Book Reviews
| Author | Sudha P. Rao |
| Published date | 01 January 2014 |
| Date | 01 January 2014 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0019556120140116 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
BOOK REVIEWS /
181
Punjab: A History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten
RAJMOHAN
GANDHI,
New Delhi, p.432, Aleph, 2013, Rs 695.00, ISBN 978-
93-82277-58-3
Rajmohan Gandhi has written an interesting and engaging narrative
on the history of Punjab focussing on the period from the death
of
Aurangzeb
to the brutal partition in 1947. The book begins with a preface leading to
an
introduction, followed by
11
chapters, and ends with Notes, Bibliography
and an Index.
Punjab as a region has been identified by the common language, Punjabi
spoken by the inhabitants
of
North West India. A succession
of
conquerors
from Mahmud
of
Ghazni to Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali traversed
through Punjab causing devastation and hardship. However, the dislocation
and horrific killings which took place during partition in 1947 was by far
the worst experience the people
of
Punjab had to bear.
After the death
of
Aurangzeb in 1707, the next Mughal emperor,
Muhammad Shah gifted Sikh chieftains the jagir
of
a few villages close to
Amritsar. The grant
of
new jagirs across the empire resulted in reduced
income from crown lands and new power centres emerging. Local Sikhs
gained in strength and a full fledged kingdom rose under the reign
of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Ranjit Singh along with Fateh Singh Ahluwalia
of
Kapurthala entered into
an
agreement with the British to severe ties with
the Marathas and
in
exchange the British undertook the two chiefs'
possessions. After the death
of
Ranjit Singh, the British took over the
kingdom's properties including the Kohinoor diamond. The British rule
in
Punjab would last for 98 years after the annexation which was twice as
long as the preceding Sikh kingdom.
In 1857 during the Great Rebellion, news
of
the killing
of
Britons in
Delhi and mutiny in Meerut reached the British in Punjab through the
telegraph system. The Chief Commissioner in Punjab enlisted the support
of
the Sikh princes, called for reinforcements from across India and from
Britain before sending forces to Delhi. With superior guns and cavalry the
British exiled the Mughal Emperor and took over Delhi which was
subsequently ceded to Punjab.
British administration in Punjab began benignly by reducing taxes and
later went on to build railways and canals alongwith canal colonies leading
to agricultural prosperity
in
the region. On the negative side many fanners
soon became indebted to urban moneylenders. The Punjab Land Alienation
Act was passed in 1901 to counter the transfer
of
land to moneylenders.
Newly educated Punjabis were inclined to identify themselves not as a
class
of
educated Punjabis but with their religious community. The Sikh
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