Remembering Wazir Ram Singh Pathania, rebel of Nurpur who defied British rule

History is yet to do full justice to Wazir Ram Singh Pathania, a young patriot who laid down his life for the honour and dignity of the motherland.

The 176th death anniversary of the legendary freedom fighter will be observed with reverence at his native village, Basa Waziran in Nurpur, tomorrow. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Pathania will be the chief guest at the commemorative event organised to pay tribute to the brave son of the soil, who challenged the British rule nearly a decade before the First War of Independence in 1857.

Wazir Ram Singh Pathania was born on April 10, 1824, to Shyam Singh, a minister to Raja Veer Singh of Nurpur. He grew up in an atmosphere steeped in patriotism and courage. When the British imperial forces expanded their control over Himachal’s princely states following the British-Sikh Convention of 1846, they annexed Nurpur under Lord Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse. The British reduced the young ruler, Jaswant Singh, to a titular position, granting him a meagre compensation of Rs 5,000 — a move that sparked widespread resentment.

Unwilling to submit to colonial oppression, Ram Singh Pathania joined forces with the Rajas of Kangra and Jaswan, raising the banner of rebellion against the British Empire — a power once said to rule where the sun never set. Declared the minister of Nurpur, he led a courageous uprising to restore the honour and sovereignty of his homeland.

Unable to defeat him in open battle, British forces resorted to deceit. While Ram Singh was engaged in his daily worship, he was captured, sentenced to life imprisonment and exiled to Kalapani (Cellular Jail) before being transferred to Rangoon. There, he endured brutal torture and attained martyrdom on November 11, 1849, at just 24 years of age.

Despite his supreme sacrifice, history has largely overlooked this fearless patriot. Apart from an old ballad — “Koi killa Pathania jor ladiya, koi beta Wazir da zor ladiya” — sung by the late folk bard Kaka Darvesh, little has been done to preserve his legacy.

“As Speaker Kuldeep Pathania leads tomorrow’s tribute, locals hope that renewed recognition of Wazir Ram Singh’s heroism will inspire future generations and ensure that history finally does justice to this forgotten warrior of India’s freedom struggle,” said Rajeshwar Pathania, a descendant of the martyred hero.