Sikh troops in Baramulla, Nov 47

November 17 1947. Sikh troops dig in along road between Baramula and Srinager. By this time the enemy had been beaten back at the Battle of Shelatang.

Ruled the Sikh Empire in the Punjab

Princess Bamba Sutherland (1869–1957) was the last member of the family that ruled the Sikh Empire in the Punjab. She returned to Lahore from her childhood in England where she was said to have "lived like an alien in her father’s kingdom.

Bamba Sofia Jindan Daleep Singh was the eldest daughter of Duleep Singh Sukerchakia and his first wife Bamba Müller. She was born on 29 September 1869 in London. She led an unusual life as her father (the ruler of the Punjab) had been brought to Britain as a child under the care of the East India Company, after the close of the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the subsequent annexation of the Punjab on 29 March 1849.

Bamba's future father was forcibly separated from his mother and brought up as a Christian. When Duleep returned from burying his mother in India he married an illegitimate girl who was working at a missionary school in Cairo. He brought her back to England as his wife and they lived a life of luxury and were known to Queen Victoria. Bamba was their first daughter and was named after her mother, her maternal grandmother and her paternal grandmother respectively.The name "Bamba" means pink in Arabic.

Bamba's grandmother, Jind Kaur, suffered a poor life in India after Bamba's father was taken from her. Eventually she was allowed to rejoin her son in England. Duleep collected her after special permission was given. Duleep was allowed by the British to visit India for the second time to bury his mother's ashes after she died in Britain, although the body had to remain at Kensal Green Cemetery for nearly a year whilst this was agreed. His mother's ashes were not allowed to be buried in Lahore but had to be placed in a memorial in Bombay.
Bamba lived at Elveden Hall until her mother died from kidney failure. She and the rest of her brothers and sisters were placed in the care of Arthur Oliphant, who was her father's equerry. There she completed her schooling until she went to Somerville College at Oxford.

Film: Rebel Queen

                             The film Rebel Queen tells the remarkable story of the last Sikh ruler of Lahore – a fearless Maharani who waged two wars against British rule in India. She is an inspiring figure for young Asian women today.

An Indian woman wearing a crinoline over her traditional clothes, and emeralds and pearls under her bonnet, walks in Kensington Gardens in 1861. She is the last Sikh queen of Lahore, the capital of the Punjab empire, and her name is Jindan Kaur. She died two years later, in 1863, and was buried in west London

Maharani Jindan Kaur's life – much of which was spent raging against the British empire for cheating her out of the Punjab, then a vast country stretching from the Khyber Pass to Kashmir – is the subject of a film called Rebel Queen, which premiered at New York's International Sikh film festival and is set to be shown in the UK in February

Maharani Jind Kaur, (1817 – 1 August 1863) was the youngest wife of the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh, and the mother of the last Maharaja, Duleep Singh. She was renowned for her beauty, energy and strength of purpose and was popularly known as Rani Jindan, but her fame is derived chiefly from the fear she engendered in the British in India, who described her as "the Messalina of the Punjab".

