Baisakhi and Jallianwala Bagh tragedy: Revisiting resilient Punjab

Baisakhi (or Vaisakhi, Vaishakhi, Vasakhi) is a harvest festival for the people of Punjab, celebrated on April 14, every year as per the Nanakshahi calendar and the Mool Nanakshahi Calendar.

In 1557, it was on the day of Baisakhi that Guru Amar Das first institutionalised Baisakhi as one of the special days when Sikhs would gather to seek guru’s blessings at Goindwal.

In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of Sikhs, laid the foundation of Khalsa Panth. It is believed, it was on Baisakhi, that Guru Gobind Singh administered amrit (nectar) to the first batch of his five disciples, the Panj Pairas, or the Order of the Pure Ones, a group of Sikh warriors and the defenders of religious freedom. This led to Baisakhi being observed as a formation of the Khalsa Panth and is also known as Khalsa Sirjana Divas.

In the same year, 1699, the Holy book of the Sikhs – the Granth Sahib – was declared as the eternal guide for the Sikhs. This led to the discontinuing of the tradition of gurus.

Legend has it, it was on Baisakhi that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment or Nirvana. And hence, is also significant for the Buddhists.

Baisakhi marks the solar new year, known as Masha Sankranti. It is celebrated as a New Year’s Day by Hindus in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana. It coincides with ‘Rongali Bihu’ in Assam, ‘Naba Barsha’ in Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Bikhoti in Uttrakhand and ‘Pooram Vishu’ in Kerala. 

The day also holds importance in Indian history as it was on April 13, 1919 when the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, or the Amritsar Massacre, as it is famously called, occurred.

In February 1919, the British government had passed the Rowlatt Act in a bid to control Indian revolutionaries. As per the act, people could be arrested without trial, on the mere grounds of suspicion. This act proved to be a precursor to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

On April 10, 1919, the British government arrested two popular leaders, Dr Satyapal and Dr Kichlu, under the Rowlatt Act. The arrest angered the public, and fearing a backlash and violent protests, on behalf of the government, General Dyer issued order banning public meetings or gatherings.

Many who were killed or injured during the shootout in Jallianwala Bagh were innocent visitors of the Baisakhi festival. These people, who came from nearby villages, weren’t aware about the ban in Amritsar, and lost their lives in the line of fire.

During the Baisakhi celebrations at the Bagh, a public meeting was also underway. General Dyer got a whiff of this and without making proper inquiry, went with his troop and opened fire, siting violation of government order. The ones present were given no chance or time to explain their presence at the venue.

Jallianwala Bagh is an enclosed place with just one main gate and two-three tiny exit lanes. Taking advantage of the architecture, General Dyer ordered his men to close the exit gates and blocked the main entry, where he stood with his men and opened fire at the public, sparing no child, woman, or old, turning the festival into a bloodbath.

It is said, 1650 rounds of bullets were fired continuously for 15 minutes, and the shooting would have continued had General Dyer and his men not exhausted the ammunition. Around 120 bodies were removed from the well at the Bagh after the incident – these were the people who had jumped to escape the brutal firing.

1100 people were grievously injured, and over 1500 lost their lives. The numbers were by Dr William DeeMeddy, a civil surgeon at the time. 

Post-massacre, Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest, and Mahatma Gandhi returned his ‘Kaisar-i-Hind’ medal.

Following the tragedy, and protests from angry Indians, the British government set up the Hunter Community to inquire into events of the day. But the Community failed to give concrete answers, thus giving clean chit to General Dyer. In a bid to appease the public and to control the revolutionaries, the British government fired General Dyer and sent him back to London. The Indian National Congress then boycotted the committee and formed an inquiry panel of its own, appointing famous lawyers like Motilal Nehru, Abbas Tyabji, Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Jayakar and CR Das.

Michael Francis O’Dwyer, was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab when the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy happened. He was shot dead by Sardar Udham Singh, a survivor of the carnage – karma, many called it.

It is also said that the genocide was an act of revenge by General Dyer who was furious over an incident that had happened between an English woman, Miss Marshella Sherwood, and the Indian mob. In 1919, Sherwood was attacked by Indians. She was rescued, but it left General Dyer reeling. He then ordered Indian men to be beaten (without rhyme or reason) the minute they came within the reachable range of a lathi or stick held by a British soldier.

The Indian National Congress, as a tribute to the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh bloodbath, built a memorial which was inaugurated by Rajendra Prasad in 1961.