H.C.

GUGLANI

A SAGA OF THE BRAVE PEOPLE OF MULTAN RESISTING THE MIGHT OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

MORE THAN BROTHERS

Dedicated to the brave people of Multan

Edited and Published by Soumya Srijan Dasgupta M.A. History St. Stephens College, Delhi

MORE THAN BROTHERS

A HISTORICAL FICTION by H.C. GUGLANI

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Copyright 2014 by H.C. Guglani! All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof! may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever! without the express written permission of the author/publisher! except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the Republic of India H.C. Guglani! F-4/16! Model Town - II Delhi - 110009

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CONTENTS
1. Foreground: Delhi 1977 2. Background: Multan 1848 3. Play Ground: A Matter of Convenience I Bhai Bhamba Ram & Lala Ram Lal II Morning of April 18, 1848 III An Hour Later IV Evening of April 18, 1848 V Morning of April 19, 1848 VI Night of April 19, 1848 VII Evening of April 20, 1848 VIII Morning of April 21, 1848 IX Diary of Lala Ram Lal X Raazinama 4. Espionage Ground: On The Toes I Sahuwala: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (24.04.1848) II Sahuwala: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (25.04.1848) III Sahuwala: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (29.04.1848) IV Sahuwala: Letter from Aatoon (02.05.1848) V Piranwala: Letter from Aatoon (23.05.1848) VI Piranwala: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (24.05.1848) VII Dera Ghazi Khan: Letter from Aatoon (02.06.1848) VIII Suraj Kund: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (06.06.1848) 5. Fencing Ground: An Unforced Error I Noonr: Letter from Aatoon (18.06.1848) II Suraj Kund: Letter from Aatoon (28.06.1848) III Suraj Kund: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (30.06.1848) IV Tibbee: Letter from Aatoon (02.07.1848) V Tibbee: Letter from Aatoon (04.07.1848)
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06 - 21 22 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 37 38 - 40 41 - 42 43 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 52 53 - 63 64 - 69 70 - 71 72 - 74 75 - 92 93 - 97 98 - 100 101 - 103 104 - 107 108 - 109 110 - 113 114 - 118 119 - 121 122 - 123 124 - 126 127 - 129

VI Suraj Kund: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (10.07.1848) VII Tibbee: Letter from Aatoon (27.07.1848) VIII Suraj Kund: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (03.08.1848) IX Suraj Kund: Letter from Aatoon (16.08.1848) X Moosa Khoo: Letter from Aatoon (06.09.1848) 6. Battleground I Yog Maya: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (13.09.1848) II Yog Maya: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (14.09.1848) III Yog Maya: Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram (22.09.1848) IV Suraj Kund: Letter from Aatoon (24.09.1848) V Suraj Kund: Letter from Aatoon (10.10.1848) VI Suraj Kund: Letter from Aatoon (25/27.12.1848) VII A Brush-up by Satyagrahi Nand Lal VIII Fall of the City of Multan IX Fall of the Fort X Plight of the Vanquished People 7. Strangulating Ground: Divide & Rule I Annexation II Frustration III Trial of Dewan Mool Raj Chopra IV Rise from Ashes V Adieu Multan. 8. Appendix: A Brief History of Multan Bibliography & Acknowledgments About the Author ***

130 - 133 134 - 136 137 - 142 143 - 145 146 - 148 149 - 153 154 - 157 158 - 163 164 - 167 168 - 171 172 - 174 175 176 - 187 188 - 191 192 - 193 194 - 196 197 - 198 199 - 204 205 - 226 227 - 229 230 - 289 CCXC

CCXCII

CHAPTER 1

Foreground
Delhi 1977

Lead such a life that when you die people mourn you, and when you are alive they long for your company. Sometime between midnight and dawn, the grand old man of Multan breathed his last. Except for the last few days when he had become forgetful, that too in ts, in all the ninety-eight years of his tenure on this earth he never betrayed any symptoms of debilitations, and was remarkably able to retain the activity of
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mind and body almost to the last. His death was plain, simple, and peaceful, like an over-ripe mango falling from a tree on its own velocity. Just like that. He went to sleep for the night and apparently just forgot to wake up in the morning. By the time we realized the fact, it was too late. No doctor could be of any help to us in this respect. His last four days had been a bit tough for us. We had to fan out duties amongst ourselves between attending to him and the rows of visitors who had started swarming around his house in Bazaar Ganda Nala, Kashmere Gate, Delhi. The news had spread like wildre that the grand old man of Multan, Bhai Chanda Ram (addressed as Bhaijee by every one including us his grand children) had sent for all his relatives to see him as he had premonition of his death. People had come from as far as Bombay, Bangalore, and Hyderabad but most of them from Hisar, Hansi, Karnal, and Sonipat, and of course from Delhi, where the immigrants from Multan had largely settled down after the partition of the country. The most intriguing visitor was Satyagrahi Nand Lal. He had never failed in his once-a-year visit to Bhaijee. We knew him as a satyagrahi one who stands for truthful & peaceful revolution. Satyagraha is an integrated concept that includes truth, non-violence, non-stealing, non-arson, chastity, fearlessness, tolerance, and patience. Satya and Ahimsa are its main armoury as well as shields to resist all kinds of repression. Even after thirty years of independence, he was of the rm belief that the independence for which he and his ancestors had struggled for generations was still far away from our grasp. He wore black clothes as a mark of protest against replacement of the British Raj with Selsh Raj, increasing corruption and nepotism, taxation and ination, proteering and exploitation. Satyagrahi Nand Lal was our next-door neighbour in Multan. The peculiarity of his house was that while one of the entrances of his house opened in our Verah (neighbourhood) Wadhwian Wala of Mohalla Maharajan, the other opened in another neighbourhood, Verah Tambakoo Wala in the same mohalla. I was just 16 years old at the time of the partition of the country and I distinctly remember how I used this house from the age of ve, in our games of hide and seek, to the age of 16 in defending the locality during the communal riots that broke out at the time
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of the partition. Many people also used it as a sort of Khyber Pass during curfew hours under Martial Law. When my cousin Trilok was about to be born during the curfew hours of the Quit India movement, my maternal uncle used this house to reach Verah Tambakoo Wala to smuggle in the midwife Radha Bai to attend to my aunt. Until my uncle returned safely, Bhaijee kept on reciting repeatedly the courses of jupjee sahib (Sikh nit-nem daily prayer, composed by Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh Faith). The house of Satyagrahi was mostly under the possession of Bhaijee. We had often heard of Satyagrahi having gone underground and we presumed at that time that probably there was some underground cave or cellar in the house where Satyagrahi remained meditating like rishi-munis. We feared that he must have attained some vardaan (boon) magical power from his deity for whenever he came to meet Bhaijee; everyone was hushed out of the sitting room as if some hauva scarecrow had arrived. None but only Bhaijee could talk to him, not even my uncles though he was of the same age as that of my eldest uncle. We often wondered as to why police ofcers wanted to meet him only when he was supposed to be underground! Did they too want to disturb his meditation like raakshas demons who used to disturb the meditations of our ancient rishis? We were given to understand that Satyagrahi was very dear to us and that these policemen were from durli jatha (I still do not know what this term stands for) who were best known for their worst means of torturing Indians. No one was supposed to go even near them lest they carry one away to experiment their latest devices of torture. They could make a person lie naked on the slab of ice in the extreme cold or make one walk barefooted on the live coals in the extreme summer of Multan. It frightened us so badly that we would rush out of baithak sitting room the moment Satyagrahi or durli jatha arrived to meet Bhaijee. However, we often wondered why Satyagrahi could not bhasm burn into ashes these asurs villains, with his magical powers as we had seen rishi-munis performing in mythological lms. The fear remained with us even after the partition of the country. Police never called on Bhaijee in Delhi thereafter but Satyagrahi kept calling on him once in a year around Diwali, and as usual, every one would make their exit discreetly from the Sitting Room, leaving the two of them alone in the room, undisturbed. The
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only difference was that while in Multan they talked in whispers, in Delhi they talked often aloud and more often than not, we heard them roaring with laughter. Now the voice we loved so much was stilled. Bhaijee was lying dead, surrounded by a swarm of people we had never known cared for him that much. It was marvelous how so many people his old friends (much younger to him), his entire pre-partition days old neighbourhood, former associates of Galla-mandi (Grain Market) of Multan, in addition to our own relatives, had made it a point to be present at his funeral. We were not children any more. We were conscious of the fact now that every one who was born had to die one day. And Bhaijee died at a ripe age of ninety-eight. Yet, tears were lurking on almost everyones eyes. However, Satyagrahi Nand Lals tears knew no bounds. He wept and sobbed like a child unjustly punished. When a person has lived a full life say ninety plus the funeral procession is led by a band of musicians almost like a marriage procession. People came from far and wide places to pay their respect to the elderly who had lived a full life and hope to be blessed with full life too. It is believed that such a person goes straight to heaven. His mortal remains are reverently placed on a decorated plank called vimaan airplane and carried to shamshaan ghat cremation ground on shoulders by his relatives and close friends with full fanfare. Wailing of Satyagrahi appeared to be out of tune and embarrassing. My mother, Bhanumati, who was the eldest daughter and rst-born of Bhaijee, and my maternal uncle, Kripa Ram, second born, were not only surprised but also puzzled at Satyagrahis loud wailing. Instead of Satyagrahi consoling them, they were now trying to console him. Satyagrahi was almost of the same age as that of my uncle Kripa Ram and about two years younger than my mother was. As our grand father was commonly addressed as Bhaijee, my mother was addressed as Kakijee and my uncle as Kakajee. The more Kakajee tried to console him, more loudly he wailed in typical Multani style, Oh, Kakajee, now what will happen to me? beating his chest rhythmically he went on and on, who will listen to my woes? Who will take care of me? On whom shall I call in my hour of distress? Oh God! Why did you not take me away rst? Who was there to weep for me? Why did you have to take away a noble spirit

like Bhaijee? It was a lyrical and a rhythmic chest beating creating a harmonized melody as if he was entertaining the Multani chatter-tic with his delightful chants. And he kept on his wail without breaking the rhythm throughout the journey of the funeral procession from Kashmeri Gate to Nigambodh Ghat, lamenting the loss of a highly valued friend, a benefactor, a godfather one to whom he looked up with affectionate respect. For some mourners, respect for their grief is more important than the grief itself. Even the voice of the Acharya (funeral-rites performer) who led the procession chanting Ram Naam Satya Hai (the name of Ram is the truth) to which the mourners walking in procession echo in reply, Sat Bolo Gut Hai (speak the truth if you want to achieve salvation), got subdued under the wail of Satyagrahi Nand Lal. People acquainted with Multanis would know well the type of wails Satyagrahi was creating to the embarrassment of all and sundry. Yet there were people who were sincerely commiserating with Satyagrahi. After the body of Bhaijee was placed on the funeral pyre, special mantras were chanted to invoke the blessings of Eternal God to ensure that the body discarded by the departed soul that had served its purpose, may now be dissolved with the ve components of earth, water, re, air, and ether from where it originally emerged. While Kakajee was igniting the pyre, I overheard Lala Takan Das proclaiming with a sigh, Here comes an end to a friendship maintained for more than a century, from generation to generation. At this, Lala Vishan Das, one of our worthy neighbours in Verah Wadhwian Wala of Mohalla Maharajan of Multan heaved a sigh in afrmation, Oh yes, my grand father used to say that Bhai Bamba Ram and Lala Ram Lal were more than brothers and the descendents of both these neighbours admirably maintained this fraternity. Where ones name ended the others started. Bamba Ram Ram Lal; Ram the name of God being a common factor between the two Seth Chuharmal Munjal, who had come all the way from Bangalore to pay his regards to Bhaijee, was the next-door neighbour to Satyagrahi Nand Lal in Verah Tambakoo Wala in Multan. Placing his hand on the back of Satyagrahi, he asked, I hear your relations had come to an end at the time of the partition. Soon after
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the announcement of the formation of Pakistan and your release as a political prisoner, hadnt Bhaijee handed over the possession of all your ancestral property in his custody to you and decreed an end of his responsibility? Resting his head on the shoulder of Seth Chuharmal, Satyagrahi lamented, Our property? All our property had been conscated in 1849. Bhai Bamba Ram grandfather of Bhai Chanda Ram in an open Government auction, legally purchased our house. That no body dared bid higher than Bhai Bamba Ram was a different story. We were too insignicant and impecunious to merit even bestowal of a glance from them. Yet they were kind enough to keep on maintaining us generation after generation lovingly and ungrudgingly, without making it public. And he burst into tears again. The pyre had picked up re and after making my uncle complete three rounds chanting gayatri mantra, the Aacharya made all of us sit down in a small covered pavilion constructed by some benevolent rich person in the memory of his late mother. My curiosity had been so much aroused by these remarks about the relations of my maternal grandfather and Satyagrahi, which were never revealed to us so far and was always a mystery to us that I decided to glue myself to Satyagrahi and took my position very next to him. Seth Chuharmal had his arm still around Satyagrahi as he too sat down cross-legged next to him. Bhaijee never wanted to migrate, Satyagrahi exclaimed, as his tears dried up. He was of the opinion that kingdoms change, subjects never do. Raj badal jaate hain, praja nahin badalti. Our ancestors had seen the change of governments in Multan. From Hindu kingdom to Buddhist, Buddhist to Greek, Hun, and Hindu, Hindu to Muslim Arabic, Turkic, Balochi, Sindhi, Afghani Mughalai, SikhHindu, and British; - the Governments had changed many hands. It was for the rst time that Multan had to witness the change of population with the change of Government. Terrible, terrible! Pray, do not remind yourself of those horrible days, exclaimed Seth Chuharmal, that was the largest mass migration in the world. Some seven million Muslims crossed over to the newly created Pakistan and over ve mil11

lion Hindus and Sikhs moved over to truncated India, and you were almost in the last batch of evacuees from Multan, werent you? Yes, thats when Bhaijee revealed to me that he had promised his father Bhai Khushi Ram son of Bhai Bhamba Ram, at the latters deathbed in 1936 to lookafter and maintain our family as the rst charge out of the estates being inherited by him. And since all the estates were being left out in Multan and he was a refugee himself, he apologized, it would not be possible for him to maintain my family any more. Yet out of his movable assets, he shelved out almost a lakh of rupees in the form of gold guineas for me and my old mother as a sort of nal settlement. And that is not all. When the claim of the house where we were quartered in Multan that was actually in the name of Bhaijee matured, he gave away all that money also unto us. No body knows this. I am revealing this fact for the rst time as I am no longer bound to keep it secret. And he burst again into torrents of tears. On his face was registered all the anguish and suffering of the world. The revelation stunned the entire assemblage. For some moments, there was a pin-drop silence a silence in which one could hear ones own sound of breathing and then someone remarked with a deep sigh, What a man a great man was Bhaijee. I could see that both my maternal uncles were greatly perturbed, yet they kept their eyes glued to the ground until the Aacharya came to their rescue by summoning them and all the members of our clan for a nal round of the pyre and mumbo-jumbo of ritual & rites. And then we were made to dismiss the assemblage with the breaking of dry grass twigs and throwing the straw backwards over the shoulders, signifying the end of all relations with the departed soul, after reciting, Yatra aayetey tatra gataha .i.e. The soul left for where it had come from. The mourning period, instead of customary thirteen days was restricted to four days, by the edict of my mother as the eldest member of the family then. The house was packed with near relatives who customarily stay with the bereaved family at such occasions until kriya the last rite, is performed. The sofas and all other furniture from the living room were removed and a large dhuree was spread where all such relatives camped. The women of the house took care to see that every one was provided with bed-tea, breakfast, lunch, evening tea and dinner at proper time, and a pillow and a blanket to sleep at night.
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I was distressed to observe that Satyagrahi, who was given a VIP treatment in those four days that he shared with us nursing Bhaijee when he was alive, was now being totally ignored after the funeral. The poor fellow was apparently so depressed that he did not care what he was fed. I could not stand this predilection on the part of my mother and my maternal uncles and shared my food with him. Somehow, these three days passed off and even if Satyagrahi noticed the change in the behaviour of our household, he did not show any such sign. Not a line of resentment was visible on his face. He remained calm and well composed and avoided conversing with any body in spite of the fact that many of our relatives and friends quizzed him to know more about his relations with Bhaijee. On the fourth day, at the condolence meeting, Pandit Bal Mukand, our family priest emphasized in his sermons Let us dispel the fears of sickness, old age, and death. Think of better prospects of New Life in a New Body. Bhaijee has only discarded his old, rotting body that had served its purpose like old worn out clothes and adopted a new body with new vigour somewhere else! After the condolence meeting was over, both my uncles were given pink pugree i.e. turbans to wear by their respective in-laws, as a mark of an end of the mourning and new beginning with taking up the responsibilities of Bhaijee on their heads. (Normally a white pugree is worn at such occasion but when a person who has lived a full life departs, pink pugree is worn as it is donned at weddings). Thereafter, we all the descendants of Bhaijee - were made to stand up in a le along with our turbaned uncles at the exit with folded hands to express in silence our gratitude to the assemblage for sharing our grief. Within an hour, the people camping in the living room packed up and left for their destinations, expressing their sorrow once again over the loss of Bhaijee. Satyagrahi too had packed up but did not leave as was expected of him. He consigned himself into the sofa that had been placed back in the living room. Since I had drawn more close to him in the last four days, my uncles now commissioned me to nd out what was holding him to depart. I could guess that my people were cross with him on the revelation about the quantum of money that he had managed to procure from Bhaijee which they felt rightly would have been their share of inheritance.
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I did not know how to approach Satyagrahi in this respect. It is discourteous to ask a guest as to when he would be leaving, or what he was waiting for, now that all the ritual ceremonies were over! However, Satyagrahi himself came to my rescue. As I entered the living room where he was relaxing, he asked me, Oh, Harish, could you please do me a favour? Sure uncle, anything you say? Can I bring you a cup of tea? I eagerly offered. Oh no! I do not want anything to drink. I am all packed up and ready to leave. All I want from you is to nd out from your mother as to when are they going to open the steel trunk of Bhaijee where he had kept little souvenirs to be given away to his near and dear ones on the fourth day of his demise? He paused for a moment before adding; He sounded me in his life-time that there was something for me too. As I passed on this message, word by word, to Kakajee, where my mother, Chhotey Kaka my younger uncle Lila Ram, wives, sons, daughters of both of my uncles and my own younger brothers & sisters had assembled for the customary opening of Bhaijees steel trunk, Chhotey Kaka ared up. Oh no, dont tell us that Bhaijee has left something still more for that parasite! However, my mother kept her cool. Now dont get excited, Lila. Bhaijee always treated him as a part of the family. May be he left a couple of hundreds as a parting gift. When he had given away lakhs, a few hundreds should not be grudged, at least for the sake of the peace of the departed soul. We must not hesitate to honour his last wish. She commanded me then to bring in Satyagrahi with due respects and regards to the family gathering. The old battered steel trunk was opened with great expectations. However, when layer after layer of old & worn out clothes only came to hands I could see disappointment knocking at every face except that of Satyagrahi. The trunk was now empty all clothes having been taken out. Only a sheet of an old newspaper
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in Urdu print could be seen that is normally spread in the trunks and cupboards before stacking things. Whether Bhaijee was leaving something for the members of his family or not was our internal matter, Chhotey Kaka addressed my mother in an annoyed tone, you have now made it public by inviting Satyagrahi to our family meet. Then he sneered at Satyagrahi, Are you satised now, netaji? There is no souvenir for anybody here, but if you like you can take this bloody old trunk with you as a souvenir. A cut above the common run of the humanity, Satyagrahi kept his head cool and remarked, I am a Satyagrahi, follower of Mahatma Gandhi. When someone slaps us, we are supposed to offer the other cheek too. We believe in a culture of love, not of hate. Then, softly and politely he suggested, Could we please remove this spreadsheet of old newspaper? It was like pouring ghee (puried butter) into re. The eyes of Chhotey Kaka gleamed like burning coals. He clenched his teeth and pulled the newspaper spreadsheet with full force. Up came, with the pull, some of the envelopes neatly stacked under the sheet. Chhotey Kaka was too dazed to catch any of the envelopes as they fell and scattered but every other hand tried to clasp one like a elder in the slips trying to catch the cricket ball missed by the wicket keeper. Order, order! my mother shouted like a High Court Judge holding the full court, Put every thing back over here in the trunk. These will be opened one by one. There were ve envelopes of different sizes all numbered. Number 1 was addressed to my mother. It contained a letter written in Hindi and a few crisp hundred-rupee currency notes. Its literal translation in English would read something like this: To my darling daughter Bhanumati, this old dying man can leave nothing except all the love and affection that a father can have for his daughter, coupled with the responsibility to keep this house in order as my eldest child. In this envelope,
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you will nd hundred currency notes of Rupees one Hundred each and twenty currency notes of Rs. One each. I leave this in trust with you to be given away as shagun from my side to all my unwed grand children two sons and one daughter of yours, two sons and two daughters of Kripa Ram, and one son and two daughters of Lila Ram Rs. 1,001/- each at the time of their marriages. In spite of the partition set back, I have lived a full life and have no regrets whatsoever and pray to Almighty God to grant you all a full life too. Envelope number 2, in Urdu, was addressed to my uncle Kripa Ram. For my dear son Kripa Ram this envelope contains Stocks & Shares of renowned Indian Companies worth about Rs. 50 lakhs, duly discharged by me in your favour and a copy of the registered Will by which I leave one half of this residential house and one half of the Bank Balance after payment of the Estate Duty, in your favour. None of my children did ever show any interest in the thirty-acre agricultural land allotted to me in Hansi against my claims for the hundred-acre agricultural land abandoned by me in Multan. I have thus bequeathed the same in favour of my faithful tillers Vasudev, Kanwal Narain, and Bhagwan Das, in equal proportion of 10 acres each in my said Last Will and Testament. All my children would see to it that my Will is honoured and my belief & wish that the land should be vested with the tillers is fullled. Envelope number 3 was addressed to Uncle Lila Ram but contents were the same and the letter, with similar adjectives more or less, was almost carbon copy of the letter to Barey Kakajee. Envelope number four, the biggest and the heaviest, was in the name of Satyagrahi Nand Lal. Ah, here is your largess that you had been waiting for, exclaimed my mother, and passed it on to Satyagrahi after weighing it in her palm by tossing it in air twice. Satyagrahis eyes gleamed with pleasure. He extended his both hands reverently with bowed head to accept the envelope, and expressing profound thanks for the courtesy extended, begged his leave to depart.
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Now, wait a minute, burst out Chhotey Kakajee, you cant walk away like this? You have been considered as a part of the family and made to witness all that has been left to us. We must know what you are carrying away from us. Open the envelope and spill the contents! Besides, there is still one more envelope to come. A pained, tortured, tense expression characterized the face of Satyagrahi Nand Lal. I am extremely sorry, Satyagrahi said in a low trembling voice, I have apparently made a terrible mistake. I have offended where I was trying to please. I thought you wanted me to leave as soon as possible and did not wish to have any connection with me whatsoever hereafter. I would be damned if I ever thought of putting you to any distress or harming your interest. Here is my largess. Please open it up yourself . Before he could pass on the un-opened envelope, Chhotey Kaka virtually snatched the envelope from the extended hand of Satyagrahi and tore it open mercilessly. All the papers, except the covering letter written in Urdu by Bhaijee, were brittle with age the whiteness of the handmade paper had turned into pale brownish yellow. The language was Multani now known as Siraiki (a mixture of Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and a sprinkle of Balochi and Persian words) and the writing was in lunde the Bahi-Khata script, in India black Ink, faded with age but still legible. Chhotey Kaka turned the papers upside down, shufing and reshufing, probably to ascertain if there were any share certicates or currency notes as were found in other envelopes opened so far. Is that all? Apparently, Chhotey Kaka was puzzled and could not keep the note of disappointment from his voice, Were you patiently waiting to lay your hands on this sheaf of old worn out papers? He threw the papers back at Satyagrahi in disgust, what is all this to you? Only sentimental value, Satyagrahi Nand Lal replied as he stooped to collect the scattered papers, these must be the original letters exchanged between my great-great grandfather and your great grand father 129 years ago at the time of the 2nd Sikh War. These came into the hands of Bhaijee in succession and he had
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promised to pass them on to me. Kindly read what the covering letter written in Urdu in his own hands say. He then passed the letter to Chhotey Kaka for his perusal. Chhotey Kaka took the letter reverently in his hands this time and started reading it aloud. Its translation in English would be something like this: My dear Nand Lal, As promised, I hereby pass on - our age-old family papers, the secret letters, and rozenamchas daily notes, exchanged during the troubled years of 1848-49, the pages of diaries and other communications to you. Our great family secret pact had ended at the time of the partition of India. Nevertheless, since I was under oath not to divulge the contents to any one, I had to keep these papers with me in my safe custody. With my demise, the term of my secret oath too ends. However, I would consider it as a personal favour if you could please take my grandson Harish into condence and allow him to go through these papers before destroying them under the directions stipulated therein by our ancestors. He is the only person who has been inquisitive right from his childhood about our ancestors and the role our two families played in shaping the history of Multan, unknown to our living world. As you know, he is the eldest and most favourite grandson of mine and I would have loved to update him myself had I not been bound by our family oath. One has to go back in history to understand our relationship. Hence, I pass on this responsibility to you and hope you would fulll the same as the last wish of a dying man. May God bless you! That way every one knew that Bhaijee bestowed his love on me more than he did on his own children and my other cousins. However, his saying so in writing and that too in a letter to Satyagrahi being read aloud in a family gathering was like a Republic Day citation for me. I felt an inch taller and my cheeks ushed with inner pleasure. However, the effect on my uncles was not pleasant. While my elder uncle, more experienced that he was with the worldly matters and known for his cleverness, was able to keep his face blank, the younger one burst out in a ash of jealousy.

