Jagmohan Singh Chadha

1. The Zamidar

Bhai Sardool Singh was one of five brothers and after his father died, the brothers divided the ancestral land amongst themselves. Two of the brothers Kirpal Singh and Harbans Singh were in the army, so they left their part of land in the care of their oldest brother, Bhai Santokh Singh. The youngest brother Jaswant (Jassi) was only eight, so he remained under the care of Santokh Singh too. That left Sardool Singh with a piece of land, too small to make a living off. His passion however was zimidari and he was determined to work hard and make enough money, to buy more land. To this purpose, he started transporting stuff on his khachar (mule) for payment. In time it became a full time profession. It was hard work and the earnings were meager. His dream of buying some more land and become a Zamidar again stayed a dream.

In time he got married and brought home his bride Swaran Kaur. Material success however still eluded him, in spite of a lot of hard work and long hours. In due course his wife became pregnant and they were blessed with a son. After the customary forty days were over they took the boy to the local Gurudwara and with Waheguru's blessings named him Sahib Singh. Another son, who was named Amir Singh, followed Sahib Singh. The last to join the family was a daughter, whom her mother thought was the sweetest thing in the world and appropriately names Jagjit Kaur.

The boys grew up fast and it seemed that in the blink of an eye they had become tall strapping lads. Their poverty precluded them from going to school, however Swaran Kaur tutored her children in basic Punjabi and a bit of arithmetic. As soon as they were old enough the sons started helping their father in his transporting business, carrying people and goods between villages. With three working men, they finally were able to save some money and bought two more mules.

Sardool Singh, could now see that the day was not far when he would give up this profession and become a proud Zamidar, owner of his own land. The ghara in the back room of the house was getting full with money. He had an eye on a piece of fertile land, which the old man who owned it was willing to sell him. A couple of more months of hard work and he would have enough money to make the deal. The blessed day finally arrived and the deal was consummated. The money changed hands and the patwari transferred the deed of the land to Sardool Singh. Next day they invited everybody to the Gurudwara for a thanksgiving service and langer. This was one of the happiest occasions in the family and Sardool and Swaran beamed with pleasure as the guests congratulated them. He owned the land but it would be a while before they would be able to live off it. So Sardool and his sons would have to ply the trade for a little longer.

Busy in their own life and dreams, Sardool Singh and his family were not aware of what was happening beyond the few villages where they plied their trade. Occasionally, they would hear snippets about azadi and Hindu-Muslim religious strife, but the concepts were alien to them. They did not care whether the people or stuff they carried was Muslim Hindu or Sikh. Then one day upon return from work, his wife told him that Jassi had come to say that Veer ji wanted to see him. He washed himself as his wife served him his supper. He asked her if Jassi gave any reason for this urgent call. She did not know the details but had surmised it was because of a letter received from Kirpal and sensed that, it was something important. So after finishing his meal, he wrapped a clean chadder round his shoulder to ward off the evening chill and walked to his brother’s house. As he entered the house, he saw that his brother was pacing the floor and anxiously waiting for his arrival. After the usual Sat Sri Akals and hugs they all gathered in the deody while his sister- in-law served hot milk and home made mathayi.

After everybody was settled down, Santokh Singh fished into his side pocket and took out a letter, which he had received that morning from Kirpal Singh. After the war, Kirpal’s regiment had moved to far off Poona. Since the war had ended, the army did not need that many soldiers and his regiment was disbanded. He had moved to Bombay and with the cash received from the army he had bought him a taxi and was doing good business. He had induced Harbans to do the same and the two brothers were together. However lately they were hearing bad news about their part of the country.

The gist of the letter was, that there were rumors that British India was going to be divided into two independent states, one mostly Hindu and other Muslim. Unfortunately for them, their area of Punjab was going to be the part of the new state of Pakistan. He advised that the family move to Bambai as soon as possible until such time as things became clear. Santokh Singh was inclined to take the advice and visit his brothers, at least temporarily. Sardool thought about it and said that things seemed to be normal here. The Muslims and Sikhs had lived next door to each other for ages, without too much trouble. Also from a practical point of view, he had just paid his life’s saving for the land that he had always wanted. In the end it was decided that Santokh and his family would go, while Sardool would wait and see for a while.

Three months went by, since Sardool saw his brother’s family off at the bus depot in Chakwal. A while back he had received a letter from his brother Kirpal, informing him of safe arrival of Santokh Singh. The letter once again urged him to come to Bambai. The life went on, in its normal routine he had started taking time off from transporting people to prepare his land for cultivation. At last his dream was coming true and he was determined, that when he passed away to meet his maker, he would leave his sons a zimidari they would be proud off. As far as moving to Bambai was concerned, he was coming to the conclusion that his brothers would soon be coming back to the land of their ancestors. Then one evening, the things changed drastically.

After cleaning up the kitchen, after the evening meal, Swaran Kaur sat down to recite the Path while Sardool and their sons listened. She was about half way through, when suddenly they heard screams and shouts from out side. Sardool told his wife to continue, while he opened the front door to see what the clamor was about. Two doors down the street, was the house of a Hindu family named Mishr. Nand Lal Mishr was a soft-spoken man in his sixties. He and his wife Lachmi Dei had no children and lived a quiet life. It appeared that the voices were coming from their house. He saw some men gathered in front of the house. He could now clearly hear Lachmi Dei pleading with somebody.

Sardool Singh came back into the house and reached for his Kipan. His wife placed the Gutka on the shelf and asked him what was the matter. He told her that somebody seemed to be harassing the Mishrs and he was going to see what the problem was.

‘Wekho ekale na jao, Saibey nuN nal ley jao’, see suggested. [Listen, don’t go by yourself, take Sahib with you]

‘Changa, chal puter’, he said. [OK. Let us go son]

Sahib picked up a stick and followed his father. As they got out of the door, Swaran Kaur sent Amir to the house of Sucha Singh, a family friend who had recently retired as a subedar major from the Royal Sappers and miners, with an urgent message for assistance. In the mean time as Sardool approached Mishr’s house, he recognized one of the character as Gulla, a local good for nothing, menacing the elderly Mishrs with a stick. The rest of the men were also armed with sticks, but were unknown to him. He also saw the Nand Lal sitting on the floor bleeding from a head wound.

