Khatkarkalan (Nawanshahr)42 minutes agoWriter: Sunil Rana
The Aam Aadmi Party’s government, which destroyed the traditional parties of Punjab, will take oath on March 16 in Khatkarkalan, the village of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, who hanged himself to overthrow the British rule. This is the first time in Punjab, when a political party, which has got a majority in the assembly, has held its Oath ceremony outside the Governor’s House in the capital Chandigarh. On March 10, after the results of the Punjab Assembly elections, Bhagwant Mann had announced to take oath in Khatkarkalan. Since then this village is in the center of discussion. Let us know about this village, which has its own rich history and on 16th March which will again witness a new historical moment…
Khatkarkalan village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district of Punjab (which the whole of Punjab knows as Nawanshahr) is called the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh. Although Bhagat Singh himself never came here. After partition, Bhagat Singh’s family came from Pakistan and settled here. Although some people of this village claim that there are some such entries in the police records even today, according to which Bhagat Singh used to come in hiding in this village which was part of United Punjab before partition. However, no police representative confirms this.
Khatkarkalan village is situated about one kilometer inside the Jalandhar-Chandigarh highway. The boundary of the village starts as soon as the railway line crosses the link road. Bhagat Singh’s house is adjacent to the big park built at the crossroads as soon as he enters the village along the railway lines. After partition, Bhagat Singh’s mother Vidyavati and nephews and nieces lived here. With the passage of time, Bhagat Singh’s mother died and after that all the family members left one by one. To this day, this house has been preserved as a memorial of the martyr.
Even today the bunk is decorated in the house, utensils are kept
The well still exists in the outer part of this house of Bhagat Singh, from where his family used to draw water. However, now there is no water in this well and to avoid any kind of accident, it has been filled with soil to a large extent. According to the people of Khatkarkalan village, even after Bhagat Singh was hanged, his mother Vidyavati was not ready to believe that her son did not live in this world. That’s why she always used to put her cot in the house like that. Even today that bunk is kept in the room of the house. Utensils, spinning wheels, mills, boxes are all kept here with care.
Fairs are held on birthdays and martyrdom days.
The house of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in Khatkarkalan is now under the control of the Archaeological Department. All its maintenance is with the Archaeological Department and Nawanshahr District Administration. The Archaeological Department has maintained the old form of the house. Villagers are happy that due to their relationship with Bhagat Singh, work has been done in their village. However, he also regrets that the people sitting in the government remember the martyr’s house only twice a year – Bhagat Singh’s birthday on 8 September and martyrdom day on 23 March. On both the occasions, fairs are held here every year, in which those who love Bhagat Singh from the country and abroad reach here.
Village became immortal because of Bhagat Singh
Sarpanch of Khatkarkalan Panchayat Kulwinder Kaur, Panchayat members Tirlochan Singh, Jhalman Singh and Surinder Singh say that their village has also become immortal because of Bhagat Singh. Now the new government of Punjab is coming to take oath in his village, due to which the village’s prestige has increased. Subedar Jaspal Singh and Joginder Singh, who live in the village, say that the new government may be coming here to take oath, but in future also it needs to work by imbibing the thinking of Bhagat Singh.
Locks on 125 rooms, family went abroad
Big cells have been built around Bhagat Singh’s house in Khatkarkalan village. The population of this village is about 2 thousand. There are about 125 houses here, on which locks are hanging. The families living in these have settled abroad and come here only once or twice a year. The main occupation of the people living in the village is agriculture. Some people here are also in government jobs, but their numbers are negligible.