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What great ancestors and what great secret? He sneered, you can pump all that into the big head of our favourite nephew. We have no time to go through the dead pages of the History of Multan, and then, turning towards my mother he almost yelled, now lets open the last envelope and be damned with it. Dont be cynic! Leela, chided my elder uncle as he picked up the last envelope, numbered 5, Lo, its addressed to his favourite grandson. He gave a false laugh and thumped the envelope into the agitated hands of my younger uncle. Chhotey Kaka threw back the envelope into the hands of Barey Kaka as if it was burning holes into his hands. Why pick on me? Give it yourself to the favourite grandchild! May be Bhaijee has left the kingdom of Multan to him! I detested their tones blended to convey contempt and irritation. Embarrassment and chagrin fought for precedence in my mind. I made polite noises and hoped I did not look as uncomfortable as I felt. Barey Kaka displayed his maturity and on a mute signal from my mother, opened my envelope. This was the second biggest envelope, cloth lined from inside like that one of Satyagrahi. I could spot from my distant position a bundle of old issues of Caravan a popular fortnightly magazine published in Delhi, sheaves of old news-papers, periodicals in Hindi & English with a covering letter. The letter was on one small piece of four-lined paper taken from some childs exercise notebook on which a child is taught how to write English in four lines top and bottom ruled in red and the two lines in-between ruled in blue. The letter was, surprisingly, written in English broken English as he used to converse with us sometimes jokingly. My dear, very dear grandson the story writer, Dont (you) dare laugh (at) my English? English after (all is) not my *mother, I mean, tongue. Stick to Satyagrahi as (a) disciple sticks to (his) Guru if you want (to) know (all about) the rise and fall of Multan the real story. Not what you might have read in your history books. May (be) you (feel) proud of your ancestors. As I am proud (of) you the rst writer (in) my family. I (have been) keep(ing a) track of
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your writing and keep(ing) a copy of each of your stories and articles published in Vijay (Hindi), Ashok (Hindi), Caravan, Pan-View, lm reviews in the monthly bulletin of Delhi Film Society etc. etc., as you will nd in this cover. Hope you (will) nd enough material to re-write the story of Multan outbreak. All the best.

(Naanoo)

The additions in brackets are mine to make the letter legible. The * asterisk mark above is also mine. That is to explain that the expression English is not my mother I mean tongue was oft repeated by my maternal uncles as well as myself, as all of us were from the same school where a retired military sergeant was our drill master and it was his patent English You the bloody two internal something - external something! Laughing at my English? See you! English is not my mother, I mean, tongue! Both my uncles appeared to be happy since my cover did not contain any currency notes or share certicates but they did not cherish my grandpa claiming me as great Caravan-writer and the rst writer in the family. What writer? Chhotey Kaka sneered, By weaving some absurd stories, this upstart cannot be presented as Munshi Premchand (noted Hindi writer) of the family? as they stood up to dismiss the family assemblage on good notes. Satyagrahi kindly agreed to extend his stay in Delhi to transcribe the papers written in lunde that bahi-khata script and coded Urdu for me, and we tried to make his sojourn with us at our house in Model Town as comfortable as possible. It took many laborious days, year after year, to go through those papers and digest the contents and the background of the second Sikh War that started from Multan, since Satyagrahi Nand Lal could not spare more than a week in a year for the purpose, which I have sincerely tried to project in this narrative. That gave me time to delve into the history books of the relevant period to consolidate my background. I had often wondered as to why we had no piped water supply in our
20

houses at Multan while we enjoyed this benet in Karachi. Satyagrahi Nand Lal wised me up that Multanis until the date of partition did not trust the British. They did not like to drink piped water supplied by the British for fear of being poisoned en masse in retaliation for what they did to the British in causing the most dreaded second Sikh War that could have cost them their Indian Empire, and depended solely on their 80 feet deep wells for their water supply. Moreover, the well water of Multan, every Multani would vouch for, was very sweet and healthy. I have fairly tried to include my own observations, the casual remarks, taunts, abuses often hurled at Multanis out of jealousy, and the story of rise and fall of Multan as handed down to Satyagrahi from his parents, who had heard it from their parents, and so on, way back from our ancestors, who were close associates of Dewan Mool Raj, the last Hindu Governor and almost independent ruler of Multan from 29th September 1844 to 22nd January 1849. Further, it took me years to research the history of Multan and many years to put them into words. The story that I have been trying to weave is the true story of the struggle of the people of Multan when the fate of their ancient city hung in balance. It is not the whole story, for that is beyond my power to tell. It does not present all of the facts or anywhere nears all of them. There are several stories, which could be apocryphal. The people of Multan were too frightened, too stunned by the cataclysm, by the excesses of British troops to relate their woes. What actually happened at the fall of Multan in 1849 is much nastier than decency allows us to reveal. Most of the characters portrayed were real people involved in the tragic and heroic events that form the background of this long lost story. I have tried my best to keep pace with the historical facts and have not allowed myself to be carried away with a free vein to imagination. There may be some mistakes in description of some locations but it should be overall correct and sufcient for the purpose of this narrative.! ***

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CHAPTER 2

Background
Multan 1848 Known for smiling through adversities Multan was the second largest and an important city of the Sikh Empire. All ancient cities were set up on elevated areas, primarily for defence. Built on a man made mud-hillock, 50 feet higher than the land surrounding it, with its fort even higher than the city, Multan was the Gateway of India. Its powerful fort, surrounded by a hexagonal wall up to 70 feet high and a moat 45 feet wide and 25 feet deep, lled by water fed by a canal from the River Ravi, dominated the city and its approaches. Its observation tower commanded a view all around, unhindered for miles. The outer wall of the fort was made of 150 feet wide solid mud known as dhool kot (mud-fort) to absorb the cannon balls, and the inner wall was of burnt bricks, 35 to 40 feet higher than the mud pushta wall. Thirty strong towers rose from the fort walls. Eighty guns of varying caliber poked their black muzzles out through the embrasures. A high and ancient wall built on lofty ramparts surrounded the town. Immediately above this rose another wall, strength22

ened with corner-towers and battlements. In-between the two walls was a thirty feet carriageway, called alangh (impassable) for the army to rush troops and supplies from one bastion to another. Alangh, starting from Daulat Gate, ended at Lahori Gate, passing along Delhi Gate, Khooni Burj, Pak Gate, Harem Gate, and Boher Gate. Multan was indeed a fascinating, beautiful ancient city. It had six Ingress/ Egress Gates. The ancient names are not known, but the names prevalent in 1848 were: (i) Delhi Gate, led towards Delhi; (ii) Pak Gate, named after Hazarat Moosa Pak Shaheed (martyr), whose shrine lies inside Pak Gate; (iii) Harem Gate, named after the harem of Hazarat Moosa Pak Shaheed, (iv) Boher Gate, for Boher trees planted outside the Gate; (v) Lahori Gate, led towards Lahore and (vi) Daulat Gate, for the shrine of Pir Daulat Shah. This gate was also known as Bowlia Gate as it led towards the Bowli (step-well). The heart of the city was Chowk Bazaar (where four roads met). The main road led from Delhi Gate to Lahori Gate, passing through the Chowk (square) of the Chowk Bazaar. The other crossroad passing through Chowk Bazaar led from Hussein Agahi (Fort Side), bifurcating into two roads at Loha Hatt (Iron market) just after the Masjid Phul Hattan one towards Pak Gate and the other towards Boher Gate, branching at Kaaley Mandi towards Harem Gate. The Mughal Emperor Farookh Siyar constructed Masjid Phul Hattan in 1716 on begetting a son with the blessing of a Multani Su Saint. It got its name phul hattan from the ower vendors on both sides of the Chowk Bazaar. The Kaaley Mandi area was so crowded that people had to jostle each other to reach the Harem Gate. Fresh perfumes were prepared in this bazaar and the scent of the owers was most fragrant. The Bazaar that led from Phul Hattan to Pak Gate was famous for Meenakari artistic enamel work and elephant tusk bangles. The Shiva temple (Shivalaya) and Hanuman temple were in Chowk Bazaar; Mandir Totla Mai, inside the Harem Gate; the Vishnu temple, in Mohalla Maharajan, inside Pak Gate; Yog Maya temple, re-built by Dewan Sawan Mal, outside Pak Gate; Jain temple in Choori Sarai, outside Delhi Gate and Gyan Thalla, outside Boher Gate.

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A centuries old pipal tree was in vicinity populated by the Dua community off-shoots of Kshatriyas and Brahmins or Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. It was known as Jandhi Duiyaan. A narrow crowded lane with shops at the ground oors and living quarters above, known as Gali Patraanwali connected the South-end of Chowk Bazaar with Jandhi Duiyaan. Among Hindus, Pooja (worship) is not complete without honouring life-sustaining trees.

BLUE POTTERIES OF MULTAN

The art of Kashigari was introduced by Mohammad-Bin-Qasim through China. Aurangzeb did not only use blue tiles of Multan on the mausoleums of Shah Yusaf Gardez, Bahawal-ud-din Zachariah, Shah Rukn Alam, and Hafiz Abid Allah Multani but also at a mosque in Thattha (Sindh) built by Shah Jahan and at Khanqua Abudarak.

The streets were very narrow and crooked, dirty with the notorious dust of Multan that turned into perfect slough in wet weather. In some of the streets, the houses on either side came so close as to be separated only at arms length by their projecting balconies. Bullock carts, horses, camels, elephants made a motley scene. Among mellowed burnt brick houses and ne mansions six to seven storeys high, winding in narrow lanes, merchants traded protably in opium, indigo, rock salt, sulpher, with ancient granaries in the bowels of the earth disclosing high hoards of wheat and rice, bales and bales of ne cotton and silk shawls. Mammoth chests stored glittering scabbards and gold gems, tiers of copper canisters crammed with gold mohurs. Statuary, silks, jewels, gold, silver, ne swords, ornamented bows, and arrows, matchlocks, intlocks, pistols inlaid with precious metals, Aina-kari (mirror mosaic work), green marble tombs with oral imprints laid with semi-precious stones, pietra dura (the art of inlay work), and blue pottery were specialties of Multan. Dust storms of Multan were notorious. You could see the wind, black with dust, covering the sky like a black cloud. If you were not quick enough to run for cover, it would whip you with furnace-like-heat and hurting velocity, ripping into your clothing, souring your skin and pouring into your ears, nose and eyes, teeth and hair, leaving its taste for days in your mouth. The earth in summer was hot - so hot that it dried up the water the moment you poured. Heat wave after heat wave broiled the buildings and the paved streets of Multan with almost no respite such that even in the evenings baked bricks and
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stones seemed to give off a heat much like that of a bakers oven that had not yet cooled. The groves of date trees of Persian origin surrounded the city. One of the most beautiful gardens was Aam Khaas Bagh (Garden for common people and aristocrats). Prince Murad Baksh had it laid during the reign of Shah Jahan where he held his court during his sojourn in Multan as its governor. Qutb-ud-din Langha, also known as Rai Sehra Langha Sindhi, laid Lange Khan Bagh. Sawan Mal Bagh laid by Dewan Sawan Mal, Khuda Yaar Bagh and Sukheewala Bagh were also quite famous. The mangoes produced in the gardens were known throughout India and were considered most delicious. Oranges, guavas, pomegranates, peaches, melons, and watermelons were in abundance. Peelu makoh wale small black berries without seeds heat-relieving fruit, was the exclusive product of Multan. It grew nowhere else. Multan owed its wealth of fruits and golden crops like wheat, cotton, and sugarcane to a sun ever burning above, and a network of canals ever owing below. The conuence of all the rivers of Punjab took place in the province of Multan at the place appropriately named Panchnad. Lying at the left bank of Chenab, Multan had been for years the great emporium of trade between Kabul and Kashmir to the north; and Sindh, the Persian Gulf, and Arabia to the south; commanding the one of the only two outlet from North India to the rest of the world. There were only two regular trade routes on the entire western frontier of India: from (i) Lahore to Kabul via Khyber Pass and (ii) Multan to Kandahar via Bolan Pass. The Multan to Kandahar route carried a considerable volume of trafc, judged by the standards appropriate to the conditions prevailing at that time. Conveyance was by the means of pack animals, as the road was not t for swift movement of vehicles. The danger of theft and violence was usually too great to permit the passage of unprotected convoys, as the road did not carry a steady stream of trafc. Merchants had to wait at Multan and Kandahar the recognized starting points until a sufcient number of traders and travelers had gathered to form an effective caravan to resist attack and afford an armed escort. In 1848, the province of Multan extended from as far as Kuchee on the left bank of Indus in the North up to the border of Sindh in the South; and from
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Chichawatnee on the Ravi and Tibbee on the Setluj in the East to the Sulaimanee range of mountains across Indus in the West. The language spoken was a mixture of Punjabi and Sindhi known as Multani or Siraiki. Strictly, it could be called a dialect and not a language, as it had no script of its own. It was written in either Arabic/Persian script, Devnagari script, lunde (lehnda), also called Mundi, Bahi Khata script, or Gurmukhi script. Lunde is based on consonant roots and has no vowels. One has to guess the proper vowel, as it is not written. Siraiki spoken in the city of Multan was far more rened, polite, cultured, and polished than what was spoken in suburbs and villages. As such the city lingua was known as Multani and the other as badhaki bahar-ki i.e. outsiders or suburban. India had an old tradition of trade and a well-developed class of traders and nanciers since ancient times. The trading community, known as Vaishya or Vysya was included in the special category of the dvija (literary twice born) the privileged class. The ordinary shopkeepers (vanik) and transporters (banjaras) were not included in this special category of leading merchants known as nagar streshtins. The nagar streshtins were socially close to the rulers and mingled freely with the rulers family members. Nagar streshtins not only dealt with wholesale and long distance trade, including import and export, but also with nance and money changing through system of hundis. Indias trade-contacts with foreign lands date back to the Indus Valley Civilization. India produced certain commodities like sugar, cotton, colouring material, in particular, indigo (Neel) and katha, which the colder climes desperately needed and willingly paid higher price than the local consumers could pay. India, on the other hand, needed foreign commodities like horses of better breed, dry fruits, and pearls, precious stones (Ruby of Badakashan and turquoise of Persia). An Indian sword, a Persian bow, and a Tatar lance were of great value in those days. The Brahmanic conception of contamination of Hindus by coming into contact with lower castes shudras and non-Hindus, brought the downfall of Hinduism. On the establishment of Islam in the neighbouring countries on the west side, Arab, Persia, Afghanistan etc., Hindu traders had to retreat back to India as the Brahmanic order would not accept them back into Hindu fold until shudhi purication rites were performed by way of expiation. Hindus having shared food with
26

non-Hindus were expelled from their castes and never accepted back. These Hindus, disowned by their own community, often embraced Islam. This encouraged Muslim traders and merchants to take over business of import and export and Hindus accepted them as traders so long they lived outside their fortied towns and stuck to their business only. Nearly half a century before the invasion of Mohammed-bin-Qasim, Muslim traders had established themselves outside the Hindu towns and villages amongst the lower sections of the Indian population. Cheraman mosque in Kerala claims to be the rst mosque in India constructed by Arabian traders in the lifetime of the Prophet. The ruling class and Hindu merchants, anxious to improve their commerce, accorded generous treatment to the Muslim traders who commanded the main trade routes that were once in their own hands. They overlooked these bearded men in strange long tunics, congregating for prayer ve times a day, in rectangular enclosures, different from their temples without any idols, without creating any din and noise. Muslim saints and mystics too peacefully penetrated into India, through Multan, and settled at number of important places. With the passage of time, their novelty wore out and as they established colonies and multiplied, they became an integral part of the Indian multitude. Thats why, in spite of centuries of invasion by Islam and Muslim hordes of Afghans, Balochis, Non-Muslim Mongol hordes of Chengez Khan, and later Muslim Taimur Lung, most of the cities retained their Hindu population while the villages around gave in to Islam. All ferocious invaders came pillaging and raping but eventually settled down. With the years of peace and prosperity, they softened down and became no match for new invaders and themselves fell victims to pillage and rape in turn. Multan was a very important trading center, being linked directly across the Bolan Pass to Kandahar, Herat and Bokhara, which was the junction of Silk Route, extending eastward across Central Asia to China, and westward across Iran to Constantinople and Lebanon, and Multani traders ruled the roost. Multani traders and the Sahs of Delhi had become very rich by lending money to the nobles and the ruling class. These traders alone possessed gold and silver, and enjoyed full religious freedom, leading a life of ease and pleasure with no fear about the safety

27

of their life and property, though this freedom was regarded as a matter of grace, not as a matter of right by their Muslim rulers. The trade in Multan too was predominantly in the hands of Hindus. Rich Afghans, who called themselves as Multani Pathaans instead of Afghans though descendents of Afghans, owned only ten percent of the agricultural land while the Hindus owned ninety percent. The agricultural population of the country around Multan was ninety percent Muslim, and in general, of the humble converts of Jat tribe and just ten percent Hindus and Sikhs combined. The height of pride was to be a Pathaan true Afghan. To be a Baloch was mediocre, and to be a Jat, decidedly low. The land around Multan was very fertile, highly cultivated and irrigated by network of canals cut out from the river Setluj on its east and Chenab from west and Ravi from north. A Multani Pathaan, Ghulam Mustafa Khan Khakwani was responsible for bringing acres of barren land into cultivation during the governorship of Raja Sawan Mal. Among rulers of India, Sultan Mohammed bin Tughlaq, Sayyed Khizr Khan, Sultan Bahlol Lodhi, and the King of Afghanistan Ahmed Shah Abdali were all born in Multan. Some people claim that Multan was not so hot until the curse of one of the Muslim saints who had settled down in Multan because of its healthy climate. People say that one such wandering saint, Pir Shams, always lost in the thought of the Almighty, never cooked anything for him to eat, but accepted anything that people would give as alms in the name of Allah (Allah de naa te de de). One day, it is said, he received an uncooked raw piece of meatloaf from a butcher. He went from doorto-door asking people to cook that piece of meatloaf for him for the love of Muhammad. However, it was past cooking time and nobody wanted to light re for just one piece of a meatloaf for a wandering beggar. One person got so irritated that he threw the meatloaf right back at the face of the Pir, taunting him, You are a man of Allah yourself, why dont you ask the sun to cook it for you in the name of Allah? The Pir, the fable goes, picked up the loaf. Turning his eyes upwards towards the sky, he implored the mighty sun to cook the loaf for him with his heat.
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The sun, it is said, for the sake of that man of God, descended three degrees down, and cooked that meatloaf for him and as an ever-lasting punishment for the people of Multan, never ascended back to its designated position. Then, this is only a fable, just a folk-tale, not based on any scientic or historic facts. Pir Shams came to be known thereafter as Shah Shams Sabzwari Dhoop Sadi i.e. sun-burnt and lies buried in Multan. He was an Ismaili spiritual and theological. His tomb is often confused with Shams Tabrizi (Shams-i-Tabrez) who was a mentor of Jalal-ud-din Rumi, another famous Su saint poet. Shams Tabrezi died at Khoy in Iran and lies buried there. Multan was then famous for its Great Mosque, sacred shrines of Shah Rukn-iAlam, Su saints and wandering faqirs begging monks. The faqir was looked upon as a road to piety. Mausoleum of Hazrat Shah Gardez is situated inside Boher Gate, near Alangh; Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakaria Suhrawardi, at the foothills of the Fort Kuhn; Hazrat Shah Rukn-i-Alam, at the highest point of the Fort; Hazrat Moosa Pak Said Gianni, inside Pak Gate; and Khwaja Haz Muhammad Jamal, outside Daulat Gate, East of Aim Khans Bagh. Multan is known as the city of Sus/Saints and Madinah-Tul-Oleyah due to large number of ornate shrines.
Chahar cheez tohfa e - Multan Gard, Gada, Garmi-0-Goristan. - Persian saying Four things with which Multan abounds Dust, Beggars, Heat, and Burial grounds. - Literal translation Or Churchyards, Beggars, Dust and Heat The four things at Multan youll meet. - Alternate translation You have to know the past to understand the present. ***

