Nanak Singh deeply felt novel, written in the immediate aftermath of the Partition of 1947 carries the raw stamp of an intensely felt and lived tragedy which
Gathered in a formation tight, my friends.
Under the tyrant’s orders, they opened fire
Straight into innocent hearts, my friends.
And fire and fire and fire they did
Some thousands of bullets were shot, my friends.
Like searing hail they felled our youth
A tempest not seen before, my friends.
Riddled chests and bodies slid to the ground
Each one a target large, my friends.
Haunting cries for help did rend the sky
Smoke rose from smouldering guns, my friends.
Just a sip of water was all they sought
Valiant youth lay dying in the dust, my friends.
Nanak Singh, a literary giant and ‘Father of the Punjabi Novel’, was present at Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919. Barely 22 at the time, Nanak Singh witnessed General Reginald Dyer’s troops open indiscriminate fire on unarmed civilians protesting against the draconian Rowlatt Act and the arrest of popular freedom fighters Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal.