16 · FAMILY STORIES
Sunder Singh
Born 1900
Gharka
Son of Pal Singh
Profile
Sunder Singh was born in Gharka in 1900 and came from an agricultural background. He later served in the Shanghai Municipal Police as Constable No. 535, volunteered for the Indian National Army and contributed 6,100 dollars to its funds. 1
Receipt reproductions preserved in his National Archives of India file give further detail about his support in Shanghai. On 2 December 1943, the Indian Independence League issued receipt No. 523 to “Sundar Singh s/o Pal Singh” of Gharka for 1,000 CRB dollars towards the “Azad Hind Fauj (Shonan) Fund”. A second League receipt, No. 1008, records 5,000 CRB dollars. 2 These amounts were in the wartime Central Reserve Bank currency used in Shanghai, rather than United States dollars. 3
Decades later, Sunder sought recognition for his wartime contribution. His file preserves an appeal dated 24 January 1977 and a further letter dated 29 September 1980. In the latter, he signed himself “No. 535 Sunder Singh s/o Pal Singh” and described his Azad Hind Fauj service and financial support. These letters preserve his own account of his involvement, alongside the surviving receipt reproductions. 2
Photographs & Documents
Sources & Notes
Sources and notes (3)
[1] Who’s Who: Punjab Freedom Fighters, vol. 2 (Punjabi University, Patiala, 1991), p. 752. The birth year and 6,100-dollar total follow the published biography. The 1980 letter’s “nearly ninety” age claim conflicts with that birth year.
[2] National Archives of India, NAIDLF02091257, file 27/A/1668/77-INA: appeal, viewer p. 2; receipts, pp. 3–6; letter, p. 7. Receipt 1008’s precise date and reconciliation of the four receipt amounts remain under review. No pension award or rejection appears in the inspected file.
[3] CRB currency context: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1944, vol. V, document 1030.