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CHAPTER 3

Playground
A Matter of Convenience 1848 When a friend bleeds, friendship weeps I

Bhai Bhamba Ram and Lala Ram Lal

(As Portrayed by Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
Bhai Bhamba Ram, aged 30, was the biggest grain merchant, and one of the renowned bankers and commission agents in Multan. He owned over a hundred acres of agricultural land just three kose (about ve miles) away from the city. He had a four-storeyed palatial house in Verah Wadhwian Wala in Mohalla Maharajan inside Pak Darwaza, while Lala Ram Lal, aged 34, was a renowned Silk merchant and a close friend of His Excellency Dewan Mool Raj, the Governor of Multan. He lived in a three-storeyed house adjacent to Bhai Bhamba Ram with a small window-type opening in Verah Wadhwian Wala, but the main opening of his palatial house was in Verah Tambakoo Wala in the same Mohalla Maharajan. However, if they were to visit each others house through the proper entrances, they had to tread up over half a mile through the winding by-lanes of Multan. Bhaijees house was on a higher ground while Lalajees house was ve feet lower from Verah Wadhwian Wala though three feet higher than the ground level of Verah Tambakoo Wala. He had placed a small bamboo ladder in the room that opened in Verah Wadhwian Wala to climb onto it and reach the level of Bhaijees house. Although in different business ventures where they never crossed each others path, they had taken to each other like sh to water. Their hearts kept time, their heads thought alike. Seldom did they differ. Well versed in Multani, Urdu, Persian,
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Punjabi and a quarter of English words that they had picked up while trading with Englishmen, they looked after the interests of all the traders of Multan and planned together for their safety and strategy in dealing with the government. Whenever they had different plans, they fairly exposed each others weaknesses and accepted the better-looking plan gracefully. They believed more in discussion than in arguments. A discussion thrives on the ability to listen and to respect each others opinion. It was a very rare occasion when Bhaijee did not concur with Lalajee, but then, at such occasions, Lalajee gave up his own better judgment, and accepted Bhaijees plan graciously and made it perfect by the heartiness of his sincere assistance. Besides, Bhai Bhamba Ram was a trained soldier, a good wrestler and a well-known theatre artist too. In wrestling, almost all the Multanis were good at quick leg-sweeps, but since childhood he was quicker and faster in aerial acrobats like a monkey and good at throwing knee and elbow punches, head-butts and ying kicks. He had gained popularity while playing the role of Hanuman (the monkey-god) with great aplomb at the annual theatre festival of Ram Lila (Play-eld of Lord Ram from the great epic Ramayana) and of a wandering mendicant (Ramta Yogi) during the festival of Holi for the last ten years. He was a master of disguise and with suitable makeup and appropriate dress, could transform himself into any character a farmer, a soldier, a trader, a cobbler, a barber, a sweeper, a beggar, or a Saadhu authentically, without anyone being the wiser. The garb of a yogi suited him best, as his singing Alakh Niranjan in his high baritone voice was more authentic than that of a real yogi. Both of them were good riders. They used their mares for going to work, wading through the narrow lanes of Multan, and put to use their Tongas (two-wheeled vehicles) for inspection of their agricultural lands and family excursions. They parked their Tongas in a haveli owned by Lala Ram Lal in Gali Tambakoo Wali, on which Verah Tambakoo Wala abutted since the lane leading to Verah Wadhwian Wala was too narrow for a Tonga to pass through. Both of them were counted among the best equestrians who rode their mounts as if they were part of the animals, born on the saddles, as the clich goes. Bhaijees family consisted of an 80 year old widowed mother Shanti Devi, his 25 year old wife Tulsi Devi, one son Khushi Ram, age 10 and two daughters
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Sheila Devi aged 8 and Bimla Devi aged 4. His two younger brothers - Nathu Ram and Mela Ram - aged 27 and 25 respectively with their wives and three children each of various ages, all lived in the same verah in the houses adjacent to each other. Almost all the residents of the verah were related to each other as cousins or distant cousins, giving the name Verah Wadhwian Wala. Because his younger bothers addressed Bhai Bhamba Ram as Bhaijee everyone else in the mohalla and the Mandi too started addressing him as Bhai and later Bhaijee to give him due respect with the sufx jee, as is custom in India. His wife Tulsi had a natural grace and poise that made her look much younger than her age, in spite of being mother to his three children. She possessed a sweet moon-face, wide set eyes and full sculptured lips that were exotic and strangely beautiful in spite of the fact that she was a tough, hardworking housewife. She would rise early in the morning around 04-00 a.m., sweep the entire house clean while all others were asleep; grind her daily wheat requirement for the entire household on a hand-operated grinding pair of stones known as chakki. She would then take a quick bath with fresh water pulled out with canvas buckets from their own well dug out in their outer courtyard. Thereafter, she entered her Pooja room called Durbar Sahib for her nit-nem a daily prayer, reading of a page from the Holy Granth before entering the kitchen to prepare Naashta (Breakfast) for the family. Bathing early in the morning and reciting Gods name keeps ones mind pure and body healthy so said Guru Arjan Dev ji. The word Sahib which means master, or honourable, is of Persian origin and is put into use by the followers of Baba Guru Nanak more than any other sect or society in India. Granth Sahib, Gurudwara Sahib, Hazoor Sahib, Nankana Sahib, Sardar Sahib, Durbar Sahib etc. Durbar is an open court that is held by a King. The Sikhs consider their Guru as the King of Kings. Ever since the last Guru, Dasham Padshah Guru Gobind Singh ji ordained his followers to consider the Holy Granth as their last Living Guru; the Granth is reverently addressed as the Granth Sahib.

Agya Bhayee Akal ki tabhi chalayo panth

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Sab Sikhan ko hukm hai Guru Manyo Granth Guru Granth ji manio, pragat guran ki deh, Jo prabh ko milbo chahai, khoj shabad mai leh. As ordained by the Lord Eternity, a new way of life is evolved. All the Sikhs are asked to accept the Holy Granth as the Living Guru. Those who wish to meet God will nd Him in the word. The place where the Granth is installed is called Durbar Sahib the court of the King of Kings where people throng with petitions as they do in the Durbar of a King. The other community to use the word Sahib more than others in India is the Parsee community, which migrated from Persia to escape the Islamic pressure of conversion from its original Zoroastrian religion. They even greet each other with Sahib jee instead of more common pleasantries such as Good Morning, in spite of having adopted the Gujarati language in place of Persian. All the members of the Bhaijees family were God-fearing and soon after taking their bath, they would all visit the Durbar Sahib to bow before the Holy Granth, devote time to read a page aloud, before having their naashta (breakfast). All the members of the family, right from their childhood as soon as they were able to learn the alphabet of Gurmukhi, Hindi or Urdu any of the primary three languages of Multan, were made to read, learn by rote and recite by heart the sacred Japji Sahib soon after getting up from bed. The recitation of Japji was considered sure-shot moral support to override any difculty. Lala Ram Lal had a very small family. He was the only son of late Lala Hira Lal. His 30 year old wife, Rukmani Devi, was a mature, sensible looking woman with a plentitude of charm. Multani women were celebrated for their spirit and beauty, and men invariably made reputations as shrewd businessmen, craftsmen, soldiers, wrestlers, witty, and men-about-town. They had only one son Harbans Lal, age 18 - and a daughter Radha, aged 16, to call it a family. From the age of fourteen, Radha began to show the promise of a ripening woman and was now ready, like a peach, ripe for picking. For a girl, all roads led to marriage.
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Lalajee was a Vaishnavite, follower of Lord Vishnu. Vaishnavites consider their homes as temples and all visitors irrespective of their rank and le had to remove their footwear before entering their homes. Only wooden footwear known as kharaon or chakri were allowed, and these too were strictly forbidden in kitchens. Their home had a separate and spacious Pooja Room kept meticulously clean, adorned with fresh owers and enhanced with hand made works of art with a beautiful fragrance and decoration, where a clean brass lamp was kept burning day and night. They were enjoined not to eat anything without taking a bath and donning fresh clean clothes. The family was pure vegetarian and did not even touch onion and garlic. They had installed a solid gold idol of Baal Krishna (Child Krishna) in their Pooja Room and all the members of the family worshipped the Holy Icon together twice a day and sang in chorus devotional hymns, offer food to God rst before touching it for their own consumption. According to the rites and rituals of the Vaishnavite traditions, they invited Lord Krishna to come and live in the idol of Baal Krishna as a child. The permission was sought from Lord Krishna to give His idol a daily bath with fresh water brought from the well, sprinkled with the essence of Rose, and clothed appropriate to the season. He was then worshipped and vermillion was put on His forehead with chanting of mantras and offered the rst morsel to bless before they themselves partook the food as Prasad from Him. Lord was then given time to rest. The idol is entertained like a living Child-God. The seasonal festivals relating to the life of Krishna in Vrindavan are re-enacted, and devotionally celebrated during festivals. The breaking of a coconut at the deitys feet symbolizes with the breaking of ones ego earthly and surrendering oneself to God, the Almighty. The power of love is service; the love for power is ego.

***

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II

Morning of April 18, 1848 (Samvat 8th of Vaisakh 1905)

Transcription of relevant pages from the diary of Bhai Bhamba Ram
I was surprised to nd Lala Ram Lal pacing up and down like a caged lion instead of comfortably ensconced in his favourite seat in my sitting room, as I came out of the room of Durbar Sahib at 6 a.m. Whats pinching you? Do you have a thorn stuck in between your hips? Why dont you sit down and be comfortable, Lalajee? I remarked as I stepped out of the Pooja room, scratching my back with my janeyoo (sacred thread). The days of sitting comfortably are over, Lalajee hissed at my late appearance as he seemed to be waiting for me for quite sometime, Dress quickly. We have to report at the Aam Khaas Bagh residence of His Excellency Mool Raj immediately. I slept badly the night before and am of low tolerance at the moment. Do I ask what happened or do we just tactfully slide into another subject? I said tauntingly. Just dress up and lets depart. I will enlighten you on our way to Aam Khaas Bagh. Whats the hurry? Has the sky fallen? Yes, the sky has fallen. Mool Raj, what we thought was just joking and frolicking, had really resigned. Two British Ofcers have just arrived with the new Governor to take charge from him and we have been summoned to be present in his court to witness the ofcial handing over ceremony. I came home very late last night and as such could not up-date you. Unknown to us, Dewan Jwala Sahai, was sent to Talamba where river Ravi joins river Chenab, to offer ziafat (expenses for their entertainment) and escort the British ofcers, Mr. Vans Agnew and Lieutenant Anderson, and Sardar Kahan Singh Mann, the new Governor, to Multan.
35

They landed at Raj Ghat yesterday where their escort-troops, comprising of 1,500 soldiers - ghurcharas (cavalry) and paidal (infantry) and two companies of Gurkhas with six guns, who came by land, awaited their arrival. They have been, with due honour, housed in the Eidgah. So, it is true! And we thought he was just blufng and trying to blackmail the Lahore Durbar (Lahore Government) for better terms. He thought he was too powerful even for the British to dislodge him from the governorship of Multan. What can we do? His bluff has been called off. You would see, the new governor would only be a puppet. The real government would vest with the British Ofcers the new conquerors. Eventually all conquerors are conquered in their own turn History is the witness. But, presently it is their time. Personally, I doubt if Mool Raj is going to hand over the charge of his governorship so easily. If the British ofcers ask him now, even once, to continue, he would readily agree. But then, where do I come into the picture? Why me? Invitation to your good self as his personal friend could be understood, but as for me, I was never in the good books of this obnoxious, arrogant, and annoying person. He only did me harm, not just once, but repeatedly, and would never miss a chance to demean me. He rightly suspects my hand in getting my fellow bankers released from his prison by secretly appealing to the British Authorities, the real rulers of the Kingdom of Punjab. After all, the British did introduce a slew of reforms in taxation to win over trading communities to their side. They boast that good governance is the navel point of the British Empire. They abolished taxes on corn, ghee, and fuel. They forbade burning of widows at the funeral pyre (Sati) of their husbands, and burying of lepers alive. They also declared fty percent of farm produce that the State exacted as its share, exorbitant and reduced it to thirty-three and a half percent. I do not wish to provoke Mool Rajs ire again. He is slow to anger, but implacable if aroused. As the old saying goes never be in front of a ruler or behind a horse. You can never know when either of them may kick back. No dear, you must excuse me. I said seriously and sat down on the colourful stringed peedhi, (hand
36

carved famous backless low chair of Multan) and invited Lalajee too, who was still standing and pacing the oor uneasily, to take the peedhi placed opposite. It was the rst time that Lalajee declined to take the seat offered by me. Thank you for a friendly ear, but Bhaijee, this is no time to enter into a debate over any issue. Mool Raj, as you know, has a tendency to become adamant on even most trivial issues. He just does not care if it causes unnecessary tensions and hardships to others around. For once, you must accompany me to his court and stand by him. When he hands over the charge, which I believe he would - he has no other choice now, it would be good opportunity to give our pledge to the new governor and our British Masters! I gazed at him silently without uttering a word. My mind seemed to be enfeebled by sentiments as my head and heart started tugging me in different directions. Come on, hurry up! I have come riding on my mare through Gali Tambakoo Wali, and have ordered your men to saddle-up your mare too. I looked closely at Lalajee. He looked t and cheerful, the only sign of fatigue being a few wrinkles around his eyes and the little beads of perspiration on his brow. Unruly locks of hair fell on his high forehead. His large, dark, and prominent eyes had a gypsy like sparkle and even the short thick moustache did not add years to this man of thirty-four. He was a whirling force of activity and knew how to achieve his object. I recognized the force in his argument and took no time to change to accompany him. A French saying ashed through my mind: There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience

***

37

III

An Hour Later
Dewan Mool Raj ared up as he noticed me and Lala Ram Lal, dismounting at the entrance of his Garden House in Aam Khaas Bagh. He was about to mount the royal elephant and so were his attendants and other prominent citizens when our late arrivals caught his attention. Ghor kaliyug gaya hai! (The worst time has come in this modern age), A King has to wait for his subjects to tag along! Remount your horses, Sirs, and lead this plebian to Eidgah! he said sarcastically. The tongue was his favourite weapon to use as a lash. It seemed rational for a man to snap and growl who was about to step down from the governorship of a province like Multan the city of Gold. However, we felt greatly embarrassed, especially in the presence of Raja Ram Rung, Dewan Jwala Sahai, Devi Sahai the Tehsildar of the city of Multan, Lala Haakim Rai Kardar, Man Sukh Kotwal of the city, Misr Kuljas astrologer and personal adviser of the Governor, Har Bhagwan, Daya Baksh condential adviser to the Governor, Sarbuland Khan Badozye, Sadiq Mohammad Khan Badozye, Ghulam Mustafa Khan Khakwani, Ahmed Khan, Khalik Daad Khan, Seth Ganesh Das the whole sale cloth merchant, Seth Madan Lal the wholesale grocer, Raizada Tulsi Das, and Lala Muni Lal Jain. I shrank as if I was splashed with a bucket of cold water in my face. People sensitive to taunts get hurt quickly. Such reception with Lala Ram Lal may pass after all, leg pulling and taunts between friends do not amount to anything. At any other time, I too would have thought nothing of it, but today, in the presence of the dignitaries of Multan who thought very high of me as a businessman, trader and banker, and inuential in the Lahore Durbar, such unwarranted taunt pierced me like an arrow shot at a condemned man at public execution by Mongol archers. I felt a noose of anger tightening around me and could count the pulsation of my heart that had started pounding. I was sure; his ire was directed at me. Life is not always fair to everyone. Each individual has its own set of grievances against
38

fate, events, and occurrences. I looked at Lala ji and Lala ji looked at me. Both of us were at our wits ends. We could do nothing but stand wretchedly in front of him, not knowing what to say. When we feel wounded by someones thoughtlessness and deliberate cruelty, we have two options before us: To get even or rise above the pain and pretend that we were not hurt with such pinpricks. We did not wish to provoke his quick-to-take offence ego. Friendships exist only where there is a two-way trafc but friendliness can keep the heart open even to those who hurt, abuse and malign. Not knowing how to handle the situation, both of us, simultaneously, bowed respectfully before Mool Raj. We begged for his forgiveness, and mumbled our excuses for being delayed in our Pooja where we prayed every morning for the welfare of His Highness the Raja of Multan who had given us the enduring peace and protection for the prosperity of our families and our businesses and added, We know, huzoor, your mind was full of problems. It would not be fair on our part to add ours to yours. Life is an echo, our ancient rishis say. Whatever we have in ourselves, returns to us manifold! If we were full of bliss, bliss would return to us in abundance. If we have anger, hate, or sorrow, it will rebound to us increased in multi-folds. I was, therefore, quick to adopt the policy of our compromising ancestors who survived the onslaught of hostile invaders with their sweetened talks alone. A great man, I appealed, displays his greatness by the way he treats little men like us. We admire your kind nature of forgiving sinners and pray for cultivation of forgiveness towards your insignicant subjects like us. Governors considered themselves no less than independent Rulers and liked their subjects to bend before them in utter humility. Look through us, Sir. We are transparent, I added. I could feel cold, malignant eyes watching us unblinkingly. The humbled postures of two great merchants before him softened Mool Raj a little. However, anger still simmered. Keeping a stern face and screaming a profanity in Multani, he mounted his elephant and signaled us haughtily to follow him along with his paraphernalia. The expediency had taught us to keep our mouth shut and keep our opinions to ourselves until the times were favourable.
39

Eidgah was hardly a mile away from Aam Khaas Bagh, but at the speed of the elephant-walk, it took the trumpet blowing procession, rousing the curious villagers around, almost half an hour, to reach its destination. A short formal meeting was held with the customary exchange of ceremonies, introduction of the accompaniments of British Ofcers and Dewan Mool Raj, and general inquiries of each others health and so on. A token gift of a high turban of white muslin, a salwaar-qameez set of Multan silk, a vest of white owered muslin and a dopatta of yellow Bahawalpur khes (twilled silk) of equal value was presented to both the British Ofcers and Sardar Kahan Singh, the new Governor. The British ofcers on behalf of the Lahore Durbar gave a khillut (Robe of Honour) of 15 pieces, three descriptions of jewellery, an elephant, and an Arabian horse to Dewan Mool Raj as a farewell gift (Tohfa-e-Rukhsut). Onslaught of summer had begun by this time and since the British contingent looked tired and in dire need of summer siesta, it was decided to hold another meeting in the afternoon to take up the serious matter of handing over of the charge of the government of Multan to the new Governor, Sardar Kahan Singh. It was a great relief to observe that the behaviour of Dewan Mool Raj throughout was commendable and earned him a lot of praise. His mood seemed to have changed. He looked chirpy, t, and energetic. Dewan Mool Raj then departed with his contingent, instructing Dewan Jwala Sahai, in charge of the Reception of the Visitors, to see to it that the visitors were not put to any discomfort whatsoever. The Indian way of living has always been of simplicity, generosity, contentment, and liberality. Special care had to be taken for the Englishmen who were accustomed to European way of living and were not used to harsh Indian summer. Little gestures of goodwill mean a lot. It helps strengthening the relationships. We trekked back, same way, in procession to Aam Khaas Bagh, where Dewan Mool Raj retired to his residence and his accompaniments, to the Dawat-khana Party Room, for sumptuous meals. It is a human tendency to make a show of ones generosity. Most of them then allowed themselves to be led to the Retiring Hall for a siesta. Some, like us, however, preferred to go home for siesta. ***
40

IV

Evening of April 18, 1848

This time, no one took any chance. Before the emergence of Dewan Mool Raj from his quarters, all his accompaniments were ready with their mounts, including his brother-in-law, Raja Ram Rung.

