Vaisakhi is celebrated in the Sikh community with pomp. This festival is not only a festival like other festivals. This festival contains much historical significance. Celebrating the good harvest on that day is one aspect of it.
Sikhs are known for their sacrifice and courage. Many Sikhs in history have sacrificed their lives and luxury for the safeguard of the modesty of fellow human beings irrespective of their ethnicity. Their fight against atrocity and evil-doers is not only confined to their own community, but also for the entire humanity.
Guru Tegh Bahadur who is the ninth guru of Sikhism fought against the atrocity of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He fought for the protection for the Kashmiri Hindus who were being tortured and compelled for their conversion to Islam. Guru Tegh Bahadur fought for human rights and the freedom of religion throughout his life.
Due to his fight and giving protection to the Kashmiri Hindus, he was arrested by the Aurangzeb`s men along with his three companions. They were taken into custody. They were harassed, tortured and compelled for the conversion. But nothing worked for Mughals. He was ready to sacrifice his life but not his religion. To intensify the torture, they took one of his companions and chopped him into pieces in front of his eyes and compelled him for the conversion. That also did not work. To instil fear in him, they threw his second companion in the boiling water. That also did not work. Then they took his third companion and threw him alive in the burning fire. No amount of torture and harassment and physical agony could shake his faith for his religion.
When all the methods of Aurangzeb failed for the conversion, he ordered his men to behead him. In 1675, In Chandi Chowk, New Delhi, in front of the public, Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded. He preferred to get beheaded for human rights and the freedom of religion in this country to knell down before the vicious Mughal emperor. A Gurudwara named Sis Ganj Sahib has been constructed at the place where he was beheaded by the atrocious Aurangzeb.
That incident shook the Sikhs from the inside. At that time, the age of Guru Govind Singh, the only son of martyr Guru Tegh Bahadur, was 9 years. He took an oath to organize the Sikh community in a more intense way that could fight for the human rights and the freedom of religion and faith of conscience from the atrocity and evil-doers. He founded Khalsa Panth in 1699 for that purpose who would be ready to sacrifice their lives and luxury for protecting the modesty of the fellow human beings. The day when Khalsa Panth was founded and Guru Govind Singh was officially coroneted as the tenth Guru of Sikhism was Vaisakhi.
Since then Vaisakhi is celebrated to commemorate the sacrifice of Sikhs Gurus and the foundation of Khalsa Panth and its motive along with the celebration of good harvesting. On this day, we hail both who protect us and who feed us – means – Jay Jawan, Jai Kisan.
On 13th April 1919, more than 5000 unarmed people including women and children were gathered in Jalianwala Bagh to celebrate Vaisakhi. India was under British rule at that time. The governor of Punjab, Michael O`Dwyer ordered Colonel Reginald Dyer to stop the gathering of people in Jalianwala Bagh. Dyer reached there with his army. There was only a narrow exit path was left in that garden. Without giving any warning for dispersing the crowd, Dyer instructed his army to open fire on the crowd.
People could not understand what was happening, in panic, they started running here and there, some people jumped into the well in the garden to save their lives – stampede took place. In this way, more than 1500 people died and many more wounded. That day, that celebration converted into a crematorium. The history witnessed the heinous and inhuman deeds of the British government on the day of Vaisakhi.
Despite that, the British government did not repent on this incident rather they asserted – that was the right action performed by Dyer by giving the reference of Rawlatt Act 1919, this is also known as Black Act, which was implemented by force in India in the same year same month just before Vaisakhi. That act was brought to India in 1919 just after World War First which concluded in 1918 to control Indians and to avert any revolt like the mutiny of 1857.
According to this act, the gathering of more than 4 people in one place was not allowed. Many people were not aware of this implemented law. Innocently, they had gathered in Jalianwala Bagh for the Vaisakhi celebration. At that time, Udham Singh as a child had witnessed the horrid acts of the British government. To take the vengeance of this incident, Udham Singh shot Governor O`Dwyer dead who was the responsibility for that massacre.
Even after 100 years of this incident, the pyres of those victims are still burning in our heart and keep reminding the flagrant deeds of British rule and pain and agony which our ancestor have gone through.
This festival is the festival of remembering the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Guru Tegh Bahadur, four sons of Guru Govind Singh and foundation of Khalsa Panth and massacre of Jalianwala Bagh along with good harvest and commencement of Punjabi New Year and Khalsa Era.
This festival is for measuring our progress as to how we as whole humanity are growing, becoming more united, mature and productive year after year by remembering the sacrifice of our ancestors. On this day, we express our gratitude to nature for the return of our hard work and investment in terms of good harvest and wish and pray for a great harvest next year.
