A glorious empire that once was

For those keen on understanding the rise of Sikh empire, Col Kuldeep S Dosanjh’s book is a good read. A military man and academic, he has penned down the saga of the Sikh kingdom, which lasted 40 years. It rose under Maharaja Ranjit Singh but was shattered after his death, following which foreign invaders overtook the secular Sikh empire. The book begins when Baba Banda Singh Bahadur turned into a military warrior from Lachman Das, a yogi. Guru Gobind Singh had galvanised the yogi and showed him the path of truth and bravery. This had been the turning point that paved way for the Sikh empire.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh became chief of Sukerchakia misl and fought alongside his father at the age of 10. This was an explicit sign that this brave child will one day create history. At an early age, Ranjit Singh started learning tactics of the battlefield and kingship, equipping himself with the mind and muscle needed to establish Khalsa Raj. Unfortunately, Ranjit Singh’s death sent the kingdom on a downward spiral. This book critically explains reasons behind the end of Khalsa Raj and throws light on the forgotten Maharaja Duleep Singh too.

All that shaped Punjab of today

Prof Renu Bala narrates stories on the social structure and history of Khalsa Raj in her book, Dynamics of Society and Culture During Khalsa Raj (1765-1849). Punjab flourished during this phase, which came under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. At that time, the composition of Punjabi society was very distinct; it comprised 49 per cent Sikhs, 29 per cent Hindus, Muslims 16 per cent and 6 per cent Christians. If we talk about the condition of women among the royalty and nobility, we get to know that polygamy was common for strengthening of political powers through matrimonial alliances. The taste of literature was also changing in these times. The turning point, however, was 1750 to 1850 when the volume of Punjabi literature increased; secular literature was also emphasised upon in this period. Writers mostly hailed from Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities.  All this went into shaping the culture and society of Punjab.

Rebuilding a ravaged state

In the last 70 years since the partition of Punjab, the state has witnessed a lot of changes, both socially and politically. Helping one understand the political changes is Resurrecting Punjab by KS Chawla, a senior journalist, who retired from The Tribune. He writes about how, after emergency, Akali politics was revived in the state when Parkash Singh Badal became chief minister with support from Janta Dal in 1977. Jagdev Singh Talwandi, who played an important role in ticket distribution, was president of Akali Dal then and Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra headed the SGPC. This Akali trio emerged as a powerful front in Punjab politics, but later parted ways because of the individuals’ lust for power. The author writes from his experiences as a journalist. He has witnessed the changing colours of state politics from 1966 onwards when Punjab was divided into three states in the name of language. In the 1967 elections, Congress run was broken by Justice Gurnam Singh of Akali Dal, who formed an alliance named United Front with help from other parties. The book also takes one through the deteriorating condition of Punjab in the 1980s to how militancy came to an end in the state.

— Anmol Nath Bali