Eidgah

We moved in procession at the same snail speed and almost took the same time to reach our destination. We were welcomed too with the same enthusiasm by the British Ofcers. However, the accompaniment of Raja Mool Raj were quick to observe that Sardar Kahan Singh, the new governor, appeared listless and disinterested in all such talks and the interaction was taking place between Dewan Mool Raj and the British Ofcers directly especially Mr. P.A. Vans Agnew. The ofcers and the citizens of Multan, now wondered, with whom they would have to interact Sardar Kahan Singh or Mr. Vans Agnew! Who would be the real ruler? And when during the course of conversation, Mr. Agnew asked for the accounts and
41

revenue papers of the province to be submitted to him along with the possession of the Fort next day, even Dewan Mool Raj and Raja Ram Rang were taken aback. It was more than evident that Sardar Kahan Singh would only be a puppet and the British would be the actual rulers. The attitude of the British ofcers betrayed a hostile intent as well as hegemonic and jingoistic mindset. British fully believe in the old saying jis ki laathi, uski bhains One who holds the staff could have his way! Only well-armed people could enforce their rights sure means of crushing freedom of others to assert their own supremacy. However, nothing could be done then. It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly. Dewan Mool Raj had already committed to hand over the charge and the grant of a jagir to him depended on the peaceful transfer of power to the puppet governor Sardar Kahan Singh. Since the ofciating Regent, John Lawrence, did not have any power to grant a jagir to him, he had assured him that he would be taken on the Council of Regency, and then as a rule, he would be rewarded with jagir. According to the Treaty of Bhyrowal, the Government of British India had condescended to keep the British Troops in the Kingdom of Punjab for the protection of the infant King, Maharaja Daleep Singh. Until the Maharaja attained his majority and was able to administer the Kingdom, British were to lend their expert British administrators to advise the Council of Regency as to how to impose Taxes, collect revenue, and enforce law and justice. It was another matter that in the guise of advisers the British Ofcers had de-facto become rulers and the advice was in fact an order, to be obeyed compulsorily without any option. There was no going back now. Dewan Mool Raj invited, with due respect, the new governor and the British Ofcers with the Durbar troops to the fort to take over the formal charge from him next morning. Thus, Dewan Mool Raj returned to his residence with his depressed and disappointed accompaniment. In darkness, one can imagine a coiled rope to be a coiled snake or a coiled snake to be coiled rope. It is just an individual imagination. The lives of ordinary citizens were lled with a sense of fear and insecurity. ***
42

Morning of April 19, 1848

I performed my pooja early this morning so as to be ready before Lalajee called on me to accompany him to the fort where the two British officers along with the new governor Sardar Kahan Singh Mann were to reach in procession escorted by their troops and Dewan Jwala Sahai. The news of Dewan Mool Rajs resignation had spread like wild fire. Multan was agog with whispers. It was rumoured that the governors of all the districts of Multan were rushing down to Multan for enlightenment. The Punches (Office Bearers) of Bajajs (Cloth Dealers), Gandam Veoparis (Grain Merchants), Kirana Veoparis (Spice Merchants & Grocers), Reshamwalas (Silk Merchants), Stationers & Paper Merchants, Flower Merchants, Phulelis (Flower-scent Dealers), Iron & Hardware Dealers, Bankers and Commission Agents etc., had held urgent meetings of their particular trades last night and decided to send their representative to wait on the British Officers and on the New Governor of Multan, Sardar Kahan Singh, with garlands and baskets of fruit and sweets. I declined to represent the Grain Merchants and was duly excused since I was a special invitee of the outgoing Governor Dewan Mool Raj to witness the handing over ceremony on his behalf. About 100 to 150 trade representatives were expected to pay their respects to the New Rulers this eventful morning. We galloped fast through the empty streets of Multan to reach the fort before other invitees did.

43

The British contingent was received with due honour and escorted into the fort in procession. They took keen interest in inspecting and appreciating the strategic points of the strong and splendid fort considered as one of the finest forts of the subcontinent both from defense as well as vaastu (architectural) point of view. From its ramparts, one could have an unhindered superlative view of the city. There was a ceremonial handing over of the keys of the fort, installation of two companies of Gurkhas infantry brought by the New Governor from Lahore as a mark of having taken the physical possession of the Fort and the seat of government. The British officially replaced the sentries posted by Mool Raj by their own troops. A roll call of Dewans troops were taken to assure them that they need not fear dismissal from service and that they would be usefully employed somewhere else. But the troops appeared to be annoyed at the possibility of being thrown out of service as they had witnessed the reduction of troops in Multan from twelve thousand to six thousand soon after the British take over in 1846 and further cut down to just two thousand by the end of 1847 under British pressure. We joined the British in clapping to mark the end of the ceremony. The assemblage assured the new government of their loyalty and continuous support before their dispersal from the Fort. While Mool Raj, with his escort troops, galloped towards his Garden House, British cavalcade moved towards the Guest House at Eidgah. We, along with other civil invitees, took the Prahlad Puri route to trot back into the city. While crossing the drawbridge over the moat, we noticed the new sentries posted by the British, holding the delegates of Traders of Multan near the moat, not allowing them to proceed further to pay their respects to the British Officers. A known face from the assemblage, Tikkan Malhotra a Cloth Dealer, waved back at us jealously and grumbled aloud, Its not fair. We too are respectable traders. While we are being made to wait here for more than an hour and a half, your lucky bunch has been cleared through and is victoriously on its way back home! All of us just waved back smilingly in reply and paid no heed to his envious outburst. When we were about to enter into the city through Hussein Aghai, we heard a commotion behind us. A frightened group of visitors to the Prahlad Puri temple came running towards us, shouting and waving at us to stop. I recognized a face in the crowd. IT was Narayan, a night watchman of our grain market. I turned my mare towards him.
44

Breathing heavily, the watchman stuttered, Someone attacked the White Sahib, Sir, and injured him badly. A scuffle is going on the draw-bridge at the moat. Before we could digest it, another man came running towards us. All is not well, Sir. Though Raja Ram Rung has saved the White Sahib from the mob and is escorting him on his own elephant towards Eidgah, the dismissed soldiers are in very bad mood. They have gone berserk and are completely out of control. It is very sad and very unfortunate. But then, what can we, the civilians, do? Let Raja Ram Rung and Dewan Jwala Sahai handle the situation, retorted Seth Madan Lal, the Kirana merchant, carrying his corpulent body with dignity, Our duty, to witness the handing over of the symbolic charge of the fort. is over. Let us wait and watch which side the camel turns to sit! In the meanwhile, I suggest, we all go home. While we were still hesitating as to what to do and what not to, we heard the boom of a cannon shot from the direction of Aam Khaas Garden. Lala Ram Lal asked us to accept the sane advice of the Kirana merchant and move towards our homecastles, while he decided to turn back to stand by the side of his precious friend Dewan Mool Raj. I could not help chiding him: What a loving precious friend you have to bear! Who loves nothing better than a chance to sneer! He ignored my derisive remark and said seriously that he could not abandon his friend and erstwhile ruler of Multan to sycophants in this critical hour. Dewan Sahib too has his court flatterers to inflate his ego. He must try his best to protect him from negative people and destructive influence. The province of Multan comprised of Nine Districts Multan, Jhang, Dera Ismail Khan, Sungarh, Mianwali, Leiah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffar Garh, and Shujabad. All the nine District governors were the appointees of Dewan Mool Raj or his father Late Dewan Sawan Mal. With the resignation of Dewan Mool Raj, their appointments too were likely to be affected. Lalajee was right. Tensed mind could affect decisions. Who could know who was a friend and who was an enemy in such an atmosphere of deceit where everyone was ready to pledge their loyalty to the British overlords? Who cared as to who ruled as long as the people had peace and safe roads and good business to prosper and opportunity to fill their coffers? ***
45

VI

Night of April 19, 1848

The people of Multan stayed at home whole day. All markets and the bazaars were shut. The tension was high, people restless. After a long time, peaceful atmosphere of Multan seemed to be in danger. No one wanted a war again. There was no news from Lalajee. Had he reached Dewan Mool Rajs place safely? What was going on over there? Rab Khair Kare! May God protect us all! Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah! Let all beings in the universe be happy! As the day advanced, anxiety increased. The rumours reverberated in the streets of Multan. Pieces of news trickled in that a foot soldier Amir Chand, fearing his dismissal, went amok and hurled his spear at the Englishman Vans Agnew, injuring him slightly. That the Englishman too lost his head and lashed Amir Chand with his horse whip and pushed him into the ditch near the drawbridge. That the entire discharged garrison was agitated and wanted to kill the Englishmen but Raja Ram Rung timely extricated the Englishmen from the disgruntled soldiers. Lifting the injured Vans Agnew on to his elephant, Raja Ram Rung escorted him to the Eidgah where the Indian doctor of the Gorkha regiment attended to his wounds. Lieutenant Anderson was also picked up, placed on a charpoy, and carried safely to Eidgah. However, the damage had been caused. The cordiality had turned into hostility. Dewan Mool Raj, it was said, in his attempt to turn his horse back to help the Englishmen, fell off over the tail of his horse, backward, as his horse reared. It must have been very embarrassing for a Governor to fall off like this. His men, however, managed to turn back but could not prevent his fall. They somehow helped him remount his horse and fearing for his life, escorted him safely to his Garden House. He insisted on being taken back to the site but no one was prepared to heed him. He did try, it was reported, to rally his soldiers but some evil and malignant spirit appeared to have seized the control of their minds. That even his own mounted escort deserted him and pursued the other Englishman, Lieuten46

ant Anderson trying to gallop away from the scene of scufe. Different mouths, different versions. Some people say that Mool Raj could not dismount from his horse as if he was glued to the saddle with fright and sensing danger, his horse carried his master away to his garden house. That the lieutenant was seriously injured in a sword-to-sword ght with a pack of disgruntled soldiers. The men folk of almost the entire Mohalla Maharajan were perched up at their respective terraces, asking me now and then, since my terrace were higher than theirs, if I could spot any sign of trouble! From our terrace, we could see the lofty fort with naked eyes. The guns of the fort were silent. However, uneasiness still ruled the atmosphere. As the sun was about to set, I spotted Lala Ram Lal alighting from his mare in front of my house. I beckoned him to come up to my terrace as my syce (stableman) Mohan Singh Rajput took charge of his mare. My neighbours too noticed him and wanted to come up along with him. However, I bade them not to do so. My neighbours knew of Lalajees close connection with Dewan Mool Raj and respecting our privacy let Lalajee climb up the four ights of the steep stairs to our terrace alone. My younger brothers too were hanging around with me at the terrace. After he had retrieved his breath, Mela Ram poured him a glass of khas sherbet (syrup a cooling summer drink) to quench his thirst. At my signal, my both brothers withdrew from the terrace, leaving the two of us alone. Before I could ask any question, Lalajee heaved a long sigh and uttered, From frying pan we have been thrown into re. Maharani Jindan and her coterie watered down all the good work of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to avoid a clash with the British Power and keep them out of Punjab. Our Dewan Sawan Mals cleverly maneuvered efforts too to keep Multan out of wars have been washed away by foolish policies of our friend Dewan Mool Raj and his advisers. I totally agree with your philosophy, Lalajee, but just tell me what really happened? The whole city is tense. The Bazaars are shut. We are living on rumours only. Would you please break the suspense? I asked him eagerly. From the corners of my eyes, I could spot my neighbours hanging around their terraces trying to lip-read our conversation.
47

Lala Ram Lal stared at me as if in pain, you would never change, you impatient man! Do you realize how serious the events have taken a turn? Both the English men are seriously injured. Patrick Alexander Vans Agnew of the British Civil Service is considered one of the ablest political ofcers on the Punjab Frontier. Our spies have reported that he has rushed qasids (messengers) towards Lahore and Bannoo across the Sindh for reinforcement. He is acting authoritative in spite of his injuries and called for an explanation from Mool Raj about the unwarranted attack on him and his colleague Lieutenant Anderson. Our informers tell us that Lieutenant William Anderson is not a fresh ofcer. He comes from 1st Bombay European Fusiliers, is a Persian scholar, has served as a Deputy Collector in Sindh under Sir Charles Napier, conqueror of Sindh, and has travelled in and around Multan extensively during Dewan Sawan Mals time. By the way, Sir Charles James Napier KGCB (Knight Grand Cross of the Bath), who conquered Sindh in 1840, is at present the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in India. If anything happens to them, British will not spare Multan. They shall inict such punishment as shall not easily pass away from the recollection of the people of Multan. They will reduce the ancient city of Multan to dust and wipe its name out from the history Hell, thats damn serious. Couldnt you persuade Mool Raj to call on Agnew to sort out the matter with him? You forget that he is surrounded by the disgruntled soldiers who want him to lead them in the war of liberation. I have never seen him in such a state of shock before. He is, totally perplexed. One thing led to another and before he could become conscious of where he had drifted to, it was too late for him to retrace his steps back. There is a bottomless well on one side and a deep ravine on the other. (Idhar andhaa kuan, udhar gaheri khaiee). Whichever way he jumps, his end is sure! I kept pacing at my terrace for ve furious minutes trying to make some sense out of the situation. So, what action do you advise? I was then feeling more troubled. Keep your ngers crossed! Get your and mine underground cellars cleaned and well stocked! Do not miss any chance of replenishing your coffers on the nan48

cial front. Everything depends on what we could do tomorrow to defuse the explosive situation. Since Mool Raj was not allowed to call in person on Vans Agnew as demanded by him, we managed to smuggle out Raizada Tulsi Das in the afternoon. He tried to explain to Agnew how helpless Mool Raj was, almost a prisoner in the hands of the discharged soldiers. That he and Ram Rung, both were not allowed to come out of their residence. That Raja Ram Rung even sustained injuries in his attempt to do so and that the British ofcers were well advised to look to their own safety. That Mool Raj and his ministers were trying their best to pacify the agitated soldiers and further proceedings can take place only after pacication of the soldiery. Agnew pointed out to Raizada that it was incumbent on Mool Raj to stand by his commitment and not give in to some disgruntled soldiers. He demanded his immediate presence to sort out the matter. Did Mool Raj go? No, the question did not arise. The enraged Multani garrison had already turned out the two companies of Gurkha infantry posted by the British ofcers at the fort and taken back the possession of the fort without ring a single shot and by the time Raizada came back, Mool Raj had already been won over, by the Multani garrison and the court-ofcials. What Mool Raj had not realized was that with his resignation as the governor, not only he, but all the ofcials appointed by him throughout the province too would have to go. Fearing un-employment, they had now joined hands with the garrison to persuade Mool Raj not to give up the governorship of the province and teach a lesson to the Durbar troops as he had done earlier by defeating the Durbar troops sent against him by Mishra Lal Singh, two years back, in 1846. The Durbar troops then were not led by British Ofcers. The British intervened then and saved Mool Raj. Who would save him now? He cannot stand against the greatest power on earth. My voice literally quivered, The spirit of the Englishmen enables them to carry through to victory any struggle that they once enter into, no matter how long such a struggle may last and however great the sacrice may be necessary.

49

Thats why I have rushed home to apprise you of the happenings and sound you of the impending danger. It is choice, not chance, that would determine our destiny. Thoughts decide the course of action, and action sets the path to future. We cannot take passenger seats and leave it to God alone to direct the hands of fate around us! You are wise, Bhaijee, think of some way out. I am dashing back soon after a quick bath and a change and join Mool Raj before he takes some drastic steps which are later difcult to retrace. It is easier to provoke people, stir up their emotions and lead them to war than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labours of peace. All Multanis, be they Hindus, Sikhs or Muslims, are patriotic and proud of their prehistoric, well-preserved city and worried about its fate, its destiny. However, our army is not animated by any national or religious sentiment. Organized on class or region basis, the individual soldier obeys only his immediate superior and not the supreme head of the army. The troops are, no doubt, brave, but lack the qualities of trained and skilful soldiers. The matters need to be reviewed from realistic point of view. We are helpless by ourselves. God alone is all-powerful. Except by throwing ourselves completely on His mercy, there is no other means of safety for us. You cannot see God, but feel his presence. God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is the sound of silence, the light of life, and taste of bliss. He is God of all creatures. Multanis have no sole claim on Him. Before I could react, he gathered himself up, dashed down the steep stairs twoat-one, and vanished through the window from our verah into his house in Tambakoo Wala verah, forgetting that he had left his mare in my stable. I took care to send his mare back to his own stable through my syce Mohan Singh.

***
50

VII

Evening of April 20, 1848

The Bazaar remained shut even today. The whole of the city of Multan was tense. No businessman could risk opening his shop lest these disgruntled, discharged soldiers take to brigandage and make the bazaars unsafe. Strong rumours kept pouring in. Dewan Jwala Sahai, in charge of the Reception of the Visitors had abandoned his post along with his paraphernalia lest they were taken as hostages by the British Camp. Soon thereafter, the drivers of the bullock carts, camels, elephants and every beast of burden too vanished along with their carts and animals. Mr. Agnew was greatly annoyed. He called to muster all the soldiers and camp followers within the walls of the Eidgah and got all the six guns, mounted in three batteries, under his personal supervision. His Sikh escort consisted of 1400 men, Gurkha regiment of 600 infantry, 700 cavalry, and 100 artillerymen. Agnew issued parwanas (orders) to the chief ofcers of Multan to the effect that since Mool Raj had resigned and handed over the charge to the new Governor Sardar Kahan Singh under British command, it was incumbent on all ofcers to follow the British orders only. The orders further vexed the Multani ofcers. According to the Treaty of Bhairowal, no parwana was to be considered valid unless it was signed by all the four councilors (i) Tej Singh, (ii) Sher Singh Attariwala, (iii) Dewan Dina Nath, and (iv) Khalifa Noor-ud-din. They told the British messengers that they did not recognize the British Authority and would follow the orders of their governor Mool Raj only in the absence of any order from the four councilors who have the delegated powers. A number of idlers had gone loitering towards British camp to watch the spectacle. They observed that a team of seven Hajibis messengers riding towards Aam Khaas Bagh to call on Mool Raj with orders from Mr. Agnew but only ve hajibis were seen returning back. The remaining two, they noticed, galloping towards Bahawalpur, across Setluj, probably to seek help from the British Protectorate. Then the news reached us that proclamation of Independence had been issued in the name of Dewan Mool Raj Chopra against the British yoke.

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As if to conrm our worst fears, the boom of the guns rang through the hot afternoon air of Multan. The civilian spectators ran back for cover behind the city walls. People climbed on their rooftops to watch the struggle. They still could not comprehend how grave the matter was! From rooftop of the houses just inside Daulat Gate, to roof-top of the houses like ours on the other end near Pak Darwaza, we could pick up the running commentary, blow by blow. In response to the guns red in warning from the fort, the British guns could discharge just one round of re in the direction of the fort. Thereafter, realizing the superior repower of the Multani guns, the Durbar troops deserted the British camp and walked over to Mool Rajs side lock, stock and barrel. Sardar Kahan Singh with a score of his personal bodyguards, half a score of domestic servants and Lahori clerks of British ofcers were too confused to decide which way to swing. The sun had gone down by then and it had become difcult for the roof-toppers to observe the happenings at the camp.

The Multanis were not the kind of herds whom one could make them surrender just by shouting at them. Yet, the stress levels are higher and people are on the edge. ***
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VIII

Morning of April 21st

In the towns and cities, where there were hardly any open spaces or lawns in the cluttered houses, people used to sleep at the terraces on their stringed cots in the summer. Those who had no access to the terrace oor would stretch their cots in the open verahs or on the side-lanes. The night of April 20 passed in changing sides of the bodies only with ears turned towards Eidgah. The rooftop relays claimed a suspicion of invasion of the British camp by some people for looting the British camp. They heard sounds of sword clanging and cry of some people being wounded or killed. No one dared to visit the camp and check the facts. No sound came from the Camp after midnight, the relay claimed. For the rst time of my life, I stayed awake from sunset through sunrise. I must have been lulled to sleep by the morning breeze for I did not notice when Lala Ram Lal returned from Aam Khaas Bagh, climbed up to my terrace to wake me up personally. He was fully dressed while I was topless, just in my lungi. The heat of Multan did not allow us to wear any top in bed. I tried to raise my torso from the cot but he pressed me down and whispered, Dont rise, keep lying and just listen quietly to the latest of the growing list of deplorable incidents. The die is cast. We have been plunged into untimely, ill-prepared war with the conquerors of half the world. I tried to rise from my cot again; again, he pressed me down as if to release the steam of his raging mind at me. That marauder Goodhar Singh and his band of no-goodies invaded the British Camp last night and killed both the Englishmen and robbed the dead of all their belongings. The British stooge, Sardar Kahan Singh Mann and their bodyguards who could not run away, the skeleton staff of cooks and munshis escaped the onslaught by hiding behind the bushes and surrendered themselves before Mool Raj just before dawn, seeking his protection to escape the wrath of the invaders of the British camp. An emergency meeting was called this morning. He paused to take breath and then continued, the time for negotiation is over. British will not take this lying down. Hatred, anger and desire
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for revenge are natural reactions of the aggrieved persons. In such cases, forgiveness is not possible until the hurt feelings subside. Its sin to spare the guilty. Thousands and thousands of Englishmen will swoop down on us and annihilate us and pulverize our ancient city and famous fort, brick by brick to dust. I pushed his arm holding me down away and heaved myself up. And you want me to take it all lying down? refastening my lungi, I croaked. What can you do? he hissed in whisper, when provinces after provinces of the Mughal India, ruled by Nawabs, Princes and Marathas with their trained armies are not able to face the might of British Empire, what do you expect from unarmed civilians a disorganized rabble a handful of businessmen with women and children to defend themselves? You are well aware of the fact as to how our Punjab was being used as a military highway for Afghanistan and how nefariously the British seized Sindh in 1843? What has occurred cannot be erased! Silence engulfed us for a few painful seconds. Prudence, a voice to which as a businessperson I always listened, warned me that it would be very foolish to challenge the mighty British, which were the masters of almost whole of India, and as the rumours went, of half the world, by then. The only other power in India was that of Marathas, who themselves were in constant conict with one another and had made it easier for the British to defeat them one after the other. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had the insight to see the tremendous power of the British and made it a point to retain their goodwill at all costs. He employed European ofcers Allard, Ventura, Avitabile from the school of Napoleonic wars to train his army at par with the British army by adopting European methods of ghting but he knew that if he provoked an attack from them, in spite of his ne Sikh soldiery who could ght with a discipline and a stubbornness unequalled in Indian warfare, he would be shattered as the Marathas had been in the rest of India. Shahu was the last chhatrapati who exercised de facto authority. After him, the Maratha kings became virtual prisoners of their Peshwas who grabbed the power in their own hands and were, in return, pensioned out by the British. The last of the Maratha Generals, Holker, trotted down to Punjab for help but then to appease the British Maharaja Ranjit Singh could
54

