IV/2014

NAGAARA

Kashmir of the Beyond 1947 A War Epic Sikhs of Today Floods and Fellowship

38 A Crucible of Strife

CContentsIssue IV/2014 2 Editorial : Kashmir of the Sikhs, beyond 1947 39 The Sikhs of Kashmir today

50 Being a Sikh-Kashmiri Komal JB Singh

51 Digging in their heels Vijay C Roy

15 The Trauma of October 1947 Sikhs around Baramula today [Photos from Dr. DP Singh] 52

55 High School in Srinagar Kashmir : a capsulated socio-economic history 4 VP Jain

20 A Haunted Legacy Amardeep Singh

57 Baba Baghel Singh Ji Sports Tournaments in Srinagar

59 Floods and Fellowship

10 1947: Savage Partition, Vicious Invasion 26 A War Epic 63 Celebrating the Sikh Turban [Images from LIFE magazine] 1st Sikhs save the Kashmir Valley Vandana Kalra

Editorial Director Editorial Office IV/2014 Dr Jaswant Singh Neki D-43, Sujan Singh Park 110 003, Printed by NAGAARA Executive Editor Pushpindar Singh Tel: (91-11) 24617234 Aegean Offset Printers Fax: (91-11) 24628615 Joint Editor e-mail : [email protected] Bhayee Sikander Singh Please visit us at: Published by www.nishaannagaara.com Editor for the Americas The Nagaara Trust Dr I.J. Singh at New York 16-A Palam Marg Kashmir of the Sikhs The opinions expressed in Beyond 1947 Editorial Board Vasant Vihar A War Epic the articles published in the Sikhs of Kashmir Today Inni Kaur New Delhi 110 057, India Floods and Fellowship Monica Arora Associated with Nishaan Nagaara do not Cover: Assembly at the Khalsa High Distributors The Chardi Kalaa Foundation necessarily reflect the views or School in Srinagar (photo by Jagjit Singh) Himalayan Books, New Delhi San Jose, USA policy of The Nagaara Trust. E

2 NISHAAN Editorial Editorial I away fromSrinagaritself. sacking Uri,hadinvested Baramula,anhour’sdrive had sweptthefewStateForces troopsasideandafter Muzzaffarabad andDomel ontheKashmirborder, Armytroops“onleave”,aftercapturing Chitralis andviscousMahsudsplusregular north westfrontiersofanewlybornPakistan. battled acenturybeforebutthistimearoundfromthe possibly evendescendantsofthesametribestheyhad Vale andreachesbeyondfrominvadinghordes, independent to defend and secure the were againinthevanguard,thistimeleadingan valley anditsreachesfromtheAfghans.Sikhwarriors a centuryafterSikhwarriorscapturedtheKashmir Valley’ whichtheydidindramaticmanner,justover begins withthearticle‘1stSikhssaveKashmir narrative forwardafterthatcenturyandinfact, and 1848-9.Thisissueofthe during thehardfoughtAnglo-SikhWarsof1845-6 to themas‘reward’fortheir‘services’(readtreachery) century aftertheBritishhad‘given’thisvastterritory are witnesstothattime. there areseveralSikhfortsandbaghsinKashmirthat Empire north-eastwards,incorporatingLadakhand 1819. Then,inthe1820s,ZorawarSinghexpanded after its conquest by in centuries backevenasKashmirbecamepartofthe of KashmiranditsKashmiriyatwasestablished his visit, an abiding legacy. The composite culture there arescoresofgurdwarasintheValleysacredto to KashmiraboutacenturyafterGuruNanakand Guru, beyond thePirPanjaltoJammuregion.OurSixth vividly commemoratedfromLadakhtotheValeand I Kashmir of the Sikhs, beyond 1947 The raiders or Kabalees, including Pathans, Thereafter, theDograsruledKashmirfornearlya visit tothislandbyGuruNanakSahibwhichis the firstpartin n continuationofthetheme‘KashmirtheSikhs’ Chhevin PatshshahiGuruHargobindSahibcame Nishaan III/2014,beganwiththe Nishaan takesthe

a surgeinthenumberofyouthcrossing overto of weaponry,includingdiabolicalIEDs.Therewas a newand deadlyenemy armed withavast variety Indian securityforcesinKashmirwerenowfacedby Kashmir, withanewsurgeintheKashmiri‘struggle’. after adecadeofconflictsignallednewphase in 1989. WithdrawalofSovietforcesfromAfghanistan strife andviolenceagainrearedtheiruglyvisage in of its inhabitants over thenextfewdecades when normalcy and smoothen thesocio-economy fabric the resplendentValleywasbarelyabletorestore ofthis‘ParadiseonEarth’, fate has ironicallybeen later. others continuetoinspiregenerationsseveraldecades KaramSinghPVCandmanyBishan Singh,L/Nk soldier oftheCommonwealth,whileotherslikeSub then wonaposthumousMVC,wasthemostdecorated Soldiers likeNbSubNandSinghVictoriaCross,who one’s duty abound in this battle of saving Kashmir. Kashmir. Stories of valour, dignity and honour of of thevalleyindesperatebattleswhichactuallysaved advance andtheninboldcounter-attacksretookmost Campaign ofWorldWarII,stoppedtheraiders’ themselves onlyafewyearsearlierduringtheBurma Ist Battalion,SikhRegimentwhichhaddistinguished reversing itintheclosingmonthsof1947.Thevaliant be intheforefrontofhaltinginvasionandthen appear forthefirsttimeinprint. bridge whereover300Sikhswereshotincoldblood, photographs, including those of theill-fated Domel for hisroots,writingandmanyofevocative the northwestfrontierinOctober1947.Searching had fallenvictimtotheinvadingKabaleesfrom of PakistanoccupiedKashmir.Manyhisancestors whose family came from , now capital Amardeep Singh,nowaSingaporeancitizen-banker Following such turmoil andpandemonium that It wasthusperhapsfatedthatSikhtroopswould That ‘HauntedLegacy’of1947isrecalledby Pakistan for war-like training and procurement of in the Vale of Kashmir, many around the town of arms, the ‘indigenous’ militant groups including the Baramula, some in the Tithwal Valley and Tangdhar, pro-independence JKLF and the pro-Pakistan Hizb- surrounded on three sides by territory under control ul-Mujahedin (Hizb). During decade of the 1990s an of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. In Jammu province, estimated 10,000 Kashmiri youth were estimated to there are half a million Sikhs, making a combined have joined various militant groups. population of over 600,000 Sikhs in the State of Jammu & Kashmir. Yet many feel that Sikhs of the State have The Indian Army and paramilitary forces were been denied support, not even being recognised by the given the task of counter-insurgency, leading to a Government as “a minority”. vast deployment of troops in the region. The AFSPA, or Armed Forces Special Powers Act , and still Although the Sikhs go about living their lives continues to be, a source of tension between the as normal citizens, as administrators, teachers, locals and the establishment. Twenty five years on, farmers, businessmen or serving with the police and terrorist attacks may have become less commonplace, civil services, they have not remained unscathed. but stone pelting is now seen as the Kashmiri Scores have died in cross firing between militants and appropriation of ‘Intifada’, a term used meaning security forces, others being killed in landmine blasts. ‘uprising’, often used synonymously with the And yet, their inter-personal relationships with Palestinian situation. local Muslims and other Hindus, who call Kashmir Bearing the brunt of this virtual ‘Talibanisation’ their home, are impeccable and a shining example of Kashmir have been the common people, especially of inter-religious peace, harmony and brotherhood. those who did not succumb to the path of mindless This fraternity of Kashmiri Sikhs have maintained the violence. They lost their homes, livelihoods and kith historic in the Valley with much affection and kin to the violence and no matter whose guns and kept them spruced and robust, a manifestation these bullets came from, they extinguished the light of of their dedication towards their universal faith in life of many a hapless Kashmiri. the goodness of mankind and for humanity, despite all odds. Their selfless spirit of servitude Almost a quarter of a century back, when such during the devastating floods of September 2014 and violence peaked in the Kashmir valley, most Kashmiri their resilience under distress continues to inspire Pandits left the Vale for the safety of Jammu and millions of Sikhs settled in different parts of India and beyond. Such an “ethnic cleansing” had begun the world. with creation of a fear psychosis, spearheaded by aggressive crowds, clearly communal, flooding the The Sikhs of Jammu and Kashmir have always streets, their slogans mixed with dire warnings. played an important role in the political scene of the State, holding important portfolios and From mid-September 1989, there wasa virtual responsibilities of governance. Their contributions exodus and the eventual numbers of Kashmiri Pandits are briefly acknowledged in this Issue which fleeing the Vale of Kashmir swelled to 750,000, also highlights some Kashmiri Sikhs who have thereafter living a life of refugees “in their own distinguished careers in India’s armed forces, Army, country”. In sharp contrast, even as the tragic ethnic Navy and the Air Force. cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits was underway, the Sikhs of Kashmir stood out for their steadfastness Many intrepid Kashmiri Sikhs have taken the amidst the political, economic and civil turbulence in initiative to celebrate sporting events and tournaments, the state. the Khalsa High School at Magarmal Bagh in Srinagar, is a shining example of how high level education is Sikhs are seemingly ‘accepted’ by the imparted to all communities in the Valley. overwhelming Muslim majority as being part of ‘Kashmiriyat’ but unfortunately have been ignored, This issue of the Nishaan then pays fine homage nay even neglected, by the Government. In 2014, to all these good men and women, who continue NISHAAN some 100,000 Sikhs live in the Vale of Kashmir, to uphold the highest principles of and 18,000 of them in and around the second biggest serve their motherland to the best of their abilities in town of Baramula. There are numerous Sikh villages difficult circumstances. Chardi Kala! 3 4 NISHAAN T Kashmir : T ofthestate The vale ofKashmirisverily theheart and theValleyofKashmir. Theregionshavelittlein divisions :JammuProvince, theLadakhplateau Ranges, the Statefallsinto three distinct natural Karakoram, the Pir Panjal and the Greater Himalayan of theState’stotalarea. by China,whichtogetherformasmuch55percent west andnorth-westbyPakistanonthenorth-east Another complicationistheforcibleoccupationon whole Stateinarea,thepopularminditisState. A capsulatedsocio-economic

Aside fromthemountainoustractsof Written byVP Jain,formerCabinetSecretary intheNehruGovernment, 1963 the Valleyconstitutes just tenpercent of the the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Although here existsastrangemisconceptionabout History tillthemid-1960s* The WhiteHuns entered theValleyand theMughals widelyused. most the ages Haji PirPasswasinpast all impassableduringthe fourwintermonths.The passes :theBanihal,HajiPirandGolabGarh, range gives access to the Valley through three other ‘invasion’ hasbeendeniedtoKashmir.ThePirPanjal Srinagar-Rawalpindi highway,whichsincethe1947 throughout thewinterandspringseasons. in theGreaterHimalayas. Thepass is snow-bound road viaKargilwhichpassesthroughtheZojilaPass Ladakh isconnectedwiththeValleybyonlyone common intheirhistory,culture,languageorreligion. The onlyall-weatherroadfromtheValleywas took the Imperial road through it. Bernier who visited engineers regulated a number of the Jhelum’s Kashmir during Aurangzeb’s reign, reached the Valley tributaries and built kuhls for irrigation. In all through this pass. With the loss of the Haji Pir Pass probability, Kashmir has the distinction of being the to Pakistan, (briefly recaptured by Sikh troops in August first to lift water through water-wheels for irrigation. 1965 and then ‘returned’ to Pakistan after the ceasefire) the Surrounded by steep mountains, the Valley is Valley is approachable from India only through the like a tilted saucer sloping towards the Wular lake. Jammu-Srinagar road which crosses the Banihal Pass. According to an old legend, the Valley was a vast The Vale of Kashmir undoubtedly is the most lake called ‘Sat Saras’ or the Lake of Sati, which was important of the three regions. About ten times as drained by the sage Kashyap after whom Kashmir is thickly populated as the Ladakh plateau, it forms the named, by cutting an outlet through the mountains heart of the State. Three out of every four persons in at Khalanyar. Geologically the Valley must have once the Valley live, in villages and derive their livelihood been a great lake, which has left surviving swampy from the land. The Valley of Kashmir is virtually the `nambals’ and water-logged low lands as prominent basin of the Jhelum, traditionally called the Vitasta. features.

The ethereal beauty of the Kashmir Valley makes it a truly picture post card entity

