Jagga Jatt

Jagga jatt
Born Jagat Singh
1901/1902[1]
Burj Ran Singh, Lahore District (now Kasur District), British India
Died 1931 (29 years old)
Other names Jagga Daku
ਜੱਗ ਡਾਕੂ
Known for Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor
Home town Burj Ran Singh[1] of Lahore District[2]
Spouse(s) Inder Kaur (d.1983)
Children Gulab Kaur a.k.a. Gabbo aks Resham Kaur (b.1919)
Parent(s) Sardar Makhan Singh and Bhagan

Jagat Singh Virk (1901/02–1931/32),[1][3] best known as Jagga Jatt or Jagga Daku, was a 20th-century heroic rebel of Punjab.[1][4][5][6] He is known as the Robin Hood of Punjab for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor".[7]

Early life

Jagga was born as Jagat Singh virk in 1901/02[1] in a Jat Sikh family, to father Sardar Makhan Singh and mother Bhagan, in the village of Burj Ran Singh[1] of Lahore District[2][8] (now Kasur District) in British India. In village Burj Ran Singh, most families were Muslim Telis but only 17 or 18 families were of Sikhs. Jagga had two sisters[2] and was the only son of Sardar Makhan Singh . Jagga owned 10 Murabba (250 acres) of land so he was not asked to do anything by his uncle and mother.

Sardar Makhan Singh and Bhaagan had six children before Jagga but none of them survived.[8] At this, Makhan Singh went to a saint Inder Singh, in the nearby village of Sodhi Wala, who told him to buy a buck (male goat) before the birth of the next baby and told him that the buck should be touched by the newly born. The saint also told him not to name the baby starting with J.[2][8]

However, the child was born and finally survived with the subsequent death of the buck touched by him, but an uncle of the child insisted on naming the child as Jagat Singh which was against the directions of the saint.

Jagga's father died when Jagga was a little child. He grew up in the care of his Chacha (Uncle) S. Roop Singh and mother Bhagan.[1][2] He was very fond of wrestling and used to wrestle at the village Akhaara with his friend Sohan Teli. He got married to Inder Kaur of nearby village of Talwandi and the couple was blessed with the only daughter Gulab Kaur a.k.a. Gabo.[1][2]

Personality

Jagga had a strong body, medium height, wheatish skin color, double ringed whiskers and independent nature.[1][7][8] Once he had beaten up the proud Nakaii brothers who used to live at his In-law's village. He had a talkover with a Patwari (Land officer) who refused to give data regarding his land. When the land officer refused to give data than Jagga threw record books hither-thither. Seeing this the land officer agreed to give data.[2][7][8] Jagga became quite famous for his independent nature and strong body in the nearby villages.

Becoming an outlaw

During the British rule every person of guts and independent nature specially young men were watched carefully by the British because he might be dangerous to British Government's authority. Jagga's fame in the area resulted in attracting the jealousy of a Zaildar of Kal Mokal village.[2][8] He considered Jagga's fame a challenge to him and imprisoned Jagga in a false case for 4 years.[7][8] Later when Jagga was released and came back home, a theft incident happened in the nearby village of Bhai Pheru. The Zaildar with his friend inspector Asgar Ali found this incident to be another chance to harass Jagga and the inspector told Jagga to be present at the police station regarding the case.[7][8] Many of Jagga's friends and well wishers tried to persuade Jagga but he declined and went underground and became an outlaw.[2][7]

Becoming a rebel

Being angry on the police's behaviour he snatched a rifle from a policeman at Kanganpur village and killed him. From that day he became a bandit and started robbing at gun point, but he robbed only the rich to help the poor and needy.[1][2][7][8] The first banditry he made was at Ghumiari village[7][8] (at the border of Kasur and Lahore districts) at some goldsmith's house with his friends Jhanda Singh Nirmal Ke and Thakur Singh Mandeyali. They robbed the gold and lit fire to the ledgers that had the loan records of the poor mass. Later he established his group and his new friends were Banta Singh, his childhood friend Sohan Teli, Lalu Nai, Bholu and Bawa. Lalu Nai used to cook food for the group.[2][7][8]

Death

Jagga was killed by treachery in 1932 at the age of 29 years.

There was an other famous bandit, Mallangi, in the nearby village of Sidhupur.[7] Mallangi belonged to a Muslim family and his close friend Harnam Singh had a poor farmer family background. Once a guy informed the police about Mallangi's location and so he and his friend Harnam Singh were killed in the encounter[7] and Mallangi's sister and brother were murdered with his father dying with the shock.[7]

As this news reached Jagga he went to visit Mallangi's blind and mournfull mother. Deciding to spend the noon there he asked Lalu, the cook, to arrange food. Lalu called his brothers from his village nearby to kill Jagga for reward.[1][2][8] He told them to partake wine with them. Jagga and Banta decided to have a drink before the meal but Sohan Teli refused as he claimed he had to visit the nearby village to meet his friend. Finally Jagga and Banta got intoxicated with alcohol and slept under the Boharh (Banyan) tree[2][7][8] and Sohan Teli went to his friend. Taking benefit of the moment, Lalu Nai and his brothers shot the intoxicated Jagga and Banta.[1][2][7][8] On hearing the gunshot, Sohan came back but was shot dead when he tried to attack Lalu on seeing the bloody bodies.Finally, a handsome guy and lion of that area Nahid from malerkotla killed lalu nai.