not extend a helping hand. Who would now come to our rescue? No native power, relying on its own resources and its own methods, could hold out for long against the British. Silence ensued between us for a few seconds. No good ever came out of loving a prostitute or befriending a king, as the old saying goes. I sighed. Our bodies will be swinging from the trees of Aam Khaas Bagh or our cut-off-heads decorating one of the gates of our ancient city before the year ends. Dont be so pessimistic! No one, consciously, likes to invite crisis into ones life. Crisis is painful, frightening, and disheartening. May God bless our Ruler with the ability to think and capability to relate with the inhabitants of Multan, their well-being and safety too! But what can you do with men whose obstinacy and pride have blinded them to their interests and to the counsel of reason? Both of us were plunged into the deep well of silence again for an alarming ve minutes! To enter into silent state one does not have to perform any ritual. So, what happened at the emergency meeting? I struggled to raise myself out of the well of silence. Reports from patrols were read and re-read, news from spies discussed. We were like ignorant men in a woodhouse who lit a re to cook meals and inadvertently set the whole house aame. There were only two options left: (i)! To arrest the guilty persons, hand them over to the British Authority and persuade Mool Raj to surrender with not guilty plea and throw himself at the mercy of the British Authority. Or (ii)! Declare a war of liberation, and persuade other provinces also to join us and hope against all hopes that they would support us to put the British out of Punjab. He paused for a moment to steady his breath and then went on:
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The Garrison Commander asserted that no one present in the meeting was strong enough to take into custody any of the insurgents. Whosoever tried, he said, would be running the risk of being cut down. One must not forget what they did to Raja Ram Rung when he tried to lead Dewan Mool Raj to visit the wounded British Ofcers at Eidgah. The three wounds that were inicted on him were still fresh and testimony to the belligerent mood of the soldiers. The commander paused for a moment and then added, Let Raja Ram Rung make an attempt again if he likes, or let Dewan Sahib venture out. I must be excused. This gave boost to the resurgent soldiers. There was a big clamour for war. The army of Punjab was notably brave. They fully believed that they could match British Army in any sort of combat and owed its defeat at Setluj to treachery at the hands of Raja Gulab Singh, Lal Singh and Tej Singh. Raja Gulab Singh, everybody knew, was a cold-blooded, self-seeking person whose attempts to take over Multan were cleverly foiled by late Dewan Sawan Mal. In spite of the pressure of Raja Dhyan Singh, Ranjit Singh refused to give him the province of Multan or Kashmir for farming. His desire of ruling Kashmir was, at last, fullled by British who sold it to him for helping them in the Setluj war as a reward for just a crore of rupees. However, Gulab Singh could not take the possession of his newly acquired kingdom by force of arms from Sheikh Imam-ud-din, the governor of Kashmir. He had to appeal to the British Resident Sir Henry Lawrence to get him the possession. Supported by British troops from Jalandhar, Sir Henry Lawrence himself led 10,000-strong Sikh army into Kashmir and compelled the Sheikh to hand over Kashmir to Raja Gulab Singh without ring a single shot. The incident also became the cause of dismissal of Raja Lal Singh from the prime minister-ship of Punjab as it came to light that Sheikh was encouraged by Lal Singh to disregard the British orders. Lala Ram Lal heaved a deep sigh and then recommenced, All the three units of army, Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery raised their arms for the liberation of Punjab from the British yoke. Muslims then swore and pledged their support on Qu56

ran, Hindus, on their sacred Geeta and Sikhs, on Holy Granth Sahib. The commandant of British artillery, Isar Singh, volunteered to join Multani forces and so did his Adjutant Hari Singh. Gurdip Singh, colonel of the Gurkha Regiment, however, refused to ght against the British and was taken in custody and sent to prison but on his way to the cell, he jumped into the Andhi khui (the deep, unfathomed well) and got drowned. The information revealed by the guards escorting Gurdip Singh, disturbed Sardar Kahan Singh and he agreed to co-operate with the movement provided his name was kept out of it until Maharaja Daleep Singh approved of the up-rise against the British and other Sardars too joined it. They are now condent that together they could push the British out of Punjab. You cannot win a war with just a garrison at your command. Men who twist & twirl their moustaches as a mark of bravery are the rst to run away from the battleelds when the tide turns against them. Such people have their noses stuck in the air or are prostrating at somebodys feet. Collecting a tithe from unarmed farmers is different from facing well equipped, well- trained British army. The Sikh army is not espousing the cause of Mool Raj out of any attachment to him. They are standing by for his money and for the opportunity that they are getting for renewing the old Khalsa struggle. We all know that the Khalsa army that Maharaja Ranjit Singh built was broken and scattered in the war of 1846. Nearly ten thousand of our best ghting force was allowed to be slaughtered by grape and shrapnel in the bed of the river Setluj. The river turned red with the blood that owed down to Bahawalpur. However, the British army who faced them for the rst time applauded the magnicent ghting qualities of the Sikhs, their maneuvering skills as gunners and engineers. They admitted that they never faced such resistance anywhere else in India before. Even after victory, they were afraid to annex the Kingdom of such ferocious people and doubted their ability to occupy this hostile Kingdom. The Sikh army was cut down to 20,000 infantry and 12,000 cavalry. The Governor General, Lord Hardinge, and Commander-in-Chief Lord Gough marched back to Calcutta in triumph with 250 captured Sikh Guns, to demonstrate their invincibility. There is not much of a standing army of trained professional soldiers at our disposal now and we will have to depend on age-old practice of calling upon the civilian population from the cornelds to the battleelds
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against the British forces. Sub-standard and ill-prepared troops are destined to face certain defeat. I stuttered. I know, Bhaijee, but that is not the only point, whispered Lala Ram Lal, Halfhearted moves never win wars. Mool Raj still does not want war, but Rajmaata, his mother is pressing him hard to use this opportunity, now that the Sikh army is expected to be en-masse with him, to liberate the Punjab from British domination, for infant Maharaja Daleep Singh. She reprimanded him for dithering and warned him that if he hesitated in declaring war on British, she, a kshetri (Khatri), belonging to a warrior class herself, would recall her second son Sham Singh from Shujabad and lead the Multani forces in the battleeld in person. She even guaranteed that his estranged brother, Karam Narayan, who had gone away from Multan due to differences with him and settled at Lahore, would take his side on her intervention and inuence other Sardars at the Lahore Durbar to join him at this God sent opportunity of waging a war of liberation against the British. As we all know, Karam Narayan had not exerted his inuence to Mool Rajs advantage until then. This made Mool Raj bow down to Rajmatas wishes. This means that time for putting off unpleasant decision has passed. We must pick ourselves up, dust off our clothes, and be prepared to face the war bravely. We ought to calm our mind and come to a state of sumdarshi equanimity, the one whose vision is equanimous. I put in. I hope, our gods are not sleeping. They ought to be wide-awake, watching every movement from sky above. Koi dekhey ya na dekhey, Woh Dekh raha hai. Others may be watching or not but the Supreme Entity is watching us all. Nevertheless, while he has agreed to declare war against British, he has asked me to dispatch, secretly, a note to Sir Frederick Currie. I wrote on his behalf, pleading that Mool Raj was only a victim of the circumstances, and had no hand in the happenings at Multan. That he was still not interested in holding out as the governor of Multan and was prepared to hand over charge in exchange for full pardon and a suitable jagir for the maintenance of his family. Life here is uncertain. No body knows what is in store for us! Now what do you make out of it? Lalajee raised his eyebrows.

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He is no better than Raja Gulab Singh and Raja Lal Singh who betrayed the kingdom for their own private gains. He is no Doodh-ka-dhulla (milk washed untainted innocent). He is putting at stake the people of Multan to save his own skin and gain an additional personal source of income. As the matter stands now, he is the richest provincial governor in the entire Punjab. He has every thing one can think of, cash, jewellery, property, name, fame, reputation but still wants more. Multanis are no cowards. You would recall with pride what they did to the invading forces of Sheikh Ali of Kabul who invaded Multan in 1431. They fought like professional soldiers and gave a crushing defeat to Afghani Sheikh. Though Sheikh Ali and his nephew, somehow, managed to escape but all their booty in the form of gold, horses and equipment that they had plundered from other parts of India fell into the hands of Multanis. Self-condence, mental toughness, predetermination to win at all costs, and ability to innovate can make one win. However, times are different now. If Mool Raj made his private peace with the British, what will happen to us? I quipped, We will be sacricing our lives, our money, and our business in vain! Thats the problem! Mool Raj and his family do not belong to Multan. They are Chopra Khatris from Akal Garh in District Gujjaranwala where they own vast property. Why suffer unnecessary agonies of mind by worrying about every little upheaval and fearing the worst? The rulers here do not encourage any sense of citizenship or loyalty to the country. They only want their subjects to be loyal to their rulers, right or wrong, in revolt, or in default. There is no room for patriotic sentiments. Soldiers die for their ruler, not for their country. Why must we kill or be killed? For whom? For a master who is prepared to make his individual peace in exchange for a pardon and a jagir? Lalajee, who until now had been defending Mool Raj as his friend, blurted out in excitement his true feelings, He doesnt seem to have been inspired by any sense of patriotism. Is he ghting for the independence of Multan from British yoke? He has no notion of patriotism. Starting of negotiation for forgiveness and grant of Jagir for laying down the ofce of governorship in itself is the betrayal of the cause of independence from the British yoke. A military force, not adequately trained and equipped for the mod-

59

ern warfare, and placed under inexperienced command would lead to a sure disaster. There is an old Chinese saying that it takes a tiny thorn to burst the biggest balloon. I piped in. You are on the right track now. It is time to fortify ourselves and change our attitudes. For once, he totally agreed with me and continued, Every individual has the right to seek his own safety, to determine his own ambitions and pursue and protect his own interests. It is the universal law of the nature. Its time for us to act, to take things in our own hands for our own survival. It appeared that Lalajee had already given the issue a good thought and had some kind of plan in his mind. After a minutes gap, he continued but in a cool and soft voice, We do not lack patriotism. But do we ght for Multan or ght for Mool Raj? If Mool Raj wins, it would be a battle or two; not a war but that may get him some favourable terms in the treaty of peace and at the most retention of his governorship only. If the entire Punjab joins us and we are able to drive the British out of Punjab, he would still be able to retain only his governorship of Multan and the peace gained would probably be temporary only. It is a known fact that British want a foothold in Punjab and a thoroughfare to Afghanistan to keep a check on the expansion designs of Imperialist Russia. They would be looking for any pretext to annex Punjab. We also know that Maharaja Ranjit Singh had such an apprehension in his mind and had exclaimed privately while perusing the map of India brought to him by his barid showing the British possessions in red colour, that one day the map of entire India would be coloured red indicating the domain of British India. Moreover, we have no statesman like him to keep British at bay. We have seen what Raja Gulab Singh Dogra did to get Kashmir and gain the title of Maharaja while Lal Singh could just manage to retain his prime-ministership only but that too he lost at the rst excuse he gave to the British by inciting Sheikh Imam-ud-din against handing over charge of Kashmir to Raja, sorry, Maharaja Gulab Singh! And you are the only statesman left in Multan, I budged in, sarcastically, to cut his diatribe short, Leave Raja and Maharaja Gulab Singh to his fortune. Tell me,
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what is on your mind? Come straight and to the point! As the matter stands, we do not have much time at our disposal. Only by mustering courage at such a time we will be able to breathe again the winds of hope. You are right. In spite of declaration of independence from the yoke of British Government, there is a feeling of anticlimax, even a sense of depression in the fort. Unseen hands of fate seem to control everything and no effort on our part could make any difference. When something occurs that was not preventable, it is better to go along with it. Last night, Abdul Gafoor Khan, jamadar of the armoury, by chance, seized a qasid (messenger) carrying report of the events to Lahore and brought him to Dewan Mool Raj. The message was biased against Mool Raj, reporting the death of the British Ofcers as pre-planned murder and crime, perpetrated by Dewan Mool Raj. A proclamation is being issued today, he continued unabated, to ban all dispatches from Multan. Cavalry is being commissioned to patrol all the roads leading to Lahore, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, and other districts of Multan and especially the road to Dera Fateh Khan on the river Sindh (Indus) where Lieutenant Edwardes is reported to be holding his court. Dewan Mool Raj has also rushed a message to his brother Sham Singh at Shujabad to recruit into the service as many soldiers as he could lay his hands on and send them to Multan. Instructions have also been sent to Kardars (Revenue collectors) to levy at once the rst installment of the Rabi (spring) Crop. Launga Mal, governor of Dera Ghazi Khan, has been asked to win over as many tribes as he could against the British with promises of good pay and better rewards. So much happened in one night? What a terrible night! You must have been kept awake whole night? I added, Even we could not sleep whole night. I do not know how I managed to doze off in this morning breeze. My eyes and ears, otherwise, were focused at the fort! I know. It is apparent from your eyes. But you can have your forty-winks on your way to Dera Fateh Khan. Dera Fateh Khan? Across Sindh?

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Delhi Gate

Yes, as I just said, thats where Lt. Edwardes is stationed to whom summons for help had been sent by Vans Agnew. You must keep this fact in mind that the treaty of Bhyrowal made the British Resident virtually the successor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh on the throne of Lahore. Ba raza-o-raghbat-i-khud of their own free will, the chiefs of the Lahore Durbar chose British to manage and administer the State of Punjab for and on behalf of their infant King Maharaja Daleep Singh. The British political ofcers are appointed as advisers to the Governors of the provinces who are asserting themselves as the real rulers, above the governors, whose advice is nothing short of an order to be strictly followed. Herbert Edwardes in Bannu and Attock, James Abbot in Hazara, George Lawrence in Peshawar are vested with wide discretionary powers to resettle the country on British pattern. It is taken for granted that Punjab has virtually passed into the British hands. It was Lieutenant Edwardes who dismissed Dewan Daulat Rai from the governorship of Bannu and appointed General Cortlandt as the new governor of Bannu. Likewise, George Lawrence removed Autar Singh from the governorship of Peshawar and replaced him with Gulab Singh Povindia. Unpleasant experiences are painful but they teach us lessons how to avoid such unpleasantness again. It is time for you to be on the other side. I will keep the ropes on this side of the fence. If we win this
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war, I will give all the credit to you for helping our cause from the other side of the fence and if British win the war, I expect you to do your best to protect me, my family, my business interests, and my properties from British onslaught. While I take a quick bath, swallow my breakfast and change for the days stand on the side of Mool Raj, you think of the ways and means how to give effect to this plan or come out with an alternative one as to how to save and secure our 25 years of hard-earned peace, business and savings, Kamini & Kanchan women and wealth - as the saying goes. Success depends on our intensity to achieve, sacrice, devotion and dedication. Success is measured by ones efforts to come out of failures and turn them into success. Six steps are human effort, the seventh is divine grace. He looked meaningfully into my eyes and added, Nobody is perfect, but lets try to be that nobody who is perfect. Both of us, as stout businessmen, know where and when to compromise. Life itself is a compromise. One cannot always be a winning cock! However, positive thoughts and good efforts may help us to keep aoat. Working hands are better than praying hands. Two heads are better than one, as one head cannot be at two places at the same time. Lalajee gave me a meaningful look. He did not elaborate on his plan but I knew exactly what he meant as he ran down the stairs to reach his house from our side of the entrance, leaving me in a daze. ***
Daulat Gate

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IX

Forenoon of April 21st, 1848

Transcription of relevant pages from the diary of Lala Ram Lal
I knew Bhaijee was too dazed to come out with some workable plan. But I wanted to give him a chance to do so lest he blamed me later for rushing him into my plan. The way we were being sucked into the unwanted war there seemed to be no escape. On one side was a deep well and on the other a deep ditch. I was still struggling to force some morsels into my mouth while dressing up in my suffa Baithak (Drawing Room) for my dash to the Aam Khaas Bagh, there was a knock at the front door of my house in Verah Tambakoo Wala. As my servant Tillu opened the door, a Saadhu (monk) pushed him aside chanting, Alakh Niranjan! Hut jaa rastey se Bachcha, Badi okhi ghari hai ayee! (May God, who is invisible and is unblemished, give happiness to one and all! Get away from my path, child. Hard times are here.) Normally monks do not barge into the houses of the people. Nor do they beg for alms in loud wails. They meekly accept only what they can consume in one sitting and never pack anything for their next meal even if it is thrust on them, blessing all those who give and also all those who do not. Jo de uska bhalla, jo naa de uska bhi bhalla. They eat what is minimum required to preserve the body as the vehicle that will lead them to God. Five rounds of one-inch thick black rope wounded tightly around their waists, symbolically reminding them to restrict their diet to the minimum. Monks of Baba Gorakh Nath were mostly from good families, not from the frustrated unsuccessful sections of the society. Some were born rich, blessed with intelligence, good looks, and boundless opportunities, free from lifes daily vexing challenges. For some, asceticism was the only way open to escape hounding from negative mindset. For one reason or another, they took to asceticism mainly to escape from materialistic attachments, delusions, committing unnecessary sins in accumulation of wealth more than they needed and to nd a way to reach God. Why had this monk, who looked well fed and was heftier, gatecrashed into my house? I wondered. But as I looked closely at him, I found his eyes sparkling with love and affection. He was holding a kamandal (a Saadhus begging bowel) in his
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left hand but carried a menacing trident (Trishul) in his right hand, which swung forward and backward with his each step that he took towards me. I had no guts to shout stop at him and bowed before him out of sheer habit, in fear and respect; fear because next swing of his trident could have pierced my stomach and respect because it was ingrained in us from birth to pay respect to all holy persons. The monks of Baba Gorakh Nath were very agile. They never stood motionless even for a moment. If they moved two steps forward, they moved one-step backward, chanting Alakh Niranjan (Literally Alakh means That which is not seen and Niranjan means That which is without any stains - unblemished) all the time. Their discourses were short, always on their feet in motion. Even while accepting alms they maintained their rhythm of movement forward and backward. My hands stretched automatically, in natural defensive mode, to cushion the thrust of the trident. However, the monk, as it was his wont, took a step backward and then wheeled right towards my wife who was waiting on me with a large glass of buttermilk and addressed her, May you be blessed, Sister Rukmani, with the loving company of your husband throughout your tenure on this earth! (Sada Suhagan Raho!) Would you please leave the two of us alone for a few minutes to discuss some important issues? I was taken aback! How did he know the name of my wife? And why did he want me alone? He still had the trident in his hand though it was not swinging anymore nor was he moving forward and backward like a real Gorakhnathi-monk anymore. I had never seen a monk from Baba Gorakh Naths math in still motion before. Who was he then? Sorry, Babajee, I shot out I am in a hurry now. These are bad times. Some other time, Babajee, when winds change, may be I would like to play a host to you and listen to your discourses! But please do excuse me this time. I took the large glass (3/4th of a seer, called tripawa locally) of buttermilk from my wife and gulped it down my throat at one go. I believe you are rushing to Bhaijees house on your way to the fort. Arent you, Lalajee?
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I am not a trained soldier but I knew how to wield a sword in self-defence and always carried it with me. I drew the sword from its sheath instantly and put it at his throat, ready to thrust before he could raise his trident. My apologies, Babajee. Your conduct betrays your sainthood. Now tell me quickly who you really are and why did you barge into my house? Or I will plunge this sword right into your throat! Believe me; I was trying my best to look brave, outwardly. But inwardly, my heart was thumping loud and fast. I knew, if that monk, or whoever he was, raised his trident, my braver front would collapse. I was even afraid that the heavy engraved Multani sword, held by my unsteady right hand, might fall to the ground on its own velocity any time. The monk gave a short laugh, and let the trident drop on the oor with a clanking noise and as my eyes wavered towards the falling trident, he took the sword effortlessly away from my right hand with his right hand, now that it was free from holding the trident. Now be quiet and calm down, he stared hard into my eyes and handed over the sword back to me, obviously, to win my condence, I come as a friend, not as a foe and mean no harm to you. Bhaijee himself is on his way to your house, and then, he whispered in my ears assertively, Can I have a few moments in private, please? I was still not comfortable but I gave a nod to my wife to leave, who too looked visibly uncomfortable but left the room though hesitatingly and reluctantly. The moment we were alone, he gave a hearty laugh that sounded familiar but still I could not place him. Well, Lalajee, I pass my rst test with laurels. If a clever and shrewd person like you, who has been my childhood friend and a neighbour for decades, always at my side in summers and winters of life, could not recognize me, I dont think anyone else could easily do so! Hey Bhagwaan! (O my God!) Is that you, Bhaijee? ... In the guise of a monk? I blurted out.
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I was astounded, my eyes wonder-struck, widened with surprise, matted hair, face, and body smeared with ash, you had almost frightened me to death with your authentic swinging trident! I havent spent my childhood and early youth in theatre in vain. Anyway, let it pass! The playtime is over. Time at our disposal to evolve strategies is very short. Though this avoidable war is being thrust upon us, we could have readily stood by your friend Mool Raj had he not been trying to make separate peace with the British! Apparently, you have no other option but to sink with your friend Mool Raj and yet want me to try, and oat with the British, and actually act as your spy but pose as a sympathizer for the British. If Mool Raj wins, you will have an upper hand and try to save me as your spy and If British win, you expect me to save you by proclaiming that you were my spy trying to serve the British cause. You want us to claim the reward of service from both sides, whosoever is victorious without being traitors to our nation. Is that Right? Right! Absolutely right! Aap ka Iqbal buland ho! - May your fame ascend high! I squeaked. I was always proud of his wisdom and foresight to act quickly according to the situation. Chanakya Neeti diplomacy, is an art of letting other people do things your way. The moment you left things to me, I knew you wanted me to do things your way. No wonder, people say that we think alike and act alike. He paused for a moment before continuing, well, I am going after Lieutenant Edwardes, as hinted by you. I am taking my faithful and loyal syce Mohan Singh along with me who is also dressed as a monk and waiting outside, on his feet, moving restlessly, back and forth, playing his part superbly. He will act as my disciple with adequate cash to recruit local disciples and followers for me wherever I camp. Let one of your trusted Gumashtas (agents, representatives) or a barid (spy) who does not know me as Bhamba Ram, follow this Yogi, and act as a Qasid (messenger) between us, for exchange of news and views. Whatever his name may be, for maintaining secrecy, we shall call him Aatoon. If I lose contact with this Aatoon and I have to send someone else to you, or you have to send someone else to me, as a Qasid, none of us should accept him unless he gives his name as Bemisaal.
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Our correspondence should be in Lunde or Urdu, in our usual secret code i.e. one letter following the actual letter meant for the purpose from the alphabet of the script we use. Well thought of ! I remarked. He was too excited to control himself, For example if we have to write Hindu, we should write Ijoev i.e. one letter after the usual alphabet. We are the only ones who know this code. I remember, I butted in. I too was excited by then, we devised it in class ve to pass notes in examinations to fool our examiners. This should serve our purpose till you come out with a better code. This should do very well. Simple and best I readily agreed. I have taken my wife Tulsi and my brothers into condence who would explain my absence from the city, if need arises, as having rushed to agricultural lands to sort out some disputes among the tillers. My brothers would take care to look after my business interest in my absence though there would hardly be any business in these troubled times. My son, Khushi, at 10, is too young, as you know, to handle my affairs on his own. It was more than evident that Bhaijee has grasped my plan to the core and had come prepared to act accordingly. It was time now to unfold the second stage of my plan. Begging him to excuse me for a moment, I rushed to my room upstairs to fetch my well thought out and neatly drafted Secret Pact to be executed and signed between us. As he went through the contents of our pact, I told him that I was fully aware of the fact that this pact has no legal standing under any law, British or our own vidhaan. It is only to place on record a private and secret arrangement between us, to bind our heirs and assigns. Conscience is moral watchdog of our lives. If any one of us was martyred for our cause, our heirs should know their priorities. Unlike animals, we have an awareness that warns us of our past mistakes and cautions us not to repeat the same. Sometimes, despite dedication, hard work, and sin-