It is navigable throughout its length and provides a The outlet for the Jhelum waters at Khalanyar is cheap means of transport. Its waters feed the irrigation too inadequate to carry the full discharge and during system of Kashmir. the monsoons the river swells and becomes a scourge causing heavier losses than any other Indian river. The is both the blessing and. the The devastating floods of 1893 and 1959 (and recently scourge of the Valley. Its water, carried through in 2014 - see separate article) when the whole Valley Zamindari kuhls (gals) has always sustained the virtually became a lake, are still remembered by the crops. The great chronicler Kalhana wrote that since people. During the flood the nambals are inundated times immemorial, the contribution of the kuhls to with water, the flow of water in the kuhls is reversed Kashmir’s agricultural economy had been notable. The and they carry huge quantities of flood water from the Suvarnamankalya kuhl, built by King Suvarna still Jhelum, destroying the crops in the fields. NISHAAN irrigates the area which was once his domain. King Lalitadatya is credited with having carried irrigation Srinagar is protected by a number of embankments to villages near Sahadar. King Avantivarinan’s and other anti-flood measures in the upper reaches 5 6 NISHAAN had beenbuilt ontourism.Unlike thehillstations system ofthelandextending totheKhalanyargorge. Sindh totheWularlake.He alsoimprovedthedrainage the with confluence its from Jhelum the of course entire whose engineerSuyyais saidtohavechangedthe seem tohaveworriedthebenignKingAvantivarman, flood waters tosave thetown. Floods intheValley embankments havetobecutdivertapartofthe of theriver,bu is bothoflifesustenanceandtaking The capitalofKashmir, Srinagar, isdissectedby water oftheriver Jhelumwhich Over thecenturiesValley’s urbaneconomy t inhi gh floods,sometimesthe and thePirPanjalfrom exuberantlivingofIndia. the Valleyfromrugged civilisationofCentralAsia Great HimalayanRangesonthenorthhaveprotected dissimilar tothoseoftherestsub-continent.The and traditionofitsown.Insome respectstheseare the British,KashmirValleyhasahistory,culture of Simla and Darjeelin the creditf Valley andnorthIndia,specially LahoreandDelhi,but There hadalwaysbee or throwingopentheValley toIndiagoes g which arethecreations of n sometradingbetweenthe to the two Mughal Emperors, Jahangir and Shahjehan. nature. The chinar which had been imported from Iran, Fascinated by its climate and beauty, they made was planted all over the Valley. It now inspires much Srinagar their summer capital, and at the beginning of of the art of Kashmir, appearing in designs of wood summer every year a whole caravan of courtiers and carvings, embroidery, papier mache paintings, carpets officials would move to that city. There the Mughals and the like. The Mughals developed the wool, silk, built some beautiful terraced gardens, like Shalimar wood, papier mache and leather industries and now an and Nishat. By stemming the springs, they developed inexhaustible variety of carpets, namdas, embroidery, NISHAAN the Chashma-i-Shahi and structurally controlled the papier-mache, stoles, capes, coats, shahtush, pashmina, Jhelum’s source at Verinag. These are outstanding woollen cloth, silk, jewellery, fur and leather goods examples of the Mughals’ architectural skill and love of have a big market within Kashmir and in India. 7 8 NISHAAN extension oftheInd consequence agriculturally. JammuProvinceisthe crops likeragiandbuckwheat.Theplateauisoflittle of Ladakh permits only the raising of low value is the driest part of the country. The short summer It region. Ladakh ofmuchuseinthe isnot water mightiest riversoftheworld,Indus,butriver highest plateauinIndia.Itisdrainedbyoneofthe the countryside. distress in the cities andtowns was worse than that in theywerecornered bygreedytraders.Thebecause Sometimes shortageswerecreatedbydelayedsupplies trade-route raisedthepricesofallthesecommodities. salt, tea, etc. as imports and the lengthening of the for suppliesofcottontextiles,rice,kerosene,sugar, fruits begantoperish.TheKashmirisaredependent tourism. HandicraftgoodsaccumulatedandKashmiri declare anindependentKashmiractedasadamperon question ofaccessionandrumoursthathewould finalised, theSheikh’s ambivalent attitude on the with little success.After the Cease Fire line was to Delhiafterunloadingsoldiersandweaponsmet returning aircraft transport AirForce through fruit declined. Effortsmadetotransporthandicraftsand came toa near-standstill andthesales of goods invasion ofthetribesmentouristtradeKashmir cherries whichhaveareadyexportmarket.Withthe peaches, apricots,almonds,walnuts,chestnutsand goods. TheValleygrowsexcellentfruits—apples, his friendsandrelativesareintroducedtoKashmiri tourist carrieshomesomespecialtiesfromtheValley, unpaid advertisingagentsforKashmirigoods.Whena biggest arethe someKashmiriwares.Tourists buy of theother.Thereishardlyatouristwhodoesnot the tourist trade. One shares the prosperity andwoes important touristplacesformiddle-incomevisitors. demand, theStatehasputupwoodencottagesatall throughout theState.Withincreaseinpopular rulers hadbuiltcomfortabletraveller’sbungalows hospitality asintheKashmir Valley.The Kashmir Nowhere inIndiadoes the touristreceivesuchlavish Pahalgam onthebankofLiddarhasitscharms. Baramula are popular water resorts. Camping at The Dal Lake at Srinagar and theWular Lake near sports onthesnowsofSonamargaregreatattractions. The golfcourseatGulmarg,skating,skiingandwinter The bleakand arid plainof Ladakh forms the The handicraftsofKashmirareintertwinedwith The Valley is full of places of interest for tourists. us plainswithfairlygoo d summer Sheikh raisedthetenant’ssharetotwo-thirds. half. ThefirstlandreformsintroducedbyAbdullah basis ofcrop-sharing.Theratesharingwashalfand were generallypoor Muslims who held lands on the Rajputs and,increasingly,KashmiriSikhs.Thetenants They weremostlyeitherKashmiriPunditsorDogra special class oflandowners knownas Chakladars. Darbar, theJagirdars, the ruler’s relations and a agricultural landswereheldalmostwhollybythe Basantpur. Jammuproducesallthecropsofplains. a numberofcanalssuchastheRanbir,Pratap,Ujhand water forirrigationcanals.TheDograrulershadbuilt Province, assumes thename of theChenab,supply and theChandraBhagawhich,onenteringJammu and lowtemperatures inwinter.The riverRavi, and winterrainfall,hightemperaturesinsummer The twoyears1 into disrepairandtheproductivity oflandsuffered. not cooperateinmaintaining them.Thekuhlsfell became nobody’s concern. The newcultivators would by theland-owners,afterimpositionofceiling zamindari kuhis,whichwereformerlylookedafter farms. Intermsofsocialgain,theresultwasnil.The to landlesslabourersorfororganisingcollective the land-owners.Noland was available fordistribution surplus landshadbeentransferredtotherelatives of patwari, the official, notorious that with collusion in the land,itwasfoundthatasaresultofscramble has tobepaid. acquired bytheState,compensationatmarketrate carries aprovisionthatforanylandwithintheceiling payment ofcompensation;andtheUnionConstitution India, proprietaryrightsinlandhadbeenacquiredon to theKashmirConstituentAssembly when itmet.In for landsacquiredandtheissuewasleftdecision decision was takenon thepayment of compensation workers and fororganising collective farms. No Government fordistributionamongthelandless and forhousing.Surpluslandswerevestedinthe fourths acres for raising crops, vegetables, orchards than atotallandareaoftwenty-twoandthree- no land-owningfamilywouldinfutureholdmore But beforethereportwasready,heannouncedthat prepare aprogrammeforabolishinglandedestates. The Sheikhset upaLand Reforms Committee to The Sheikh'sreforms In thedays oftheMaharajas,fruitorchardsand When the time arrived for taking possessionofWhen thetimearrivedfortaking 949-51 wereyearsofsevere drought involved in power politics and he had little time to rebuild the administration. The State’s sources of revenue had virtually dried up. Its expenses were mounting. Its budget had to be financed by India. The Sheikh was suspicious of India and would not accept the loan of Indian officers, though trained and experienced personnel in the State were not available. A complete administrative dead-lock ensued. Among the leaders of the National Conference, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was personally efficient, but he had scant Typical Gompa in Ladakh, the high altitude plateau, bordered by Tibet regard for the rules and procedures which are in the Valley. India supplied subsidised rice but this essential for sustaining any official machinery. depressed the price of local rice, and the economy of the The people’s suffering was further aggravated countryside suffered the severest shock. by the infighting between the politicians — with the Some relief did come from the Conciliation Boards Sheikh and his supporter Mirza Afzal Beg on the one set up to scale down debts which weighed heavily side, and Bakshi and his supporters Dogra and Saraf on the peasantry. In many cases the scaling down on the other. It had created an atmosphere of universal was by as much as 80 per cent of the debt. Some new depression. The Sheikh had lost his earlier popularity. lands were reclaimed and cultivation extended over While India was going ahead with developmental them to reduce the State’s food shortage. The old programmes, Kashmir’s economy was stagnant and its feudal system of compulsory purchase of a part of the politics uncertain. In terms of developmental activities, farmer’s produce was abolished. But the economic the six years of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s rule distress among the people was so great that these were a complete blank. small gains were forgotten. Neglect of Ladakh The Sheikh organised consumer’s cooperatives The Ladakhis had been neglected during the for the sale at fair prices of the necessities of life, but Maharaja’s regime. They did not get any worth while these societies were soon the scene of a scramble relief even after the advent of Sheikh Abdullah. for power and money. Similar societies organised Ladakh threatened to break away from the State and later for the distribution of imported rice and sugar establish a direct link with India. The Maharaja had became instruments for sustaining the power and the full support of the Hindus of Jammu, especially finances of politicians including a large number of of the Dogras. The communal-minded Praja Parishad MLAs Black-marketing and illegally raised prices was carrying on an incessant propaganda against became commonplaces. An enquiry set up in 1952- the Sheikh, and encouraging separatist tendencies. 53 by the Kashmir Government revealed that the Those who had suffered from the new land reforms cooperatives had collapsed because of the corruption joined the ranks of malcontents. But the arrogant and malpractices of their directors and employees. NISHAAN Sheikh made no effort to meet the peoples’ genuine The administrative machinery of the Maharaja’s grievances. Infuriated, he threatened to separate the time had also collapsed. The Sheikh was wholly Valley from Ladakh and Jammu. 9 10 NISHAAN T T 1947 communal partytoforma new Ministry. ’s British Governorinvited this unabashedly Disobedience Movement. The die was cast when enough tillconfrontedby theMuslimLeague’sCivil its secularMinistrywasgoverning theStateefficiently months earlier,thePunjab wasanunitedentityand men ofthenewlyemerged .Onlysix west frontier, armed and led byregularofficers and From LIFEMagazine, 1947 Jammu andKashmirbytribalsfromthenorth in August1947wasfollowed byinvasion of he tragic,naysavage,partitionofthePunjab :

Savage Partition, Vicious Invasion in . Amritsar during mid-April with some repercussions city. Seriousriotingand arsonwaswitnessedin casualties inMultandistrict andmucharsoninMultan Rawalpindi Division,while therewereveryheavy the Rawalpindi,AttockandJhelumdistricts of outnumbered non-Muslimsintheruralareasaround were themassacresofinnocentandhopelessly Rawalpindi, JullundurandSialkotcities.Worst broken outinLahore,spiralingtoAmritsar,Multan, Earlier, on 4 March 1947 communal rioting hadEarlier, on4March1947communalrioting Trouble then spread along the Mewat in through the last six months in the Punjab can conceive Gurgaon district, south of Delhi in late April and of the dangers we have escaped. To take a Province from mid-May onwards, the communal ‘war of of thirty million people noted for their pugnacity, succession’ began in earnest in Lahore and Amritsar, to whip these people into a communal frenzy, to tell with incendiarism, stabbing and bombing. Serious them that the British authority, which has held the incidents occurred in various districts, particularly reins for nearly a century, is going almost immediately Gujranwala and Hoshiarpur and village raiding began to divide their province into two parts by a boundary especially around Amritsar, Lahore, Ferozepore, driven through an area homogeneous in everything Jullundur and Hoshiarpur. Revival of disturbances in but religion, and to convert its two principal cities into Gurgaon resulted in 140 villages being burnt, with frontier towns …. these are surely no ordinary times”. very heavy casualties. The communities began war- In concluding his memorandum on the “intolerably like preparations, with weapons procured, bombs difficult situation”, Jenkins then stated that “the future manufactured and drills carried out. From mid-May is unknown and it would be idle to speculate upon onwards, a virtual ‘civil war’ was raging in Delhi and it” but that “the grouping of forces and the problems the Punjab and such mass terrorism made control by to be solved will be entirely different from 15 August Army troops and civil police most ineffective. and that neither improvement nor deterioration after that date will prove anything whatsoever”. Sir Cyril Radcliffe was ready to announce the award of the Punjab Boundary Commission by 9 August, but the Viceroy felt it desirable to defer this to 14 August. Sir Evan Jenkins, the Punjab Governor, pointed out that there were administrative advantages from early publication and telegraphed the Viceroy about the “most serious” situation in the Boundary Area, asking for Army reinforcements, additional armed Police and possibly an Air Force tactical reconnaissance squadron. Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck had tried his best to get reinforcements to meet the Punjab situation but however, wanted the units out of necessity to be British troops stage flag march through a town in the NWFP mixed, particularly for the North-West Frontier as there were a proportion of Sikhs in nearly all the Units There was bitter criticism of the British of the Punjab Boundary Force. administration who had been able to crush without difficulty the ‘Quit India’ movement of 1942 but failed As the Governor put it : “You can doubtless be to deal in the same way with the communal frenzy of assistance in this regard. If the Sikhs are taken of 1947. While in 1942, attacks were concentrated out of Hindu clutches—as they want to be—and on Government property and personnel, in 1947 put in a more or less independent position on their little attention was paid to the Government and the own, they are much more likely to gravitate in the ‘two nations’ fought one another in the streets, in the end towards their natural alignment with the rest of markets, in the fields and in the villages. the Punjab and Pakistan. The next step would be to indicate that it is optional for this Sikh Eastern Punjab The Muslims were working to secure a more to join either Hindustan or Pakistan and that there favourable position at the time of transfer of power is no presumption that it must join one rather than (for instance in the Rawalpindi Division the objective the other. The Sikhs will probably make this clear was to eliminate the entire non-Muslim population themselves, but if they ask for some pronouncements while at Lahore, the Muslims wanted to “scare away” to this effect from HMG, it will probably be advisable the non-Muslims and so on). NISHAAN to accede to their request. Please forgive this unasked Sir Evan Jenkins, Governor of the Punjab stated for effusion. My excuse is that without a Sikh-Muslim on 4 August 1947 that “nobody who has not lived pact there will be chaos in northern India”. 11 12 NISHAAN of millions,unparalleled inthehistory ofmankind. bitter hatredsoonresulted inthemassmigration butcheries, arsonandrape inanatmosphereof of India.Murderousattacksbyarmedgangs,mass panic and to flee eastwards in the general direction coercing themtoleavetheirancestralhomesin to terrorisenon-Muslimsintownsandvillages, Muslims the stung Punjab, inWestern particularly theMuslimLeague,The frenzyofhatredfannedby trans-migration inhistory The mosthorrific within oneconglomeratewhole”. maximum portionoftheSikhsshould beincluded Commission shouldsodefinetheboundarythat mitigate theplightofSikhswasthatBoundary greatest reputation. The only situation which could of the world, the Sikhs probably had built upthe the Sikh community and, of all the martial races British havehadthehappiestpossiblerelationswith stated on15JulyintheHouseofCommons:“The the sympathyofmanyBritishparliamentarians.As and thecontinuingdilemmaofSikhsaroused wasmooted andproperty ofnumber basis on the A “just and equitable” division of thePunjab Trail ofdestructionasrefugees cross thenew frontiers betweenanindependentIndiaandnewly emerged Pakistan board fullysupportingSirKhizrHyatKhan’sUnionist Punjab iswellrecordedinhistory,the That theSikhswereutterlyopposedtopartitionof Dilemma fortheSikhs Cabinet Mission which visited India in the spring of relentless pressuresforcreating aPakistan.TheBritish Party whichhadralliedagainst theMuslimLeague’s direction. Muslims andsobeganmassmigrationintheother acts ofrevengewereperpetuatedbyciviliansagainst units oftheBaluchRegiment.Soon, inEast Punjab, personnel of the Pakistan Army, particularly some active participationinthese atrocities byuniformed officials, werenearlyparalysed. Farworse was the civil administration,sofarvirtuallyrunbyBritish andthe disintegrated police forcehadcompletely young girlskidnapped,childrenslaughtered.The were beingstopped,themenbutchered,womenand passenger transontheirjourneytoEastPunjab Muslims werebutcheredinSheikhupuraand,shortly, Western Punjab.On20August,thousandsofnon- of rest soonspreadtothe this and Mianwalli,but Muzaffargarh ofRawalpindi,Multan, districts the At thebeginning,suchmovementwasmainlyfrom Panthic Pratinidhi