‘Ki ho reha he ethe’ he demanded. [What is happening here]

‘Wekh ohe sardara, tuNh dakhal na deh, eh sada mamla whe’, challanged Gulla. [You don’t interfere sardar, this is our business.]

‘Shukr eh rab da, tusi a gaye ho bhra ji, eh badmash kehNda eh, ki desh enha da ho gaya eh, te jo kuj hai kad deyo nahiN te jaan to jao ge’ pleaded Lachmi Dei. [Thank God you have come brother, this rascal says, that this country is now theirs and if we don’t give him all we have, he will kill us]

‘Ohe eh desh choran te badmashaN da kadoN toN ho gaya weh, ke tuhade jehe luche garibaN nuN tang kar rehe ne’. asked Sardool Singh. [Since when has this country come into the possession of thieves and rascal, that blackguards like you are harassing the poor.]

‘Choran da nahiN. Mussalmana da, te HinduaN di ethe koi jaga nahiN’ countered Gulla. [Not thieves, but Muslims and Hindus have no place here.]

Things looked pretty ugly. There were only two of them while there were six of the others. He was however, not going to abandon the Mishrs to the likes of Gulla. He pulled his kirpan out of the sheath and said,

‘Wekho ohe badmasho, eh badmahi kidre hor ja ke dekhaoh. Chup kar ke challe jaho nahi te’. [Listen you rascals, do your misdeeds elsewhere. Leave quietly or else.]

‘Nahi te ki, Eh huN sada desh Pakistan eh, Hindu ethe nai reh sakde. Muslim League they Maulanna Shajat Ali Baig ne mainu, Gullam Ali nu is pind nu HinduaN to khali karaN da zimma dita weh, te eh bande naal bheje neh. JehRa is kam che rukavat passi, us da vi hasher HinduaN wala hosi. SikhaN ne ethe rehNa eh te sade nal ral ke roh, nai te Hindustan chhale jaho’, challanged Gulla. [Or else what? This is our country Pakistan and Hindus cannot live here. Maulana Sujaat Ali Baig of the Muslim League has made me Gulam Ali responsible for clearing this village of Hindus and has sent me these people to for this purpose. If any one hinders in this purpose, he will be treated like the Hindus. If Sikhs want to live here they have to be with us, or go to Hindustan]

Sardool grabbed Gulla by the collar and saying, ‘Chal oye Pakistan de putra’[Get lost you son of Pakistan], threw him out of the door. He followed him out, telling Sahib to administer to the wounded. The other men raised their sticks but Sardool Singh stood with his back to the wall and his kirpan poised for action. With all this commotion going on other doors opened, but closed as fast. Obviously no help was coming from that quarter. Gulla and his cohorts, circled from a distance, but none dared to approach the naked sword.

While this was going, Sucha Singh got the urgent message and did not waste any time. He grabbed his rifle and made time to the Mishrs’ house. Seeing the reinforcement coming, Gulla decided that discretion was better part of the valor and withdrew saying.

‘Tainu eh menga pai ga, sardara, apni jan di kher mana’. [Sardar, this will cost you dear, worry about your own life.]

Sardool invited the Mishrs to spend the night in his house. Nand Lal had gotten up with Sahib’s help and seemed to be feeling somewhat better. He thanked them for the help in time of need and indicated that they would feel safer in Sardool’s house. Sahib helped them secure the house while Sardool filled in Sucha Singh about what had transpired. Once at the house, while he applied first aid to the injured, they discussed what had transpired and its implications for the future. It was getting late, so they decided to gather at the Gurudwara next morning and decide on the action to be taken.

2. The Gurudwara

Early next morning Sucha Singh sent word to all Sikh and Hindu families to gather at the Gurudwara. In the process he learnt that Gulla had tried to ransack another house and was thwarted by the occupants. He had left threatening dire actions, once he received some weapons and reinforcement. At the Gurudwara, more bad news was received. Some people in the neighboring villages had been murdered and others looted and forced to run with nothing but clothes on their backs. After some discussion, it appeared that some people thought this was a temporary phase and after the authorities got the things under control, things would be back to normal. Others, thought staying was risky and wanted to pack up and leave, while they could. A consensus was reached that everybody move to the Gurudwara temporarily until the things calmed down or better assessment of the situation could be taken.

The Gurudwara was built on a rise, just outside of the village. It had been built about hundred and twenty years before, and had been added to, by subsequent generations. It was encircled by a man made lake, except for a causeway, which led to the main entrance. The lake had been created by damming a small seasonal river and besides providing the Gurudwara with a serene setting, it was also a source of water for the village, in the dry season. At the end of the causeway there were about ten steps, which led to the platform on which the Gurudwara stood. There was a basement, which housed the langer and kitchen and some rooms. The main hall had cathedral ceiling and was circled by a two-story gallery, which housed additional rooms.

The Gurudwara was chosen for the purpose because it was more sturdily built than the individual houses. Also there was safety in numbers. The day was spent with people carrying the essentials to the Gurudwara and securing their homes against ransacking, as much as possible. Some of the Muslim friends and neighbors also pitched in to help the people move. They were equally at sea as to what was happening and what lay in the future. By nightfall a little over a hundred men, women and children gathered in the Gurudwara, along with enough provisions to serve langar for three to four weeks. Some of the men who were ex-army men, had a few firearms including some rifles and handguns. However the ammunition was very limited and would not last long if the Gurudwara had to be defended. Most other men armed themselves with swords or lathis.

3. The Trap

Next two days passed without any new incident except for the sporadic, which at times was heavy. There was no news from any of the neighboring villages either. The people fell into their daily routines except at night everybody came to the Gurudwara to sleep. There was no sign of Gulla in the village and some hoped he had gone for good. Because his work involved traveling to other villages, Sardool had decided to stay put until things were back to normal. Also the continuous rain for the past few days would have put a damper on any business any way.

Next morning the weather cleared and he decided that they couldn’t very well stay in the Gurudwara forever and it was time to go earn a living. Since Amir was somewhat under the weather, only Sahib was going to accompany him. As they were ready to leave, they met his buddy Harnam Singh who was going to his house in the village for some chores. He was accompanied by his brother Harbans. As they started walking Harnam noticed that Sardool was wearing only his short kirpan and Sahib was unarmed.

