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Introduction

There is no aspect of Punjabi

culture which Bhai Vir Singh hasnot illumined and enlarged. By hisdedicated and inspiring works, heput the Punjabi language on thesame pedestal as other modernIndian languages. He is truly thedoyen of the PunjabiCommonwealth of letters. He couldrightly be called the father ofmodern Punjabi literature, for he

began writing in this language whennobody was interested in it andwhen people's thoughts wereinfluenced more by Urdu andPersian. All educated Punjabis whoknow something of the Punjabilanguage have acclaimed that BhaiVir Singh occupies in Punjabi thesame place as Iqbal in Urdu,Rabindra Nath Tagore in Bengali

and Wordsworth in English. Hisname is a household word inPunjabi. He gave the language anew style, a new rhythm, a newflow and a new though-content.

As a writer of fiction, Bhai Vir Singhneed not be judged critically from

the point of view of style andtreatment of subjects in his novels.He wrote all his fictional works with

a purpose. The purpose was toawaken in the Sikhs the sense ofchivalry and to instil in them asense of pride in their cultural andrich heritage. Bhai Vir Singhemerged on the literary scene at atime when the Sikhs had startedharbouring misgivings about theachievements of their ancestors.This is described piquantly by

Khushwant Singh in his book 'TheSikhs' (p. 166). He says "Englishhistorians harped on the crude andcorrupt rule which they hadreplaced by an enlightened one.Sanskrit scholars belittled thereligion of Sikhs as a poor imitationof the Hindus and ridiculed its formsand symbols" This was too muchto endure for a person of Bhai Vir

Singh's sensitivity andunderstanding. He took it as achallenge and proceeded to blowaway the dust almost single-handedly. Through his novels, heemphasised the ethical excellenceof the Sikh religion and remindedthe Sikhs of heroism and chivalry

practiced by their co-religionists.His novels SUNDRI, BIJAY SINGH,SATWANT KAUR, and BABA

NAUDH SINGH carried an instantappeal for the Sikhs who read themwith enthusiasm and pride. Theyare historical novels written with areligious background. It may beargued that the style and treatmentof subjects dealt with does notconform to the standards of fiction.It has to be accepted, however, thatthese novels do succeed in bringing

out the necessary change in theattitude of the Sikhs towards theirheroic heritage. Novels likeSUNDRI and SATWANT KAURhave gone into scores of editionsand are still read by persons havinginterest in history and religion. Byhis novels, Bhai Vir Singh was ableto put across his message and wasthus able in warding off the

challenge posed to the Sikh religionby the English historians andSanskrit scholars, to which areference has been made above.

Bhai Vir Singh's novel SUNDRI isbased on the folksong whichnarrates the tale of a young,

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beautiful and recently marriedHindu girl. She is carried awayforcibly by a Moghul who

happens to see her. All the malemembers of the family go to theofficer and entreat him to releasethe girl. They offer a big ransom.All these appeals fall on dearears. The Moghul does not agreeto release the girl. To save herhonour, the girl decides to burnherself alive. As soon as theMoghul goes out of his camp,

she collects the wood, lights thefire and jumps in it.Providentially, her Sikh brotherappears then and saves her life.Then the brother and Sister jointhe roving band of Sikhs. TheSikhs in the days of Zakaria Khan(1726-1745 AD), the last MoghulGovernor of Punjab, were mostlyhiding the thick forests and

mountain recesses. They werenot allowed to move freely in theplains. Sundri, the rescued girl,was respected by the Sikhs. Therespect in which women wereheld by the Sikhs is testified byQazi Nur Mohammed, the authorof Jang Namah. He says,

"Whether a woman is younger orold, they call her budhiya, an oldlady, and ask her to get away.

There is no adultery amongstthese dogs."

The death of Zakaria Khan inJuly, 1745 led to a war ofsuccession between his sonsYahya Khan and Shah NawazKhan. This gave some respite tothe Sikhs who had been hiding inthe mountains. On one side, the

Raja of Jammu rose in revolt,and on the other , Sikhs began tocause tumult and trouble. In1756, Jaspat Rai, brother orLakhpat Rai, Dewan of YahyaKhan was killed in battle by theSikhs. The Sikhs were attackedfrom all sides near Gurdaspurand a large number of them werebrutally massacred. The event

has gone down in history asGhalughara or Holocaust.SUNDRI gives details of thisevent. The first invasion ofAhmed Shah Durrani in 1748 andsubsequent appointment of MirManu as the Governer of Punjabare significant events in the

history of the Sikhs. During therule of Mir Manu, the Sikhs werepersecuted ruthlessly. Kaura Mal,

the Dewan of Mir Manu, was anancestor of Bhai Vir Singh. Thelatter therefore, has taken greatpains to collect anecdotesrelating to his administrativewisdom. SUNDRI ends with theevents of 1752 A.D. The sameyear Kaura Mal passed away. Thepurpose of Bhai Vir Singh inwriting SUNDRI was to present

some of the ideal Sikh charactersregarding their symbols, religionand their cult of sword, and inthis, he succeeded fully. Thecharacters portrayed in SUNDRIbecame household words inPunjab in later years.

Sundri is the heroin of the novel.She is portrayed as an

embodiment of faith and purity.The novel carries an inspirationto the Sikhs who read it withenthusiasm and pride. It is ahistorical novel written with adidactic purpose. The purpose isto inspire the Sikhs by remindingthem of their duty as preached

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by their Gurus. Through thenovel, Bhai Vir Singh is able toput across his message. The

fine points of Sikhism and Sikhcharacter are vividly brought out.To mention a few of these, a Sikhmakes use of his sword fordefensive purposes only or toremove the tyrannical injustice ofthose in power. A Sikh cannothelplessly submit to the evildesigns of his oppressors. Heactively struggles for his self-

respect, liberty and faith. Even insuch efforts, a Sikh shows a highsense of charity to the relativesof his oppressors or even tooppressors themselves. This ishis religious faith. This is hisspirit. This is his character. Hehas an abiding faith in theteachings of his Gurus. He liveswith his very being saturated by

these teachings.

It is not always possible for one tohave a proper estimate of thegenius of Bhai Vir Singh by readingEnglish renderings of his works.Every language has its peculiaritieswhich cannot be rendered faithfully

into another language. Punjabi isno exception to this universal rule.A translation, howsoever

painstakingly done, cannot capturefully and successfully the totality orthe sprit of the original work. Thereis, however, a requirement forattempting translation of greatworks are communicated to thegeneral public not conversant withPunjabi language. By rendingSUNDRI into English, Dr. G.S.Mansukhani has done service to

the Punjabi language. The Englishversion is a reasonably successfuleffort. It succeeds in conveying tothe English knowing public the fullmeaning and the essence of theoriginal work. This effort evokesour appreciation. By his sensitivityand understanding, Dr. Mansukhanihas succeeded in placing in ourhands a reasonably good version in

English of this novel of the greatMaster. The English version doessucceed in capturing the originalatmosphere and times in which thenovel was initially conceived andexecuted in Punjabi by Bhai VirSingh. It must be conceded that thetranslation done by Dr. Mansukhani

is not merely an effort forsubstituting words of English inplace of Punjabi words. It keeps

the spirit of the original workconstantly in view and faithfullytransmits this spirit in English. TheEnglish version captures the ethosand excitement of the original. It isreadable and enjoyable. It is anexcellent endeavour for which Dr.Mansukhani deserves ourappreciation and thanks.

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Sundriby Bhai Vir Singh

(translation by Dr. G. S. Mansukhani)

Amidst the blooming grassyfarmlands in the plains of thePunjab lay a remote villageinhabited by both Hindus andMuslims. A little distance was adense forest and a lake wherepeople used to go for game-hunting.

To the eastern side of the villagewas a road leading to the outskirtswhere a rich Hindu gentlemannamed Shama lived with his family.Today was the bridal farewellfunction (muklawa) of his daughterwho was to leave for her husband'shome. It was a happy evening

when the soft breeze blew. Thehouse of Shama buzzed withactivity connected with thepreparation and celebration of thefarewell function. The house wasovercrowded and it became sostuffy and congested that it was

difficult to stay indoors. The bridenamed Surasti was pretty andexceedingly handsome. Upset by

the smoke, she went over to herfriends who were playing nearbyon the road to the sear of the house.There was a spinning competitionfor youthful girls-some virgins,some wedded but waiting to jointheir husbands and some middleaged housewives. None of themcould be called ugly by any

standard, but compared to thecharm of Surasti, they looked likestars around the full moon.Laughing and playing in their gaydresses they made a fascinatingspectacle.

Just then two more young ladieswho were sisters-in-law broughtsome rice and wild berries to clean,because closeby was a place with anarrangement for pounding anddehusking rice. At first, the ladiesblew off the husks in fun and thenturn by turn, they began separatingthe remaining husks off the grains.When it was time for Surasti to take

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her turn all the ladies sang inchorus the following line of thefolk-song: "Sitting under the shade

of trees, we mothers and daughters,our tasks we do............."

The wooden pestle in the hands ofSurasti kept beat with the rhythmof the song as though the mortarwas a drum. All were so muchenraptured by this song that theylost all sense of time and space.

When the song ended, theunfortunate ladies were surprisedto find a stout young ruffianMoghul soldier, riding a horsestaring at them. His cynosure wasthe face of Surasti, who out of hermaidenly coyness blushed, all ofthem were so frightened that theybecame nervous and pale.

Hindu parents, in this age of feudallawlessness hardly allowed theirdaughters and daughters-in-law togo out of their home and used tokeep them within the four wallslike prisoners, because a beautiful

wife, a fine house, riches andmerchandise could hardly beretained by a Hindu. They were a

risky liability against Muslimavarice. The reason for this risk tolife and property was that thepower of the Delhi Moghulemperor had declined; petty localgovernors became aggressive anddaring; the country was subject tosubversion and confusion, andarrogant rulers committed atrocities

as they liked.