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cere commitment, things go wrong. It is better to attempt and fail than not to attempt at all.! ! ! ! ! ! Well drafted, Bhaijee acclaimed and signed the same without any hesitation and almost whispered, this should be marked as Top Secret and handed over to your wife Rukmani for safe keeping with direction to be delivered only to either of us or survivor. Rest assured, I whispered back, your word is sacrosanct for me. We shall stand by each other through thick and thin. Come what may! Some things are better left unspoken. ***

Bohar Gate

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RAAZINAMA
Transcription of Pact signed between Bhai Bhamba Ram and Lala Ram Lal
This moral agreement is entered into voluntarily without any pressure from or under inuence of any other individual, between (i) Lala Ram Lal Reshamwala, son of Late Lala Hira Lal Reshamwala, aged 38, resident of Lal Haveli, Verah Tambakoo Wala, Mohalla Tambakoo Wala, inside Pak Darwaza, of Multan, on the one part and (ii) Bhai Bhamba Ram Wadhwa, son of Seth Shiva Ram Wadhwa, aged 40, resident of Wadhwian Wali Haveli, Verah Wadhwian Wala, Mohalla Maharajan, inside Pak Darwaza of Multan, on the other part, who, hereby bind themselves to the following terms and conditions:1.! That both the parties agree to pool their resources together to live through these uncertain and unsettled times. 2.! That in the event of one of the parties losing its life in the venture, the surviving party would be morally bound to look after the martyrs family as its own and help its descendants to get control of its business and property, movable as well as immovable, as soon as the present turmoil is over and the peace dawns on this historic city of Multan. 3.! That in the event of both the parties surviving the war but one of them being deprived of its property on any count, the other party morally binds itself to shelve out up to 50% of its wealth to the affected party to help it rebuild its lost business and property. 4.! That in the event of both the parties emerging unscathed and unharmed out of the present crisis, no party would owe anything to the other party and this pact would be deemed to be null and void. 5.! That similarly, in the event of both the parties losing their lives in the venture, this pact would be deemed to be null and void and their respective descendents would not be bound to share their properties with each other in any manner under this agreement.
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6.! That this pact will be kept secret and left in the safe custody of Seth Shiva Ram, the respected father of Bhai Bamba Ram, to be passed on to the descendants of the party under obligation to act under this pact, with the same stipulation of keeping it secret so that no one learns of the pitiable condition of the affected party as to who helped who! Signed by both the parties under oath, in the presence of each other and in the ever presence of Shri Nath ji (the form of God worshiped by the Vaishnavas) and Baba Guru Nanak, Sachey Padsha (True Emperor) Almighty God, this 7th day of Vaishakh, Vikrami Samvat 1905 equivalent to April 21, 1848 of the Christian Era.

(Signed in Urdu)

!!

! ! ! !

! !

(Signed in Urdu)

Lala Ram Lal Reshamwala! !

Bhai Bhamba Ram Wadhwa

s/o Late Lala Hira Lal Reshamwala !! ***

s/o Late Bhai Shiva Ram Wadhwa

Haram Gate

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CHAPTER 4

Espionage Ground
On The Toes I

Transcription of Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram To Lala Ram Lal

Outskirts of Village Sahuwala On the left bank of the River Sindh. Vaishakh 10, 1905 (April 24, 1848 CE) Dear me, I could manage to reach this place unhindered last evening. No one bothered to check the permission-letter that you had given me to ensure my safe travel in the province. Mool Rajs men were there all around but paid no attention to this wandering saint. His kardars (Revenue collectors) did well in securing the boats on the left bank of the river, but they seemed to have slipped at Kirree Kuhree Ghat, 25 miles higher up across the river. Here, under the orders of Misr Sahib Dayal, the collector of the Lahore Durbar, Faujdar Khan Alizye, with just a few scores of his equestrians took charge of the ferry port, relieving the custom-officer of Mool Raj before Mool Rajs men could come to stop the handover. I hear that Faujdar Khan was able to provide about 16 boats to Edwardes to cross the river with two cannons, umpteen of camel-swivels, over twelve hundred soldiers, a number of horses, carts, and camp followers, successfully. I have not noticed the presence of Multani troops anywhere around here. I am given to understand that the Kardar of Leiah and his garrison, instead of preventing the landing of Edwardes, fled from their posts on hearing of his coming. The governor of Leiah, Rattan Chand too, is reported to have abandoned the city of Leiah and taken refuge in the desert fort of Chaubarah, north-west of Leiah. The outskirts of
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the village where I have erected my yoga ashram is a deserted place except for a couple of hens and some old tottering men sleeping in the shade of trees. Edwardes is reported to have asked Lieutenant Tailor to rush Muslim battalion of Subhan Khan from Bannu with four guns of horse artillery of Peshawar Troop, to Leiah city, where he is likely to march triumphantly tomorrow with the local zamindaars who called upon him this evening to seek his protection. Edwardes is reported to be wounded around his knees, is not able to walk or ride, and is being carried around in a palki (palanquin). He is keen to hear about the real happenings at Multan as different people are feeding him with different stories. Our man Mohan Singh had been able to recruit a few disciples en route. He managed to call on Edwardes in the melee and to win over his confidence and persuade him to call at my make-believe Pranayam Dhyan Shivir (Yoga Meditation Camp) on his way to Leiah. He tempted Edwardes to hear the real version from a wandering yogi who had come straight from Multan after the unfortunate event. We have been lucky to have some good artists, painters, and craftsmen among our disciples who have transformed our camp into a serene Treta Yug ashram that we used to erect for Maharishi Balmiki, Maharishi Vishwamitra etc., while enacting mythological plays. The trees, the plants and the flowers are part of our ethos but the huge pipal tree, under which I have placed my foldable hut, registers its imposing presence. The only addition to the usual Ashram setting that I have introduced is eye-catching display banners in Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu advocating universal love and peace such as LOVE IS THE GREATEST MEDITATION A HUMAN HEART CAN DO. LOVE IS LIKE A SPRING THAT NEVER STOPS FLOWING. LOVE IS THE BEST MEANS TO PURIFY THE MIND. LOVE REDEEMS ALL SINS. THERE IS NO BETTER TOPIC FOR US TO DISCUSS THAN LOVE. THERE CAN BE NO SECURITY WITHOUT PEACE. From the main road to the campsite, around the camp and from the camp to the village Sahuwala, at every ten feet a banner has been put up along with the colourful buntings that make every passerby halt and read these one by one. Those who cannot read request others to read these aloud for them. It has created a charming ambience. Now you must leave me unfettered, to act as circumstances render it most expedient.
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I passed through Leiah comfortably yesterday. None of my business associates could recognize me. Leiah, as you know, is quite a city, though not as big as Multan, but an important trade centre. The present turmoil has ruined the business here too. Kabul merchants have already fled and the local merchants along with the zamindaars are all here to pay their tributes to the white sahib. There is gloom on every face. The people are depressed by a strange sense of impending danger. Hunting down of rivals and carrying away of wealth and women of the vanquished subjects has become a dreaded custom. Victorious soldiers could hardly resist the temptation to plunder and rape. I am sending this note through your man, Aflatoon, who had been tailing me undetected so far. He, no doubt is a good man. His smile is captivating, friendly, and full of warmth. He called on me to pay his respects pretending to be a devotee, introducing himself as Aflatoon. I hope that by the grace of Baba Guru Nanak, it will reach you intact. Rest in my next and until then, all the best. Yours Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla

(Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, Is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed) ***

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II

Transcription of Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram to Lala Ram Lal

Yogashram, Sahuwala Vaishakh 11, 1905 (April 25, 1848) Dear me, I found Aflatoon still loitering about my ashram last evening. I summoned him into my hut with annoyance. He explained to me that instead of taking my note personally to you, he had sent it through one of his qasids (he claims he has a score of them in his team) and prefers to hang around me, and my Ashram. Mohan Singh managed to collect about 50 persons with a good number of young men among them, all properly, lying down on the ground and performing yoga under my direction, in the maidan (open field) outside my thatched hut, while he himself waited on the road to Leiah, a few yards away, for Edwardes to pass. He had already prepared my devotees and students of yoga not to panic on the arrival of the Firangi with his lashkar (troops) and to keep exercising in their mudras (poses - positions of yoga) whatsoever under my direction. I could see that Edwardes was quite impressed by the spectacle as he watched, wonder-struck, of the yoga exercises, which were no less fascinating than their military drills. Feigning as if I was so engrossed in my yoga class that I became aware of his presence only then, I dismissed the class, bidding them to take Prasad before leaving, and welcomed him in Multani English, in my attempt to ingratiate myself with him, Good morning Sir, you are welcomed, Khush Aamdeed, Swagatam to this poor yogis hut! Oh! Good Morning! I see, you speak English! He limped towards me with the help of a walking stick. A little bit, picked up from English Sahibs, here and there, in the course of business deals, I responded while escorting him to my hut.

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He had not noticed that Mohan Singh had cleverly engaged his personal escorts in his talks about the intricacies of yoga exercises and that he had walked with me all alone into my hut. I see! So you were a businessman before you became an ascetic? he looked around sharply and accepted the simple stringed village-crafted wooden Multani backless low stool (peedi) that I offered him to sit down. I too sat down, cross-legged on the tiger-hide aasan (mat) spread out neatly on the mud floor in front of his stool. No Sir, I am no ascetic. I am a businessman, a wholesale trader. No one can become a true ascetic by adorning bhagwa (saffron) clothes, shaven head or long mated hair or ash-smeared body alone. A yogi is a spiritual novice who is not yet set to be free of desires. He has to tread the path of action. A yogi, without any attachment or ego, has the capacity to serve mankind. An ascetic (sanyasi) is the one who has divested himself of most desires, subdued the senses, and is set to contemplate and meditate on spirituality. The prince Siddhartha abandoned a princely life, a loving wife, a newborn child, a warm bed. He was deeply perturbed by people falling sick and dying, by burning pyres. It prompted him to meditate deeply on the nature of life cycle of birth and death. He chose solitude, a wandering life, sleeping by the wayside with a begging bowel for a few morsel of food to keep his body functioning like a sanyasi who is detached from the world despite living in it like a lotus leaf, untouched by water despite being in constant touch with it. Finally, meditation for six years under a tree which got its name Bodhi (Giver of knowledge) and he got his name Buddha (Knowledgeable) that led him to Nirvana. I picked up a pair of fresh Shujabadi mangoes from the dozen or so placed in a Multani ceramic bowl and started peeling them off and cutting them in pieces to offer him in a ceramic plate and spoon. Mango season has just started. You might have tasted many a variety of mangoes before but our Shujabadi mangoes are the best in the world. Although the best way of eating a mango is to eat it uncut with bare hands but it is a little messy. Therefore, I am offering it the way our ruling class likes to eat with skin peeled off and the pulp cut into small pieces to be mouthed piece by piece with a spoon. This is how Sahibs eat. However, if you have no inhibitions, I would love to offer you a whole mango. It is the most natural way of relishing the king of fruits, sucking from the top with the succulent delight through the pulpy pit down the bottom, licking the seed bare.

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He preferred spoon-feeding and cherished it that way and delightfully affirmed that he had never tasted such a delicious variety before and that the mangoes of Multan were probably the best in the world. A sparkle of interest in his eyes prompted me to carry on with my diatribe. A yogi, I said, is focused on self-purification while acting with detachment. However, though I am not an ascetic yogi, I am not a fake yogi. I learned the art from real yogis and am under a wow to share the knowledge with others. This is my way of doing social work, incognito, normally in the month of September when I take a break for a month or so from my busy business schedule, to meditate in a remote place. I take it as a time for reflection, self-purification, and retreating from the commotion of a worldly life into a state of deeper contemplation, run free yoga classes, and offer free meals as Prasad to the people from all walks of life that care to come to my Yoga Shiver. My break period also coincides with the Fasting month of Muslims Ramzan. Guru Nanak Dev Sahib laid down the foundation of Langar (Free Kitchen) based on sharing the bounties (Wand chhako). No experience goes in vain and no life is useless. Each step taken leads to the next as long as we keep lifting each foot to keep up with the momentum. I believe in the teachings of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Sahib. With the blessing of Guru Sahib, the supplies in the langar never run short. Our Geeta reveals in Chapter II, Stanza 47 Doing good in the sly is a twiceblessed virtue, where the giver also benefits when he contributes without expectations. But you appear to be a Hindu. How could you attract Muslim followers? He intercepted as I paused. An ascetic has no religion, Sir! Many sects professing many different beliefs live peacefully within the Hindu fold. The term Hindu was derived from the Sanskrit word Sindhu the name given to the great river Sindhu. Sindhu River is the birthplace of Hindu civilization. The hallmark of Hindu tradition is its great capacity to adapt itself to the lifestyle of the people and absorb the teachings of other religions without losing its own identity and faith in its Sanatana Dharma the timeless faith. A real Hindu is one who searches for the Ultimate Truth. The Hindus believe in allowing every human being to search for God in ones own way, adopt any ritual, practice, mode, or medium. The Hindus respect and accept all paths to self-realization. Hinduism is the collective wisdom of many great seers, sages, and saints unlike other religions. Hinduism does not claim that theirs is the One and the only way to achieve God. It incorporates and accepts the thoughts of the other religions of the world. All
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religions teach love, altruism, compassion, sympathy, empathy, honesty, selflessness, forgiveness, sensitivity, sharing, caring, kindness, charity, protection of virtues, how to overcome negative thoughts, prayer and gratitude for all that God has given us. Hinduism believes that life is a continuous process. The soul is immortal. It only changes the form of the body, the way one changes clothes (chola) according to ones (karma) deeds. No good action will bring bad results and no bad action will yield good results. As you sow, so shall you reap. That is the law of Karma. Hinduism has two important principles the law of karma and the law of transmigration. Death is a necessary transition. Feeling unity and harmony with everyone is the spirit of religion. Those who cultivate virtues like patience, compassion, mutual respect, and a loving nature, they are well on the way to touching the heart of God, whose reflection they see in other living creation of God. A relationship that lacks the spark of love, will fiddle away in no time. Scores of Hindu and Muslim saints preached for mutual understanding and respecting each others faith. In spite of different religious beliefs, all religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Mohammedanism (Islam), Sikhism and Christianity advocate love even for ones enemy. Hindus do not compel people of different faith to adopt Hinduism. Hindus do not like to criticize other faiths under impression that the philosophy of their religion is far superior to others. Hinduism respects all faiths, all creeds. Basic tenets of all religions are same. Why should one religion berate the other religion and try to bring it to shame? Magnificence of Hinduism and majesty of Islam merged in Multan. Religions were created to bring spiritual enlightenment, to evoke the feeling of love among humanity and towards God, not to ridicule other beliefs and annihilate those who do not conform to your views. You breed violence when you separate yourself from the rest of humankind in the name of religion. Religion is not a tool to manipulate, exploit, and gain power over others and promote fear. The concept of Heaven and Hell is man made, and to put some humour in my sermon on Hinduism, I added, It is a myth that those who are granted a place in Heaven remain ever-young. Their natural faculties ears, nose, and eyes do not fail. Their skins do not wrinkle; as they never grow old, hair do not turn grey, all the teeth remain in tact. Beautiful fairies ever ready to oblige them always surround the men, ever young, and small gods - angels are pleased to treat the ladies sojourned in heaven as little goddesses. The pleasure of youth, the fulfillment of lust is considered as the greatest pleasure and the common folks think that these would be available in Heaven as reward for their good deeds. The lesser said the better it is for all those condemned to the Hell for their misdeeds. This concept, I believe, is prevalent in all
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the known religions of the universe, probably to induce people to be pious and do good deeds And lest the Heaven is overpopulated, Edwardes broke in with a smirk on his face, and Hell remains unoccupied, He gives a long rope to people like Mool Raj to do their worst to get a place in the Hell. Hell, no doubt, was created by Him for such people! The Englishman appears to be totally biased against Hindus, especially Mool Raj and his kind. I overlooked his remarks and continued with my discourse. People go to heaven only in dreams, for reality is akin to hell. God does not want us to offend, hurt, and kill each other in His name and yet we do. We have divided His best creation into different nations, colours, and creed. Our Yogic prayer ends with following words: Thank you O Lord for giving us human form. Help us to preserve it. Dissuade them O Lord, Who are bent to destroy each other The Sufi saints attract Hindus and Muslims alike. Hindu saints believe in Sarva Jana Hitaye, Sarva Jana Sukhaye! meaning May every individual be benefited! May every individual be Happy! Though orthodox Muslims condemned the Sufi approach as one of pacification, inertia, and submission to Hinduism, but soft approach paid. That is why Islam of Sufis spread faster than the Islam of sword. Spirituality helps us overcome narrow boundaries of caste, creed, religion, and nationality and gives us a broader awareness of life everywhere. What use it is to worship God while being mean towards fellow human beings? Living noble life is spirituality. Spirituality is about getting better, being better, and striving to serve humanity better like Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Mohammad, Guru Nanak, and all such revered saints. Spiritual path is the path to self-realization. Spirituality makes one rise above the hankering for material things. A person who has never experienced pain cannot enjoy life. Spirituality infuses divine ecstasy, bliss, and peace. I am fully aware and conscious of the fact that the present state of affairs has completely antagonized you against Hindus and Sikhs. Somebody may be trying to manipulate you by feeding wrong information about the Sikhs and Hindus by colouring your mind. The message of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Sahib is crystal clear and comes from Ek Onkaar One God, who gave Ten Commandments to Jews, Gospel to Christians, Quran
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to Muslims, Geeta, to Hindus and Doctrine of Non-Violence to Jains and Buddhists. Guru Nanak Sahib refused to accept the ideologies of the traditional religions of Hinduism and Islam, which had been corrupted by half-literate Priests and fanatic Mullahs who started interpreting religions to suit their own interests. The Muslim saint-poet Kabir makes fun of Mullahs the Muslim clerics: Kankar putthar jod ke masjid layee banai, Ta chadh mullah baang dei, kya behra hua khudai? Meaning: Collecting stones and rubbles, The cleric erects a mosque, And climbing on top of it, Yells a prayer call to God, As if, God was hard of hearing! Guru Nanak Sahib inspired the masses to worship One Almighty God Ek Onkaar. He was not in favour of rituals and advised his followers to learn from nature: Pavan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharati Mahat; Divas Rati Dui Dai Daya, Khele Sakal Jagat. Meaning: Air is the spiritual teacher, Water is the father of all creation, Earth is the mother of all. Day and Night are the two nurses (Male & Female) In whose lap the world playfully grows up. Sikh, simply, means a seeker of Truth through the philosophy of the Aadi Granth compiled from the teachings of all the ten Gurus from Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, to Guru Govind Singh, who abolished the system of inheritance of Living Gurus and installed the Aadi Granth as the perennial Guru of the Sikhs. Purity of mind and body, contentment, forgiveness, justice and patience all go to make an ideal Sikh. An ideal Sikh is expected to:

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! ! !

(i) Recite the name of God Naam japo, (ii) Live by honest earning Kirat karo, (iii) Share possessions in the spirit of love and service Vand Chhako.

The Aadi Granth not only contains the teaching of the ten Gurus but also the Teachings of other saints from different communities and different parts of India. Words and phrases from Persian, Turkic, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Multani, and other languages have been liberally used. The Sikhs regard humans as the crown of creation and the human body as the temple of the Living God. The Faith does not teach renunciation to realize God. As lotus grooms and blooms in muddy water and yet remain unsullied so can people live an active worldly day-to-day life with Gurbani the teachings of the Granth on their lips and hearts. Deep down in his heart, every individual has faith in the scriptures of his religion. Sikhs would never have taken to arms had the rulers not started persecuting them out of jealousy. The simple philosophy of Sikhism was getting popular with the masses and a good number of Hindus and Muslims were embracing Sikhism. This annoyed the fanatic Muslims and they started instigating Mughal Emperor Jahangir. I paused for a moment to take breath. He looked askance. I continued. The 5th Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji built the first Sikh Temple, named Har Mandir Sahib later known as the Golden Temple. Mian Mir a Sufi Muslim Saint, a follower of Guru Sahib, at Amritsar, laid the foundation stone of the first Sikh Centre. The sar (pond) was discovered by the third Guru, Guru Amar Dass Ji and developed by the fourth Guru, Guru Ram Dass ji who named the place as Amritsar the pond of nectar. Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the 5th Guru of the Sikhs (1563 1606) got the compilation of the sacred hymns done through Bhai Gur Dass and installed it as Aadi Granth in Harmandir (Temple of God) at Amritsar. For the propagation of Sikhism, he also established new centers at Taran Taaran, Hargobindpur, Cherata, and Kartarpur (Doaba). This further irritated Jahangir, who was camping at Lahore on his way to Kashmir. He summoned Guru Sahib to his Durbar and asked him to include the praises of Prophet Mohammad also in the Aadi Granth of the Sikhs. On his refusal to do so, Guru Sahib was brutally tortured to death. Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the first Sikh Guru martyr. I paused once again for my words to take effect, took a deep breath, and continued uninterrupted.

