Mothada Kalan's History

With a present day (1.1.2016) population of about————— and total land ownership of———acres, Mothadda Kalan is situated between Phillaur and Goraya, about nine kilometers to the west of the sub-divisional town of Phillaur of Jalandhar district in Punjab. Equal size of population of the village is roughly estimated to have migrated to either other states of India or foreign lands in search of greener pastures. The village though can be approached by some other link-roads too but main access is through two kilometers long metalled approach road from the Grand Trunk Road.

This place had been falling victim to many foreign invaders from time to time who had converted it into a mound. The present day habitation was made on the mound which naturally is always raised piece of land. Hence the addition of prefix ‘ucha’ (higher leveled) to its name to differentiate its identity from its adjoining namesake Mothadda Khurd (low-leveled) which was founded by some agnates of the inhabitants of the main village.

The village had been founded since times immemorial by four persons belonging to different castes . Mr. Maula Jatt belonging to Aujla sub-caste took possession in the east on the said mound while Jagta Jatt hailing from Boora sub-caste settled in the west. Jhandu ad-dharmi-as the present-day scheduled castes were called in those days- did settle in the north and the remaining fourth side of south was inhabited by a carpenter whose name has fallen into oblivion by the passage of time.

The inhabitants of this village had faced a great deal of difficulties during the Sikh rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, as the revenue of this locality was given in grant by the Sikh monarch to the Sodhis of Anandpur-the seat of the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. Those Sodhis had given the agricultural land to the local peasant-tenants for cultivation and had appointed their agents to take care of the land as well as to keep watch over the peasants.

As the revenue during the Sikh rule was assessed and collected in form of agricultural produce so the agents would be

more cautious and would keep a vigilant watch not allowing the peasants even to take a corncob of maize home. The defaulter was pilloried near the village entrance to humiliate and to warn the onlookers. The local peasants were given the ownership rights of the land only during the British rule. That was the reason behind the peoples’ acclamation for the British administration in those days.

The religion of the population of Muthadda Kalan had been an admixture of faiths yet the majority worshipped the Sultan,a Mohammedan saint, whom Sir Denzil Ibbetson put in the twelfth and Major Temple in thirteenth century. Outwardly looking Sikhs returned themselves in the Census as Sultania Sikhs while the others as Sultania Hindus with the only exception of Brahmins.

The village became known far and wide for various achievements of the local people in different fields. It had produced about thirty wrestlers in the distant past some of whom, including Nandu, Harnam Singh, Hari Singh, Samunda-were known all over the province for their Winn ability in almost every wrestling match called Chhinjh in Punjabi.

Apart from the wrestlers, the village had produced some other persons worth mentioning. Pandit Girdharilal was a Congress-man who participated in the political programmers and campaigns of the Indian National Congress. He was imprisoned many a time during the national struggle and could get no claim against his huge landed property left in the western Punjab, now Pakistan, during the partition in 1947. He had been of such a nature that his consciousness never allowed him to seek any help from anybody though he at certain times could barely make both ends meet.

There was one Niranjan Singh who though professionally was a shoe-maker but was opposed to the British rule to the core of his heart and a self-respecting person. It is said that some rival had got a professional tax imposed on him which he never paid to the government.

There still exists a family known as family of astrologers or ‘jyotshi family’ none of which present-day member has either

any knowledge of or practices this art. The family has earned its nick-name from its forefather- Waryam Singh -who is said to have been an expert in both the astrology and palmistry. Another person Niranjan Singh though professionally was an overseer yet was also adept in astrology but he practiced it only as a hobby and not as his profession to earn the living.

The village had a Numberdar Inder Singh who during the war-period was asked by the British authorities to provide some recruits to the army. He himself got recruited rather than putting others’ lives in danger and served in the army for quite some time.

Meehan Singh carpenter was a devoted Sikh. When the Gurdwara Reform Movement was launched by the Akalis in the first quarter of the twentieth century and the Sikhs’ Jathas were sent regularly to court arrest at Jaito, Meehan Singh had taken a jatha of 500 Sikhs to Jaito.

There had been a Khatri named Thakurdass who owned a garden known as the garden of Thakur Dass which was a famous place during the first half of twentieth century.

Lest we forget Motiram who was originally a resident of Noormahal town in Jalandhar district and traded in supplying the molasses,used in preparation of smoking-tobacco, to the smoker Sultanias of Mothadda Kalan. He developed ; such a trade relationship with his customers that he left Noormahal for good and settled here on the land provided by the leading villagers free of any cost. He was the famous money-lender of the area.

Undoubtedly, the village was already known in the region, yet it gained the real eminence as well as entry into the annals of the British Government with the foundation of the Namdhari or popularly known as the Kuka Movement during the British rule in mid-nineteenth century as this village was frequently visited by the founder of the sect, Satguru Ram Singh ,whenever he set on his preaching tours of Majha region of Punjab or beyond and on return journey to his Headquarters at Bhaini Sahib. It had earned the nickname and status of porch of Satguru Ram Singh.

Mothadda Kalan perhaps was the only village where Guru Ram Singh had performed spontaneous collective initiation at the place called Triveni outside the village entrance. The entire

population even today has reverence for the Namdharis though some of the inhabitants may have faith in some different creeds too. This was the locality where the Brahmans ,exasperated at the anti-Brahman preachings of the Namdharis,had tried to disturb the latter. When Satguru Ram Singh resumed his preaching tours on his return from Hardwar in 1918 Bk , he made his first stop at this village. The local Brahmans poured the polluted water of the smoking pipes on the passersby Namdharis which resulted in a scuffle between the two leading to acrimonious relations in future.

