Discussion: Remembering Ghadari Babas, the Unsung Heroes of the Indian Struggle for Independence

The Ghadar Party

The Sikh Temple, Stockton, California (U.S.A.) 1912: One of the Centres of Ghadar Activities

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This week’s topic: Remembering the Ghadari Babas

Every nation has a history and a story of their patriot warriors who at one critical juncture or another of a dire need, had stood up to the tyrant to be counted, fought and had sacrificed their all to protect its freedom and foster its nationhood.  Years later, in national celebrations and thanksgivings however, only those few are remembered who somehow find a place in its history books and thus in peoples’ minds; others remain unknown, ignored or forgotten as the time goes by. Ghadri babas affectionately known as the elderly revolutionaries appear to have met a similar fate in India’s history books and consequently in peoples’ minds.

The Indian Flag

The Indian Flag

These elderly revolutionaries had sacrificed their all, not only fighting for Indias’ freedom alone but equally importantly to reclaim its nationhood as one Indian nation lost under the 200 years of the ‘Divide and Conquer British Rule’. Although it all began here in California, not many Indians, especially the younger generation now living in California as free citizens knew or much cared about them either. This is not to say that left of the center political parties in India, mainly the communist parties did not keep the torch alive; they did but the Ghadri babas were hardly mentioned in the national celebrations by the ruling governments where they deserved their rightful place and where it really mattered.

Interestingly a century later, there are now a number of Indo – U.S. organizations which have been organizing meetings dedicated to the Ghadrites in some of the major Californian cities starting in Fresno followed by Sacramento and San Francisco, where the Ghadrites mostly met and where the story began.
Read my previous article, “Legacy of the Ghadarites” for background on their achievements.

Yogantara Ashram

Yogantara Ashram, San Francisco, California

It is a story where ordinary Indian laborers working in north America in the early 20th century, led by a handful of Punjabi Sikh revolutionaries all became Ghadrites, a name later taken after their newspaper ‘Ghadar’ they had started to publish from their headquarters, Yogantara Ashram in San Francisco. The story of the Ghadri babas is worth knowing for all Indians as a nation, be they from the east, west, north or south of India; for residents and NRIs’ alike.
Ghadri Babas, also known as Ghadrites for short, had sacrificed everything they had, including their lives, not only fighting for India’s freedom from foreign rule, but equally importantly to foster its nationhood as one Indian nation. While the British used the strategy of “divide and conquer,” the Ghadri Babas used it in reverse and unified Indians regardless of their regional, religious, or linguistic ties. In so doing they not only challenged Indians to oust the British by force from India but more importantly fight them under a one Indian banner.

While Indians who were in North America during this time were predominantly Punjabi Sikhs and the movement was propelled by a handful of Punjabi Sikh revolutionaries, all Indians, regardless of their backgrounds joined forces to become one revolutionary entity, the Ghadar Party. It didn’t matter to them that Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna was Sikh, Mahomed Barakatullah was Muslim, Lala Hardyal was Hindu, or that Tarak Nath Das had regional and linguistic ties to Bengal. Having played a crucial role in the Indian Independence movement , the story of these Indian revolutionaries rising above religion, regionalism, ethnicity, language, cast or creed for a common cause to rid India of foreign rule, is worth knowing for all Indians, no matter what subdivision they have created for themselves. The bottom line is that regardless of anything else,  all Indians are Indians and have India’s best intentions at heart.

Indian Independence Day Celebration in Fresno, California

Indian Independence Day Celebration in Fresno, CaliforniaHarry Gill, Linda Haldermann, Mike Villines and Me

It is encouraging to see that this recent phenomenon of remembering and bringing these unsung heroes into focus started in the central valley California is now gaining momemtum.  Just a few days ago, I attended an Indian Independence Celebration in Fresno put on by both Hindu and Sikh organizations. And just before that the Ghadar Memorial Foundation of America held a meeting in Sacramento attended by Californians from all over the state which included half a dozen distinguished intellectuals, who travelled all the way from Punjab. These included Dr. Manjit Singh Kang, Vice Chancellor Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana and the widely respected journalist and diplomat Kuldip Nayar who presided over the conference and was also the Keynote speaker. He wrote an article, “The Ignored Revolutionaries: How They Contributed to India’s Freedom” was published in the Tribune detailing his experience there.

