to trench the feature was cleared by the morning of 13 December. 10 Sikh won 6 Vir Chakras (Major Amrik Singh, Sub.Gurcharn Singh (posth.), Naik Gurjant Singh (posth.), L/Naik Harbhajan Singh, Sep. Mohan Singh) and 3 Sena Medals along with the battle honour Parbat Ali. 4 Sikh fought in the Eastern sector on the Jessore front. The battalion cleared the village of Burinda, which then opened the road to Jessore. The battalion then continued the advance to Khulna and on December 16, attacked Shyamganj and captured it. Naik Mohinder Singh won a posthumous Vir Chakra and the battalion received the battle honour Siramani.
1999 Kargil Conflict
During the Kargil Conflict of 1999, two battalions, 8 Sikh and 14 Sikh were inducted into operations. 8 Sikh were tasked to capture Tiger Hill. By 21st May, the 8 Sikh had isolated Tiger Hill from three directions, East, North and South. In order to inflict casualties the enemy positions on Tiger Hill were subjected to artillery and mortar fire. A fresh battalion, 18 Grenadiers was brought in to capture the peak with 8 Sikh holding the firm base. On the night of July 3rd, 18 Grenadiers captured the eastern slope but further advance was held up due to effective enemy fire from Helmet Top, India Gate features on the western slope.
The Regimental motto is the vow taken by Guru Gobind Singh, "Nische kar apni jeet karon" - with determination, I'll fetch triumph. The Regimental March is a hymn written by Guru Gobind Singh during the Battle of Chamkaur, "De shiva bar mohey ehai" and the battle cry is "Bole so nihal, sat sri akal".
5. Saragarhi symbolises the Sikh commitment Saragarhi - in the North West Frontier Province - bears testimony to an unparallel saga of valour, etched in military history as one of the five greatest battles ever fought on earth. Sara in the local Pushtu language means "Red" and garhi means a Small Fortress. The bloodshed of September 1897 was to prove that it was indeed a red-fort!
Saragarhi Day, is a Sikh military commemoration day celebrated on the 12th of September every year annually to commemorate The Battle of Saragarhi. Saragarhi is the incredible story of 21 men from the 36th Sikh (currently 4th Sikh Regiment) who gave up their lives in devotion to their duty.
On the morning of 12 September 1897, began the tribal battle cries and the drum-beating as the enemy started its assault on the Saraghari Fort, manned by 20 soldiers under the command of Havildar Ishar Singh. It was attacked by an estimated 14,000 Afridi and Orakzai tribesmen. The fort served as a visual communication link between two other forts, Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan, on the same ridge.
The fort was not capable for a prolonged defence owing to weakness in construction, situation and strength, and the enemy was looking for an easy victory. But it was not to be so. The defenders repulsed repeated attacks, with victory nowhere in sight for the attackers who suffered heavy casualties. The tribal chief, Gul Badshah tried to allure the defenders to surrender but Havildar Ishar Singh replied that Sikhs never surrender, and the biggest sin would be to surrender and not to fight to their death, thus upholding the religious beliefs, tradition and greatest honour of Sikh religion and after failing, put in another attack. According to Major General A.G. Yeatman Biggs, C.B., Commanding the Kohat Field Force, the ammunition supply had been sent by him to the Samana, making up to total number of rounds to four hundred per rifle, 36th Sikhs. Havildar Ishar Singh and his brave Sikhs made sure that every bullet fired found its mark because of limited ammunition at the garrison. The post of Saragarhi fell at 1630 hours on 12 September 1897.Although the Afridis and Orakzais were able to capture the post of Saragarhi, they had to pay a terrible price because many hundreds of their men were either killed or wounded. And as they set fire to the post, many of their dying men were also consumed by fire. The gallant 21 Sikhs stood their ground in obeisance to Guru Gobind Singh's hymn (Swaiyya) that "When the hour of mortality of this body arrives, I should die fighting on the battle field with unbounded courage" Exhibitions that have been undertaken by Harchand Singh Bedi are as follows: The list will soon be growing as the launch will be going global this summer.
1) Exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History, Wadda Gurdwara Sahib, Ipoh Perak, 22nd ~24th November 2007
2) Exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History, Gurdwara Tatt Khalsa, Kuala Lumpur September 28, 2008
3) Exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History, Muzium Darul Ridzuan Ipoh Perak December 2008
4) Exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History, Gurdwara Sahib, Klang, 12 April 2009
5) Exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History, Malacca Museum, 21st May ~ 24th May 2009
6) Exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History, Tun Razak Library, Ipoh Perak, 12th June~20th June 2009
7) Exhibition on Sikh Bravery in Military History, Stadium Indera Mulia, Ipoh Perak, 23rd April 2010
The history of the Sikhs is well documented and they were involved to uphold justice and righteousness of society. History speaks for itself on the valour, bravery displayed by the Sikhs. The never-say-die spirit of the Sikhs gave us the impetus and inner strength and resilience to face any challenges that came our way. Sikh soldiers adhered to the faith and never flinched nor surrendered in the face of adversity. They lived in chardhi kala; full of the high spirits and perpetual optimism that make us a very successful and vibrant race.
No comments:
Post a Comment