‘Theek eh tusi kam te challe ho, per velha theek nai, Wadian kirpana nal leh ke challo’, he advised. [I know you are going on your business, but times are bad, take the full size swords with you]

After some thought, Sardool decided that it was a good advice and sent Sahib back for the weapons. As the four of them entered the village, they felt the atmosphere somewhat different. Nobody could put a finger on it but there seemed to an air of stillness. About halfway down to his house Sardool realized what it was. At this time of the morning there should have been a lot of activity in the village, especially after couple of days of rain, however it seemed strangely quiet.

Most of the doors were closed and except for them, there was nobody else around. They stopped and talked about it, but decided they could not very well be spooked by some thing as trivial as this. What did they know, that this decision was going to have major impact on their lives. They walked on, a little more aware of their surroundings. As they neared Sardool’s house, he asked his friends to wait a second, until he had gathered his gear. He realized the things were not normal when he saw that the lock he had put on his door was gone. As he stood there wondering what had happened, the door opened and Gulla walked out along with a bunch of men, all armed with swords and spears.

‘Aha Sardar ji ghar aye ho, Asi kaffi der toN tuahada hi intzar kar rey haN. Par wekho na eh sadeh mehman aye si te asi kiha, eh aprNa hi ghar eh, mauj nal roh’, he said and laughed mockingly. [Ha, Sardar ji you have come home. We have been waiting for you for long. But see. These guests have come and I said this is our own house, stay here comfortably]

His coharts joined him in the laughter. By this time about fifteen men had poured out and were slowly drifting into a semi circle around them. Sardool and Harbans looked at each other and silently decided that this was not the time for confrontation and they all slowly started backing out of there. Gulla was now enjoying himself and said sneering,

‘Ki gal eh Sardara, us din teh baRi, talvar dikha riha saiN, aj pichhe pichhe hut riha waiN’. [What is the matter Sardar, you were brandishing you sword that day and today you are stepping back.]

By this time they had backed away about ten paces but their foes instead of following them, stood there jeering at them. They had spread out in the street as if blocking the path. Even before they heard noises from the other end of the street, they had realized, that they had walked into a trap and Gulla’s intentions were to capture them or kill them. Apparently he had set some touts watching the Gurudwara and as soon he was informed of their coming towards the village he had them surrounded from both ends. Instead of attacking the well defended Gurudwara, he had planed to capture people individually as they came out for their daily chores. It now became all the more important to escape and bring the word to the Gurudwara, other wise. more people may be walking in to this trap.

Looking around desperately for a way out of this mess, Sardool spotted a ladder leaning against a house about twenty steps behind them. In the front of the house was a five-foot boundary wall with a door in the middle, which was now ajar. It belonged to the village tanner, who had build and repaired the rigs for his mules. He was a God fearing, devout Muslim and their relationship had always been cordial. The men blocking the other end of the street were still over a hundred steps further up and moving forward leisurely, enjoying the discomfiture of the trapped. He quietly whispered to the others of what he had seen and asked them to drift slowly towards that house. Gulla and his men were still waiting where they stood expecting the men on the other side to drive them back.

As soon as they were abreast of the door, Sardool gave the signal and they rushed in. In an instant Sahib was going up the ladder, followed by Harbans and Harnam, while Sardool turned and slammed the door shut latching it at the same time. Seeing their prey escape, the attackers forgot their leisurely advance and scrambled madly towards the tanner’s house. Gulla too had lost his confident jeering manner and was spouting obscenities and orders at his men, which for a while nobody seemed to be paying attentions to.

Sardool had in the meantime followed the others up the ladder and then spent precious seconds pulling the ladder up to the roof to deprive the attackers of the means to follow them. They easily leaped from the roof of this house to the one behind and then into the narrow lane on the other side. From there they raced towards the Gurudwara. The only problem was that this lane intersected with the main street a little further up and if the attackers did not realize this they would have a head start and would probably make it. However, Gulla knew the layout of the village and was screaming at the men to run back and block the intersection of the two streets. As a result when they emerged from the lane the attackers were only about a minute behind them.

As they raced, Sardool realized that, they were very vulnerable if the attackers decided to throw the spears at them. As if to confirm his fear they heard a spear fall within a few feet behind them. He sidled over to his son and told him to race on to the Gurudwara, no matter what happens and get help. At this time they were approaching a bullock cart parked on the side of the street. Immediately an idea came into his head and he yelled at his friends to grab hold of the cart and pull it in the middle of the street.

The idea turned out to be even better than he had thought, because when they yanked at the cart it over turned and fell cross wise in the middle of the street almost blocking it. They had now a solid barricade, which could be defended for a short time, till the help reached them. Sahib had slowed for a second, when the others stopped, but remembering his father’s words sped on. Next few minutes were critical, because if they could hold on for another nine or ten minutes, help would be there, for the Gurudwara was not more then three to four minutes at a fast run. The attacker crowded on the other side of the cart but dared not squeeze through, from the sides, because of the three very determined men, with the swords out for action. They started hitting the cart with the spears, in order to break the boards and thus attack the defenders.

4. The Tragedy

Gulla was hopping mad, because he had seen the boy race on, towards the Gurudwara and knew that when he returned with help, his advantage in numbers would be lost and it would be a pitched battle, which he wanted to avoid, at this time. He had been savoring his revenge for his humiliation, suffered at Nand Lal’s house, but now it seemed he would have to with draw empty handed again and on top of that his element of surprise was also lost. Seething with hatred, he thought if only he could kill Sardool Singh, even if the others escaped it would be some consolation. Suddenly a cunning idea came to his mind. Why not employ the same trick that the escapees had used.

He called two of his men and entered the house on the side. He told them to lift him up, until he could scramble on to the roof. He then asked them to hand him a spear. With the weapon in hand he crawled over the roof until he was directly above the defenders. He had been right. He had a clear shot at Sardool Singh on the other of the street covering the narrow opening. None of them was aware of his presence over their heads, because they were concentrating on the attackers behind the cart. He took careful aim at Sardool Singh’s back and let the spear fly.

A few things happened, almost simultaneously, as the spear left his hands. A bullet whizzed by behind his head as the momentum of his throw carried him forward. Sardool fell to the ground, dead when the spear pierced his heart with deadly accuracy. Harbans looked up and seeing Gulla on the roof threw his sword at his head. However, this must have been Gulla’s lucky day, for the second time he survived, because the sword’s hilt touched one of the protruding lumbers of the roof and went over his head falling harmlessly, on the roof behind him. From the corner of his eye he saw a score of well armed men, racing towards them as he scrambled back over the roof.

