Kartar Singh Sarabha: The fearless martyr who is relevant even in the present Punjab
To grasp the origins of Kartar Singh Sarabha's political consciousness, it is crucial to consider the outbreak of World War One and the significant events that unfolded during that time.
7 min read
Any discussion about Karter Singh Sarabha must begin with an understanding of the Ghadar movement, says IPS officer Ravjot Kaur Grewal (in pic). Written by Ravjot Kaur Grewal
Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces talks about the journey of a hero as distilled from myths all over the world. According to him a hero’s journey begins and ends in the ordinary familiar world, but the rites of passage of his journey must necessarily pass through an unfamiliar, unknown and special world. It is in the transit through those unknown lands and back to the land of its origin that a hero’s myth finds closure. This is the story of an unlikely Hero in the most extraordinary circumstances. A story which will forever remain relevant because of the exceptional bravery, fortitude and intellectual enlightenment of its protagonist.
Any discussion about Karter Singh Sarabha must begin with an understanding of the Ghadar movement. He has been well known in popular culture as the most active member of the Ghadar movement which culminated in the infamous first Lahore conspiracy case and his eventual execution. More than 10,000 South Asian emigres had entered North America from rural Punjab before 1914, an important landmark year as the outbreak of World War 1 was associated with the announcement of Ghadar ( Ailan-e-Jung), by the revolutionary newspaper from San Francisco for consumption in colonies of the British empire. Majority of Punjabis who landed there were ex-servicemen of the British Military. Most of the Punjabi farmers-soldiers came from relatively well-off families overwhelmingly concentrated in the Doab region of Punjab. They had seen the world, certainly more than their agrarian country cousins and with a taste of this cosmopolitan experience, they were ready for adventures overseas rather than return to their villages. Lured by the opportunity to make some good money and offered incentives by steamship companies looking to supplement the dwindling numbers of Chinese workers in North America the Punjabis came to work in lumber mills, railroads, and construction sites there. This positive desire to emigrate was compounded by strained economic circumstances brought about by colonial agricultural policies at home. In an ideal world these veterans who chose to settle in Canada as subjects of the dominion should have taken pride in the Sikh community’s sterling record of military service to the empire. Yet they faced racism, tyranny and inequality. It was this lingering sentiment of being treated like slaves that became the harbinger of the revolutionary Ghadar party and later on the Ghadar movement. The young network of gurudwaras, serving as community centres served as important sites of mobilisation, resistance, solidarity and furthering a tradition of Sikh Granthis as community leaders and representatives.
Kartar Singh Sarabha born on 24 May 1896, as a hero of the Ghadar movement, needs a renewed exploration in the modern circumstances. The facade of modern Punjabi society broken by migration, immigration, multinationalism and internationalism owes a great debt to this national hero.
Kartar Singh, born into a Grewal Sikh family in Sarabha near Ludhiana in Punjab, faced the early loss of his father and was raised by his grandfather. After completing his initial education in his village, he moved to Odisha to live with his relatives. In July 1912, he embarked on a journey to San Francisco with the intention of enrolling at the University of Berkeley.
It was in 1913, following the establishment of the Ghadar Party with Sohan Singh Bhakhna as president and Lala Hardayal as secretary, that Kartar Singh became an active participant. He eagerly joined the party and began contributing to the cause by assisting in the publication of the revolutionary newsletter called Ghadar. Kartar Singh played a vital role within the party, particularly in printing the Gurmukhi edition of the newspaper and crafting poetry and articles for its content.
The Ghadar Party’s primary objective was to liberate India from British colonial rule through armed struggle within the ranks of the British Army. Kartar Singh, driven by his passion for independence, embraced his role as an ardent member of the party, dedicated to the cause of freedom.
When World War I broke out in 1914, British India became deeply involved in the allied war effort. Recognizing this as a favorable opportunity, the leaders of the Ghadar Party saw a chance to ignite an armed uprising for India’s freedom. Kartar Singh Sarabha, along with other members of the party, including some key figures, traveled to Punjab in 1914 to capitalize on the situation. Their objective was to incite rebellion and actively participate in smuggling weapons, as well as fostering mutiny among Indian troops serving in the British Army.
Unfortunately, the British authorities responded ruthlessly to the ensuing rebellion, now famously known as the Ghadar Mutiny. In the subsequent Lahore conspiracy case trial, 42 mutineers were executed in a brutal manner. Kartar Singh Sarabha was only 19 when he was hanged to death at the central jail in Lahore in November 1915 for his role in the failed mutiny. It is noteworthy that he had arrived in San Francisco just three years prior, in July 1912. Despite his relatively short time within the movement, Kartar Singh Sarabha had a profound historical and cultural impact, as evidenced by his mention in various accounts by Ghadar historians.
The records from the first Lahore conspiracy trial clearly highlight Kartar Singh Sarabha as the most active member in the attempted mutiny. His remarkable political awareness and refusal to accept prejudice at the tender age of 17 make him a unique figure in our nationalist history, with few parallels.
Punjab today is marked by a concerning trend of aspiring to migrate, which stands in stark contrast to the Punjab of 1915 when many Punjabis returned from the coasts of North and South America. These individuals were driven by the racially biased treatment they faced and the illusion of favoritism towards their colonial masters. Being among the earliest Indian migrants, they could relate to the American class system and understand the larger geopolitical context of British rule in India. They believed that the blatant discrimination they encountered as low-wage immigrant laborers was solely due to their country’s colonized status.
To grasp the origins of Kartar Singh Sarabha’s political consciousness, it is crucial to consider the outbreak of World War One and the significant events that unfolded during that time. The racial experiences of Punjabi farmer-soldiers led to their earliest realization that their mistreatment abroad was a direct result of the subjugation they faced under colonial rule in their home country.
Kartar Singh’s lasting legacy lies in the fact that his nationalism was ignited at a young age, a time when most people remain unaffected by such ideas. The demand for social justice among Punjabi migrants began as early as the 1900s and eventually culminated in the attainment of franchise rights after a long and arduous struggle in the 1950s. As the tides of time turn once again and more Punjabi youth gravitate towards what is considered the “good life,” Kartar Singh Sarabha’s legacy stands as a rebuke to this modern shift.
(The writer is an IPS officer posted as SSP, Fatehgarh Sahib, who traces her roots to the Sarabha village)
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