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History
The Makers of Modern Punjab: An Oral History
A Book Review by J.S. GREWAL
THE MAKERS OF MODERN PUNJAB, by Kirpal Singh and Prithipal Singh Kapur. Singh Brothers, Amritsar, Punjab.
Pages xvi + 174. Rs 225.
BOOK REVIEW
In a recent international seminar on "History and Memory" organised by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla, India, two basic points emerged very forcefully: one, that memory plays an important part in our responses to social situations and two, that oral evidence is a valuable source of history.
This book illuminates the second point.
It contains oral evidence collected by Kirpal Singh and Prithipal Singh Kapur on interviews with political leaders, Sikh intellectuals, "Prime Ministers", a Ghadarite leader, and three Army officers, with a close bearing on the history of the Punjab.
It is interesting to read that, contrary to the generally held belief, Master Tara Singh did not tear the Muslim League flag on March 2, 1947, when the Hindu and Sikh Legislators were despondent over Khirzar Hayat Khan's resignation, but he did oppose the installation of a Muslim League Government in the Punjab. At grave personal risk, he shouted "Pakistan murdabad" in the presence of a crowd of over 4,000 supporters of the League.
Baba Kharak Singh recalls that about two hundred thousand people were present when the keys of the Toshakhana [the Treasury in the Darbar Sahib] were delivered to him at the Akal Takht by the government. He was opposed to untouchability as much as to the idea of Pakistan.
Sardar Gurdial Singh Dhillon tells us that he was arrested for the first time in 1935 as a student for garlanding the statue of Lala Lajpat Rai. As "a nationalist" from the very beginning of his political career, he was opposed to the Akalis, the regional formula, and the Punjabi-speaking state.
Bawa Harkrishan Singh had the guts to tell the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar that the Babbar Akalis were surely misguided but "we cannot disown our brethren". He praises Giani Kartar Singh for his clear thinking on various issues.
Principal Niranjan Singh tells us how Bawa Harkrishan Singh opposed the idea of honouring General Dyer at Khalsa College, Amritsar. Niranjan Singh himself was thoroughly opposed to British rule in India. He was closely associated with the Akali movement. He was active in the Guru ka Bagh morcha but behind the scenes; the real leader of the morcha was Teja Singh Samundari. Unlike Master Tara Singh and Bawa Harkrishan Singh, Niranjan Singh was not in favour of launching a morcha for the restoration of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha. He looked upon the Akali movement as "the mother" of the national movement in the Punjab, but his greater appreciation was for the Congress. He was opposed to Master Tara Singh's fast, but he was opposed also to breaking fast after the pledge.
Malik Hardit Singh gives an interesting account of the meeting of Jinnah with Master Tara Singh, Giani Kartar Singh and the Maharaja of Patiala. Jinnah was prepared to give everything that the Sikhs wanted, but only after the creation of Pakistan. Master Tara Singh was not inclined to consider this dubious offer. Malik Hardit Singh talks of his role in persuading the Working Committee of the Akali Dal for breaking the fast of Master Tara Singh. However, Malik Hardit Singh did not like the idea of dividing the Punjab.
Sir Khizar Hayat Khan was not in favour of Pakistan, nor did he like the partition of the Punjab. Having seen the Guru Ka Bagh morcha, he was convinced that no government "could do any harm to the Sikhs".
Parma Nand gives the interesting detail that Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha helped the Ghadarites to set up a bomb factory at Lohat Badi. We know that Sir Michael O'Dwyer [Governor of Punjab and the architect of the Jallianwala Massacre] accused the Maharaja of allowing the revolutionaries to work from Lohat Badi. In fact, he suggested to the Viceroy that there was enough evidence on the anti-British attitude of the Maharaja to remove him from the gaddi. But the Viceroy did not think that there was sufficient evidence to justify such a drastic action. Parma Nand's evidence acquired crucial significance in this context. His case was defended by Subhash Chander Bose and the British MP Saklatwala (who knew Maharaja Ripudaman Singh).
Major J. M. Short was known to have good relations with Sikh soldiers and, consequently, with Sikh leaders. His informal services were used by the government after his retirement in 1931. He admits that in 1947, he was confused: those who were to succeed the British in power were complacent about the Sikh reaction and the Sikhs themselves trusted the British to save them from being unduly displaced. The British were expected to ensure a large degree of autonomy for the Sikhs within a large union of states, if not a Sikh state. However, they failed.
Major General Mohinder Singh Chopra, as the Border Brigade Commander in 1947 observed that whereas India fought, Pakistan fanned, religious hatred. He also observes that it was "not so much the British officers who were responsible for the communal riots as some of the leaders and politicians on both sides with vested interests".
The evidence we have cited is only illustrative of the significance of the oral evidence collected by Prof. Kirpal Singh and Prof. Kapur with perceptive perseverance. The general reader would find the book extremely interesting, while the social scientists interested in the history and politics of "modern" Punjab would find it useful for deeper insights.
[Courtesy: The Tribune]
August 8, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: N. Singh (Canada), August 08, 2010, 11:08 AM.
If Jinnah could get Pakistan, then why did our leaders fail to get Khalistan? Is it because familial and cultural connections with Hindus clouded their judgment and compromised their interests?
2: Irvinder Singh Babra (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), August 08, 2010, 8:59 PM.
And where are the great Sikhs of today? Many Sikhs I came across the world are now rich and wealthy, greatly entertaining and have their own pursuits. To answer N. Singh's question, they failed to get Khalistan because they put their own pursuits and agendas over and above the community's best interest. The fact that there are many new nations today, formed in the last 30 years, and Khalistan, Palestine, Kashmir, are just dreams of dialogue and destruction. It is because the locus, or all points satisfying certain conditions to the powers to be, were never fulfilled. The makers of modern Punjab echo well in our consciousness; the makers of the new Punjab don't, as Punjab today is not what it used to be. Still, there is nothing wrong in looking into the future.
3: Taran (London, United Kingdom), August 09, 2010, 2:47 AM.
The fact that Master Tara Singh was a core nationalist was determinant to the future of Panjab and Sikhs. One can argue that he was just like the present day Manmohan Singh or any other Sikh who vies for a place within the set up of India. In fact as it is the case always, Sikhs in those times were not united and hence paid the price by giving up our pride and future. I would blame it squarely on all the so called leaders of yesteryear who were just stooges of the Congress of Gandhi and Nehru.
4: K. Kaur (USA), August 09, 2010, 12:23 PM.
I am not sure whether there will or will not be a Khalistan ... however, we can rest assured that the answer to the 'disease' of India will always be Islam!
5: K.D.S. (India), August 10, 2010, 4:51 AM.
Jinnah got Pakistan because of the majority of Muslims in several states of India. On the other hand, Sikhs hardly had any majority in any district of Punjab in 1947. The sole criteria at the time of Partition was distribution of land to the two majorities.
6: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada.), August 11, 2010, 11:00 PM.
Taran - "Saare Jahan se achhaa Hindustan hamaara", was composed by Mohammed Iqbal (1905) and the same person conceived and nurtured the idea of separate nation (1935). He travelled from Lahore to Lucknow to convince Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and he started with "Muddat si ho gayi zulmo sitam sahate hue, Sharm aati hai eis Mulk ko vatan kahte hue" and he convinced Jinnah, who called a meeting of Muslim intellectuals at Aligarh Muslim University and the demand for Pakistan was formulated.
7: Simran Kaur Jerrin Bawa (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.), August 13, 2010, 1:21 AM.
This book makes me so proud of my heritage, especially because my great-grandfather, Bawa Harkrishan Singh ji, is featured in it. Would anyone happen to know how I could get my hands on a copy of the book? My father's 70th birthday is coming up, and I'd love to surprise him. :)