Relying on fresh sources as well as previous accounts provided from opposing perspectives, the author fashions a compelling narrative about the great events of the time in the region-the battles and tragedies that routinely disrupted the lives of ordinary Punjabis, the sacking of iconic cities like Lahore, Amritsar, Multan and Jalandhar by a succession of conquerors, the ravages wrought by invaders like Nadir Shah, the rise of the Sikhs culminating in the storied reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Britain's successful wars against the Sikh kingdom, the Great Rebellion of 1857 and its effect on Punjab, imperialist machinations, the influence on the people by leaders of the independence movement like Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Lala Lajpat Rai, as also key regional figures such as Fazl-i-Husain, Master Tara Singh, Sikander Hayat Khan and Khizr Hayat Tiwana, the devastation of Partition-and much else besides.
Believing that modern India and Pakistan cannot be understood without comprehending the Punjab that was, the author also delves into the idea of Punjabiyat-Punjabiness-the literature and poetry of creative giants like Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Iqbal, Amrita Pritam and Saadat Hasan Manto, the spiritual teachings of the Sikh Gurus and Sufi saints, and, above all, the testimonials and narratives of ordinary Punjabis, to create an unforgettable portrait of a place-undivided Punjab-that continues to fascinate us (even though it broke up more than six decades ago) and of its hard-tested and resilient people, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh.
[Through] his deft control on the narrative. Rajmohan Gandhi illuminates the chaotic developments in post-Mughal Punjab without ignoring a single strand that had a bearing on the times.
Two years before that, in November 1945, I had faintly absorbed the drama of three Punjabis, a Hindu, a Sikh and a Muslim, officers all in Subhas Bose's Indian National Army, being tried together at the Red Fort for treason against the British Empire. The sound 'Dhillon, Sehgal, Shah Nawaz' had entered Delhi's air.
Half a century later, on my first visit to Lahore, I was struck (like many others) by the strong similarities between Delhi and Lahore, including an identical mix of Mughal and British monuments. Interest turned into a bond, and I made several subsequent visits to Lahore, none more enriching perhaps than the one made in 2005, when my wife Usha and I interviewed two dozen or so persons with memories of how Hindus and Sikhs had saved Muslims, and vice versa, in the Punjab of 1947. From those carriers of history we learnt of the insaniyat which in numerous priceless instances defeated the insanity of that year.
In this study, however, 'Punjab' signifies the subcontinent's Punjabi-speaking region as a whole, or what old-timers remember as undivided or 'British' Punjab. (In consonance with current popular practice in both India and Pakistan, this study will speak of Punjab rather than 'the Punjab' of traditional usage.)
A hundred years or so ago, around 1914, British Punjab, stretching all the way from Attack in the northwest to the borders of Delhi, seemed ideally placed to lead the subcontinent towards economic progress and inter-communal understanding. The Raj had provided stability to the area for six decades. While diverse in religion, sect, caste and class, the vast majority of Punjabis spoke the same language or a closely-related variant. Water gushing in its great rivers and canals, Punjab's agriculture was vigorous.
Hindu (892)
Agriculture (93)
Ancient (1022)
Archaeology (614)
Architecture (534)
Art & Culture (859)
Biography (597)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (159)
Emperor & Queen (494)
Islam (235)
Jainism (275)
Literary (875)
Mahatma Gandhi (380)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist