Books
The Last Sunset: Rise and Fall of The Lahore Durbar
NEWS REPORT
The grand ballroom at New Delhi's grand Imperial Hotel was packed, with plenty of air-kissing while perfume hung heavy in the air.
The launch of Captain (Maharaja) Amarinder Singh's latest book, The Last Sunset: Rise and Fall of the Lahore Durbar brought together Delhi and Punjab's illustrious circles for one brief evening.
Scion of the Sikh Kingdom of Patiala - also a former Chief Minister of Punjab - Amarinder Singh is known for his military chronicles like Lest We Forget and A Ridge Too Far and has an abiding interest in Sikh history.
The latest book chronicles the rise and fall of the legendary Sikh Emperor, Ranjit Singh, and was released by Air Marshal Arjan Singh.
"A lot has been written about Ranjit Singh by numerous historians. But they have been either chronological details of the events that took place or been determined by which side was telling the story. I wanted to give it a more individual perspective about an illiterate man who expanded his rule over an area that is larger than present day Pakistan, all before he turned 21," says Amarinder Singh.
The politician-author travelled extensively through the Punjab in India and Pakistan and made trips to British museums to access Sikh documents from their archives. The book has been divided into five parts and talks about the history and politics of the Punjab before the rise of Ranjit Singh till his death in 1839 and the events that determined the fate of the region afterwards," says the author.
The Last Sunset is priced at Rs 695 (approx US $18).
[Courtesy: Indian Express]
March 7, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: T. Kaur (Canada), March 07, 2010, 3:28 PM.
Although I have not read this book so I can not speak about its contents, I do know that Captain Amarinder is part of the Congress party and has publically vowed not to prosecute those police officers guilty of human rights violations during the so called 'counter-insurgency' operation in Punjab. My concern would be around his portrayal of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and a possible re-writing of history in an attempt to remove the heroic aura of this great Emperor! I would issue a word of warning to all concerned Sikhs to review any books on Sikh history and philosophy with a very critical eye because there are definite forces at work who do not wish us to remember our glorious past!
2: Raj (Canada), March 07, 2010, 3:36 PM.
Shoot, I missed the release by a few days. Last week, I was in India looking for this book, not knowing that he hadn't released it yet. Amarinder Singh is a great millitary historian who writes from the Sikh perspective.
3: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), March 07, 2010, 5:49 PM.
Wonderful to welcome a new and serious book on the Maharaja who ruled a major swath of North-West India with enviable sagacity, courage and aplomb. I haven't yet seen the book but I hope that it deals analytically with some of the reasons why his formidable empire collapsed so suddenly and woefully so soon after his death. It seems to me that the final test of an enterprise, be it a business or an empire, is how it survives and thrives after the Founder has left the scene. If it does not, then it indicates a major organizational and administrative weakness in the model. Could one say that in this one critical aspect, Ranjit Singh's excellent governance suffered from a fatal flaw? There is also the matter of Ranjit Singh's personal lifestyle in his later years. I would love to know what and how does the author deal with such issues.
4: Irvinder Singh Babra (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), March 09, 2010, 5:52 AM.
That Maharaja Ranjit Singh was an extraordinary Emperor and had brought together a mammoth empire, all before he turned 21, should be the selling point of the book. Especially for today's younger generation who, at 21 and under, are digitally glued to their laptops, are lazy and think history is all bunk. Such a book only Amarinder Singh could have written with all the necessary research and resources at his command.
5: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), March 12, 2010, 4:23 AM.
I haven't laid my hands on this book yet. But, I do have some stories related by Fakir Syed Waheed-Ud-Din who had proudly written about Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his legacy from the family papers preserved by the 'Fakir' family. One such incident would suffice for the sake of brevity. Lord William Bentick, Governor-General of British India, had received Fakir Azizuddin at Simla as Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Foreign Minister. In course of their meeting, Lord Bentick asked rather bluntly which of the Maharaja's eyes was blind. This reference to a physical defect greatly displeased Fakir Sahib, and summoning all his wits replied: "Your Excellency, I have never dared to cast my eyes at Maharaja Sahib's face. They are always fixed on his feet. If you wish to know about his feet, I may be able to tell you something." Lord Bentick was so impressed with his reply that he took his gold watch out of his pocket and presented to Fakir Sahib saying: "So long as Ranjit Singh has men like you to serve him, no harm shall come to his Kingdom." That gold watch is still part of the 'Fakir' family collection in Lahore.