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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Manika Kaur, a Sikh devotional singer songwriter

Good Morning.

Today in 1940 Winston Churchill delivered his famous ‘Their finest hour’ speech after the fall of France to Germany.

India having made a significant contribution to both world wars with 1.5 million Indian troops in the first war, by 1941 had recruited another 2.5 million soldiers to fight for the crown once again.

The history behind these sacrifices is deeply problematic. The freedom India was promised in return after World War One was replaced with the shackles of The Rowlatt Act which allowed the government to censor the press, detain activists and arrest without a warrant.

In 1919 during Baisakhi celebrations in Amritsar, shots were fired at peaceful protesters who wanted to be free of an oppressive British regime. Women, children and men were killed and injured in what is known as the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre.

A high proportion of the serving soldiers in both world wars were Sikhs, recognised by their turbans and famously known in World War One as The Black Lions.

This bitter ending for those who selflessly served the crown led to the Sikh sacrifices in the two wars being largely omitted from history.

Towards the end of his career, Churchill would say "British people are highly indebted and obliged to Sikhs for a long time. I know that within this century we needed their help twice and they did help us very well. As a result of their timely help, we are today able to live with honour, dignity, and independence".

This heritage of Sikh service to the crown is humbling and this gross oversight is slowly being amended.

Dear Father

Sustainer of all life please heed our prayer and allow our nations to unite with love. Bless us with the wisdom to treat others with dignity and honour the memory of those whose lives were so cruelly cut short.

Waheguru

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