विस्तारः (द्रष्टुं नोद्यम्)
Gadadhar Singh was then serving in BIA sent to put down the Boxer rebellion.
Victory at Tianjin
On 14 July at 4:00 a.m., the walled city of Tianjin was attacked. The assault force was made up of the Japanese infantry, the English Marines and Bluejackets, and the American infantry. The city gate was protected by firmly placed blockades. The walls were fifty to sixty feet in height. Climbing them was, therefore, impossible. The only entry point was through this heavily blockaded gate. The gate lay beyond a small bridge that could be reached by crossing an open flat space of about forty yards without any kind of protective or defensive shield. The Chinese were constantly bombarding and firing from atop of the city walls.
In such a difficult situation, a party of Japanese Sappers managed to reach the ‘keep’ [blockaded] gate and spread ‘gun cotton’ [land mine] to blast it off. The calm and skilful way in which they accomplished this most delicate task in such a trying situation was most commendable. The Chinese firing blew off the detonating fuse thrice. The same happened the fourth time. On seeing this, the Japanese soldiers sensed that all their efforts were in vain and realized that they would not be able to accomplish their desired goal, even after suffering so much loss. Steps had to be taken instantly to minimize loss from the Chinese firing and to ensure that their efforts would not be futile.
A Japanese soldier then fearlessly offered himself to complete the difficult task! He told his fellow soldiers that he would not delay any more in taking action as more and more of our brothers are falling down with each passing moment. He requested to be ordered to detonate the fuse with his own hands. Without waiting for an answer, this brave Japanese swiftly ran towards the fuse and set it on fire. He knowingly let himself be blasted along with the gate. The heavily blockaded gate was thus breached. It disappeared as did the body of the soldier. But can anyone forget the story of this courageous deed as long as the name of Japan exists in the world?
Glory to self-sacrifice! This is called true sacrifice and total renunciation. Bhishma, 130 our great and brave predecessor, said the same:
tyāgaṁ śrēṣṭḥaṁ munayō vai vadanti,
sarvaśrēṣṭhaṁ yach charīranen(=??) Tyajet.
[Sages say that the best sacrifice is the sacrifice of body.]
But is there any Aryan son who can today perform even a bit of such a sacrifice? Sacrifice of the body is a big deal, but, alas, today we cannot even renounce our petty desires. Bless us, Lord, with the spirit of the Japanese! Oh! We tire ourselves memorizing holy verses to the glory of God, but keep our wisdom far away! Nowadays, our knowledge has escaped beyond the sea. How will it come back without going there to get it?
With the gate blown up, the soldiers rushed to attack. But in advancing forward, another gate in the city wall proved to be the second major obstacle. The Japanese soldiers overcame this difficulty too. There was heavy firing from the buildings inside the wall. But the little, little Japanese soldiers climbed the city walls as if they were not under a rain of bullets but pebbles!
What an astonishing sight! This is called happily jumping into a burning fire. These soldiers jumped in and opened the gate and the force entered inside. Encountering such courageous acts of the attacking force, the Chinese could not endure any longer. They all fled.
A few hours later, the Russians also entered inside from the northern gate, and the city was thus occupied by foreigners. All the foreign soldiers that participated in this battle loudly praised the Japanese. Four hundred Japanese were killed that day, which itself is proof of the fierce battle and the horrible situation there.
The Japanese also excelled in bayonet fighting. Before the battle for the city, they used bayonets to attack the enemy from the front and pushed them back seven hundred yards in the fight at the railway station. The way the Japanese soldier sacrificed his life in blowing up the Tianjin city gate was similar to how they exploded the Kinchow [Jinzhou] city gate in the [Sino-Japanese] war of 1894[-1895]. The only difference between the two was that in the earlier instance, they fought for the selfish cause of their own country while this time it was to liberate Christian masses. Witnessing the bravery of the Japanese soldiers, other foreign soldiers began to say that the European powers could fight with all in the world but would find engaging the Japanese the toughest. Readers! Just imagine-what can the fearless not do?
About 800 foreigners were killed in Tianjin!