Kashmir on my mind, have shed my blood there: Army chief

New Delhi, UNINew Delhi, July 09, 2012
Army chief General Bikram Singh's close association with the Kashmir Valley came to the fore today as he shared his feelings with the children from the terrorism-hit area.
"The valley is always on my mind . I have shed blood there,"General Singh said. The school children  from the valley had come to meet the army chief as part of their countrywide tour 'Watan ki Sair'.
The tour is conducted by the Indian Army under Operation Sadbhavana to bring people of Jammu and Kashmir into the mainstream. Receiving the students at the Army headquarter here he reminded them that he was shot at in an encounter in his earlier posting in the state. "Vaadi toh mere jehan mein hai, maine khoon bahaya ha wahan, maine goli khaayee thi (The valley is in my mind, I have shed my blood and have taken bullets)," he said in chaste Hindi and exhorted the students to join the army.
The army chief expressed satisfaction over the improvement in situation in the valley. He expressed the hope that the younger generation of the state would live in peaceful atmosphere.
"How many of you would like to join army?" he asked and almost all the students raised their hands in affirmation.
'Remain committed and be focused in your approach to achieve your goal,' he said while giving tips to these students on how to achieve success in life.
The students invited the army chief to visit to Kashmir. He readily accepted the invitation and told them that he will come to see them in their schools.
Vice chief of army staff Lt General SK Singh, who was also present on the occasion, ruled out any reduction of troops from the valley. Pressure should remain to retain the peaceful atmosphere in the state.
Answering questions, he said anti-peace elements were still active in the valley and constant vigil was needed to maintain peace. He denied the media reports that some battalions were being moved from Jammu and Kashmir to the north-eastern region of the country. "The report is baseless. This is not even under consideration," he added

Singh, 69, was released from Kot Lakhpat Jail

Singh, 69, was released from Kot Lakhpat Jail this morning, a senior official of the prison department of Punjab province said.

After he emerged from the jail, Surjeet Singh said he was looking forward to meeting his family.

'During my imprisonment I often remembered my family and children. Today I am very happy. I will go to the Golden Temple to pray and hug my children,' he told reporters.

Policemen escorted Singh as he was taken to the Wagah land border crossing in a van to be handed over to Indian authorities, the official said.

Footage on television showed a police van carrying Singh leaving the jail.

Indian officials said a team present at Wagah to receive over 300 fishermen being repatriated today would take care of formalities for Singh's release.

Awais Sheikh, the counsel for Singh, told the media yesterday that the Indian national was arrested by Pakistani police on charges of spying during the regime of military ruler Zia-ul-Haq.

He has spent at least 27 years in Pakistani jails.

Singh was given the death sentence under the Pakistan Army Act in 1985.

The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1989 by then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

Sources said Singh had held meetings with other prisoners in Kot Lakhpat Jail yesterday to bid them farewell.

He requested the authorities to serve him 'sewai' to celebrate his impending release.

Hours after reports emerged on Tuesday that Pakistan was to free Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh, the presidential spokesman clarified that authorities had actually ordered the release of Surjeet Singh.

Surjeet would walk into India after Pakistan authorities completed all formalities, Border Security Force (BSF) officials here told IANS.

'This can take up to two-three hours,' one BSF official said.

He was brought to Wagah, which falls in Pakistan, in a police prison van.

His family, including son Kulwinder Singh, were waiting on the Attari side of the joint border checkpost.

'We are very happy that he is being finally released. We will have big celebrations,' Kulwinder Singh, who arrived here early Thursday morning with family members, relatives and villagers, said.

Attari, 30 km from Amritsar city, is the border checkpost on the Indian side.

The Pakistan authorities are also likely to allow 311 Indian fishermen to walk back to India after their release from Karachi prison Wednesday. Most of the fishermen are from Gujarat.

They were in Pakistani custody for periods ranging from a few months to three years after they were accused of violating Pakistan's territorial water off the coast of Gujarat.

Surjeet, 69, spent over 30 years in Pakistani jail after being arrested on charges of spying. He completed his life term in 2005.

His family in Phidde in Ferozepur district are eagerly waiting for his return.

'We are all very eager to receive him. We will make him very comfortable here,' Surjeet's daughter-in-law said.

Sikh Empire

The Sikh Empire (from 1801-1849) was formed on the foundations of the Sikh Confederacy by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The Empire extended from the Khyber Pass in the west, to Kashmir in the north (touching) the border's of Tibet, to the Sind River in the south and in the east to Himachal Pradesh.

The main geographical footprint of the empire was Punjab (historical Punjab region).

The beginnings of the Sikh Empire could be defined as early as 1707, starting from the death of Aurangzeb and the downfall of the Mughal Empire. However, it is the period from 1762-1799 that Sikh rulers appeared to be coming into their own (Sikh Confederacy).

