The Kuka Movement
The First Non-Cooperation Movement Against the Britishers
The Kuka Movement often called as the Namdhari Movement is regarded as the pioneer to Independence from the Britishers. The word Kuka is derived from the loud cries emitted by people during religious congregation, where while reciting the shabad from the Guru Granth Sahib ji they would start dancing and shouting loudly. It was the first non-cooperative movement against the Britishers in British India. The non cooperation movement led by Ram Singh, often called “Ram Singh Kuka” had such an effect on the British Government that Later in the Early 20th Century Mahatma Gandhi adopted the same principles of non-cooperation in the whole of India against the Britishers, which paved the way to Independence of India from the British Empire. The techniques and tactics used by the Kukas were such that after gaining independence from Britishers, the Indian Government acknowledged their struggle for Independence.
Bhagat Jawahar Mal
The Kuka or Namdhari Sect was founded by Bhagat Jawahar Mal Ji. Bhagat Jawahar Mal was known for being engrossed in Naam- Simran and attracted followers from far off places. Bhagat Jawahar Mal Ji initially had his dera ( Headquarters ) in Rawalpindi, which is in present Panjab , Pakistan. Later on He moved from Rawalpindi to Hazro ( exact year and date unknown ). As a result many of his followers migrated with and many joined him in between his transit from Rawalpindi to Hazro. At Hazro, a person name Balak Singh became Bhagat Jawahar Mal’s disciple and Jawahar Mal was so impressed with Balak Singh’s Seva and devotion towards Naam Simran that when later on Bhagat Jawahar Mal decided to shift his residence back to Rawalpindi from Hazro, Balak Singh was given the duty to foresee all the management at Hazro.
Baba Balak Singh
Baba Balak Singh was born in Village Choi, District Attock (Present day — Panjab , Pakistan ) in 1799 A.D. Baba Balak Singh came to Hazro with his brother Bhai Manna Singh. In Hazro, Baba Balak Singh came into contact of Followers (Sangat) of Bhagat Jawahar Mal Ji. Such was the impact the sangat created on Balak Singh that he became the follower of Siyan Saheb and joined their Mandal. Baba Balak Singh used to be so much engrossed in the Naam — Simran that he slowly and gradually became one of the leaders of this (Sect). When Bhagat Jawahar Mal ji shifted his residence back to Rawalpindi from Hazro, all the management of the sect at Hazro was given to Baba Balak Singh. Baba Balak Singh was known to be engrossed in Naam throughout his life. Under the Leadership of Baba Balak Singh, this sect became prominent and organized and the followers came to be known under the name of Abhyasis and Jigyasis. There were 3 prominent disciples of Baba Balak Singh ji which were the heads of their respective Deras. These were — Baba Balak Singh’s brother Bhai Mani Singh’s son Bhai Kahn Singh in Hazro. 2nd was Bhai Lal Singh in Amritsar . 3rd was Bhai Ram Singh in Village Bhaini, District Ludhiana. Of the three , Bhai Ram Singh rose to publicity and became a more prominent figure in coming times than the other too. The reason being not only focusing on spiritual and social causes for the upliftment of the society but gradually fighting for righteousness, which for Bhai Ram Singh meant a rebellion in the form of Non-Cooperation against the British Government.
Bhai Ram Singh
Ram Singh was born on 3rd Feb, 1816, in Bhaini Village in Ludhiana. The main occupation of Ram Singh was that of a Carpenter. In 1836–37 at the age of 21, he joined Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Khalsa Army and got recruited in Bhai Nau-Nihal Singh’s Artillery division. In 1841 Bhai Ram Singh came in contact with Baba Balak Singh during His regiments stay at Hazro, he got so much influenced by Baba Balak Singh and became his disciple. Baba Ram Singh is believed to be administered Khande-ki-Pahul ( Amrit ) by Baba Balak Singh. Baba Ram Singh left the Khalsa army after the battle of Mudki, 1845–46 when the British occupied Lahore and came back to Village Bhaini. He started store of clothing and steel in Bhaini and under the influence of Baba Balak Singh, Jigyasi (Abhyaasi) sect, he started preaching about Sikhi and after death of Baba Balak Singh in 1862, he took control of all the management of the sect.
Notable Work of Bhai Ram Singh
Bhai Ram Singh did notable work for the society. During his time, he saw people losing faith in Sikhi and going back to the ways of Hinduism .Books like Vedas, Puranas were getting more recognition. People started worshipping Brahmins, priests and the saints. Many sects like Bedis and Sodhis started to portray themselves as the true Guru. All this happening in the society was against the Tenets of Sikhi and Baba Ram Singh was well aware of this . So Therefore He not only preached regarding Sikhi but also worked for the upliftment of the society, which Baba Ram Singh considered as a moral duty.
