D.S. SEKHON
Mahan Singh died in 1792. The legacy which Ranjit Singh inherited from his ancestors consisted of a large district in the heart of the Punjab and an ambition that knew no bounds. Ranjit Singh was the man who liquidated the warring misses, forged a unified kingdom, and harnessed the restless energy of the Sikhs. He was born on Nov. 13, 1780. Ranjit Singh was twelve years old when his father died. A serious attack of small pox had deprived him of vision in his left eye and deeply pitted) his face. He did not receive any education. He was an avid hunter and his love for horses became an absolute passion. A sudden change came over him when he reached the age of fifteen, assumed control of the Sukerchakia estates and married. He came under the influence of his mother-in-law, Sada Kaur, who more than anyone else directed his unbounded energy towards unifying the Punjab.
*The people of India heard of the new star which had risen in the Punjab’s firmament. British resident at the Mughal court, Collins wrote, “At present, this chief is regarded throughout Hindustan as the protector of the Sikh nation; it being generally believed that were it not for the fortitude and excellent conduct of Ranjit Singh, the whole of Punjab would have become a desert waste since it is the boast of the Afghans that the grass never grows where their horses have once trod.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 30, 1987