Also dedicated to the awareness for Ghadrites, the Indo-US Heritage Association Fresno is organizing a ‘Mela’ in the Fresno Fairgrounds on Sunday August 29, 2010. TV Sadda Channel CEO, Sidhu Damdami will be the Keynote speaker.

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Presentation and Poem at Harvest Elementary School in Fresno, California

Harvest Elementary School

Harvest Elementary School

After consulting with the school administration, Gurdeep Singh Shergill, a young elementary school teacher and DJ for the radio station I co-host (KBIF 900 every Sunday from 3-4 pm) invited me to make a presentation at Harvest Elementary School in Fresno.

The objective of my presentation was to help the students increase their awareness of diversity in the world around them and at school in particular. In the school culture as we know, if not properly supervised and kept under control, children who look different for whatever reason are picked on for no other reason than their looks or the way they speak. They may be excluded from play groups, beaten up, humiliated, or bullied because they don’t “fit in.” Sikh boys in this situation are especially vulnerable as they have long uncut hair that is tied in a bun on the top of their head (called a joora).

While I wanted the children to understand why Sikh boys and men look the way they do, the concept of my presentation which included a DVD slide show, was of a more universal message. Despite people’s different outward appearance, inside we are the same.

When Gurdeep first approached me with this presentation, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I had never taught a class before, but I was very pleased with the way Gurdeep ran his classes and the support the administration provided made everything run very smoothly. Apart from being a conscientious teacher, he is a community activist although he is too modest to admit it.

Gurdeep and the staff divided the students into two larger groups by combining grades 3 and 4 together. Then they did the same with grades 5 and 6. After half an hour of my presenting the basics of Sikhism and asking them some questions, we played them a DVD slideshow of my poem, “Pag Di Saanjh: A Tribute to the Sikh Turban.”

After showing the slideshow to each group, we started discussing some of the questions they had. Gurdeep (or Mr. Shergill as his students know him) showed his ingenuity one more time when he designed a very interesting question and answer format and a puzzle to recap all what was said and seen on the DVD. He had brought some small prizes such as pencils and stationary to reward the deserving candidates. The children loved it!
A copy of the coloring book ” The Boy with Long Hair” explaining Teaching Ideas and helpful Guidelines designed by educationist Mrs. Pushpinder Singh was also left with Gurdeep Shergill.

Harvest Elementary School

Students Attentively Listening

I remember being their age and hating to sit in one place for a long time so I was happy that most of them were attentive, listened patiently while they watched the DVD, and then asked questions in a very intelligent manner.

It gives me great hope that through efforts like these, and with staff like that of the Harvest Elementary School, exploring innovative avenues to create awareness of diversity at such an early stage in elementary schools where it all begins will go a long way. Inculcation of brief ethnic history of the diverse communities living in America in the curriculum Social Science course books at appropriate levels in schools will certainly help.

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Photo Slideshow: Punjabi Folksong With Rajasthani Twist

In 2007, my son and daughter-in-law took a six month backpacking trip through India. As it happened, I was giving a public reading (Rubaroo) of my collection of poetry, “Diwa Bale Samundron Paar” at the Punjabi Sahit Kala Bhavan in Chandigarh during that time so we decided to take a short family trip to Rajasthan where neither my wife nor I had been before. We went to a remote area in Bikaner and went on an overnight camel safari. It was fun spending time with them and it was also fun to sing a traditional Punjabi song with some local Rajasthani musicians at the night camp. Here is a slideshow my son, Navdeep, and my daughter-in-law, Sona, created of that trip. Enjoy!

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