Man is capable of achieving so much. A few good men have always been able to do things which are beyond imagination for most. With a firm belief in themselves, men create history. One such rare tale is the battle of Saragarhi when an army of 21 Sikh soldiers, in a lonely communications post, made a gallant stand against an enemy 10,000 strong. Fighting to the last man, they created the lasting legacy of human bravery and valour on the battlefield.
During the Raj - the British colonial rulers had constructed a series of forts to control the NWFP (North West Frontier Province - today a state in Pakistan) in order to provide security to troops against marauding tribesmen and their lashkars (large body of troops). Most of these forts had initially been built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh as part of the consolidation of the Sikh empire in Punjab and the British added some more.
Two such forts on the Samana ridge of the Hindukush & Sulaiman ranges were Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan - both situated only a few miles apart. Since these forts were not inter-visible, a signaling relay post called Saragarhi was located mid-way on a cliff to provide visual Morse code signals using a heliograph between them. In 1897 there was a general uprising in the NWFP engineered by Afghans. The 36th Sikh regiment under the British army was deployed to protect the Gulistan and Lockhart forts. On the 3rd and 9th September 1897, Orakazai and Afridi lashkars attacked Fort Gulistan but were defeated.
Post their victory, the 36th Sikh troops, while returning from fort Lockhart stationed 21 of their soldiers at Saragarhi under Havildar Ishar Singh. The Afghan tribes saw this as an opportunity. On 12th September 1897, large hordes of tribesmen attacked Saragarhi. Their strategy was to ensure that no help from Lockhart reaches Saragarhi and, after destroying Saragarhi, attack fort Lockhart and Gulistan.
The Commanding Officer of 36th Sikh, Lt. Col. Haughton, was at Fort Lockhart and was in communication with the Saragarhi post. He could see from his position that the tribes were numbered around ten to twelve thousand and asked for reinforcements from Head-quarters. Havildar Singh and his men knew well that Saragarhi would fall, because a handful of men in that make-shift post of stones & mud walls with a wooden door could not stand the onslaught of thousands of tribesmen. The soldiers' duty was to defend Saragarhi while waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
Unlike popular culture, it must be noted here that the 21 soldiers were not there out of choice, but duty. Now that they were, it was their job to live - and if necessary die - fighting to protect it in the best tradition of their race and regiment.
At Saragarhi, the Afghans made numerous unsuccessful attempts to break open the gate of the post. While they suffered heavy casualties, the defenders too kept dwindling with their depleting ammunition. Unmindful of his safety, Sepoy Gurmukh Singh keptsignaling a minute-to-minute account of the battle from Saragarhi to the Battalion Head-quarters. When repeated attacks failed, the Afghans set fire to the surrounding bushes and two of the tribesmen under cover of smoke, managed to make a breach in the wall.
A few soldiers were ordered to deal with this breach. This resulted in weakening of the resistance covering the gate. The Afghans now rushed the gate as well as the breach. Thereafter, one of the finest hand-to-hand fights followed. The handful of trapped men at fort Lockhart also witnessed this unique saga of heroism and valour unfold at Saragarhi.
After conquering Saragarhi, the tribals set it on fire, while the soldiers lay dead or dying with their ammunition exhausted. Having destroyed Saragarhi, the Afghans turned to fort Gulistan, but they had been delayed too long, and reinforcements arrived in the night of 13-14 September, before the fort could be conquered.
After the Afghan uprising was suppressed, the Army recaptured Saragarhi. They found 600 bodies - 21 of them were Sikh men in uniforms. It is believed that 4,800 Afghans were wounded in the battle.
When the gallantry of Saragarhi was recounted to the British Parliament, the members gave a standing ovation to the 21 Indian soldiers. The story was received all over the world with awe and admiration. All the 21 valiant men of this epic battle were awarded the Indian Order of Merit Class III (posthumously) by the queen of England. This award is equivalent to today's Param Vir Chakra. Never before or since has a body of troops - that is, all of them - won gallantry awards in a single action.
Well the story of Saragarhi is, if not more, as heroic as that of the battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans fought to the last stand - a large army of Persians. 115 years after the greatest last stand recorded in military history - we would like to believe that Saragarhi is a well-known tale in the Historian circuits. The truth is - it isn't. We would love to believe that Saragarhi is studied in military textbooks. The truth is - it isn't. We would love to believe that if not the rest of the world, then at-least the Indians from across the world take pride in Saragarhi. The truth is - tales of Saragarhi are discussed only out of self-interest and political motivation - because it sounds honorific. The real message of Saragarhi is long lost.
The truth is that Saragarhi remains a forgotten incident.
Among the very few people researching on the battle of Saragarhi is J. Singh-Sohal, who is currently working on a film titled 21 Sikhs - a documentary exploring the events which unfolded at Saragarhi. In a recent discussion with one of our volunteers, J. Singh said-
"Saragarhi was forgotten because it was just yet another example of valour and bravery shown by Sikhs during the Raj. The importance of Saragarhi is that as event it marks a highpoint in what I call ‘the special respect’ the British had for Sikhs during the times of colonial rule. The Sikhs were brave, the Sikhs were loyal - and they would rather die than surrender.
The British recognized this and recruited them in thousands - sending them all over the world to serve the interests of the crown. Without the Sikhs fighting for the British - it would have been difficult for the British to protect and secure the North West Frontier Province, Hong Kong, Burma. Without Sikhs in East-Africa, Mesopotamia and Gallipoli - the great-war could have been protracted. Without Sikhs in Flanders, the Germans might have reached the ports and the course of history might have been different. I find this history all very inspiring not only because it shines a light into a bygone age but because this respect and high esteem the Sikhs were held in, has been forgotten - my work as a filmmaker is to tell this story. After all, if we don't who will?"
The battle of Saragarhi is the tale of bravery and incredible valour of a handful of soldiers who believed in their duty - who remained unconquered even in death - with the Sikh war cry ringing from their dying lips in defiance of the foe. You must not and will not be forgotten. We salute you!