However, the true Sikh Empire began with the disbandment of the Sikh Confederacy by the Coronation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Lahore, creating the one unified political Empire.

The fall of the Mughal Empire provided opportunities for the Sikh army, known as the Dal Khalsa, to lead expeditions against the Mughals and Afghans. This led to a growth of the army, which was split into different confederations.


Each of these groups were known as a misl, each controlling different areas. The religious population demography of the Sikh Empire was Muslim (60%), Hindu (25%) and Sikh (15%).

The once strong empire, severely weakened after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839.

The story of the Empire ends, with the British East India Company annexing it's territory in 1849, after the Second Anglo-Sikh War.

Timeline1707-1716 Creation of Sikh Confederacy begins to influence the political structure of Punjab 1762-1767 Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Sikhs battle for control.

1763-1774 Charat Singh, misldhar of Sukerchakia misl established himself in Gujranwala.

1773- Ahmed Shah Abdali dies and his son Timur Shah is unable to suppress the Sikhs.

1774-1790 Maha Singh, becomes misldhar of the Sukerchakia misl.

1790-1801 Ranjit Singh becomes misldhar of the Sukerchakia misl.

1801-1839 Ranjit Singh proclaimed himself Maharaja in 1801.

1839-1840 Maharaja Kharak Singh 1840-1841 Maharani Chand Kaur but never proclaimed.

1841-1843 Maharaja Sher Singh 1843-1849 Maharaja Duleep Singh

Who Is Asking The Sikhs In Kashmir To Convert?

By Farzana Versey

20 August, 2010
Countercurrents.org

Has anyone asked this crucial question? Before it can be voiced in cogent terms, the government ’swings into action’ to protect the Sikhs. Let us not forget that the Congress party had done no such protecting of the community in the capital city and the rest of the country in 1984. Those who were indicted and held responsible for the carnage managed to hold important portfolios and stay in power for years. People are still waiting for compensation.

Therefore, the central government’s prompt action – and it is rather surprising that not only does it come from the home minister, but also the finance minister and the external affairs minister – reveals that it has found a new ruse to deal with the people’s movement in the Valley.

Unlike the Kashmiri Pandits who were systematically made to ‘flee’ by vested interests, the Sikhs are not an extremely wealthy or powerful group and decided to stay back. As the largest minority group comprising 60,000 people, they faced problems just as the other locals did. Now there is news that they have received letters asking them to join the protest or convert to Islam. Some of these letters state: “When you are enjoying the joys here, why can’t you share the grief and sorrow of Kashmiris as well? We know you are afraid of bullets. Hold protests inside gurudwaras or leave Kashmir.’’

In these notes there is no mention of conversion. There is a call for joining forces and fighting in their own religious places. The coordinator of the All Party Sikh Coordination Committee (ASCC), Jagmohan Singh Raina, said, “Our community members have received unsigned letters at various places. Some letters have asked Sikhs to embrace Islam.’’

He said his people would not leave and much rather fight the “evil designs’’. It must be noted that these are unsigned letters. Whose evil designs are these? If members of the community do decide to convert, will it not alert the authorities? Will their converting to Islam not become an even greater hindrance to the civilian war taking place?

Why did Raina choose to appeal to separatist organisations like the JKLF, the Hurriyat and rather incongruously the PoK-based United Jihad Council to ensure peace and amity? Why did he and his organisation not address the issue to the chief minister Omar Abdullah?

The issue reached Parliament and, as reports say, the government “held out an assurance that Sikhs had nothing to fear in Kashmir in the wake of reported threats to the minority community from militants to convert to Islam or leave the Valley”. There is no mention of the letters that asked them to join the protest movement. The NDA members, always on the lookout for such ‘communal’ concerns, had to be placated; Chidambaram told them, “nobody will be allowed to harm the Sikh community”.

