The statue is designed by Taranjit Singh. Image courtesy: @TanDhesi/Twitter
It’s a proud moment for the Sikh community in the United Kingdom as a statue of a Sikh soldier was unveiled in Leicester city’s Victoria Park on Sunday.
The statue was unveiled to honour the many Sikh soldiers who fought for Britain in conflicts all across the world.
President of the Sikh Troops War Memorial Committee, Ajmer Singh Basra said that the statue would also serve as a reminder to the Sikhs who have made Leicester their home.
Let’s take a closer look at the details of the statue.
About the statue
The statue is made of bronze on a granite plinth and was designed by Taranjit Singh. The project was funded by the council’s funding as well as through donations made by various Sikh congregations.
The Sikh Troops War Memorial Committee said that this statue will be an addition to the already existing war memorials there.
The president of the committee told BBC, “We are so proud to be unveiling this memorial to honour the sacrifice of all those brave men who travelled thousands of miles to fight for a country that wasn’t their own.”
Piara Singh Clair, a member of the Leicester City Council acknowledged the contributions made by the Sikh community toward the success of Leicester City. He said, “For many decades, the Sikh community has significantly contributed towards the success of our city. I am pleased that a Sikh memorial statue, which was envisaged by the late councillor Culdipp Singh Bhatti MBE, will be unveiled in Victoria Park. It will provide a fitting tribute alongside other memorials in the park.”
The unveiling ceremony was held at the De Montfort Hall on Sunday and was attended by many people, including representatives from the armed forces, according to PTI.
Role of Sikhs in World War I
When the first World War broke out in 1914, a major recruitment drive took place in India.
India produced between 900,000 to 1.5 million troops for the war. Out of these, the Sikhs contributed the largest number of soldiers and were even one of the two loyal ‘martial races’ of the British Raj, according to All about Sikhs.
Sikh military personnel numbered around 35,000 men, around 20 per cent of the total armed forces. Towards the end of the war, as many as 100,000 Sikh volunteers joined the British Armed forces while a few Sikhs also contributed to the French Air Service and the American Expeditionary Force.
The Sikh soldiers were known for their courage and loyalty. Although Sikh soldiers were paid only Rs 11 at the time, they treated their duty as a soldier with the utmost respect, regardless of the pay.
According to a report by Tribune, the highest volunteer rates were recorded from areas like Chakwal, Gujar Khan and Jhelum. The Rawalpindi division alone provided the greatest number of soldiers.
Sikh military personnel numbered around 35,000 men, around 2o per cent of the total armed forces. Wikimedia Commons
The article also mentions why Sikh recruitment was so high during World War I. Part of the reason lies in the region’s economics and part of it was based on various social factors. The highest number of recruitments came from areas that were arid, where agriculture alone could not provide a stable income. Taking this fact in full cognizance, the Britishers ran from village to village asking volunteers to join the force and in return promised economic benefits like cash and land holdings.
Other than this, the concept of ‘izzat’ or prestige that was associated with combat experience in many Punjab villages also played a role in the recruitment drive. For many soldiers, a chance to be part of the war presented them the opportunity to win highly coveted gallantry awards like the Victoria Cross.
Other Sikh statues in the UK
Last year, a life-size bronze statue of Havildar Ishar Singh – the man who led 20 soldiers in the battle of Saragarhi – was unveiled at Guru Nanak Gurudwara in the UK’s suburban town of Wolverhampton. The statue was unveiled to commemorate the battle’s 124th anniversary.
The 10-feet-tall statue is installed on a six-feet-tall plinth and has the names of all the martyrs inscribed on it. The battle of Saragarhi was fought in 1897 and is known for the bravery and courage portrayed by the 21 Sikh soldiers against 10,000 Afghan tribesmen.
In 2019, a statue to honour the role of thousands of Sikh soldiers in British forces in both World Wars was unveiled in the west Yorkshire town of Huddersfield.
According to Hindustan Times, the statue, which stands in Greenhead Park, marked the culmination of a project of the Sikh Soldier Organisation (SSO), that received donations from various local bodies that supported the project. The six-feet bronze statue was built at a cost of about Rs 60 lakh.
Kalvinder S Bhullar, the SSO chairman described the artwork as “stunning”. He said, “We’ve accomplished our mission to get the statue put in place and the support we have had has been overwhelming.”
With inputs from agencies
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