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From a small natural green lake, besides developing into the main pilgrimage center for the Sikhs, Amritsar prospered into an important commercial centre for banking, cloth marketing, embroidery, carpentry, and horse-trading. The Sikhs travelled to Afghanistan and Central Asia for buying horses and this gave the religious sect a taste for riding and horsemanship. When the 9th Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was martyred by the orders of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1675 along with his three disciples, Bhai Mati Dass, Bhai Sati Dass, and Bhai Diyala Ji, for their refusal to conversion under duress, this humble religious sect rose against tyranny and transformed into saint-soldiers for protecting Hindu religion and came to be known as Anchor Sheets of Hindus. The main purpose of a religion is to reach salvation. If a follower of a particular religion finds specific beneficial features in another religious set up, he should feel free to choose that particular religion out of his free will, not for material gains or under fear of death. All religions preach tolerance and respect towards all creatures especially human beings a superior and most beautiful creation of God. Well said! You are pious. You are scholarly and humble. His eyes widened and glistened for a moment and then narrowed down while saying, Creative pastimes are always rejuvenating. Thats very nice of you, but September, your month of reclusion, is still far off, a good four months away! I know, but these are troubled times. There is hardly any business. War clouds are hovering over Multan. All the markets are closed. Traders have fled. People are panicky. No body wants this war. I thought of using this idle time as a break for my social work and be far away from the troubled spot, as far as possible. I did not know then that you were in this remote area and was on your way to Multan! I added very casually, Wisdom lies in distancing oneself from chaotic conditions. I like living close to the nature and away from the noise, hustle and bustle of the grain market. The hushed silence of the far-flung villages helps me to experience a deep peace where no one else except Almighty God is present. Then I quoted a stanza from Chapter 12, lines 15 to 19 from the Geeta: One who doesnt disturb others and is not disturbed in return, Who never exults in anything, is never jealous, fearful or worried; Such a person is dear to Me One who treats friends and foes alike; Such a person is dear to me

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We also do not like to disturb others nor want to be disturbed, the Englishman intervened, and we are in the process of recovering the damages for the recent war and another war is being thrust upon us. A pair of our best civil administrators loaned to the Kingdom of Punjab, have been murdered without provocation. Since we have been asked to run the government on behalf of your infant Maharaja, we have to help him crush any rebellion against him and maintain peace in his kingdom at all cost. East India Company is also a company of businessmen and peace is necessary for conducting business. The soldiers like me have been commissioned by the Honorable Company to maintain peace. Sometimes, war is necessary to establish peace. Peace makes life worth living and paves the way to happiness. There can be no happiness without peace. Who does not know it, Sir? Honourable East India Company the extraordinary Commercial Company that took its root in the reign of Queen Elisabeth with a few ordinary trading ports around the Indian coast to store Indian spices, much valued for their ability to keep meat edible during the English winters, now virtually rules the sub-continent. It is commendable. The Company is rightly addressed as The Company Bahadur. The British troops in red coats and blue trousers sparkle like multi-coloured parrots parading in the sky. He appeared to have the natural gift of sizing up a mans true worth almost at a glance. He looked sharply at me to adjudge whether I was really applauding the British achievements or ridiculing. Sensing no hint of insincerity, he resumed. By the way, I am told that you have come straight from Multan and happened to be there when Mool Raj raised his banner of revolt against the Maharaja! Different versions from different people have reached my hands. These need to be analyzed properly to come to a logic conclusion. Could you please enlighten me with the true facts? He abruptly came to the subject, which had prompted him to visit our ashram I have already submitted to you, Sir, I run my yoga camp, incognito, as a wandering mendicant known as Nath-panthi in vernacular. No one knows my real name, my real business, and my place of residence, here or wherever I encamp. I shall have to come out clean and disclose to you my real identity, my position, my status, and the capacity in which I was a witness to the handing over of the charge of the fort to the British officers accompanying Sardar Kahan Singh Mann, the new governor appointed to replace Dewan Mool Raj. I would be running a great risk of my property being confiscated and the members of my family put behind bars and tortured if the present Government of Multan came to know of my meeting with you, even by
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chance, as we have, in fact, met. There is no law, written or oral, nor any regular courts of Justice. The power of life and death is in the hands of the Chaudharies of the communities, Sardars, Jagirdars, and Landlords. The personal character of each individual is the standard by which justice is measured. The grant of such plenary powers to a callous person is likely to be abused. Mutilation, cutting off noses, ears, and feet, hands of those who cannot pay fines in cash or kind is a common punishment. The disorganized and chaotic conditions would produce a corresponding effect on the internal law and order. The band of robbers, in the guise of najeebs (volunteers) will start roaming about; old feuds revived, boundary disputes settled by swords. I would, as such, need a solemn assurance of a gentleman officer that my name and my revelation would be kept absolutely secret and no mention of my name, in any manner, would ever be made or disclosed to any other person nor will it come out into your dispatches, official or unofficial, to your superiors! You have aroused my curiosity! he stared piercingly into my eyes, paused for a few seconds and said But then I would like to know all about you. Full disclosure! Nothing kept back! Understood? You have a British Officers word, who is not just an officer but the Assistant Resident too, and then added authoritatively, Please do proceed! In spite of the word please, it sounded more as an order than a request. I re-crossed my legs clumsily making a kiln-burnt mud-jug of water kept on a tripod, drop on the floor and break into pieces. That was a signal for Mohan Singh to step into the hut with the personal escorts of Edwardes. There were three Pathaans, not known to me, and one Hindu whom I know as Hukam Chand, a Kardar. Edwardes felt offended by this interruption and exploded at them, ordering everyone to stay out of this hut and to keep away, far away, until further orders. The men, stunned by this sudden outburst, remained motionless for a few seconds. Then the importance of his meeting with me probably dawned on them. They bowed respectfully before him, kowtowed before me, and quietly traced their steps back. Mohan Singh told me later that the incident increased my prestige and my importance in the British Camp. Edwardes heaved a sigh of relief and nodded to me to proceed afresh. I then, unfolded to him, my well-rehearsed script, scene by scene, as to how our ancestors and then you and I, were trying to establish peace and justice, a la British style, in the province of Multan that was necessary for the growth of business right
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from the reign of Nawab Muzaffar Khan! How in a case, in which Dewan Mool Raj had imprisoned a number of my fellow bankers, I secretly encouraged the affected bankers to file an appeal against the excesses of our Governor! How I personally carried their complaint to the British Governor General, incognito, dressed as a Qasid, who was pleased, after I revealed my true identity to him with a special request for keeping my name out of the case even as a messenger, to direct a fresh enquiry. How the Panchayat (A Jury of Five Members) of Lahore Bankers (appointed by mutual consent of both the parties) investigated the case and gave a unanimous verdict against Dewan Mool Raj. How Dewan Mool Raj suspected my hand in the appeal and in spite of his personal friendship with you, a noted silk merchant, who always spoke very high of me to him, he took no pains to hide his dislike for me. How, because of your influence, I was invited to accompany the cavalcade of Dewan Mool Raj to welcome the British Officers and their accompaniment Sardar Kahan Singh and their escort troops at the Eidgah on the morning of April 18. What happened at the high-level meeting on the evening of April 18, and at the handing-over ceremony of the possession of the fort and the symbolic seat of the governing power of the province of Multan on the ill-fated morning of April 19? How we heard of the commotion that followed after we had left the fort and that how I heard of what happened on April 19, 20 and 21 through various sources, and how I made well my escape from Multan to make best use of this turbulent time to re-establish peace in the region by my social work. I tried to convince him that in spite of no love lost between Dewan Mool Raj and this humble self, Dewan Mool Raj was innocent and had no hand in the killing of the British Officers. Unfortunately, the state of Multan was such as might be expected where government was in abeyance, or, what is worse, in the hands of an ignorant, bloodthirsty, and insubordinate army. I told him that you were trying your best, against all odds, to persuade Dewan Sahib to surrender himself to the British Justice and sue for peace. It was just a petty act of insubordination and misbehaviour of a temporarily gone insane soldier that has unfortunately taken the shape of a rebellion. I concluded, It is important to know what happened so that we can contemplate what may happen! Mool Raj is now like a ship adrift, without any destination. The poor fellow did not know that his secret resignation would create such a quagmire around from which it would be difficult for him to extricate in one piece in peace with honour and prestige intact. Like a weak swimmer, he has thrown himself on his back, and is allowing the stream of fate to take its own course. I also wised him up that Multanis were peaceloving people and many a times the traders of Multan virtually bought peace from
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the Mongol and Afghan marauders by pooling up their resources in the times of Sultanate and Mughal era to save Multan from general rape and plunder. The mixed descendents of the conquered races were always willing to pay tributes to the new invaders for preservation of peace. Multanis do not like to shed blood except in selfdefence. The idea was to plant a seed in his mind that the Multani Traders were prepared to pay the ransom money to dissuade the victors from general arson and loot. My narration must have been convincing for he looked satisfied and pleased with me. You are patient, laborious, and clever enough in material aspect to manage your finances and business ventures successfully. Yet you manage to spare time for your scintillating social work and pay your society back in your own remarkable way. Probably this activity keeps you energetic, he paused a little and then added, Well, as a man of peace, you could be of great help to me in restoring peace in the region, Bhamba Ram Shh before he could proceed further I hushed him into silence. You are breaking your pledge, Sir. This name should never come on your lips. As the saying goes, The walls too have ears. He smiled, Oh, I am sorry Mr. Yogi or should I address you as Yogi Ji, Indian style? Thats better. More you show respect for an ascetic, be it Hindu, Muslim or Sikh, more the people will respect you. In our part of the world, no one hurts an ascetic. There is an old, famous fable of a cruel robber known as Angulimaal. For he adorned his neck with a garland of fingers, extracted from the people he robbed in the times of Lord Buddha. Once, Lord Buddha, the fable goes, passed through the jungle that was under the control of Angulimaal. On spotting a lone monk, Angulimaal tried to catch him with the intention of robbing him. Howsoever fast, he walked and how desperately he ran after him, he could not match the slow and steady steps of Lord Buddha. Utterly confused and frustrated, he gave up the chase and appealingly cried, O Bhikshuji Maharaj, please stop! I assure you, I will not harm you. I just want to know how could you walk faster than my fastest running? Angulimaal was surprised when the Bikshu Buddha stopped because he did not expect anyone to stop at his command. Everyone ran away for ones life. Lo, I have stopped Buddha said with a benign smile. I have stopped killing even birds for sport. I have stopped and persuaded other people too to stop ill-treating all creatures be they humans or animals four-legged, two-legged, or winged. I believe in universal love and peace. It is you, (here my finger, dramatically, in the heat of the
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moment, went up, pointedly at him, as if accusing him (British) and his kind of men behaving like Angulimaal) who have not stopped robbing people, cutting cruelly their fingers to enlarge your garland of axed fingers, and putting others to death who resist you! Edwardes was startled, and so was I. I had miserably failed to camouflage my cynicism and hardened mocking edge out of my voice. There was a shattering silence for a moment. It was I, who regained consciousness first. I was supposed to play the role of a Saadhu! What was I doing? Betraying myself ? Tolerance was the hallmark of a Saadhu. The symptoms of a Saadhu are his tolerance and friendliness for one and all. I was supposed to be calm, serene, peaceful, and compassionate. Lowering my finger, I softened my voice to mitigate the damage caused inadvertently and resumed my tale in a melodious tone. After all, I was an actor and supposed to be par excellent! Angulimaal was entranced by the personality of Lord Buddha, His soothing words and serene posture. Nobody had ever spoken to him in such a calm, polite, and compassionate manner. The peace that he felt just by being in the presence of Lord Buddha was overwhelming. He pulled out the garland of fingers from his neck and laid it down along with his weapons, kneeling, at His feet, asked for His forgiveness, joined His order of monks and was redeemed. Lord Buddha tried to transform the world by establishing a society free of violence and war, living together in peace, justice and love. Work flows more smoothly from a relaxed mind, I added to sugarcoat the fleeting taste of bitterness, I live in every moment totally and spontaneously to enjoy whatever life brings. The virtue of mercy and compassion are the two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist or be embellished without the other. Meditation and spiritual pursuits can get one in touch with higher level of consciousness. To Christians, their Sunday Church is redeeming; to Muslims, their Friday Namaaz; To Hindus, their Tuesday and Saturday Temples and to Sikhs their weekly Gurudwaras; but to the common folk who have no time to visit the man made places of worship, their parents and elders of their family members were their living gods. They feel the presence of God through them. They have not seen or met God in person and think that God could not be better than their own parents who had brought them into this world and are taking such a good care. They can interact and talk to their shielding parents and enjoy their benevolent company. God is with them through their parents and grand parents, uncles and grand uncles, through the elders of their tribe, their
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community, through joys and sorrows, through beauty and chaos of life. They feel the vibrations of each others happiness and ripples of their love. They do not need the mumbo-jumbo of a priest to invoke the help of God. Their uncorrupted minds know that God is everywhere. That He is omnipotent and they feel His presence all around them, watching their karmas/deeds and blessing them and beckoning them to continue doing what they think is right. They see divinity in their gurus, in wandering saints, dervishes, saadhus, and faquirs. Multan became the melting pot of races, cultures, and creeds and served generations of ascetics professing diverse beliefs Buddhists, Jains, Hindus, Greeks, Muslims, Sufis, Sikhs, Christians wandering in this region. All religions advocate peace and end their prayers evoking peace. Hindus chant Om Shanti Om, Muslims say Amman or Salaam meaning Peace be with you and the Christian priests bless the congregation with final words, Go in peace, the mass is ended. My my! You sound more like a religious preacher than a businessperson does. Well, I am on my way to Leiah now he stood up laboriously with the help of his stick, How do I keep in touch with you? Through your Qasid, if you like. Better, ride up personally with your escort for practicing yoga, as soon as you are fit to ride! Yoga can help you heal faster. Yoga does not mean just physical postures. Yoga means to be in perfect tune with your soul. Yoga brings your body, mind and spirit in absolute harmony and makes your inbuilt energies function better. Yoga karmasu kaushalam meaning Perform your yoga exercises with utmost skill. Practice of Yoga lays great emphasis on the right food, yama niyama (self-control) and rules of daily life that are as important as the asanas (physical postures) and dhyana (meditation). Our day begins with Surya Namaskar salutations to the Sun. It creates harmony with the earth, with the air, and within our inner-self. Our Gayatri Mantra, Om Bhur bhuwa Swaha, mingles with Asa the Var the morning prayer of the Sikhs, and Azaan, Allah Ho Akbar the morning prayer of the Muslims. Sun worship is one of the oldest forms of worship in India and Multan had the most beautiful Sun Temple renowned in the entire East, with the idol of the Sun God cast in gold, later destroyed by the Arabian invaders. The sun is perceived as the creator and sustainer of life on earth. Sun is considered as the all-seeing-eye of God in practically all the religions. In Hinduism, it is the Eye of Varuna. In Zoroastrian tradition, it is the eye of Ahurmazda. In Greek mythology, it is the Eye of Zeus. In Islam, it is the eye of Allah Noor-e-Elahi, the Eternal Light. Many of the rulers proclaim themselves as the descendents of the Sun (Suryavanshi).

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Since he did not attempt to walk out of the hut, as I too stood up with him, I deemed it fit to continue with my harangue. According to the Katha Upanishad, the calm steadiness of the senses is Yoga. Credit goes to Lord Shiva and his consort for systemizing different branches of Yoga. Yoga means union, the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga means union of male energy Shiva, the creator and female energy Shakti, the force. Vedic Rishis considered the union between male and female not merely as means of gratification of lust or sensual desires but as a sacred union for the purpose of procreation. Shiva is also known as Adi Nath (Adi primal). Popularity of Yoga is attributed to the grandson of Adi Nath Shiva, Gorakh Nath. Adi Nath ke naati, Machhinder Nath ke poot, Yogion mein yogi, Gorakh Nath Avadhoot. Meaning: Grandson of Shiva, the primal god, Son of Machhinder Nath (son-in-law of Shiva) ! The greatest of all the yogis is Gorakh Nath Avadhoot. The legend goes that Yogi Gorakh Nath was the grandson (daughters son) of Lord Shiva Adi Nath, son of Machhinder Nath. Also known as Goraksha (protector of cows), Gorakh Nath was the Principal mastermind, Administrator, Guru, and Organizer of Yoga System. The Yoga Asana (posture) is named after the asana (seat) of the Guru. The Asana (seat) of Guru Gorakh Nath is believed to have been established in Treta Yuga, during the time of Lord Rama on earth. Gorakh Nath, through his relentless yogic austerities, is believed to have become immortal and is believed to be still living in a place inaccessible to ordinary human beings. Gorakh Nath advised his pupils to stop looking for God in idols and look for Him in their own hearts. The followers of Gorakh Nath are called Nath Panthis, nine of which are considered immortal: Matsyendra Nath, Gorakh Nath, Jalandhari Nath, Kani Nath, Charti Nath, Bhartrihari Nath, Naag Nath, Revan Nath, and Gahini Nath. An old Sanskrit shloka describes Gorakh Nath as the wisest of all Yogis: Prathma Mani Omkara, Devena Mani Mahadeva, Gyanina Mani Goraksha, Nadina Mani Ganga.
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Meaning: The earliest and the purest is Om, Mahadeva (Shiva) is the highest among gods, Gorakh Nath is the wisest of all wise men; Ganga (Ganges) is the holiest among all the holy rivers. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of ones actions. Yoga teaches us how to breathe slowly and deeply with awareness. Each slow and deep breath rejuvenates us. One has to practice a lot to turn the yogic breathing into a habit of breathing slowly and deeply, even when you are not conscious of that. Slower we breathe, longer we live. Fresher we breathe, better we live. Sitting posture helps keep the spine erect to facilitate free flow of energy. Every asana in Yoga has a positive effect on your body and mind. Yoga is a holistic way to good health. Leaning on his stick, I observed, he was listening to me with keen interest, not just out of mere curiosity or courtesy. That inspired me to continue with my mission to win him over and mitigate his misgivings about Hindus and Sikhs. Some people take pleasure in violence, in disliking somebody, hating a particular race or group of people, having antagonistic feelings towards some community as a whole. It is an unjust and brutal world. It is not wise to condemn an entire community just because one person among them acted illogically! We do not like to cultivate hatred, jealousy, anxiety, or fear. Then, without giving him time to counteract, I changed the subject. In Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev ji elevated Gorakh Nath to the status of a god as the great teacher of Yoga: Gurmukh naadang, Gurmukh vedang Gurmukh rahia samai, Gur Isar, Gur Gorakh Brahma Gur Parbati Mai. Je hau jaana aakha nahin kahna kathan na jai, Guran ik deh bujhai, Sabhna jian da iko data, so mai visar na jai.

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Meaning: The words of Guru are Divine. The words of Guru infuse knowledge of God. The words of Guru are all-pervading and make one realize that God is everywhere. Guru is God, Guru is Gorakh, Guru is Brahma, Guru is Parbati (Hill-dweller Shivas consort). If I were to know God, I could not describe Him. He cannot be told in words. Guru has made one thing very clear to me, There is only One Giver for all the beings and that I should never forget. He stared at me with wonder-struck eyes. Had you not revealed to me that you were a businessman, I would have really kowtowed before you, considering you as a very learned saint. What are you doing here? Reflection, retrospection, and meditation these three are cushioning, soothing, and healing experiences. Ekantam (solitude) is the sweetest. God is impartial to all, whatever their birth, race, gender, caste, creed or skin-colour may be. No one can claim Gods personal favour. Everyone has to fend for himself. By this time, it was noon; the heat of the sun had become intense. I walked out of the hut with him, at least an inch taller than my normal height, up to the road to Leiah to see him off with his men and my men following behind at a respectable distance. Though people, initially, throng Yoga shivers for physical exercises to keep their bodies fit and shapely, later they begin to realize the profound spiritual effect of Yoga. Yoga leads to peace of mind. We can give only what we have. We can give peace to others only if we have peace in our mind. We originated from a single pair of male & female that we call Manu and Rati and you call Adam and Eve. From the two origins, we expanded into tribes and nations and got different skin colours and features according to the climate of the regions our ancestors settled down in, acquiring foodhabits and faith as prevailing in the region. We are the products of love, created to love each other, not to despise each other. All right, O messenger of love and peace, he laughed heartily, I have no use for the whole caboodle, pointing towards the crowd around us, but I may like to have a native friend like you. Friendship is inspired by mutual attraction and true regard for one another. Your Ashram looks beautiful, calm, and serene, with flowers blooming and sweet fragrance coming from all sides. Birds of all kinds and hues are chirping around, making pleasant sounds. It is very pleasant to be in your Ashram. I would be looking forward to meeting you again.
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So would I, very sincerely. I appreciate your insightful and precious way to express the depth of affection and intensity of the bond of friendship. I am positive, we can cruise along smoothly. His blue eyes twinkled with pleasant sparks. May be we would like to have you with us, in our camp some day! he said. Instead of saying Good bye, I offered Namast to him, explaining the meaning; I worship the divine in you with both hands together palm to palm. He appreciated the notion and took his leave then with a promise to make it a point to come down to Ashram for a lesson or two of the Indian Yoga as soon as he was fit to do so. Rest in my next and until then, all the best. Yours Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed) * * *!

