Maharaja Ranjit Singh

The Real Ranjit Singh: An Account based on the Archive of Fakir Family

Hardev Singh Virk

#14017, 30 Ave, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

History is not science and it can be twisted to suit the whims of the ruling class.  Much has been written about Maharaja Ranjit Singh during his bicentenary to eulogize his achievements.  No doubt he was a great ruler who liberated Punjab from the clutches of Afgan invaders and created a secular state in India but he had all the vices of a medieval monarch.  The most authentic source about the personal life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is the book written by Fakir Syed Waheed-ud-Din of Lahore, a doyen and descendant of the famous Fakir family which served with dedication and devotion to the Maharaja.  The book is based on the archival material in the possession  of  the Fakir family .  It resolves some of the mysteries about Maharaja’s personal life and state policy. 

 The author writes that Maharaja Ranjit Singh entered Lahore Fort as a conqueror on July 7, 1799.  He was admonished by a holy ‘voice’ to obey four commandments as a ruler, if he wants to prosper:

1.     To say his prayers every morning without fail.

2.     Never to hold court sitting on the throne of the Mughal emperors.

3.     To treat his subjects equally, without distinction of caste or creed.

4.     To respect and befriend Fakir family which would serve him truly and well as a spiritual guardian of the new state.

These four commandments became the corner stone of his state policy.  Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a devout Sikh and his daily routine began with early morning prayers and listening to recitation of Guru Granth.  He started his military campaigns after seeking guidance or ‘hukamnama’ from Guru Granth Sahib.  He had a profound reverence for all that was holy and spiritual, irrespective of what religion it pertained to.  He paid regular visits to Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple) on special occasions.  His visits to the shrines of Muslim saints and Hindu temples were as much acts of faith as those to the Golden Temple.  He donated liberally to the religious places of all sects in Punjab.  He participated in religious festivals of both Hindus and Muslims.  Thus he was the first true Sikh, secular King of Punjab.

          Following the second commandment, Ranjit Singh never sat upon a throne but held his durbar sitting cross-legged on a chair.  He never added any royal emblem to his turban or attire.  He used to tell his courtiers, “I am a peasant and a soldier, and do not care for external pomp.  My sword is enough to win for me all the distinction I need”.

          He had a keen sense of delight in beauty, colour and gaiety in his surroundings.  His courtiers, councilors and military officers were among the best-looking and most magnificently dressed men of their time.  It is doubtful if any court in Europe possessed such a grandeur as the court of Sarkar-i-Khalsa in Lahore.

          Fakir Azizuddin attributed Ranjit Singh’s lack of interest in his looks and dress to an utter lack of personal vanity and humble acceptance of a disadvantage which it had pleased God to inflict on him.  He had a deeply pitted face, a blind eye and a diminutive figure and he wasted no time or money on trying to improve it.  Fakir Azizuddin also endorses the well-known exchange of remarks between Ranjit Singh and Akali Phula Singh, the Nihang Chief and Jathedar of Akal Takhat.  One day, while the Maharaja was passing under Phula Singh’s balcony riding on an elephant, the Jathedar shouted down at him, “O you one-eyed man, who gave you that he-buffalo to ride on?”  Ranjit Singh looked up and said with mock humility, “Your Honour, it is a  gift from you.”  Akali Phula Singh represented Khalsa Sarkar and Maharaja Ranjit Singh considered himself a humble servant (sevadar) only.