Somebody at the Gurudwara had noticed the going ons in the village and a group of men were already on the way when Sahib met them. Gulla's jumped down to the ground calling his men to withdraw. When Sahib reached the barricade and saw his father on the ground, with the spear sticking through his back, a heart rending scream burst out of his lips, as he dropped to his knees, next to the body. Harnam had already checked the vital signs and knew, his friend was no more. The sight of the grief stricken boy crying his heart out, overwhelmed him with sorrow and he blamed himself for not being vigilant enough. He was torn between the desire to go after Gulla and offer solace to his friend’s son. While he was trying to come to terms with his emotions, some of the men took the crying boy to the side while the others found a cot and laid Sardool’s body on it after taking out the spear.

After a few minutes, he related to the men the sequence of the events leading to the tragedy and the treachery of Gulla and his men. He also announced his intention to go after Gulla and asked for volunteers who would join him. Most of the men were as angry as he was, after hearing him and were all for following the perpetuators to their den and wiping them out. However, Sucha Singh urged them not take a hasty action, because this might be another trap. He argued it was not a good military strategy, to go into the enemy camp without having a good idea of its strength. Besides if half the men fell in a pitched battle with the enemy, the position of their families would become even more precarious.

After some hot debate it became apparent the Sucha’s view made sense and it would be better to return to the Gurudwara and plan a strategy. Harbans and some others did not agree, but realized, there were not enough of them to make a successful daytime attack. The scene when they returned to the Gurudwara was even more painful.

Swaran had not been comfortable with her husband’s decision to go to work so soon after the incidents of the past few days, but could understand his impatience with sitting idle. When the men left hurriedly to check what was happening in the village, no one knew, the reason for the commotion, except that some people had gone there and were met with some hostile action. She was fervently praying for the safe return, of her husband and son, as she waited anxiously for any word.

When the men returned and she could see that at least one person was being carried on the cot, she feared that her worst nightmares had come true, but clung to a desperate hope, that the reason may just be an injury. That hope was soon dashed, when she saw the somber faces of the men and her grown son, crying like a child, holding on to the side of the cot carrying her dead husband. She felt the earth slipping from under her feet. All dreams and hopes for the future dashed in an instant. No more the companionship of the man she had grown to love and adore, or the affirmation, that he in turn cared for her.

For Sahib, who had not seen death at close quarter, during his young life, it was incomprehensible. He could not come to terms with the fact that his father who always stood as a rock or strength, for him was suddenly no more. The body being carried on the cot beside him was his father, but he would never again advise or encourage him, nor chide him with his familiar manner when he did something wrong. The walk back to the Gurudwara was like an eternity, but he also dreaded the thought of having to convey the sad tidings to his mother and siblings. When they finally got there and he saw his mother standing there stunned like a stone statue, his restraint broke and he cried like a child.

The cot carrying the dead body was placed on the floor next to the stairs and Swaran stumbled down and fell on her knees beside it. She looked at the lifeless face of her husband and wished with all her heart that, there would be a miracle and he would rise up and tell her, that every thing was fine. But there was no response to her pleas and entreaties. Some body had told the younger children of the tragedy that had befallen them and they joined their mother, crying their hearts out.

Most everybody in the Gurudwara had come out and gathered round. Swaran thought that it would be better if she was dead too. Sinking in this well of despair, a part of her mind wanted to let go and ease her pain, but a part of it urged her to comfort her children and make sure they were alright. She wanted to hug them and tell them that they would survive, but she was far from, sure of that herself.

Seeing this tragedy unfold, all eyes were moist and many people could not hold their tears. When Nand Lal heard the news he sat down and wept openly saying,

'Ohe rabba, tu eh ki keeta? Mainu bachan badle tu Sardool di jaan ley lai. Main te kha handa chuka saN, us de teh hale jeen de din sun.' [Oh God what did you do? In payment for my life you took Sardool's life. I had live my life, while he had a lot of living to do.]

While this was going on some of the elders, got together to decide what should be done. They were practically under a siege, and the dead body had to be cremated. In normal circumstance, there would be religious rites today and the funeral would take place the next day at the cremation site on the other side of the village. However the way things were, they could not keep the body overnight at the Gurudwara. Also the weather was clear today and it was likely that it would start raining any time. It was decided to have the religious rites, right now and cremate the body before nightfall.

Sucha Singh took upon himself, to tell the family of the decision and convince them, that it was the right thing to do. Accordingly a pyre was built just beyond the causeway on the lakeside and the body was cremated by the evening.

5. The revenge

After the funeral, there was a kirtan at the Gurudwara and prayers for the salvation of the departed soul, as well as for, granting courage and strength to the family to cope with their tragedy. The ceremony help the family to come to terms with their loss, but the hurt was still too recent to go away. In spite of the gyani ji’s sermon that it was God’s will, Sahib blamed himself for what had occurred. In his mind he went over the scene again and again and thought of something he could have done, or not done, which would have saved his father’s life. In this state of mind he climbed to the second story of the Gurudwara and hid himself in a niche, not wanting to see or hear anyone. Here he was found sometime later by Harnam Singh. Seeing the teary eyed face, he said,

‘Ki kuriaN di taraN ronda piya waiN, TuN jawan admi haiN. Tere pita da katal kar ke oh badmash mazze le riha eh teh tun ethe chhupia betha wain.’ [What, you are crying like a girl. You are a young man. That rascal is enjoying life after killing your father and you are hiding here.]

Sahib rose from his seat and in a breaking voice said,

‘Chaha ji maiN ki karaN?’ [What should I do uncle?]

‘Ki karaN! us zalam Gulle da sir thar toN alag kar ke fir sog manaiN’, replied Harnam Singh harshly. [Do what! First you sever that savage Gulla’s head from his body and only then you grieve.]

Harnam’s words turned Sahib’s grief into anger and the overwhelming sense of helplessness, that he was feeling found a vent in revenge for the perpetuator of the loss that he had suffered.

‘Kinj?’, he asked. [How?]