shrines and historical gurdwaras with provision for the transfer and exchange of population and property”. The Muslim League-inspired killings in Noakhali and Tipperah in Eastern Bengal in October 1946 soon had repercussions in Bihar where the Hindus then took their revenge. Inflamed by this, Muslims of Hazara District in the North West Frontier Province, wreaked their vengeance on the comparatively few Sikhs there and such killings soon spread to the districts of Rawalpindi, Cambellpur and Multan in the Punjab. Sikhs became the main victims of the March 1947 riots, being easily identifiable, the Hindu and Muslim less easy to tell apart. Amongst many others similarly affected, the Sikh village of Kahuta in Rawalpindi District (now the centre of Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapon programme) was totally destroyed Master Tara Singh, leader of the Sikhs, seen at Simla during 1946 by ravaging Muslims. Lord Louis Mountbatten, who 1946 were impressed by the arguments marshaled by visited it in April 1947 likened “the destruction as the Sikh leaders but could not reconcile these with the thorough as any produced by fire-bomb raids in the extremist stance of the Muslim League and duplicity of war”. The communal bent of the Punjab Police was the Congress Party. The Sikh leader, Master Tara Singh another important factor in the programme, with stated that he was for a united India but if Pakistan was nearly 75 per cent of them being Muslim. conceded, he was for a separate Sikh state with the The March 1947 riots became a drastic challenge right to federate with either India or Pakistan. The Sikh to the Sikhs, whose own semi-organised Akal Fauj or state would comprise the entire Jullundur and Lahore Akal Sena were seen only as paper tigers. The Sikh’s divisions, together with Hissar, Karnal and Simla humiliation, especially when their martial prowess districts of the Ambala division, as also the districts was in question, steeled their hearts and their mood of Montgomery and Lyallpur, with an approximate darkened to fight back and save the community from boundary along the River Chenab. On 22 March 1946, the Shiromani Akali Dal had passed a resolution stating that Sikhistan was its political objective. It said : “Whereas the Sikhs being attached to the Punjab by intimate bonds of holy shrines, property, language, traditions and history claim it as their homeland and holy land which the British took as a trust from the last Sikh ruler during his minority and whereas the entity of the Sikhs is being threatened on account of the persistent demand of Pakistan by the Muslims on the one hand and of danger of absorption of the Hindus on the other, the executive committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal demands the preservation NISHAAN and protection of the religious, cultural, economic and political rights of the Sikh Millions lost not just their belongings but also their near and dear ones during the 13 population and their important sacred movement across the border 14 NISHAAN Faridkot, soastoreinforce thejathastraditionally from thePrincely States of Patiala, Kapurthalaand etc. The Sikhs, on theother hand, tried to getarms ammunition, handgrenades, steelhelmets,ironjackets used topurchasejeeps,trucks, rifles,machineguns, Bahawalpur. This secretfund( areasandWest FrontierProvince,asalsothetribal for arms tobeobtained mainlyfrom theNorth as fromDecember1946,withasecretfundraised to build up stocks of weapons and bombs as early the GoldenTempleandotherhistoricgurdwaras. defunct IndianNationalArmywererecruitedtoguard help from theSikhprincelystates. Members ofthe swords andspearssomefirearmsifpossiblewith defence for thecommunityandthenbegantoorganiseself Takht Master TaraSinghand280jathedarsvowedatthe Muslim aggression. On Baisakhi Day (13 April 1947) The MuslimLeaguehad,however,longbegun Nearly 9 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were displaced from their homes and hearths during the terrible partition ofIndiain1947 Nearly 9millionHindus, partition theterrible during SikhsandMuslimswere displacedfrom theirhomesandhearths (Amritsar) to sacrifice their lives if necessary intownsandvillages,toarmthemwith sandug ) wasalso Akal

the 4,286,755Muslimswho leftEastPunjab. West Punjab,andtheNWFP totaled4,351,477against attended withsomuchbloodshed”. the worldwasthereabigger exchangeofpopulation, historyofand passengersslaughtered.“Neverinthe stopped trans weremercilessly attacked, refugees committed, gauntandstarvingfoot-convoys of were atrocities weremurdered. Horrible thousands of Punjabishadbeendisplaced,andhundreds of its independenceandPakistanwasborn,millions murderous assaultsoftheMuslims. force, steeledthedefenceofSikhs(andHindus)from Sikh jathaswhich,inthe.vacuumofalawandorder headquarters and military-like tactics. Itwas these system was in place, with designated leaders, mobile martial organisationandverysoon,anoperational horses. The jathas greatest asset however, was their armed withonlykirpansandspearsmountedon The finaltally:Hindus and Sikhs whohad left When on15August1947,Indiacelebrated The Trauma of October 1947 s the independence of India from the neared, the various rulers of princely Astates were given no choice but to accede to India or Pakistan. Most of the states under the Act of independenceA became part of a new India except for those with Muslim majority. There were exceptions, the most obvious being Hyderabad-Deccan and Jammu & Kashmir. While the former had a Muslim Nizam ruling a Hindu-majority area, the latter had a Hindu Maharaja ruling a Muslim-majority area, particularly the Vale of Kashmir. Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir could not decide which way to go and sought a three-month ‘standstill’ to decide upon his course of action. If this was allowed to pass, then on 15 After being armed, invading forces were transported by vehicles from November 1947, he would have perforce have had to the NWFP to Kashmir, crossing the Jhelum and Kishanganga (Neelam) decide on the State’s future. rivers at Kohala and Domel On the eve of partition in 1947, Dogra Janak On 4 September 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh of Singh had replaced Pandit Ram Chand as Kashmir’s Kashmir protested to the newly emerged Pakistan Prime Minister and the enigmatic Shiekh Abdullah government about armed bands violating Kashmir’s was released from detention. However, when 15 borders from western Punjab. Soon enough, Pakistan August 1947 dawned, the communal rioting, terrible imposed an economic blockade by stopping supplies massacres and arson in the Punjab also affected of essential commodities into Kashmir. With tens of Kashmir. Over the past century, in the spirit of thousands of Sikhs living in the border towns of Kashmiriyat, Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus had co- south-west Kashmir, the imminence of danger was habituated the State but those living along the borders apparent. Akali Kor Singh sent messages to the Sikhs with the Punjab and NWFP directly faced the storm. of Muzzafarabad to be vigilant as the days ahead were NISHAAN Worst off and affected by armed bands looting and likely to be dangerous. Other Sikh leaders including murdering were the border towns of Muzaffarabad, Sant Gurbaksh Singh, Jathedar Kapoor Singh and Poonch, Mirpur, Bhimber and others. Giani Ujjagar Singh toured villages to apprise the 15 16 NISHAAN on 20October 1947,fullyarmed including withmachine Akbar KhanofthePakistan Army(aliasTariq),began Pak Armyinmuftiunder thecommandofMajorGeneral occupy Kashmirbyarmed force. discuss thefuture,theywerecovertlyworkingonplans to as thePakistanGovernmentaskedMaharajaHariSingh to imminent violencewascreatinghavocintheValley. Even meanwhile concentratinginHazaraandthethreat of NWFP inPakistan (soon tobetermed asKabalees)were Sikh villagesadjoiningMuzaffarabad.Tribalsfrom the retired armypersonnel)beganplannedattacksonseveral 1947, SodanMuslimsofPoonch(manywhom were 1947, conditions started to deteriorate. On 6 October Balwant SinghBaliandGianiSingh. endeavours byother prominent Kashmiris including S people onthevolatileconditionsandwerejoinedintheir Sikhs of Abbottabad intheNWFP, manyofwhom moved toMuzaffarabad thesummerof1947andthenfaced more inKashmirduring danger The invasion of Kashmir byKabalees, led by regular The futurewasmostominousandfromendSeptember concentrated ontheborderswithKashmirbefore being Typical from tribals theNWFP (orKabalees)whowere led inby regular Pak Army officers Kohala Bridge over the River Jhelum, connecting the north west frontier and Kashmir guns and mortars, crossing the bridges at Domal and of Sikhs reached Domel in a kafila, where they joined Kohala, heading for Muzaffarabad and then onwards other Sikhs gathered there. They spent the night in to the Vale of Kashmir. Domel and in the morning were informed that they The Sikhs and Hindus of Muzaffarabad were lives would be spared if they converted to Islam. dependent on the State Forces for protection but, Leaders of the Sikhs, Sant Baldev Singh, Giani Rangil when on 22 October 1947, the Kabalees launched Singh, Giani Gurbaksh Singh, S Gulab Singh and a major attack from the Lahori Gali side, the others rejected this and in the late afternoon, when the unprepared state forces were outnumbered by the Kabalees returned, the Sikh, men, women and children raiders, who relentlessly destroyed property, set of the kafila were gathered on the Domel Bridge over houses on fire and slaughtered the hapless populace the Jhelum and were then shot in cold blood by the of Muzaffarabad. Thousands of Sikhs congregated Kabalees, an estimated 300 being massacred. at Chhattipatshahi Naloochi to defend While resisting the tribals, the Sikh population of themselves, and large numbers were killed fighting Kashmir suffered greatly, particularly in the villages gallantly with whichever arms they could find, of Bhatika, Chattar, Anbor, Radoo, Kotli and others, mostly swords and some, very few, fire arms. As the as they began to move eastwards along the Jhelum men died, many women and children plunged into towards Srinagar. the Jhelum river to save their honour. After their capture of Muzzafarabad and Domel, Uri-Muzaffarabad highway massacring the Sikh kafila, the Kabalees too began NISHAAN Betraying the trust of Kashmiriyat , many Muslim moving towards Srinagar and the State forces were leaders, including the treacherous Thekedar Bahadur unable to defend the territory. The distraught Sikhs Khan, guided the vicious invaders. A large number and Hindus were mercilessly massacred by not just 17 18 NISHAAN Instrument ofAccessionwithIndia,therebyendingall Kabalees enteredBaramulaon26October1947. Chayhel, wherehewaskilledintheensuingbattle.The Baramula. BrigadierRajinderSinghwithdrewto road nearthedamagedbridgetothencontinuetowards stranded inUrifortwodays,constructingadiversion the bridgeoverHajiPeerNala,andKabaleeswere State ForcesmadehislastdefenceatUri,destroying Adoosa, Basma,Dariyaandothers. the tribalsbutalsolocalMuslimsinareassuchas A franticMaharajaHariSinghnowsignedthe Brigadier Rajinder Singhcommanding theKashmir The mountainroad from Mansera intheNWFPasitwindsupalong thevalleyleadingtoUri, Baramula and Srinagar A typicalfrontier town intheNWFP, lookingtowards thehillsofKashmir [Photos from family albumofDr. DPSinghofBaramula] improvised by Gian Singh Fauji. Whilst the Sikhs GianSinghFauji.Whilstthe improvised by cannon invaderswithamakeshift onthe firing October, Sikhvillagersputupabravefight,even 27 OctoberandatChandoosaon30October.On31 many civilians,HindusandSikhsinKanspuraon Khwaja BaghfromJanbazpuraandFatehpur. forcespositionedat State attackedthe Kabalees (see article ‘1st Sikhs save theValley’). Meanwhile, and AirForcefordefenceofJammuKashmir Immediate orderswereissuedtotheIndianArmy regardingthestatusofJammuKashmir. The Kabaleescontinuedtheiradvance,killing Sikh villagers evacuating their families by foot towards Srinagar following the tribal invasion of the Kashmir valley were fighting the Kabalees at Atna, Ichama, Kashmiri Gujri, Patusa, Fagipura, Chanam, Shalkot, Rawalpura, Sikhs from Dalvana Shohagpura and Jazzbugg also Khundi, Didarpura, Karnah and others, which were joined the battle. also attacked by the Kabalees. Sadly, the resident Kamraz, situated on the northern side of the river Muslims had joined hands with the invaders, and the Jhelum, included several Sikh villages including Chak noble idea of Kashmiriyat had vanished. NISHAAN

The Church in Baramula after being destroyed by the Kabalees who had raped the nuns before shooting them along with many others Destruction of Baramula after pillaging and arson by the Kabalees 19 20 NISHAAN sister waslivingin Sun formed Pakistan, capture theregion for thenewly Kashmir intheirobjective to the NorthWestFrontierinvaded children butwhenPathansfrom life bereplaced? his siblingshadlosteverything. town ofMuzaffarabad ofKashmir, against non-Muslimsinthefrontier city ofGorakhpur.Inthemassacre his siblingswhohadmovedtothe slowly limpingbacktonormalfor two years afterpartition, life was was thankfultoGodthatinthelast was thesummerof1949andhe a shortdistancefromhishome.It He rushed to the thatched hut at but lettearsrolldownhischeeks. Sunder Singh could not express address, therewasnothingelse. ‘Hari Singh.’Justliketheconcise thenameRawalpindi, followedby a ChristianMissionaryofficein nothing else butanaddress of handwriting, itscontentwas in UttrarPradesh. its waytomyfatherinGorakhpur Rawalpindi in Pakistan had found that the postcard sent from could onlybea divine intervention read ‘SunderSingh,Gorakhpur,’it believe itisforyou.” A A Amardeep Singh writes about his search for the family roots in Muzaffarabad No mothercanpartwithher Wealth comes andgoesbutcan This was a moment of joy that In somewhatcrippled With atwo-lineaddressthatjust is astrangepostcardandI “SunderSingh,thisfather, s thepostmansaidtomy Muzaffarabad A Haunted Legacy der Singh’s The ill-fated Domelbridge, where over 300Sikhswere shotincoldbloodby the invading Pashtun inOctober1947 tribals After the massacre, the family headed from Muzaffarabad to Srinagar and suffered terrible tragedy. The tribals parted convert cash into gold, before heading back to their women from men and children from women, intent villages. In the two years before the partition of being to take away young girls and shoot all males. India, Sunder Singh was busy setting up a business in Helpless, she had no clue what happened to her two Gorakhpur and his presence in a distant land became boys, as much as they did about their mother. the reason for his siblings to choose this city to live in. Sunder Singh pushed the door open in his sister’s In the religion-based partition of August 1947, hut, “Bhenji, I think the children are alive!” Pakistan was formed, in the wake of which was mindless violence on both sides of the dividing My father, a goldsmith by profession from line. The outcome was that Sikhs and Hindus were Muzaffarabad, in Kashmir, had left for Gorakhpur in ‘cleansed’ from West Punjab and within weeks from 1945 to explore new business opportunities associated Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. with Gurkhas of the British-Indian army. Gurkhas from Nepal would arrive at the Gurkha Regimental As Maharaja Hari Singh, erstwhile ruler of Depot to collect their pension and many would Kashmir, delayed his decision, (to join India or NISHAAN

