How Hari Singh Nalwa set an example to uphold the dignity of women

Dear Readers,

Wish you all a very happy Diwali!!! May god bless you with a happy, safe and joyous Diwali and help you to fulfil all your good wishes. Today, I want to write about a very sensitive and important topic. I will be discussing on the topic of "How Hari Singh Nalwa set an example to uphold the dignity of women" with an excerpt from the Sikh history. I want to dedicate this article to all the women in the world.

Women have always been respected throughout the ages. Women have been an integral part of the society. They have been warriors, queens, doctors, discoverers, inventors, engineers, lawyers, accountants, CEO's etc. They have held an important position at home as well. They have played the roles of daughters, sisters, wives, mothers etc with great dignity and humility. We cannot ever imagine a world without women.

Yet, these are troubled times. We see everyday in news how people are humiliating women. Whether these people are terrorists or Presidential candidates they should learn how to show respect to women. After all, have these men forgotten that they came to this world out of a Mother. I hope if this message reaches out to such people it may bring them some shame and  remorse. At the same time, I want to show my support to all the women and inform that not all men are bad. There are other men who promise to support you and stand up for you. I come from a country where we revere women as Goddesses and with that sentiment I want to tell you a real incident that will infuse each women with pride and self respect.

India was the richest country in the world for a very long time in history. As such her riches have attracted several discoverers, scholars, traders and also plunderers. The Indian sub continent is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has the great Himalayan mountains towards the northern side. Most of the invaders have attacked India from the Khyber Pass in the North. Most of the invaders have been the Pathans from Afghanistan. These are tough people and nobody had ever defeated them in their own territory. This history was changed when the mighty Sikh general Hari Singh Nalwa defeated the Pathans and setup the Sikh kingdom in Afghanistan. He secured the Khyber Pass and prevented any invasions to our country from that route.

One night, two Pathan spies were watching over the Sikh tents at night from the cover of a few bushes. There was a lady spy by the name of Bibi Bano (Bibi means respectfully Lady) and she was accompanied by a male spy Gul Khan. The Pathans were bewildered by the grit and courage of Hari Singh Nalwa and his Singhs. Bibi Bano expressed her desire to meet Hari Singh Nalwa to Gul Khan. Gul Khan told her that the conquerors never showed any respect to women from the conquered lands and it would be very unsafe for her to meet the Sikh general. He said that he would not allow her to take such a risk and held her hand tightly. But, Bibi Bano was adamant and also she pointed out that she had heard that the Guru's men (a reference to Sikh people who have ten gurus) always showed utmost respect to all women. Saying this she pushed Gul Khan aside and ran away from the cover of the bushes to the place where Hari Singh Nalwa's tent was setup. On approaching the tent she found that two Sikh guards were posted outside. The well armed Sikh guards on seeing her asked the purpose of her visit. So, Bibi Bano expressed her desire to meet the general. One of the guards noticed that she was carrying a dagger. But, the other guard told him not to worry and said that that all people were welcome to the Guru's home (a reference to the belief that the homes of all Sikh people are Guru's home) even if it happens to be an enemy with a weapon. Saying this informed the general and arranged an audience of Bibi Bano with him.

On entering the tent, Bibi Bano greeted the general with the words "Sat Sri Akal" (a greeting in Punjabi language which means God is the Ultimate Truth) and he greeted her with the same words. The general requested her to be seated and got seated himself. Bibi Bano then asked the general why he had conquered her land. Hari Singh Nalwa asked her with humility if it was wrong to defend one's own land ? He said that the Sikh people had only conquered this land so that they could defend their mother land. He said they had no interest in establishing any kingdom but that they only wanted to secure their people from the repeated invasions of the Lodhis and Pathans from Afghanistan. After this conversation they both discussed on lot of other topics. At the end of their conversation, Bibi Bano was very much impressed by the Sikh general. So, she mentioned to the general that it was her desire that if she has a son he should be like Hari Singh Nalwa. Put in other words, she expressed her desire to marry him.

Hearing this, the general became very offended and questioned her if she was trying to humiliate him? He said that all Guru's men were ordered to have only one wife by their Guru and they were asked to show respect and treat all other women as their sisters. He asked her to take leave immediately . As she was going out Bibi Bano snubbed him saying that she had heard that no person had ever left the Guru's court (or home) without have their wishes fulfilled. But, today this was proved wrong. Hearing her snub, the general became thoughtful and told her that if no one had ever left the Guru's home empty handed then neither will anyone leave the house of a Guru's Sikh (Sikh means Disciple) empty handed. Saying this he ordered the guards posted outside to get an expensive Shawl from the nearby tent. The guards brought the shawl and handed it over to Hari Singh Nalwa. He asked the guards to put the shawl around Bibi Bano. After this was done, the great Sikh general fell to the feet of Bibi Bano (touching feet of another person is a way of showing respect in Indian culture) and told her that from now on she was his Sworn Mother. He said that since she wanted her son to be like Hari Singh Nalwa then what better than Hari Singh Nalwa himself becoming her son.

Seeing his humility and greatness, Bibi Bano was so touched that she started crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks and could not stop weeping. She said that she was proud to be the Sworn Mother of a great person like Hari Singh Nalwa. Saying this she departed with her heart full of pride. And, while leaving she quietly proclaimed that if a normal Sikh was this great then how great would be their Guru ?

I hope we should all follow in the example of the great General and protect the dignity and honour of every woman. Please provide me your valuable feedback by writing your comments or sending me an email.

With Love,

Gunjan.