The history of "Barah Baj Gaye"

Well, this brings me to the most often repeated snide remark against Sikhs. BARAH BAJ GAYE.. ("It is twelve o' clock") a remark that intends to imply that Sardars go into a 'mad' mood at twelve o' clock.

12 0'clock

But do the reciters of the story know the truth behind it?

NOW THE STORY During the 17th Century, when Hindustan (India) was ruled by Mughals, people were humiliated and treated like animals. Mughals treated Hindu women as their own property and were forcing all Hindus to accept Islam and even used to kill people if they refused to accept.

During that period, our Ninth Guru Sri Guru Teg Bhadarji who came forward, at the request of some Kashmir Pandits, to fight against all these cruel activities.

Guruji told the Mughal emperor that if he could succeed in converting Guruji to Islam, all Hindus would accept the same but if he failed, he should stop all those activities. The Mughal emperor happily agreed to that, but even after lots of torture to Guruji and his fellow members, he failed to convert them to Islam. Guruji, along with his other four fellow members, was also tortured for the same and they sacrificed their lives in Chandni Chowk, New Delhi. Since the Mughals were unable to convert them to Islam, they were assassinated. Thus, Guruji sacrificed his life for protection of the Hindu religion.

Can anybody lay his life down for the protection of some other religion? This is the reason he is still remembered as "Hind Ki Chaddar" . However, none of the people for whom he'd sacrificed his life came forward to lift his body, fearing that they would also be assassinated .

Seeing this incident our 10th Guruji, Sri Guru Gobind Singhji (Son of Guru Teg Bahadarji) made a resolution that he would make such a class of people who would not be able to hide themselves and would stand out even amongst a crowd of thousands, THE SIKH. At the start Sikhs were very less in numbers even though they were fighting against the Mughals emperors. At that time, Nadir Shah raided Delhi in the year 1739 and looted Hindustan and was carrying lot of Hindustan treasures and nearly 2200 Hindu women along with him. The news spread like wildfire and was heard by Sardar Jassa Singh, who was the Commander of the Sikh army at that time. He decided to attack Nadir Shah's Khafila on the same midnight. He did so and rescued all the Hindu women and they were safely sent to their homes. It didn't happen only once but thereafter, whenever any Abdaalis or Iranis had looted Hindustan and were trying to carry out treasures and Hindu women along with them for selling them in Abdal markets, the Sikh army although quite few in numbers but brave-hearted, attacked them at midnight,12 o'clock and rescued the captured women.

After that time, when there occurred a similar incident, people started to contact the Sikh army for their help and the Sikhs used to attack the raiders at midnight, 12 o'clock. Their continued success became a legend, that at midnight nearly at 12 o'clock, it is very difficult to fight against Sikhs as the Sikhs are endowed with supernatural power to defend Religion, Nation and Humanity. Nobody can fight and win against them at midnight. That is the legend behind the story today. Over time, a few smart alecks corrupted this into the line that at 12 o'clock, the Sikhs go out of their senses