A FORGOTTEN PROTAGONIST OF PUNJAB
| Awell known thinker, philosopher, intellectual, writer and orator of the Sikh community in the pre-1947 era, Ganga Singh Dhillon was the first to raise the demand of Punjabi Subha (separate statehood for Punjabis) way back in 1956. Popularly known as principal, Ganga Singh suffered at the hands of British as well as Indian authorities before and after Independence. He passed away at the age of 68 in Gurudwara Shish Ganj on December 26, 1961. He faded away from public memory into an unknown champion in the history of Sikhs. His tales of daring deeds practically vanished along with him leaving hardly anyone to remember him in Punjab. So much so that the present generation hardly knows about his contribution. Although he was a guiding force behind the formation of the Akali Dal, he was never interested in power. He never endorsed "Politics based on false promises", as told by his own son Trilochan Singh. However, he enjoyed playing the man behind the throne. "I am a king maker, why should I become a king," he told Harbans Singh Ghuman (former MLA), also his student. In fact, many people would not know that Ganga Singh was instrumental in making his cousin brother-in-law Sardar Baldev Singh the first defence minister of India on the Akali Dal mandate. Many facets of his life are still not known to many. A progressive individual, he was also a nationalist to the core. According to his son Trilochan Singh, when the Jalianawala Bagh massacre took place in 1919, Ganga Singh, then a Tehsildar of Batala Tehsil, was ordered by the British government to decree the property of those killed at Jalianawala. He declined to carry out the orders and was subsequently declared deserter. Ganga Singh joined the Ghadar Party headed by Ras Bihari Bose and did not look back ever since. He started writing for the official organ of Ghadar Party published from Lahore. The colonial masters had put a ban on its publication and its reading. He toured the USA and Europe in 1947, where he met with intellectuals and world leaders, including Winston Churchill in the UK. With these leaders especially with Churchill, he is said to have pleaded the case of separate statehood for Punjabis. Unfortunately, in the US he met with an accident and suffered a serious head injury and broke his jaw. And doctors shaved off his hair to perform surgery on his head. When he returned t to India in 1949, he drove to Amritsar and rebaptized himself into the Sikh fold.  Tarlochan Singh [Son] Ganga Singh also came to be known as an Urdu lyricist for valiant couplets against the Raj. One of them to earn him popularity was,: Ab ham ne himalya ki choti pe chadke lalkara hai, door hato ai dunya walo Hindustan hamaara hai. (Now that we have climbed atop Himalayas, you better get off, Hindustan is ours). In fact, Ganga Singh's fascination with Urdu started when he was in the sixth standard. He then studied the Holy Quran in a mosque and also wrote his first couplet "Rukhsat Hue is jahaan se jo mumaalik ke baani baani the…. From here, he picked up the art of writing Sufiana Kalaam. So much was his affinity to Urdu that he used to write Punjabi in the Urdu script. Under the Ghadar Party he started campaign against the British rule. Gatherings used to be held in Gurudwaras where he would deliver religious sermons. It was a team comprising Harnayal Singh, Partap Singh Kairon, Baba Mool Singh Gadhmulya, Veer Singh Atehbarya and Harbans Singh Attari (who founded Khalsa Yateem Khana). Besides fanning the nationalistic spirit, they would also highlight the importance of education for women who could play a pivotal role for developing the nation. Subsequently, these lofty idealisms led to many more serious and concrete works. For instance, Shahid Sikh Missionary College, at Putli Ghar in Amritsar was established in 1927 under the auspices of the apex Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Ganga Singh, well versed in the art of oratory and with perfect mastery of Persian, Urdu and Punjabi languages, became its first principal and continued till 1946. This institution holds the credit of producing the pracharaks (preachers) like Ishar Singh Majael (first irrigation minister of Punjab), Gyani Sharm Singh, Gyani Badal Singh, Gyani Tegh Singh , Amar Singh Dussanj, Pyara Singh Padam, Gyani Lal Singh, Kartar Singh Pudi, Shama Singh Layalpuri, Kehar Singh Bairagi, Tara Singh Perdesi, Gyani Zail Singh (former president of India), Tara Singh Tara, Gurudev Singh Mann (father of famous Punjabi folk singer Gurudas Mann). His oratory was so powerful that he could mesmerize the audience. In Calcutta a round table conference of religious leaders was held in 1935 in which Calcutta scholarly persons from Budhist, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jain religions were invited. Ganga Singh representing Sikh community, spoke for 25 minutes leaving the audience spell bound. He also edited Akali Patrika magazine for two years as chief editor. Thereafter, he started daily 'Ajit' and managed it for five years. The highlight of the stint was running a series dwelling on certain controversies involving Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.  Harbans Singh Ghumman [Ex-M.L.A., Student] Dark Phase: Ironically, Ganga Singh had to face a turbulent phase. His visit to Pakistan proved costly affair for him. He had reportedly gone there to attend the marriage of a grand daughter of Ghaznafar Ali Baweja who was the then governor of Punjab (Pakistan). He stayed in Pakistan for over one month. On his return to India in July 1956, he was arrested on the charges of conspiracy and sedition. His passport was impounded. He was lodged in Jaipur jail and his family members were not allowed to meet him. He was shifted to Gwalior jail and subsequently to Jhansi and Kodaikanal and allegedly subjected to all sorts of mental and physical torture. These left his body, mind and soul shattered.Ganga Singh took shelter at Ragi Santa Singh in Mata Sundri lane and decided to dedicate rest of his life to singing religious hymns. He was employed in Gurudwara Shish Ganj for Rs 10/- per day for singing hymns. The didn't join his family probably because he had sensed that his stay with his family members would invite troubles for them | ||||||
No comments:
Post a Comment