The Sikh Kingdom
The Sikh Kingdom: The land of the Five Rivers. When it was founded in 1799 by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, a truly visionary leader, the Sikh Kingdom provided civil liberties to all its people and as per Dr Leitner in his book, “History of Indigenous Education in the Punjab- since Annexation and in 1882”, an education budget that surpassed that of England, a modern kingdom with more scholars and intellectuals than possibly anywhere else in the world. The extent of Punjab was vast; it included parts of countries now known as India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tibet and spread its influence to the doors of China.
Ranjeet Singh:
Lion of Punjab & Prince Victors Grandfather
A small man in stature, standing only 5’ 3” but he was a political and social giant, worthy of the title he bore: “Lion of Punjab”. He created a multicultural and diverse kingdom where Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims and religious minorities could all thrive harmoniously. His court attracted hundreds of Europeans with over 40 of them carrying senior posts. Ranjeet Singh was a uniting force when his focus was on the now, but his vision for the future was somewhat flawed, and the British capitalised on this. In 1839, the Maharaja succumbed to illness, and his tragic death brought the thriving Kingdom into chaos. Ill-appointed heirs to the throne clamoured to fill his iconic place. This continuous onslaught and betrayal of the highest order by clan (Misl) leaders and courtesans allowed the prosperous Kingdom to fall prematurely. Two Anglo Sikh wars followed to determine who would land the plum prize of Punjab. The second Anglo Sikh War (1848-1849) handed the British the whole of India.
Maharani Jindan:
Prince Victors Grandmother
Maharani Jindan, the wife of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh and mother of the young Maharaja Duleep Singh, is the titular ‘Rebel Queen’ of the 2010 documentary film by Michael Singh. She is best described by British author, Christy Campbell, in his book, titled, ‘The Maharajas Box’. He called Jindan “one of the most remarkable characters of the 19th-century history let alone Indian or Sikh history”. Although inexperienced in statecraft, she took the reins after her husband’s death and actively engaged in trying to rid Punjab of the hovering greed of the British. Because she became a serious obstacle to their plans in India, the British launched a smear campaign to discredit her. Lacking anything more substantial, rumours were started assailing her moral character. Remnants of that sorry legacy, unfortunately, exist even today in Punjabi social folklore. Despite her young age, she was a complex, cocky, intelligent, and challenging as nails woman. She was no less a lioness than the famous Jhansi Rani, and she needs to be returned to her highly esteemed historical position.
Maharajah Duleep Singh: Exile
Maharajah Duleep Singh arrived in Southampton in 1854 at the age of 16, on the premise that he would be inducted into the great schools of learning, an education fit for a king. No of this materialised, in fact, he was told upon his arrival that ‘Maharajahs don’t go to school with common folk…” Upon his arrival, he found an admirer…Queen Victoria described him as being “extremely handsome with a graceful and dignified manner”.
Despite the extraordinary efforts to prevent him from having any contact with his mother, the young Prince longed to rejoin her.
He was the first Sikh in Britain, surrounded by the pallbearers of the Church of England faith that he had been forced to adopt.
Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t all doom and gloom in a deep dungeon for Duleep; I’m sure daily life for the Duleep Singh’s was quite marvellous.
Since 1849 Duleep Singh had been a pensioner of the British government. The agreement of 1849 called for Duleep Singh to receive a pension not less than four and not more than five lakhs a year (1 lakh = £10,00). That worked out to be an annual pension/allowance of £40,000-£50,000. The amount that he received was substantially less; he was given only £12,000 to £25,000 a year, nearly a quarter of what had been agreed upon. In 1884, frustrated by the lack of funds/pension/allowance provided to him, Maharaja Duleep Singh wrote a paper/book, “The Maharajah Duleep Singh and the Government: A Narrative” (1884).
Two things shaped/influenced the last decades of Duleep Singh’s existence. His mother Maharani Jindan who held the key to his heart’s desire to reconnect with Sikhism, and the India Office which had access to his shrunken purse strings.
The British had resolved that only extinction of the Duleep Singh family line could secure their long-term control of Punjab, that strategic and abundant land. Family members were convinced that cooks at Elveden hall were adding poisons to their food to make them infertile. None of Duleep Singh’s eight children had any offspring!
By 1893, Maharaja Duleep Singh was a broken man living in a humble hotel in Paris. He was suffering from health issues. On 22 October, he passed away, never having fulfilled his dream to return home forever. From all accounts, Victor’s relationship with his father was strained. Duleep Singh had gone through a period of self-reflection, and a connection to his own rich cultural/religious traditions. Victor was someone who seemed to desperately want to fit in, to be accepted even though he was different. Watching his father challenge the government and royal family at every turn must have made him uncomfortable. He would have heard the mockery in the tone of the voices, of those that he socialised amongst. The young Prince desperately wished to feel just like the rest of his aristocratic friends, Anglo Saxon, and well off. The death of his father indeed must have raised a turbulent mess of emotions for him as Victor became the heir-in-exile to the Sikh Kingdom.
By 1893, Maharaja Duleep Singh was a broken man living in a humble hotel in Paris. He was suffering from health issues. On 22 October, he passed away, never having fulfilled his dream to return home forever. From all accounts, Victor’s relationship with his father was strained. Duleep Singh had gone through a period of self-reflection, and a connection with who he was and the rich cultural/religious traditions that he belonged. Victor was someone who seemed to desperately want to fit in, to be accepted even though he was different. Watching his father challenge the government and royal family at every turn must have made him uncomfortable. He would have heard the mockery in the voices of those that he desired to fit in with. The young Prince desperately wished to feel just like the rest of his aristocratic friends, Anglo Saxon, and well off. The death of his father indeed must have raised a turbulent mess of emotions for him as Victor became the heir-in-exile to the Sikh Kingdom.