Thank you for taking part in this AMA Dr Singh Mann!

Do we have many first person accounts from Sikh soldiers on their experiences on the Western Front during the First World War? Would this have been the first time that many of them had visited Europe?

How did the Sikhs pivot from being foes of the British to a key part of their Army?

What was the organisation of the Sikh army like and how did fare in comparison to the British army in terms of quality of arms, soldiers, weapons etc

Dr Singh Mann, thank you for doing this.

Could you tell us more about how British soldiers perceived the Sikh soldiers they fought alongside? Were they conceived of very differently to other Indian soldiers in British service, and if so, where was the difference perceived as lying?

I'm particularly interested in the opinion of the 'average soldier', but the perspectives of officers (both in command of, and adjacent to, Sikh soldiers) would be interesting too.

My friend's grandfather, Sardar Hardit Singh Malik, was a Sikh who was a fighter pilot in the WW1. I am compiling a reading list so that my friend's father can enjoy reading more about that time. Can you guide me please? This is the wiki page on him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardit_Malik

During the period of British rule, Sikhs, I believe, were placed under the designation of "martial races" used by the British. While the term itself is grounded in racial pseudoscience of the Victorian period, words can still be a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy due to the socio-cultural impact of their use. In that light, is there anything that can be said about how that designation and treatment by the British fueled the development and self-image of martial traditions within Sikh culture?

Hello Dr Singh Mann, thank you for coming to do this AMA with us.

As I understand it, Sikh troops played a part in many British colonial campaigns, in Afghanistan, China and Iraq to name a few. How did they perceive their role in these conflicts where they fought in support of a colonial ruler? More broadly, how did Sikhs conceptualise their place within the empire writ large in terms of status and position, particularly relative to other populations in India?

Do we have evidence for how Sikh soldiers in British service conceived of being part of the khalsa?

As I understand it, the khalsa in the looser sense consists of all Sikhs, but it was also used to refer to the armed forces of the Sikh empire which had fought against the British. Did this result in any ambiguity about this part of Sikh faith, especially in the immediate aftermath of the Anglo-Sikh wars?

Thanks for all the thought provoking questions. The 4 hour window is now finished i will try and answer as many other questions in the next day or so. It has been a privilege to be part of this Q and A. Thanks to AMA and everyone who has taken part.

How much technological difference was there between the Sikh and the British weaponry?Most Indian Kingdoms weren't so technologically inferior when it comes to warfare as comparing to the British. In India one of the prominent gunpowder age weapons, the rocket launcher was invented by Tipu Sultan who was one of the greatest Kings who fought against the British. Were the Sikhs technologically superior to Tipu's army?

I've heard that Sikhs in general remained loyal to the British during the great rebellion of 1857, and that this was a major factor in its ultimate failure. Is this true, and if it is, what was the reason they did not join in on the rebellion, especially considering they had only recently fallen under British domination?

Dr Singh Mann, what’s your perspective on the continuing large presence of Sikhs in the Indian armed forces? I’m unsure of actual numbers but Sikhs appear to be such a crucial part of the leadership of the Indian armed forces all the way down to soldiers on the ground. How does that connect to the emergence of the martial culture amongst Sikhs in the period of your research?

What was the Sikh attitude and policy towards prisoners and non combatants?

Mr Mann, I am a Sikh living in Indian Punjab. Before I ask you my questions , I would like to personally thank you for answering questions on this sub. I also have a direct ancestor, who was a soldier in the Sikh Empire's Army.

There are some questions that have always irked me :

1. We all know that the Sikh soldiers played a role in curbing the 1857 Rebellion (also known as India's 1st War of Independence), which gave the way for India to be ruled directly by the Queen and her Army and resulted in the end of the East India Company. Why do you think that many Sikh soldiers fought for the British, despite the fact that both sides were at war with each other just a decade ago. Also, the failure of the rebellion put India's Independence Movement into hibernation until the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919.

I've heard variety of reasons for justifying the role of Sikhs in crushing the rebellion but I haven't been convinced by those reasons. I would appreciate if you would answer them.

2. What are your thoughts on Kahn Singh Nabha. My dad has read his book - "Ham Hindu Nahin" and "Mahan Kosh", he always appreciated his writings. What are your views on him.

3. We both know about the Nankana Sahib Massacre and the Gurudwara Movement of 1920's. But how did the control of Gurudwaras fall into the hands of "Mahants". Did it happen before the Anglo-Sikh Wars or is their something else to it.