‘Wekh, Sardool mere phra to wi agge si. MaiN teh Harbans ne aj rati ja ke us kutte dah kirya karam karan da faisla keeta weh. Per pehla haq tera weh. Oh teri kirpan to marna chahidah weh. Himat kar ke sadde nal chal’, urged Harnam Singh. [See, Sardool was more than a brother to me. Harbans and I have decided to go and read the funeral rites for that dog. But you have that right first. He should die from your sword. Take courage and come with us.]

‘Theek eh maiN tayaar haN’ agreed Sahib as he wiped his face with the back of his arm. [OK, I am ready.]

‘Kise nu kuj kehaN di loR nahiN, khas kar ke pharjai nooN. Dooje pehar assi doveN kirpana leh ke, tera bahar intzar karaN ge. TuN pichhle darwaze toN, chup kar ke nikal aiyeeN’, advised Harnam Singh. [You don’t need to tell anybody, specially your mother. Round nine o’clock, both of us will wait for you out side with the swords. You just sneak out of the back door.]

That night the three of them slipped away quietly from the Gurudwara and instead of going through the village, circled it through the fields. At that time of the night they did not encounter any one and approached Gulla's house from the other side. As they neared the house they heard signs of activity in the house. The air also carried the smell of meat being cooked. Apparently he was entertaining some body even at this late hour. They huddled together and talked about what to do.

It was decided to do a closer inspection before deciding the course of action, because if they missed today, they may not get another chance. Closer to the house, they could only hear one or two people astir inside. Either his guests had not come yet, or he was celebrating Sardool’s murder by himself. They decided to go with their plan and took their swords out. Harbans knocked on the door boldly and to their surprise, it opened wide, almost immediately.

Gulla peered outside with a smile on his face, uttering some words of welcome. As soon as he saw, who it was, the words died on his lips and he tried to slam the door, but Harnam held on to it and the three of them pushed in. Gulla tried to run in side the house screaming, however before he had taken three steps, Harnam grabbed hold of his arm and brought him down to the ground. Sahib raised his sword and with all the power in his body, driven by the anger towards the murderer of his father, brought it down on his bent neck.

Gulla’s screams brought some one out of the house, but turned back shouting for help. Having done what they had come for, there was no reason for staying, so they turned and made for the door.

As they stepped out in the street, they were surprised by a group of people. There was a horseman and three men on foot. The new comers were, obviously not expecting this reception and were equally taken aback. However, seeing the naked swords, they went for the weapons too. This was a desperate situation. Here the three of them were facing four men and any minute the men in Gulla’s house would get their act together and then they would be really out numbered. They had to deal with the present threat immediately and get away before the enemy got any reinforcement.

Harnam swung his sword in the right hand while he caught the reins of the horse and forced its head down. The rider who was had just taken his sword out of the scabbard, became unbalanced and fell forward and the swinging sword caught him in the chest. He fell to the ground mortally wounded. The horse in panic because of the sudden events galloped down the street neighing loudly. In the mean time Harbans had brought one of the men down, while Sahib was engaged with the two others. However seeing the rider fall they fled screaming,

‘Mirza Mumtaz Ali marya giya’. [Mirza Mumtaz Ali has been murdered.]

The entire incident was over in a few seconds and the trio, finding no other opposition made for the fields as fast as their feet could carry them. Once behind the standing crop, they paused to take the breath and assess the situation. They had come to take revenge on Gulla and killing any one else was not in their plan. The rider, Mumtaz Ali was obviously some body important and was probably the guest, Gulla was preparing the feast for. However since he was visiting Gulla, chances were, he was part of the group planning the murder of Hindus and Sikhs. In that sense, his killing was perhaps justified. What had happened was over and done and there was nothing they could do about it. It was getting late and so they circled the village again and headed for the Gurudwara.

The commotion in the village had been heard by the lookout and he woke some of the people in the Gurudwara. They were watching the village trying to figure out what was the reason for the latest ado, when the three reached there. Harnam related in a few words, what they had set out to do and what had happened. Swaran was appalled at the risk, Harnam had put her son to, without telling her, but Sahib told her not to blame him. He said he had to take this action otherwise, he would have never forgiven himself, all his life, for what had happened. While most of the people supported their action, there were dissenting voices, concerned with what it would mean for the survival of the group. Sucha Singh then asked them to repeat the name of the horseman. It sounded like Mirza Mumtaz Ali, or something like that, they replied. It seemed Sucha Singh and some others in the group knew off Mirza Mumtaz Ali.

He was the son, of one of the largest landowners, a few miles to the south. His father had died when he was eight and his mother had raised him. As soon as he reached adulthood he had taken control of his estate from her and started spending his money lavishly. From all accounts he had more money than sense and had gathered around him a bunch of courtiers who did all, to boost his ego in return for trickle down from his considerable purse. He had political ambitions and it seemed Gulla had some how, roped him in, for his cause of ethnic cleansing of the non-Muslims of the area. The implications of his killing could only be surmised, but in any case it had set the odds, even greater against the survival of the people in the Gurudwara. The commotion in the village continued well into the night, and several horses were seen racing down into the night. This did not bode well and it was decided to keep the doors, doubly secure and post lookouts through the night. The rest of the night went by uneventfully and the new day came, bringing with it more uncertainties.

6. The assault

The next day, after the morning services, Sucha Singh rose and addressed the sangat. He thanked God for uneventful previous night, but warned that chances are, it will not last. He detailed the sequence of events, which had occurred during the night and opined that a major assault on the Gurudwara was likely, either the coming night or the next. He also stressed, that they may have been able to repulse any attack initiated by Gulla with his limited manpower, but after the death of Mirza Mumtaz Ali, the attack would be much more ferocious.

The Gurudwara had limited offensive capability and once the ammunition for the few firearms ran out they, would be sitting ducks. The situation was drastic and it demanded drastic measures to deal with it. He told them he had a plan and God willing it will be enough to blunt any attack, at least for a limited time. He also asked the people not to blame Harnam and Harbans for this ordeal, because the mere presence of Mumtaz Ali at Gulla’s house proved that he was abetting the cause of communal elements like Gulla and his death had only hastened the inevitable attack on the Gurudwara.

Besides, Sardool Singh was a well respected and loved member of the sangat and justice demanded that, Gulla pay for his treacherous murder. His talk while it alarmed the people, also at the same time made them determined to fight back. Several men gathered round him after the end of service and offered their full cooperation for what ever he had planned. He outlined his plan and assigned duties to different people to bring it to fruition.