An American with whom I spoke praised the Japanese greatly. He insisted that both the entry into, as well as the victory at Tianjin, were only due to the Japanese. Otherwise it would have been impossible.
The city fort was strong and safe. The Chinese had surrounded all sides with cannons. There was no shortage of firepower. Firing lines fell in quick succession. While replacements were quick, even then the lines never looked intact. On the other hand, the firing lines of the Japanese never seemed to break. Fallen soldiers were replaced with such electrifying speed that one could not tell if any fell at all from their lines! The war continued in this way for long. It started seeming impossible to establish position and break through the entrance of the fort. There was a fear of running short of ammunition! Very soon, a section of the Japanese troop jumped into the fierce firing line, reached below the fort gate, and made arrangements to blow it. There was constant firing. Hundreds fell. There appeared no way to have a ceasefire.
The courageous Japanese were not ready to suffer more losses. The sacrifice of a few to save the lives of many—a voluntarily offered sacrifice—thus appeared to be the best solution. Accordingly, some moved forward step by step but only one or two reached the end and calmly ignited the fire. There was no doubt that the fate of those brave soldiers was to be consumed by the flames.
As the entrance gate blew up, the Chinese were shaken. The joint foreign forces made a final concerted attack (bayonet charge) and the large city of Tianjin thus fell!
According to an American sahib, the Japanese were truly responsible for the victory. He said he could never forget the courage of [[61]] the Japanese. Rather, he would tell everyone to keep emulating the bravery of the Japanese.
Dear readers! Think about the reasons for such bravery among the Japanese! What makes the Japanese daringly jump into a fire without caring for their lives? There are many in Hindustan who astonish us by exhibiting their skill of walking on fire during (the spring festival of) Holi. People are surprised, why do their feet not burn in the red flames of the fire? But what does your mind think when you compare those walking on fire for show (tamasha) with those burnt facing the fierce fire of cannons—the devastating fire of ammunition. Your mind will probably be afraid and not astonished!
You may say that so many deaths are futile. Why does a soldier sacrifice his life for a mere four rupees? Did that soldier deem it fit to lose his life for four rupees in such a manner? He was foolish- other soldiers received the same amount of salary as him—then why did others not go? Why did he have to go? Were their lives more valuable than his? You may say such things to prove his foolishness. Hindustani soldiers too sometimes think in such a fashion. These days, Hindustanis have similar views on these matters. Our thoughts have become like this. Seeing differences among ourselves has become our habit. We love ourselves more than our own brothers—and even our personal God (khuda). What to say about loving others? It is unfortunate that trapped in their extreme selfishness, children of Maryada Purshottam Ramchandra, the great Dadhichi, and others have completely forgotten the virtue of mutual beneficence and kindness.
So brothers! The courage of the brave Japanese should be seen from Japanese and not Hindustani eyes. If you still have some dignity or sensibility, gaze at him from deep within yourself.
Rajput kitchen rituals
In another kitchen, the bread was prepared. A pile of chapatis (bread) lay on a thali (platter) near the fire. A Japanese soldier placed a dollar (two rupees) near the thali and carried away two pieces of roti.
Alas! The oven had been touched; therefore, all the bread became impure! All efforts had been wasted! The Rajputs were very angry at the Japanese, but the poor person stood there, mouth open, and wondered what had happened and why they were jab- bering away. ‘I have already paid much more than the price of the bread.’
One or two Rajput gentlemen saw the futility of further explanation, so they returned the dollar to the Japanese and started to hand over all the bread. The Japanese thought that they had been offended by his payment. Perhaps this gesture on his part was unde- sirable. He most humbly took back the dollar. He wanted to have a few pieces of bread and leave the rest for us. Here, the matter was different. The helpless Japanese was obliged to take away all the bread as well the dollar. Upholding their religion, the Rajputs started cooking the corn.
The Rajputs made many modifications in their kitchen rituals while in China and suspended restrictions relating to the use of clothes touched by others or wearing shoes in the kitchen, or even physical contact. But how far could they go! They were, after all, not Sheikh Chilli[50] who could turn a buffalo into a tick by rubbing hard (that is, relaxing a few restrictions to uphold a massive body of ritual practices).