Sajjan Singh Rangroot May 2026

When we think of World War I, the images are often fixed: muddy trenches in France, Tommy Atkins with his Enfield rifle, and the poppies of Flanders Fields. But what if we shift the lens? What if the soldier in the mud wasn’t from Manchester, but from Punjab? And what if his last name was a challenge to an empire?

According to oral history passed down in Sikh regiments, Sajjan Singh, the Rangroot , did something unexpected. sajjan singh rangroot

In recent years, the story of Sajjan Singh has inspired a feature film ( Rangroot , 2018) and a graphic novel, reviving interest in the 1.5 million Indian soldiers who fought for a king who didn’t consider them equals. Sajjan Singh’s tale is the ultimate reversal: an insult turned into a title of honor, a greenhorn turned into a lion. When we think of World War I, the

The men pointed to the mud-caked, shivering Sikh with frozen beard. “Sajjan Singh, sir. The Rangroot.” And what if his last name was a challenge to an empire