Dreading the evil intentions of theMoghul youth, the girls got scared.Their nervous uncertaintyconfirmed their fears when,advancing a few steps, the Moghulcaught hold of Surasti's delicatewrist with his sturdy hand andwith a jolt pulled her up to hishorse and galloped away. Theshrieks of Surasti and the sad plightof the v omen-folk brought all thevillagers together and in thisconfusion they began to ask whathad really happened. After hearingthe account of the ladies regarding

the abduction of Surasti and someof them having witnessed thismisdeed happen before their eyes,

they were flabbergasted and feltutterly demoralised. What eviltimes! O, the pity of it! Suchdegradation of conduct! In thisentire group, not even one had thecourage and the nerve to take riskand dare rescue the bride.

After the Moghul had disappeared,

the elders of the village held aconsultation and decided that thelady's father, brother and husbandand two elderly representatives ofthe village should go to the Moghuland plead with him and perhapsout of compassion he might releasethe lady.

About a mile away from the village,a few tents had been pitched for theMoghul hunting party. Thesebelonged to the ruler of this areaand he had come here in search ofgame; he had very few servantswith him. Today when he had gonehunting, he had left no guard in his

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camp; he had taken all withhimself. While chasing a deer, theMoghul got separated from his

servants. He rode far out but couldnot trace the deer; however he sawa village in the distance and rode toit for quenching his thirst and herehe captured a lady as his game.When he got back to the camp, hedid not find any servant. So leavingthe lady on a carpet, he proceededto tie his horse and began to look

for water. Unfortunately, thesupply of water had run short. Asthe Moghul returned to Surasti, hefound that a delegation of villagerswas approaching towards him.Surasti was sobbing on the carpet,while he took his seat on thebedstead. At that time five villagersprostrated in front of him and

requested him to set the lady free.The Moghul remonstrated withthem, declaring: "I am the ruler ofthis region. What does it matter if Itake one girl out of the lot in thevillage? I am sure you will not feelher loss." Shamlal replied with

folded hands: "This girl is my onlydaughter and, she got marriedrecently. Today is the day of her

send-off to her husband's home.Please be considerate, otherwise Iwill be disgraced. Have pity on me;the ruler is considered as theguardian of his subjects."

The Moghul: "Go away; I will notreturn this lady "

Shama: "Maharaj: you area greatman: if you like I can compensatefor her release by giving you silverequal to her weight. Kindly spareher."

The Nawab-grinned and shouted:"Go away."

Thereafter the girl's brother with

folded hands and with greathumility said: "Sir, you really donot need her. You have a thousandladies at your disposal. Please takepity on this helpless girl; if you sodesire I shall give you gold equal toher weight as recompense. I can

buy you girls in her place. You are agenerous man, and return this girlto me as a gift." The stony-hearted

Nawab remained unaffected andlooked in a different direction.

Then the girl's husband - who hadcome to the village to take his bridefrom her parental home - touchedthe Nawab's feet and said: "Sir, I amone of your subjects. It is the dutyof the ruler to protect the honour of

his subjects. I shall not be able toshow my face in public to any onehereafter. Be kind to me and acceptwhatever money and goods I haveas compensation and restore mywife to me. Please save me fromdisgrace."

Nawab: "Well, you all seem to bevery rich. Go away. I shall not partwith the golden sparrow. I do notneed silver, gold or diamonds.Please go away, otherwise I shallarrest you."

Hearing this, the bridegroom feltfrightened for he had unwittingly

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declared himself a rich man, Hefeared that the Nawab might attackhis house and loot his wealth. It

would be wise for him to slip away.Realising this, he went back to hisfather-in-law's house, wherecollecting his relatives, heproceeded to his home.

When the ruler did not heed eventhe entreaties of the village-representatives, the girl's brother

fainted and collapsed on the spot.The girl's father sat nearby andsobbed. Seeing this, Surastisuddenly changed. Her tears driedaway and she felt a resurgence ofcourage. She stood up, bared herface gleaming with religiousconviction and came to the placewhere her brother had fainted andwhispered loudly into his ears: "Getup, my brother; go home. I shall nottouch even the water of thisMoghul I shall burn myself ratherthan surrender to him,"

The father and the brother (ofSurasti) felt convinced that the

Moghul would not give up Surastiand she would definitely preserveher honour. They all returned home

broken-hearted.

Alas, that beautiful home of Shamawhich sometime back was full of

joy and fun became a place ofmourning. All the relativesgathered to offer consolation andthe ladies raised a hue and cry andwailed loudly. Hindus and

Muslims of the village were scaredby what had happened. Alas, it wasa catastrophe! It was anuncondonable disgrace of thevillage.

While such laments were beingmade, suddenly a Sikh rider (SinghSardar) seated on a green horse(armed from head to foot) dressedin tight drawers-Kachhera-and jacketand his waist tied with a sash, adark turban on his head, robust inappearance (Singh Sardar)-whoseface would gladden any one's heart,appeared on the spot. All thepeople looked at him intently, but

no one could guess -who he was.Surasti's mother-who wassurrounded by other women-

recognised the Sikh rider as herown son who had earlier joined theSikh brotherhood as Balwant Singh.He had left his home and for yearsno one had heard anything abouthim. Seeing her son after a longtime, the mother's natural affectionleapt within her. She got up andheld him in her arms after be had

got down from his horse. Seeingthis, the father and the brother toorecognised this young man. Alas!After such a long period ofseparation, the surge of natural lovewas suppressed by the narration ofthe sad story of Surasti-s abduction.

As-soon as the Sikh youth heardthis story, his blood boiled. His eyesand face glowed with rage and hislimbs shook with religious fervour.He inquired the whereabouts of theMoghul's tent. Immediately, he

jumped on his horse, as he waskeen to rescue his sister. Theparents, however, dissuaded him

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from going to the Moghul's place,for they feared his certain death inthe ensuing encounter. In those

days, no Sikh was left alive by theMuslim ruler. But Balwant Singhturned a deaf ear to these entreaties.Within minutes, he reached the rowof tents. He saw a pile of fuel,which had just been lighted andfrom the top he heard the faintrecitation of some lines of the Japji(Sikh prayer). In a trice, Balwant

Singh dismounted h horse andpushed away the pile of sticks andpulled his sister lying underneath.When Surasti looked up, sherecognised her brother and couldnot contain her sudden joy andsaid: 'My dear brother! At this timewhen I ha decided to burn myself,there was the last wish in n mind

that I should see you before mydeath. The Guru has been kind tofulfil my desire and I am happy tomeet you on the eve of mydeparture from this world. God bethanked! Now you must go back tothe place from where you came, for

the Moghul is likely to return at anymoment and I would like to end mylife by immolation before his

return.

Brother: "Dear sister! Suicide is agrave sin; con with me."

Sister: "No, my brother! To die forone's religion is not a sin. If I goaway with you, this evil man willdestroy our family; he will not

spare us either. I am not all afraid ofdeath. I feel the security of GuruTegh Bahadur's presence with me.Let me sacrifice myself that othersmay survive."

Balwant Singh heard a soundcoming from some distance andgrabbing his sister's arm threw heron the saddle and galloped away.When he reached home, his fatherand brother scolded him: "O yousinner! What have you done? Doyou think that the Turk (Moghul)will spare us? When he comes toknow that one of our sons is Sikh,he will crush us all. Moreover, you

have saved the girl from hisclutches. Like an enraged lion, hewill pounce on us. Be sensible, go

back and return Surasti to him."

Balwant Singh could not toleratesuch insulting and degradingwords from his parents. He rodeback with his sister to the jungleand after an hour's ride reached aspacious opening, which showedgory marks of a recent battle. The

place was fall of dead bodies andthe ground was soaked with blood.He was bewildered to see so muchloss of life in such a short time afterhe left it. Could anyone tell himabout this carnage? Where had allhis companions gone? Hedismounted his horse andinspected the bodies. One of thebodies was still breathing He liftedit up and found that his woundswere not fatal He tore off a turbanand both he and his sister dressedup the wounds. He brought somewater from a neighbouring lake andsprinkled it on the face of thewounded man. The man opened his

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eyes gently after a while andwhispered feebly: "Balwant Singh,thank God; you have met me before

my death."

Balwant Singh: "How did ithappen? How come, that in such ashort time so much havoc has beenwrought. Everything is topsy-turvy."

Sher Singh: "O brother! At the time

you left us to visit your home, wewere planning to stay at this spot,but the Turks suddenly appeared-as if from the blue- and there was aterrible battle. The main group ofthe Khalsa retreated to the dense

jungle. At that moment I fell down,badly wounded. Many Turks losttheir lives but they were in greatnumber. I do not know whathappened after I fell down."

Thereafter Balwant Singh placedSher Singh under the shade of a treeand began to search other bodies.He found one, which was stillbreathing. This Sikh did not have

serious injuries: he had beenwounded and then becomeunconscious. Soon after drinking

some water and gaining fullconsciousness, he began narratinghis story. He was a strong man anda good rider. They searched for thehorses and found two horses tied toa tree; both belonged to the Sikhswho lay dead. A decision was takenthat one horse be given to Surastifor riding, and the other horse to

the other Sikh. Balwant Singh wasto take the wounded Sher Singh onhis horse and during the night allwere to ride in to the jungle to jointheir comrades.

Surasti had earlier heard the bravedeeds of the Sikh warriors. Herfaith in Sikhism was unshakeable.She used to recite regularly andsecretly the Sikh prayers (Gurbani).Her devotion was deep.

