continued from Oct 15th issue

by Avtar Singh Gill

Maharani Jindan in England

Maharani Jindan had already escaped to Nepal on April 29,1849 but was not allowed to meet her Son fora long time. Anyhow, the Maharaja located her and, on account of change of British policy, the Governor General allowed her to proceed to Calcutta where the Maharaja was scheduled to come, and see her afire some 13 years. In early 1861, the Maharaja was staying in Spencer’s Hotel but many people followed him and his old Servants paid him respects. Soon after the Chinese War, Sikh regiments returning home learned about the Maharaja in the City and they flocked about the Hotel in thousands, demonstrative in their joy and greeting to their former ruler and besieged it. Over whelmed with fear and alarm, Canning requested the Maharaja as a Special favor to the Government, to give up his intentions of going upcountry and fore turn to En gland and, with a heavy heart, he took passage for him and his near blind mother in the first available Steamer for England.

The presence of the Maharani with her son was not relished by the British as she was reviving filial duty in the heart of her son and she was praising the Sikh religion and the Maharaja was seen drifting from his new faith forced upon him in his childhood. On August 1,1861, Maharaja wrote to Login from Auchlyne to immediately request permission from Indian authorities for his return to his motherland with his mother, giving up all pension and emoluments, but was persuaded by Lady Login to drop the idea, on which he decided to arrange for his mother’s return to India. However, she breathed her last in Abingdon House, Kensington, on the early morning of August 1,1863, at the age of 46 years. Her last remains were later removed to India for the last rites according to Sikh religion. The body of hie Maharani underwent the ceremonial burning near Nasik, far away from the Punjab, and, in due course, the ashes collected were Scattered on the waters of Godavri where a small monument in the river bed commemorates her memory. Staying for about a month in the city of Bombay, of course as State Prisoner, the Maharaja, under orders, staged a retreat to England Patriotic feelings aroused John Bright, a politician, aroused his nationalist sentiments in 1859 when the Maharaja had heard his discourse on ‘the wrongs of the unhappy natives under British domination,” and later his mother instilled strong patriotic feelings in his heart and he promised 10 renounce the new faith and re embrace Sikhism. In 1869, Gurcharan Singh Kuka was negotiating for Russian assistance with the Governor of Tashkent, in the name of Baba Ram Singh, as the Kukas had pinned their faith in the return of the Maharaja to power as prophesied in a number of “Sakhis,” then current in the Punjab. Kuka Bishan Singh, a wealthy merchant of Kabul, was destined to lead Mohammedan army of liberation into the Punjab. In 1862, the ruler of Indore, and in 1867, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir had sent emissaries 10 the Governor of Taskhent In 1882, the permission to visit Punjab was refused to the Maharaja on the ground that there were thousands of Sikhs and Punjabis who look for the restoration of the Khalsa someday. Nationalist forces in Bengal also circulated large number of secret pamphlets bearing the slogan “Maharaja Dalip Singh Ki Jai” to various towns and cities of Punjab with appeal to rally round under his banner. All of his efforts to leave England were thwarted in a planned way. In March 1886, he wrote to his countrymen for forgiveness on his ‘erring creature’ and his letter published in the Tribune, Lahore in the issue April 17,1886 again created a great stir in British circles and, under inspiration of the Govt, the Sikh Sardars, whose ancestors had flourished on account of the favors bestowed on them by Ma haraja Ranjit Singh, namelessly ‘disowned’ their “own flesh and blood,” yet a brave Punjabi dis played great courage in sending reply on March 25,1886 and, in consequence, people in general busied themselves in giving a grand welcome to their Maharaja and the temper of the troops also rose high. The Irish nationalists were also sympathetically dis posed towards the Maharaja.

Maharaja sought Russian help.

The Maharaja with his family and others arrived in Aden on Apnil 21,1886 where he was arrested under Regulation 111 of 1818 and, Outraged in his tenders point, and furious at the insult put on him, he threw in the face of the Government the pension he was drawing, left his family in their hands to support and announced his intention of offering his sword and services to other foreign powers 10 achieve his goal. Thakar Singh Sandhanwalia, as his Prime Minister, was sent to Pondicherry to wage a war On the British to liberate the country. The rulers of Chamba, Faridkot, Nabha nad Rant Kishan Kaur of Ballabgarh promised support in that national cause. In Hyderabad, Raja Narinder Parkash was in constant touch with the Sardar while Kuka proceeded to,

Nepal for seeking support. Shashi Bhushan Mukerjee, then in exile in Pondicherry and running a pa per “The Beaver” and KumarInder Chander Singh of Calcutta also supported the national cause, According to the plan, the time of the invasion of the Maharaja, with Russian support, the entire population of Punjab would rise and destroy all means of communication and transportation and Sikh soldiers in British Army and Indian soldiers in the service of States would join the Maharaja, who had addressed secret letters to the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir and other Punjab Chiefs and Princes. A fake passport procured in Berlin to cross over to Russia, along with his entire money were ‘stolen’ at the border, and yet through the good offices of the editor of Moscow Gazette, he reached Moscow in April 1887. From there, he sent Arur Singh, personal servant of the Sandhanwalia Sardar, to India with two letters, one for the Raja of Indore and the other for the de posed King of Oudh, with a separate appeal to all other Indian Princes to assure the Czar of Russia with whose aid he was expected to deliver them from bond age. Unfortunately the Sandhanwalian Sardar suddenly died in Dec,1887 and Arur Singh arrested at Calcutta on Aug5,1887, Sheikh Jamaluddin introduced the Maharaja to the Russian officials, including Kat Koff, who promised all help. Abdul Rasul even introduced him to the Muslims to grant him moral Support 10.2 good cause. A lengthy letter was now addressed to the Czar by the Maharaja giving out his plan and the economic benefits to Russia, assuring him that if two lakh Russian soldiers and two thousand cannons were placed at his disposal, he was sure to be Supported by about three lakh soldiers of Indian Princes, 45000 soldiers in British Army and the en tire Sikh population of the Punjab, then numbering eight lakhs.

Article extracted from this publication >>  October 22, 1993