300 or 21??
Monday, March 26th, 2007Dear Sangat Jee,
Most of us who are involved in this site love a good historical war movie; the latest movie ‘300’ is no different. ‘300’ is based on the events of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans lead a force of Greeks against a huge army from
All 300 Spartans died on the battlefield after inflicting huge loses on the enemy.
Though this film is based on a Graphic Novel by Frank Miller and factually incorrect about the numbers involved. It does show that in the history of mankind, the belief in defending ones country, way of life and beliefs from being annihilated by tyrants and those who thought they were gods existed before our own history. For more detailed analysis of this battle please see link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae
Now you might ask what has this to do with the Sikhs or our religion. Well if you do a quick search of the word Saragarhi, you will find a link between the Spartans and a little known act of heroic valour in the battlefield by 21 Sikh Soldiers in 1897. So to raise awareness and pride in our own history we produced this poster in the same style as the ‘300’ film poster.
Saragarhi is the incredible story of 21 men of the 36th Sikh Regiment (currently the 4th Sikh Regiment) who gave up their lives in devotion to their duty. In keeping with the tradition of the Sikh Army, they fought to the death rather than surrender. The Battle at Saragarhi is one of eight stories of collective bravery published by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). It has been mentioned as one of the five most significant events of its kind in the world which includes the Saga of Thermopylae associated with the heroic stand of a small Greek force against the mighty Persian Army of Xerxes in 480 B.C. The 21 Soldiers fought to the last man against 10,000 Afghan Tribesmen. These Afghans were previously subdued and conquered by the Sikh Empire. As with normal British Army requirements, all of those soldiers who were part of the Sikh Regiment would have to have taken Amrit as one of the basic entry requirements. To avoid duplication more of this amazing story can be read at the below links. We appreciate the hard work of those who have researched this great moment in Sikh History and allowed us to learn that even after the Sikhs lost their kingdom, they didn’t lose the courage and bravery and at last the whole world realised the greatness of the Sikh Warrior. Pity
http://www.sikhcybermuseum.org.uk/history/BattleofSaragarhi1897.htm
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Battle_of_Saragarhi