Firm belief or staunch faith is agreat power in itself and when it isnourished, it becomes unshakeablelike a rock. This eighteen-year old

virgin had become deeply piouswith unbounded devotion forSikhism. Earlier she had sent

purposely the Muslim youth insearch of water; she collected a pileof fuel - which was lying in front ofthe kitchen-and set fire to it withsome dry foliage. Then she seatedherself on the pile reciting the Japji.At this juncture, her brave brotherhad come and rescued her. Even sowhen her own family members

rejected her, her faith in Sikhismwas not shaken. She began torespect on the hardships faced byGuru Gobind Singh and later by theSikh warriors. She decided toaccompany her brother. When shehad reached the plain which hadbeen the arena of a battle betweenthe Sikhs and the Turks and had

seen the wounded Sikhs lying onthe ground, she was fired by areligious zeal and felt that therewas nothing better for her to dothan serving the Sikh soldiers whohad risked their lives for their faith.She felt convinced that her brother

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had acquired the courage of hisconviction and noble demeanourbecause of his Sikh faith and living

with the Sikhs. He had grown into anoble person. Why could not she beas brave as her brother? Shethought that just as the sandal treeimparts fragrance to others, in thesame way her heart felt inspired byher brother's example. She began toreflect on the role of women- whyshould not women participate in

the struggle for the defence ofmorality and religion? If all womencould not do so, at least she couldset an example of courage byfollowing her worthy brother.

Such thoughts enabled Surasti tokeep her cool when she viewed theterrible carnage. She told herbrother of her determination tofollow his example, and grabbing asword from the body of a deadsoldier hung it round her neck.

While they were in the process ofremoving the wounded brethrenfrom the field, they saw a cloud of

dust rising in the distance. As theylooked intently, they found a bandof riders galloping towards them.

They rightly guessed that theseriders were coming in pursuit of thelady-Surasti, whom they hadrescued.

The three Sikhs gave free reins totheir horses, while a hundred Turkspursued them. The horses ran forthree or four miles when Sher

Singh's horse stumbled and fell.The result was that his companionshad to halt and soon the Turkssurrounded them. A fight ensuedbetween the two groups. Sher Singhwas killed, while on the other sideeight or ten Turks fell unconsciouson the ground and the Muslimleader also got wounded. BalwantSingh and Surasti too got injuredand their horses were killed in theencounter. Both of them - brotherand sister - were captured and putunder guard and taken to the jail toface atrocities.

The Sikhs had chopped some treesand plants in the centre of a dense

jungle so as to make a clearing for a

camping ground. There were manysuch places in the Punjab where theSikhs found shelter in thosetroubled times. They were familiarwith the topography of the region,but it was an arduous task for theirenemies to enter into those dense

jungles to locate them. Now weshall describe a function held in the

jungle.

A religious congregation was heldin the jungle in the evening. GuruGranth Sahib was placed in acentral spot and five Sikhs sanghymns. The leader of this groupwas Sham Singh, who with hisgodly and ruddy face of a youngman addressed the gathering at theend of the prayers thus: "Brothers,does any one know thewhereabouts of Balwant Singh?" Allshook their heads to indicate anegative answer. He had been seengoing to his village, but had not yetreturned. Possibly, he had been

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lured by the comforts of his home.Sham Singh did not agree with thisview and declared: "This is

impossible. Balwant Singh anddomestic comforts do not gotogether. Perhaps he has been thevictim of some accident orcatastrophe; he is not a man to stayaway." Rathor Singh said: "Sir, letus send someone to his village tofind out the facts." Then anotherSikh intervened and said: "If you

permit me, I shall proceed to hisvillage for this purpose." The leaderreplied: "Go and find but aboutBalwant Singh, but return quickly.Disguise yourself as a Moghul. Ifyou go dressed as a Sikh you maybe captured. Also please gatherinformation about the situation ofthe Khalsa. We have had recently alot of bad news from Lahore."

Hearing this, the young Sikh whosename was Hari Singh bowed toGuru Granth Sahib. He dressedhimself as a Moghul and gallopedaway on horseback. It was the timeof the sunset and darkness soon

covered the jungle. This young manwas not afraid of riding at nightthrough the jungle. He proceeded

ahead like a fearless lion. Aftersome distance, the jungle becamedense and impassable. Hedismounted and holding the reinsof his horse proceeded cautiouslyand circuitously, sometimesdisengaging himself from the curlybranches. With great difficulty hepassed through the jungle. It was

very late in the night when hemounted his horse again andreached a small village. He enteredan old inn (Serai) where there was aMuslim's restaurant and a Hindu'sshop. Both the owners seeing theMoghul approaching them stoodup and after greeting him offeredhim a cot for rest. Then theybrought some grass for his horse.The rider declared that he did notwant any food for himself. He tiedhis horse to the cot and spreading amat on it, he lay asleep. His sleepwas disturbed after a couple ofhours when a rich Muslim Chief

arrived with his retinue. After agreat tumult, they retired to theirbeds. The Muslim Chief went to

sleep, while some of his servantsbegan talking in low tones. HariSingh was disguised as a Muslim.He was resting on a cot nearby. Helistened attentively to theconversation of the sepoys whichwas as follows:

The first sepoy: "Who is this

Balwant?"

The second sepoy: "He is a Kafir(Non-Muslim) but a brave soldierwho in his encounter with NadirShah's army killed Rustam Khan."

First sepoy: "It is our good luck thatsuch a dangerous and brave manhas been captured."

Second sepoy: "If you were to seehis sister, you would be enamouredof her. Now she is sullen incaptivity, but when she wascaptured I was lucky to see her. Sheis like the moon I wonder how

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these maidens of Hindus are sobeautiful."

First Sepoy: "Well, this lady willnow be converted to Islam.

Second Sepoy: "Yes, then theNawab will marry her with greatpomp and pageantry and we shallalso be rewarded "

First Sepoy: "Have the brother and

sister agreed to embrace Islam?"

Second Sepoy: "Have the Sikhs everchanged their religion willingly?We have to use force to make themrealise the benefits of conversion.They will, if left to themselves,sacrifice their lives rather thanchange their religion."

First Sepoy: "You are right. Theyare very obstinate. Hindus are softlike butter, but the Sikhs are hard asstone. Heaven knows from wherethey have got the strength of theirconviction. Well, tell me how muchtime is left for the event."

Second Sepoy: "Not much,Tomorrow is Tuesday, then willfollow Wednesday and Thursday.

On Friday, this auspicious eventwill take place."

First Sepoy: "You must be feelingreally happy, your master is luckyto have caught a golden sparrow."

Second Sepoy: "You must also beequally delighted. Your master - the

Mulla (Muslim priest) has beencalled from such a long distance. Iam sure he will get a big reward. Assuch, you will get enough money.However, whether you get anyremuneration or not is a separateissue - the very spectacle ofwatching the conversion of theseSikhs is in itself a holy act.''

First sepoy: "That is true, but whyhas so much time been allowed tolapse. It is more than a month sinceBalwant Singh was captured, and,why this leniency? Why did theynot accomplish this task quickly?"

Second sepoy: "The reason was thatboth Balwant Singh and his sisterwere wounded in their fight against

the Moghuls and were quite ill,now they have recovered and thatexplains the cause of delay."

After finishing their talk they fell tosleep, The brave Sikh (Hari Singh)quickly got; up, fixed his saddle onthe horse and galloped away to hisleader it was a dark night; the path-

way could hardly be seen; the skywas overcast. The horse stumbledquite often, but the brave Sikh ofGuru Gobind Singh never lost hisnerve. A little before dawn heentered a jungle and at sunrisereached, his destination.

At this time, all the Sikh's, aftertaking bath had assembled for themorning congregation. They startedthe recitation of Asa-di-var (amorning prayer). Hari Singh also

joined them and listened to therecitation. After the conclusion ofprayers, Hari Singh narrated thesubstance of the talk of the Turkish

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soldiers to the gathering. BhaiBalwant Singh and his sister layimprisoned in a jail in the Doaba

region (between the river Beas andSutlej) and were scheduled forforcible conversion to Islam onFriday; That day was Tuesday; ifthe, Khalsa mustered courage itwould be possible to rescue them intime. This news; caused muchexcitement and; fervour among theSikhs. Their faces were flushed with

rage; their hearts were full of angerand fury. Their sentiments forreligion and of courage for itsprotection were stirred as theyloudly, exclaimed! "Guru, Guru."

Sardar, Sham Singh loved everymember of his group as much ashimself. Balwant Singh, however,was an outstanding warrior andmoreover he was now imprisonedalong with a Sikh girl; this couldnot be tolerated. Immediatelycalling his comrades Sham Singhordered them to proceed anddeclared that food would be servedon the way. They could not delay in

an emergency like this. Heannounced that they would gothrough the jungles and save every

second. They would depart withoutany delay on the rescue-mission.They had to be prompt and certainof victory with the Guru's grace.Hearing the order of departurefrom their leader the Sikhs jumpedon their saddles and struggled fortheir way through the dense jungle.

The sun was covered with denseclouds. Like a disarrayed army, thelayers of clouds roamed in the sky.The movement of the wind wasalso wayward. Sometimes it wouldbe swift and dusty, sometimes quietand slow. The Moghuls with theirconventional loose under sheetswere loitering leisurely andproudly; the traders in their modestshops were idling away their time.But in the main mosque of the townthings were different. Group aftergroup of Muslims assembled in thecourtyard. Outside the gate and infront of the shops stood militaryguards fully armed.

