The story of Sikh soldiery
By Pritam Singh Sidhu

IN his Advanced History of India, Majumdar concludes the description of the battle of Sobraon fought in the course of the first Anglo-Sikh war on February 10, 1846, by saying, "Here also the Sikh soldiers showed wonderful steadfastness and resolution and fought from the early dawn of February 10, with the valour of heroes, the enthusiasm of crusaders, and the desperation of zealots sworn to conquer the enemy or die swords in hand. But all this proved to be of no avail owning to the half-heartedness and treachery of all Sikh generals with the honourable exception of Sham Singh. The victory of the English at Sobraon was of a decisive nature. They were relieved of the danger from the ‘bravest and steadiest’ enemy ever encountered in India, which almost shook at the very base the edifice of British dominion in the Provinces."

Cunningham who was present that day on the battlefield says, "...Although assailed on either side by squadrons of horse and battalions of foot, no Sikh offered to submit and no disciple of Guru Gobind asked for a quarter. They, everywhere, showed a front to the victorious, and stalked slowly and sullenly away, while many rushed singly forth to meet assured death by contending with multitude. The victorious looked with stolid wonderment upon the indomitable courage of the vanquished."

How did the Sikhs come to acquire these traits so aptly described by Majumdar and Cunningham? For this, we shall have to delve into their history.

Every religion and ideology has risen to meet historical challenges. The circumstances of their birth determine the nature of their message and its moral content. Sikhism was born in very turbulent times. The tyranny of certain bigoted Muslim rulers defined its mission.

Sir Gokul Chand Narang in his Transformation of Sikhism, says, "During the four-and-a-half centuries that intervened the overthrow of Anangpal (King of the Punjab, 1001-1021 AD) and the birth of Guru Nanak, history does not tell us the name of a single Hindu in the Punjab. Those who had escaped conversion had lost almost all that lends dignity and grace to life and distinguishes religion from superstition or cant. The centuries of invasion, foreign misrule and persecution had produced the greatest depression; and the spiritual subjection and stagnation had aggravated the demoralisation to an enormous degree."

Guru Nanak was a contemporary of Babur. In those days of absolute power wielded by the rulers, he protested strongly against the invasion by Babur and the corrupt and tyrannical rule of the Lodis. He was fearless himself and preached fearlessness to his followers.

Then a great event took place in Sikh history. The fifth Guru was tortured to death on the command of Emperor Jahangir who wrote in his Tuzuk, "For many years, the thought had been presenting itself to my mind that either I should put an end to him or that he be brought into the fold of Islam". Of course, the Guru did not embrace Islam. For several days, he was subjected to extreme physical torment. He was seated on red-hot iron plates and burning sand was poured over him. He was dipped in boiling water. Guru Arjan was then taken to the Ravi. A dip in the river’s cold water was more than his blistered body could bear. The Guru passed away on May 30, 1606.

The event marked the fulfilment of Guru Nanak’s religious and ethical injunctions. Personal piety must have a core of moral strength. A virtuous soul must be a courageous soul. Willingness to suffer trial for one’s convictions was a religious imperative. Guru Arjan’s life exemplified this principle to his followers.

Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom, however, marked a turning point in the history of the Sikh faith. Instead of the rosary and other emblems of spiritual inheritance, his son Guru Hargobind wore a warrior’s equipment for the ceremonies of his succession. He foresaw that sterner methods were required to meet the growing oppression of the Mughal rulers. So he adopted the style of a soldier and gave a martial identity to the community. It is remarkable how he created a war-like spirit among people weakened by prolonged subjugation. Guru Hargobind’s military career extended over several years, during which he fought three battle, all of which he won.

The ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind. He was a contemporary of Aurangzeb. The Emperor’s aim was to suppress faiths other than Islamic, and did not flinch from making forcible conversions. The experiment was first tried in Kashmir. The local ruler Iftikhar Khan (1671-75), carried out the policy vigorously and set about converting Kashmiris by the sword. The Guru told the Kashmiri Pandits, who had come to seek his help, to tell the Emperor that if Tegh Bahadur converted to Islam, they would all voluntarily accept that faith.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was summoned to Delhi and asked either to accept Islam or face death. He refused and was beheaded in public in Chandni Chowk on November 11, 1675. The executioner was astonished at the composure with which the Guru faced the deadly sword.

