Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Friday paid tribute to the sacrifices of the Veer Sahibzadas, praising their courage and valour for standing firm against the “cruel” Mughal Sultanate and for shaking the “very existence of religious fanaticism and terror”, news agency ANI reported.
Addressing the national programme to mark ‘Veer Baal Diwas’, PM Modi said the Veer Sahibzadas, despite being very young, confronted the might of the Mughal empire and overcame all circumstances in their fight against oppression.
“Today, the nation is observing Veer Bal Diwas. Today, we remember those brave Sahibzadas who are the pride of India. They represent the ultimate expression of India`s indomitable courage, valour and bravery. Those brave Sahibzadas broke the limits of age and circumstance. They stood like a rock against the cruel Mughal Sultanate, shaking the very existence of religious fanaticism and terror. A nation with such a glorious past can achieve anything,” PM Modi said.
He recalled the historic sacrifices made by the sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. On December 26, 1704, the younger sons, Sahibzadas Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, were bricked alive on the orders of Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind, for resisting conversion to Islam during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb. The two elder sons, Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, attained ‘shaheed’ status after fighting valiantly in the Battle of Chamkaur.
Highlighting the significance of Veer Baal Diwas, PM Modi spoke about the ideals for which the Veer Sahibzadas stood, ANI reported.
“Veer Bal Diwas is a day of deep emotion and reverence. Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, and Sahibzada Fateh Singh had to confront the most powerful authority of their time at a very young age, That battle was between the fundamental ideals of India and religious fanaticism. It was a battle of truth versus falsehood,” he said.
Elaborating further, PM Modi stated, “This day of Veer Bal Diwas is a day filled with emotion and reverence… On one side of that battle was the Tenth Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and on the other side was the cruel rule of Aurangzeb. Our Sahibzadas were very young in age at that time, but it made no difference to Aurangzeb, to his cruelty… But Aurangzeb and his military commanders had forgotten that our Guru was no ordinary man. He was the living embodiment of penance and sacrifice. The brave Sahibzadas had inherited that legacy from him, so even though the entire Mughal empire was arrayed against them, they could not shake even one of those four Sahibzadas…”
“On one side of that battle was the Tenth Guru, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and on the other side was the cruel rule of Aurangzeb. Our Sahibzadas were young at that time, but Aurangzeb and his cruelty were indifferent to their age,” he added.
(With ANI inputs)