A heart-wrenching ballad of betrayal, bravery, and valour, where two young sons of Guru Gobind Singh attained martyrdom by Dr Parneet – exclusively for Different Truths.

Seven and nine-
years of childhood bloom.
The young Fateh and Zoravar-
playing and running inside the Anandpur quila,
witness an unanticipated march of
Guru Gobind Singh's forces moved to a safer place.
Mughal attack on the flooded Sarsa river
separates them from
their father, mother, and the Sikh army.
Betrayed by the cook Gangu,
imprisoned by the wicked Suba Sirhind - Wazir Khan,
with their Dadi maa, Mata Gujri, by their side,
both take positions as unbending pillars,
willing to be slit, guarding their dharma.
Dharma means everything to them.
Denying conversion of their religion-
their roar of the Almighty’s name
stupefies the white-bearded in court.
Tortured, bricked alive, beheaded,
such a fate they kissed.
Death cannot shake the pillars of dharma.
On this day, what else can I do
but remember these souls
equally with wonder and pride?

Note: Baba Zoravar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh were the youngest sons of the tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh ji. They were martyred in Sirhind (Punjab) by the Mughals in December 1704.

Picture from myindiamyglory

Dr Parneet Jaggi

Dr. Parneet Jaggi is Associate Professor of English in Rajasthan, India. She has four collections of poems in English and two research books to her credit. Her historical fiction The Call of the Citadel (2020) is well-acclaimed. Her poems have been anthologised in various journals. Her name appears in the Directory of Writers in America’s famous magazine Poets and Writers. She is Associate Editor of International Journal of Education and English Literature, Montreal, Canada.