Life Stories

Despite being the only Sikh to conquer Delhi, very few people know about the extraordinary life of Baghel Singh Dhaliwal.

Born in 1730 to humble origins, Baghel Singh joined Sardar Karor Singh of the Karora Singhia Misl during the age of the Sikh Confederacy in the 1750s. In 1764, Baghel Singh was one of the Sikhs caught up in the Wada Ghallughara (the Great Holocaust) where two thirds of the entire Sikh population in existence at the time was wiped out in a campaign led by Ahmed Shah Abdali. Baghel Singh fought day and night over a period of weeks protecting a slow moving baggage train of Sikh civilians while the Afghan invaders would constantly break through the cordon of Sikh fighters, slaughter thousands of women, children and the elderly and then disperse. Even Sikh historians noted the effectiveness of Afghan attacks and their Muslim soldiery.

Showing great leadership potential, bravery on the battlefield and an excellent understanding of politics, Baghel Singh succeeeded Karor Singh to become the leader of his Misl in 1765 and according to Mughal comentator Syed Ahmad Latif, he had 12000 men under his command.

She was the elder sister of Guru Nanak, the founder and first Guru of Sikhism. Nanaki is an important figure in Sikhism and is known as the first Gursikh. She was the first to realize her brother's 'philosophical inclination' and is credited for inspiring his use of music as an instrument of devotion to God. was the elder sister of Guru Nanak, the founder and first Guru of Sikhism. Nanaki is an important figure in Sikhism and is known as the first Gursikh. She was the first to realize her brother's 'philosophical inclination' and is credited for inspiring his use of music as an instrument of devotion to God.
Nanaki and her brother were the children of Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta. Born in the city of Chahal, present-day Pakistan, she was named by her grandparents, who named her Nanaki after the word Nanakian, roughly meaning "the home of your maternal grandparents".
Bebe and Ji are added to her name as a sign of respect. Bebe is used regarding an older woman and Ji given to anyone you want to show your respects to. Bebe Nanaki got married at an early age of 11. In those days it was customary to be married at such a young age.
Nanaki married Jai Ram, an Uppal Khatri employed at a modikhana, a storehouse for revenues collected in non-cash form, in the service of the Delhi Sultanate's Lahore governor Daulat Khan. Jai Ram helped Nanak get a job at this modikhana in Sultanpur.

An eminent personality of the Indian Nationalist Movement, she was born as Bhikaiji Rustom Cama on 24th September, 1861 to a Parsi family in Bombay (now Mumbai). Well, we are talking about none other than Madam Cama, who is a well - known freedom fighter. She came from a good family and her father Sorabji Framji Patel was a powerful member of the Parsi community. She emphasised on equality between men and women. She gave away all her assets to help out an orphanage for young girls. As an Indian ambassador, she also travelled to Germany in 1907 to hoist the Indian National flag.

Bhogeshwari Phukanani (1885 – 20 or 21 September 1942) was an Indian independence movement activist during the British Raj and played a part in the Indian independence struggle.

Phukanani was born in Nagaon district, Assam, in 1885. She was married to Bhogeswar Phukan and the couple had two daughters and six sons. Even though she was a mother of eight and a housewife, Phukanani played an important role in the Quit India Movement. Phukanani was active in the Berhampur, Babajia and Barpujia areas in the Nagaon district of Assam and helped set up offices for the Indian National Congress. In 1930 Phukanani took part in a nonviolent march as an act of civil disobedience against the British authorities and was arrested for picketing.