          Historians have not done justice to  the stellar role played by Rani Sada Kaur and Sarbat Khalsa in building up the foundations of Sikh Empire ruled by Ranjit Singh.  Shah Zaman, the Afgan ruler marched into India at the head to 30,000 men and plundered Punjab.  All the Sikh chiefs were afraid to fight with the Afgans.  Sada Kaur called the Sarbat Khalsa on behalf of Ranjit Singh at Amritsar and threw a challenge to Sikh misaldars, “Khalsa Jee, if you fail to summon courage to fight, I shall die fighting to save the honour of Punjab”.  Thus, Ranjit Singh was chosen to commend the defending army at the young age of 19 at the bidding of Sada Kaur.  He laid the siege of Lahore fort, rode upto Samman Burj and challenged Shah Zaman to single combat.  Demoralised and defeated Shah Zaman returned to Kabut and Ranjit Singh became the acknowledged leader of the Sikhs.  Sada Kaur was not only a mother-in-law of Ranjit Singh but she also guided his destiny and helped him to acquire the Sikh Empire in Punjab.  In later years, she felt ignored and nursed a grudge against Ranjit Singh.  She was even imprisoned and put under house arrest in Lahore and was allowed to return to her estate in Batala only when she signed the ownership deed in favour of Prince Sher Singh , her grand-son and the second son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. 

          Maharaja’s fascination towards horses was matched only by his love for liquor, aphrodisiacs and pretty women.  His harem comprised forty-six women of four categories: nine whom he married in the orthodox Sikh manner, another nine, all of them rich widows, whom he adopted as his wives by casting his mantle (Chadar) over  them, seven courtesans, mostly Muslim dancing girls and the rest consisted of concubines.  Fakir Nuruddin, the Home Minister, was also incharge of Maharaja’s palaces and the harem.  Due allowance being made for his reticence, it is remarkable that there exists hardly any account or mention of anything scandalous that happened in the harem.  The size of his harem was much smaller than the average monarch of Oriental history.

          Ranjit Singh conducted an expedition against Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra, especially to marry his two daughters, Guddan and Raj Banso,  known for their beauty and good looks.  Ranjit Singh’s favourite queen, however, was Moran, a dancing girl of Amritsar, with whom he fell violently in love at first sight when he was just twenty-two.  Ranjit Singh accepted all the conditions of  Moran’s father to marry her as per custom of the courtesan’s family.  After this marriage, Akali Phula Singh reprimanded Maharaja Ranjit Singh and he presented himself at the Akal Takhat to receive the ‘tankhah’ imposed by the Jathedar, by baring his back to receive the lashes.

          Maharaja was fond of spending his hours of relaxation in singing and dancing soirees in the  presence of his courtiers and guests.  He would drink his special wine, an extract of raisins with ground pearls mixed in it, at these soirees.  The service was provided by a royal troupe consisting of a hundred and twenty five girls chosen for their good looks from all over the Maharaja’s domains.  The upper age limit was twentyfive after which these girls were given to the Maharaja’s officers as a favour or a reward for good work.  The prima donna of this royal troupe was Bashiran, whom the Maharaja used to call ‘Billo’ because of her brown eyes.

          Glowing tributes have been paid by Fakir Wahid -ud-Din  in his book, “The Real Ranjit Singh”  to the Lion of Punjab.  It is a personal account of Maharaja’s rule of justice, his secular politics, his conquests and empire building and his relations with the British.  However, it fails to determine the causes of the fall of Sikh Empire within a decade of Maharaja’s death.

Guru Nanak and Martin Luther

Guru Nanak and Martin Luther: A Comparative Study

Dr. H.S. Virk

Professor Emeritus, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, HP, India

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a contemporary of Guru Nanak, born on 10 November, 1483 in Eiselben, Germany. He was a Christian theologian and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Protestant and other Christian traditions. Luther’s call to the church to return to the teachings of the Bible resulted in the formation of new traditions within the Christianity and Counter – Reformation in the Roman Church. He brought many revolutionary changes in the Roman Catholic Church and became a leader of Protestant movement in Europe.