Something was approachingtowards the front gate. It was apalanquin, which rested on the

shoulders of four forcibly recruitedBrahmin coolies. Inside thepalanquin sat a sturdy Mulla(Muslim priest) who had beenspecially invited for the functionfixed for that day. As soon as thepalanquin reached the main gate ofthe mosque, the Mulla came outfrom the palanquin. He was

respectfully greeted by theassembly and seated in the centre ofthe mosque. Soon thereafter five orseven riders arrived at the spot. TheNawab (ruler) rode on a horse andbehind him was a closed palanquin,followed by a man in handcuffs. Hewore dirty underwear, a mud-soiled shirt, and a small turban onhis head, but his eyes were blood-shot with rage.

At the door of the mosque, a veiledwoman got down from thepalanquin. She and the captive Sikhentered the mosque and wereseated in front of the Mulla. The

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courtyard of the mosque wasovercrowded but there wascomplete silence. At last the Mulla

broke the ice and addressed thecaptive standing in front of him,thus:

Mulla: "Balwant Singh, do youaccept Islam voluntarily andwillingly?"

Balwant Singh: "No, rather I shall

welcome death willingly."

Mulla (addressing the Nawab):"This man is obstinate. He will notyield willingly. Either he will haveto be slain or forcibly...."

Nawab: "I like the latter course. I donot lavish to kill the brother of thismoon-like maiden."

Mulla: "Is a barber present here?"

Barber: "Yes Sir, I am here."

Mulla: "Come here and cut thisman's hair."

Barber: "Very well."

The barber began to open his bag.

Though the captive Sikh's handswere tied with chains, he lungedforward causing a great fright tothe frail-framed barber. Seeing this,four sepoys grabbed Balwant Singhwhile the barber approached hisvictim. At this moment, the veiledwoman whose hands and feet weretied also, threw away her veil,

pushed the barber with hershoulders, rolling him over thedusty ground. She then stood uplike a ferocious lioness. Seeing herbeauty and her rage, the bystanderswere much amazed. The Nawab onthe other hand who wasenamoured of her beauty wasshocked by her angry look, like aman affected by a fall of lightning.The Mulla beckoned two sepoys toseize the girl and they tied her armsbehind her back.

The Nawab was irritated, but whatcould he do? He was afraid of theMulla and the crowd. If he had

shown any leniency towards theyoung maid, he would have beencensured as weak and

compassionate to an infidel. TheNawab cast his eyeful glance at thegirl who he expected wouldbecome his Begum (wife) soon, buteven so at this moment she was stillan infidel.

In the meantime, the barberregained his composure and

wanted to proceed with his taskSurasti was watching the plight anddesperation of her brother withlove mixed with compassion, andon the other hand she was aware ofher predicament and frustration.Alas! Why should a brave brotherhave to face such degradation onaccount of the helplessness of anunfortunate sister?

In the meantime, a cloud of dustcould be seen over the bazaar; therewas a great tumult. Some thought itwas a dust storm, others fit that ahouse had collapsed, yet othersthought that an earthquake had

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begun: some thought that anotherMuslim ruler was coming with hisretinue to join the celebration. All

began to look in that direction. In amoment, a group of soldiersappeared out of the dust-cloud anda struggle began between thesepoys and the group of Sikhs, andsuddenly the raiders entered thepremises of the mosque and utteredthe Sikh Jaikara (Bolay So Nihal, SatSri Akal) and called out "Balwant

Singh." As Balwant Singh stood up.one of the Sikh grabbed the captiveand threw him on the saddle of hishorse, while another Sikh soldiercaught hold of Surasti and placedher on his horse-back andimmediately, like a thunder-boltturning back, galloped away. Therest of the Sikh platoon hadsurrounded the gathering and assoon as the commander's order for'Dispersal' was given, the Sikhtroopers in a trice, like lightningdisappearing after hitting a farm,galloped away from the mosque tothe main bazaar and then towards

the eastern exit of the village.Suddenly the commander of theplatoon ordered his sepoys to halt

and immediately all reined backtheir horses to a standstill. Thereason was that the Muslim guardswho were guarding the gate hadfirst thought that the group mightbe the army of a neighbouringMuslim ruler but they recognisedthe Khalsa. They hid themselvesand remained unnoticed and in the

meantime reinforced themselves.

Seeing this predicament, SardarSham Singh asked his sharpshooters to take the front line, butbefore the guards could doanything, the Sikhs shot down thetwo gunners. Immediately SardarSham Singh asked his ten sepoys toshoot their arrows at the sepoysstanding over the top of the gate.These people were wounded andsoon the Sikhs broke down the gatelike the shell of an almond. Outsidethe gate was another group ofsepoys. Sham Singh's strategyworked, as his cavalry striking right

and left and pushing their horsesforward pierced through the line ofthe enemy and galloped away.

After the Sikhs had covered ten totwelve miles, they came across anopen ground full of blooming cropswhere they set up a camp. Theytied their horses to the tree trunksand cut some fodder for them.Some proceeded to theneighbouring village to buy some

foodstuffs. Sham Singh spread asheet on the grass and sat down.Others went over to Balwant Singhand Surasti, removed their fettersand brought them to Sardar ShamSingh. Then followed a scene ofreunion, which would beremembered always. One by onethe Sikhs came forward andembraced Balwant Singh with joyand welcomed Surasti with foldedhands and the Khalsa greeting.Soon after the exchange of greetingsand the shouts of Jaikaras (the callsof Sat Sri Akal) which echoed allover, Balwant Singh and Surastimoved near to Sardar Sham Singh.

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First Balwant Singh related his ownstory and described the atrocities heand Surasti had to suffer in jail: But

soon he heaved a sigh and declaredthat his greatest anxiety was theNawab's resolve to make Surasti hiswife by force, and now he washappy and thankful to the Guru forthe success of the rescue-missionand the achievement of the Khalsa.

After Balwant Singh had finished

his narrative, Sardar Sham Singhexplained how, though theyhurried through the jungles quietlyand stealthily, they lost their wayand as such were delayed. Thatmorning they had best hope ofrescuing Balwant Singh and hissister in time, but with the Guru'sblessing who wanted to preservetheir Dharma (Faith), they reachedby mid-morning a town which wasonly five or six miles away from themosque. It was with God's graceagain that they reached the place

just in the nick of time and gainedtheir objective after a short struggle.If there had been a full-scale battle

with the Moguls, they would havebeen at a disadvantage on accountof their small number. It would

have been difficult to wrest avictory. These talks continued forquite some time.

After a short while, the Sikhs whohad gone to the village returnedand reported that the number ofHindus there was small and theTurks were in a majority. None was

ready to give them any food;though they had paid for foodstuffsthey got nothing because theHindus were mortally afraid of theMuslims. Sham Singh shouted tothem: -"Bring the Panchas (Villagehead-men) here."- The Sikhspresented two men who they saidwere the Panchas of the village,whom they had captured.

Sham Singh: "Tell me Chowdhury(chief) why do you not give usfood?"

Panchas: "We are commanded byour rulers not to give any food tothe Sikhs"

Sham Singh: "At the moment, theruler is the Khalsa."

Panchas: "We know nothing of theKhalsa. The Khalsa is like the shadeof the clouds-now there. Whoknows where you will betomorrow?"

Sham Singh: "Let some twentypeople go to the village and bringfood. Do not harass any child orwoman and do not touch anythingexcept food - stuffs, and pay for itin gold.

As soon as Sham Singh issued thisorder, three or four Muslim women

in veils approached him and beganto sob. They were accompanied bya fourteen-year old boy who wastheir spokesman. He requested thattheir men-folk should not beharassed or beaten up and that they

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would supply what the Sikhswanted.

Sham Singh: "We want only foodfor our men and horses and nothingelse."

Women: "We shall soon send youloaves prepared by Hindu women,but we hope you will not ill-treatour men."

Sham Singh: "No, we shall give youmoney for the food. The Khalsa willnever loot or beat up its subjects. Tobefool the royal forces and to lootthe King's treasure are our tasks.We are enemies of tyrants; we arenot enemies of honest people. Thisis the assignment of the Khalsa. Goand be quick; take money andsupply food. Let your men-folk be

happy."

The Muslim women soon returnedto the village. They collected theHindu women at one place andgave them wheat flour and pulsesfor cooking. These women quickly

made chapattis (loaves) and cookedDal (pulse). The Khalsa pulled outsome fresh carrots from the farms

and; munched them all. They had areal good meal. Then they releasedthe Panchas. After giving themsome gold sovereigns as cost offoodstuffs and carrots, the Khalsagot marching orders. The alertnessand promptness of the Sikhguerrillas was remarkable. Theyrode their horses and sang martial

songs like the spring breeze; theysteadily moved forward, till theydisappeared out of sight.

It was sunset - time when abattalion of Turkish troops inpursuit reached the village. Thecommander of the troops called thePanchas to find out if any Sikhgroup had passed through thevillage.

The Panchas replied: "Yes Sir. Theyrested here, bad their meals and lefta few hours back.''

Muslim commander: "Who gavethem the food?"

Panchas: "The Hindus of thevillage."

Muslim commander: "Did anyMuslim also supply the food?''

Panchas: "No Sir! Do the Muslimsever help the infidels willingly?These Hindus were even delighted

when they saw the Sikhs".

Hearing this, the Muslimcommander got angry and orderedthe arrest of the Hindus. He did notmake any inquiry nor called fortheir explanation. He furtherordered that they he beaten up.How unfortunate that the Muslimswho had actually supplied the food

to the Sikhs were regarded asinnocent and the Hindus who hadonly obeyed their Muslimneighbours m the village werecaught in the net' As a result ofreckless and severe beating. Someof the Hindus died on the spot. One

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newly married bride's husband losthis life through severe beating andthe lady was asked to marry the

Muslim commander. The piouslady requested that she should bekilled like her husband. But whowas there to listen to her woes? Insheer desperation, the lady movedforward and gave such a blow onthe eyes of the commander that helost his eye and becameunconscious. A Pathan soldier

promptly drew his sword andaimed a heavy blow on the lady'shead, which was severed with a

jerk, and the sharp point of hissword pierced the commander'sbody.