During the Indian independence movement, Phukanani would often take part in nonviolent protest marches against the British Raj or British rule. In 1942 the Berhampur Indian National Congress office was seized by the British authorities and closed. Phukanani and her sons took part in that protest march and a successful attempt was made to reopen the Congress office. A celebration of the office's reopening was held on 18 September 1942, or perhaps two days later. The British sent a large force to reclose the Congress office, and possibly to have it destroyed.
There are at least two accounts of the events surrounding Phukanani's death. According to one, Phukanani and someone named Ratnamala were leading a large group of people, including many from the surrounding villages, and were carrying the Indian national flag and shouting Vande Mataram and freedom slogans. The police resisted the group with force and in the ensuing scuffle a British army captain named "Finish" grabbed the national flag from Ratnamala, who fell to the ground. Seeing this as an insult to the Indian national flag, Phukanani struck the captain with the pole of a flag that she herself was carrying. According to another, Phukanani was not present when the British arrived and demanded that the crowd demolish the Congress office, but when she came she saw a British official named "Finch" pointing a gun at her son and other protesters. Rushing forward, she struck the official with a flag pole. In these accounts, the man she struck—"Finch" or "Finish"—then shot her. Phukanani succumbed to the gunshot wound either that day (20 September 1942), or three days after an 18 September 1942 injury.
After India gained its independence in 1947 a hospital and an indoor stadium were named after her. The hospital was established in 1854 at Nagaon, Assam, by an American Baptist missionary Miles Bronsonis and was later renamed Bhogeswari Phukanani Civil Hospital. The indoor stadium named after her is situated at Guwahati in Assam.

Raja Bhuma Singh Dhillon (died 1746) was a royal Sikh warrior of the 18th century in Punjab and the second leader of the Bhangi Misl succeeding Sardar Chhajja Singh.
Raja Bhuma Singh was a Dhillon Jat of the village of Hung, near Badhni in present-day Moga district, who won a name for himself in skirmishes with Nadir Shah's troops in 1739. Bhuma Singh's latent genius as an organiser and commander gave stimulus and growth to the Bhangi misl. Historical records indicate he died in the Chhota ghallughara (holocaust) in 1746, while defending the Sikh community, from Afghan attacks. Bhuma Singh was childless, so he adopted his nephew as his son, Hari Singh Dhillon. On Bhuma Singh's death in 1746, his nephew and adopted son, Hari Singh Dhillon, assumed the leadership of the Bhangi Misl. The Bhangi Misl got its name from the addiction of Hashish (Bhang) of Bhuma Singh Dhillon.

Bir Bahadur Singh saw his father had no other option to kill 26 women of his family during partition
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Bir Bahadur Singh was witness to something he cannot expunge from his memory. He saw his father, Sant Raja Singh, behead 26 women of his family, including Bir Bahadur’s 17-year-old sister Maan Kaur.

It was 6 March 1947. Sant Raja Singh took the extreme step to shield the women from ‘dishonour’ by Muslims who Bir Bahadur says had attacked their village Thoa Khalsa in Rawalpindi district, now in Pakistan.
Before Partition, Thoa Khalsa was a largely Hindu and Sikh village. Most of the attackers were labourers working on farms owned by Sikh and Hindu zamindars. “They came in thousands and surrounded our village,” says Bir Bahadur, when we meet him at his two-storey home located in the leafy outskirts of Kurukshetra, Haryana. “We fought hard for three days,” he recounts, “My father was the leader.”

Bir Bahadur taps his fingers hard on his forehead to remember names and dates, but recalls the violence vividly. With defenders of the village dwindling and death a distinct possibility, the leaders of the village decided to negotiate a truce with their attackers. In lieu of sparing the village, the aggressors wanted custody of one of its girls. “She was a very beautiful girl and had a relationship of sorts with one of the Muslim boys,” Bir Bahadur recalls. “The village knew about it, and at first, the village elders contemplated agreeing to this demand of the Muslim mob.”
The thought was dismissed. “Only, my father refused. We were Sikhs and couldn’t have let it happen. Trading a girl with Muslims for life was worse than death for a Sardar who belonged to a lineage created by our gurus to fight Aurangzeb.”

