The Indian Laura Secord – Harsaran Kaur
Laura Secord was a Canadian heroine during of the war of 1812, which took place between Canada (Great Britain) and the USA. She became aware of an impending American attack and walked 20 miles under difficult conditions out of American occupied territories to warn British forces of an attack. She was responsible for saving the British forces and their sure defeat at the hands of Americans. Laura Secord’s contribution was not known during her lifetime; however, eventually she has been recognized by Canadians and even though not related to her, there is a chocolate named after her name.
In 1837 Afghans attacked the strategic fort of Jamrud located at Khyber Pass. This fort was held by a Sikh commander Sardar Mahan Singh along with his small garrison of 600 men. The Afghans attacked while most of the Sikh forces were at Lahore attending to the marriage ceremony of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s grandson Nau Nihal Singh. The bulk of the Sikh forces were at Peshawar about 10 miles from Jamrud and were under the command of the famous General Hari Singh Nalwa. The Afghans besieged the fort of Jamrud, inflected heavy damages to the fort and the Sikhs were in a precarious situation and would have been annihilated by the Afghans. Mahan Singh wanted to send a final message to Hari Singh to send reinforcements and relieve him from a possible slaughter. Unfortunately; the fort was surrounded by all sides and it was difficult to send out anyone.
During this time, there was a woman with dauntless courage by the name of Harsaran Kaur, who worked at the kitchen of the fort. Her husband was a brave and honest soldier and was fighting along with Mahan Singh. Harsaran Kaur had earlier on been rescued by General Hari Singh Nalwa from being molested by tribals of the area and was indebted to him for saving her honour. When she became aware of Mahan Singh’s plight, she unequivocally volunteered to deliver the message to Peshawar. She left Jamrud in the middle of night, dressed as a native Afridi woman and without being undetected. She travelled incognito, under a difficult terrain, full of hostile people and safely reached Peshawar early next morning. She was able to deliver the message to Hari Singh, who thanked her and praised her undaunting courage, bravery and devotion. He gathered his forces and left immediately to face the enemy. He ultimately saved Jamrud; however, lost his life after a brave fight.
It was due to the audacity, determination and indomitable spirit of Harsaran Kaur, who risked her life to deliver the crucial message for help to Hari Singh Nalwa in a timely manner and under, the most dangerous circumstances that Sikhs were able to hold on to Jamrud and prevented Afghan conquest of the strategic province of Peshawar. Like Laura Secord, her contribution has been forgotten by her countrymen and there is no chocolate named after her!
Written By: Gurmeet Singh Sandhu
References:
Hari Singh Nalwa by A.S. Sandhu
A History of The Sikh People by Dr. Gopal Singh
Images: Google
