Jallianwala Bagh Survivor’s Poem, Once Banned, Sees New Light

(This story was first published on 13 April 2019 and has been reposted from The Quint’s archives to mark anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh massacre)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

Dispirited and despondent by the turn of events
They lamented, aghast at the miserable fate
With sinking hearts, they then witnessed
A shadow spread across a nation great

Celebrated Punjabi poet and Sahitya Akademi winner Nanak Suri wrote Khooni Vaisakhi, a ballad recounting the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in Punjabi. The book was promptly banned by the British empire when it was first published in 1920, only to be rediscovered years later in 1980.

On 13 April 2019, a hundred years after the bloody incident that killed thousands, Nanak’s grandson, Indian diplomat Navdeep Singh Suri, released the ballad’s English translation.

“It’s a seminal piece of work by my grandfather, Nanak Singh. He was just 22 when the Jallianwala Bagh (massacre) happened in the 1919.”

Navdeep Suri, Indian Diplomat

Recounting his grandfather’s experience during the massacre, Navdeep says:

“He had gone to the Bagh with two of his friends. Both of them were killed. He himself was knocked down in the stampede and fell unconscious, was left for dead [but he] walked away from that horror, and a few months later, he proceeded to write this long poem – like a ballad – ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’.”

Navdeep Suri, Indian Diplomat

Strikes called in every city and town
Sobs muffled, they roam in a sorry state
Those valiant sons of Bharat Mata
Shedding tears, dismayed and desolate

However, he adds that most of what he has heard was from recollections of his grandmother, his father and uncles. While Navdeep was 12 when Nanak passed away in 1971, he asserts that his grandfather never spoke about the incident.

“The understanding in the family was that this was a subject he did not want to touch upon. It was almost as if this was a window he had closed. He never even spoke about the book.”

Navdeep Suri, Indian Diplomat

Translating his grandfather’s work, Navdeep says, has been a voyage of rediscovery.

“For me, it was a voyage of rediscovery, of my roots, of my city, and it came with the sad realisation of how much we forget and how important it is to remember that part of our history.”

Navdeep Suri, Indian Diplomat

"Rebel, robber, scoundrel and more
Names used against us to aggravate
Frame our heroes with guilt and treason
Damage they wreck on our nation great"