Formation of Sant Khalsa
To Uplift people from the prejudices , he created the order called Sant Khalsa which was based on the models of the Khalsa created by Guru Gobind Singh Ji and was initially a type of reformist Movement. On 12th April, 1857 on Vaisakhi , Baba Ram Singh administered Khande di Pahul ( Amrit ) to 5 Sikhs. The 5 Sikhs who were initiated were — Kahn Singh, Labh Singh, Atma Singh, Naina Singh, Sudh Singh. So the followers of Bhai Ram Singh were called Sant Khalsa. Later on these followers were called Kukas because while doing Kirtan and being engrossed in Naam they would start shouting loudly and dance in the congregation. They were also recognized as Namdhari because of them being engrossed in Naam ( the name of the lord ) for hours during meditation. Bhai Ram Singh preached Guru Granth Sahib ji as the only true source teachings of the saints and Guru Gobind Singh as the true Guru. He denounced Sodhis, Bedis, Mahants as the Gurus. Kukas were forbidden to visit devidwaras, shivdwaras, mandirs, marhis, khankhas (Muslim monasteries). Kabars (graves) mazar (Muslim tomb) and smadhs (Hindu tombs). He preached anybody of any caste, creed, gender can become Sikh. Such was the effect of the preaching of Baba Ram Singh that people started converting to Sikhi on large scale. Women were given equal recognition as men and took part equally in daily ceremonies. He also started remarriage of the Widows. The importance of leading a life of regular prayer and meditation and noble actions such as abstinence from evils of stealing, adultery, falsehood, backbiting, smoking and use of liquor, hemp and opium. Since the formation of Sant Khalsa was based on the principles of Khalsa so the intention was not to create a new order of Saints but Ram Singh wanted the followers to be heroes and emphasized the qualities of physical strength and martial spirit.
For the success of newly created model to an effective organization — Ram Singh divided the areas under his influence into 22 Subas, which were further divided into Naib Subas, Jathedars etc where local Sangat take part. From its inception, it was dominated by the ex soldiers of Erstwhile Khalsa Army of the Sikh Empire which gave the way of Militancy to this movement. The movement gained vast pace, with more and more people joining the sect and embracing Sikhi. Wherever, Baba Ram Singh would go, a huge gathering would prevail. As a result, this movement gained a notice of British Government in 1863 which led to Baba Ram Singh’s interrogation during his Visit to Amritsar in 1863, by Deputy Inspector General of Lahore and Deputy Commissioner Amritsar, though he was let go after interrogation but since the British Government got the rumors that Baba Ram Singh preached about the rebellion against the Government a secret police supervision was initiated against him.
From the reports of Police Supervision, the Government came to know that Ram Singh and his followers preach about a successful rebellion and are planning for one , but there was not a direct evidence regarding that. With the sect having prominent soldiers from erstwhile Khalsa Army, the government got alarmed and courted House Arrest to Baba Ram Singh at his home in Bhaini in July 1863 and whole Kuka Organization was kept under strict police observation. In order to communicate between the Subas a secret Postal Service was set up by Kukas known as “ Kuka Daak Seva “. The government tried to crush the sentiments of Kukas but to their astonishment, this Sect gained more attention with Baba Ram Singh getting more popular than ever and Sangat from far started to throng in Bhaini to see the glimpse of Baba Ram Singh Ji. As a result, more and more people joined this sect and became Kukas. The Kukas now revived their activities vigourously and now focused against Tombs, graves, smaadhs, idols etc. Seeing the growing strength of the Kukas, the government got alarmed and to avoid any unforeseen situation in future, the government had no option but to release Baba Ram Singh from House Arrest. But this calculation also proved wrong, after the release of Baba Ram Singh, the activities of Kuka gained more stimulus.
After his release, Ram Singh officiated the boycott of all Government goods and services, which included rails, courts, education system, post offices which led to financial stress in British treasury. With a secret postal service already in place which worked more proficiently than the Government postal Service. These were the initial signs of non-cooperation against the Government. Kukas gained prominence from the new 2 dimensions :
· 1st Baba Ram Singh tried to establish diplomatic relations with the neighboring native states of Kashmir and Nepal .
· 2nd Murderous attacks on Butchers.
Kukas were able to establish their own regiment in Kashmir under the command of Suba Hira Singh Sadhaura. In Nepal, two senior Subas, Suba Sahib Singh and Suba Hari Singh were sent to Nepal with present to its Ruler, Rana Jung Bahadur to as to ascertain if there were any openings in the Gurkha Army. The efforts to establish a strong contact with these native states did not bear fruit as both the rulers did not want to displease the Britishers. As a result their regiment in Kashmir also got disbanded.
The Second Dimension
The second dimension or phase of Kukas can be characterized by the violent and murderous attacks against the Britishers. The 1st one was in 1869 in Districts of Sirsa and Ferozepur, Kukas who had gathered in few numbers, who having a rebellion in mind first had either sold their properties or either burnt them. They decided to unleash an attack on Deputy Inspector Kam Baksh and his colleague Sobhe Shah and injured them badly. Later 44 persons were arrested and out of them only 7 were convicted of the charges and were given 18 months prison and 10₹ penalty .