The dam, which held the water in the sarovar (pool), was made of earth and gravel. Every rainy season the water over flowed off the top of the dam. This caused erosion and the dam had to be refurbished every year. When Sucha Singh came back after retirement, he had initiated a major project to fix the problem for good. For this purpose some eight inch cast iron pipes had been ordered and they had been delivered a month before. He deputized some men to bring four of them to the back of the Gurudwara. He then asked the blacksmith, Shiv Das to set up shop there and cap one end of each pipe and make a hole in the side of each. Other people were asked to fill up bags with sand from the riverbed and take them into the Gurudwara. Some kids were sent up to the top floor, to keep a look out on all sides and report any activity. He then collected a bunch of armed men and made a raid on the village collecting some materials.

Amir was sitting on the back stairs of the Gurudwara, stareing in the clear waters of the lake, when Shiv Das started setting up his bhatti on the ground below. When the coals were red hot, Shiv Das went over to bring one of the pipes to heat it. It was heavy and he could not lift it alone. He looked around for help and saw Amir, but did not wish to bother him. Amir saw what was happening and went down to help him. After the pipes were in place, he sat down there and watched Shiv Das make the red hot metal, shape the way he wanted it. This fascinated him and made him forget his personal grief for the time. After a while, he asked questions and Shiv Das was more then happy to satisfy his curiosity.

By the evening two cannons had been set up behind windows on the side of the main door facing the causeway. The third was set up in a similar fashion on the second floor, behind window on top of the door. Each cannon was filled with some homemade gunpowder and pieces of scrap metal and small rounded stones from the river and sat on a bed of sandbags. More sandbags were put on top of the cannons to make them stable. When every thing was in place, the people were very happy with their home made artillery and it gave them the confidence in their ability to defend themselves.

Sucha Singh however was not quite satisfied with what had been accomplished. The cast iron pipes were not manufactured, for use as cannons and were more than likely to burst open when the charge was lit. That is, if the home made gunpowder worked and not ended up as a damp squib. Not only that, these were one time use weapons and if they did not have the desired effect the first time, there was not going to be any backup plan. However he kept his misgivings to himself and prayed to God that they would not have to test, if his contraptions worked.

While the people at the Gurudwara were preparing for its defense, the lookouts had reported a lot of activity in the village near Gulla’s house. It seemed there was a huge influx of people coming from all directions. They also reported individuals not too far from the Gurudwara, apparently keeping a watch on the activities going on. By the evening, many other people some on horseback and some on foot had surveyed the Gurudwara grounds. Also a large horde of men were collecting in the open space between the village and the Gurudwara.

Most people were armed with swords and spears, but a goodly number bore firearms along with ammunition belts. It was evident that plans of full-scale assault were in the wings. Shortly thereafter the lookouts reported a man on horseback, with an escort of armed men, on foot breaking away from the main body of men and approaching the Gurudwara. Sucha Singh opened the door slightly and when the men reached the start of the causeway told them to stop and state their purpose. The man on the horseback replied that he had come to negotiate. Sucha Singh told him to approach on foot unarmed and by himself. The men conferred amongst themselves and then the horseman got off, handed his gun to one of the men and walked across the causeway. When he reached the top of the stairs, Sucha Singh stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

‘MaiN Usman Ali Khan haN.’ The messenger introduced himself and continued, [I am Usman Ali Khan.]

‘Mumtaz Ali jis da thuhade bandeyaN ne katal keeta hai, maiN us da mama haN. Meri bhaiN da oh iklota puter si. UnhaN katilaN nu sadde hawale kar dio, te assi baki sareyahn di jaan mal di hifazat di kasam khande haN.’ [I am maternal uncle of Mumtaz Ali, who was murdered by your men. He was my sister’s only son. You hand over those murderers to us and we guaranty the safety of life and possessions of the rest of you.]

‘Tuhada phanja, Gulami Ali, da sath de reha si, jis ne sadde Sardool Singh da katal keeta si. Nale us di mot khuli larai which hoi si jis which doveN passe hathiyar band si. Is lai eh katal nai si. Phir wi assi sarkari, kanoon da intzar karan nu tiyar haN. JadoN police de bande pind which ponchan ge taN assi unhaN nal rafta kaiym karaN ge. Thad tak tusi intzar karo.’ countered Sucha Singh. [Your nephew was abetting Gulam Ali, who murdered our Sardool Singh. Also he died in a fair fight, where both sides were armed, as such it was not a murder. Still we are ready to wait for the law. When the police gets to the village, we will contact them. You have to wait till then.]

‘Assi police kol nai jaNa. Tuhanu jaan di kimat jaan nal deNi pessi. Agar aj raat tak tussaN theno kaatlaN nu sadde hawale na keeta, te assi Gurudware di it nal it waja diyaN ge, te katal di keemat har admi, aurat te bacche nu khoon nal deNi pessi’, threatened Usman Ali and turned around and marched back to his men. [We are not going to the police. You have to pay life with life. If by nightfall you have not delivered the murderers to us, we will destroy the Gurudwara and every man, woman and child will have to pay for the murder in blood.]

This was as bad as Sucha Singh had anticipated. It seemed Mumtaz Ali’s family had not spared any money or influence to take revenge for his death. Things were bad enough already when the communal elements wanted to kill the nonbelievers, but now with the backing of the powerful family they had the means to do it too. He came into the Gurudwara and gave the anxious people inside the gist of the conversation.

A sense of doom spread over the listeners. As if to reinforce the gloominess a wall of dark clouds started gathering from the east and in a short time, where it had been bright and clear all day, it became quite dark and a premature night fell. In a way it was good if the rain came because it would deter the attackers somewhat. Also the recent rains had swelled the lake to its highest level and any attack, other than from the front was unlikely.

In spite of the occasional thunder and lightening the rain held off and so did the attackers. The atmosphere in the Gurudwara was tense and a sense of foreboding prevailed. The people however continued with the daily routine, of the evening services. After the Kirtan, Bhai ji gave a pep talk to the congregation and compared their situation with that of Guru Gobind Singh during the siege of Anandpur Sahib. He also prayed for a divine intervention to save the devotees from the feared assault.

