Punjab Minister Sodhi praises 'Kesari' for glorifying military history

Bollywood movie 'Kesari' brings to the limelight a long lost and glorious chapter of the country's military history, senior Congress leader and Punjab Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said Sunday. He said the movie, based on the Battle of Saragarhi, epitomises the "never say die spirit" of the Sikhs even when faced with heavy odds. It also shows their adherence to the military dictum of fighting to the last man, last round, Sodhi said.

"Lead actor Akshay Kumar as well as the filmmakers have done a marvellous job in highlighting the last stand and unparalleled bravery of the 21 soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment, who on September 12 in 1897 during the Battle of Saragarhi faced more than 10,000 tribesmen in the then North Western Frontier Province and fought till the last man leading to the enemy casualties in huge proportions," he said.

The minister said, in a statement, that he would ask the director of the movie, Anurag Singh, to organise a special screening for the youth of Punjab, especially the student community, in order to enable them to feel a connection with their illustrious past.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, himself a military historian, had recently penned a book chronicling the "martyrdom" of the soldiers at Saragarhi, Sodhi said. The work led to the renewed interest in the subject, he said.

Congress leader Sodhi elaborated that such a venture deserved to be put on the celluloid so as to let the youth have a peep into the glorious past of Sikhs.