Opri Hawa: Mysterious Ailment (punjabi)

Ose were the days when the Sikh community was protesting against the use of gurdwara income for personal gain by the mahants and priests who had manipulated to become owners of gurdwara property under English law. The Sikhs were demanding that Gurdwara management should be handed over to the representatives of the sangat. Seeing the government's patronage of mahants and priests, the movement itself was taking an anti-government stance. Sir Michael O'Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, in his book "India As I Knew It", considers the Ghadarites as "the fathers of the new revolutionary movement of the Akali Sikhs". Reports of Criminal Investigation Department of Government of India also endorse this view. Senior leaders of the Akali movement like Master Sundar Singh Lyallpuri, Teja Singh Samundari and Master Tara Singh, were in contact with the Ghadrites and they continued to formulate policy in consultation with the Ghadrites Bhai Santokh Singh and Bhai Ratan Singh sitting in the United States. As a result of the Gurdwara Act passed by the Punjab Government in 1925, senior Akali leaders focused their attention towards reforming the gurdwara administration. This led to the breakup of Ghadri-Akali collaboration and in time the contribution of the Ghadrites in Akali movement faded away. In this book "Ghadri- Akali Warriors", Dr. Gurdev Singh Sidhu has thrown light on this alliance by quoting official documents and at the same time has described the activities of some patriots who had been active first in the Ghadr movement and then in the Akali movement. It is hoped that the book will help readers understand their proud political heritage.