A distant view of the Muzaffarabad valley 21 22 NISHAAN separation. about hissisterwhowas underemotionalpainof them starttheirlifeagain butwasalways uprooted brothers and sisters in Gorakhpur, helping managed totakecustodyofthetwodestituteboys. 1947and inNovember reached Muzzafarabad wealth. their hostagesandreturnedtoPakistanwithlooted pushing thetribalsback,whoeventuallyabandoned when the 1 lived infearoftheunknown tillearlyNovember, them of this visible sign of their faith.For days they requirement andthetribals’firstactionwastodeprive For Sikhs,keepingunshornhairisthemostsacred were putthroughmentalandphysicalhumiliation. tribals the by caught onbeing andHariSingh, Singh two youngsons. intolerable painashissisterknewnothingabouther father’s siblings. refugees arrivedinDelhiandincludedsomeofmy In December 1947,anAir Force Dakotaevacuating resources reunitingthefamily,bringingthemtoDelhi. to SunderSingh.Myfatherspentallhistimeand his brotherAmarSinghandconveyedthemessage locate to onearmypersonwasable would haveit, any defencepersonneltravelingtoSrinagar.Asluck night at Delhi Airport, sending messages through his family.Foroverthreemonths, hespent day and left forDelhiinthehopesomehowtoreunitewith in greatturmoil,andleavingallbusinessbehindhe and beyond,tothevalleyofSrinagar. lives headed from Muzaffarabad towards Baramula Gorakhpur butsomeofhisfamilywhohadsavedtheir at pointblankrange. Jhelum andKishenganga)executedbythetribals called Domelbridgenearconfluenceoftherivers (also bridge Singh Ranbir areas wereroundedupat 22 October,over300maleSikhsfromthesurrounding order to capture it for Pakistan. On the fateful day of Waziristan and Khyber regions invaded Kashmir, in Pakist But timegoeson.Sunder Singhsettledhis A ChristianmissionaryfromRawalpindihad As itlater became known, the two lads, Arjan In themonthsthatfollowed,SunderSinghwas Sunder Singhfeltcompletelyhelpless,strandedin

This wasamomenttocelebratebutalsooneof an), inmid-October1947,Pathantribalsfrom st Sikhs recaptured Baramula and Uri, concerned now liesindilapidatedconditionacrossremoteareas, travelled for30days,exploringtheSikhheritagethat finally abletomakethetrip.Inabackpackingstyle,I feel theenergyofourancestors. partition butatleastforme,theentirebeingdesiredto be abletoassociatewiththetrademarkeventsof travel toPakistan.Ournextgenerationmaynot forever. area whichisinPakistan,andpostpartition,was lost and realised that80% ofourSikhheritageliesinthe grew updelvingintothehistoryofmycommunity grown biggerandweredemandingaclosureI stories. Withpassageof time thefootprintshaveonly the partition,Igrewuplisteningtosuchreallifetime later, thechildrenwerere-unitedwiththeirmother! the DefenceMinisterofIndia,requestinghishelp. to leveragepoliticalstrings.HemetwithBaldevSingh, children was impossible. Sunder Singh headedtoDelhi were sealed.TraveltoRawalpindiretrievethe challenge now was that the borders of the two nations could onlyhappenwithdivineintervention.The The postcarddidreachthehandsofmyfather.This the address of the Rawalpindi Christian missionary. addressing to‘ Singh managedtosourceapostcardandsentitby gone to Gorakhpur. Somehow in October 1949, Hari his motheroftensaythatUncle,SunderSinghhad a youngboyofaround7years,HariSinghhadheard save. Evenin a whirlpool, he leaves a twig to hold. As Thus, inOctober2014,attheageof48years,Iwas I hadtoldmyselfthatonceinmylifetime,would Alhough I was born in 1966, nineteen years after andafewmonths borders Files movedacrossthe Wonderful areGod’swaysforwhomhedesiresto Remains ofChatti Pathshahi Gurdwara face wall –thenorth Sunder Singh,Gorakhpur’ , mentioning unprotected and soon to become extinct. I visited the , the Sixth Guru Sahib had visited non-functional Gurdwaras in villages, forts, schools the valley and many residents had thereafter adopted and more importantly, met people with a Sikh lineage Sikhism. Prior to 1947, the valley of Muzaffarabad but had to convert their faith in order to survive. and adjoining areas of Balakot and Ramkot had a large Sikh population. The historical Gurdwara in Though I travelled extensively across Western the memory of Chatti Pathshahi used to be a fulcrum Punjab, Khyber and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, focus where the Sikh population of the valley would come of the trip was a visit to Muzaffarabad, the place from together. Today, the Gurdwara premise is a Police where our paternal family hailed from. Driving from station and a CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) Abbottabad, I entered Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, establishment. The northern wall of the Gurdwara and the first glance of the city of Muzaffarabad from building is all that remains of the main structure as the top of the hill, peaked my emotions to a level it has been reconstructed into the new establishment that I had to ask the driver to halt the car. As I stood building. The hall and the kitchen areas of the Gurdwara are being used as residense. As I got out of the car in the market, a man approached asking in Punjabi, “Sardarji, what brings you to Muzaffarabad?” We struck a conversation, and he shared that he belonged to a nearby village and had heard stories from his parents about the vibrant Sikh community that had existed in this region, living in remote villages. He offered to take me to his village where he could point to the houses which once belonged to the Sikhs. He shared an interesting observation that many Sikhs leaving Muzaffarabad had buried their valuables under the cooking area of the kitchen or in the walls. So years after 1947 migration, Kitchen of Chatti Pathshahi Gurdwara the occupiers of residences would continue to dig the kitchen areas and break the walls in search for finding by the road, looking at vast expanse of the town, the valuables - and many did. Going to his village would meandering Jhelum river making a U-turn, I was have required many hours to spare and therefore I asking myself, “Is this the valley that my father would politely requested to be excused. describe?” He had described a small Shangri-La type valley but this was just like any other modern town. This did not resonate with the image that I was carrying in my mind’s eye, but time has not stopped. It was 67 years since partition and the town and surrounding valley has naturally expanded. Muzaffarabad is located on the banks of Jhelum and Neelum (Kishanganga) rivers, bordered by Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa in the west, by the Kupwara and Baramula NISHAAN districts of Kashmir in the east, and the Neelum district of Residential block of Chatti Pathshahi Gurdwara Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. 23 24 NISHAAN Detail ofthestoneslab However asIstoodhere,hadanumbfeeling, generation asareminder oftheholocaust. preserve itinasealedbottletopassonour of Muzaffarabad from under this bridge and had astrong desire tocarry back some soil existed. structure ofasecularcivilisationthatonceco- the ghats of Varanasi. This bridge is the only the Hindu community oftheregion,akinto structures, reflectsprominenceofthisplacefor at thelowersection,withnearlyextinctghat of aBaradari(structurewithtwelvegates) named aftertheDograMaharajaRanbirSingh. bridge hasbeenstandingfor130years,initially water. down to the river bank, next to the gushing in thetargettedSikhkillingsonthisbridge. now staysinDehra Dun had lost both herparents emotional. Mymother-in-law,SatwantKaur,who associated withourfamily,Ibecamehighly When IwasplanningmyPakistantrip, The structureofthebridgeandexistence A stoneslabwiththeyear1885indicatesthis From thebridge,Itookstairsandheaded On Domelbridge,theplacesoemotionally The Ranbir Singh bridge Baradari(twelvegated The RanbirSinghbridge structure) andthe ghats the valley did not resonate with the picture that I had created for myself. The people were not approachable, and because of my own perception that as a lone Sikh, I could be under some risk. The Domel bridge gave me a creepy sense of the past. I decided I did not want to spend a minute more in Muzaffarabad. I climbed back up the stairs, got into the car and drove off to in Punjab. I had no desire to explore the Muzzarabad valley. I guess the closure that I had been seeking in my mind had taken place with the acceptance that The author's father, Sunder Singh in Nepal things must change and I needed to accept this and move on in life.

The bridge at Domel NISHAAN [All photographs by Amardeep Singh] Amardeep Singh's book : 'Lost Heritage' : The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan is under publication 25 26 NISHAAN I newly bornPakistan. the sametribes,nowfromnorthwestfrontiersof a evendescendantsoffrom invadinghordes,possibly to defend andsecuretheValereaches beyond, were inthevanguardofanindependentIndianArmy the UN-mandated‘ceasefire’ of1 in thebattlesforKashmirwhichlasted14monthsuntil Cavalry andothersequallydistinguishedthemselves I Sikh Regimentwhilethe1 the least,Air CommodoreMeharSingh, Operational Brigadier PritamSingh(the heroofPoonch)and,not General andGOC-in-CWestern ArmyCommand), these battles wereLtColHarbakshSingh(later 1st Sikhssave theKashmirValley 1 st Cutting edgeofthissword was the1 Amongst the distinguished Sikhs officers in reaches beyond from theAfghans, Sikh warriors Sikh warriorscapturedtheKashmirValleyand t wasperhapsfatedthat,justoveracenturyafter Sikhsindefensive positionsnearBaramula, October1947 A War Epic st Patialas,7

January 1949. th Sikhs,7 st Battalion th Light pioneered Dakota transport aircraft operations into the the securingofLadakhdistrict.Thisintrepidflyer is attributedthesuccessfuldefenceofPoonchand to Mehar ‘Baba’ (as he was affectionately known) Commander oftheRoyalIndianAirForce.Infact, small unprepared airstrip in the Poonch bowl, which Lichmore and KL Suri, Captains Kamaljit Singh and was surrounded by aggressive hostile forces, flying and Lt. Vijay Singh had been ordered in reinforcements, including artillery guns, flying out to Gurgaon, south of Delhi beyond Palam airfield casualties and refugees. Thereafter, his remarkable for internal security and maintaining the peace. Two leadership in pioneering the flight of Dakotas over companies were deployed at this town, the other unchartered terrain and high mountains to establish two at Palwal and Rewari and other rural areas. The an airlink to Leh, was the main contribution in saving battalion was shortly visited by Lt. General Sir Dudley Ladakh from advancing enemy forces. Russell ‘Pasha’, Army Commander of the just raised Delhi East Punjab (DEP) Command which had been Bravest of the Brave formed on 20 September 1947.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, inspecting the C. Rajagopalachari, Governor General of newly independent India, 1st Sikhs in Kashmir, escorted by Major Harwant Singh MC inspecting the 1st Sikhs at Palam airport, in August 1947

After their distinguished part in the Burma Campaign, As recorded “During a tour of Rohtak and Gurgaon where they were acknowledged as “one of the best in early October 1947, the C-in-C visited several units units of the entire XIV Army” and earning the highest including 1 Sikh at Gurgaon, commanded by Lt. number of gallantry awards, the 1st Battalion Sikh Col. Dewan Ranjit Rai. One could not but be struck Regiment were located at Clement Town, Dehra by his confidence and bearing. General Russell was Dun in early August 1947 when they were specially visibly impressed and this was certainly to influence selected to move to Delhi for the epoch-marking the Army Commander in selecting 1 Sikh for the Independence celebrations. Along with contingents very critical operation just some weeks later. Earlier, of the Air Force and Navy, the 1st Sikhs unfurled Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, the Supreme the tricolour flag at India Gate on 15 August 1947 Commander writing to General Sir Rob Lockhart, and again on 16 August 1947 morning at the historic had singled out the 1st Sikhs on the “exemplary and Red Fort. Major Harwant Singh MC of the battalion impartial manner” in which they had performed “their was Deputy Parade Commander, the fine bearing thankless task” at Gurgaon. and turnout of the Sikh guard greatly praised by the In the late evening of 26 October, General Russell Viceroy and others present. briefed them on the grave situation developing in However amidst the rejoicing, was the grimness Kashmir. The Prime Minister had just given orders for of communal strife and vicious rioting in northern “defending Srinagar and driving out the raiders from India, not far from the scene of ceremonies. The Kashmir”. NISHAAN battalion, under command of Lt. Col. Dewan Ranjit This was now late October and winter would Rai and including Major Sampuran Bachan Singh, soon set in, rendering the small airstrip at Srinagar Harwant Singh MC, Hazura Singh, Sardara Singh, inoperable while the Banihal Pass too would 27 28 NISHAAN further instructions. Dakotas woulddivertto Jammu, landandawait Srinagar or if weather conditions were poor, the establish contact with civil aviation authorities at for lawand order”. However,should the pilots not Srinagar andprovideaid tociviladministration which would drive the tribesmen away from and “to take such actions with available troops secure Srinagarairfieldandthewirelessstation situation iscritical.”TheOp.instructionwasto thousands andadvancingtowardsSrinagar.The inand armsunknownbutreliablyreportedtobe the enemy and ammunitionwereissued.Informationon the airfielditself,wherewarmclothing,rations command tofunctioninaninfantryrole. (all Sikhs)thenlocatedatDelhi,wasplacedunder make upstrength,onebatteryof13FieldRegiment airfield beforedawnon27October1947andto from Gurdaspurwouldmovenorthwardsbyroad. Srinagar wouldbefrom1Sikh,while77ParaBrigade airto by despatched tobe troops first the that requisitioned in 36 hours. General Russell directed astonishing rapidity, 40 additional Dakotas were Dakotas had tocome from thecivilairlines.With muster only3Dakotatransportaircraftandsoother completely beblockedbysnow.TheAirForcecould The COwasbriefedontheoperationaltaskat Palam at Companiesassembled lesstwo 1 Sikh, was veryscanty: “Tribesmen numbers Rare picture ofDakota aircraftairstrip, afterlandingat Srinagar Indian transporting Army troops inlateOctober1947 October, responsibility for the later moves being of mortars,therest battaliontofollowon28 under MajorHarwantSingh MCandanothersection The secondwavetofollow consistedof‘D’Company first airlift,wereinplaceat 0330hourson27October. defence platoonandasection of3”mortarsforthe Sikhs commandedbyCapt.KamaljitSingh,the ominous beingfromMuzzaffarabad. Jammu andKashmirfromvariousdirections,themost swelled to15,000andtheywereenteringthestateof Srinagar. TheestimatednumberoftheseKableessoon invested Baramula, just anhour’s drive awayfrom State ForcestroopsasideandaftersackingUrihad the Kashmirborderon22Octoberhadsweptfew leave” aftercapturingMuzzaffarabadandDomelon Chitralis andviscousMahsudsplusregulartroops“on mostly fromthenorthwestfrontierincludingPathans, flying intoSrinagar RIAF Dakotas atJammu airfieldbefore TAC Headquartersand‘C’Companyofthe1 It wassoonknownthattheraiders(or Kablees st )