Although an attempt was made, to keep a constant watch on the activities of the attackers, but not much could be seen outside. Occasionally, the lightened tore away the blanket of darkness for brief periods and the landscape lit up. These brief moments did not reveal any activity in the vicinity of the Gurudwara. Some body commented that may be, they were afraid of getting wet and it brought a subdued laughter from the others.

Everybody knew that the attack was coming sooner or later and the future was uncertain. They had done all they could do, and the only thing left to do was to pray to God to deliver them from this ordeal. Sucha Singh asked everybody except the lookouts to take some rest, because once the attack started there wont be any time for rest for a while. He asked the lookouts to be extra vigilant and make sure that they wake him at the first sign of any activity outside.

He woke to the sound of gun fire and as he rose to find out what was happening, one of the lads who was working as a lookout came to wake him. Because of the total darkness out side the lookouts had not seen anything before the gunfire started. Now through the gloom flashes could be seen when the guns were fired. The gunmen were still some distance away. It seemed that this gunfire was just to test the Gurudwara’s defenses. Some young men wanted to fire back, but Sucha Singh told them to hold off, there would be plenty of time later to use the ammunition that they had.

After a while, the intensity of the gunfire increased and the gunmen seemed to be coming closer. Through the darkness every once in a while, one could see some of the shadowy figures firing from what ever cover was there and then rushing closer to the next cover. They were still beyond the causeway and they would have to break the cover to approach it. Sucha Singh took one of the rifles and sat down at one of the windows and directed another ex army man to do the same at the other end telling him to aim for the approach to the causeway and fire only when he was sure of the target.

That was not long in coming and they saw a bunch of men break cover and make for the causeway firing constantly. They immediately fired back and hit some of the attackers. The rest of them scrambled back. However this brought concentrated fire on the two windows they were firing from and they had to move to other windows. This cat and mouse routine continued for some time and Sucha Singh asked another ex army man to take his place, while he went downstairs to plan for the next step.

He knew from experience, that as soon as the enemy realized that they had only limited number of small arms, firing at them, they would rush the causeway and try to reach the Gurudwara. He had already rehearsed, with some of the men on how the makeshift cannon was to be fired. One person was to stand at the head of the cannon ready to fire the fuse at his signal, while another person stood ready to open the window. As soon as the fuse was lit, they were to get out of there posthaste and get behind some cover. The fuse was timed to fire the gun, half a minute after it was lit, enough time for the gunners to take cover.

When the men were in place, he returned to his post upstairs, waiting for the next move from the attackers. The attackers did not wait for long. Suddenly the firing increased significantly and all the windows on the second floor were hit repeatedly. One of the men standing next to a window was hit in the chest with a slug, which had come through the panel in the window.

Sucha Singh asked everyone to get down, and asked two men to take the injured man downstairs for first aid. While this was being done, he tried to watch the things unfolding outside through a narrow slit. As he had anticipated after an intense firing for a few minutes a large body broke cover and raced for the causeway. As they approached halfway across the causeway, he could see that the leading men were armed with axes and spears. He did not wait any longer but signaled the men to fire the cannon. The next few seconds seemed like an age. Everybody inside the Gurudwara was quiet, but the attacker out side encouraged by the lack of any resistance, started shouting ‘Allah-O-Akber’, while they raced for the main door, their axes raised to smash it to smithereens.

A minute went by and Sucha Singh, who was usually cool under pressure, started sweating. All the other present, looked at him, desperately seeking some words of assurance. He had just opened his mouth to say something, when all of a sudden all hell broke loose. The noise in the confined space was unbearable and the floor and walls shook. After the first blast the sound continued for a second as if a giant was hitting the wall with gigantic hammer. For a second, he thought, may be the cannon had blown up inside, but knew instantly, that if that had happened, the walls would have collapsed. The noise downstairs had barely subsided, when it was replaced by heavy thunder, from the skies and the rain which had held off, till now, came pouring down. He decided to go down and investigate.

On the bottom of the stairs, he met one of the gunners, disheveled and bleeding form a scratch on the head, but other wise elated. He said that the cannon had fired and then, the recoil had lifted it off the sandbag bed and spun it like a top on the floor. The sandbags put on the top had been thrown up like puffs of cotton. He had cut his head trying to save himself from the bedlam. His partner had not been that lucky. He had a broken leg and needed help. He told the man to get his wound attended to while, he called on other men to carry the injured man inside.

Once assured that things inside were not too bad, Sucha Singh turned his attention outside. The visibility had gone down to zero and nothing much could be seen. The good thing was that the shouting outside had stopped and there did not seem to be any one close to the building. It seemed that, either the firing of the gun or the rain, or a combination of both had made the attackers withdraw. Which would be great, but it would have been nicer if they could be sure. There were still too many questions. Had the attackers been repulsed with enough damage to change their mind about destroying the Gurudwara, or was this just a tactical retreat and they would regroup and attack again.

After some thought he decided to give them an added incentive to withdraw, by firing the gun on the second floor too. This gun had been aimed higher to cover a greater distance and hopefully some of the projectiles would reach the encampment where the leaders of the assault were. But before that could be done, he had to make sure that the gun was secure. So with some help he stacked more stand bags to the sides and top of the barrel. This time the firing was much more controlled and damage if any hopefully happened to the enemy.

There wasn’t much that could be done now, except wait for the morning and hope that the God had listened to their prayers and the enemy had been repulsed for good. Otherwise they were in for more nights like this and they had only one gun left. Hopefully the enemy did not know this. After the long dark night, the dawn finally came. The bleary eyed besieged, peeked from behind the defenses and were relieved to see that there was no sign of the attackers, as far as they could see. Other than some articles of clothing and an axe or sword here or there, there was no evidence that there were legion of attackers out there during the night. It seemed that they had carried their dead and injured when they withdrew.

Inside the situation was better than could be expected. Other than three or four people who were hurt seriously, most people could not complain about any thing else, except extreme fatigue. It had been a scary night, especially for the children. Some of them had now mercifully had gone to sleep after the exhausting night. Others were clinging to their mothers, bewildered at the change a couple of days had wrought. The only consolation was that the attackers must have suffered considerable casualties, otherwise they would not have withdrawn. This was tempered by the fear that, this relief was might be short at best. Sooner or later the attacker, may regroup and be back.

