The first and the only Sikh ruler of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh is considered the greatest Indian of his generation. He was born on thge 2nd of November, 1780, to Raj Kaur, the daughter of Gajpat Singh of Jind, and Mahan Singh of Gujranwala, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl. He rose from a petty chieftain of few villages to become the monarch of a vast empire by his courage, determination, foresight, great commonsense and timely action. He picked the right people for the right job. In those matters he did not allow his judgment to be influenced because of person’s caste, creed, or religion. He was of a slender build, with a wrinkled face pitted with smallpox, (he lost his right eye at an early age to smallpox), and careless in his dress. But once on horseback, riding at the head of his army, 4th a black shield slung over mis shoulder, he did appear the man of greatness that he was. After the death of his father in 1790, Ranjit Singh inherited a confederacy with a Small territory and very limited military resources. The Indian invasions of Zaman Shah, a scion of Ahmad Shah Abdali, during 17951798, exercised a decisive influence on the career of Ranjit Singh. His stand against Zaman Shah was remarkable in the sense that Zaman Shah could never subjugate him. Ranjit Singh and his allies were able to foil Shah Zaman’s dreams of making India as one of his empires. After fourth and final invasion of India he realized the futility of his dreams of conquering all of India and finally invited all Sikh chiefs and offered his friendship. In return for his promise of friendship, Ranjit Singh was appointed Governor of Lahore at the tender age of nineteen with the title of Raja in 1798 by Zaman Shah… The bestowal of governorship by Zaman Shah marked the beginning of an extremely successful military career whose exploits resulted in the extinction of Afghan supremacy and the buildup of a strong Sikh national monarchy.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s government was strict but just. He used to tour his domain extensively and punished officers who abused their powers. It was not easy to rule the martial races of Punjab with the kid gloves on. He not only tamed them to submission by his unbiased and just rules but commanded unprecedented love and respect for his innumerable acts of generosity and kindness to all. Affable and unassuming, he was every inch a king. He conquered a great many powerful enemies and he seldom took a life in cold blood. Despite his unimpressive appearance, he was very fond of all the good things in life and he loved to be surrounded by beautiful women and had great passion for guns, horses, and precious stones.
He was a born ruler of men and he effected a marvelous transformation of the warring Sikh Misls (a militia that controlls certain territory) into a compact national monarchy. Although his ideals for Pan Sikhism could not be realized due to the British intervention on behalf of Cis-Sutlej states, he succeeded in establishing a kingdom large enough in territory and rich in fame. For his religious and racial tolerance, organizing ability, liberal outlook, and inquisitive mind he established his reputation as a humane, generous and fair human being, and a great ruler. In the event there were natural calamities such as from the farmers as much as the land could comfortably yield after providing for the tillers of the land, and from the merchants as much as they could profitable give. During his reign, with peach having been restored, the granaries were always full, trade and industry flourished, and there was general prosperity. He never assumed a title or the powers of a despot or a tyrant. His political acumen is well illustrated in the compromise he made between becoming a king of Punjab and ea. a peasant leader.
Humility was one of ie. greatest traits of his character. Although crowned Maharaja, he refused to wear an emblem of royalty on his turban. He ordered new coins to be struck which did not bear his likeness but the portrait of Guru Nanak, and they were named Nanak Shahi coins. The seal of the government, likewise, bore no reference to him but to the Sarkar Khalsa ji. The title by which he preferred to be addressed was the plain and simple Singh Sahib. There are innumerable instances of his acts of charity, generosity, and kindness to people of all classes and creed. The anecdotes related to multitude acts of his generosity are intertwined in Punjabi folklore.
They amply demonstrate that his approach to the problems of his subjects was always. Humane.
These wise decisions were a complete departure from the accepted traditions of the oriental courts. These acts kept Ranjit Singh closer to his masses from who emanated the true and real strength of the Maharaja.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 30, 1996
