13 March
On this day in 1981
A critical development, the radicalization of the Sikh establishment took place at The Sikh Educational Confernece
Chandigarh. To meet the demand for a Sikh Homeland which is founded on Sikh claim to distinct nationhood, some clever politicians and writers had beeen asserting that Sikhs are a separate community and not a sperate nation. At this conference, Sardar Ganga Singh Dhillon of Washington in his enlightening presidential address explained how the Sikhs are a seperate nation.
Also on this day
- 1849The Sikh army fought the British forces at Gurjrat The British had vastly superior artillery. Sikhs fought valiantly but were routed. Raja Sher Singh and the remaining army surrendered thus ending Sikhs opposition to British.
- 1921To his dismay and amazement, Mahatama Gandhi learnt that the Sikhs did not consider themselves to be Hindus, which he had perceived them to be Precisely, for his Gujarati audience, he wrote in the Navjivan, "Till today, I had thought of them as a sect of Hinduism. But their leaders think that theirs is a distinct religion." Gandhi went back to add, "Their sacred book is the word of their gurus and, apart from that book, they accept no other scriptures as holy."
- 1928Central Sikh Association presented the Sikh case before the Simon Commission
- 1940Sardar Udham Singh of Sunam killed Sir Michael O’Dwyer, who was Lieutenant General of Punjab at the time of the Jallianwala incident in Amritsar He was killed in London.
- 1969Lachhman Singh Gill was arrested as an act of revenge by the Gurnam Singh government
- 198154th All India Sikh Educational Conference held during 13-15 March in Chandigarh It was organized by the Chief Khalsa Diwan.
- 1981Resolution was passed at the 54th All India Sikh Educational Conference, held at Chandigarh For creation of the International Secretariat to coordinate the activities of the Sikh Nation in the field of economic, education, cultural, political, and religious affairs."