For the Khalsa, things movedsmoothly for some days. There was

joy and hectic activity in the jungle.Under the shade of trees, thesespiritual warriors were quite busy,but on the alert. They followed thedaily chores of camp life: somewere reciting their prayers, somemending their clothes, somecollecting fuel for the Langar (Free

kitchen), while some went far andnear in search of fruits. Altogetherthese lion-hearted Sikhs were

enjoying themselves in thiscomfortable and self-supportingshelter. They had forgotten abouttheir parents and their families.Their spirits were imbued with lovefor and devotion to Guru GobindSingh. They regarded thepreservation and protection of theirfaith as the goal of their lives. For

this reason, they enjoyed their stayin this spot, feeling mentally freelike fearless lions.

One evening when the whole grouphad taken their Langar(dinner) andwere retiring to rest, Sardar ShamSingh talked to his companionsthus:

Sham Singh: (addressing Surasti)"O respected lady! What is yourplan about your own future?"

Surasti "Sir, I will follow yourorders."

Sham Singh: "There is no such thingas an order. We shall do our best asyou desire. If you like, we can bring

your husband and then you bothlive together here. If you want to betaken to your husband's place, wecan do that. But the Moghuls willnot leave our pursuit and you willbe again under the captivity ofMoghuls. Whatever you desire willbe done. Balwant Singh is ourbrother. All the Sikhs love him. He

is an ideal Sikh and a great warrior.You are his sister and the entiregroup here regards you as theirsister."

Surasti: "Sir and my brethren!Married life does not appeal to meand as you know my husband basalso renounced me. It was his dutyto protect me, which he has refusedto do. I do not wish to return to thatdomestic kind of life again, fromwhich the Guru has pulled meaway. My sole aim is that my entirelife be dedicated to the service ofthe Khalsa. If you permit me, I shalllive amidst my brothers here. In

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peacetime, I shall work in theLangar (Free Kitchen); in wartime Ishall also stay with you and serve

and look after my wounded anddisabled brothers. I cannot brookthe idea that while my bravebrothers should offer their sacrificefor the protection of Sikh Dharma, Ishould refrain from devoting mylife to my religion. I want this giftfrom you that I should readGurbani, meditate on the Holy

Word and serve the community. Ifmy life is dedicated to my faith,there will be none more fortunatethan me.

The eyes of a lion like Sham Singhwere full of tears (of joy) and hisbody shook with emotion. Hethought for a while and said:

"Our life is very hard; we havealways to face calamity and ordeals.These days we can not move evenin our own part of the country.How will you face the sufferings ofthe group?"

Surasti: "God will give me courage.I shall bear all the sufferings andutilise my time in your service."

Sardar Sham Singh reflected for awhile and replied: "You are not anordinary woman; you are agoddess. Blessed be your birth thatyou are full of love for religion. Orespected sister! May God fulfilyour wishes! From my side, there isno restriction or condition. You are

free to serve the Khalsa communityin any way you like. You makeyour life useful to others. But youmust always have the courage of aman to face this kind of hard life."

Balwant Singh: "O sister! You haveexpressed your sentiments so truly.You have received the Guru-sblessings. Truly you are the Guru's

daughter. Your courage is that of alioness. God will help you! May thehand of Mai Bhago bless you!"

Surasti: "O my brother! This body ismortal and must perish. If it is usedup in the service of the Panth (Sikh

community) there is nothing moreprofitable for my soul than this.Remember how the children of

Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed theirlives to uphold the teachings of theGuru and how cheerfully BhaiMani Singh had his body cut atevery joint. O brother, if such greatsouls made such tremendoussacrifices, why should we crave topreserve our bodies. I have seen myparents, relatives and others and

realised that all these worldlyaffections are false. You saved mefrom the burning pyre and put yourlife at risk and as such you have notacted like an ordinary brother.There is religious zeal and devotionin you; there is love for the Guru inyour heart. Yon have a sense of self-respect. For this reason you haveshown so much compassion to me.Now I fed that religion is a veryvaluable thing for it inspires one totrue and noble action and,therefore, why should I turn myback to it. Perhaps you have anotion that a woman is physically

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weak and as such she must bementally weak too. Please banishthis idea from your mind. The heart

of a woman is soft like wax and alsohard like a stone; when thereligious fervour inspires a woman,she becomes so firm that none canshake her resolve. I am not sayingthis out of brag or arrogance, but onaccount of a firm conviction in theGuru's grace. I know his blessingsfill me with these sentiments."

Hearing this, Sham Singh andBalwant Singh blessed the lady. Itwas rather late in the night. All ofthem went to sleep after sayingtheir prayers.

It was the season of spring and theearly dawn was refreshing. Themorning prayers made the

environment blissful and it seemedthat the jungle-camp was a heaven.Early in the morning, Guru GranthSahib was ceremoniously installedand the congregation was held.First, Sham Singh informed thegathering that Surasti had decided

to devote her life to the cause ofSikhism and that she - indoor andoutside, in times of peace or war -

desired to serve the Sikhcommunity. For this reason, thelady should be baptised with Amritand made the Khalsa and sheshould be considered as a spiritualsister. The entire congregationshould regard her as a daughter ofGuru Gobind Singh and Mata SahibDevan. She should be treated like a

sister. Then she was baptisedaccording to the ceremony of Amritand given the name of Sunder Kaurand she became popular as Sundri.

The joy of the Khalsa congregationknew no bounds. This was a luckyday when one of their own sisterswho had been rescued from the

jaws of a lion was ready to devoteher life to the cause of Sikhism andwould hereafter be sharing thehardships and sorrows of herbrethren by dedication to theirservice for the remaining portion ofher life. Every one in this group hadbeen denied the sisterly affection

and the tender love and intelligentguidance of women-folk. There wasnot one who had not severed his

connection with his mother, sisterand wife just for the preservation ofhis faith and had been leading therough and adventurous life of apatriot guerrilla for quite sometime.

Dear reader! This young lady's vowof dedication produced such a

radical impact on this warrior-group, ever ready for sacrifice forpreservation of moral and humanvalues, that one and all began tolook upon her as a sister or motherand offered thanks to the Guru. Onsuch occasions the Guru's Word isunderstood in its true significance,when the human mind, free fromsorrow, unconscious gets in tunewith the Creator.

O friends of the Sikh religion!Remember this auspicious occasionwith devotion and you will for onceshed tears of joy! How blessed andblissful were those days! It was a

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period of Satyuga (The Age ofTruth), when seeing a youngmaiden amidst them, the entire

group looked upon her (Sundri) asa holy goddess, as their foster sisterwith the same brotherly feeling asfor their real sister. All of themgreeted her with joy and bowed toher with reverence. This was thepurity and excellence of character,which the Guru had taught to theSikhs. That is the reason why the

community, overcome by the loveof the Guru was ready to sacrificeitself. It was linked with the Guruthrough devotion and lived on thesustenance of the Holy Name.

When the religious service came toan end, Sundri got busy in cookingfood in the free kitchen and later allshared home-made delicious foodwith joy. In this way, this piouslady spent some time in the serviceof the Khalsa.

Just as in between the thirty-twohard bony teeth lies the soft andtender tongue which performs vital

services for the benefit of teeth, andeven so the teeth do not hurt thetongue in any way but on the

contrary protect it, in the same way,in the midst of the brave soldiers ofSardar Sham Singh's guerrilla-group, Sundri-the paragon ofhumility and sweetness-livedpeacefully. Both morning andevening, she cooked food in theFree kitchen with helpers; evenwhen all have had their food, she

performed sundry tasks andsimultaneously recited her prayersmildly. When no food was availableor there was shortage of foodstuffs(ration), the Khalsa had to subsiston fruits and sweet herbs and rootsavailable in the jungle. In this workof collecting herbs, Sundri becamequite active. In her leisure she wentinto the jungle looking for the treeswith edible fruit.

To the north of the jungle was a hill.One day Sundri climbed to the topand went over to the other side, anda little further lay a villageabounding with luxuriant cereal

plants. She went to the village andsaw some short and active menwho happened to be Hindu

peasants. Sundri visited this villageoften to buy a few things, butnobody in the village knew whoshe was and where she lived.

Once, the Free kitchen of the Khalsahad no rations. The wild fruits andherbs were no longer available andthere was no money to buy food for

the troops. All the Sikhs wereworried about the future as theyfaced starvation. Sundri had agolden ring studded with adiamond. She thought of selling thering to buy food and proceeded tothe village for this purpose.However, none in the village knewthe value of the diamond. One ortwo traders saw it. But they couldnot tell whether it was a real or fakediamond. While returningdisappointed Sundri saw a boy cladin white dress, sitting as if indespair, at the end of the bazaar.On seeing the beauty of Sundri and

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her moon-like face he could not butnotice her disappointment.

Khatri: "O lady, who are you andwhy do you look so sad?"

Sundri: "I am sad because I cannotfind a buyer for my diamond ring."

Khatri: "Can I see the ring?"

Sundri showed him her ring.

Khatri: "The ring is beautiful. Thediamond is also real and it is worthfive to seven hundred rupees. Butalas! I am like a wingless Koel birdfallen from the mango tree. Alas, Ihave no money or property,otherwise I would have given youits price." Drawing a deep breathand his eyes filled with tears he

said: "O lady May Lord Shiva fulfilyour desire. If you take this ring toa city, you will get good moneythere."

Sundri: "Well, let me leave it to theGuru. But tell, me first, why being a

man, you are weeping? Tears areusual with women, but men do notshed tears."

