[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 189 (Thursday, December 19, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1309-E1310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE 400TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF MATA GUJRI JI

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS R. SUOZZI

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 19, 2024

  Mr. SUOZZI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 400th birth 
anniversary of Mata Gujri Ji, who in 1704, at age 81, was the first 
female Sikh civil rights activist to face imprisonment, torture, and 
execution, all for the sake of liberty. Sikhs around the world 
celebrate her life during the Safar-E-Shahadat--the last week of 
December--which is the holiest week for Sikhs. As a member of the Sikh 
Caucus, I join the worldwide Sikh community in recognizing this 
important quadricentennial anniversary.
  Mata Gujri Ji was the mother of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind 
Singh Ji, and the wife of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. When Guru Gobind Singh 
Ji was nine years old, the monarchy of that time started clamping down 
on religious freedom and civil liberties. Guru Teg Bahadur Ji stood up 
to the monarchy's oppression and, as a result, faced imprisonment. Mata 
Gujri Ji stood by his side and encouraged him to continue fighting for 
freedom.
  Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was given an ultimatum. He could either abandon 
his struggle against the monarchy or face execution. Mata Gujri Ji and 
Guru Gobind Singh Ji encouraged Guru Teg Bahadur Ji not to abandon his 
principles. Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was later executed.
  Mata Gujri Ji continued to fight for civil liberty as she raised Guru 
Gobind Singh Ji. She was a pillar of strength for the Sikhs of her time 
and many from around the world sought her advice. Mata Gujri Ji taught 
Sikh women that they should be both kind and courageous.
  In December 1704, the monarchy imprisoned her and her younger 
grandchildren, 9-year-old Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and 7-year-old Baba 
Fateh Singh Ji. They were kept in the Thanda Bud, or the cold tower, 
where government officials went to escape the hot Indian summers. That 
month, the Thanda Burj reached deadly freezing temperatures. Mata Gujri 
and her grandsons were not given food, water, or warm clothing and 
endured daily torture.
  During their time in the cold tower, a devotee named Moti Mehra Ji 
bribed prison guards to sneak in warm milk for Mata Gujri Ji and her 
grandsons. Once the regime discovered this, Moti Mehra Ji's entire 
family was publicly executed.

[[Page E1310]]

  During their imprisonment, Mata Gujri Ji reminded her grandsons about 
the bravery of their grandfather and their duty to remain courageous in 
the face of cruelty. Mata Gujri and her grandsons refused the 
government's attempts to bribe them, and as a result, Baba Zorawar 
Singh and Baba Fateh Singh Ji were sentenced to death by suffocation in 
a brick wall.
  While Mata Gujri Ji was in prison with her younger grandsons, her 
older two grandsons, and 40 Sikhs, also gave their lives fighting 
tyranny at Chamkaur Sahib. They faced a brutal winter and constant 
hunger, yet refused to surrender their struggle for liberty. Each year, 
Sikhs gather at Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib in Sirhind, India, for the 
Safar-e-Shahadat Smagam, founded by Giani Harpal Singh Ji, to find 
inspiration by sitting in the thanda burj, where Mata Gujri and her 
grandsons once sat, and listening to accounts of their bravery.
  Mata Gujri Ji gave her life defending the right for others to be 
treated with dignity. Her steadfast courage in the face of darkness 
remains an inspiration for all those who stand for freedom. Today, the 
Third Congressional District of New York joins the Sikh community in 
honoring Mata Gujri Ji and all of the brave sacrifices which took place 
during the Safar-E-Shahadat.

                          ____________________