PM Modi attends programme marking ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A day after hosting a delegation from the Christian community at his residence in the national capital on the occasion of Christmas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a programme marking ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam in the national capital on Tuesday, further advancing his idea of ‘Sabka Saath’.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to flag off a youth march to mark ‘Veer Baal Diwas’. The government will also organise participatory programmes all over the country to inform and educate the citizens, especially young children, about the exemplary courage of the Sahibzades (the two young Khalsas who are commemorated on this day).

#WATCH | Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "We dont have to waste or stop for even a second. The gurus gave us these teachings…We need to live for the country's pride and glory. We need to live for the betterment of the country…" pic.twitter.com/eNWvK4V7VZ

— ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

A digital exhibition detailing the life story and sacrifice of the Sahibzades will be displayed in schools and childcare institutions across the country. A film on ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ will also be screened nationwide. Various online competitions, including interactive quiz shows, will be organised through the MYBharat and MyGov portals.

On the day of the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, on January 9, 2022, Prime Minister Modi announced that December 26 will be marked every year as ‘Veer Bal Diwas’, to mark the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s  sons Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Baba Fateh Singh ji.

The day also marks the birth anniversary of Udham Singh, a great revolutionary, who avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar on Baisakhi in 1919 by killing General O’Dwyer, who ordered his forces to open fire on peaceful protesters, in March 1940.

Shaheed Udham Singh was later hanged by the British in London. Born on December 26, 899, at Sunam in Punjab, Udham Singh was known as Sher Singh as a child.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919, left a life-long impact on Udham Singh. The people who had gathered to celebrate Baisakhi at Armitsar’s Jallianwala Bagh were fired upon by General Dwyer, who blocked off the main entrance and ordered his troops to open fire on the crowd.

The British officer was scheduled to give a speech at Caxton Hall in London on March 13, 1940. Uddham Singh hid a revolver in a book, entered the hall and shot O’Dwyer. He was formally charged with the murder on April 1, 1940. While in custody, he called himself ‘Ram Mohammad Singh Azad’. He was hanged in London on July 31, 1940. (ANI)