To put voices of dissent to rest, Sant Raja Singh decided to set a precedent. On 9 March, he and his younger brother Avtar Singh rounded up 26 women of the family in a haveli that belonged to their friend Gulab Singh. “They were women of ages ranging from 10 to 40 years, sisters, sisters-in-law, daughters, nieces and aunts. The rest of us, including my mother, were packed off to the rooms upstairs,” says Bir Bahadur.
He was 16. Curious to see what was happening, he went downstairs. “My father was holding a khanda (a double-edged sword). He summoned Maan Kaur, as he didn’t want others to feel that he was weak when it came to his own daughter.”
Emotions ran high. “I think [Maan Kaur’s] dupatta came in the way,” says Bir Bahadur, “Before my father could say anything, my sister herself took her dupatta off and moved her guth (plait) out of the way for him to go ahead. They understood each other without even exchanging glances. She was brave. Her head fell a little away from her body. My father called out to my aunt’s daughter next. Then my uncle’s daughter… The villagers stood outside the haveli.”
More than 65 years later, the memory haunts Bir Bahadur. “She was to be married, and our father had written to my elder sister who lived in Calcutta to look for a groom,” he says. “My elder daughter, who lives in Yamunanagar, resembles her a lot. My daughter was brilliant in school… the top NCC cadet of her batch. Sometimes, we feel that she is a reincarnation of my brave sister.”
The beheadings did not end the bloodshed. Muslims took control of the village. Sant Raja Singh was killed. Many women took their own lives, as his wife Basant Kaur recounted in Urvashi Butalia’s book The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India. Many women jumped into the village well to save themselves from their attackers. Basant Kaur, by her own account, also tried jumping into the well with her sons, but they did not drown. The well was already full of bodies. Bir Bahadur, however, reacts gruffly to a mention of that episode in Butalia’s book. That wasn’t his mother, he says. “That was another Basant Kaur… she was very pretty. The poor girl was from Pathankot, but her daughter grew up and did well.”

In June 1947, the rest of Sant Raja Singh’s family found refuge in Delhi. The house they occupied, at 31 Masjid Lane in the Bhogal area, was one abandoned by a potter’s family that had left for Pakistan.

Source: https://openthemagazine.com/fea.../india/a-fathers-decision/

Birsa Munda (15 November 1875 – 9 June 1900) was an Indian tribal freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe. He spearheaded a tribal religious millenarian movement that arose in the Bengal Presidency (now Jharkhand) in the late 19th century, during the British Raj, thereby making him an important figure in the history of the Indian independence movement. The revolt mainly concentrated in the Munda belt of Khunti, Tamar, Sarwada and Bandgaon.
His portrait hangs in the Indian Parliament Museum; he is the only tribal leader to have been so honored.
Birsa Munda was born on 15 November 1875, at Ulihatu in Lohardaga district of Bengal Presidency — now in Khunti district of Jharkhand — on a Thursday (Some sources claim he was born on 18 July 1872, and not in 1875) and hence named after that day, according to the then prevalent Munda custom. The folk songs reflect popular confusion and refer to Ulihatu or Chalkad as his birthplace. Ulihatu was the birthplace of Sugana Munda, father of Birsa. The claim of Ulihatu rests on Birsa's elder brother Komta Munda living in the village, where his house still exists albeit in a dilapidated condition.
Birsa's father, mother Karmi Munda , and younger brother, Pasna Munda, left Ulihatu and proceeded to Kurumbda, near Birbanki, in search of employment as labourers (sajhedari) or crop-sharers (ryots). At Kurumbda, Birsa's elder brother, Komta, and his sister, Daskir, were born. From there the family moved to Bamba where Birsa's elder sister Champa was born.
Birsa's early years were spent with his parents at Chalkad. His early life could not have been very different from that of an average Munda child. Folklore refers to his rolling and playing in sand and dust with his friends, and his growing up strong and handsome in looks; he grazed sheep in the forest of Bohonda. When he grew up, he shared an interest in playing the flute, in which he became an expert. He went around with the tuila, the one-stringed instrument made from the pumpkin, in the hand and the flute strung to his waist. Exciting moments of his childhood were spent on the akhara (the village wrestling ground). However, one of his ideal contemporaries and who went out with him heard him speak of strange things.
Driven by poverty Birsa was taken to Ayubhatu, his maternal uncle's village. Komta Munda, his eldest brother, who was ten years of age, went to Kundi Bartoli, entered the service of a Munda, married and lived there for eight years, and then joined his father and younger brother at Chalkad. At Ayubhatu Birsa lived for two years. He went to school at Salga, run by one Jaipal Nag. He accompanied his mother's younger sister, Joni, who was fond of him, when she was married, to Khatanga, her new home. He came in contact with a Christian missionary who visited a few families in the village which had been converted to Christianity.
As he was sharp in studies, Jaipal Nag recommended him to join German Mission School and Birsa converted to Christianity and was renamed as Birsa David, which later became Birsa Daud. After studying for few years, he left German Mission School.

