Babaniyan Kahaniyan...............

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Babaniyan Kahaniyan……….

Principal Satbir Singh Ji the great Sikh Historian was born on 1st March 1932. He was son of Bhai Harnam Singh and Mata Ranjit Kaur. Born with a great and deep heart as the river Jhelum his birth place, was fortunate to accompany great scholars like Prof. Teja Singh, Principal Jodh Singh and Principal Saheb Singh at very young age. He himself became a learned scholar, writer, historian and a puran Gursikh whose speeches and writings are a valuable asset to our Panth.

As Bhai Saheb Bhai Veer Singh Ji says Seeney Khich Jina Ne Khadi Oh Kar Aram Nahin Bahendey”

Today we remember him on his birth anniversary whose name is shining like other great scholars Bhai Nand Lal, Bhai Sahib Veer Singh and Principal HarKrishan Singh.

Principal Satbir singh ji died on 18 August 1994. He had written number of books and articles. Today as I took out one of his articles to read from my own little library it made myself proud once again to be a Sikh. I am going to describe below some extracts from his famous article “Anokha Jaloos” which is heart rendering and it seems whatever is written there is taking place right in front of our eyes. Dhan Sikhi Te dhan O Sikh.

Anokha Jaloos (written in 1958)

Jaloos (Procession) is a medium of expression. Many such processions have taken place by mankind from time immemorial. Some take out to express happiness, some to express anger, some for religious purposes, some to show his prosperity and some to fear others. Julius Ceasar had taken out a procession to create fear on the citizens of Pompey. In todays century Mao Ji Tung had taken out procession at Peiking to celebrate his victory. Queen Elizabeth II also had taken out a procession at London which is still remembered by many. We also took out a procession at Amritsar Akali Conference. But a procession which I am now going to narrate should not at all be forgotten and has to be reminded again and again by us and told to coming Sikh generations so that they also know the bravery of Sikhi and our Khalsa Panth. This Jaloos had made a deep impact on the historians and the people who had witnessed this jaloos.

The then Shah Farrukhshiyar to create fear on his men had ordered this procession. This Jaloos was taken out on 29 Feb 1716 at almost all the bazaars of Delhi. There were 740 people in this procession but blood stained heads hanging on spears and behind that hundreds of heads followed which was a barbaric scene.

As we know that Guru Gobind Singh Ji had sent Banda Bhadur from Nanded to Punjab to curb the atrocities of Mughals. Just before Guru Gobind Singh’s death in October 1708AD Guruji gave Banda Singh the military command of the Sikhs in Punjab and charged him to protect the people from the oppression of Wazir Khan the then Governor of Sirhind. But during his northward journey from Deccan Banda came to know that Guru Gobind Singh had been stabbed by an assassin sent by Wazir Khan. Banda Bhadur took revenge and killed Wazir.

Seeing the rising Banda who was now a terror for Mughals, Farrukhshiyar ordered Abdus Samad Khan the Nawab of Lahore and Zakariya Khan the faujdar of Jammu to create a Jahad against Banda and kill him. For nearly five years Banda and his men remained a terror to the imperialists till at last the Mughal armies helped by the Hindu Chiefs of the hill states laid siege to his army at Gurdas Nangal where after eight months of fighting Banda and his men surrendered because months of starvation had made them weak and helpless.

On 7th December 1715 Banda and his men were caught. And though now in the hands of Mughal still they feared from Banda Singh.

Tau Bhi Sabh Bande Te Darre Mare Sher Se Jiyon Gaj Tarey.

They were afraid that with his power of Sikhi Banda might fly away into the air as well and escape. Heavily chained and locked in an iron cage Banda was brought to Delhi on 29th February 1716 AD and paraded throughout the city with a cortege of half dead prisoners and bleeding heads of many Sikhs carried on spears.

Zakariya Khan planned to take a procession of these Sikhs at Delhi and hand them over to Farrukhshiyar. Zakariya Khan wicked mind thought that these are only few hundred singhs so he caught 2000 more Sikhs and had their heads chopped and hanged them on spears. The kesh of Dhan Guru De Sikhs were blowing in the air. Each head was carried on each spear held by a Mughal soldier. After these heads the last spear of the procession had a dead cat hanging down symbolizing that even cats were put to death from Sikh forts. After that followed an elephant on which the cage of Banda the brave was put on elephant’s back. These nasty Mughals had blackened the faces of Sikhs and were made to wear caps made out of skin of sheep. All this was done so that people and the spectators seeing the jaloos could laugh and make jokes on Sikhs. Guru De Sikh Waheguru da bhana man Ke shabad padhde Ja rahe san

All the way through such heinous and cruel procession the Sikhs were tortured, stones were pelted on them by the people who gathered to watch the jaloos. But Dhan Guru De Sikh they kept on reciting Gurbani. Thousands of people gathered till Lahori Gate and the procession was marched towards Red Fort where this procession was ended.

On 5th March 1716 at Chandni Chowk the killing of Sikhs began.

Maran Saban Kai Muund Par Safal Maran Hai Tahay

Tanak Vikhay Tan Ko Tajey Priyo So Preet Nibhaye

Itayadik Guruyan Ke Vaak

Gavat Rahe Bhaye Bebaak

Katal Hon Te Jara Na Darey

Tan Taj Turat Bivanan Charein

At last Banda Singh was offered the usual choice of death or Islam but he chose death bravely. He was ordered to kill his own four year old son Ajai Singh The innocent child was brutally killed and his heart was taken out and thrust into the mouth of his father Banda Singh. Banda’s eyes were removed with a knife his left foot was cut off his flesh was torn from his body with red hot pincers and then his body was hacked to pieces limb by limb.

Baba Banda Singh Bhadur was matryed on 9th June 1716. This day seemed to be the last day of this cruel procession where Sikhi Kesan Sawasan Naal Nibhai.

The martyrdom of Banda Singh and his companions really is heart rendering.

If we look back at the pages of history we will find that how Sikhs were brutally killed and they attained martyrdom but didn’t let their Sikh faith stumble. It is for us to remember them and then look at ourselves as how much we have payed them back and what path we are walking into now in the name of modernization??? How many among us are true Gursikh? How many easily forget the blood that was spilled for this faith??

Thanks to our elders and great Sikh historians and Sants who have written this for us to remember our Sikh history.