Sucha Singh posted some of the older boys as lookout on the second floor, while he directed the men to take a few hours of much needed sleep. He also directed the bhai ji (priest) to start the regular kirtan in a couple of hours. This would bring some sense of normalcy in the dire situation and hopefully give a moral boost to the people. After the morning service, everybody gathered around Sucha Singh, hoping he had some ideas on what to do next. Also, dire as their situation was people were worried about their relatives who lived in other parts of Punjab.

As this discussion was taking place, one of the lookouts shouted that he could see a vehicle approaching the village. Every body rushed to the windows to see it. Sucha Singh advised people to use restrain and not show themselves, because there was no telling if it was friend or foe. As the vehicle came closer they discerned that it was a military truck with a machine gun mounted on the top of it. At this point Sucha Singh decided to show himself and stepped out side.

7. The rescue

An NCO from the Jat regiment jumped out of the truck and asked Sucha Singh for directions to the house of Subedar major Sucha Singh. On his informing him that he was the person he was looking for the NCO smartly saluted him and said.

‘Sir, maiN Lance naik Bidhi Chand huN or muje captain Kulwant Singh ne bhaija hai, aap ko khair kheriat se Ambala le jane ke liye’. [Sir, I am lance naik Bidhi Chand and Captain Kulwant Singh has sent me to take you to Ambala safely]

He then reached into his pocket and handed him a letter. Sucha Singh took the letter and said,

‘Aap under aiye aur kucch cha pani lejiye, Kafi lamba safar kar ke aiye haiN.’ [Come in and take some refreshments. You have traveled a long distance.]

The NCO ordered one of the soldiers to stay on guard, while the rest of them followed him into the Gurudwara. While the soldiers were being served the food, Sucha Singh read the letter from his son. Kulwant had written that his battalion was under orders to move from Peshawar to Ambala Cant and although he very much wanted to come home and see to the family’s move to India, he could not get away because of the battalion’s move. So he was sending his NCO and they should be alright with him.

The people in the Gurudwara, were anxiously waiting for Sucha Singh to tell them, what the latest developments meant for their future survival. So without any further ado, he let them know, of the contents of the letter and at the same time made the soldiers aware of their situation. Bidhi Chand answered that he could only accommodate four people in the truck. So obviously they had to arrange for some kind of transportation for the hundred odd people for the journey of over 200 miles to the border across the hostile territory.

Since there was no such transportation available in the village, after some discussion it was decided that Sucha Singh should go with the soldiers to Chakwal and see if he could find the transportation there. Bidhi Chand did not want to spend too much time there because he was supposed to report to his unit in four days. Therefore without further delay Sucha Singh, Bidhi Chand and one soldier left for Chakwal while the other two soldiers, with some rifles and plenty of ammunition stayed behind to protect the people.

Sucha Singh was worried, what situation they would find in Chakwal, but he knew a man who was in the transport business. His name was Shah Mohammed and he and Sucha Singh had served together. Upon retiring he had bought a surplus truck from the army and had gone into business for himself. It was couple of years since they had last met and with the changed situation, Sucha Singh was not sure if he could depend on his aiding him. However since there was no other alternative, he decided to go to him first and then decide what can be done.

When they reached his place of business, Shah Mohammed came out as soon as he saw him and took him in a bear hug. He told him that, he was thinking of him, that very morning and was worried about his well being. After he was made aware of the purpose of the visit, he said, they couldn’t have come at a better time and he had a perfect solution. He had a friend named Sri Ram who ran a bus service between Chakwal and KoliaN. On his last scheduled run, the bus was attacked on the return trip and he had barely out run the attackers. He wanted to move to Karnal, where he had some family but was not sure, if he could drive that far safely. He was sure Sri Ram would love to have the protection of the soldiers and would take the people with him. Shah Mohammed went with them and directed them to Sri Ram’s house.

Sri Ram thanked God and thanked Shah Mohammed for bringing this opportunity to him. He also said that he would take as many people as the bus could accommodate and there would be no charge for the trip either. The bus was built to seat fifty people and he could perhaps squeeze another ten. That was still short by over fifty people.

Shah Mohammed then offered one of his trucks to go with them, as far as the border and they could find some transportation once they were across. That being settled, Sri Ram topped the bus tank with the petrol and added some extra tins for the journey. His family then stored the essentials, which they wanted to take with them in the bus and the caravan of three vehicles was ready for the trip. Shah Mohammed hugged both his friends and wished them luck. By that evening they were back at the Gurudwara much to the relief of the besieged.

It was decided to leave early the next morning. The women cooked enough food for them to last the journey, for it was unlikely that they would stop anywhere on the way for food. After the evening langer, Sucha Singh, NCO Bidhi Chand, Sri Ram and Ali Mohammed, the truck driver planned the route they would take to Amritsar. They had decided that they would try to avoid any major towns and travel as far as possible on the country roads.

Sri Ram and Ali Mohammed knew the roads pretty well, so with their help, Bidhi Chand plotted the route they would take. Thus they were sure, they could by pass any area, which they found hostile. Next morning with an 'ardas' for a safe trip and a fond farewell to the Gurudwara, which had given them protection and to the ancestral village, where their families had lived for generations, they started on the trip. For most of them it was trip to an alien land, which by a twist of fate had become their own while the land that was theirs for ages, had now become alien and hostile. They were also facing an uncertain future in an unknown land.

All the women and children were put in the bus while the men climbed into the large truck. The army one ton truck, with Sucha Singh and soldiers led the way followed by the bus and the truck in that order. At some places on the route, they encountered some mobs, but a burst of machine gun fire over their heads cleared the way in every case. They picked up some more refugees on the way, but once, after even the roof of the bus was full, they could not accommodate any more. However some people who had their own transportation joined the caravan and it was motley group of vehicles, which reached Wagah in the evening. Here Ali Mohammed turned his truck around for the return trip and Sucha Singh gave him some money, for his trouble and a letter for Mohammed Shah thanking him for his kindness and care. The caravan broke up and most of the people finding their own ways to their destinations.

Epilogue

Sardool’s family finally ended up in Bombay and the two boys went into transport business. From there it was one step into motor parts and than into manufacturing. All the three kids got married and the family became very prosperous. Swaran Kaur was now the matriarch of a large family and lacked nothing, except that she missed her husband and wished he was there to share the better times.


Copyright©2006 Jagmohan Singh Chadha. About the author