I'll apologize for my poor English, my native language is Punjabi. I'll appreciate if you answer my queries. Thanking you in advance.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

Could you talk about the development of the Sikh Empire. How it came about and why it collapsed.

How are the contributions to the British military by Sikhs viewed in today's India?

Are there any reports from German lines when facing Sikh troops in WWI?

I can't imagine the effect on them from seeing turbanned, bearded warriors suddenly bearing down on them in the trenches!

On a personal note, several years ago I was very ill and a very dear Sikh friend and his family rallied round amazingly. I've never met a Sikh I didn't like! Wonderful, wonderful people with an incredible energy and generosity of spirit. Sarbat da bhala is a wonderful philosophy, I have seen it in action.

Thank you for this really cool AMA. I come from a part of Canada that has a pretty large population of Sikhs and have always been interested in their history. What led to so many Sikhs leaving Punjab and settling over sea's?

As a second question if you don't mind, the 3d models of the relics and artifacts was also really interesting. Are there any attempts to bring the artifacts home or repatriate them?

What impact, if any, did non-khalsa Sikhs have during this period? Did they form independent communities? states?

Thanks for doing this AMA!

If I recall correctly, British perception of the Sikhs as a 'martial race' had a lot to do with 1857 and their ways of rationalising the relative loyalty of the Sikh units under their command. How accurate is my impression here, and what was the Sikh perspective on this episode and the decisions they made?

I’ve read that the Indian soldiers, staying in German POW camps were given pamphlets by the Germans (both in punjabi and Urdu) asking them to join the German side and fight the British (since the British had colonised India) I wanted to know, if the Indian POWs joined the German side, and if they didn’t, why didn’t they? Wouldnt it make sense for an Indian join the German side and fight the British?

How did you decide to do an exclusively online museum? What challenges did you face creating it? Do you see an overall trend towards digital history?

Great to hear from an Indian origin Scholar! My questions are as follows:

1. What was the Sikh empire's relationship (trade, diplomatic, etc.) with other Indian states, particularly those located in the modern day state of Karnataka?

2. Sikhs in South India; did they go there in large numbers, and what was life like for those who went South of the Vindhyas?

3. Who were the Sikh Empire's main trading partners? How did they manage to survive in spite of them being landlocked?

Any chance of this book making it to Audible? I’d love to listen to it.

Hello!

Where in Leicester is your museum located? Google maps isn't giving me a clear answer.

Are you connected to the School of Museum Studies at UoL?

Please join us over at r/museumpros, cheers, and stay safe during lockdown!

I learned from a friend a few years ago that Sikhs came to the US in fairly large numbers post ww2. In places like Cincinnati for example, Sikh communities and businesses were common well before Arab communities where to where people who were around in the 50's and 60's were more familiar with Sikh customs than a lot of larger groups of people. To this day, there are still quite a few large multigenerational communities around the country. I hope it's not too off topic to ask, what caused these people to come to certain parts of US in such large numbers in that era? Was it just fear from the Indian/Pakistan partition or was there something more serious going on?

Hello and thank you so much for hosting this AMA session. As a student of history in Lahore I read a lot about the achievements in arts and military matters by Ranjit Singh. However I would be grateful to learn more about the economy of the empire, how it was structured and how the western officers and military innovations were paid for. I would be exceptionally grateful if you could shed light on literacy and the printing press within the Mahrajahs kingdom.

Another question is why didn't the Sikhs try to gain access to one of the ports in the south? The Amirs of sindh do not seem to be a match for the Sikh forces, and access to international trade would have been hugely beneficial to the Sikhs.

Hello Dr. Mann. My parents are Hindu Nationalists so I have potentially received a skewed version of Sikh history from them and I wanted to clarify any misconceptions I had. When did Sikh identity evolve as separate from Hindu identity? At any point, was the Sikhs idea to protect Indian Hinduism from forced conversions under Islamist rulers?

The author Phil Gurski, a Canadian analyst who works for ICCT and has written books on the subject of terrorism, radicalisation, and Islam. Recently stated in an interview that fundamentalism within Sikh communities is a serious problem for some time. Citing that, prior to the 9/11 attacks, the 1985 plane bombing in Canada was the deadliest case of aviation terrorism in history. Do you agree with this assessment, or have some thoughts on it in general? I am sorry if this is slightly off-topic, or offensive in any way. Thanks in advance!

