I didn’t realize that Basakhi this year marked the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. I would say that this tragedy, a ghastly & major traumatic event in pre-partition and undivided India, is seared in the brains of every Punjabi irrespective of the border. It saw hundreds of innocent men, women and children die and/or get seriously injured; its sheer brutality wrenched an entire nation, led to a major loss of faith of its British colonial rulers, and accelerated the pro-independence movement.
So what were the events that unfolded and actors involved? History states that on 13th April 1919, a Basakhi day, there was a peaceful gathering for a pro-independence campaign, which brought local folks from all walks of life (men, women and children) to Jallianwala Bag, a public park! This was the time a newly appointed General Dyer was the commandant of the Area, and he had banned public gathering post curfew. Unfortunately this news hadn’t trickled to the masses and so people were unaware of this ruling, and thus were gathering in the park. This meeting was seen as an act of defiance by the General who took a Gurkha battalion, blocked the only narrow entry/exit point, and ordered indiscriminate firing on unarmed and mostly innocent bystanders. In this mayhem and firing that went on for 10 minutes until all ammunition was exhausted, was a carnage on all accounts.
This story also has a personal twist. My ancestor (maternal grandfather Sardar Bhagwant Singh), who at the time was a student at Khalsa College, was also present in Jallianwala Bagh at the time of the massacre. My mother shared here recollection of events that he shared with her. Apparently, he went there with a few friends as a curfew in the city had recently been lifted, it was Basakhi (that fell on Sunday that year) and with Harmandir Sahib only a stone throw away, this gathering got their curiosity aroused, so the young men who had nothing much to do went to this gathering! She also remembers that the principal of the college did warn the boys that although he could not stop curious young men from attending, however, in case there is an unfortunate event, they were to lie flat on the ground and whenever safe leave for their homes (and not the college) so that he can cover for these young Kent and say they had gone home. Apparently this was a time when pro-independence movements and national Ferber were gaining momentum in India! So when the firing commenced, my grandfather and his friends hit the ground and remained there. One of his friends did get curious and lifted his head to see what was going on to find a bullet graze his ear! So they remained there and did not move till the middle of the night and between 2-3am climbed the steep walls surrounding the park and made their escape!
Erudite Kahani 