Bhai Amolak Singh’s 1978 Vaasakhi Sakhaa Lecture in English - Part 2
This is a continuation from yesterday's Post on the Lecture and Q & A session with Bhai Amolak Singh Jee. Please be aware some of the questions were asked by young children.
Why was the government nasty?
You won't understand, it is politics. When human beings are born, then you come with politics. Government comes with politics. For example if I get four people thinking against me, then I should get them away and I would make them separate. That's why the government didn't want Sikhs to join together. If we all today join together, we can rule the world but it won't happen because it's all to do with politics.
Why did you get shot?
The other group was well organised, well trained. The government was allowed to keep their own army; they had different weapons and uniform.
Our Singh's just came back from kirtan and we had no weapons, we just went to protest. They started fighting. They had bow and arrows, stones and acid bottles, one by one they started, they were standing in a row shoulder to shoulder.
Our Singh's had no weapons, no kirpans, no bamboo sticks. It was myself, Bhai Sahib Fauja Singh, Bhai Kewal Singh, Baba Ji and Bhai Ranbir Singh, (Pictured above) we all had kirpans. The army was hitting us with bamboo sticks but we defended ourselves because we knew gatka. They couldn't do anything.
So another group came and they were throwing stones. We were protecting only our faces, and then they threw acid which could burn your body, clothes. For about 5 - 6 minutes they threw all this, then there stuff was finishing.
After this started firing with guns. My friends fell down. In this process I got shot on the face and chest and I fell down. I have still 54 pellets on my body and 12 pellets on my face.
Do the injuries affect you now?
I had small ones, not big ones so it doesn't affect me, loads of iron in my body. ( Bhai Sahib is pictured in the Hostpital with the American Sikhs)
What were your last words, when you were shot?
There was no time to talk and we were concentrating on what was happening. It was no good time to talk. I heard Bhai Fauja Singh talking, our own Sikhs started running away. Bhai Fauja Singh said 'COWARDS!!! this is no time to run. We should join together!!'
He was my master. Bhai Fauja Singh said that you should do paat inside. If you have bani inside or naam inside you body, you don't feel depression, you feel chardikala, like I was. That is the time when your life comes in front of you.
How old were you?
I was 27 years old and Bhai Fauja Singh was 42 years old
How did you feel when you got shot?
When you get hit, you can't think of anything. Your mind, body is prepared. When we went there, we knew what was going to happen. We are happy because we are fighting for our panth and we are fighting the evil people who are against our guru.
We love our Guru Granth Sahib Jee, so if anyone says anything against it, we can not tolerate it.
When we went there, our mind was aware of what was going to happen, so when I got shot, I didn't cry or have pain. Someone was dragging me 100 yards and when I became conscious I said why did you do that, why have you brought me here, why are people running. That's what I was asking. So you do know what is happening when you get shot.
Were you ready to die?
Yes I was ready to die
He was a great man; he was a man of his Word. What ever he said he would do.
He was so brave inside, you wouldn't be able scare him physically and mentally.
As a Gursikh he was so great inside, he used to meditate, all night, never get tired, when he did exercise, he would do exercise, when he would do paat, he would do paat, when he does simran, he would do simran. He had so much will power. When I met him for the first time he was like a magnet, I would get pulled towards him.
Have you heard about the Great Great Great Gursikhs, Harri Singh Nuluwa, Banda Singh Bahabur, Baba Deep Singh; they all fought for our religion and were great Gursikhs. You feel good inside because you hear about these Gursikhs
This is the same way I feal when I met Bhai Fauja Singh Jee, Bhai Sahib was a Great Man and was a Great Jathedar. He had great stories in his life, when we hear these stories we get great boosting power.
Due to the AKJ UK Annual Smagam concluding this weekend. The remaining parts of the above Lecture and Q & A session will be posted next week. In the Future posts Bhai Sahib talks about the bravery of Bhai Fauja Singh Jee when he confronts a 'Gangster' and the way Bhai Fauja Singh Jee used to do Seva, which should be a Eye-opener for all of us.