1st Sikhs ready for battle

vested with Major Sampuran Mortar Section on the fateful Hill 32 Bachan Singh who was to rejoin the battalion at Srinagar soon thereafter. 1 Sikh had an enviable war record, with most of the JCOs and NCOs experienced war veterans, many highly decorated for gallantry, including Jem. Nand Singh Victoria Cross, now a platoon commander while there were no less than 8 Military Cross holders from the Second World War. The first Dakotas took off NISHAAN from Palam airfield at dawn, flying northwards over the Punjab and Jammu, past the Pir 29 30 NISHAAN wave ofDakotasby1400hoursandalmoststraight had meanwhileflownintoSrinagarwiththesecond confronting theenemy. hill atthe32ndmilestonejustshortofBaramula,for Jhelum valleypassingPattanandselectingthefateful in commandeeredstategovernmentbusesalongthe be thelatterandCOimmediatelyledhis264men and rapeatBaramulasome45milesaway.Itwasto weapons andmortars,butreportedlyindulginginloot be numberingsome5,000men,armedwithautomatic or carrythefighttowhereenemywas,reported defences right there and soattempttohold the raiders defensive positionsaroundtheairfield. hours. The Sikhs immediately deplaned and set up and thelead aircraft touched down atexactly0915 Srinagar buttherewerenoapparentsigns ofactivity Kashmir Valley. They circled over the airstrip south of Panjal rangebeforecrossingtheBanihalPassinto Manning alight machinegun Major HarwantSinghMC, leading‘D’Company Lt ColRaihadtwooptions,eithertoestablishhis to outflankthedefensivelines,alsomovingfrom of howclosetheyhadbeentotheir‘prize’,nowbegan move ofmoredeplaningtroops.Theraiders,seized Ranjit RairushedbacktoSrinagarco-ordinate intermittently throughthe day, even as Colonel including mortar fireexchangeswhichcontinued withfiercefirefights, Indiahadbegun, independent directly confronted by the Sikhs. The first battle of seen movingouttowardsSopurbutwerenow were readyforbattle. between KhojabadandPoshbaghbynightfall Singh, the1stSikhsestablisheddefencepositions late evening,nowundercommandofMajorHarwant resting ontheJhelum.Joinedby‘D’Companyin hill, adominating featurewithits northernflank todigdefensivepositionsattheMile32had begun moving outtowardsBaramula. away carriedouta‘flagmarch’inSrinagarcitybefore Early on 28 October morning, the raiderswere morning,the Early on28October Meanwhile, Capt.Kamaljit Singh’s ‘C’ Company Raiders' outflanking movements at Baramula, 27-28 October 1947

Gulmarg towards Sangam. By the evening, with large The 1st Sikhs re-deployed their defences, thinly numbers of enemy fanning around the positions, it spread from Pattan to Arnaburam and fought off was decided to regroup ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies at several attacks, even as Major Sampuran Bachan Pattan closer to Srinagar. Tragically, Colonel Ranjit Rai Singh joined the battalion at Pattan and took over fell to a sniper’s bullet while re-deploying the troops command. Meanwhile, airlift of troops from Delhi and close to the hill at milestone 32, his body and those of Jammu continued apace and by 30 October, tactical others killed being covered under some bushes, to be headquarters 161 Infantry Brigade was established at recovered later. Srinagar, with 1 Kumaon, 1 Punjab and 4 Kumaon. As much later eulogised by a Pakistan military Maj. Gen. Kalwant Singh took over Command of JAK historian “... with no reserve of men or ammunition, Force and the Royal Indian Air Force flew close air Rai made an attack on the invading forces as if he had support with Spitfires and Tempests, perilously close an entire Division at his support ! He saved Srinagar to the airfield as also ranging across the valley for tac- airfield, dashed down the Baramula road, delayed recce missions. the raiders from advancing by a vital 36 hours and The raiders continued to make flanking moves enabled reinforcements sent by air to land at Srinagar. towards Srinagar airfield, fierce fighting took He saved Srinagar, although he gave his life in the place at Badgam and the situation became critical. effort.” 1st Sikhs remained fully deployed at Pattan with In recognition of his courage, Lt Col. Ranjit Rai fighting patrols seeking the enemy but were again NISHAAN was posthumously awarded the first Maha moved back towards Srinagar to cover the north- of the Indian Army and 27 October has since been east perimeter, guarding the main approach near perpetuated in Indian Army history as ‘Infantry Day’. Shelateng Bridge. 31 32 NISHAAN attacked thebattalionwith machine posture, anaggressive adopting and tobattle committed now been Domel. roadUri- the covering picquets immediately establisheddefensive to findutterchaosallaroundand and thenUri,viatemporarybridges, the battalionadvancedtoRampur full militaryhonours.Continuing, NCOs andmenwerecrematedwith mortal remainsofCol.Raiandother devastated Baramulawherethe a entered and on9November flushed outseveralenemypositions perfidy. immediately exposing Pakistan’s regular troops “on leave”, thus Pathans captured were Pak Army arms andammunition.Someofthe capturing vehicles,wirelesssets, wounding 200oftheraiders, morning, killinganother150and clearing Pattan on 8 November closely pursuingthefleeingenemy, began alongthemainaxis,1Sikh quantity ofarmsandammunition. and loadcarriersplusagreat civilian lorries,fieldambulances towards Baramula, abandoning 138 dead andanother146ontheroad who fledthebattlefieldleaving472 frontal attacks,stunningtheenemy the rear,1Sikhcontinuedtheir and armouredcarscameupfrom enveloping attackswerecarriedout In brillianttacticalmoves,while and back heavy casualties inflicted. on the6thnight,allattacksbeaten attacked bynearly 5,000 raiders ‘B’ Companyof1Sikhshadbeen Srinagar andtheValeofKashmir. and spirit,removingthethreatto which broketheraidersback took placeon7November1947 The regularPakistanArmyhad Moving ahead,thebattalion An immediate advance then The decisivebattleofShalateng well entrenchedenemypositionsandtheysufferedheavycasualties. unfortunate lapseincommunicationexposedtheadvancingtroopsto rejoined thebattalionwasleadinghis‘D’Companyplatoonwhenan frontal, daylightattack.Nb.Sub.NandSinghVictoriaCrosswhohad Sampuran BachanSinghtoevicttheenemyfromBhatgiranina However thebrigade, without proper appreciation directed Lt Col. flank, with regular Pakistan Army troops dominating the Uri bowl. troops tothelowerheightsofwoodedSankRidgeonUri’ssouthern Soon wintersetinandheavysnowfallmeantre-deploymentofIndian Winter andaggression who wasawardedanimmediateMVC. enemy, theheroofthisdefensivebattleUribeingNaikChandSingh, the nightof23/24November,where1stSikhskilledabout400 guns andmortars.ThefiercestfightingwasfortheNalwapicqueton Sikh troops inpositionundertheglacialheightsof Tithwal Light machine gun position ofthe1 Light machine st Sikhs Jem Nand Singh with his platoon nevertheless tore Sub. Gurcharan Singh MC&Bar also showed gallantry into the massed enemy with bayonets, he was severely of the highest order and earned a Vr.C but the battalion wounded but continued to lead till killed by a burst suffered 125 casualties in this futile action because of of LMG fire. His repeated acts of “valour, leadership inept orders from higher command. and devotion to duty,” won him a posthumous MVC, However, the Pakistanis had been dealt a major Nand Singh passing on into military legend as the blow and thereafter stopped interfering with most highly decorated soldier of the Commonwealth. movement over the Uri Bridge, which led to another To perpetuate the memory of this supreme warrior, successful operation that cleared the area upto Sank. the main bridge over the Uri Nala has been named as 1st Sikhs had, within six days, recaptured the towns ‘Nand Singh VC’ Bridge and the road to Salamabad as of Pattan, Baramula and Uri over a distance of 100 ‘Nand Singh VC Road’, with an imposing memorial kilometres, had suffered severe casualties but inflicted overlooking the bridge. multiple times that on the enemy, mostly regular In the meantime, Sub. Bishan Singh MC of ‘D’ Pakistan Army troops. The Kashmir Valley had been Company launched a counter attack and in severe saved by the indomitable warriors of the 1st battalion hand-to-hand fighting, the enemy was thrown back, of the . even as more troops were thrown into battle but Bishen Singh, continuing to cheer and encourage his men, Consolidation was also gallantly killed in the lead. His cool courage, Lt. Col Harbaksh Singh had taken over as inspiring leadership and dogged determination against Commanding Officer 1 Sikh when during the height dangerous odds, earned him the posthumous MVC. of severe winter, there was news of the enemy NISHAAN

1st Sikhs patrol in the Mandwara–Tithwal axis 33 34 NISHAAN with courageandtenacity. toughest intheKashmiroperations,butweretackled operations intheTregham Valleyweresome ofthe of theenemywerekilled.Theclearing including atvillageShulurwhere40 pursuit continuedwithsomefirefights soon relieved,theenemyseenfleeingbut and destroyed bridges. Tregham was going wasveryhardbecauseofsnow Wodhapur-Naugam-Kupwara, butthe the 1stSikhs advancedalongtheroad Singh. SoonHandwarawasclearedand 5th SikhsandacolleagueofHarbaksh Col. Nausherwan Khan, formerly of the Lt wascommandedby Sikhs facing 1st Ironically, Pakistan’s1stAKbattalion at Handwara the nextafternoon. snowbound road,securingafirmbase via Sopurandadvancedalongthe the battalion moved out indarkness, the TreghamValley.On8February1948, having crossedoverPharkianGaliinto Brigadier HarbakshSingh,Brigadier ledthebrilliant commanding 163Brigade offensive in the spring of1948 offensive inthespring file climb upasteep gradie being groupedunderMajor HarwantSinghMC. reconnaissance inforcewith‘B’and‘C’Company Lt. Col.KesherSinghIDSM,1Sikhcarriedout a and north of the Kishanganga. Commanded by Gali andPoint7229ontheleftofNastachhunPass assigned thetaskofclearingheightsRichmar and two dayslaterTithwalwas captured. 1 Sikhwere Regardless, 1SikhsecuredChokibalon21May1948 the spring butresourcesweregrossly inadequate. towardsDomelinhad plannedoffensiveoperations 1 Sikh,3GarhwalandMadraswereconstituent), commanded byBrigadierHarbakshSinghofwhich 19th Infantry Division), with 163 Brigade (now reported inaction. Brigade andbyJune1948twoInfantryBrigadeswere first formationtogointoKashmirwasits101 Army’sline Uri-Poonch-Nowshera.”ThePakistan Army is not allowed to advance beyond the general Indian the that isimperative “it that who stated General Sir Douglas Gracey, C-in-CPakistan Army, in J&KwaseventuallyadmittedApril1948by area. ThePakistanArmy’s“official”involvement spreading northofUriandintotheKishanganga the Uri-MuzaffarabadareaandHajiPirpass, formations wereidentifiedastridetheheightsalong in finefettleandspiritswhenregularPakistanArmy Operation Handwara and Tithwal sectorinMay1948 After somerestand The approach to Richmar Gali involvedasingle Richmar Gali to The approach Major GeneralKSThimayya,GOCSriDiv(later reorganisation,1Sikhwere nt withenemy positions 1st Sikh defences then leant on Pir Sahiba in the west with a rifle company on Nangi Terki, the troops creating a very strong defence in the wooded feature. On 4 June, under heavy artillery fire, the enemy launched strong attacks, but were held by Jem Harchand Singh’s platoon which counter attacked with bayonets and grenades, killing 53 and capturing arms and ammunition in this battle which coincided with ‘Gallipoli Day’, which epic action had been fought by the battalion 33 years earlier. Although a UN-directed Cease Fire was anticipated, the enemy used heavy artillery, mortars and machine guns to 1st Sikhs mopping up enemy defences at Tithwal continuously attack 1 Sikh positions, having declared the Kashmir war was as ‘jehad’. The re-capture of Tithwal, with Richmar to be cleared all along. On 30 May, assaults were Gali as vital objective, became the Pakistan Army’s launched against the strongly held ridge and wooded obsession and a reinforced brigade, with artillery, crests well covered by series of machine gun posts. was deployed to ring the position and they even The CO had declared that even though the enemy was broadcast that the Tithwal Valley- Nastachhan pass strongly entrenched, “Sheron, Chhad Jao! "My braves, upto Kupwara was to be “an Eid gift for Pakistan.” capture it." They certainly did and the 1st Sikhs assaulted the enemy (identified as the 3/12 Frontier A minuscule four-man section of Sikhs on a small Force Regiment, the venerable 53rd (Royal) Sikhs of knoll covering the knife edged ridge was to beat back undivided Indian Army) with severe hand to hand battalion-sized attacks, the man of the moment being fighting. The opposing Pakistan 10th Brigade included L/Nk who had earlier won the Military some five crack battalions, including the 4/16 Punjab, Medal in Burma. From the evening of 12 October 3/12 Frontier Force Rifles, 5/12 FF Regt (‘Guides’) and 1948, heavy artillery and mortar fire damaged the MMGs of 1/15 Punjab plus a mountain gun battery. main defences but the saddle had been overlooked. Throughout 13 October, the battle was fought, wave after wave of assaulting Pakistan Army troops being beaten back and Karam Singh, though wounded, fighting it out, bayoneting those who came near his trench, holding the saddle for over three hours against five waves of attack. Counter-attacks, artillery fire and fighter strafing during daylight hours held the enemy even as Sikhs in the forward-most trenches grappled with the attackers using bayonets and grenades. On the night of 13 October and the following morning the seventh NISHAAN and last of the attacks was beaten off and even if every bunker was The thickly wooded hills around Richmar Gali 35 destroyed, the enemy did not capture 36 NISHAAN by firenorhardship.” The 1 men incrisis,wherespiritscouldneitherbesubdued proud spiritandasa“dauntlessbornleaderof was awarded the for his fiercely Gali as “a magnificentfight.”L/NkKaramSingh with prideandpraise, termed thebattleforRichmar Sikhs had15killedand263wounded. 500 werewounded,withmanyPOWstaken,the1 any. WhilethePakistanArmylostover300menand Honours. and ‘Tithwal1948’‘J&K1947,asTheatre Regiment wasgiventhebattlehonours‘Srinagar1947’ story but, briefly in January 1948, the battalion was battalion inJanuary1948, the briefly but, story isanother andthat J&K operations inthe part took Major Harwant Singhofthe1 The GOC 19 Div, Maj. GenThimayya, brimming

Another battalion, the 7 inspecting the1 st SikhswithPandit Jawaharlal Nehru th st st of the Sikh Regiment Sikhs battalionoftheSikh st

in JammuandKashmir, the 7 ammunition andequipment. Duringtheoperations of alargequantity inadditionto also captured taken prisoner.Rifles, LMGs andpistols, were two officersand46otherranksdeadwhile6were of fierce fighting, the enemy fled leaving behind attack was pressed forward and after three hours and mortarfire.Undauntedbytheenemyfire, Honour of‘Pethahir’. Chakras, 19Mention-in-Dispatches andtheBattle ‘Pethahir’, itwasconfrontedwithheavyautomatic battalion intoattackagainsttheenemystrongholdat Lieutenant ColonelMathuraSinghwasleadingthe battle on22March,1948.Atdawnthatday,when Srinagar Valley operations. They fought a major moved toJammu&Kashmirandtookpartinthe On their return after the gruelling and historic defenceOn theirreturn ofKashmir afterthegruellingandhistoric Valley, Singh, meetsLtColJoginder Bachan LtGenKMCariappa CO 1stSikhs th Sikhsearned5Vir How the 'Air' saved Kashmir in 1947-48

Arming RIAF Tempest fighter–bombers with rockets before an attack sortie

Iconic photograph of the main personalities of the time: left to right, Air Commodore ‘Baba’ Mehar Singh, responsible for all air operations in J&K, Major General Kalwant Singh, GOC Sri Division, Maharaja of Patiala, Yadavendra Singh who offered immediate military support to Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir (on his left)

