SukhChan Singh (from Nanaksar) personally related this true story to me...
It was during the anti-Sikh riots. I was at that time living in the Gurudwara (Sikh place of worship). There were 7 other people living there besides me. Trouble started brewing early in the morning. We noticed about 50 young men gathering outside a few hundred metres away from the Gurudwara. We didn't really pay too much attention to them.
By noon, the group had turned into a rowdy crowd of about 300. We became quite concerned at that point. Our telephone wires had been cut, so there really was not much we could do. But we were still in high spirits.
At about 3 pm, a truck driven by a Sikh was driving along when the crowd attacked it. The Sikh gave up the truck and ran to the Gurudwara. Some of the goons overtook him and injured him but he was a strong guy and managed to escape. Still, he was quite bloody when he came in. That increased our number to 9. The number outside had increased to about 500 by evening. They were very loud and obnoxious by now.
We tried to ignore them and began our evening program at 6 pm. But as the darkness approached, the rabble become more and more bold. In fact, soon they started stoning the gurdwara. We stopped the evening program and placed all the Guru Granth Sahibs in the safest place possible.
At 7.30 pm it was very dark and the rabble became so bold that they put fire to the gurdwara's gate. It hit us then how serious the situation was - we soon would be killed!
Our group leader (the Jathedaar) gathered us and said, "We have faced worse situations then this - we have gone through two holocausts but we live and will live in freedom forever! We have never given up and will never give up. The enemy stands outside - there are 500 hundred, we are 9 but remember Guru Gobind Singh jee (the Sikh 10th spiritual master) has made each of us equivalent to 125,000! Get prepared to fight!"
He said this in such high spirits that our body hair stood on their ends. Even though I had been seriously ill for the past 3 months, I too was ready to fight. He then told us that we must make two groups. The first group of five will go out first and fight the enemy. The the rest (4) can go later. Everybody agreed - he then chose 4 other men. I was not chosen, most probably due to my illness.
The five put on the martial uniform of the Sikhs. Then the Jathedar did prayer to Guru Gobind Singh jee saying, "Dear father, we are coming to your land. Please prepare for us!"
Then the five then took out their swords and with the Sikh war cry
BOLE SO NEHAAL! SAT SRI AKAL!
BOLE SO NEHAAL! SAT SRI AKAL!
(the one who utters "Sat Sri Akal" (timeless Truth) becomes blissful)
filling the air, came out the face the enemy. You will not believe what happened then. Seeing 5 Sikhs in the uniform of Guru Gobind Singh jee, the rabble of 500 ran away!
It was as if 5 lions were chasing 500 hyenas away!
It was during the anti-Sikh riots. I was at that time living in the Gurudwara (Sikh place of worship). There were 7 other people living there besides me. Trouble started brewing early in the morning. We noticed about 50 young men gathering outside a few hundred metres away from the Gurudwara. We didn't really pay too much attention to them.
By noon, the group had turned into a rowdy crowd of about 300. We became quite concerned at that point. Our telephone wires had been cut, so there really was not much we could do. But we were still in high spirits.
At about 3 pm, a truck driven by a Sikh was driving along when the crowd attacked it. The Sikh gave up the truck and ran to the Gurudwara. Some of the goons overtook him and injured him but he was a strong guy and managed to escape. Still, he was quite bloody when he came in. That increased our number to 9. The number outside had increased to about 500 by evening. They were very loud and obnoxious by now.
We tried to ignore them and began our evening program at 6 pm. But as the darkness approached, the rabble become more and more bold. In fact, soon they started stoning the gurdwara. We stopped the evening program and placed all the Guru Granth Sahibs in the safest place possible.
At 7.30 pm it was very dark and the rabble became so bold that they put fire to the gurdwara's gate. It hit us then how serious the situation was - we soon would be killed!
Our group leader (the Jathedaar) gathered us and said, "We have faced worse situations then this - we have gone through two holocausts but we live and will live in freedom forever! We have never given up and will never give up. The enemy stands outside - there are 500 hundred, we are 9 but remember Guru Gobind Singh jee (the Sikh 10th spiritual master) has made each of us equivalent to 125,000! Get prepared to fight!"
He said this in such high spirits that our body hair stood on their ends. Even though I had been seriously ill for the past 3 months, I too was ready to fight. He then told us that we must make two groups. The first group of five will go out first and fight the enemy. The the rest (4) can go later. Everybody agreed - he then chose 4 other men. I was not chosen, most probably due to my illness.
The five put on the martial uniform of the Sikhs. Then the Jathedar did prayer to Guru Gobind Singh jee saying, "Dear father, we are coming to your land. Please prepare for us!"
Then the five then took out their swords and with the Sikh war cry
BOLE SO NEHAAL! SAT SRI AKAL!
BOLE SO NEHAAL! SAT SRI AKAL!
(the one who utters "Sat Sri Akal" (timeless Truth) becomes blissful)
filling the air, came out the face the enemy. You will not believe what happened then. Seeing 5 Sikhs in the uniform of Guru Gobind Singh jee, the rabble of 500 ran away!
It was as if 5 lions were chasing 500 hyenas away!
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