By Aneesa Malik
Sunday 1st November showcased a groundbreaking, first of its kind, memorial commemorating the 130,000 Sikh men who took part in fighting for Britain’s freedom in World War One.
The sculpture was funded by around 150 people, who pledged over £22,000 to have the statue placed in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Sikhs made up 20% of the British Indian Army in action, despite being just 1% of the Indian population at the time, the WW1 Sikh Memorial Fund said.
The chairman and founder of the WW1 Sikh Memorial Fund, Jay Singh Sohal was thrilled to finally see the statue come together. He said: “I’ve always been inspired by British Sikh history and felt it was about time a monument to Sikh service during WW1 was created. There’s been lots of talk about one but no one was doing anything, so I took it upon myself to make it happen – it’s an extension of my passion for the story of Sikhs at war which I make films about and write about.”
Asian World had the opportunity to speak with Jay about how important it is to have such a memorial constructed and why the British Sikh youth should be more inspired than ever before.
1) Why has something like never happened before?
I don’t think the community see the significance a monument such as this can have in taking the Sikh story out to the wider world. Then there’s also the inter-community politics that comes with a heritage project like this. I wanted our memorial to rise above that, and so we launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter which achieved the goal of raising the money needed for it and galvanising young people’s support too.
2) How important is it to recognise the Sikh community who fought for Britain?
It’s very important to recognise the Sikh contribution during the war – it was remarkable, as despite being just 1% of the population of undivided India they made up 20% of the British Indian Army in action. This can inspire people today and into the future to want to undertake public service and contribute to society.
3) What advice would you give to the Sikh youth who feel disassociated with the British identity; who possibly would not want to fight for Britain?
Take inspiration from these soldiers who fought in the trenches with their turban and beard identity intact, they did not compromise their religious ethics or code. And if they could go through war like that and be glorious, there’s no excuse for us today.