Pilot of one of the many civil Dakota aircraft flying troops and supplies into Srinagar during October-November 1947

Loading mountain howitzer into RIAF Dakota Sentry guarding Tempests at Jammu before flying to Poonch airfield

Flt Lt Dilbagh Singh (left) with Tempest fighter-bomber before close air support sortie in the Kashmir Valley, October 1947. He was to become Chief of the Air Staff, IAF in 1983. NISHAAN Air Commodore Mehar Singh with IAF pilots and other personnel at Srinagar Airport. Facing him is Flt Lt Lal Singh Air Commodore Mehar Singh and other Air Force personnel with Brigadier Grewal, who was later to become Vice Chief of the Air Staff Pritam Singh, ‘the saviour of Poonch’ 37 38 NISHAAN O a vast variety of weaponery, includingAK-47s and ofweaponery, variety a vast were forcedbyanewand deadlyenemyarmedwith Kashmiri ‘struggle’.Indian securityforcesinKashmir a surgeinarmamentand manpower availableforthe the AfghanWarsignalled a newerainKashmir,with the Sovietsthrough‘80sturnedtoKashmir.End of mercenary fighterswhotookpartinthewaragainst Afghanistan in1989,Afghan‘mujahideen’ or involved. growing disillusionment withalltheexternalplayers of theviolencethatengulfedregionandfinally a resentment by then aspirations, political Pakistani by movement for‘azaadi’hasseenphases,firstcoloured in theregionispalpable.Whatstartedoutas a political discoursehasevolvedgreatly,butturbulence blurred. Thesituationflaresupfromtimetoand demandshave variousconflicting lines between there has beensporadic peace inthevalley, butthe 25 yearsaftertheinsurgencyinJ&Kbegan1989, O A CrucibleofStrife With thewithdrawalofSoviettroopsfrom to differentiatethevictimfromterrorist. bleak situation in Kashmir, becoming hard ver thepastquartercentury,ithasbeena

Kashmir, evenwhilethespec tre ofISISlooms. is averyrealfearofsecondinfluxmilitants in eerily reminiscentofthe1989Sovietwithdrawal,there the USpullingalltroopsoutofAfghanistanby2016, peace, butviolencestillsimmersinthevalley.With about thefutureofKashmir.Thereisaveneer of fiercely. in factarerejectingPakistan’soverturesjust as years, Pakistan has lost credibility and Kashmiris Indian authorityhasalwaysexisted,butinrecent the politicsofregion. extent inthestate,thereisadefiniteparadigmshift has, however,managedtoreplacemilitancyalarge 1947 isalegaldocumentandevenaspopularprotest ascension signedbyMaharajaHariSinghinOctober facts ofdestinycannotberefuted:theinstrument case ofKashmirveersawayfromthisreading.The the lack of anostensible “occupying force” inthe evokes ideasofthePalestinianmovement.However, youths withstones and slingshots intheirhands analysts. Ontheonehand,imageofKashmiri Kashmir hasbeenwidelydebatedamongpolitical synonymously withthePalestiniansituation. ‘Intifada’, a term used meaning ‘uprising’, often used stone peltingisseenastheKashmiriappropriationof attacks mayhavebecomelesscommonplace,but and the Indian establishment. 25 years on terrorist continues tobea source of tension between the locals or vast deploymentoftroopsintheregion.TheAFSPA leadingtoa taskofcounter-insurgency, given the Kashmiri youthjoinedvariousmilitantgroups. During decade of the ‘90s, an estimated 10,000 (Hizb). Hizb-ul-Mujahedin pro-Pakistan and the militant groups including the pro-independence JKLF training andprocurementofarms,the‘indigenous’ many ofthem was asurgeinthenumberofKashmiriyouthagitating rocket launche Twenty-five years on,thereremains uncertainty In someKashmiriminds,thenarrativeagainst The useofthe The IndianArmyandparamilitaryforceswere Armed Forces Special Powers Actwas, and still crossingovertoPakistanforwar-like rs, apartfromdiabolicalIEDs.There term‘Intifada’withrespectto The Sikhs of Kashmir today

Sikh family at Shaheedi Diwas of Sahib at Gurdwara Shaheed Bunga Baghat at Srinagar

quarter century back, during the closing to chase them out.“We want Kashmir without the months of 1989, ominous disturbances which Hindus ; Hum kya chahte …Azadi! La ilaha illlala” the A were developing in the Kashmir valley peaked crowds screamed. when the first trickle of Kashmiri PanditsA (KPs), leaving the Vale for the safety of Jammu and beyond, turned into a frenzy to flee in the darkness of the night. As recorded by observers at first hand, such an “ethnic cleansing” had begun with creation of a fear psychosis, spearheaded by aggressive crowds, clearly communal, flooding the streets, their slogans mixed with NISHAAN warnings. The clear and present The river Jhelum as it traverses the danger was to the Kashmiri capital Srinagar 39 Pandits and the clear aim was 40 NISHAAN Pakistan buttheIndianState haskeptthevalley,albeit nation andthecauseofcontinued confrontationwith original homeland. struggling tocometermswithlifeawayfromtheir today areadejected community, their brutalisedpsyches.TheKPs with thatbygoneerahaunting long toreturntheirhomeland, are Kashmiri many Pandits who years later,in2014,thereobviously subsisting inalienconditions.25 terms withtheirdisplacement and people, still struggling to come to today aredescribedasalost their owncountry”.ThePandits thereafter livealifeofrefugees“in Vale ofKashmirtotaled750,000,to of Kashmiri Pandits fleeingthe exodus andtheeventualnumbers mid-September 1989, with avirtual The river Jhelum flowing westwards through theKashmir Valley Kashmir remains‘afestering sore’inpolityofthe That trickle became a flood from carnage ofSikhsby theinvading KabaleesinOctober1947 border withPoK, whosecapitalisMuzaffarabad, whichhadwitnessed Gateway atUri, entrance tothe Valley, lookingwestwards towards the promises ofcashas attempted to‘lure’ ‘erased’ fromtheregion. without theKash From timetotime,theGovernment ofIndiahas miri Panditswhohavevirtuallybeen the Panditsbacktovalley, with sistance, ofuptoRs20lakhs, and There were a large number of stately Sikh homes in the Kashmir Valley, some of which were later requisitioned by the State Government and Indian Army but many of which remain maintained in their original form have even mooted the concept of creating ‘composite In sharp contrast, even as the tragic ethnic townships’ for the Kashmiri Pandits, an idea which cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits was underway,the is fiercely abhorred by many. “A separate colony Sikhs of Kashmir stood out for their steadfastness will only intensify the mental and physical barriers amidst the political, economic and civil turbulence between the two communities” feel many of those in the state. Sikhs are seemingly ‘accepted’ by offered the possibility. Former Indian Army Chief, the overwhelming Muslim majority as part of General Shankar Roy Chowdhury, in contemplating ‘Kashmiriyat’ but have unfortunately been ignored, such a ‘gharwapsi’ of Kashmiri Pandits, feels that nay even neglected, by the Government. In 2014, only the (near) future will tell whether the idea of some 120,000 Sikhs live in the Vale of Kashmir, 18,000 ‘Kashmiriyat’ still exists amongst the Kashmiris or has of them in and around the second biggest town of been obliterated“perhaps forever”. Baramula. NISHAAN

At Singhpora Kalan village in Baramula district which has one of the highest literacy rates in Jammu and Kashmir 41 42 NISHAAN inspite ofaCBIprobeand J&K HighCourtdirectives. militants’ inanencounter” bytheArmed Forces to the subsequent elimination of suspected “foreign theory hasbeenrefuted nor anyexplanationgiven around’ militantrenegades wereresponsible butthis Stories abound including one that some ‘turned- eve of US President Bill Clinton’s visit to India. Kashmir 15years back, on 20March 2000,on the ofsouthern district inAnantnag Chattisingpura at incident was thebrutalexecution of 36Sikh men at RajporaChowkinPulwama. Mahjoor Nagar,someatDalwanaBudgamandothers been killed,particularlyintheBanihalarea,othersat According tostatistics,anumberoftruckdrivershave and securityforces,otherskilledinlandmineblasts. Scores havedied incross firingbetweenmilitants civil services,they have not remained unscathed. farmers, businessmen or serving with the police and lives asnormalcitizens,administrators,teachers, Kashmir. AlthoughtheSikhsgoaboutlivingtheir occupied ofPakistan undercontrol territory sides by the TithwalValleyandTangdhar,surroundedonthree Kashmir, manyaroundthetownofBaramula,somein minority’. not evenbeingrecognisedbytheGovernment as‘a feel thatSikhsoftheStatehavebeendeniedsupport, Sikhs in the State of Jammu & Kashmir. Yet many Sikhs, makingacombinedpopulationofover600,000 Sikhshavemoved away from inthelast20yearsandthey agriculture However, themostsinisterandworrying There arenumerousSikhvillagesintheValeof In Jammuprovince,therearesomehalfamillion are now mostlyintotrade andcommerce militancy andtheSikhsstayedback. of height the during valley the left Kashmiri Pandits religious minorityinKashmir.Hesaidthatthe be heard.Wealsohaveotherissues”. the KashmiriPandits and theirplight. We too wantto the SikhsinKashmirdon’texist.Theentirefocusison and theCentrehavebeenveryunkindtous.Forthem ‘Kashmiriyat’ is very strong. But, the state government troubled usortreatedlikeunwantedpeople.The faced any problem here. No local Kashmiri Muslim at IqbalParkinSrinagar,said: did that. Out of fear most Panditsleftthevalley. Outoffearmost did that. Muslims. But,Idon’tthinkthatthelocalMuslims forced toleavethevalleybymilitantsandlocal Coordination Committee(APSCC)whoseofficeis Singh Raina, Chairman of All Parties Sikh JP Singh, earlier DIGJammu was laterpostedastheDIGof Baramula Jagmohan SinghRaina, Chairman of SikhCoordinationAll Parties According tohim,theSikhsaremostneglected He said,“Kashmiri Pandits claim thattheywere In a telling interview with IBN Live, Jagmohan Committee (APSCC)

“We havenever The agencies (referring to intelligence agencies) also But the Sikh migration to cities has badly hit Kashmir’s created a situation for the exodus (of Pandits). Sikhs agriculture sector. Still, according to him no Muslim also faced some problems. But we are a martial race. family in rural Kashmir has usurped the land which We are not afraid of anything. We stayed back and belongs to the Sikhs. Heaping praises on the Muslims, the local Muslims did not trouble us. However, many he said, “When the floods hit us in September, local Muslims first rescued Sikhs. They first gave them relief material. We have a very strong bond.” Attacking the successive governments which ruled Jammu & Kashmir as also India, Raina said, “We are being discriminated against. The focus is only on the Kashmiri Pandits. We have nothing against them. But, listen to us also. We stayed back during the militancy. Respect us for that. We have too many issues. Both the state and Centre must come forward to us.” Jagmohan Singh Raina however, criticises the state government for not holding the election to Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Board of Jammu & Kashmir for the past 10 years. He also complains that Jammu & Kashmir is the only State Government which has not accorded the minorities’ status to the Sikhs. He also claims that he was contacted by the RSS to politicise the issues related to the Sikhs, but he told them not to communalise or politicise such socio-political issues. He feels Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers hope, but he is against giving any communal colour to the issue. Raina narrates an incident in which he was threatened by a local Muslim who was actually eyeing his gas distribution business. He says that the local Muslim used militants to threaten him and he had to Gurdwara at Baramula, open to all faiths shut his business for two years. But, other Muslims supported him and he was able to restart his business.

Sikhs have left their Kashmiri Sikh students villages and moved to doing cities like Srinagar and Baramula for safety. We lost our agricultural land. The land is still there, but is in neglect.” Before the militancy heightened, the Sikhs of Kashmir virtually controlled the agriculture sector across the valley, NISHAAN and some of the biggest apple and saffron growers were Sikhs, not Muslims. 43 44 NISHAAN Congress” ! our Gurdwara.Wewillnotvoteforthe a lot.BeingSikh,heshouldhavevisited not visitourGurdwara.Thishashurtus Srinagar,he wenttoHazratbal,buthedid cameto ManmohanSingh Minister and said that “When previous Prime also equally unhappy with the Congress forthcoming Assembly elections. He was Abdullah governmentwouldlosethe government and predicted thatOmar the BJPissayingaboutKashmirissue. However, herefusedtobuyeverything confidence in thePM Modi’s leadership. Gurumukh Singh,alocalSikhexpressed Speaking to IBNLive attheGurdwara, during the recent devastating floods. especially during times of distress like shining exampleofcommunalharmony the devoteesandtouristsbuthavebeena of fearisnosolution,”hestressed. such criminals.Fleeingfromthevalleyout keep happening.Weneedtostandup ones.They areisolated “Such incidents Sikh shopsat ‘Ground Zero’, the ‘always-in-the-news’ Gurumukh Singhcriticisedthestate Gurdwaras inKashmirattractnotonly Lal Chowk indowntown Srinagar relationship withthelocal Muslims andKashmiris“inseparable”. parents andrelatives.The localSikhsproudlyclaimthattheir still havecloseconnections withtheirstateandkeepvisiting of theirchildrenliveoutside KashmirandotherstatesofIndiabut 20 yearsandtheyarenowmostlyintotradecommerce. Some Most oftheSikhshavemovedawayfromagriculture inthelast S BahadurSinghrunshisNational Watch HouseatRangreth, Srinagar S NavinderSinghinhishardware shopatRangreth, Srinagar Sikh driver ownersattheir Sikh driver Tata SumotaxistandinSrinagar Jagjit Singh, who is presently Postmaster at the Rangreth Post office in Srinagar has immensely helped Nishaan to put this issue in semblance and we extend our heartfelt gratitude. In his words: “My main aim in life is to work for quality education, both academic and religious among our youth so that our community has an increasing number of Sikhi-inspired intellectuals and professionals of global standard. As such, along with my friends,we are running two libraries and are also helping another library with books and other reading material”. These are the Komal Library Gurdwara Shaheed Bunga Baghat and Khalsa Library Gurdwara Singh Sabha Rangreth along with the Akali Kaur Singh Library Gurdwara Sahib at Alucha Bagh in Srinagar. “Every year with the support of the GPC, we have been organising various sports activities like cricket, hockey and volley ball tournaments for young enthusiasts. On the eve of Baisakhi, we organise a weekly programme- the Khalsa Week - every year since the last sixteen years, in which programmes such askatha kirtan lectures are performed by students. During the 2014 floods, our students worked with various Sikh NGOs to help the flood-stricken people of Srinagar and the Komal library became the biggest medical camp in Kashmir during the calamity. We even adopted some families rendered homeless by the floods. Our endeavour is to offer financial help to students who cannot afford their school or college fees and we ensure that no boy or girl of ours discontinues education owing to any financial problems. We dream of seeing Sikhi-inspired global leaders - be they doctors, engineers, IAS officers, writers, columnists, painters economists leading the world, following the way shown by our Great Gurus”. Chardi Kala !

