By Suhel Singh Randhawa
Our experiences guide our perception of the world, of the people around us, our motivations, and our expectations; what we can expect from those around us, from the world, and from ourselves. But, to succeed in this world, our experiences are, in my opinion, too little to guide our thoughts and actions. This is why we rely on the experiences of others, which we may find through history. What did great men and women do and achieve in their lives? What did they do right and what did they do wrong? What were their regrets? What were their inspirations?
The answers to these questions to a great extent lie in history, which we can explore through books, articles, podcasts, the internet, and so many other channels. By learning about their lives and their personalities, we can understand their minds and thought processes, and how we can learn lessons from them and implement in our own lives, to walk the path of success. Whenever we may doubt ourselves or find ourselves depressed and unmotivated—the life stories of the people we look up to, who came over countless issues of their own, serve as a way of pulling us out of a pit of despair.
Being a Sikh who was born and raised in Panjab, I grew up listening to tales of my ancestors, who fought in battle, tilled the land, and lived lives of honesty, hard work, and devotion. I would like to share a few stories that have inspired me to be a better person.
Valour with Virtue: The Story of Hari Singh Nalwa
In the early 19th century, the Sikh empire ruled over Panjab. Its most feared general was Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa, a tall and strong man with a flowing beard and strong arms, known to have killed a tiger with his bare hands. He was feared in the area near the eastern border of what is now Afghanistan as a fierce warrior, able administrator, and a sharp military strategist. He once conquered a kingdom whose king took pride in being undefeated. When he learned that it was Nalwa who was leading the fight against him, he escaped to a cave in the mountains with his wife. His wife wanted to see who this brave general was, who caused her valiant husband to flee before him. Not heeding to her husband’s calls, she left the cave and found her way to the Sikh camp and sought audience with Hari Singh. She saw him and was impressed by his imposing physique and his aura of fearlessness and wanted to test him. She said, “O Hari Singh, you are a brave and strong man. My husband claimed to be fearless but ran away upon seeing you. I wish I had a son like you.” Understanding what the queen was hinting at, Hari Singh angrily asked her to leave. On hearing that, the queen said, “I heard that whoever came to the Sikhs seeking something never left empty handed.” Upon hearing this, Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa left the room, and came back with decorated shawls and expensive gifts, and placed them at the queen’s feet. He said, “There is only one Hari Singh, there will be only one Hari Singh. I cannot give you a son like me , but from now on, you are my mother, and I am your son.” The queen was impressed by Hari Singh’s integrity, gave him her blessings as his mother, and left. This story reminds me that it is important to preserve one’s integrity and character, especially when they are put to test, as that is the true test of how strong one is.
Faith Over Fear: A Tale of Two Young Lions
The tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, had four sons. The youngest were named Baba Zorawar Singh Ji (nine years old) and Baba Fateh Singh Ji (seven years old). At a particularly tumultuous time in our history, they were arrested by the Mughal Empire’s officials, and under the tyrannical policies of the empire, were being forced to convert to Islam. They had two choices: Islam or death. They were given numerous offers; the officials offered them royal titles, money, palaces, and women. All the pleasures that the world could offer were put in front of them. But they chose death. The two sons of our Guru were walled alive and later beheaded, at the mere age of seven and nine years old. Being a Sikh is often considered to be difficult by many, since we tie turbans, not cut our hair, not consume alcohol, and that we stand out of every crowd we are a part of. But the sacrifices of our Sikhs in history, who faced far worse threats than being joked about, remind us to be proud of our roots and faith and to honour them through good thoughts and kind and brave actions. Such historical accounts inspire me to take pride in being what I am and be that unapologetically.
Faith, Steel, and Fire: The Charge of Bachittar Singh
This is the last, but not the least. Once there was a siege laid to our Guru’s fort by a large army of over a hundred thousand, and there were only a few thousand Sikhs. The spies reported that the enemy had arranged for a war elephant, laden it with armour, attached a sword to its trunk, and gotten it drunk. The plan was to set the elephant free in the battlefield, and guide it to the Sikh fort, where it would ram the gate repeatedly and break it down. Guru sahib planned a counter offence, a Sikh would charge the elephant, seek out a chink in its armour, and kill it. Sikhi is a martial faith, and war for righteousness forms a core part of our religion. Many Sikhs volunteered for this deadly mission, but Guru sahib chose Bachittar Singh, a seasoned general who was crafty with using numerous types of weapons and was an expert horse rider. Bachittar Singh stood behind the gates, eagerly waiting for them to be opened so that he could face his enemy. His biceps twitched, his moustache twirled upwards, his eyes red with anger. As the doors of the gate opened, he charged out on his steed, eyeing the elephant eagerly. As the two got together, Bachittar Singh rose from the horse. He parried the sword attached to the elephant and planted the spear in the elephant’s head with immense force. He did not find a chink in the armour, but he had planted the spear with such force that the spear pierced through numerous metal plates and made its way into the elephant’s head. The elephant cried in pain, turned around, and trampled its own soldiers, killing hundreds before finally dying. Using this confusion, Bachittar Singh’s brother, Uday Singh, had made his way deep behind enemy lines and beheaded Kesari Chand, one of the enemy kings, with a single blow of his sword. The two brothers let out cries of jubilation and returned to the fort. This story serves as a reminder that if you believe in your abilities and yourself, and believe that God is on your side, you can face any problem, no matter how big it may seem to be.
History serves as a reminder that things can be done, and that they have been done. When crossing the Alps was considered impossible, Hannibal did that with a large army and elephants. When Rome was considered to be infallible, the Visigoths proved it wrong. When it was said that the sun never sets on the British Empire, we found out that it did.
History also serves as a reminder that nothing in this world is forever, and that over time, everything perishes. Alexander’s large empire disintegrated a few years after his death. Genghis Khan’s empire, that stretched from Eastern Europe to Japan, is nowhere to be seen today.
History teaches us numerous lessons, all that we need to do is listen to what it has to say. Understand the ripples that it makes. The patters it shows. Why wait for yourself to make mistakes and then to learn from them, if you can learn from the mistakes that others made?
History is a treasure trove waiting to be explored. Humanity has spent millennia on this Earth. Many have come and gone. Some of their stories have stood the test of time and are still here for us to explore and learn from. Let us make the best of this opportunity and learn and make our lives better!
Suhel Singh Randhawa is a fourth-year student at York, working towards a degree in finance. He is also serving as the president of the York Sikh Students' Association, and enjoys working out, reading, hiking, writing, and music.