ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>LACHHMA&#7750 SI&#7748GH (1885-1921)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="LACHHMAF,SIDGH,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279LACHHMA&#7750 SI&#7748GH (1885-1921), one of the Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib martyrs, was the leader of the <i>jath&#257</i> of more than one hundred Sikhs who were attacked in Gurdw&#257r&#257 Janam Asth&#257n (birthplace of Gur&#363 N&#257nak) by the custodian of the shrine, Mahant Narai&#7751 D&#257s, and his accomplices, and killed to a man. Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh was born to Mehar Si&#7749gh and Har Kaur in 1885 at the village of Dh&#257rov&#257l&#299, in Gurd&#257spur district of the Punjab. Mehar Si&#7749gh who retired as a police inspector in 1888, had been awarded for his meritorious record six squares of land in Chakk No. 33 in canal colony in Shei<u>kh</u>&#363pur&#257 district. Four years later, he shifted his family of four sons and a daughter to this village, which began to be called Dh&#257rov&#257l&#299 after their original village. Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh passed his boyhood herding cattle and learning to read Gurmukh&#299 and recite <i>gurb&#257&#7751&#299</i>. In 1901, he was married to Indar Kaur, daughter of Buddh Si&#7749gh Bu&#7751&#7693&#257l&#257 of Chakk No. 64. In 1910, he joined <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Parch&#257rak Vidy&#257l&#257, a missionary school at Tarn T&#257ran, and returned after two years' training to devote himself to the cause of education and to spreading Sikhism in the canal colonies. He started a girls primary school and a <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 orphange in his village with donations collected from the farmers.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Reports about the corruption and licentiousness of Mahant Narai&#7751 D&#257s, who was in control of the principal sacred shrine, Gurdw&#257r&#257 Janam Asth&#257n, at Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib, led Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh to call a public convention in his village, Dh&#257rov&#257l&#299, on 1-3 October 1920. The Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee, which was formed at Amritsar on 15 November 1920, also decided to convene a conference at Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib on 4-6 March 1921 with a view to exerting pressure on the Mahant to reform himself and make over control of the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> to a democratically elected body. Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh learnt about the conspiracies Mahant Narai&#7751 Das was hatching against the reformers. He and Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar, another equally dashing leader of the B&#257r <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n, decided on 17 February 1921 that they would proceed to Gurdw&#257r&#257 J&#257nam Asth&#257n and claim possession of the shrine on behalf of the Panth. The date fixed was 20 February when the Mahant, according to their information, was scheduled to attend a San&#257tan Sikh conference at Lahore. Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh was to march with his <i>jath&#257</i> from Dh&#257rov&#257l&#299 through the darkness of the night of 19 February and Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar from Sachch&#257 Saud&#257 was to join him with his comrades at dawn at Chandarko&#7789 canal waterfall bridge, about 8 km north of Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib. They sent a special messenger to Amritsar to secure the concurrence of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee. The Committee did not agree and deputed Dal&#299p Si&#7749gh of S&#257hov&#257l to go and dissuade Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh and Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar from taking any precipitate action. Dal&#299p Si&#7749gh succeeded in contacting Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar and bringing him round to the viewpoint of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee. Then they drafted a <i>hukamn&#257m&#257</i>, signed by six prominent leaders including Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar, to be delivered to Jathed&#257r Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh to stop him from proceeding to Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib. Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh had meanwhile left Dh&#257rov&#257l&#299 along with his comrades. They offered the <i>ard&#257s</i> and prayed for the success of their mission. Volunteers from villages <i>en route</i> increased their number to more than 130. Taking a short cut, they went by the village of Mohl&#257&#7749 and not by Chandarko&#7789 bridge, 3 km south, which was the rendezvous fixed for a meeting with Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar. Dal&#299p Si&#7749gh who was carrying the <i>hukamn&#257m&#257</i> combed the area round Chandarko&#7789 till the small hours of 20 February but failed to locate Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh's <i>jath&#257</i>. Exhausted by his fruitless wandering, he retired for rest to Uttam Si&#7749gh's factory, about a mile away from Gurdw&#257r&#257 J&#257nam Asth&#257n leaving his companion, Wary&#257m Si&#7749gh, to continue the search. The latter did meet Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh and delivered to him the message commanding him to halt and go back with the <i>jath&#257</i>. The <i>jath&#257</i> was bound by the <i>ard&#257s</i> it had offered before setting out on its march. So Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh refused to comply and entered, along with his companions, Gurdw&#257r&#257 Janam Asth&#257n at 5.45 a.m. chanting hymns. All of a sudden bullets began flying in from the southwest corner of the roof of the Mahim&#257n<u>kh</u>&#257n&#257 or guest house of Mahant Narai&#7751 D&#257s. Those squatting in the compound below were killed in the shooting. The Mahant's men then descended and pounced upon their prey with swords, hatchets and other lethal weapons and made short work of the devotees. A bullet-hole was made in the silver-plated door of Chaukha&#7751&#7693&#299, the sanctum-sanctorum, where Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh sat in attendance behind the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. His companions stood in front in a row to protect the Holy Book from desecration. All of them including Lachhma&#7751 Si&#7749gh fell to the bullets fired by the Mahant's men who had broken open the door. This happened on 20 February 1921.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Shamsher, Gurba<u>kh</u>sh Si&#7749gh, <i>Shah&#299d&#299 J&#299van</i>. Nankana Sahib, 1938<BR> <li class="C1"> Josh, Sohan Si&#7749gh, <i> Ak&#257l&#299 Morchi&#257&#7749 d&#257 Itih&#257s</i>. Delhi, 1972<BR> <li class="C1"> Prat&#257p Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Gurdw&#257r&#257 Sudh&#257r arth&#257t Ak&#257l&#299 Lahir</i>. Amritsar, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"> Ashok, Shamsher Si&#7749gh, <i>Shiroman&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee d&#257 Pañjah S&#257l&#257 Itih&#257s</i>. Amritsar, 1982<BR> <li class="C1"> Sahni, Ruchi Ram, <i>Struggle for Reform in Sikh Shrines</i>. Ed. Ganda Singh. Amritsar, n.d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Teja Singh, <i>Gurdwara Reform and the Sikh Awakening</i>. Jalandhar, I922<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>The Heritage of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">R&#257jinder Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>