Tempo:
284
Punjab Monarchy and Imperialism
he did not lose the common touch or sympathy with the peasant folk from whom he had sprung. 22 He also had the peasant's shrewdness and cunning, and once his suspicion was aroused he considered no trick unfair to outwit an adversary. But he never held a grudge for very long. He forgave people who had wronged him and rehabilitated enemies he had vanquished. He hated inflicting punishment: never in his entire life did he sentence a man to death-not even an Akali fanatic who tried to assassinate him. The factor which contributed most to Ranjit Singh's success was his respect for other faiths. 23 He was a devout Sikh and spent an hour or more every afternoon listening to the reading of the Adi Granth. But his devotion to Sikhism did not prevent him from being full of Brahmanical superstition, from worshipping at Hindu temples and surrounding himself with soothsayers, astrologers, and other charlatans of the same ilk which were forbidden by the Sikh gurus. He equally respected the Islamic faith and strongly resented the anti-Muslim prejudices of the Akalis. It is said that a calligraphist who had spent the best part of his life preparing a copy of the Koran came to Lahore after having failed to sell his work to the Muslim chiefs of India. Ranjit Singh paid a fabulous price for the work. When Fakir Azizuddin praised him for his broadmindedness, the Maharajah replied: 'God wanted me to look upon all religions with one eye, that is why he took away the light from the other.' 22 Ranjit Singh's concern for the welfare of the peasantry was always a very personal one. In a message to Lehna Singh Majithia on the latter's assignment to collect the revenue, the Maharajah wrote: 'Take care that all residents of the country aTe happy and in the cradle of comfort and ease.... See that all the zamindars have prosperous houses and households.. . . Realise the revenue with a sweet tongue.' 23 In February 1835 Karamat Ali Shah, who had been appointed newswriter by the English in Afghanistan, passed through Lahore on his way to Calcutta. He refused to accept presents from Ranjit Singh because the Maharajah was an 'infidel'. Ranjit Singh's letter to Sardar ~ar Singh (PC 95 of 5.2.1835) refers to the Maharajah's surprise that Karamat Ali 'in conversation intruded his religion in a manner that no one has hitherto been known to do in my Durbar. ·
Punjab Monarchy and Imperialism
he did not lose the common touch or sympathy with the peasant folk from whom he had sprung. 22 He also had the peasant's shrewdness and cunning, and once his suspicion was aroused he considered no trick unfair to outwit an adversary. But he never held a grudge for very long. He forgave people who had wronged him and rehabilitated enemies he had vanquished. He hated inflicting punishment: never in his entire life did he sentence a man to death-not even an Akali fanatic who tried to assassinate him. The factor which contributed most to Ranjit Singh's success was his respect for other faiths. 23 He was a devout Sikh and spent an hour or more every afternoon listening to the reading of the Adi Granth. But his devotion to Sikhism did not prevent him from being full of Brahmanical superstition, from worshipping at Hindu temples and surrounding himself with soothsayers, astrologers, and other charlatans of the same ilk which were forbidden by the Sikh gurus. He equally respected the Islamic faith and strongly resented the anti-Muslim prejudices of the Akalis. It is said that a calligraphist who had spent the best part of his life preparing a copy of the Koran came to Lahore after having failed to sell his work to the Muslim chiefs of India. Ranjit Singh paid a fabulous price for the work. When Fakir Azizuddin praised him for his broadmindedness, the Maharajah replied: 'God wanted me to look upon all religions with one eye, that is why he took away the light from the other.' 22 Ranjit Singh's concern for the welfare of the peasantry was always a very personal one. In a message to Lehna Singh Majithia on the latter's assignment to collect the revenue, the Maharajah wrote: 'Take care that all residents of the country aTe happy and in the cradle of comfort and ease.... See that all the zamindars have prosperous houses and households.. . . Realise the revenue with a sweet tongue.' 23 In February 1835 Karamat Ali Shah, who had been appointed newswriter by the English in Afghanistan, passed through Lahore on his way to Calcutta. He refused to accept presents from Ranjit Singh because the Maharajah was an 'infidel'. Ranjit Singh's letter to Sardar ~ar Singh (PC 95 of 5.2.1835) refers to the Maharajah's surprise that Karamat Ali 'in conversation intruded his religion in a manner that no one has hitherto been known to do in my Durbar. ·
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