Do Sikhs take the directive to carry a kirpan seriously in the modern world? Has it transitioned to more of a ceremonial thing (like a pin or novelty sized blade) or do most Sikhs still carry the full size dagger and intend to use it as directed, to defend themselves and others?

Do local laws restrict members of the faith from carrying it? I know England, for example, has strict knife laws in general, but I don't know if those are used to restrict the carrying of kirpans.

This isn’t what I’m studying in my degree but wow, the answers are fascinating. Thank you for doing this AMA:)

Have you read Flashman and the Mountain of Light?

What role do you think the location of Punjab played in the Sikhs becoming a martial race? Punjab's location made it vulnerable to being attacked first among all territories in present day India. A good example of this is Alexander the Great's invasion.

Hello Dr Singh,

Are there any instances of Muslims in the Punjab region converting to Sikhism? From available demographic data, it shows that nearly all conversions since the late 19th century shows Hindus converting to Sikhism. However historical anecdotes talks about how Sufi Muslims converted to Sikhism in large numbers? Did this happen in wide amounts, and if so how far did this trend last?

Thank you.

Sat sri akal! I would like to ask about the rules for treating those that were conquered. Are there set standards for how a Sikh must act towards the enemy once they are defeated?

On some level the experience for Sikhs Mirrors the Gurkhas. Going from a formidable adversary to an ally of the British. Nepal Gurkhas still serve in the British military, was there ever a desire for Sikhs to do the same ?

Edit: some context to this question, sikhs and other Indians have a interesting relationship at best. Something I have observed in a A life time of hearing “sardar ji” jokes about 12 o’clock and casual references to indira Gandhi and golden temple.

Hi Doctor, thanks for the AMA.

In recent years, the last stand of 21Skihs at Battle of Saragarhi has been memorialized in lens of 21st Century politics in movies like Kesari, which makes use of patriotic tropes and cultural stereotypes, including cliché typecasts of Afghans who portrayed as savages.

Going back to the origins of the battle, do you think that the British military brushed aside their shortcomings in being unable to relieve their men at Saragahi and lionized their last stand for its propaganda value instead?

When the book would be made available in India?

Any insight on the reaction of Sikhs to the mutiny/uprising/revolt/whatever-you-call it of 1857?

Hello my learned friend. ( I work at museum too) Sikhs and Turks fought in World War One in Gallipolli and Mesopotamia campaigns of the United Kingdom. What do Sikhs think about Turks?

(1) What role did Punjabi Muslims (Ethnic Punjabi’s adhering to the religion of Islam from the castes of Rajput, Khatri, Jatt, Saini, etc. play in the empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?

(2) Was Bhupinder Singh of Patiala the worst example of a Sikh leader? Everything I’ve read about this guy is disgusting and deplorable. True despot.

Hello Mr. Singh, I want to know how relations between Maratha and Sikh evolved with the growing influence of British rulers in India. Especially after the third war of Panipat. Thanks in advance.

Sat Sri Akal Ji,

Do you have any recommendations for sources regarding the Sino-Sikh war and Zorawar Singh Kahluria?

As someone who knows very little about the British colonization of India, and whose impressions are that the British badly treated those who they colonized, I'm surprised to see "Friendship" in the title of your book.

What was the British attitude towards the Sikhs? How did the British feel about the Sikh religion compared to Hinduism and Islam? Did they treat the Sikhs as a separate or the same group as the other Indians?

Omg thanks so much for this AMA, i gotta get this book!

Are there by chance any contemporary Sikh/British/etc. sources during the transition period towards a firearm equipped army in which muskets were compared with bows? Did muskets altogether displace bows like in Europe or did they remain in use side by side?

Could you tell us something about General Reginald Dyer and actions taken against him in response to his savagery at Jallianwala bagh? Thank you!!

Was war between the British and Sikh's avoidable? Or, could the Sikh's have won and prevented the conquest?

is it true that the sikhs are/were a militeristic people?

Thank you so much for doing this! I've been interested in the Sikhs for years. Years ago when taking a history course on the Jesuits I did a small research paper on how the Jesuits viewed the Sikhs, especially when compared to the way the Jesuit Order wrote about other groups they encountered (given the time limits and my resources I primarily compared their view on the Sikhs with their views on French Canadian Native tribes). The Jesuits seemed far more find and respectful of the Sikhs.

What kind of relationship did the Protestant religion and culture predominating the British Colonial and Military authorities have on the relations both before and after conquest with the Sikh Confederacy and the Sikh people?