Early Life:      He was harshly treated at home and school which forced him to run away to a monastery and become a monk. In 1497, he entered a school at Magdeburg and in 1501, the University of Erfurt from where he received the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy in 1502. Three years later, in 1505, he received a Master’s degree at Erfurt, scoring second position in his class. Lurther’s sudden and unexpected entrance into the Augustinian monastery at Erfurt occurred 17 July, 1505. The motives that prompted him to do this are conflicting and the subject of considerable debate He himself alleges that the brutality of his home and school life drove him into the monastery. In a letter to his father, he writes, “When I was terror-stricken and overwhelmed by the fear of impending death, I made an involuntary and forced vow.” The popular belief is that once Martin Luther while returning from his Mansfield home to school was overtaken by a terrible storm, with an alarming lightning flash and thunderbolt. Terrified and overwhelmed he cries out: “Help St. Anne! I shall become a monk”. Luther kept his bargain, dropped out of law school and entered the monastery at Eurfurt.

Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. There is no reason to doubt that Luther’s monastic career was exemplary; his heart at rest, his mind undisturbed, his soul at peace. He devoted himself to fasts, flagellations, long hours in prayer and pilgrimages, and constant confession. He was happy in the monastery.

During 1508-09, he was sent to the University of Wittenberg to teach theology. Luther earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies in 1508 and the Doctor of Theology on 19 October, 1512 at Wittenberg.

 Evangelical Discovery: The demands of study for academic degree and preparation for delivering lectures drove Martin Luther to study the scriptures in depth. He tried to understand the basic principles of the early Church and meaning of terms like penance and righteousness with their new connotation. This study convinced him that the Church had lost sight of several central truths. To Luther, the most important was the doctrine that brought him peace with God. Luther now believed and taught that salvation is a gift of God’s grace, received by faith and trust in God’s promise to forgive sins for the sake of Christ’s death on the cross.

His mission to Rome in 1511 was a turning point of his life which imparted an inspirational character to the leading doctrine of the Reformation. On Halloween of 1517, Luther changed the course of human history when he nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, accusing the Roman Catholic Church of heresy upon heresy. Many people cite this act as the primary starting point of the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s action was in great part a response to the selling of indulgences by Johann Tetzel, a Dominican priest. Luther’s charges also directly challenged the position of the clergy in regard to individual salvation. Before long, Luther’s 95 Theses of Contention had been copied and published all over Europe.

Luther the reformer had become Luther the revolutionary; the religious agitation had become political rebellion. Luther’s theological attitude at this time was as follows: The Bible is the only source of faith; it contains the plenary inspiration of God. Human nature has been totally corrupted by original sin, and man, accordingly, is deprived of free will. Whatsoever he does be it good or bad, is not his own work, but God’s. Faith alone can work justification, and man is saved by confidently believing that God will pardon him. The hierarchy and priesthood are not divinely instituted or necessary, and ceremonial or external worship is not essential or useful. Ecclesiastical vestments, pilgrimages, mortifications, monastic vows, prayers for the dead, intercession of saints, avail the soul nothing. All sacraments, with the exception of baptism and Holy Eucharist, are rejected, but their absence may be supplied by faith. The priesthood is universal, every Christian may assume it. There is no need for specially trained and ordained men to dispense the mysteries of God. There is no visible Church established by God whereby men may work out their salvation.

Luther’s Trial and Exile:      Luther’s protestant views were condemned as heretical by Pope Leo III in the Bull of excommunication, “Exsurge Domine” in 1520. Luther was summoned to either renounce or reaffirm them at the Diet of Worms on 17 April 1521. Luther respectfully but boldly stated, “Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I cannot and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” The Emperor Charles V issued his Edict of Worms on May 26, 1521, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw. Luther was ordered to return but forbidden to preach or publish while on the way. It placed Luther under the ban of the empire and ordered the destruction of his writings.

Luther appealed to the emperor (Charles V) in his pamphlets, to destroy the power of the Pope, to confiscate all ecclesiastical property for his own use, to abolish holy feasts, fasts and holidays, to do away with Masses for the dead, etc. The Bull of excommunication affected him little. It only drove him to further virulent attacks on the Roman Catholic Church. The Bull itself became the object of shocking indignities in Germany. The university students at Wittenberg, led by Melancthon and Luther himself, consigned it to the flames. Germany was living on a politico-religious volcano. Luther by his inflammatory denunciation of Pope and clergy let loose a veritable hurricane of fierce, uncontrollable racial and religious hatred, which was to spend itself in the bloodshed of the Peasant’s War and the orgies of the sack of Rome.

