ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>MORCH&#256</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="MORCH"> <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">&#65279MORCH&#256, in Persian <i>m&#363rchah</i> or <i>m&#363rchal</i> meaning entrenchments, fortification or battle-front, has, apart from its usage in military strategy, entered Indian political vocabulary via the Gurdw&#257r&#257 Reform or Ak&#257l&#299 movement of the early 1920's. In that prolonged agitation for the liberation of Sikh historical shrines from the control of a corrupt priestly order, the Ak&#257l&#299s, as the reformers were then known, came into clash with the British rulers and mounted peaceful resistance fronts to assert them rights. These assuming the form of mass mobilization, meetings and marches to force the matter at issue, were styled <i>morch&#257s</i>. The movement broke out into several such campaigns. Among them were Ch&#257b&#299&#257&#7749 d&#257 Morch&#257 for the recovery of the keys of the <i>tosh&#257<u>kh</u>&#257n&#257</i> (treasury) of Sr&#299 Darb&#257r S&#257hib, Amritsar, which had been seized by the British deputy commissioner; Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> Morch&#257 to assert Sikhs' right over the lands attached to the local Gurdw&#257r&#257; Jaito d&#257 Morch&#257 to win freedom of worship and of peaceful assembly's right to manage its historical shrines. These heroic episodes involving courage and suffering made the term <i>morch&#257</i> popular. It was appropriated by political parties who began to use it for their own agitations. For example, an agitation in 1938 against cut in canal water supply to peasants was called <i>kisan morch&#257</i> or H&#257rs&#257 Chh&#299n&#257 <i>morch&#257</i>, and agitations launched by protagonists of Hindi and another by <i>pa&#7789v&#257r&#299s</i> (village level revenue officials) during the chief ministership of Part&#257p Si&#7749gh K&#257iro&#7749 in early 1960's were known as Hindi <i>morch&#257</i> and Pa&#7789v&#257r&#299 <i>morch&#257</i>, respectively. More recently political groups have started using the term as synonym of political front or grouping. Examples are Jan Morch&#257, a splinter group of Janat&#257 Dal, and Lok Hit Morch&#257, a party formed by some ministers and legislators of Hary&#257&#7751&#257 expelled from the ruling Janat&#257 Dal in 1989. A duly recognized independent political party is named Jh&#257&#7771kha&#7751&#7693 Mukt&#299 Morch&#257.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Josh, Sohan Singh, <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"> Mohinder Singh, <i> The Akali Movement </i>. Delhi, 1978<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i> The Heritage of the Sikhs </i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>