New Delhi: In an homage to the 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikh Bengal Regiment that valiantly defended their signal post against over 10,000 Afghan tribesmen in the Battle of Saragarhi on 12 September 1897, a nine-foot-tall bronze statue of their leader Havildar Ishar Singh is set to adorn the streets of the United Kingdom.
The first ever monument in Britain honouring the fallen soldiers is expected to be ready by September 2021.
Fighting for six hours, the 21 soldiers are believed to have killed around 180 Afghani tribesmen as they defended their post in the hills of the North-West Frontier Province, which is now in Pakistan.
The battle is often regarded as one of the greatest ‘last stands’ in military history, but since no one survived it, it is hard to corroborate many facts associated with it.
However, it is well known that all 21 soldiers were accorded the Indian Order of Merit — the highest decoration awarded to Indian soldiers by the British till 1911, equivalent to the Param Vir Chakra today.
Also read: What Akshay Kumar’s Kesari won’t tell you: The real military account of Battle of Saragarhi
‘Proud moment for the Sikh community’
The statue of Havildar Isher Singh — the character that the Akshay Kumar-starrer Kesari was based on — will stand adjacent to the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton. The project has so far raised £50,000 (Rs 48 lakh) of the £100,000 (Rs 97 lakh) required.
Spearheaded by Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, who hails from Jalandhar in Punjab, the project is expected to be raised at the Wolverhampton City Council on 11 November for approval of land lease to the gurdwara.
“This is a very proud moment for the Sikh community as once it is erected, it will be there for generations to come. These 21 Sikhs could have run away but didn’t and fought till the very last man. The British Empire recognised their sacrifice,” Gakhal had said.
With no images of Havildar Ishar Singh available, sculptor Luke Perry believes it’s a “blessing” as it gives him more freedom.
“He is not instantly recognisable and so a lot of people are saying it looks like their grandfather so it is easier to engage with. This battle is a big part of British history, but it’s been forgotten because the British Raj is not taught in British schools. I am very glad to be part of it,” Perry reportedly said.
A scarcely cited battle
The only other recognition of the battle in the UK is a plaque at the Uppingham School of Colonel John Haughton, the Commandant of the 36th Sikhs, who was killed in action in 1898.
The story of the 36th Sikh Bengal Regiment — an infantry regiment in the British Indian Army — is often forgotten by both the British and Indians.
“Post-independence, it’s always been a bit difficult for the British to look at these stories of heroism on the frontier,” reportedly said writer and filmmaker Jay Singh-Sohal, who directed ‘Saragarhi: The True Story‘ that is based on the battle.
“You don’t want to be perceived as a colonialist, jingoist or racist to modern audiences,” he had added.
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