Luther had powerful friends among the princes of Germany, one of whom was his own prince, Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony. The prince arranged for Luther to be kidnapped by masked horsemen on return from Diet of Worms and carried to the castle of Wartburg, where he was kept in hiding for a year in the garb of a knight.

Luther’s Writings:     Luther published many pamphlets attacking Pope, Papal Bull and sacramental system. His chief distinction while at the Wartburg castle was his translation of the New Testament into commonly spoken dialect of the German people. It was first published in 1522 and a complete version of the Bible appeared in 1534. Fourteen editions were published during his lifetime.

The number of books attributed to Luther is quite impressive but the German Bible is his master-piece. “Opinion on Monastic Orders” is considered another important work of Luther, the book that helped to depopulate the sanctuary and monastery in Germany. It made the bold proclamation of new code of ethics: It made the gratification of sexual propensities as natural and inexorable, a physiological necessity of our being. It was a trumpet call to priest, monk, and nun to break their vows of chastity and enter matrimony. It demanded an instant abrogation of the laws of celibacy.

A Strange Character: Luther had one prominent trait of character: It was an overweening confidence and unbending will, buttressed by an inflexible dogmatism. He recognized no superior, tolerated no rival, and brooked no contradiction. His role during Peasant’s War speaks volumes about his character. Luther calls upon the princes to slaughter the offending peasants like mad dogs, to stab, strangle and slay as best one can, and holds out as a reward the promise of heaven. More than 1000 monasteries were leveled to the ground, hundreds of villages were laid in ashes, and one lakh people killed. While Germany was drenched in blood, its people paralyzed with horror, the cry of the widow and wail of the orphan rented the air, Luther then in his 42^nd year was spending his honeymoon with Catherine von Bora, a Bernardine nun of 26 years, who had abandoned her convent. It was a most detestable act on his part.

Jewish Hatred: Luther initially preached tolerance towards the Jewish people but after his overtures to Jews failed to convince them to adopt Christianity; he began preaching that Jews were set in evil, anti-Christian ways, and needed to be expelled from German politics. He wrote a treatise, “On the Jews and Their Lies” quoting the words of Jesus calling Jews “a brood of vipers and children of the devil.”

Martin Luther died on 18 February, 1546 at Eisleben. He was buried on 22^nd Feb. in the Wartberg castle church. Fortunately, he escaped martyrdom and died of natural causes.

A Comparative Study of Martin Luther and Guru Nanak

There are a few common features between Martin Luther and Guru Nanak. My study shows a string of contradictions between these two contemporaries.

Common Features: Both Guru Nanak and Martin Luther got harsh treatment at the hands of their fathers while their mothers showered mercy and kindness. Guru Nanak entered the village school but was not a keen student and left without completing his elementary schooling. Martin Lurther was a highly qualified person. He earned his Master’s in Philosophy from university of Erfurt and a doctorine in Theology from University of Wittenberg. He was a professor of theology throughout his life.

Guru Nanak got an audience with God during his Bein episode and started preaching His divine mission as ordained by God Almighty. His message had universal appeal for all human beings without the distinction of caste, creed or sex. Guru remark was highly critical of the religious preachers, both Hindu and Muslim, who delivered sermons to others but failed to practice in their own lives what they preached to others. He condemned the hypocrisy of clergy.

Luther studied the scriptures in depth and found discrepancy in the written message and its adoption by the Church. The priestly class exploited the poor people and played a second fiddle to the ruling class. The situation was almost identical to the scenario in India during the supremacy of Brahmanical priests. Both Guru Nanak and Martin Luther reject the superiority of priestly class in religious affairs. Salvation is not a prerogative of priests but it is within reach of common people.

