 Jagdev Singh Jassowal (Centre) and Krishan Kumar Bawa (extreme right), patron and chairman of the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur International Manch, respectively, present portraits of the martyr to dignitaries in Ludhiana on Monday.
Tributes were paid to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur on his 292nd martyrdom day at a function organised jointly by the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur International Manch and Prof Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation at Bhai Randhir Singh Bhawan here today. Speaking on the occasion, Krishan Kumar Bawa, chairman of the manch, lamented that the nation, particularly the Punjabis, had forgotten the sacrifices of Banda Bahadur in restoring the Punjab’s pride. “It was Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, who had challenged the tyrannical Mughal Empire and had gone all out to reestablish supremacy of the Sikh empire after Guru Gobind Singh.”
Patron of the manch and former legislator Jagdev Singh Jassowal urged the Central government, as also the state governments of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, to set up a Centrally-sponsored technical institute at Lohgarh, located on the border of the two states in Sirmaur district. “It will be a befitting tribute to the supreme martyr if a technical training institute is set up in his name at a place which was his capital after reestablishment of the Sikh empire.”
According to Bawa, the congregation adopted a few resolutions, which were unanimously passed on the occasion. The manch urged the SGPC to erect a suitable memorial at Sirhind in remembrance of Banda Bahadur and 740 other Sikh soldiers, who laid down their lives while conquering Sirhind. The memorial will serve as a permanent symbol of “Sirhind Fateh Diwas” and inspire the coming generations for sacrifice and self respect.
Through other resolutions, the manch called upon the government to celebrate 300th Sirhind Fateh Diwas in 2010 at a state-level function, which should focus on social evils like drug addiction, female foeticide, dowry and corruption. It also wanted identification and restoration of historic sites related to Banda Bahadur, a public holiday on his birthday (Oct 16) or martyrdom day and inclusion of his life history in textbooks.
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