A couple of days ago, on 12 September 2020 Saragarhi Day was observed in India and worldwide, especially wherever there is Sikh community present. I made a video on the Saragarhi Memorial Gurdwara which is situated in Amritsar, Punjab, India in a bid to make the younger generation aware about the monument and the mind-boggling history related to it.
In the Heritage Street of Amritsar lies a a memorial Gurdwara which was built in the memory of 21 brave heart Sikh soldiers who laid down their lives for their motherland in the battle of Saragarhi in 1897. Confronted by Afghan tribesmen when a British outpost was attacked by some 10,000 soldiers in September 1897 the 21 valiant Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment defended the Saragarhi post unto their last breath.
Saragarhi a small rocky outpost was situated between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan in the North West Frontier Province which is now known as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and lies in Pakistan. Led by Havildar Ishar Singh, none of the soldiers thought of leaving and the battle which took place was one of the most ferocious ones and the bravery of the Sikh soldiers was nothing short of a miracle!
Later, a British officer referring to those 36th Sikhs, was quoted as saying, “they died fighting like demons.” Two Gurdwaras were constructed in the remembrance and to honour the bravery of these Sikhs.
One Saragarhi Memorial Gurdwara is in Amritsar and the second one is at Ferozepur (both in Punjab, India). Unfortunately, most of the young ones do not know about this important piece of history. Some of them came to know of this historical incident from the Bollywood movie titled “Kesri” which was released in March 2019. Another brilliant series was aired on Netflix by the title “21 Sarfarosh” which had 65 episodes and depicted a much detailed version of the incident and circumstances that led to it. The video is a small effort to highlight the importance of knowing our history so that we could also take inspiration out of it and also realize how rich is our heritage.
Here is the link to the video: