Battle of Saragarhi: Now a storyline for a Bollywood flick
- Arijit Bose
- Feb 25, 2019
- 3 min read
Literature and cinema is replete with stories like 300, Charge of the Light Brigade, LoC Kargil, Border – that talks of the Battle of Longewala, 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 and then the latest being Kesari.
Both 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 and Kesari celebrate the valour of 21 blue blooded men who take on the collective might of 10,000 tribesmen for a span of six hours.
120 years after the incident happened, the story is being told through Kesari where Akshay Kumar plays the protagonist, Havildar Ishar Singh.
Once a subject of a Netflix series, now a film – The Battle of Saragarhi dates back to the 19th century. Saragarhi, a tiny, non descript village was then the North-West Frontier Province.
Few hours outside Peshawar near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border it saw a bloody clash that gave 21 soldiers a place in India’s glorious history.
The clash that took place nearly 2 decades after the Second Anglo – Afghan War saw 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army clash with over 10,000 Pashtun tribesmen.
The prime reason behind the war was that the British Army were trying to gain control of the hilly Central Asian provinces. A long conflict with local tribes and clans.
Saragarhi was set up as a signalling station–to relay messages between Fort Gulistan and Fort Lockhart in Afghanistan. 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikh Regiment guarded the post.
As news brokeout of attacks in September 1897 everyone stood alert. By 12 September morning, a dust cloud gave vent to their worst fears. A Signalman Gurmukh Singh sent the message that a band of tribes were coming. A reply spelt out that Saragarhi will have to hold fort.
For the next six hours, the 21 Sikh soldiers led by Havildar Ishar Singh kept wave after wave of the Afghan warriors at bay. Each shot by the 0.303 calibre single-loading rifles were fatal. The Afghanis were awestruck. They tried to buy peace but the war continued.
Low on ammunition, Saragarhi asked the British command for help. None arrived.
Ishar Singh and his men fall back to secure the last line of defence. He single handedly held on, with his pistol and sword. At the end even Signalman Gurmukh Singh takes the plunge. With a shout of “Jo Bole Sau Nihal, Sat Sri Akal,” the 19-year-old fights on. He kills nearly 20 of them.
The 21 bravehearts kill 180-600 Afghan tribesmen. Each soldier dies a valiant death giving Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan enough time to prepare. Saragarhi fell, but was soon recaptured by the British forces.
The Battle of Saragarhi is considered to be one of the greatest last stands in history.
The detachment at Saragarhi had 1 NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) and 20 ORs (Other Ranks) and commander Havildar Ishar Singh was the leader of this unit.
When the bravado of the 21 blue blooded men became public knowledge, all 21 soldiers were awarded the prestigious Indian Order of Merit Class III award. Historically it was a first when each and every member of a unit won the gallantry awards for a single battle.
Each year, 12th September is celebrated as the Saragarhi Day in honour of the sacrifices made by those 21 brave soldiers
Three gurdwaras – Saragarhi, Ferozpur and Amritsar have been made to commemorate their sacrifice
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