Sardar Udham Singh & a re-take on history

The latest story on the board is of the great Sardar Udham Singh. A name, which probably fewest of the few would have heard of, thanks to the way history has been written or told. For those who already knew, great!

Everything was amazing in the movie until the Jallianwala massacre. This was the first time the barbarity was shown realistically which was enough to arouse emotions of any sane person. So far we have been studying about Jallianwala or even witnessed it in a movie, but the visual depiction that was done in Udham Singh is unmatchable. It not only makes us sad and angry at the same time, but generates a lot of questions that we never asked.

How does it hit our conscience? — Very deeply. It now makes me question our great leaders — Gandhiji and Nehru. To start off, I must say that I am a believer in many of Gandhian ideologies and of Nehru’s economical vision, but today I am at a different stage. Not just because of the movie, but of the various facts and interpretations that I have been reading all these years. The movie has just come out as a medium of emotional expression, accumulated for all these years.

Coming back to the topic, at this stage when I am in my 30s and having read and analysed about history, I have some serious questions to the “ahimsa” path that was chosen by us ‘all throughout our independence movement’. Yes, it was very much needed at the onset stage when there was a dire need to first bring the people together, but then this wasn’t supposed to be a perpetual thing. The fact that Britishers did not leave because of Gandhiji but instead left because of their loss in the WW2 and the fear of the great rebellion by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, reinforced my belief that perpetual ahimsa was a disaster.

It is difficult to understand how a country with a 5000 year old history that was based on Hindu beliefs where even our Gods are depicted with blessings (peace) on one hand and weapons on the other, could not protect herself. The Holy Gita teaches us to pick up arms when it comes to protect your dharma and I, all of us, strongly believe in it.

In this case, the dharma was our freedom and how could we Indians continue with ‘ahmisa’?

The blood boils even further when there is hardly any mention of fighters like Udham Singh who planned meticulously for years to put Dwayer to justice. Yes, I wont use the word assassinate for him because what Udham Singh did was right. All we know in Modern History are the heroic deeds of a very few. Netaji, who had the people’s support which was way larger than Nehru had to step down from INC? He is widely known in Bengal but not the rest of India. He does not command even half the stature of Gandhiji. Mind you again, this isn't against Gandhiji, but this is against those historians and politicians who distorted history. It makes me sad to know that Udham Singh and probably many others like that had to go unnoticed just because we have been blindfolded by the path of ‘ahimsa’.

Yes, it is the fault of people like me and many others who do not know about such heroes despite the godly internet, but then that’s how the thoughts have been shaped from elementary schools. It is not possible to suddenly have a dream about Udham Singhs and the likes and hop on to the browser surfing for them.

However, thanks to the present times that we now know that freedom fighters who have not been given the value that they deserve are now being discussed everywhere.

It is almost supernatural to have planned the way Udham Singh, Netaji and others did for years, just to get India her independence through means that were necessary. It is just like moving a mountain single handedly. So, when such efforts are not placed “well” in our books and movies become the only source, this anger that comes out from people like me is natural and very apt.

It is said that strong people write history their own way. If you think that we are re-writing history today, then think of the history that was written after 1947 when someone else was strong! Hence, to cut the clutter, the above interpretation is needed!