7th Rangers: Maharaja Ranjit Singh death anniversary: Read how his son, last king of Sikh empire, was converted to Christianity and ‘lost’ the Kohinoor to British
Fighting Seventh
The Fighting Rangers On War, Politics and Burning Issues
Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Maharaja Ranjit Singh death anniversary: Read how his son, last king of Sikh empire, was converted to Christianity and ‘lost’ the Kohinoor to British
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Maharaja Duleep Singh converted to Christianity at young age but later returned to Sikhism (Image: Cam Self/Flickr/NPG)
It
is believed that when Duleep Singh surrendered the Sikh empire to the
British, he also surrendered the Kohinoor diamond. However, the reality
was far from what people believed. The diamond was taken away (robbed, until today the crime scene sits on Queen Elizabeth's Crown) from the
treasury of the Sikh Empire by Lord Dalhousie.
Today, 27 June 2022, marks the 183rd death anniversary of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh, one of the foremost rulers of the Sikh Empire. On June 27,
1839, Sher-e-Punjab or Lion of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, passed away following multiple health complications. With his death, the tragic story of his youngest son, Duleep Singh, began.
At the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death, Duleep was not even a
year old. Following his demise, Duleep Singh lived a quiet life with his
mother Maharani Jind Kaur Aulakh at Jammu for a few years.
During that period, the Sikh empire that was established by Maharaja
Ranjit Singh was ruled by Maharaja Kharak Singh, who was followed by
Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh and Maharaja Sher Singh. After Maharaja Sher
Singh was assassinated in 1841, Duleep Singh and his mother were
recalled to Lahore in 1843. He was proclaimed the next King of the Sikh
empire on September 16, 1843, at the tender age of five, and his mother
ruled the kingdom on his behalf for a while.
The Anglo-Sikh war of 1845
From 1843 to 1845, the Sikh army grew steadily. The foreign officials
in the army were dismissed from their posts. At one point, there were
over 70,000 soldiers in Sikh Army. On December 13, 1845, the British
declared war against the Sikh empire and defeated the Sikh army. Though
Duleep Singh was retained as the figurehead Maharaja or a nominal ruler,
the Council of Regency replaced Maharani Jind Kaur. She was later
imprisoned and exiled.