The British record mentions many persons from this village who had been devoted and dedicated followers of Satguru Ram Singh. Mr. T.H.Thoronton,the Secretary to the Punjab Government, in his communication made to the Secretary to the Government of India on 2nd February 1867, counts Khuzan Singh, Lukha Singh,Dya Singh,Wuzeer Singh ,Sohail Singh, Futteh Singh and Gunda Singh among the prominent Namdharis of Jalandhar district.The detailed description of Futteh Singh is available in the list of the Namdharis prepared by the Government in 1881. He was the son of Behla Singh Lambardar and was of ‘fair complexion, long nose,broad forehead,boil mark on right shoulder, height about 5 feet 6 inches,age about 50 years.’ He was considered to be the ‘most influential Kuka in the village,and it is believed,will soon be made a Suba.He frequently visits Bhaini, Ludhiana district and takes presents to Baba Budh Singh. His duties as lambardar are carried on by his son,Amar Singh.’ Suba Sayyha Singh from this village had been lieutenant of Satguru Pratap Singh for some decades of twentieth century representing the entire Doaba region.

Satguru Ram Singh had dispelled the fear of both the British power and the angel of death from the hearts of his followers and had fully transformed them . That’s why hitherto loyal to the British, the inhabitants of this village had become politically conscious and opponents of the British rule. The credit goes to this village of having convened and organised much successfully a conference on 17-19 January 1927,presided over by Satguru Pratap Singh ji-the then head of the Namdharis-in the sacred memory of those 66 Namdharis who had been blown away from the cannon-mouths on 17-18th January 1872 at Malerkotla

by Mr L.Cowan-the Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana, and Mr.T.D.Forsyth-the Commissioner of Ambala. Local inhabitant, Suba Sayyah Singh and Pandit Basant Singh of Padhana had played a vital role in its management.

This memorial conference was participated by innumerable prominent freedom fighters including S.Kishan Singh-the father of S. Bhagat Singh, the Martyr, Chaudhary Ghulam Hyder Khan, editor the Sadaqat-Lahore, Dr. Saiffudin Kitchlew, Lala Kedarnath Sehgal, editor-Khabardar Lahore, S.Sardara Singh, editor The Khalsa Akhbar-Lahore, Sant Nidhan Singh Alam, editor The Satjug-Lahore, Mehta Anand Kishore-Lahore,Lala Nand Gopal-Lahore,Lala Munshi Ram,Swaraj Ashram-Amritsar,Sant Inder Singh Chakarvarti, Maharaj Gurdial Singh, Sardars Ankha Singh and Amar Singh of Sankhatra, Distt.Sialkot,volunteers of Khilafat Committee,Ludhiana. Even the marriage ceremony of the present head of Namdharis-Satguru Jagjit Singh ji-was solemnized at a gargantuan religious fair arranged at this village in the garden of Thakur Dass on 11th of Chet 2001 Bk. This was attended by Bawa Gurmukh Singh, Bhai Bhagwant Singh Harihji, Tikka Ardaman Singh of Bagrian, Sant Teja Singh,Secretary Nirmal Maha Mandal and Sardar Sarmukh Singh Chamak etc. Mothadda Kalan had been host to the annual celebrations of Namdhari Hola Mohalla in 1969 which added one more feather in its cap of fame making it known worldwide.

This village has produced some politico-social agitators and literary figures too who earned good name by dint of their social, political and literary achievements. Comrade Lakha Singh Johar was a communist devoted to the service and cause of the poor and down trodden people .During his fight for the cause of the peasants he was imprisoned many times under the Public Safety Act 1947 and 1949 as well as under the Preventive Detention Act 1950.During the peasants agitation against the imposition of a tax by the then Chief Minister Sardar Pratap Singh Kairon,Johar was arrested along with his daughter Joginder Kaur. Joginder Kaur was released after formal arrest but Mr. Johar was jailed on 9th March 1959.Both the father and daughter were given certificates of appreciation signed by Baba Gurmukh Singh and Jagjit Singh Layallpuri, respective President and General Secretary of the peasants Association on the successful completion of the agitation.

At certain times Mr. Johar was interned within the revenue limits of the locality and was prohibited from speaking in public or contributing anything to the press. When he was imprisoned in the Distt. Jail at Hissar, he had gone on hunger strike against multidimensional injustice with the prisoners. Consequently some of the demands of the prisoners were accepted by the Government. He had also preferred an appeal in the Supreme Court of India in July 1950 in the same case.

Lakha Singh Johar was a very good revolutionary poet and dramatist who, along with his drama party, frequented too many distant places in Punjab to educate the masses through self written plays. He was very much influenced by the sacrifices made by the Namdharis during the freedom struggle. His Punjabi poem Shaheedi Janj (marriage party of the Namdhari martyrs) was adjudged the best and was awarded first prize at the Namdhari Holla Mohalla held at Sandhwan in Doaba in the year 1931. Muthadda Kalan has produced another poet cum lyricist Dalbir Singh Taras who spends more time in Australia than at his birth-place. He has added three poetry books to the Punjabi literature in 2004.

 
With Thanks history by S. Swaran Singh Sanehi, M.A.(English & History).