Khatri: "O lady, you are a womanand I am a helpless man, Neitheryou can alleviate my grief nor I canmeet your need. I can not suggestanything. Go your way and rest athome. I guess you are in sometrouble, and therefore you want tosell this ring. I say you are lucky

because you are hiding yourselffrom the atrocities of the Moghulrulers. Living in towns or villages islike living in hell.

Sundri: "O my friend; I am quitehappy. You may call me a helplesswoman, physically weak, but I amstrong in mind. Men of mycommunity are brave whose

courage is admitted even by theTurks."

Khatri: "Who can face the challengeof the Turks? The Sikhs had risen inrevolt and inflicted losses on theMoghuls, but our brothers, may

they be damned, are destroying thevery footprints of the Sikhs. I amamazed that though the Sikhs are

decimated, they somehow keepgrowing in number to sacrificethemselves for the preservation oftheir faith. Now recall the latestevent! Lakhpatrai, proceeding fromEminabad, is causing havoc amongthe Sikhs. O Mahadevi! What ishappening these days!"

Hearing the words "havoc amongthe Sikhs," Sundri's face wasflushed with indignation, butcontrolling her temper she saidgently: "Please tell me somethingabout yourself."

Khatri: "O respected lady, if youinsist, I shall tell you my sad tale.About twenty to thirty miles away

from this village and a little remotefrom the highway is a small Muslimvillage. There are quite a number ofHindu families living there. Thereis a fine Shiva temple. Our familyhas had an ancient lineage. Duringthe reign of Akbar, one of our

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ancestors held a high office underRaja Todarmal. We had a lot ofwealth, which was still, continue to

hold. We belong to a high casteamong the Khatris. The petty rulerand his soldiers also live m thevillage. A few days back when Iwent to the temple to make myofferings, my wife went to therooftop of our house to dry herhair. The mansion of the Moghulruler is situated at a high elevation.

From his house, he spotted my wifeand enquired about her. He thensummoned me from the temple andremarked that the Moghul emperorat Delhi had got information that Ibad some royal jewellery fromAkbar's treasury in my house and ifI did not surrender it, I would beimprisoned. I replied, "It is agessince Akbar died: my ancestorshave also passed away. There is noproof that I have any ancient

jewellery with myself." Hereprimanded me and called me aninfidel and said: "How dare you telllies before the Faithful (Muslim)?

Get away from my sight." Hesignalled his sepoys who grabbedme and took me to jail. He also kept

a guard over my house. Next day,he sent a message to the effect thatif I surrendered my wife, I wouldbe released. On hearing this, I wasextremely distressed. Alas! Howcould I tolerate the idea of my wifebeing forcibly taken by anotherman!"

The Khatri continued: "When Iregained my senses, I offered mygolden bangle and rings to the jailerfor my release. He accepted themand I was freed. I went to my houseonly to find that my wife hadalready been abducted by the ruler.He had also ordered the soldiers tokeep my house under strict watch. Ifelt desolate and utterly helpless

and I left the village and passedtwo days in grief and sobbing. Soonthrough a trick, I obtainedinformation that my wife had notyet lost her chastity and wasconfined in jail. There was a strongrumour also that she had entered

the ruler's harem (women'squarters). I passed one more day indisguise and came here to find out

if some one could help me to rescuemy wife. I would have welcomeddeath, but somehow I still like tolive, and would not die."

Sundri: "O calamity-stricken friend!Suicide is a great sin. If you want torescue your wife, come with me.My brothers will help you in

recovering your wife. If you aresure that your wife has accepted theMuslim faith of her abductor andyou do not wish to meet her, mybrother will provide you somereligious or charitable work so thatyour life may be useful to thecommunity."

Khatri: "O lady; your words are so

sweet and reassuring that they havebrought comfort to my ailing heart.They are like straws which save adrowning person. I have no way ofprotecting myself or finding somemeans of regaining my wife. I finddarkness of despair all around me.

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Calamities have crushed me. Forwhat sin is our country sufferingsuch atrocities? Why has such a

misfortune overwhelmed us?Where have our gods andgoddesses vanished? Why do notthe saints and prophets come to ourrescue? The gods themselves are indistress. O Shiva! O Vishnu! You allseem to be under a cloud! Whathavoc has been wrought to us! Whyis it that the sinful are not

destroyed? Why their misdeeds arenot prevented? Woe, betide me!Why this injustice? What for?"

Such outbursts of inner agony andthe deep frustration of the Khatriboy shook the very soul of Sundri.Gathering her composure, shereplied "O noble soul! Allmisfortune is the result of

neglecting the true worship of Godand engaging oneself in uselessritual. With firm faith in God, allman's tasks are accomplished. Thechildren of one God are like realbrothers. When brothers jointogether, they become a power to

reckon with. Disunity andselfishness are the flaws of ourcountrymen. Our factionalism is a

great malady and we are allsuffering for it."

The Khatri lost in his sorrow satlike a statue. Sundri grabbed hisarm and shook him. As sheaccompanied him out of the village,she said: "These are difficult andevil times. The Sikhs live in

isolation and keep hidden and assuch we cannot tell others of theirhideouts. I shall, therefore, tie abandage over your eyes and whenwe reach a safe place, I shallremove the bandage." The boyagreed to it. Sundri bandaged hiseyes and leading him through adifficult path-way in the junglereached her habitation after some

time.

As she reached the camp, her heartwas gladdened to see her people so

joyfully occupied. The cauldronswere brimming with hot food overthe piles of burning fuel. She could

feel the appetising smell of thecooking of delicious food. Sheasked a Sikh what was cooking in

the pots. He replied that meat wasbeing cooked. He further explained:"We had no rations. As such thegroup leader and Balwant Singhhad gone for hunting and killed aflock of deer. That venison is beingprepared for the Sikhs. Where haveyou been? You have been out for along time."

Sundri replied with a smile: "Obrother, you did not have anyserious occupation for many days. Ihad gone out to find some work foryou."

Sikh: "Have you got any task forme?"

Sundri (facing the Khatri): "Look atthis man."

By this time Balwant Singh arrivedand asked his sister who the manwas. Sundri told him the wholestory. Then the two Sardars took

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the Khatri aside. Sardar ShamSingh's heart was moved to hearthe whole story. He could see

through Sundri's devotion and herresolve to sell her ring to help herbrethren in distress and his heartwas full of gratitude. He addressedSundri: "You are really a goddess."Then he asked an attendant to -take the Khatri to the Free kitchenand there to untie his bandage andgive him food. As a precaution, he

told Balwant Singh to keep an eyeon the new comer; perhaps hecould be a spy and as such his talk,actions and movements should bewatched. He sent another Sikh tothe village to verify the informationgiven by the Khatri.

Sundri had not forgotten her daysspent in jail. She could visualise the

feelings and the plight of theKhatri's wife and how every minutewas precious in securing herrelease. She desired that everyeffort be made as early as possibleto protect the honour of the helplesslady, but she could not forestall or

force a decision which was to betaken by their leader in this case.She knew that his wisdom and

diplomacy was greater than that ofany other member of the group.The entire Sikh community valuedthe wisdom and guidance of theirleader - Sardar Sham Singh.

Three days after the occurrence ofthe above event, the village whereinthe Khatri's wife was held in

captivity was full of activity asusual in the morning. People werebusy making their purchases in theshops. Soon it was noontime.Women got busy in their homespreparing their lunch. There was a

joyful scene in the mansion of thelocal Muslim ruler. He was sittingin his court. There were a fewsubordinate officials with him.

Some courtiers were gossiping inthe distance. Wine was beingserved: delicacies were laid out forall. Some were busy drinking wine,while others were busy jokingamong themselves.

There was a lot of bustle in thefemale apartments. Six Begums(wives of the ruler) were seated on

a carpet. Slave-girls were inattendance. The ladies wereextremely beautiful; it looked as ifthey were candidates in a beautycompetition. They looked veryhandsome in their silken clothesand costly jewellery. In their midstwas one woman who looked quitesad. Her beautiful dress and

valuable jewellery and sullen looksgave an impression of a newlycaught maina (starling) kept in agolden cage. All other ladies wereeither talking or laughing or joking,but this one was dead quiet. Attimes, she heaved a sigh and tearsdropped from her eyes. Otherscalled her out but she never lookedat them. One of the ladies remarked"She is a new sparrow in a cage. Shewill get used to it after some time."

Lunch was announced and soon asheet of cloth was spread. Differentdishes were laid out. After utteringwords invoking God's grace, they

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started eating. This quiet lady,however, maintained her silence.When the other ladies pestered her

and urged to take food, she startedsobbing and in a dim voice prayed:"O Shiva, destroy them!" When theladies harassed her too much shecried loudly and she could be heardall over. All were filled with ragebecause she had spoilt theenjoyment of their lunch. Almost allwere ready to beat her up, but one

of them took pity on her and said:"O sister, let her alone. She cannothelp but cry. When I was broughthere, my plight was worse thanhers. Slowly she will get used tothis place."

For a while the ladies held theirpeace, but later they realised thatshe needed some food. Some began

to persuade her to eat, but thishelpless lady was not consoled.Suddenly one of them pounced onher and held her hands and tried toforce some mutton - curry into hermouth. At this time, the Muslimruler, who has drunk, came on the

spot. He thought that the ladies ofhis harem were acting as if jealousof the new comer. He was enraged

and showered blows on them andtook away the Khatri young lady tohis room. He was out of his sensesand he began to ran' and rave. Atthis time, the miserable ladythought that there was no chance ofher being able to preserve herchastity and therefore it was time toend her life. She thought that as she

was sitting near the window, itwould be wise for her to jumpdown, but alas, death seldombefriends the unfortunate ones. Theruler got wild on account of hisfrustration and with eyes red withanger, he caught her by her wristand was about to say somethingnasty, when his voice gurgled andhe faltered.

