The King of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was named Greatest World Leader in BBC World Histories Magazine. I remember hearing of him through stories told by my grandparents as a little girl. I remember hearing of his infamous battles and outstanding courage. To many, he wasn’t just a ruler. He was an advocate of tolerance, freedom, and cooperation. Referred to as the Lion of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh was an exemplary leader.
Ranjit Singh was born in Lahore, in modern-day Pakistan. He was born in November of 1780 to parents Maha Singh and Raj Kaur. During his early years, the once-powerful Mughal Empire was on a steady decline on the Indian subcontinent. The British East India Company was trying to expand its resources and capabilities as the Mughal Empire retreated. Maha Singh, his father, was a ruler in a kingdom (Misls) set in modern Punjab (East Pakistan and Northwest India). The Misl was an example of the Mughal collapse and new emerging powers in the region.
When he succeeded his father at the mere age of twelve: he seemed like an unlikely candidate because smallpox had scarred his face, and he was blind in his left eye. Later on, Lord Auckland, Governor-General of British India referred to the Maharaja as a sun, stating, “the splendor and luminosity of his single eye are so great that I have never dared to look at his other eye.”
Ranjit Singh was born to be a courageous soldier on the battlefield, signified in his name, translated “Victor in Battle” in Punjabi. His first major conquest was of the city of Lahore in 1779, growing his image as a powerful military commander. Almost three decades later in 1801, the Sikh Empire was born after he proclaimed himself Maharaja of Punjab. In the years to follow, he began to expand and strengthen the empire. This was achieved by taking back Amritsar (the holy city), Srinagar, Peshawar, and Kashmir. Punjab was at its glory, stretching across the Indian subcontinent.
Military expansion in the ethnically diverse region of the empire wouldn’t guarantee stability. Thus, Singh balanced being a Sikh Ruler while protecting other religions in his empires such as Hinduism and Islam through rebuilding temples and allowing everyone to be free to practice their religion. Throughout his empire, forced conversions did not exist. In this modern world full of racial injustice and inequity, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s leadership showcases that despite our ethnicities and religions, we can all live peacefully as one.
One of his public campaigns was to restore Sikh temples: he was most known for restoring the Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple.
Like any empire, his empire did have many faulty corners. This malfunctioning leads to the empire’s collapse shortly after Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death. One of these faulty corners was a harsh taxing system known as the Jagir system, causing a lengthening divide between the rich and the poor. His biggest failure was creating a system of government that couldn’t function without him, a system that wouldn’t outlive him. Thus, when he passed away due to medical conditions, the empire quickly dissolved through coups, assassinations, and intervention from the British East India Company. By 1849, his empire was a part of the British Empire. The King of Punjab, the last owner of the Kohinoor Diamond before the British.
Over a hundred years after his reign, the Golden Era of Punjab, Punjab now lies as a state split between Pakistan and India. An empire of tolerance is now divided with political and religious tensions.
References:
“Who Was Maharaja Ranjit Singh?” HistoryExtra, 26 Nov. 2020, www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/maharaja-ranjit-singh-who-bio-profile-born-died-life-sikh-empire/.
India, Press Trust of. “Maharaja Ranjit Singh Named Greatest World Leader In BBC Poll.” NDTV.com, NDTV, 5 Mar. 2020, www.ndtv.com/india-news/maharaja-ranjit-singh-named-greatest-world-leader-in-bbc-poll-2190676.
Dear Ibadat,
Writing non-fiction is always an act of confidence and faith within yourself. This is because if you even misrepresent one fact, your entire piece becomes avid. However, your research was on point for this one and it made for a stylistically pleasing informative piece.
The best part about this is your personal connection to the piece – saying how your grandparents would tell you about him. As a Pakistani Punjabi, I too hope that we can work towards tolerance and peace.
For improvement, I would work on your conclusion. Tying it all together with a short summary of his life would be a good way to end this piece.
Being in your class has allowed me to read your great work and see your blossom over the months: what an actual blessing!
Sincerely,
Zaid
Hi Zaid,
I agree with you 100%. Writing non fiction was definitely a challenge for me, because I didn’t want to let my connection to the subject convey any overwhelming bias. I definitely think I can improve on the conclusion by making it stronger- I was just out of ideas in the moment.
I appreciate your kind words and I am glad I was able to read and learn from your incredible writing throughout the semester!
-Ibadat
Dear Ibadat,
I really enjoyed reading this piece. I am someone who doesn’t really enjoy reading non- fiction pieces as I just find them lengthy and boring. But I really liked your piece this is because it was short but it was informative, it almost didn’t feel to me that I was reading a non-fiction piece, I felt like I was watching a movie and the narrator was telling me everything.
For improvement I can’t really think of anything as I really enjoyed reading your piece! I hope I get to read more of your work in the future and I hope you will keep writing even after the semester is over.
Sincerely,
Karishma
Hi Karishma,
Thank you for your kind words!
-Ibadat
Dear Ibbi,
I thoroughly enjoyed this piece as it was a non-fiction piece and you had taken a different route than most of the others. I enjoyed how you had incorporated your own heritage yet again into one of your pieces of writing as it adds a little touch of personalization. I also liked that you had condensed the information and had written it in a more engaging way. As far as any errors in your writing goes i was unable to detect some.
Sincerely,Khushman
Dear Khushman,
Thank you so much for your positive feedback!
Dear Ibadat,
This was a really intriguing piece! Although I was not aware of this leader or the political tensions in the area, you clear and concise discussion of the subject matter gave me great insight into Ranjit Singh’s life story and achievements. Given that your family originates from this area, I can understand why he is a hero, as he was an effective leader during his reign. I especially liked his liberal views on culture and religion, allowing the ethnic diversity to remain – he would have fit into modern society perfectly.
For improvement, I would suggest that you elaborate a little more on the tensions of today, and how they are a direct contrast to his way of leading. Comparison and contrast is a great way to great depth of discussion and understanding.
All in all, I wish you the best for the next semester!
Nazeefa
Hi Nazeefa,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I agree with you; some aspects of his leadership do show up in modern day discussions. I also understand what you mean about elaboration; the ending seems abrupt and doesn’t tie everything together. I will try working on this in the future. I wish you all the best as well.
-Ibadat