Sham Singh Attaiwala. Painting on ivory. Lahore CA 1850-1870.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
10th Februray commemorates the Battle of Sobroan. The final battle of the Anglo Sikh Wars.
Sham Singh Attariwala played an important part in the battle and was martyred.
Tributes were paid to legendary Sikh general Sham Singh Attariwala, known for his valour in the 1846 Battle of Sobraon against the British forces, during a state-level function held on Wednesday to mark his 170th martyrdom day.Speaking on the occasion, former chief of army staff Gen JJ Singh (retd) said Attariwala had sacrificed his life for the prestige of the country, adding that his courage in the first Anglo-Sikh War had also been admired by the British.
“General Attariwala, who fought the British forces till his last breath, would always be a source of inspiration for our younger generation,” he said.
Gen Singh also visited Attari, the martyr’s native village, where he took a round of the General Sham Singh Attariwala Museum.Office-bearers of the General Sham Singh Attariwala Trust presented a memento to Gen Singh. The latter honoured Attariwala’s descendants with mementoes.Punjab welfare minister Gulzar Singh Ranike said the state government had already spent nearly Rs 1,000 crore on constructing memorials dedicated to heroes and martyrs. Ranike said Attariwala was one of the greatest warriors of India who had preferred death to serfdom.
Former army chief Gen JJ Singh (retd) paying tributes at the memorial of Sikh warrior General Sham Singh Attariwala in Amritsar district on Wednesday 10th February 2016.
Deputy commissioner Varun Roojam; General Officer Commanding (GOC), 15 Infantry Division, Major Gen Sanjay Thapa, who laid a wreath on behalf of Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command; and Attariwala’s descendants, including Col KS Sidhu, and Col Harinder Singh; were among the others present on the occasion.
Hindustan Times, 10/02/2016.