What had happened to him? Whatwas the Nawab going to utter? Whyhad his voice failed? Some stronghand had grabbed the Nawab bythe neck, with the result that he wasunable to utter what he wanted to.

At this time, a tumult arose in thetown as if a battle had started. In aninstant, five or six people went

upstairs. The Nawab was captured.The Begums were motionless likeidols; the slaves disappearedbehind secret doors. The Hindulady shouted: "O God, help me asyou once saved the honour ofDropadi." In an instant, a lady anda Hindu boy came up. When thelady saw the Hindu, she was

overjoyed. The Hindu approachedthe imprisoned Hindu lady whoimmediately remarked: "Please,keep away from me. I have strayedfrom Hinduism!" Hearing this, thelady who had accompanied theHindu youth asked her: "Have youlost your chastity?" She replied:"No, I am quite perfect in myvirtue, but Muslim food had beengiven to me by force." Hearing this,the lady who was no other thanSundri said: "Dear sister, you aregreat who inspite of having beenforced through all these sufferingshave preserved your chastity!"

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One foolish Sikh wanted to removethe ornaments of the Begums, butBalwant Singh quickly stopped

him, saying. "It is not in keepingwith Sikh religion to harass awoman." Even Muslim historianshave pointed out this characteristicof the Sikhs. Observing suchmaturity and wisdom of herbrother, Sundri was much pleased.

In a few minutes, the Sikhs tied the

Nawab's hands and feet, andbrought him down. Sardar ShamSingh had ransacked the treasury ofthe Nawab and loaded his horseswith the booty. The entire force ofthe Khalsa took upon themselves topunish the Moghul ruler andredress the complaints of theoppressed Hindu and poor Muslimcitizens. They had taken some steps

to render the bodyguards of theNawab ineffective by locking themup. They punished all the guiltyones. The Khalsa had acted withsuch fury and alertness that no onecould even dream that athunderbolt would come through

the clouds. This was theachievement of the special skill andstrategy of the Khalsa and their

sharp shooting riflemen. Thehelpless Khatri lady and the Nawabwere taken by Sardar Sham Singhand Balwant Singh to the Khatri'shouse. They spread a carpet and saton it, Now the Sikh troops collectedoutside the town, About twentysoldiers joined Sardar Sham Singh.Sundri sat with the Khatri's wife

who had been rescued. Sham Singhordered that all the Brahmins of thetown be summoned. Two Sikhswent out to implement the order.The Khatri entered his house to seeif any of his belongings had beenlooted, but to his good luck,nothing had been lost.

At this time, an old woman

supporting herself on a staff andshedding tears came there and in afeeble voice murmured: "O youSikh warrior, may your rule last forever. You are like a saviour sent byGod. Give solace to my heart. MayGod bless you!"

Hearing her cry for help, Sundri'sheart melted She asked the oldlady: "What is the matter?"

Old Woman: "O my daughter!What shall I tell you? The ruler whois sitting here tied like a thief hasdone a great injustice to me. I hadonly one son whom I brought upwith difficulty and prayers.Unfortunately one day, hehappened to pass along the palace

and out of curiosity peeped intoone of the windows-where therewas nothing-but this Nawab sawhim and got into a rage and theboy-a son of a destitute like me-wasbeaten to death. I made severalentreaties to him, but his stonyheart would not relent. O God'sagent, dispense justice to me!"

Hearing this, the ruler's facebecame pale with shame. The heartsof the Sikhs melted on hearing theold woman's tragic tale. ShamSingh thought for a while andquestioned four or five neighbourson the veracity of the woman's

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complaint. They confirmed herversion of the event.

After a minute, a young Muslimwoman, carrying a child barelycovered with rags in her lap, cameup crying. Looking at her, ShamSingh asked: "O lady, why haveyou come here?" She replied: "Iregard you as a messenger of Godsent to dispense justice. Myhusband was a courtier of this

ruler, and we were quite affluent.One day, being drunk, hequarrelled with the Nawab. At thatvery moment the Nawab got himmurdered and looted our houseand made me a beggar. Now thereis not a grain of corn in my house. Ibeg for food but hardly getanything. What shall I do? I willprefer death to this kind of life. You

appear to be a scourge of tyrants.Do help me-a woman in distress."

Hearing this, the Sikhs wereovercome by a feeling of hatred forthe Nawab. Sham Singh got a bagof money from the Nawab's

treasury and handed it over to thelads saying. "Go and utilise thismoney and live in comfort."

Seeing this, a Brahmin said in afaint voice: "The Sikh Sardar doesnot take a mature view of thesituation. Look, he has given moneyto a Muslim lady. The Sardar whoheard the Brahmin's remarkretorted. "Listen, O Brahmin! We donot discriminate on grounds of

caste or religion, nor do we bear illwill to any one-whether a Hindu ora Muslim. Our Gurus bore nogrudge against anyone; the wholeworld is to us like a family. Wehave to uproot injustice and dealfairly with every one. We have topunish the rulers who areoppressing the people; punishingthem means uprooting injustice."

Brahmin said: "Then why do youdestroy the Turks? Why do you notsurrender to them?"

Sham Singh: "Panditji, ouropposition to the Turks and the

Pathans is not due to their beingMuslims. Our objective inuprooting the Moghul rule is that as

rulers, they are tyrants causingsuffering to their subjects. They arenot dispensing justice: they kill theinnocent and the helpless; theycollect taxes but do not protect thepeople. They interfere in religiousmatters; they forcibly destroy otherreligions. These are serious crimesand in no way form part of the

duties of the ruler. It is for thisreason that we want to destroy theirtyrannical rule. We have no enmityagainst any caste or faith. OurGurus had come to propagate truereligion we are devoted to theirideas, and according to their tenetswe are destroying those whoperpetrate injustice and causesuffering to God's creation. Look,

the rulers are tyrannical, violentand power-hungry; they are neitherafraid of God or of their masters inLahore or Delhi. The sovereignpower of Delhi is declining; the

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situation in Lahore is worseningfrom day to day.

After hearing these arguments, theBrahmin kept quiet.

In the meantime, the remainingBrahmins and Khatris of the villagewho had been summoned arrivedthere.

Sardar Sham Singh addressed themas follows:

"Look, this lady has firmlymaintained her chastity; God hasprotected her honour. But the Turksforcibly imposed their religion onher by compelling her to takemutton-curry. Now takecompassion on her and admit herback to the Hindu fold, and regard

her as one of your own. Then wecan bid you farewell. But theBrahmins and the Khatris replied:"Sir, this is not possible; our oldtradition stands against it. Hindureligion is a fragile thread; it easily

breaks. You know that a fallen fruitcannot be rejoined to the tree."

Hearing these cynical views, Sundriexplained to them with greataffection, as follows: "It is none ofthe faults of the lady but rather youshould give her credit for hercourage and welcome her back intoyour fold. Do not discard one whoseeks your support. Neglectingthose who seek your refuge is a

great sin. It is immoral not to helpthe helpless."

But Sundri's gentle words producedno effect on those Brahmins.Balwant Singh and Sher Singh alsoexplained to them their correct andrational views, but the conservativetraditional Hindu beliefs could notbe resolved from their minds,

namely that Hindu Dharma is afragile thread, and that a Hindu isborn as a Hindu and no one can beconverted to Hinduism by someceremony. This idea had taken deeproots in their thinking. Even afterseeing the difficult situation in

which they were placed, theBrahmins did not change theirviews. Observing this rigidity, the

Khatri and his wife entreated themseveral times but without success.

Sham Singh's patience came to anend. He ordered that Karah Parsadbe prepared. As soon as it wasready, Ardas (supplication) wasrecited. He then ordered theKhatri's wife to distribute the Karah

Parsad and declared that those whodid not eat it would be thrashed.The Brahmins were scared by thisannouncement. Sundri got excited:she got up and took the Khatriaside. She suggested to him to givea gold sovereign to each of theBrahmins and then touch their feetone by one and then they wouldtake Karah Parsad The Khatri

followed her advice. He startedgiving one sovereign each; then hiswife distributed Karah Parsad to ailof them. They ate it and afterblessing the gathering left for theirhomes.

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Sardar Sham Singh ordered theSikhs to pack up and leave, but theKhatri and his wife humbly said:

"We do not want to stay in thevillage; we want to ' go with youand we shall serve your group. Thereasons for this decision are, firstly,if we stay here, we shall always livein fear, but if we accompany youwe shall feel self-reliant and bold.Secondly when the Turkish sepoyscome here, they will give vent to

their anger by punishing us. Nowthat you are about to leave, wewant to accompany you. We shallhave the chance to servephilanthropists like you, our liveswill be put to some good use.Please take all our wealth so that itmay be of some benefit to theKhalsa. Here it will be of no use, forwe have no children."

After some discussion, the Khatri'srequest was accepted. The Khalsaforces decided to proceed towardsthe dense jungle, but before leaving,the Sikh Sardar collected theresidents of the neighbouring two

villages and declared: "This rulerhas been oppressing the people; hehas taken excessive revenue from

the Zamindars (landowners); he haslooted a number of rich men andpushed them out of their housesnaked he has murdered a lot of finnocent people and torturedharmless people and as a ruler has,like a thorny bush, hurt one and all.Instead of dispensing justice, he haswasted his time in drink and

debauchery and the people whowere under his charge have beensubjected to extreme misery. For allthese crimes, he will now receivehis due punishment." Immediatelytwo scavengers threw a rope roundthe Nawab's neck and hanged himon the tree. Seeing him writhing inpain, the Hindu and Muslim on-lookers felt relieved. However, two

evil-minded Mullas who were hisservants and abettors in his crimesfelt sad at his death.