to Parliament and represented Kashmir for 12 Sikhs in J&K politics years, passing away in 1974. The Sikhs of Jammu & Kashmir S Harbans Singh Azad of village Khadniyar have always played an Baramula, did his LLB from Aligarh Muslim important role in the political University and thereafter practiced Law, scene of the State, holding important portfolios and responsibilities in Governance of the State. The list is long but over the decades, amongst the prominent Sikhs, one must begin with S Budh Singh Tyagi of Mirpur who was a renowned politician and parliamentarian closely associated with important political events in the State. From 1930, he actively participated in the movement for National Freedom and it was because of his and Raja Mohd Akbar Khan,also of Mirpur, that Sheikh Mohd Abdullah changed the entire complexion of the Kashmir’s NISHAAN freedom struggle, giving it a national character. He was a great orator and on 18 March 1948 was appointed Minister Mehak, a Kashmiri Sikh girl, presenting her painting of Sheikh 45 for Health and Rehabilitation. In 1952 he was elected Mohammad Abdullah to Dr Farooq Abdullah 46 NISHAAN inducted asaMinisterfor the State.In1967hewas of thePeaceCouncilin He wasalsoChairman the causeofrefugees. worked tirelesslyfor Muzzaffarabad has of villageRadaTehsil near BahuFort. Himmat and the Gurdwara Guru KaBaghin Channi Gandhinagar, Gurdwara Gurdwara FatehSinghin responsible forbuildingof Minister till2003.Hewas till 1990 and a Cabinet was MinisterofState Being elected in 1987, he Corporation in1984. Tourism Development Vice ChairmanJ&K Sarpanch HalkaSatwari,laterbeingnominatedas elected in1978,being hiscareerinpolitics began Sahib atTalabTiloJammuandGurdwaraAkhnoor. Tali ofGurdwara intheconstruction instrumental Shrine inKashmir.Hewas around theHazratbal beautification ofareas e-Bahu inJammuand beautification ofBagh- and implementedthe person heconceived As a religiously minded been undefeatedbefore. Tarlochan Duttwhohad in 1987,defeatingPandit Gandhinagar constituency and successfullycontestedstateelectionsfromthe Baramula, workedwithRadioKashmirformanyyears Minister forForests,WorksandPower. speaker oftheAssembly 1960-1963andalsowas then MinisterofStateforHomeandEducation,was became DySpeakeroftheJ&KLegislativeAssembly of theJ&Kconstitutiondraftingcommittee.In1958,he Conference ticket from Baramula, becoming amember contesting State Assembly elections on National S. Gurmukh Singh S HarbansSinghofGandhinagar,Jammu S Harsajan SinghBaliofvillage Chak Shutloo felicitating ColonelHarwant Singh, whoserole indefence oftheKashmir Upper HousefromJammu. nominated theMember of in 1983.In2003hewas career fromJammuCantt 1962 andbeganhispolitical Students Federation1961- President ofAllIndiaSikh of Muzzaffarabadwas Jammu. of theMBS CollegeofEngineeringandTechnology at of theJ&KOlympicAssociationandFounderChairman Spokesperson. HeisPresident and iscurrentlytheParty Peoples Democratic Party 1977. In2000,hejoined Minister forEducation1974- and againin1987, becoming elected asMLAfromRSPura, from London.In1967,hewas Jammu anddidhis LLM from theGGMCollege Chairman ofLegislativeCouncilin1974. Relief, RehabilitationandRevenuebecameVice Farooq Abdullah ofKashmirwith SinghofPatialaAmarinder seen S PardamanSinghAzad S RangilSinghgraduated Valley inOctober 1947islegendary Dr Harbajan Singh from Tangmarg in the Valley was the first Sikh to post graduate in medicine from England after completing his MBBS at Lahore. After partition he was head of the ENT department of Govt Medical Colege Srinagar and in 1997 was inducted as Minister in the Govt by Sheikh Mohd Abdullah. He was President of the Jammu & Kashmir Panthak party.

Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed, President of the Jammu & Kashmir People's Democratic Party, daughter of former Home minister of India and also J&K chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, seen with her Muslim and Sikh partymen.

later nominated as a member of the J&K Govt as NC member. S Tarlochan Singh Wazir was nominated There are numerous other Sikhs who have been MLC in the National Conference Govt. and presently involved with J&K politics including S Surinder the President of J&K GurdwaraParbandhak Board. Singh of Tangmarg who was elected as a MLA with S Manjeet Singh has served as Minister of State for huge margin from the Muslim – dominated area. Education while S Charanjeet Singh has recently been Then S Dharamveer Singh Oberoi was President nominated to the upper house as BJP member from of the Srinagar Municipal Committee in 1980 and Jammu. NISHAAN

The Sikhs of Kashmir : today and tomorrow 47 48 NISHAAN Singhpora (Baramula),hestudied from Shogapora(Badgam)and are whoseparents Officer, Army General. A second-generation Valley tobecomeathree-star Army Officer from the Kashmir Singh Mehta became a first Sikh numbers. Recently,LtGenPardeep the armedforcesinsubstantial from Kashmirwouldservein Sikhs that isnatural it traditions, Imbibing theirsplendidmartial Commodore DalbirSinghSodhi, IN Kashmiri SikhsintheArmedForces Lt GenPradeep SinghMehta Instructor attheSchoolofArmouredWarfareandDirectingStaff Force, wasDeputyDirectorGeneralMilitaryOperations(AHQ), operations inJ&KasaColonelGeneralStaffoftheCounterInsurgency GOC oftheeliteXXIStrikeCorps. Armoured Brigade(T-90MBTs)andanDivision.Heisnow has servedinvarioussectors,hecommandedanArmouredRegiment, Higher CommandWingofArmyWarCollege. 1 from theOfficersTrainingAcademy,Chennai.Hejoinedelite having passed out as ‘First’ in the Order of Merit (Gold Medalist) Government DegreeCollege,Udhampurin1977. at thePresentationConvent presently includingSqnLd Baramulla. Tral, CommandersGurdayalSinghRainaandManjitBalifrom Kashmir. research andwritingonthehistory,culturepresentlivesofSikhsin Singh Sodhi,fromBaramula,thelatteralsobeinghighlyarticulateinhis Admiral Inderpal Singh Bali from Srinagar and Commodore Dalbir Dardapura. Balbir SinghandRSReenfromBaramullaColonelDaljit st (Skinner’s)Horseandinhisservicecareerspanningover36years, General Pardeep Singh had earlier served in counter insurgency He was commissioned in the Indian Army in September 1978, There havebeenseveralKashmiriSikhsintheIndianAirForce, Also intheIndian Navy serve Commodore Homipal Singh of The IndianNavyboastsofanumberSikhofficers,includingRear Other KashmiriSikhsservingintheIndianArmyareBrigadiers Honorary Captain Honorary Bana Singh, PVC ‘Bana Top’ isnamedafterthehero intheSiachenGlacier Area SchoolinSrinagarandgraduatedfromthe r DaljitSinghBali,flyingfrontline

MiG-29 air superiority Glacier area, the peak fighters. His inspiration captured from the enemy surely is Flying Officer now being named as ‘Bana Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, who Top’ in his honour. was posthumously awarded The Jammu and Kashmir the ParamVir Chakra, India's Light Infantry (JAK LI) of highest military decoration, the Indian Army has its roots in recognition of his in the erstwhile State Forces remarkable action in the air and today comprises 15 defence of Srinagar air base battalions of regular infantry, against raiding PAF’s Sabres two of its earlier battalions renamed as Ladakh Scouts. With its regimental centre at Srinagar's Airport Complex at Avantipur with a small winter setup near Jammu, the troops are volunteers from the state of Jammu & Kashmir, with 50% Muslims Postage stamp in honour of and the others Sikhs and Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, PVC Daljit Singh Bali of the Indian Air Force on parade Dogras.. during the Indo-Pakistan War in MiG-29s of the Indian Air Force December 1971, the only IAF person so honoured. Another ParamVir Chakra awardee, this time from Jammu, is Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Bana Singhof the 8th J&K Light Infantry. He was given the nation’s highest military award for his incredible feat in the Siachen NISHAAN

Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh, then GOC XV Corps in Srinagar, at the JAK LI attestation parade JAK LI recruits taking the oath after the ceremonial parade 49 50 NISHAAN I being aKashmiri. relationship between being Sikh and Punjabi butin Punjabi. Thedilemmadoes notoriginatesolelyinthe judged becausetheydon’tbelongtoPunjaborspeak a Kashmiri.IhavemetlotofSikhslikemewhoare and pears,cherries,walnutshugechinartrees as a usualinquiry.Ionlyknowoflushorchardsapples I haveneverseenfieldsofmustardandcornasthis is that Idon’tspeakPunjabioreattypicalfood. Sikh hasnothingtodowithmebeingaKashmiri. really touchy about my region, I explain that being a it isassumedthatIamaPunjabiandlikeanyone other Kashmiri.WheneverItellsomeoneamaSikh, at theJNUniversityinNewDelhi.Igrewuplikeany and arecolouredbytheirnativeculture. one placeandthengetadoptedbydifferentregions in originate world;they inthe allthereligions with same isthe It region. hasflourishedinthis Sikhism important regioninSikhismasitis its placeoforigin. in PunjabisaPunjabi,irrespectiveoftheirreligiousfaith. Indian side.IdeallyanyonewhospeaksPunjabiandlives Similarly, Punjabi-speaking Hindus migrated to the migrated to,thepartofPunjabthatisnowinPakistan. speaking Muslimpopulationwaseitherleftbehindin,or of Punjab.Duringpartitionin1947,mostthePunjabi- religious communitiesaretobefoundintheIndianside people livingtherearecalledPunjabis.Allofthemajor and viceversa. Sikhs areconsideredasPunjabis Needless to say, most often regional identityandreligion. me. The dilemma is around time someonenewgetstoknow answer, clarifyandjustifyevery a Sikh. Punjabi and every Punjabi is not I Being aSikh-Kashmiri I havetoexplainthatam notfromthePunjab, I amaSikh-Kashmiriwomanbybirthwhostudies Pre-1947 andpost-1947Punjabisahistorically In thecaseofIndia,PunjabisastateinNorthand These arequestionsIhaveto No. Every Sikh is not a isnot Sikh No. Every every Sikh belong to Punjab? s everySikhaPunjabi?Does A youngSinghneeinherPunjabstylechunni her aboutnativeplaceanditsculture. Punjab and assume she is Punjabi. It is betterto ask please don’t automatically relate her(orhim) tothe from eachotherandtoappreciatethem. different thingsandweneedbothtodistinguishthem Religious identity and cultural identity are two further dividesthisalreadycrackedsocietyofours. on religion needs to be condemned and stopped. It based andsegregation Stereotypes usseriously. take showcased bythemediaoftenmeanspeopledonot who youareallthetime. similar problems. It’s really tough to have to explain I don’t knowhowmanyother peoplelikemeface Sikh namewecanbepartofmanydifferentcultures. conscious oftheneedtoreflectonthis.Bearinga by appearance and Punjabi by name has made me me towritethisarticle.BeingidentifiedasaMuslim of needingtoprovemyidentityallthetimehasled things untiltheyaffectusseriously.Thedilemma that Iwasnotjudgedbywhoam. with suchanamazingculture?Whatupset me was Punjabi. Afterall,whowouldnotlovetobeassociated on mebeingPunjabi. that “everySikhisPunjabi”,questionsbecamefocused accepted asaSikhwoman,becausemostpeoplethink I identifiedmyselfwithKashmir.Althoughwas So fromnowon,wheneveryoucomeacrossaSikh, What hurtsisthefactthatstereotypicalimage It is often said that we are not conscious of I wouldlovetobethoughtofasaPunjabiifwas I was a Muslim because this fact.Mostpeopleassumed years agoIbecameconsciousof Aligarh MuslimUniversitytwo many Muslimfriends. having some Sikh friends and the valley.Iwasveryhappy unknown totheworldoutside never feltthatmyidentitywas in St.Joseph’sBaramula,I up inKashmir and studying Hindu. WhenIwasgrowing must beMuslim–orperhaps looking person,thenyou is thatifyouareaKashmiri- However, whilestudyingin The generalassumption [Courtesy: Viewpoint] Komal JBSingh Hedging their risks, digging in their heels

As he sits in his small rented premises, Gurmeet Raina has advocated for his community rights Singh’s mobile phone constantly rings, showing he such as minority status, which will allow special has a finger in many pies. At 44, he is a booking agent programmes to be directed at them. The Sikhs number for transporters, commission agent for fruits and 600,000 or five per cent of the population of Jammu vegetables, property dealer, tour arranger, and finance & Kashmir, of which 500,000 live in Jammu while guide all rolled into one. He is also a classic example of 100,000 are in Srinagar and other parts of the state. how the Sikh minority earn their living in Jammu. The community feels it dug in its heels in the face “I don’t want to be dependent on a particular of militancy but suffered high collateral damage. “Due business. Last week, the Jammu-Srinagar highway was to the turmoil, thousands of Sikhs living in the villages closed. It affected the supply of fruit and vegetables. The have left behind their property and have settled barter trade between India and Pakistan is closed these in cities and towns. We demand compensation for days along the defacto Kashmir border due to seizure of agricultural and horticultural losses, since these are heroin by Indian authorities. The suspension of the trade more than Rs 25 lakh per family,” said Raina, who has has affected us.” formed the All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee He recounts the story of how he burnt his fingers to press for Sikh rights. in the transport business. Gurmeet Singh’s family Jagdev Singh left his 50 kanals (roughly six acres) migrated to Jammu in the partition of 1947. He in Rafiabad village in Baramula district to settle in the completed high school in 1983 and started his career Baramula municipality. “I, with 20 family members as a driver. A few years later, he bought two trucks, a migrated. We are running a transport business to fleet size that grew to six. sustain ourselves.” Unfortunately, introduction of the national permit The bigger struggle is to protect culture. Raina system made his business unviable. Like Gurmeet says Punjabi as a language is losing in the state and Singh, there are many members in the Sikh community openings for teaching Punjabi in state-run schools and who once had control over the transport business colleges remain vacant. “Also, the state subject (domicile but have diversified. Jagmohan Singh Raina, who certificate) is being denied to the Sikh youth since they ran a fleet of 30 trucks, runs a have left their native places cooking gas distributorship in and settled in Srinagar Srinagar. Sikhs say there was a city and various district time when they had 80 per cent headquarters,” said Raina. of the transport. Their share is Sikhs had lived in now less than 20 per cent. refugee camps in J&K for Gurmeet Singh, who says a long time after partition. he struggled hard to survive, The irony is their areas does not want his children are still called camps. to get into business. His two Gurmeet Singh, who has children go to private schools. built a two-storey house, His daughter, a class IX says that since in revenue student, wants to be an army records he is a custodian officer, while the son wants of Muslim property - to be a lawyer. “I aspire to those who moved to be an army officer because of Pakistan during partition the kind of pride and honour and left land behind - he NISHAAN involved. I think no other cannot ever get a loan profession provides this,” said against his house! 51 his daughter Rasneet Kaur. A young Kashmiri Sikh Vijay C Roy 52 NISHAAN Young Sikhgirlreciting from theGuruGranth Sahibatoneofthemany The very first view on entering the firstview onentering The very Vale ofKashmirisGurdwara Chhevin Patshai JhelumatBaramula onbanksoftheriver Gurdwaras inthe Valley around Sikhs