Another common feature between Guru Nanak and Martin Luther is their theological attitude towards religion. All forms of external worship and rituals were rejected by both. Guru Nanak advocated truthful living as the core concept of his spiritual ethics. He believed in grace of God and declared that salvation is not earned by human effort; it is bestowed by grace of God. Martin Luther rejected the rituals of Roman Catholic Church and preached his new code of ethics based on the Bible and old Church. He accepted the institution of marriage for monks and nuns and pleaded for abrogation of the laws and vows of celibacy.

A Study in Contradictions   

(a)     Guru Nanak adopted a mystic approach to religion while Martin Luther had an intellectual approach only. The element of mysticism, so essential for a religion, was missing in the writings of Martin Luther.

(b)        Guru Nanak was a prophet in his own right, ordained by God to preach his mission, a kind of true spirituality in the world. It is a mischief on the part of the Brahmanical scholars to call Guru Nanak, a reformer of Hindu faith in India. Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation in Europe and can be labeled as a mere reformer of Christian faith.

(c)        Guru Nanak laid the foundation of a new religion in India with its distinct social system and holy book. It got a revolutionary character in the hands of Guru Gobind Singh. Martin Luther revolutionized the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church without modifying the Bible or pristine form of Christanity.

(d)       Guru Nanak always stood with the poor and fought for the exploited people of India while Martin Luther stood with the princes and rich aristocracy who butchered the poor during Peasant’s War in Germany. Rather, he became instrumental for this carnage.

(e)        Guru Nanak represented humility of character in all his dealings even with the adversaries while Martin Luther was haughty, intolerant, dogmatic and venomous in his uttering against the Pope and the Jews.

(f)        Guru Nanak was a pinnacle glory of Bhakti culture in India while Martin Luther was a by-product of a revolt of State against the Church in Europe.

NATURAL DIASTERS: MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT

Definition: Webster's Dictionary defines a disaster as 'a grave occurrence having ruinous results'. WHO defines disaster as 'any occurrence that causes damage, economic destruction, loss of human life and deterioration in health and health services on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community'.  Disasters are either natural, such as floods, droughts, cyclones and earthquakes, or man-made such as riots, conflicts, refugee situations and others like fire, epidemics, industrial accidents, and environmental fallouts.  In 1996, 40 million people were affected by disasters. During 1990-95, over 30 billion US$ was spent on humanitarian assistance.  On the average, 3 billion US$ is spent on disaster mitigation every year while the average annual global military spending is around 780 billion US dollars.  In South Asia, where poverty, deprivation and death due to disasters are a common feature of life, India remains the worst affected country.

(Source: Indian Disasters Report 2000, Oxford University Press)

Natural Hazards, Disasters and Vulnerability

Natural hazards become disasters when they impact on the vulnerabilities of an area/region and its people.  For example, cigarette smoking or drug-addiction is a health hazard, which can become a disaster if the vulnerable section of population is exposed to it freely.  The vulnerability of a region is a complex phenomenon; it is defined as the influence on it by heterogeneity of social, political and economic factors.  Natural on man-made hazards impact differently in different parts of the world depending upon vulnerability. 

The 1993, Latur earthquake of 6.2 M left over 10,000 dead and destroyed 200, 000 households.  However, much more powerful (7.5 M) Los Angeles earthquake of 1971 killed only 55 persons.  In India, with a fast growing population, the disaster mitigation and management must take into account the assessment of risk and vulnerability of the area under consideration.

India: A Country profile on Disasters

During the decade 1988-97, disasters in India affected over 24 million people and killed 5116 each year, on the average.  The economic loss amounted to 1884 million US $ per year.

In India, 11.2 percent area is flood-prone, 28 percent of total cultivable area is drought-prone and it is estimated that 57 percent of India is earthquake-prone.

