ANZAC Remembers Sikh Soldiers; Belgians hold Akhand Paath

On 25 Apr, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) commemorated Sikh and other Indian soldiers from World War I (WWI) on Anzac Day. More than 16,000 soldiers from the sub-continent were part of the Allied forces where they fought and worked alongside Anzacs. The Indian soldiers at Gallipoli predominantly comprised Sikhs and Gurkhas who fought on the front lines, transported equipment between battalions and operated the mule corps. About 1,600 Indian servicemen died at Gallipoli. Their sacrifice is carved into the Helles war memorial on the Turkish coast. But their contribution is often absent from history books. 9 Sikh soldiers also fought in Egypt with the Australian Imperial Force in 1918. In Belgium’s Flanders Field Museum, Ypres, the Belgians held an Akhand Paath (uninterrupted reading of complete Guru Granth Sahib in about 48 hours) from 26-28 Apr in memory of the Sikh soldiers from Panjab who died fighting for the British Army in Belgium during WWI. This is in association with a Chandigarh-based organization Sikhya Seekers. The museum marked the 325th anniversary of Khalsa Sajna Diwas (Inauguration of the Khalsa) at its premises and at Gurdwara Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, Chandigarh. From the Flanders Fields Museum, in a virtual address to the media, associate Sher Singh said Belgians would always be grateful to those Sikhs ‘who bravely fought against the combined Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire in the WWI. Their bravery saved Belgium from German occupation and helped win WWI. This Akhand Paath is Belgium’s tribute to Sikhs on the holy festival of Vaisakhi,’ said Singh.