Soon after reaching the next junglecamp, the Khalsa performed thebaptismal ceremony of Amrit for

the Khatri and his wife. The Khatriwas given the new name of DharamSingh and his wife was renamed

Dharam Kaur. Earlier, the Khatriwas a gentle and docile man andhad become further weakened bythe unhappy events mentionedabove, but now he began to think ofhis future, and influenced by theheroic company, he became full ofhope and joy. After taking Amrit, hefelt strong in body and mind and

became fond of walking fearlesslythrough the jungle. His wife in thecompany of Sundri served m theLangar and began memorisingGurbani. One day, there was no saltin the Free Kitchen. Sundri andDharam Kaur proceeded towardsthe hills on the other side of which,lay a village they had visited manytimes. It was noontime. Sundri like

a fawn ran towards the village. Shepurchased salt and spices andproceeded towards her home. Aftercovering some distance and slightlyaway from the pathway, she hearda cry for help. She stopped for a

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while and proceeded in thedirection from where the mournfulsound was coming. As she looked

ahead, she saw a bleeding personlying on the grass. She approachedhim and looked at him carefully.There was a sword-injury on hisshoulder and his body was full ofsmall stabs all over. Blood freelyflowed from his wounds. Seeing theterrible condition of the man, thisbold daughter of Mata Sahib Devan

did not lose her nerve. She tore apiece of her own scarf and removedthe blood and cleaned the wound.She told Dharam Kaur to go out insearch of water. With great courage,she bandaged the wound with theman's turban. In the meantime,Dharam Kaur brought her scarffully soaked in water, which Sundririnsed into the mouth of the

wounded man and also cleaned hishands and feet. Very soon, the manregained consciousness and utteredthe words "Allah! Allah!"mournfully: and later opened hiseyes.

The wounded person was amazedwhen he observed for himself thathe was being cared for in such a

nice way during this plight. Hewanted to speak, but could not doso on account of shyness. Sundrithought that if the man was leftthere in this condition; he woulddie. She also felt that if the -manwas taken to the village she mightget into trouble. There was anotheralternative, namely of taking him

into the jungle but it was difficult tocarry him and moreover being aTurk, her brothers might object andcall her crazy. She consultedDharam Kaur, and both agreed thatthe wounded Turk should be takento their camp for treatment.Undoubtedly, a Sikh's duty is toserve others, no matters whatothers may think of it.

With great difficulty and greateffort, the two brave ladies carriedthe man over the pathway andstopped halfway through the junglefor a little rest. They proceededwith their heavy burden and at

sunset they reached the camp,where under a Banyan tree, theyspread some grass and covered it

with a clean sheet and placed thewounded man on it. They fed himgently.

When Sundri told her brother aboutthis event and when Sham Singhcame to know of it, both rebukedher for her indiscretion. Theyexplained to her their point thus:

"Though compassion is one of theobligations of Sikh Dharma, thetimes are so critical that we mustprotect ourselves against themachinations of the Turks, who hadcrafty ways and had sworn todestroy the Sikhs. It was futile toexpect any good from them. If theSikhs had been in a better situation,we would not have bothered about

this case. In such a calamitousperiod, survival is our mainobjective."

Sundri replied: "Brothers, I admitmy mistake and I shall not acthastily again. I am sorry I have

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brought this man, but in future Ishall be careful. If he dies, there willbe nothing to worry about; if he

survives, we shall take him blind-folded and leave him at somedistant place."

After assuring her brothers, Sundrigot busy with her routine. Everyday whenever she could spare time,she would serve him and dress hiswounds and give him food. After a

month's care, the Moghul youth'swounds got healed and he startedmoving about. He would thankSundri for her services and wouldspeak highly of her to others. Hewas, however, greatly amazed toobserve (from his personalexperience) that the Sikhs who areso strong and rough are full of themilk of human kindness. Such

qualities, which are poles apart likewater and fire, are found in Sikhsalone.

Sardar Sham Singh had orderedfour Sikhs to keep a watch over themovements of the Moghul so that

he may not run away and theninform their enemies of theirlocation. After sometime when he

had perfectly recovered, he soughtpermission to leave. It was decidedthat his eyes be bandaged with apiece of cloth and then led by a Sikhan e at some distant place Even so,Sham Singh had his ownmisgivings and apprehensions thatall would not go well with theSikhs, hereafter.

After a few days, just about sunsettime, when Sundri was returningfrom the village, and was crossingthe pathway to her destination, sheheard some one shout "stop" As sheturned round, she saw four armedTurkish sepoys coming frombehind a tree. She was taken abackat this ambush, but she put up a

brave face. In a moment theysurrounded her. Sundri's handinstantly reached the handle of herdagger, which was hidden underher scarf, and she mustered courageand asked: "Who are you and whatdo you want?"

Sepoy: Tell us the place where theSikhs are?

Sundri: I cannot tell where they are.

Sepoy: If you do not tell us, weshall outrage your modesty.

Sundri: One who dares to touch mewill be killed.

Sepoy: We will kill you first.

Sundri: I do not care.

As Sundri looked around, she sawone sepoy approaching her. As hecame close, Sundri recognised himas the Turk whom she had pickedup in a wounded condition nearthat spot earlier and whom she hadtended in the camp for a month till

his recovery. She felt hopeful thatthis sepoy would come to herrescue and would certainly helpher. As he faced Sundri, he salutedher, The other sepoys steppedaside. He respectfully asked herabout her health and well being.

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Sundri also politely asked him:"Who are these sepoys and whyhave they surrounded me and

spoken so rudely?"

The Turk replied: "O lady: you donot know who I am. Firstly, let metell yon about myself so that youcan understand the situation. I amthe servant of the Nawab (ruler)who had captured you from' yourvillage. Two months back I gotwounded while fighting with a Sikhand nearing death when youpassed by and took me to yourcamp. First I did not recognise you,but after a few days I realised thatyou were the same lady whom ourNawab had captured, but you wererescued by the Sikhs from themosque. When I reached my homeafter my recovery due to your care,

I spoke about it to the Nawab. Heinsisted that I should tell him theplace where you live or bring youback to him for which I would berewarded with five thousandrupees. If I did not do so, he wouldkill me. For many days, I wandered

in the jungle and the forest but Icould not find your habitation.Then I remembered that you had

taken me wounded from this spot.So I thought that sooner or lateryou would pass this way.Therefore, I decided to stay at thisspot. Since many days I and fivesepoys have been waiting for thisambush to capture yon. God, theMerciful, be thanked for he hasfulfilled my desire. Now I request

you that you should show someconcern for your youth and beauty.Why are you wasting your timewith the homeless Sikhs? You worklike a slave from morning till nightand get no return. This is the timeto enjoy the comforts of life. Whenwill you have the best things of life.Now this powerful Nawab will beyour bonded S1ave. You will live in

a palace and lord over people.Enjoy life, come with me, there is ahorse for you to ride upon."

Sundri felt nervous; her heart wasdepressed, but she spoke withconfidence: "Is this the return for

my service to you? Is this thecompensation for my goodness?

Turk: "I appreciate your goodnessto me and I will not do anythingsinister to harm you. I want tochange you from a beggar to aprincess, from an infidel to abeliever. To fool the infidels ispermissible. Now be quick andwaste no time."

Sundri. "Though you may not evenrecite the Namaz (Muslim prayer)by mistake, but you will attributeall your tyranny to the command ofyour religion. O ungrateful person!Your values are absolutely wrong.Remember that your master willnot get what he desires. r am alioness and not a low or vulgarwoman to be lured by temptation

or greed. I shall give up my life, butnot my faith."

Turk: "We very well know yourobstinacy and arrogance. Nowremember that unlike last time, weshall give you no respite. As soon

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as you reach the city, you will haveto enter the Nawab's house."

Sundri: "Well, but who can dare totake me from here. First think andthen speak. r regret once again thatyou have such a stony heart inwhich there is not an iota ofgratitude or compassion. As ahuman being perpetrating thisinjustice, does it not cross yourmind who is the one you are actingagainst. Listen to me attentively. Ifyou leave me alone, God will blessyou if you do not leave me; r willsacrifice my life. The choice isyours."

Turk: "I do not like both of them Ilike to make you the wife of mymaster." As soon as the Turkuttered these words, one sepoy

grabbed Sundri by her left arm, butwith great agility and promptness,this brave lady drew her daggerand pushed it deep into the neck ofher grappler. It was almost amiracle, even lightning could notact faster. The wounded sepoy bled

on the ground and he struggledbetween life and death.

Seeing this, the another sepoycaught her right hand in which sheheld the dagger, from behind andthe third sepoy caught her from thewaist and lifted her up; the forthsepoy grabbed her left arm. Behindthe trees was a buggy-likepalanquin with a few bearers.Instantly Sundri was thrown intothe palanquin the doors thereofwere bolted and once again shebecame a prisoner of the Turks. In amoment, the tyrants vanished fromthe scene.

Soon after Sundri had left herbrothers in the jungle andproceeded to the village, SardarSham Singh, Balwant Singh and

other leaders assembled to considerthe proposition that it was not safeto stay at the spot which hadprovided them shelter for somedays. The rumours current at thattime about Lakhu's depredationswere horrifying. Right at this

moment, a Sikh named Bijla Singharrived in the camp. Sham Singhrecognised him and after greeting

him asked the news of the otherSikh guerrilla-warriors. Bijla Singhtold him that the Khalsa had senthim to inform them that Lakhpatraihad wrought havoc among theSikhs. Genocide was the order ofthe day. Sacred places were beingdesecrated and at many places,religious books had been set on fire

and there was a great commotion