Gurdwara maintained by an ofUri Army unitontheoutskirts Baramula today On themainroad leadingtoBaramula

Plaque honouring Jemedar Nand Singh VC MVC overlooking the stream over which was constructed the bridge named after him

Numerous Sikh organisations were involved in providing relief supplies and The well known photographer, Sandeep Shankar with rehabilitation of victims after the Kashmir earthquake in October 2005 townspeople of Baramula NISHAAN

Tombstones at the convent in Baramula, victims of the Kabalees. Second from the right is that of Lt Col DOT Dykes of the Sikh Regiment who was killed along with his wife and others on 27 October 1947, just hours before the first Sikh troops landed at Srinagar 53 54 NISHAAN Young Sikh boys atBaramula Editor Nishaan, Pushpindar Singh, atvillage withvillagers Singhpora KalanintheBaramula area Guarding the Valley today: Sikhsoldieroverlooking Baramula Entrance to the Khalsa High School at Magarmal Bagh, Srinagar

Khalsa High School in Srinagar

he Khalsa High School at Magarmal Bagh, Srinagar Twas established in 1943 and is today one of the leading Tsuch institutions in the capital of Kashmir. The founder was Gyani Kartar Singh Komal, this private coed school offering the range of subjects required by the syllabus including maths and computer education, social sciences plus apart from english, hindi and regional languages. The NISHAAN school has a well stocked library, apart from labs, auditorium and 55 playgrounds. Senior students of the Khalsa High School, with their teacher 56 NISHAAN All-faith assembly at the Khalsa High School (alsoseeCoverAll-faith assemblyattheKhalsaHighSchool ofthisIssue) Younger atMagarmal Bagh, ofthe KhalsaHighSchool children Srinagar Line up for finals of the Baba Baghel Singh Ji volleyball tournament, 2014 (Photo : Hardeep Singh) Baba Baghel Singh Ji Sports Tournaments in Srinagar he first Baba Baghel Singh Ji Volleyball tournament, Torganised by GPC Budgam was held in May 2014 at TGurdwara Shaheed Bunga. 13 Sikh teams are participated in the event which was aimed at “providing an opportunity to budding Volleyball players of the community to rub shoulders with their counterparts and to inculcate healthy NISHAAN competition among them”, said Chairman of the tournament 57 organising committee. The Organising Committee with various trophies and prizes (Photo : Hardeep Singh) 58 NISHAAN Gurdwara Sahib. declared open by Head Granthi of the on the occasion, the event being Kuldeep Kaurwereguests ofhonour Zonal Physical Education Officer Education College Ajit Singh and The teamsatthecricket tournament Former PrincipalPhysical The Cricket Umpire (Photo: BhupinderSingh) Participating intheIstBabaBandaSinghBahadurCricketParticipating Tournament heldattheBSFCampus, Budgam Over 2,26,000 people were rescued in Jammu and Kashmir within a span of some two weeks

Floods and Fellowship ncessant downpours and unrelenting rains resulted to aid in relief efforts. A massive number of 80 in massive flooding in the Kashmir Valley during transport aircraft and helicopters of the Indian Air ISeptember 2014. Even as the State authorities Force and Army Aviation Corps were deployed along were somewhat bewildered and seemingly helpless, with some 30,000 troops for carrying out the relief Ithe armed forces swung in to action, launching operations. Mission Rahat along with Mission Sahayata to save the Aerial view of Srinagar city under water marooned, provide relief to the homeless and transport thousands to safety. In this, they were vigorously supported by the Sikh community not only that of Kashmir, but much further afield, in the Punjab and further away in Delhi. The Indian Air Force airlifted some 850 military and paramilitary personnel to the flood-affected regions, and sent a RAMT (Rapid NISHAAN Action Medical Team), medical supplies,blankets, tents and boats to Srinagar 59 60 NISHAAN ee deploy were personnel, 5,700 included which Organisation, Roads Border of forces task five connectivity, and Jammutorestore road camps inandaroundSrinagar relief 19 established Forces Armed The Punjab. the and Jharkhand of governments the and Society Cross Red Textile, of Ministry by donated been had which distributed were shelters temporary creating for tents and the flood-stricken areas Troops rescuing womenandchildren from overflowing waters oftheriver Jhelum IAF helicopterover Srinagar, floodedwith Tens of Tens thousands of blankets of thousands d n Srinagar, in ed after airliftingby IAFaircraft Elderly people, womenandchildren ee ciey novd n h rsu operation. rescue the in involved actively boatswere NDRF 148 and Army 224 of total materials A relief dropped. of tonnes 3,000 over with time, put inplaceatSrinagar. were plants purification water osmosis) (reverse RO while concerns, pressing most the became hydration highway. Jammu-Srinagar the and road Poonch to Jammu the Baramula, and Srinagar , to Srinagar from essentially towns, key between connectivity road restored rapidly These Akhnoor. and Rajouri 2,451 relief sorties had been undertaken by this by undertaken been had sorties relief 2,451 and sanitation recede, to began floodwaters the As Meanwhile, four Army Field Hospitals were 10,000 personnel from the Army Engineer Corps and established in Avantipur, Pattan, Anantnag and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), equipped with over old airfield where medical aid was provided to more 400 bulldozers, excavators and earthmovers, were than 60,000 patients. involved in the mammoth reconstruction efforts. The state of Punjab was an active participant in As the pace of military operations in the region these relief operations, which true to the spirit of the slowed, in the evening of 19 September the Army Khalsa, pledged to help the flood ravaged people. declared that the Megh Rahat rescue operations were After inaugurating relief distribution camp at complete but that relief and medical assistance in the a Gurdwara in Baghat Barzulla at Srinagar, a Sikh region would continue. Restoration of road networks spokesman said, “We will help the people and the was largely completed, and efforts were underway Jammu and Kashmir Government in all possible ways. to improve the condition of recently restored roads. No discrimination will be displayed on the basis of Troops of the Army’s Northern Command remain caste and religion in distribution of relief and helping committed to provide support in close synergy with the flood affected people”. the civil administration and the police. Following a phone call from the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on 12 September to his Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal to provide food and shelter for thousands of starving families of the flood-hit state, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) organised langar for around 50,000 flood-affected people of Srinagar. This was sent from the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport at Rajasansi by a regular flight of SpiceJet airways with several SGPC sewadars on board. The food items were prepared by devotees at Darbar The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Sahib in Amritsar, Gurdwara Ber Baba Buddhaji near despatched truckloads of relief supplies to Kashmir, with Chabal (Amritsar) and gurdwaras in Khadoor Sahib, loaded trucks seen here at the Rakabganj Sahib Gurdwara Goindwal Sahib and Tarn Taran. Devotees remained busy all night at these gurdwaras, preparing the langar. On 6 September 2014, the Kashmir Valley was ravaged Some 25,000 food packets were prepared at the by unprecedented floods and two days later, the capital , each packet wrapped in aluminium city of Srinagar was inundated after continuous heavy foil containing four large-sized paranthas cooked in desi ghee with vegetables and pickles, each packet rainfall compounded by a breach of the embankment meant to feed two persons. near the BadamiBaug Cantonment. Commodore Dalbir Singh Sodhi, The entire SGPC staff also donated an of the Indian Navy, belonging to amount equivalent to two days’ salary to the J&K the state of Jammu & Kashmir, and government’s flood relief fund. Thereafter, the Indian in view of the catastrophic situation, Air Force (IAF) deployed a transport aircraft for took a conscious individual decision airlifting the SGPC relief material to Srinagar, prior to to proceed to Kashmir on leave to which, the gurdwara committee had paid charges of Rs. 27 per kg for the air-transportation. join the search and rescue operations being conducted by the Indian Army. By 17 September, Army Engineers, after During his stay in Srinagar from 11 September 2014 successfully opening the national highway between to 20 September 2014, he was responsible for saving Jammu and Srinagar, restored connectivity between the lives of some one hundred persons, gratefully Rajouri and Budhal as well, by constructing a 180- acknowledged by the citizens and reported by National NISHAAN foot Bailey bridge over the river Ans. This ensured media. After the rescue operations he continued to stay that relief and rehabilitation support could now reach on in Srinagar for distribution of the relief material. the most remote parts of the state. Approximately 61 62 NISHAAN DGMC memberPSChandokrevealed. daily,” people 70,000 than more for food packed providing been have we Srinagar, in places several at Langers establishing “Besides city. Srinagar the across places various at kitchens) (community Langer free 24-hour up set had (SGPC) Committee Prabandhak Gurdwara Shri Amritsar-based the and (DGMC) relief workintheValley,”agovernmentofficialstated. theout carry to equipment and men their rushed which organisations charitable few first the among were affected residents. flood the of rehabilitation and relief the for help extended have too globe the and country the across from organisations Sikh Various Nagar. Jawahar of resident another Ahmed Shabeer said wounds,” daughter’s my of bleeding the stop to cloth the turban used even he him, to life our owe We out. family also volunteeredinrescueefforts. community Sikh of members several gurdwaras, at camps relief up setting Besides said. locality, Bemina of resident a Ahmed, Maqsood gurdwara,” the hallof main the inside live to us allowed they religion, our about bothered being Without us. gave people these care and love the see to overwhelmed am I and before Gurdwara to been never had “I religion. of basis the on discriminating without them helped they as community the to indebted remain would they said Muslims, were majority a whom of victims, flood the he said. community” Sikh the of members the to thankful are we but affected, equally was everybody community, any spare not did “Floodwater here. Nagar Jawahar in house marooned his from rescued was family his with along he since ever weeks three for Bunga Shaheed Gurdwara in on stayed Rasheed Abdul instance, For efforts. rescue the in contribution their for community Sikh the to grateful were state the across gurdwaras atvarious shelter found who Kashmir and Jammu in flood-victims of Hundreds in floodrelief Kashmiri SikhOrganisations The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Management Gurdwara Sikh Delhi The Sikhs United US-based and Aid Khalsa “UK-based drowning my pull to turban his used sardarji “A community, Sikh the towards gratitude Expressing irrespective ofreligionandcaste,”statedRanjitSingh. victims among this distributing equally are volunteers that are reports and Kashmir to material base sending are We restoration. for relief immediate need which identified, been have houses eight some now till that adding said, he priority,” at houses of reconstruction of areas adjoining and Nowshera at victims flood promised volunteers “Our help. possible all of victims reconstruction,” saidRanjitSingh. immediate need which damaged, also were structures several property, other and movable of loss huge besides that witnessed “We beenpeople. have the by losses incurred huge that know to came they Singh, amemberoftheJKSP. Ranjit said valley,” Kashmir as well as Jammu in areas border the in havoc wreaked that floods recent to due occurred damage of quantum exact the know to situation the of stock take to areas adjoining and Nowshera visited teams “Our people. poor already by suffered loss estimated and areas border of victims JKSP and Khalsa Aid volunteers assured the flood the assured volunteers Aid Khalsa and JKSP victims, flood various to talking after that said He Source: PTI/ Newspoint Bureau Khalsa aid also visited flood visited also aid Khalsa and JKSP of volunteers visit suffering people. met and damage the of stock took they wherein 2014, September 27 on Nowshera visited (UK) Aid Khalsa of aegis the under (JKSP) Professionals Sikh Kashmir Jammu, of people torn flood the to During the course of the of course the During Meanw ta o Jammu of team a hile, reaching out reaching Celebrating the Sikh Turban

Two London-based photographers celebrate their heritage through 'The Sikh Project'. This photography initiative by third-generation Sikhs in London celebrates the Sikh turban, as reported by Vandana Kalra.

ith even the unlikeliest of fashionistas considered cool to have a beard. What we want to do sporting the hipster beard in the West, it’s is celebrate it as part of our culture. It’s part of our Whard to miss the new wave popularising identity and reflects our heritage,” says Naroop, a facial hair. But one of the most uncanny outcomes of third generation migrant. Wthe trend perhaps is The Sikh Project, a photography The cousins decided to invite the protagonists to initiative that celebrates the Sikh turban. Last year, their studio, where tightly focussed portraits of each NISHAAN Amit and Naroop, London-based photographers, were were taken. Some are young and trendy, others elderly on the streets of their neighbourhood scouting for and experienced — from a magician to a comedian, a Sikhs who made for interesting subjects. “It’s now filmmaker to a highway planner. 63 64 NISHAAN soon,” hesays. in CentralLondon,”saysNaroop.Indiatooisontheirmind. finalising thevenuefortheirfirstexhibition.“It’llbeinSeptember such asTinieTempah,JaySeanandTinchyStryder. advertising professionals, whohavealso worked withartistes peace his facereflects made alltheeffortworthwhile,”say the Punjabi, wehadatoughtimecommunicating withhim,butthe “Withourbroken Singh. Balbir volunteer temple 80-something linen shirt, saffron turban and kirpan. It all began, though, from and stick,studentIshtmeetSinghPhulldressedthepartwithhis Ifpolopl “We are in touch with people in Delhi, we should be there peopleinDelhi,weshouldbe “We areintouchwith Complete witheditingandshortlistingphotographs,theduois ayer GurbirSinghturnedupinhissportsjersey The Chardi Kalaa Foundation

In the home of the brave and the land of the free, the spirit of the Khalsa shall rise up for all to see Strategies for True Happiness – Naam  Naam Simran – leads to a state of equipoise and Chardi Kalaa, transcending pleasure and pain

ਕਬੀਰ ਹਿਰ ਕਾ ਿਸਮਰਨੁ ਜੋ ਕਰੈ ਸੋ ਸੁਖੀਆ ਸੰਸਾਿਰ ॥ Kabeer, whoever meditates in remembrance on the Lord, he alone is happy in this world.

ਇਤ ਉਤ ਕਤਿਹ ਨ ਡੋਲਈ ਿਜਸ ਰਾਖੈ ਿਸਰਜਨਹਾਰ ॥ ੨੦੬ ॥ Protected by the Creator Lord, he shall never waver, here or here- after ll 206 ll - Kabeer, SGGS pg.1375 http://www.chardikalaa.com/ The Nishaan: Collection 2003

The Nishaan Collections for 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 are now available in bound volumes, also including the Premiere Issue of the Journal released in April 1999

at the Tercentenary of the birth of Khalsa. The Nishaan, published quarterly, is considered a collector’s item, to be read and kept with pride and faith Published by The Nagaara Trust, New Delhi, India.

Limited copies available from: The Distribution Department Nishaan D-43, Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi 110 003, India Tel+91 11 24617234 Fax+91 11 24628615 e mail: [email protected] website: www.nishaan.in