Gurpreet Singh: Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s legacy becomes more relevant in Narendra Modi’s India

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      This week marks 180th anniversary of the death of a great Sikh emperor who established a truly secular and inclusive kingdom.

      Maharaja Ranjit Singh passed away on June 27, 1839, after ruling Punjab with a resolve to create a just society based on the principles of equality and egalitarianism enshrined in Sikhism.

      Born to Sikh chieftain Mahan Singh in 1780, Ranjit Singh inherited the traits of a warrior from his father. 

      The legend goes that Ranjit Singh’s name came after Mahan Singh captured a fort after defeating his enemy. He had led a fight against a tyrannical Muslim ruler who was mistreating his non-Muslim subjects.

      Ranjit literally means someone who is capable of winning wars. Mahan Singh chose to give this name to his son after his triumph.

      As Ranjit Singh grew, his father ensured that he became a skilled fighter and received the necessary military training, besides getting lessons in Sikh scriptures that teach the importance of treating everyone alike without discrimination. 

      However, Ranjit Singh had a difficult childhood. He was infected with smallpox, which caused the loss of his left eye.

      In addition, his father died while he was still very young. The responsibility to look after the territory of his father fell on his shoulders.

      Despite these challenges, Ranjit Singh gradually expanded his rule through diplomacy and wars. His kingdom included Kashmir and Khyber. He wasn’t just a foolhardy fighter, but a real visionary who brought all the Sikh confederacies under one banner.

      It goes to his credit that Ranjit Singh abolished capital punishment and believed in royal pardons. He also placed a complaint box outside the palace and was always willing to listen to grievances from the public. During natural calamities, including famines, he ensured that every citizen received a free ration to survive. 

      Ranjit Singh’s courtiers included people from diverse backgrounds, including followers of Islam. He donated liberally to Hindu temples and mosques, apart from gurdwaras. He never let his empire become a theocracy even though he was a practising Sikh and issued coins and seals bearing the names of the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, and the tenth master of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh.

      Just like his father, Ranjit Singh stood up against Muslim rulers who oppressed non-Muslims.

      Thus, Ranjit Singh was a progressive ruler who cared for the underprivileged. 

      The British who occupied India by then were not able to capture Punjab. Punjab fell to the British only after Ranjit Singh died.

      But his loyal soldiers refused to work under the British after they lost their beloved king. My own great-grandfather, Sham Singh, was one of them, having served in the army of Ranjit Singh.

      When British troops offered to hire them, they categorically said that they were only destined to work for the real king (Ranjit Singh) and not anyone else.

      Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s legacy is even more relevant today with most nation states becoming increasingly repressive and intolerant toward minorities.

      Especially in India under its right-wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, violent attacks on religious minorities continue to grow.

      Muslims, in particular, are being hounded by both police and state-supported vigilante groups bent upon turning India into a Hindu theocracy. 

      It’s a shame that some mainstream Sikh groups that claim to be followers of Ranjit Singh’s idea of just rule continue to align themselves with the BJP and remain silent to the repression of other minorities.

      If they really care for what Ranjit Singh believed in, they need to stand up against such madness.

      This is not to suggest that previous non-BJP governments in India were doing an excellent work. The Indian state has generally been repressive in nature.

      Draconian laws, killings of political dissidents through extra-judicial means, and executions to create fear have been a norm in the world’s so-called largest democracy. On the receiving end have always been minorities and other oppressed groups in a Hindu-dominated India.

      Modi has only made this more apparent by openly legitimizing majoritarianism—something Ranjit Singh rejected even in the absence of an Indian constitution that today guarantees religious freedom only on paper.

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