The Guru’s martyrdom was an event of immense magnitude and had far-reaching consequences. The Hindu society had lost its ardour for united action and resistance, and had submitted inertly to tyranny and injustice. Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed his life to secure for the people, the freedom of their belief. Once again the Guru had shown exemplary courage. He had opted to embrace a martyr’s death in pursuit of his objective.

Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Sikh Guru, brought to consummation the work started by Guru Nanak. He introduced the baptism of the sword and the Sikh movement reached in his time its higher fulfilment. The sect of saints and martyrs had turned into a band of bold warriors without losing its original attributes of compassion and selflessness. The process of evolution was stepped up by the intolerance of rulers of the day and the Sikhs were engaged in many an unequal battle with them. Guru Gobind Singh’s four sons, along with many of his followers, fell martyrs to the bigotry of the ruling race.

Regarding Guru Gobind Singh’s impact on the Sikh military psyche, two points need special attention. Firstly, he preached amongst his disciples that a brave death on the battlefield for a holy cause was a noble and worthy end. Thus does the Guru supplicate God in one of his hymns:

Grant unto me this boon, O Lord;
That I may never by deterred from doing good deeds.
I should have no fear of the enemy when I go to battle,
And turn victory decidedly to my side.
In my mind there is but one desire,
That I may ever be singing Thy praises,
And when the times comes, I should die,
Fighting in the thick of action.

Secondly, he created a new metaphor - the metaphor of the sword. The sword was the symbol of Shakti or of Akal Himself. God was described as Sarbloh i.e., all steel. This image was intended to give a new orientation to the minds of men given to passivity. They needed a new vocabulary and a new principle of faith. The sword stood for righteous and brave action, for the protection of truth and virtue. It was an emblem of manliness and self-respect and was to be used only in self-defence, as a last resort.

The struggle became bitter after Guru Gobind Singh’s passing away in 1708. For most of the century, Sikhs suffered untold oppression. The object of the rulers was the complete extermination of the rising community. Thousands of Sikhs were apprehended and killed in the cruellest ways possible. Yet they remained unvanquished and their spirit toughened under the impact of every fresh calamity.

Once Nadir Shah, the Persian conqueror, who invaded India in 1739, questioned the Governor of Lahore as to who Sikhs were. The Governor replied, "They are a group of faqirs who visit their Guru’s tank twice a year, and bathing in it, disappear."

"Where do they live?" asked Nadir.

"Their homes are their horses’ saddles."

"Take care then," said Nadir, "for the day is not distant when these people will have possession of the country."

Nadir Shah was not far wrong in his warning. The Sikhs came out of their homes in the jungle to establish their sway over the country. Ranjit Singh conquered the far-flung provinces of Multan, Peshawar and Kashmir, and extended the limits of his domains in the north to Ladakh. The Sikhs built up a commanding position on the north-western frontier, checking, for the first time, the inflow of invaders who had incessantly swept down the hills to loot or rule India since the discovery of the route by the earlier Aryan groups around 1500 BC. No more Muslim invaders came into India from the north-west, as had been happening for more than a thousand years. Ranjit Singh vanquished the proud Afghans and secured from the heirs of Ahmed Shah (who had defeated the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat), the peerless Koh-i-Noor.

We have seen how the once repressed people of Punjab were slowly but systematically transformed into a brave military community. It was a deliberate and well thought out plan which was brilliantly executed by Guru Nanak and his successors. The Gurus infused a new spirit in them and left their indelible impression on them by laying down their lives.

Sikhs make excellent soldiers and they proved their mettle in the wars that they have fought. The greatest number of war-wounded and war-widows are from Punjab. Also the greatest number of gallantry awardees are Punjabis.