The battle of Saragarhi was the most courageous step in the military history of India. 21 soldiers of 36 Regiment fought against ten thousand Afghans. 21 brave soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army, led by Havildar Ishar Singh, defended the army post at Saragarhi in the North West Frontier Area. This post of the Indian Army was attacked by 10,000 Afghans. But these 21 soldiers did not lose courage in front of such a big army. Their weapons have also been exhausted. But more than 600 Afghans were killed before they became targets of enemy fire. This battle took place on 12 September 1897. Very few people know about this war. But this war has been a topic of discussion in the news for the last three years. So now a TV series 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 has been filmed on it. The statue of Havildar Ishar Singh, the leader of 20 Sikh soldiers who fought thousands of Afghan tribesmen at the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897, was unveiled in Britain on Sunday.
The 10 feet high bronze statue is Britain’s first memorial to the heroes of the Battle of Saragarhi. This statue, built on a 6 feet platform, has been installed in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, England. A grand inauguration ceremony organized in this regard was attended by many British MPs, local councilors along with army officers and common citizens. This entire monument of Saragarhi has many parts. It also includes an eight-metre steel plate engraved with the mountain and the strategic post along with commemorative words. This bronze statue is also installed on it.
The battle of Saragarhi was fought exactly 124 years ago on 12 September 1897. On one side there were only 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th (Sikh) Regiment of Bengal Infantry of the British Indian Army, and on the other side there was a huge army of 10 thousand Afghan tribes. This battle took place in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of present-day Pakistan. But in this battle that lasted for more than six hours, these 21 Sikh soldiers displayed amazing bravery until they were martyred. About 180 to 200 Pathan tribals were also killed in this conflict.
Many military historians even believe that the Battle of Saragarhi is one of the greatest heroic battles fought in history. Later, all those 21 soldiers were posthumously awarded the ‘Indian Order of Merit’, the highest gallantry award of that time, for their indomitable courage and bravery. Since then every year the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army celebrates 12 September as Saragarhi Day. This day remembers the heroic sacrifice of 21 brave Sikh soldiers who fought the enemy till their last breath to defend the British Army post.
The only monument so far in Britain commemorating the Battle of Saragarhi is a plaque in the chapel of Uppingham School in Leicestershire, East Midlands. But it mentions Colonel John Houghton, Commandant of the 36th Sikh Regiment. Sharing the story of these two 21 brave Sikh soldiers and the Battle of Saragarhi has now come true for Wednesfield Councilor Bhupinder Gakhal, a long-time dream. Councilor Gakhal said his passion for this monument goes back 41 years to when he visited India at the age of 14. There he saw a calendar inside a branch of the State Bank of India with several Sikhs standing on a ruin. Then he asked the bank manager what it was. The manager said, “Son, this is your history. Research it.”
The director had a good dream in his memory of Saragarhi. “This is a very proud moment for the Sikh community because once it is built, it will be there for generations to come,” Gakhal told the BBC days before the statue’s unveiling ceremony. These 21 Sikhs could have run away if they wanted, but they did not do so and kept fighting bravely till the last soldier.” Taren Singh, 21, from Birmingham, lives in Wednesfield and is learning Gatka. On this occasion they are performing Gatka. He says, “I am really happy that this statue is being installed in Britain. Not only the Sikhs but also all the Indians and the British should know about this battle that it was one of the most important battles in history.
Tarin Singh said that this statue is extremely beautiful and one of the most beautiful statues he has seen so far. Sanmukh Kaur, 26, who lives 20 minutes away from Wednesfield and came for the ceremony, is proud as a Sikh woman to see the statue in Britain. “This will help educate people about the contribution of Sikhs in the wars,” she says. Sanmukh hopes that this statue will also tell non-Sikhs about this famous battle and the bravery of these 21 Sikh soldiers. This 10 feet high statue is built by Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Wednesfield. It was created by Luke Perry, a 38-year-old artist from the Black Country in the West Midlands. The statue cost £100,000 to build, with an additional £36,000 spent on surrounding decorations.
Speaking to the BBC days before the opening ceremony, sculptor Luke Perry said: “This battle is an important part of British history, but it was forgotten because it was not taught about in schools during British rule. Very pleased to be a part of the project.” However, this is not the first monument in South Asia that Luke Perry has been associated with. Perry also designed the famous lions on the Great War Memorial, serving in the British Indian Army during the First World War. Reminds me of Sikh soldiers.
The £30,000 structure was unveiled on 11 November 2018 in the industrial town of Smethwick in the West Midlands. This 10 feet Sikh statue was built in honor of the Indian soldiers who died for Britain in the First World War. It was prepared to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. The Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick built the statue and the local Sikh community donated money for it.
The funding for this SM ship has been provided by local people and devotees of the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Weidensfeld. In addition, Wolverhampton Council also contributed £35,000. However, the statue does not resemble Havildar Ishar Singh or any of the other 20 Sikh soldiers. This is because there is no picture of any of these soldiers available anywhere. Thus this image is based on the artist’s imagination. This situation gave sculptor Luke Perry the opportunity to showcase his creativity in this creation. “This image is not immediately recognizable,” Perry told us. Many people are saying that he looks like their grandfather. In such a situation, it is easy for people to connect with this idol.