Communal and caste riots pepper the country.  In India, the member of internally displaced people caused by developmental projects is probably 30 million today, according to Walter Fernandes of Indian Social Institute.  As for non-conventional disasters, the cost of road accidents is equivalent to 1 percent of a country's GNP.  The road transport system in India is about to crack.  The number of 4-wheeled vehicles is increasing at a tremendous rate and it has been forecast that 300 million vehicles will be on the roads by AD 2050.  The country, on the face of it, presents a dismal picture, so far as disaster management is concerned.

Major Disasters in India (1990-2000)

United Nations declared 1990-2000 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR).  During this decade, India faced many major disasters, e.g., cyclones in Andhra Pradesh (1990 & 96) and Gujarat (1998), earthquakes in Uttarkashi (1991), Latur (1993), Jabhalpur (1997) and Bhuj (2001), landslide in Uttar Pradesh 91998), in addition to floods (1993-1999).  On an average 3000 lives have been lost besides destruction of public property worth 10,000 million rupees.

Keeping in view, the objectives of IDNDR and Yokohoma Declaration, Indian Govt has planned for disaster preparedness, mitigation and management at the national, state and district level by creating infrastructure, namely National Centre for Disaster Management (NCDM), Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) at state level and National Fund for calamity Relief (NFCR) at national level.  Forecasting and warning systems to deal with floods, cyclones, droughts and earthquakes are being upgraded.

Nuclear Radiation Disasters

Historical : Natural Radioactivity was discovered by Henry Becqueral and Marie Curie in 1897 and Artificial radioactivity by Frederic Joliot and Irene Curie in 1932. Sir James Chadrick discovered neutron in 1935. Nuclear fission was discovered by Otto Hahn, Strassman and Cise Mertner in 1938 in Germany, when they bombarded uranium with neutrons.  Enrico Fermi demonstrated the chain reaction in a nuclear pile (reactor) on 2^nd December 14942 in Chicago (USA) which led to the making of first Nuclear Bomb (Atomic Bomb) under the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos in the desert of New Mexico (USA). Two thousand million dollars was the budget estimate for Manhattan Project.  The test explosion of Atomic Bomb on 16^th July 1945 was a complete success.  The First Atomic Bomb was thrown / dropped on Hiroshima on 6^th August 1945 and the second on Nagasaki on 9^th August 1945.  The bomb had the power of 20,000 tons of TNT. Hiroshima nuclear explosion killed 92,133 Japanese and more than 100,000 were permanently injured and disfigured.  The disaster was worst in the recorded history of mankind.  The following lines appeared in an American newspaper:

The Atom Bomb is here to stay,

Most scientists agree.

Oh, the bomb is here to stay,

The question is, are we?

Russians prepared a Hydrogen Bomb (Fusion Device) in 1953 and tested it in the Arctic Ocean.  In March 1954, America exploded H-bomb at Bikimi and the nuclear race started in the world.  France, UK, China, India and Pakistan have also become members of the Nuclear Club.  It is a feared that Israel and North Korea have also developed nuclear bombs and some more countries are engaged in making bombs clandestinely.  We have Atomic, Hydrogen and Neutron bombs in the world.  Nuclear Warfare will be suicide for the human race!

Causes of Nuclear Disaster

a)     Sohock Wave: destroys all buildings within a radius of 15 Kms from Ground Zero.

b)    Hear Wave: burns all in its path.

c)     Nuclear Radiations: in the form of gamma rays and neutrons destroy all living beings.

d)    Radioactivity of fission products remains for many years after the nuclear explosion.

Radiation effects are of two types:

i.                    Somatic Effects, and

ii.                  Genetic Effects

Somatic effects affect the person exposed to radiation and a dose of 600 Roentgen (r) can prove fatal.  Genetic effects appear in the successive generations of exposed person. Radiation dose limits are defined for general public and occupational workers by ICRP (International Commission on Radiation Protection) set up under UN. Health Physics is a profession devoted to protection of man and his environment from unwarranted radiation exposure.