Shaheed Bibi Ravinder Kaur Rano

Martyrs of June 1984

 

Bibi Ravinder Kaur Rano was born in Dingrian village, near Adampur, district Jalandhar. Bibi Rano was a follower of Gurmat, full of fighting spirit and always recited Gurbani. Ravinder Kaur was only nine years old, innocent but resolute and wanted to take Arit from the Panj Pyare. Bibi Ravinder Kaur was youngest of six children, three sisters and 2 brothers, who called her ‘Rano’. She would tell her parents daily, “I will become Amritdhari! I am going to join the Khalsa army! I want to be like my sister!” These were her everyday declarations. Her elder brother and sister were already Amritdhari and a source of constant inspiration. The children would go to the Gurdwara together and join other Gursikhs in selfless service.

 

Blessing of Amrit

Sant Kartar Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale and the Jatha of Damdami Taksal would visit a nearby village every year for a week long Smagam in memory of the 4 Sahibzade’s (sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj) Martyrdom. They would also hold Amrit Sanchar during this Smagam. Bibi Ravinder Kaur’s parents were not Amritdhari, nor did they wish for any of their children to take Amrit before their marriages. But this did not deter her in her quest for take Amrit. She travelled to the village alone and made herself present at the Amrit Sanchar. Usually, an adult accompanies a young child that is taking Amrit, but she knew that none of her family would help her in this situation. When the Panj Pyare saw Bibi Rano, a young girl on her own, they questioned her:

 

Panj Pyara:         Who are you here with?

Bibi Rano:           I am on my own.

Panj Pyara:         You are too young to take Amrit on your own. It is not an easy task to keep the responsibilities of Amrit. You are too young, come back when you are older.

Bibi Rano:           I don’t understand. The sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh J Maharaj were also very young when they sacrificed their lives. If they can do it, then why can’t I?

 

The Panj Pyare were stunned at the responses from this valiant child. There was no turning her back. She was blessed with Amrit and so began her life as a servant of the Khalsa Panth. When Bibi Rano returned home from the Amrit Sanchar, she was so excited she grabbed her harmonium and started doing kirtan on their lawn. When her father arrived home from his work in the farms, he could see what she had done, as she was now wearing a turban. He was enraged that his daughter had disobeyed his orders and started to shout at her saying, “Two of my children have already disobeyed me and now you’ve joined them? Why did you do this despite my forbidding?” Bibi Rano answered back:

 

Bibi Rano:           How many dogs roam around our village that have no owner?

Father:                 How do I know? What kind of stupid question is that? I don’t count the number of dogs in this village.

Bibi Rano:           Without Amrit we are like those dogs with no owners. Once we take Amrit, we are owned by the Guru. We become theirs. When a dog without an owner dies, no-one cares and no-one knows where it goes after death. I know that with Amrit I belong to them and when I die, they will be there for me. The kirpan belt (Gatra) we wear, is like Guru Sahib’s leash on us.

 

Her father realised debating with Bibi Rano was pointless. From the day she took Amrit, she had true love for Sikhi. She practiced the life of a true Gursikh, she would read Gurbani all day.

 

April 1978 – Massacre of Amritsar

During the 1970s, Sikhs were suffering much oppression at the hands of the Indian government. The stories of police brutalities did not scare Bibi Rano. The more injustices she heard of, the more valiant she became in her fight for Sikhi. Bhai Fauja Singh and Bhai Kewal Singh used to visit her village where she was fortunate enough to meet with them often. She was influenced by Bhai Fauja Singh’s braveness and his constant thoughts of being ready to die for the Khalsa Panth. The April 1978 Massacre of Amritsar shook the whole Sikh nation, where 13 Singhs gave their lives defending the sanctity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj and many more were wounded. Upon hearing this news, Bibi Rano didn’t get upset or angry over the martyrdom of 13 Singhs. Instead, she began doing Ardas asking for her own chance to give martyrdom for her faith.

 

Dharam Yudh Morcha

Bibi Ravinder Kaur was arrested during the Dharam Yudh Morcha and went to jail three times for participating in Panthic activities. Bibi Ravinder Kaur also wrote letters during her jail time. The 1984tribute.com team has seen those letters and it is clear from reading them how much Bibi Rano was connected to Gurbani and how much Panthic enthusiasm was in her. Bibi Ravinder Kaur, who also did Kirtan, was also very skilled in Shastar Vidya (Sikh martial arts), and was very educated and taught at the Government College in Sarhali. During the Dharam Yudh Morcha, she was called ‘Jathedarni of Adampur’, because she led the groups who gave their voluntary arrest from that area. She often stood in front of the police during protest demonstrations, and her bravery is discussed even today. Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale had Bhai Harbhajan Singh Ragi married to Bibi Ravinder Kaur on 6th May 1984. It was on the same day that Anand Karaj of Bibi Paramjit Kaur (Shaheed) was done with Bhai Harminder Singh Sandhu, the general secretary of Sikh Student Federation. 

