Khushwant's biography of Ranjit Singh was first published in 1962 by George Allen Unwin in the UK. A new edition was overdue, especially as Ranjit Singh is again in the news, and Penguin India took it upon themselves to republish this definitive work.
Ranjit Singh was indeed a remarkable man. He was not only a foremost military strategist but also a capable leader and astute statesman. One example would suffice to illustrate this. When in 1799, he captured Lahore, he issued a warning to his soldiers that looting would be punished with death. His first public act was to pay homage at the royal mosque, the Badshahi Masjid, built by Emperor Aurangzeb. When the incumbent of the Lahore Fort, Chet Singh, surrendered, he embraced him and thus turned, as Khushwant says, "a bitter enemy into a grateful friend".
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Khushwant rightly points out that Ranjit Singh has been poorly served by his biographers. Hindu and Sikh admirers were unduly flattering; Muslim historians unduly harsh; and English writers unable to go beyond their stereotypical (and deliberate) portrayals of 'cunning' natives. Khushwant presents the man as he was, a human being who, as the blurb highlights, was "an ugly man, blind in one eye and pitted with small-pox, who loved to surround himself with beautiful men and women, and had a passion for horses, strong liquor, nautch girls and precious stones".
An interesting footnote. Khushwant's book is dedicated to his wife, Kaval. So much for Khushwant's much-touted reputation where women are concerned, and a most befitting dedication to an admirable woman who has been by his side for close to six decades.