Two Questions:

Was it primarily the perceived loyalty/nonrebelliousness toward Britain or their effectiveness as soldiers that lead to Britain relying so heavily on Sikh soldiers?

Was recruiting many Sikhs perceived as a liability in case they rebelled? Did the British actively attempt to recruit from other ethnic groups to balance out this risk? What proportion of British Indian army soldiers did the Sikh make up?

The British Empire was known for its fierce Indian soldiers, but the Indian subcontinent is a vast and presumably-diverse area. Were Sikh soldiers at all made to adopt ‘traditional’ Indian martial aspects which weren’t technically Punjabi if brought up for service under the British Empire?

My great grandfather served with the British in North Africa are there any resources you can recommend I use to look up his record for duty or anything like that sort

Edit: Thank you for the AMA hope you and the family are safe and healthy

You're awesome. That is all.

What is the most interesting historical event or fact unique to Sikh-British relations that likely nobody has heard of?

Hello and thank you for doing this AMA. My question is this:To what extent would you agree that Sikh nationalism was spurred by Muslim ethno-statist sentiments rising in the late 19th century?

Not a question but I actually bought your book almost 2 weeks ago can’t wait for it to finally arrive

The Sikhs were renowned horsemen. Did they, at any point in their history, deploy other animals of war?

Hi Dr Mann, I am from Hong Kong. How did the Indian communities in the early British Hong Kong identify themselves? Did they identify more closely with their religious/ethnic groups or together as a whole as Indians? I understand that in the early days many Sikhs in Hong Kong were expat police officers, whom the local ethnic Chinese referred to as “Big Head Green Clothing”, as they wore turbans and a green uniform.

There’s a mention I saw of foreigners working in the government of Ranjit Singh, including Americans. Do we have any idea who these people were, or what they were doing, or how they viewed their work and time there? This is the book I saw it in, and the mention is on page 48.

Hi Dr Gurinder, My question to you is how pivotal role did in the colonisation and control of India by the Brits?

How did the British treat Sikhs pre-Abdali. I know that ever since Guru Hargobind Singh Ji, they were oppressed by both Hindus and Muslims?

Thank you for your time Mr Mann. Would you be able to shed more light onto Maratha-Sikh relations in the late 18th century around the Durrani invasions?

Is it pronounced “seek” or “sick”

What was the role of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and his father and grandfather in the Sikh empire? I am aware that they used to administer some land in qadian India and it's surrounding areas.

How much of the religious tensions in India between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims over the past century do you think is as a result of the British colonial policy of divide and conquer ?

I don’t have any specific questions but this thread is really interesting. Thanks.

Given their egalitarian principles, were there ever any significant Sikh advocates of communism in the post war years, particularly after Indian independence was achieved?

Hi Mann,

What do you think about British selling Kashmir to Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1846. This decision has had quite ramifications that eventually led to what is happening in Kashmir right now. Your take?

I don't know if I'm late to the party, but I will try.

Sikhs were apparentely one of, if not, their most loyal indian subjects, including during the sepoy mutiny, and this despite the fact that Sikhs had a realm on their own, who was conquered by the British for purely comercial reasons.

When Sikhs stopped being hostile to the British? There was no ressentment between Sikhs during colonization? Other indians saw Sikhs as traitors?

Thanks for giving us these answears.

I'm just checking in to say I love the Sihks and am very impressed that they feed so many people at their temples for free. I'm not religious but if I were I would probably be Sihk.

I read Amarpal Singh Sidhu's book on the First Anglo-Sikh War and the sheer degree of ... betrayal/collaboration with the Brits on the Sikh side was astonishing.

Moreover, I believe the main thrust of the book was that the war was designed to destroy the unruly Sikh army. Do you agree with this? And to what extent did the Sikh soldiers ever realize this, if true? Was there any reprisals after the Anglo-Sikh wars against the former Sikh leadership?

Good AMA, I’m just up the road in Nottingham. Thank you, was really interesting.

Thankyou for the AMA, there is not much time so I do not know if you will be able to reply!

Sikhs have a long history in the British armed forces, even maintaining a decent presence today (compared to at least, similar minorities from the UK).

How did this come about, given the anglo sikh wars and things that the sikhs suffered under the British empire - when we compare to say, Muslim members of the armed forces we see the opposite story

What do you think accounts for this (On the Sikh side)?

Did the Sikhs assimilate well into Great Britain? Did many of them get home-Sikh?