Indeed, the community ought to be protected but this verbal heroism is senseless when the local population is being harmed everyday. Has there been such immediate sympathy expressed for the ongoing war and killings of civilians and security personnel? A shoe thrown at Omar Abdullah gets more mileage than the street protests.

Pranab Mukherjee became magnanimous: "Not only Muslims of Kashmir but the whole of India would rise as one to stand by the Sikh community.” When was the last time the whole of India stood as one to stand by a community, and how could it when the establishment orchestrates such harm?

Has anybody informed the whole of India about where those letters have come from? Why did the Sikh representative in Kashmir talk to the militant groups? Why was the PoK organisation informed? Assuming these threats are coming from the Pakistani side, why would they be interested in “peace and amity”? It just does not sound right.

While Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called these letters fake and had on an earlier occasion dramatically stated that the Sikhs could not be forced to join the protests and harming them would be like inflicting a wound on his body, it conveys the impression that his body has a great deal of importance. And if the JKLF and the Hurriyat do have a say in every such matter, then it begs the query as to what is the status of an elected government in the state?

It is a known fact that when militant groups send out threats, they like to flash their credentials. Since this is an upsurge from the ground level, it would be presumed that the locals are sending those letters. This is damaging to them as well as to what they have held important all along – the coexistence with minorities. This is reminiscent of the planted fliers posted on walls during the exodus of Pandits.

This time both the central and state governments do not know how to deal with the uprising in the Valley. Omar Abdullah can only give assurances when he knows well that there is nothing he can do because there is nothing he has done to salvage the situation. The separatist organisations are also riding on the wave rather than taking responsibility for it.

Instead of assurances in Parliament and smart talk, the government should find out where the mischief is taking place and the origin of those letters. The Sikhs who have received them should file FIRs in the police station. That will be the first step towards getting the government involved rather than the government just standing from afar and issuing homilies.

There is far more here then appears evident and the shoe could point in any direction. It’s time for the establishment to talk on its feet.

Farzana Versey is a Mumbai-based author-columnist. She can be reached atkaaghaz.kalam@gmail.com

California town in shock over Avtar Singh's murder-suicide

A pall of gloom descended upon the quiet neighbourhood where the family of troubled former Indian Army officer Avtar Singh lived until last week, as a shocked community came together to remember what they called was an affable family.
As many as 200 people came together for a candle light vigil for the victims of Singh's killing spree, even as the eldest child of the family struggled for his life at a hospital.
Candles were lit and people left flowers with posters and hand-written notes remembering the family and expressing their loss and pain, as the windows were boarded shut at the Singhhome where the tragedy unfolded on Saturday.
Barbara Childers, the next-door neighbour to the family spoke at the vigil of how wonderful the family had been to her, according to local paper Fresnobee.
“They were always very friendly and accommodating,” Childers said in the Californian town of Selma.
At the memorial vigil, footage of the two older Singh sons was shown, accompanied by music.
Childers said the two older sons often mowed her lawn: “They never took money from me, even when I offered to pay them,” she was quoted as saying.
Another neighbour Diana Diaz said she often spoke with Singh's wife and her two young daughters would play outside with the five-year-old youngest child who was also killed.
She said Singh's wife, whom she called Vanessa, told Diaz that her husband's trucking business was failing and that they were encountering financial struggles.
A day after Singh killed his wife and two children - 5 and 15 - and left the eldest 17-year-old grievously injured, several classmates of the two older boys ran 5 miles from their high school to the family's house.

“Chris was smart, funny and very motivated. He was very easy to get along with,” said 15-year-old Alexis Galindo, the classmate of the eldest boy.
Galindo said the boys did tell her that their father kept several weapons in the house, but they never mentioned any problems at home.
Another classmate Christopher Cano said he had last spoken to Chris on Friday night, a day before the tragedy, at a movie theater.
“He was with his mom and brothers. They looked so happy,” he said