The 2nd attack was on the Kine killers or Butchers — The British after annexing Sikh Empire decided to continue with their policy of divide and rule in Punjab too which they continued in another parts of Punjab. As a result the Britishers encouraged the cow-killer Butchers, which crushed the sentiments of Both Hindus and Sikhs as cow is considered as sacred to Hindus and Cow killing was banned in the era of Sikh Empire. There was a slaughterhouse in Amritsar adjoining the Golden Temple which Kukas considered as the sacrilege of the Holy Gurudwara. So the Kukas 1st Attacked slaughter house in Amritsar in 14–15 June, 1871 and then Raikot on 15 July, 1871. They killed the butchers and fled. Later they were traced and 5 were executed and 2 transported for life in Amritsar incidence and in Raikot incidence , 6 were hanged. But this did not deter the Kukas as they decided to unleash their attacks on Malodh on 13–14th January, 1872 and Malerkotla on 15 January, 1872. Approximately 125 Kukas attacked the palace of native ruler with an objective of getting hold of money, arms and horses but were soon obstructed by policemen and soldiers of palace. This led to pitched battle between both the sides leading to 8 persons being killed and several wounded on Malerkotla side and 7 killed and several severely wounded on Kukas side.
After the battle got over, the Kukas rested to nearby village Rarh, where they were surprisingly apprehended by Patiala Troops. There were total 68 Kukas and barring 2 women , rest all were arrested and summoned to Malerkotla. All the arrested Kukas were put to death with 65 of them blown off by cannon and 1 chopped to pieces under the orders of Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana, Mr. L. Cowan. After this, Baba Ram Singh headquarters in Bhaini Village was raided and Baba Ram Singh and his Subas all were arrested and detained under the Bengal Regulation 111 of 1818. Baba Ram Singh was sent to exile in Rangoon without any trial. The Government feared that in case the trial failed, consequences would be unfavorable for preservation of public peace. The headquarters were searched thoroughly, the local Gurudwara was locked and a permanent police post was setup with 1 Sub- Inspector and 20 Constables which remained till 1922. The Kukas were placed under a complete system of surveillance. But despite this, Kuka Movement did not lose its charm. Under the absence of Baba Ram Singh, his younger brother Budh Singh under the name of Hari Singh assumed the leadership. Baba Ram Singh too found a way to maintain link with his disciples despite being in exile, a regular communication was maintained through devoted messengers which boosted the morale of his disciples. An extremely effective factor was the wide circulation of prophesies known as Sakhis assuring an early end of the British rule. The Kukas even mediated with the Russian Authorities which raised there hopes even more. The news came in 1885 that Baba Ram Singh died in Rangoon while in exile but such was the spirit of the Kukas that they even refused to believe it.
When Maharaja Duleep Singh decided to return to India in 1886 , this thrilled them and delegation of 4 Kukas were sent to Bombay to receive him but seeing the threat of disturbance of peace, Maharaja was not allowed to enter India. As a result, Maharaja Duleep Singh made a trip to Moscow, which in turn raised the spirit of Kukas even More but when Maharaja decided to return back from Moscow, it dampered the spirit of Kukas.
After this slowly and gradually the Kuka Movement subsided but it left a deep impact on future course of struggle for independence. By boycotting courts, service postal, telegraphic arrangements and educational institutions of the government, they are regarded as the Torch bearers of the Non- Cooperation and boycott as political weapons , which used on a national scale by Mahatma Gandhi later on. This movement paved the way to other movements in Punjab such as the Ghadar Movement and the Singh Sabha Movement which owe a deep sense of gratitude to the Kukas .
Present Developments
With the passage time , the word Kuka has totally been replaced by the Namdhari. The movement which was a first religious and reformist movement based on the principles of Khalsa in general and Guru Gobind Singh Ji in particular developed into a separate sect or sampradaye , not in line with the beliefs and principles of Sikhs , having a continuous line of Gurus with a firm belief that lineage of Gurus did not end with Guru Gobind Singh Ji. So contrary to this, Guru Granth Sahib ji which is widely recognized as a living and eternal Guru of Sikhs and which is accepted by many sects as well , the Namdhari consider Guru Granth Sahib ji only as a sacred Holy Book. The Namdharis, now have a different way of reciting the Ardaas ( the daily prayer ) as all the names of their personal Gurus are included as well. At present the Namdharis are lead by their Spiritual leader Uday Singh with Bhaini Sahib Village in Ludhiana District serving as the headquarters for them.
Conclusions
The Kuka movement started as a reformist movement developed into a political and revolutionary movement by Baba Ram Singh. He developed a sense on nationality , pride in the minds of his disciples so as result it was not long a rebellion against the British Government was about to come. Though the Kuka Movement could not last long and could not drive the British power out of Punjab but it paved way to subsequent movements in Punjab which worked on the principles similar to the Kukas. The Kuka Movement should be considered as the pioneer to the movement of Independence against the Britishers.
Credits
Jasmeet Singh : He is an Bachelor of Arts, graduate with specialization of History and currently pursuing Masters in History and also worked as a Sr. Executive Operations in a U.S. process. He has keen interest regarding Sikh History and is currently working on covering various aspects on Sikh History and currently volunteering itihaas.thehistory as research and content analyst.
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