During the Battle of Chamkaur, the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh would send pairs of soldiers out to fight against the besieging Mughal forces. It was at this battle that the Sikh concept of the two tigers was born. Following the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716, Khalsa Sikhs survived by living in the jungles and mountains of Panjab. Contemporary Mughal chroniclers note that Khalsa Singhs were scarcely heard from for a generation leading many to consider living Khalsa's as a myth.

It was into this environment of harsh persecution that Bota Singh and Garja Singh not only revived the concept of the two tigers but also revived the Sikhs as a political and military force. Bota Singh Sandhu and Garja Singh Mazhabi were walking along a highway to Lahore when they spotted a Mughal patrol approaching and hid themselves off the main road into the jungle nearby. Waiting for the patrol to pass they heard a bystander tell the patrol about two Singhs he had just spotted on the road. The Mughals dismissed the notion out of hand, calling the Singhs a myth whilst another mentioned that those that used to rule the area and called themselves lions were now jackals hiding from the government. The Singhs had realised that in order to revive Khalsa prestige and Sikh power they would have to make a stand and give their lives.

The next day, both Singhs posted themselves on a bridge near Noordin's Inn on the Tarn Taarn Road to Lahore. They started collecting taxes from any traveller that wished to cross the bridge, anyone that refused would be beaten on the spot. At that instance, on one small bridge, the two Singhs had reawakened independent Sikh sovereignty. As news of the Singhs began to spread, Bota Singh decided to write an open letter to the local Mughal Governor to create a large scene and ensure publicity. In the letter he goaded the governor by teasing the governor's wife and proclaiming the bridge to be under Khalsa taxation. The letter had its desired effect.

Deep Kaur is the second female warrior in list and one who's actions are needed in a country where sexual abuse of women has reached epidemic levels.

Living in northern India, her husband had joined a group of Singhs who went to visit the 10th Guru. Deep Kaur had remained at home to protect the house as her family were the only Sikhs in a relatively hostile area. Having a change of heart she left to join her husband and visit the 10th Guru for herself, however, after travelling a short while on the outskirts of the village she came across a contingent of Mughal solders (Turkish mercenaries according to some sources).

At first trying to conceal herself off the main road, she was discovered by the group of 6 soldiers. Various witnesses describe the leader of the group making sexual advances towards Deep Kaur, after spurning his advances, he finally decided to force himself on her. As he pulled her close to him, she pulled out her dagger and stabbed him in the stomach.. She then snatched his sword and began stabbing at the other soldiers. Two more fell although not after they had mortally wounded the warrior princess.

At this juncture, a passing Jatha of Singhs heard the commotion and rode over on their horses, frightening the remaining Mughal soldiers into flight. On arriving at the scene, they saw a dying Deep Kaur surrounded by the bodies of Mughal soldiers. The dying Deep Kaur was then taken by the Singhs to the Guru's court where the Guru bowed down to Deep Kaur in a sign of respect.

Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian film actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was one of the most successful actors in the Indian film industry.
Anand was born Dharam Dev Anand on 26 September 1923 in the Shakargarh tehsil of the Gurdaspur district in Punjab (British India). His father Pishori Lal Anand was a well-to-do advocate in Gurdaspur District Court. Dev was the third of four sons born to Anand. One of Dev's younger sisters is Sheel Kanta Kapur, who is the mother of film director Shekhar Kapur. His older brothers were Manmohan Anand (Advocate, Gurdaspur Dist. Court) and Chetan Anand and the younger one was Vijay Anand. He did his schooling till matriculation from Sacred Heart School, Dalhousie, (then in Punjab) and went to Government college Dharamshala before going to Lahore to study. Later Dev completed a B.A. degree in English Literature from the Government College, Lahore in British India.
Part of the Anand family, he co-founded Navketan Films in 1949 with his elder brother Chetan Anand.
After completing his BA degree in English literature from the Government College, Lahore (then in British India, now in Pakistan), Dev Anand left his home-town for Bombay in the early 1940s. He began his career in the military censor's office at Churchgate, for a monthly salary of Rs. 65. Later, he worked as a clerk in an accounting firm for a salary of Rs. 85 He joined his older brother, Chetan, as a member of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA). Dev Anand aspired to become a performer after seeing Ashok Kumar's performance in films such as Achhut Kanya and Kismet.[13] Dev Anand quoted in an interview that "I remember when I gate-crashed into the office of the man who gave me the first break, he kept looking at me – Babu Rao Pai of Prabhat Film Studios. At that time he made up his mind that this boy deserves a break and later mentioned to his people that 'this boy struck me because of his smile and beautiful eyes and his tremendous confidence.'" Then he was soon offered the lead role in Prabhat Films' Hum Ek Hain (1946), a film about Hindu-Muslim unity, where Dev Anand played a Hindu boy and was paired opposite Kamala Kotnis. While shooting the film in Pune, Anand befriended the actor Guru Dutt. Between them, they agreed that if one of them were to become successful in the film industry, he would help the other also to be successful. They formed a mutual understanding that when Anand produced a film, Dutt would direct it and when Dutt directed a film, Anand would act in it.

Dewan Mokham Chand (died 29 October 1814) was a general of Ranjit Singh, the ruler of the Sikh Empire. Mokham Chand was born in a Hindu Khatri family, to Vaisakhi Mal, a tradesman of the village Kunjah near Gujrat. Mokham Chand was the most distinguished general of Ranjit Singh.
Ranjit Singh had seen him in action at Akalgarh three years earlier and again in the fight against the Bhangi Sardar of Gujrat. Mokham Chand had fallen out with the Bhangi and came to Ranjit Singh upon his request. Ranjit welcomed him with handsome gifts of an elephant and horses and granted him the Dallewalia possessions as a Jagir. He was made commander of a cavalry unit with the power to recruit 1500-foot soldiers as well.
In the beginning of 1808 various places in the Upper Punjab were taken from their independent Sikh proprietors and brought under the direct management of the new kingdom of Lahore, and Mokham Chand was at the same time employed in effecting a settlement of the territories which had been seized on the left bank of the Sutlej. But Ranjit Singh’s systematic aggression had begun to excite fear in the minds of the Sikhs of Sirhind. He was the commander in chief of armies in Battle of Attock which defeated Durrani Empire Wazir Fateh Khan and Dost Mohammad Khan. With the permission of the Maharaja, the Sikh forces attacked the Afghans on 12 July 1813 at Hazro, about 8 kilometers from Attock. This battle is also known as the battle of Chhuchh. Terrible fighting took place between the adversaries. In the meantime, Afghans received fresh reinforcements under Dost Muhammad Khan. The Diwan left his elephant, mounted a horse and personally leading his reserves fell upon the disorganized Afghans. Hand to hand fighting took place and there were heavy losses on both sides. Diwan Amar Nath mentions that 2,000 Afghans were killed. Dost Muhammad was seriously wounded. Many Afghans drowned in the Indus and a large number were taken prisoner. The Sikhs plundered the provisions of the Afghans. Besides Diwan Mokham Chand, Jodh Singh Kalsia and Fateh Singh Ahluwalia, Sardar Dal Singh, Diwan Ram Dayal also took part in fighting against Afghans at Hazro. Fateh Khan fled away to Peshawar. Thus the victory for the Sikhs was complete. The credit for this major triumph goes to the dynamic generalship of Diwan Mohkam Chand. Hukam Singh Chimni was appointed Qiladar of the fort of Attock.

Dhani Ram Chatrik born 4 October 1876, was an Indian poet and typographer. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern Punjabi poetry. He promoted Punjabi culture, language and publications through his life. In 1926, he became the President of Punjabi Sahit Sabha, a Punjabi Literary Society.
He was born in village Pasian-wala, district Sheikhupura (now in Pakistan). His father Pohu Lal was an ordinary shopkeeper. His father moved to village Lopoke in search for work. His father taught him Gurmukhi and Urdu scripts. Dhani Ram grew fond of calligraphy and went to Bombay to learn Gurmukhi typography.
Though a Hindu by birth, he became an admirer of the Sikh faith after he came in contact with the major Punjabi poet of that era Bhai Vir Singh. After this meeting he felt inspired to write verses in the Punjabi Language.
He died on 18 December 1954 after witnessing the partition of India.