ferozpore2

BATTLE OF SARAGARHI




Reproduced below is a letter addressed to the Queen of England,

which has been acknowledged and action promised.


Her Majesty,

The Queen of England.

I am approaching you for a cause so well-appreciated and eulogised by Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, and her subjects for the epic Battle of Saragarhi on 12th September, 1897. It was a saga of indomitable spirit, matchless energy, and dauntless courage to the extent of supreme sacrifice, when twenty-one Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikh Battalion were pitched against 10,000 - 12,000 ferocious tribesmen of North-West Frontier Province, shouting, drum-beating, in waves of attacks. The tribesmen suffered large number of casualties, about 180 or so, but the Sikh soldiers fought in the true spirit of the last-man-and-the-last-round.

Khalsa, the Sikhs, are celebrating the Tercentenary of their birth on 14th April, 1999, on a global level at Anandpur Sahib, India. It will be a befitting tribute to Your Majesty's erstwhile loyal, bold, and dauntless Sikh soldiers of India to :

a) Install a memorial at a prominent place in London, the replica of the memorial installed in Ferozepur, India, for the same Saragarhi Battle.

b) To raise a platoon of twenty-one Sikh soldiers in military regalia for ceremonial duties in and around Buckingham Palace at the discretion of Your Majesty or the Right Honourable Prime Minister of England.

If both these suggestions find favour with you, an announcement to the effect before or coinciding with 14th April, 1999, the tercentenary day of celebrations, will give a boost to the Sikh soldiers in particular and the community in general. A detailed write up about Saragarhi action is sent along with for reference.

With prayer for your long and benevolent governance,

I beg to remain,

Maj. Gen. Jaswant Singh

1801, Sector-D, Chandigarh