I remember once being told by a Sikh friend of mine in college about the legacy of the 'Lion of Punjab,' Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The great ruler had a kingdom that covered what is now a large chunk of Pakistan. Ranjit Singh was secular and ruled over largely-Muslim areas, without a hint of cruelty towards Muslims, in contrast to some Afghan rulers in India who terrorized Hindus and Sikhs, indulging in forced-conversions of the former.
When I asked this friend about what happened to the Lion of Punjab's kingdom. He then told me about how the Maharaja's son embraced Christianity and sold out to the British. 13 years after having that conversation in college, I came across this brilliantly written semi-fiction book of narratives by seasoned Indian diplomat Navtej Sarna. "The Exile" is the story of Punjab's Last Emperor, Maharaja Duleep Singh, a child who was forced to abdicate his throne, surrender his kingdom and the famed Kohinoor diamond.
Lack of unity is not just a problem in the India of 2011, but it has been a plague on this nation for centuries. The death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, set off a series of power struggles and murders that finally culminated in Duleep Singh being appointed king, while he was still a child. As the story goes, the red coats moved in when Punjab was busy in in-fighting and self-destruction and put an end to the Sikh Empire.
The British robbed, manipulated, brain-washed, spoilt and stripped Duleep Singh of his identity, making him a confused soul who accepted and later renounced Christianity. His wish of retaking the throne of Punjab and liberating India from colonial yoke in his lifetime, never came to be. I see a few parallels between Duleep Singh and Pu Yi, the Last Emperor of China.
The author, Navtej Sarna, now India's Ambassador to Israel, has written this book in an articulate manner and the reader gets a glimpse into Lahore of the 19th century and the often-troubled and exiled life of the last maharaja. The book is a result of careful research, dedication and the brilliant writing prowess of Sarna.
A hundred years after the British occupation of Punjab, the land of 5 rivers was divided in a bloody partition, of which the scars remain to this very day. A century changes circumstances, situations and life as a whole. Will the great and beautiful people of Punjab be divided forever? I personally don't think so.
Reading this book, I yearn to visit the colourful land of 5 rivers and to experience just what Sarna describes in the prologue. "On winter nights, when the moon rides into a dagger-sharp sky on her chariot of two wispy clouds, our Punjab looks very beautiful, like it has never been wounded, never divided, never broken up. The five rivers twisting towards the great Indus, like dark serpents swollen with the blood of centuries, belong to one people. And on all our villages, our thousands of ancient villages, fall gently, like the moonlight, the blessings of all gods."
I think the greatness of the modern Indian Republic lies in the fact that I can be as much a Punjabi as anyone in India. We are a cohesive mosaic of beauty, this great nation. I may be a dreamer, but I do see an India, where we have an unprecedented unity that makes us a greater and stronger whole.
When I asked this friend about what happened to the Lion of Punjab's kingdom. He then told me about how the Maharaja's son embraced Christianity and sold out to the British. 13 years after having that conversation in college, I came across this brilliantly written semi-fiction book of narratives by seasoned Indian diplomat Navtej Sarna. "The Exile" is the story of Punjab's Last Emperor, Maharaja Duleep Singh, a child who was forced to abdicate his throne, surrender his kingdom and the famed Kohinoor diamond.
Lack of unity is not just a problem in the India of 2011, but it has been a plague on this nation for centuries. The death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, set off a series of power struggles and murders that finally culminated in Duleep Singh being appointed king, while he was still a child. As the story goes, the red coats moved in when Punjab was busy in in-fighting and self-destruction and put an end to the Sikh Empire.
The British robbed, manipulated, brain-washed, spoilt and stripped Duleep Singh of his identity, making him a confused soul who accepted and later renounced Christianity. His wish of retaking the throne of Punjab and liberating India from colonial yoke in his lifetime, never came to be. I see a few parallels between Duleep Singh and Pu Yi, the Last Emperor of China.
The author, Navtej Sarna, now India's Ambassador to Israel, has written this book in an articulate manner and the reader gets a glimpse into Lahore of the 19th century and the often-troubled and exiled life of the last maharaja. The book is a result of careful research, dedication and the brilliant writing prowess of Sarna.
A hundred years after the British occupation of Punjab, the land of 5 rivers was divided in a bloody partition, of which the scars remain to this very day. A century changes circumstances, situations and life as a whole. Will the great and beautiful people of Punjab be divided forever? I personally don't think so.
Reading this book, I yearn to visit the colourful land of 5 rivers and to experience just what Sarna describes in the prologue. "On winter nights, when the moon rides into a dagger-sharp sky on her chariot of two wispy clouds, our Punjab looks very beautiful, like it has never been wounded, never divided, never broken up. The five rivers twisting towards the great Indus, like dark serpents swollen with the blood of centuries, belong to one people. And on all our villages, our thousands of ancient villages, fall gently, like the moonlight, the blessings of all gods."
I think the greatness of the modern Indian Republic lies in the fact that I can be as much a Punjabi as anyone in India. We are a cohesive mosaic of beauty, this great nation. I may be a dreamer, but I do see an India, where we have an unprecedented unity that makes us a greater and stronger whole.
Wonderful review! Am really happy as the author is my elder brother.
ReplyDeleteJaskiran
Thanks
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get a hold of your brother's other books...