EMPIRE, FAITH & WAR
Rupinder Singh Chohan
Grandson of a soldier-turned-freedom fighter
A grandson remembers his mother's father, Giani Shankar Singh Johal (b 1899) of the 45th Rattray Sikhs.
He was compelled to become a revolutionary after witnessing the disregard paid by some British officers for the common Indian soldier during the Mesopotamian Campaign (they were more concerned with mules dying than they were Sikh soldiers).
On leaving the army Shankar Singh joined the Freedom Movement to liberate Indian from imperialism and spent fourteen years in jail.
Total length (approx.): 4 mins
Interviewer: Juga Singh
Date: 27 September 2014
Location: Brunei Gallery, London
Image credit: Juga Singh