|
Book on Maharaja Ranjit Singh released |
|
|
|
|
Written by Express News Service
|
|
Sunday, 19 August 2007 |
 Amritsar. A book on the life and achievements of great Sikh ruler during early 19th Century was today released by Baba Sarbjot Singh Bedi at an impressive public gathering at Punjab Natshala. The book, 'Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Personalitas Extra-ordinaire', by educationist Manveen Sandhu and is published by Punnarjyot.
"In our fast-paced lives, history seems obsolete. In order to make it relevant, we need to critically analyse all that has been historically documented to decipher the hidden messages of the past," said writer soon after the release of her book.
She said the book was an attempt to present the golden period of Punjab where in the kingdom of Lahore epitomised peace, harmony and prosperity, despite many wars being fought by its army under the Maharaja.
She admitted that the book is a labour of love as she is not a professional historian and she dedicates her work to the youth of Amritsar and Lahore.
Nadira Naeem and Dr Radha Sharma, Dr SS Behal, BS Sekhon, Kewal Dhaliwal and Balwinder Sandhu expressed their views on Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the work while Dr Shivinder Singh Sandhu expressed vote of thanks. Further article: New facets of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s reign revealed
Ashok Sethi, Tribune News Service
Amritsar. The new book on Maharaja Ranjit Singh describes him as a peace icon. The author Manveen Sandhu, who has conducted a detailed research on the legendary king, has brought to the fore some fascinating facets of Maharaja’s reign in her book ‘Maharaja Ranjit Singh —- Personalitas Extraordinaire’.
Taking to The Tribune, the author said it was important to understand and replicate the king’s magic mantra of harmony and peace in the region. Adding a new aspect to his coronation, the author writes that being bright and a brilliant warrior the then elderly statesman Baba Sahib Singh Bedi recognised abilities of young Ranjit Singh Baba and offered him leadership of the Sikh confederacy. His rise to power was meteoric because of his national spirit and penetrating political vision. Baba Sahib Singh coronated Ranjit Singh with the title ‘Va Fazal-e-Akal, Vali-e-Khalsa Sarkar, Khadim-e-Kaum Sher-e-Punjah in 1801 on the day of Baisakhi. aMaharaja epitomised secularism, giving importance to all festivals of different communities under his rule. His diarist Sohan Lal Suri gave evidence of Maharaja’s secularism in his book ‘Umdat-ut –Tawarikh.’ He was also a visionary leader who realised that to thwart rebellion it was essential to establish a cosmopolitan society. The author says her work aims at bringing new facts about Maharaja to the fore with proper documentation. The book also contains rare pictures and paintings. She added that the book was an attempt to understand the king’s philosophy.
| Comments () >> |
 |
| Write comment |
| You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet. |
 |
