Ghadr Party

Ghadar Party
Founder	Sohan Singh Bhakna
Founded	1913
Dissolved	1919
Preceded by	Pacific Coast Hindustan Association
Ideology	Revolutionary Socialism Sikh political organisation
Colours	Red, Saffron and Green

The Ghadar Party (Punjabi: ਗ਼ਦਰ ਪਾਰਟੀ) was an organisation founded by Punjabi-Sikhs, principally Sikhs in the United States and Canada with the aim of securing India's independence from British rule. Key members included , Sohan Singh Bhakna, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Abdul Hafiz Mohamed Barakatullah and Rashbehari Bose.

Projection of Lal Hardyal as ‘brain’ behind, the Ghadar movement has been disputed by reputed historian Ajmer Singh as ‘an implicit attempt to reject and subsume the Sikh identity of the Ghadar leaders into pan-Indian identity’. He quotes Baba Bhakna as saying in his autobiography that ‘Lala Hardyal was most intelligent person but had no consistency and perseverance of a fighter ………..and he was hired only to edit the Ghadar newspaper where he worked only for six months ……..and then left for Germany thereafter not to come back to US again’. During stay in Germany, Lala Hardyal lost his earlier anti-British fervor, rather, began singing paeans of the British and later wrote a book in their praise which was freely distributed in India by the British administration. After the outbreak of World War I, Ghadar party members returned to Punjab to agitate for rebellion alongside the Babbar Akali Movement. In 1915 they conducted revolutionary activities in central Punjab and organised uprisings. Their presence challenged the hold of the British Empire; police surveillance in Punjabi villages increased in an attempt to crush the rebellion. The party is known for setting the foundation for future Indian revolutionary movements and served as a stepping stone for independence. Though predominantly Sikh, the party included members and leaders of many religions, demonstrating an accepting and democratic attitude towards all people as they united in their patriotism. After the conclusion of the war, the party in America split into Communist and Anti-Communist factions. The party was formally dissolved in 1948.

Ghadar is an Urdu word derived from Arabic which means "revolt" or "rebellion." As Kartar Singh Sarabha, one of the founders of the party, wrote in the first issue: "Today there begins 'Ghadar' in foreign lands, but in our country's tongue, a war against the British Raj. What is our name? Ghadar. What is our work? Ghadar. Where will be the Revolution? In India. The time will soon come when rifles and blood will take the place of pens and ink." The name of the organisation was primarily spelled "Gadar Party" or "Ghadr Party" by its members.

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