 

Teacher’s Activism

During her time as a teacher, some of her students came to her and told her that there were a few men (20-25yrs old) who would harass them on their bus ride to school. Bibi Rano told the girls not to worry. The next day, when the bus arrived at the school, Bibi Rano was waiting at the bus stop. All the students left the bus and the bus was about to leave, but Bibi Rano stood in the middle of the road in front of the bus. She told the bus driver to stop the bus. She got on the bus, and told those immoral men to step outside. Initially, the men ignored her and told her to get off and let them be on their way. She knew that they would react like this, but she had come prepared. She showed them her gun that she had been hiding under her clothes. At the sight of her gun, the men jumped off the bus like chickens and Bibi Rano followed.

 

At the bus stop, she hit the men with the back of her gun until they were bruised. By this time a crowd had gathered at the bus stop to see what the commotion was. She told the men that if they bothered or tried to flirt or even look in the direction of those girls again, she would kill them. She also told them, that if they had a problem with what she had said and done to them, or if they wanted to settle things at a later time, they could come to her house, and she gave them her address. Those men were so scared of her that they never even got on the same bus as the students again.

 

Anand Karaj

Bibi Rano was of an extremely religious temperament. She had no desire to marry as she knew she would not be on this earth for much time, so she wanted to use what little time she had in selfless service and Simran. It was only right that Bibi Rano got married to a Singh of the similar calibre and same amount of love for Sikhi. On 6th May 1984, Bibi Rano had her Anand Karaj with Bhai Harbhajan Singh Ragi, he was an Amritdhari Singh, a great Kirtani Singh and took part in Dharam Yudh Morcha with his family also. Bhai Harbhajan Singh Ragi was very close to Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranewale and lived at Nanak Niwas with the Singhs of Damdami Taksal. Bibi Rano’s Anand Karaj place at Sri Manji Sahib, Amritsar with five other couples. Bibi Paramjit Singh also had her Anand Karaj on the same day with Bhai Harminder Singh Sandhu, the general secretary of All India Sikh Student Federation. This was the last marriage program that ever took place at Sri Manji Sahib, Amritsar. After the Anand Karaj, Bibi Rano and Bhai Harbhajan Singh Ragi moved into the rooms of Langar Hall, as all married couples stayed there.

 

Last Conversation with Husband

In June 1984, just a month after her wedding, the Indian army attacked Sri Darbar Sahib and Bibi Rano got her wish of participating in battle and attaining a righteous martyrdom. A few days before the battle started, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale told all the ladies and the married couples to go back to their villages as they were needed to continue their linage and flourish the movement for the Sikh homeland. Most couples left but Bibi Rano, Mata Parkash Kaur (her mother-in-law), Bibi Upkar Kaur, Bibi Paramjit Kaur Sandhu and the family of Giani Mohar Singh refused to go saying that they were going to fight alongside the Jhujaru Singhs.

 

The fighting started with the Indian army throwing tear gas shells into the Sri Darbar Sahib complex. Bibi Ravinder Kaur were first with her husband on the side of the Langar Hall and then she separated to join the Jhujaru Singhnia and was given the responsibility to distribute onions to all the Jhujaru Singhs as the gas from the onions stopped the tear gas from taking effect. When she came to her hus­band, he started smiling at her. She said to him, “Harbhajan Singh, this is no time for laughing, the time has finally come to give our lives for the Sikh nation. There is no other perfect place to attain martyrdom for the Khalsa Panth than at Sri Harminder Sahib.” They then said their final farewell to each other and she moved on with her duty. These were her last words to her husband, Bhai Harbhajan Singh Ragi.

 

Then Bibi Upkar Kaur, President of the Women’s Wing of the Sikh Students Federation, and Bibi Paramjit Kaur, wife of General Secretary, Bhai Harminder Singh Sandhu, who had a lot of ammunition and bombs in the Akaal Rest House, took Bhai Harbhajan Singh’s mother, Mata Parkash Kaur and Bibi Rano with them to the side of Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai Sahib. There, when the army started searching the quarters, the women shouted ‘Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akaal’ and attacked the soldiers. It was in this attack that Bibi Upkar Kaur, Bibi Paramjit Kaur Sandhu, Bibi Ravinder Kaur Rano and Mata Prakash Kaur (mother of Bhai Harbhajan Singh Ragi) along with other women attained martyrdom. 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Harbhajan Singh Ragi

Information subtracted from an article from Akhand Kirtani Jatha