They Died For All Free Men – Amardeep Photography

Posted on December 11, 2016 Posted By: Amardeep Singh Categories: Blog, General, Travel

The British empire under the banner of East India Company, in the early 18th century, controlled the entire Indian sub-continent, except for the “Sikh Empire” under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The western boundaries of the British Empire ceded at the banks of River Sutlej in Punjab, while the Sikh empire continued to expand into Afghanistan, Kashmir, Ladakh and had attempted to reach as far as Western Tibet.

After the demise of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Gulab Singh, the Dogra minister in his cabinet betrayed the forces of the Sikh Army engaged in the two Anglo-Sikh wars against the British aggression. This act by Gulab Singh was in exchange for an award from the British to carve out Kashmir from the Sikh Empire and hand it as him its independent control. Thi treachery brought an end to the mighty expanse of the Sikh empire, the last remaining bastion of independent India.

British chronicles are filled with the heroic acts of the Sikhs and they acknowledge that the two Anglo-Sikh wars were the toughest in the British conquest of India. An extract from the “Leaves from the Journal of a Subaltern” on Page 155 reads,

“The Sikhs, fought like devils…fierce and untamed even in their dying struggle…Such a mass of men I have never set an eye on and as plucky as lions : they ran right on the bayonets and struck the assailants when they were transfixed.”

The Sikhs fought two mighty Anglo-Sikh wars against the British but then at the turn of the century, they contributed 25% of the army from the Indian Sub-continent that fought on behalf of the Allied forces during the two World Wars. This contribution by 2% of India’s population that are Sikhs is also well recognized in the British texts of World War 1 & 2.

General Sir Frank Messervy, from the foreword of Colonel F.T. Birdwood, in the text “The Sikh Regiments in the Second World War” says,

“In the last two world wars, 83,005 turban wearing Sikh soldiers were killed and 109,045 were wounded for the freedom of the World, with no other protection but the turban, the symbol of their faith.”

However, I feel the contribution of Sikh soldiers during the two World Wars, with their presence in countries like Germany, France, Britain, Singapore, Burma, etc has not been fully recognized in terms of awareness amongst today’s population.

The Commonwealth Wealth Graves commission maintains War memorials in many countries across Europe, Turkey, Egypt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma, etc. One such War memorial lies in the outskirts of Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma). It is called Taukkyan War Cemetery. A large number of the 27,000 names of soldiers are of the many Indian Army nationals who fought and died in Burma during World War 1 and 2.

I felt proud to see the inscription in Gurmukhi (Punjabi) language on the walls of the memorial,

They Died For All Free Men

which translated in English reads “THEY DIED FOR ALL FREE MEN”

As I walked around the cemetry, the words of Guru Gobind Singh (10th Sikh Guru) resonated within me,

O Lord grant me the boon, that I may never deviate from doing a good deed.

That I shall not fear when I go into combat. And with determination I be victorious.

That I may teach myself this greed alone, to learn only Thy praises.

And when the last days of my life come, I may die in the might of the battlefield.

Sharing the pictures from the visit to Taukkyan War Cemetry in Myamar.