Pathankot: As the country commemorates mahatma gandhi This Wednesday, on the 155th anniversary of his birth, Garda family near the village of Sarna punjab provinceThe town of Pathankot is immersed in its prized possessions – a pair Glasses It was given by Bapu himself.
Baljinder Singh is the great-grandson of Aatma Singh, a Ghadaa freedom fighter who was imprisoned by the British in Lahore Central Prison on July 21, 1915. People were hanged. sports.
“At the convention, my grandfather had the opportunity to meet him (Bapu) and tell him about his and his father’s contribution to the world freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi was so impressed by the family’s devotion that he presented him with glasses. Taja Singh was also imprisoned for two years in the same jail where Atma Singh was hanged.
Although Barkind could not remember the exact date, he said his grandfather was released from prison sometime between 1941 and 1942.
“After that he met Mahatma Gandhi. So it must have been in the years before he was assassinated on January 30, 1948,” he said. The sale of Mahatma Gandhi’s glasses drew Baljinder’s attention to the importance of family heirlooms.
“A few years ago, I read that a pair of Gandhi’s glasses was auctioned in the UK for Rs 25 crore (£260,000). I discussed this with my friends and they suggested that I post about the glasses on social media message,” he said.
The glasses were auctioned by East Bristol Auction House in August 2020. The needy or those in need.
Baljinder, who lives in Guru Nanak Nagar in Sarna, said his house is always open to those who want to visit this prized property. “For us, it’s a physical memory, our family’s tryst with freedom,” he said.
Atma Singh’s sacrifice
Atma Singh’s contribution to the freedom struggle has been termed an unsung hero on the Centre’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav website amritmahotsav.nic.in. Atma hails from Thathikhara village in Taranthan and is a fearless member of the Ghadar Party, the website said.
On the night of June 11, 1915, Aatma Singh took part in an operation by the Ghadar Party, who attacked the Wallah Bridge police post in Amritsar. Tema and his comrades murdered two guards and stole the soldiers’ ammunition and uniforms.
Atma and five other Ghadars headed for Tarantarn, but the police, with the help of locals, hunted them down. When reinforcements arrived, the Ghadas fled towards Kapurthala. They took refuge near Pisces. It was here that Atma Singh was detained. He was tried in what came to be known as the Amritsar Canal Bridge Case and was hanged at Lahore Central Jail on July 21, 1915.