This is mentioned in a song too:

[1][2]

Transliteration
jagga waddhia boharh di chhaven, nau man ret bhijj gai poorna, naeeaan ne waddh chhaddia jagga soorma.

But the Most believed Story is that British Rulers Attacked his house, killed people and burnt the houses around as well threaten Jagga Singh after they couldn't find him.

At that time, Jagat Singh decided to Take revenge when he came back from "Kabaddi" match. He sent a message to the British Lord ( of the time) that He will come to his house, Will dine with their queens and Bring them with him in his village to show British Empire the Dignity and Power of " Jagga Jutt " for sake of Respect of his nation.

English Emperor's blocked all the ways to the King's house except one way via wooden bridge ( Which was in b/w Islamabad ( Capital of Pakistan) and Lailpur(The Town where British Lord was Housed, Now In Ind).

Jagga Did What he Committed to do along with his other mates ( About 3 Teams of "Kabaddi" game bit similar to wrestling at that time when Lord attacked his village "Amrit sir" and killed few Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus ).After, He freed the women's of British Emperors to let them go to their homes But British were Eager to take revenge.

That was the time when they decided to buy a person whose nickname was "Blaaki nai"and Jagga's beloved girl, daughter of blaaki naayi "Billo". One day, Jagga went to their place to c "Billo" and also get a shave as well. As he sat on the available seat, in front of "Blaaki nayi" for shave, Blaaki gave a Sharp cut on "Jagga Singh's) throat. Jagga Singh hardly Could manage to fight back and died after killing "Blaaki nayi"and his daughter "Billo".

That why poet Said ; " Naayian Waddh Suttya Jagga Soorma ( The man with magnificient, In controlled Power ) "

"Waddh"means Cut not Shot.

This can roughly translated to: They murdered Jagga under a banyan tree, 9 man (a unit of weight measurement in Punjab) sand soaked his blood! O Lord, Nai (a caste or tribe of people. People of Nai caste profession is barber and in Punjab, as well they also cook food for any function like marriage or death) killed Jagga Warrior in cold blood.

As the news of Jagga's death spread, shocked people refused to believe it. British rulers rewarded his traitor Lallu Nai with ten murabas (250 acres) farm land and a horse. Lallu Nai was eventually jailed by the government in other unrelated case, where he was killed by the fellow prisoners.

Family

Jagga's only child, a daughter named Gulab Kaur was born around 1919 and was nicknamed Gabbo.[9] She was renamed by her in-laws to Resham Kaur at the time of her marriage. Before his death, Jagga had arranged for his daughter to be married to Avtar Singh, who was a nephew of Jagga's dacoit friend Kehar Singh.[1][2] Jagga's son-in-law Avtar Singh died in 2005 Banwala Anu village in Malout tehsil of Sri Muktsar Sahib district and his daughter still lives there.[1][7] Interviews of his daughter had published in several newspapers. Jagga's wife Inder Kaur also died in the same village Banwala Anu in 1983.[2]

He is the central heroic topic of songs by Punjabi and Bollywood songs. Several Punjabi movies had been made on his story, including Jagga starring Dara Singh and a 1991 film starring Yograj Singh (father of Indian national cricket Yuvraj Singh).

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ਘੜੂੰਆਂ, ਹਰਨੇਕ ਸਿੰਘ. "'ਜੱਗੇ ਜੱਟ' ਦੇ ਜੀਵਨ ਦਾ ਸੰਖੇਪ ਲੇਖ". Biographical article in Punjabi from Khalsa Fatehnama (Nov. 2005). www.jattsite.com. Retrieved 3 Mar 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "ਜੱਗੇ ਜੱਟ ਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ". A journalist's interview with the subject's only daughter. www.mediakukarpind.com. Retrieved 2 Mar 2012.
  3. ↑ jagga DOB
  4. ↑ Datta, Amaresh (2006). The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature, Volume One (A To Devo). p. 988. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ↑ Judge, Paramjit S. (1992). Insurrection to agitation: the Naxalite Movement in Punjab. p. 190. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. ↑ Jaffri, Dr. Syed Akhtar. Jagga Daku. Ilmoirfan Publishers. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "The Tale of Jagat Singh Jagga (The Robin Hood of Punjab)". www.jattworld.com. Retrieved 2 Mar 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "All about JAGGA JATT". www.unp.me. 16 Dec 2009. Retrieved 12 Mar 2012.
  9. ↑ Chasing rebels, Hindustan Times, 2015
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