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III

Transcription of Letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram to Lala Ram Lal

Yogashram, Sahuwala Vaishakh 15, 1905 (April 29, 1848) Dear me, Edwardes has not been able to visit my camp again but has sent me a copy of an open letter, written in Gurmukhi script, by a calligrapher (Katib) for me to check the translation done by someone in English for him. I suspect that he perfectly knows the script himself and does not need any translator. All these army officers, serving as political officers, like Major George Lawrence, Captain James Abbot, John Nicholson, Harry Lumsden, Reynell Taylor etc., took pains to learn Persian, Urdu, Hindi, & Gurmukhi before taking up political assignments in Punjab. The alleged letter/pamphlet reads something like this:
Wah Guru Ji Da Khalsa Wah Guru Ji Di Fateh! (Wondrous Guru created the Sikhs, Victory be to the Wondrous Guru) This is a special appeal to all the Sikhs and Muslims of India. An opportunity has come our way to overthrow the East India Company Rule and free our infant Maharaja from the house arrest of Firangees in Lahore. We, Sardar Ishar Singh, Gulab Singh, Kuldeep Singh and the whole of the Khalsa troop and Gurkha troops of the Maharaja, who had come to Multan to take over charge of the government of Multan from the retiring governor Dewan Mool Raj on the 8th of Vaisakh, samvat 1905 and serve the new governor Sardar Kahan Singh under the Firangees, did take over the charge of the fort of Multan and the seat of the Government on the 9th of Vaisakh i.e. April 19, 1848. We placed two of our companies inside the fort. The Dewan then left the place with the Firangees. Then, suddenly, a discharged sepoy thrust a spear at one of the Firangees. The Firangee fell from his horse. The sepoy then wounded the other firangee twice with his sword. Before further damage could be done, Raja Ram Rang helped us to carry away the wounded Firangees to our camp. Raja Ram Rang then advised Dewan Sahib, who had gone back to his residence at Aam Khas Bagh, to pay a visit to the Firangees and enquire about their health. However, a strange occurrence took place by our Holy Gurus will. As Dewan Sahib and Ram Rang came out of the Palace, the whole of the
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Multan Sikhs and the Muslim soldiers of the Multan garrison rushed in a body to the Dewan and barred his way. On Ram Rangs insistence that the protocol demands that the Dewan Sahib must go, an enraged sepoy drew his sword and struck Ram Rang three times. In the confusion that ensued, the horse of Dewan Sahib reared and threw him at the ground. The soldiers then carried both of them back to the palace and told them that it was the Gurus order to expel the Firangees. Dewan Sahib did not consent that day. On the following morning, somebody fired the gun from the fort. It acted as divine signal for us from our Holy Gurus to join the movement of Multani troops to free our infant Maharaja from the clutches of Firangees. One of our Sikh soldiers in the employ of Dewan Mool Raj had a vision of our 10th Guru advising him to rise against the occupiers of our holy land now, as this is the auspicious time to strike. He, with his small band of brave soldiers, attacked the Firangee occupiers of Multan and annihilated them. The battles of Mudki, Ferozshah, Budhowal, Aliwal, and Sobraon, he states, were ill advised and waged at a wrong time in 1845-46 against any sanction from our Holy Gurus that resulted in humiliation of our Great Sikh Army and loss of our State to Firangees. Dewan Mool Raj has been persuaded by us to lead us in this war of liberation. Now we, in accordance with the command of our Guru, appeal to all our Khalsa Brothers, to join us in our crusade for liberation. All those who are true and sincere Sikhs, will join us at Multan. You will receive plenty of money and approbation of Dewan Sahib. Maharaja Daleep Singh, by the grace of our Guru will be established in his kingdom as independent Ruler. There will be no cow-slaughter and our Holy Religion will prosper as it was under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Forward copies of this appeal to all our Sikh and Muslim brothers. Majority of the Afghan tribes are with us. Those who are wavering, convince them of our cause. All of us are mortal. Everyone who is born has to die. Those who die for good cause, go straight to heaven. Himmat-e-Mardaan, maddad-e-khuda God helps those who help themselves. Make much of a few words. Gird up your loins. Yours, Brothers-in-arms. Named as above 12th of Bisakh, 1905 (April 22, 1848)

I am sending the above transcription along with the original in Gurmukhi to Edwardes through his qasid waiting outside my hut, though I doubt the authenticity of its origin. It is not word-by-word translation. It conveys the essence of the circular.
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Meanwhile, to sow the seed of suspicion in the mind of the British, I have suggested to him in my report that the said pamphlet might have been planted by the enemies of Dewan Mool Raj to disable him to cross over to the British side later. Please explore this possibility and let me know the facts with your advice as to how to process and handle this issue further. A rumour is circulating here that the name of Mool Raj is prophesized to restore Khalsa supremacy. It further clarifies that the bad patch of dhaiya two & a half years is now over. The tide would turn now in favour of the Sikhs and Khalsa would once again rule Punjab. Raj karega Khalsa, Aaqi rehe na koye. (In the reign of the pure rulers, no one would feel deprived.) We do not know how far it is true that all these Sikh soldiers discharged from the Khalsa Army after the Setluj War, are bee lining to serve Dewan Mool Raj. On the other hand, we hear that the Pathaans of Multan are ready to desert him and are waiting for a suitable opportunity. Even Hindus and Sikhs, whose properties and families are located on this part of the State under British occupation, are planning to desert Dewan Mool Raj. The British policy is to win over as many tribes as possible to serve their cause. Blatant lies are deliberately being spread to tarnish the image of Dewan Mool Raj for his unprovoked act of murdering two civil servants of the British Empire. We shall have to convince our friend Mool Raj that the present conflict is of our own creation where we should accept our responsibility for causing unpleasantness. To some, surrender may mean loss of power, but for our friend it should mean freedom from the yoke of responsibility. That is why, initially, he preferred to resign rather than meet the revenue demand from the truncated territory of his dominion. Those who can surrender with dignity can also be respected, as King Porus was by Alexander the Great. There are many advisers to misguide you, a plethora of options to over-ride you. You must instill in the mind of our friend that the people who claim to have snatched back the reins of Multan for him, have actually done so for themselves, not for him. Source of all evil is the desire to put oneself first over the interests of others. Your first priority should be to win over Misr Kuljas, his personal religious adviser, his priest, who has more influence over him than any other friend does. Concentrate the mind on the present moment. The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly. There is no fun in floating around ones own bloated ego. When we are no longer able to change a situation, it is wiser to change yourself. Truly honourable people renounce their lives if there is a taint to their honour. Please do your best to save Multan from unnecessary bloodshed. The farmers here do not like to be recruited as soldiers. A soldiers nature is to destroy life and property. A farmers nature is to nurture and care. The local tribes here, as you know, are
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mercenaries. Balochis and Pathaans prefer military service to agriculture, and the cream of the fighters are being recruited by Edwardes. He has a natural gift that draws all tribal warriors to him like Shamma (light) drawing Patangas (flying insects). May be the colour of his skin and the fame and the name of Britain is acting as a magnet to hover over the lone Englishman. War is their trade, their business, their sport. Their attraction is not mere six rupees a foot soldier and rupees fifteen a horse. May be their eyes are set on the wealth of Multan, on the beautiful women of Multan, on which they can lay their hands only if they are on the side of the invaders. They have nothing to gain fighting for Multan. One cannot solely depend on undisciplined hordes, which pass for armies. Due to lack of character, firmness and ability of the officers to enforce proper discipline, our army is reduced to a well-armed mob. Give the matter just a moment to think over. All the invaders who conquered India took advantage of the decadent military system of our country Arabs and Turkish Sultans, with the help of their steeds; Mughals with the help of their cannons and British with the help of their trained and disciplined army with a new system of war-fare and superior navy. That is why Maharaja Ranjit Singh got the Sikh army trained on European pattern and it is evaluated as good as British army. We should see to it now that every move is based on accurate calculations and combination of talent and potential. We seem to lack the basic concepts of war. Overconfidence, generally, leads people into misadventures, jeopardizing their prospects. Overconfident people live within their own thoughts. They know themselves but are unaware of the mind and thoughts of their opponents. Our actions are the product of our thoughts. One has to be very cautious in this respect. Before planning any action, one has to consider all aspects and adopt a realistic approach, taking into account ones own shortcomings. This psyche serves as a self-controlling element. Pride and arrogance lead to ruin and disgrace. Help Dewan Sahib, as his friend, to smell and isolate the sycophants! One tends to react adversely in unpleasant situations. We have lived through the torment and torture of our incompetent hereditary rulers for centuries. It is time to rise against such rulers if they do not listen to reason. Erroneous imaginations, illusions, and hallucinations do not win wars. The Bhagawad Geeta (2.9) states: Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. In our great epic Mahabharata, Yaksha asks Yudhishter, what is the most curious aspect of life? Yudhishter replies, Mortality is a fact of life. Everyone sees people dying around yet they think of themselves as immortal, as if death is meant for others, not for them. Let us not be afraid of death. Death is preferable to the fear of death. Every one who is born will have to die one day or the other. Even lord Rama and Lord
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Krishna, Lord Buddha and lord Mahavira, had to die when reincarnated in human form. The great prophets of Christianity and Islam too had to die when born as human beings. No one can escape death. It is dying for a cause that makes one immortal. Every one of us has to die. Whether we regard death as annihilation, moksha or believe in a life beyond, we go the same unknown road. Every moment passing is drawing nearer to that hour. We have been through the past. We are going through the present. We will see through the future, if we are not dead! Every wrong step discarded is a right step forwarded. Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardhi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, Is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed) ***

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IV

Transcription of Letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
Sahuwala May 02, 1848 Janab-e-Aali (Respectable Sir), Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. Last night, I slept under the Shamiana (tent) along with three other followers of Yogiji. However, just before outbreak of dawn when I woke up, I found my tent companions lamenting that the Yogi, along with his close followers had vanished from the Camp during the night. I hang my head in shame to report, Janab-e-Aali, that this humble self, hired to tail the Yogi and pass on his messages to you and yours to him, miserably failed in his duties. You know very well, Sir, that I am not an afeemchi (addicted to opium) or a sharaabi (heavy consumer of wine). I am astounded as to how could a simple Yogi and his fistful of paraphernalia manage to vanish between midnight and dawn, with all their foldable tents and portable huts in a couple of hours without awakening me. I prefer a star-sprinkled sky to a tent to sleep under. This time I gave in to the temptation of taking my forty winks under the tent to breathe in his holy fragrant scent. It is an axiomatic truth that a man is profoundly influenced by the company he keeps. In satsang, company of noble people, noble impulses are activated and noble thoughts are energized. It is said that those who encounter saints, experience not just consummate support but also receive the divine grace that flows through them. The Yogi has inherent qualities to win the hearts and the minds of the people, even staunch Muslims like me. Unfortunately, all my assistants were out of the village on one errand or other and I was alone on duty at the Yoga Camp. I rode to the village Sahuwala, a mile away. No body showed any surprise at the disappearance of the Yogi. The sight of ponies ridden by fakirs traveling from village to village is quite common here. They said that the wandering mendicants were like that. They do appear suddenly and disappear suddenly. From where they come and where they go, no body knows. There was nothing new in that and nothing to feel astounded. But then I am a barid, a professional spy. I should have been all alert. It is all my fault, not a mistake, but a blunder. I swear, I will soon amend it. I will enlist all

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the help required and soon find him out and report to you. Please have patience and bear with me this temporary phase-out. While looking out for the Yogi I have come to know that Lt. Edwardes too abandoned Leiah on 30th April and was encamping at the left bank of the great river Sindh near village Moorawala, opposite Dera Fateh Khan on the left side of the river, awaiting the arrival of troops under the command of General Cortlandt. One of his personal qasids, Gul Hasan, personally known to me, brought intelligence from Multan that Mool Raj was marching with a large army to recapture Leiah. The Englishman appears to be a great strategist. He has requisitioned all the boats within 40 miles up and down the river to flee across the river at one go if the situation so warrants without crossing swords with the Multani Pulton (Platoon), and the Multanis then would have no boat left to cross the river to pursue them. He has a drive and dynamism that inspires others. He is also trying to create a division between Hindus and Muslims by extolling Muslims, especially Balochi and Pathaan tribes, and offering them more incentives than to Hindu recruits. I wonder if Yogi too noticed this trait of the Englishman and vanished without trail or it might be that he did not wish to be a victim of crossfire between the two forces. But then, he had gained the confidence of the person who matters most in this part of the kingdom and could very well have moved out with the Englishman. Becoming a confidante of someone important was a great achievement. On the other hand, had he chosen to remain here, he was as safe as the fortress of Multan. No one from the oncoming Multani forces could dare touch a wandering monk like him. Like Shiva, he could sit in a state of eternal meditation as if holding the universe together with the force of his will. I have never been able to sit without a slouch. He could sit cross-legged with back straight like ramrod for hours. His straight posture was quite fascinating. Ash smeared Saadhus with matted hair, leading a life of austerity, vied with each other to be a part of audience at Yogis sermons. He could put his audience in a gentle trance, swaying their heads with the beat of the dholak. Upasna, he said, was dhyan concentration, meditation. Upasna was an individual affair; there was nothing collective about it. Keertan was collective chanting - congregate singing. It was helpful not only for spiritual saadhna but also for overcoming worldly difficulties, natural or manmade miseries. Singing together and seeking the grace of God, always bring some relief. Impending troubles seem to disappear. The collective mental force reduces its effect. Even non-participants, non-believers, and skeptics feel the ripple effect of keertan. When, united in purpose, all these collective psychic energies start functioning in unison. Singing devotional songs are as effective as Carols in Christianity and Qawalis in Islam, in mitigating physical troubles and mental tribulations. Although in one of his sermons, he said, You do not have to wander from place to place in search of God! God is omnipotent. God is everywhere. If you cannot find
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God where you are, you cannot find Him anywhere else!, yet he chose a wandering life for himself. May be, as a man of peace, he did not wish to take sides and left the scene on his own as is a monks wont. They say that if God Himself urge upon these wandering saints to turn back, they would not do so! Another disturbing report that has come to my hands is that a small band of newly raised Pathaan force of Lt. Edwardes has captured the fortress of Mauj Garh, about 12 kose north-east from Leiah without firing a single shot. This has raised the prestige of the British camp, headed by just one Englishman who was not even a part of that small band, and the majority of the mercenaries are bee lining to join them. I am rushing towards the British Camp, chiefly on the Yogis trail. I hope to dispatch my next report to you from there. Until then, with due apologies, I have the honour to remain, Hazoor-e-Aali, (The best of masters), Your most obedient servant, Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***

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Transcription of Letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
Piranwala May 23, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. I am extremely sorry I could find no time to sit and write down my report to you earlier than today due to hectic activities in the British Camp where I am quartered these days, courtesy British Qasid Gul Hasan who introduced me to Faujdar Khan Alizye, said to be the right-hand man of Lieutenant Edwardes these days. Faujdar Khan is the grandson of Khuda Yar Khan Alizye who was the chief officer of Nawab Muzaffar Khan, the last Muslim governor of Multan and both of them were killed in action fighting the nihangs of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the fort of Multan in 1818. I have been hired as a local guide and my first assignment was to search for a suitable camping site for the British, high enough to escape the ravages of the great river Sindh when in spate. I recall here the Yogijis quote out of Rig Veda on the great river Sindh that I had jotted down: Sindhu in might surpasses all the rivers that flow The roar of the river is lifted upto heaven above the earth; It puts forth endless vigour with a flash of light Even as cows with milk rush to their calves, So other rivers roar into the Sindhu. As a warrior king lead other warriors, So does Sindhu lead other rivers I am writing this report for you from that very site where the British forces are encamping. There is a natural mound here formed by the sand deposited year after year by the great river during its widespread inundation. It is heaped so high now
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that for years the river has not been able to rise that high and finds other lower areas easier to inundate. Here I met a dancing dervish who has quite a following among local Muslim tribes and Hindu businessmen. He appears to be a Sufi saint and claims his origin from village Piran Ghaib, named after disappearing saints, in the Northeastern outskirts of Multan City. Local people revere him and address him as Pir Sahib. He holds daily singing sessions (Sufi Sama) in the evening at the mound and spiritually gets lost in the thoughts of God while dancing and whirling to the rhythmic sound of clapping. He breaks the spell with tera nazaara, tu hi tu; Allah hu, Allah hu (Whichever way you look, you will find God there. God is one, God is one.) Spirituality and music supplement each other, he says. Spirituality brings inner peace and music connects the soul to the universal sit. Spirituality and music together uplift the people out of depression and help start afresh with new enthusiasm with its rhythm and harmony. A soul, in the state of oneness with God, fears nothing. This leaves a very soothing effect on Hindus and Muslims as both communities are confused and puzzled in these troubled times. Even the Englishman appears to be very much infatuated with him and more often than not, attends his bewitching sessions and also interacts with him exclusively, walking in step with him at the observation mound for hours. He applauds Pir Sahibs light and playful attitude towards life in these difficult times and his capability to stand his own ground and do what is good, fair, just, and noble. Strictly speaking, Pir Sahib is not a religious man. He does not follow the rituals of any religion or sect. He treads the path of spirituality care, love, and belief in the welfare of all sentient beings, trying his best to alleviating the suffering of others. Normally, I should not write all this to you and unnecessarily waste your precious time, Janab-e-Aali. But what astounded me was that he caught hold of me this morning when no body was around and thrust a guthli a sealed cloth bag in my hands, looked piercingly into my eyes and said, Aflatoon, see that this sealed bag reaches your master, Lala Ram Lal, as early as possible! Fearing a trap, I stuttered, Lala Ram Lal? Who Ram Lal? I dont know any Ram Lal and I am no Aflatoon? At this he flared up, Shut up you fool! Just do what you are asked to do! You may not know me, but I do know who you are and what you are doing here. Aflatoon is the password that you are supposed to recognize and honour. Ask your qasid to not only deliver this thaili (cloth bag) but also hang around there until Lalaji is ready to send a note back for me! You may get strict instructions from your employer to deliver the same directly to me un-tampered. And dont you ever try to outsmart me or
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run away from here. Remember and always keep in your mind. You are being watched! And he sauntered away from me as if he had never met me nor was ever aware of my presence in the camp, chanting away, Allah hi Allah, Jap pyarey, tu Allah hi Allah! I am completely out of my wits. I have no alternative but to obey his orders and send his guthli to you lest he betrays me to the Englishman. After all, he knows the password. I hope you will appreciate the gravity of my situation here and pardon me if the bag is just a hoax or does not contain anything of importance to you. However, please do send a suitable reply to this man of God. The cord of my life is in his hands. And if you happen to know him, please do wise me up. Should we deal with him also the same way as we dealt with the venerable Yogi Ji? I am sorry; I have not been able to trace the Yogi Ji yet. However, my men are still on his trail. Meanwhile, my top priority is to pacify this all-knowing man of God. My future line of action depends on your response. Whole heartedly and undeniably yours most obedient servant, Hazoor-e-Aali, (The best of masters), Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***

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VI

Transcript - letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram in Lunde to Lala Ram Lal
Piranwala May 23, 1848 Dear me, Sorry! Could not keep in touch with you! Things happened so fast that I had to change tactics. Vanish as a Yogi and re-emerge as a Sufi Dervish, and surprise even Lieutenant Edwardes who could not place me until I disclosed my true identity to him. He is so fascinated with me that he has gladly taken me into his confidence and now enjoys discussing his plans with me. Due to the hot weather, British are reluctant to send white men against Multan and are pressing the Governing Council of Punjab to raise a fresh levy from other parts of Punjab to suppress the rising at Multan. It has been decided to advance towards Multan from five sides: (i) Five thousand strong army under the command of Raja Sher Singh, Sardar Shamsher Singh Sindhanwala and Sardar Attar Singh Kalianwala, have been asked to move along the left bank of River Ravi up to its union with Chenab near Talamba and reach from the North side of Multan; (ii) Three thousand men led by Dewan Jawahar Mal Dutt through Sindh Sagar Doab, Mankera, Nawan Kot and Rangpur from the West side of Multan. Dutt has, at present only one thousand men with him due to reduction of Sikh army under the Treaty but has now been authorized to raise it to three thousand with fresh local levy. (iii) Two thousand men raised afresh under the command of Sheikh Imam-ud-din will proceed from Lahore along with the right bank of Setluj through Qasur, Chunian, Kanganpur, Dipalpur, Pakpattan, Luddan and wait at Mailsi just 75 miles from east of Multan for further orders; (iv) Army of Nawab of Bahawalpur is to cross Setluj, occupy as much territory of Multan as possible, proceed through Lodhran, Shahnal, Gelewala, and Raja Ram, surround Shujabad, and wait for Lt. Edwardes and General Cortlandt to make a five-throng attack from the South and South-West on Multan.
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(v) Lt. Edwardes and General Cortlandt have successfully blocked the passage of Hill-tribes to cross over to Multan for recruitment where they smell more money in pay, arson, and loot. He has therefore decided to seize the trans-Sindh territories of Multan and offer the new levies a chance, to not only earn pay but also grab war-plunders of lower Derajat i.e. Districts of Sungarh and Dera Ghazi Khan. Chetan Mal, Administrator of Sungarh, with just a garrison under him would be no match for General Cortlandts army though Launga Mal of Dera Ghazi Khan has a better chance to resist the attack and keep the British at bay until help from Multan reaches him. You must have heard of the great opportunity that the leaderless Multani army who had retaken Leiah without a fight with the mere strength of its numbers, missed in routing Lieutenant Edwardes local levies on May 3rd before General Cortlandts could come to their rescue. It was a pity to see the Multan army retreat from Leiah all in haste to take shelter in the fortress of Multan. Rattan Chand, the local governor of Leiah who had resurfaced with the Multan troops, abandoned Leiah once again after their departure. A small picket of just one hundred equestrians sent to ascertain the status of Multani troops in Leiah, finding it abandoned, took peaceful possession of not only the city but also of artillery and other war implements left behind in haste by Rattan Chand. I kept myself deliberately away from the meeting that your agent Mustafa Khan Khagwani had with Lt. Edwardes. It was Faujdar Khan, the present right-hand man of the Englishman, who arranged this meeting under the ruse of KhanKhan, Bhai-Bhai (Khan-Khan, Brother-Brother). Edwardes took me into confidence and disclosed that Khagwani had raised two issues with him. Firstly, he begged for the full pardon for Mool Raj. He pleaded that Mool Raj had no hand in the killing of Agnew and Anderson. He was just a victim of the circumstances and at present is just like a bull with a string through his nose. He has no choice but to perform as and when pulled although people believe that his pride and haughtiness is not permitting him to listen to good advice. Mustafa Khan also mentioned your name as one of the best friends and advisers of Mool Raj and affirmed that on your advice, Mool Raj had sent him secretly as his envoy of peace to negotiate terms of surrender. Secondly, he begged for the safety of his own family and property in the event the coterie around Mool Raj does not allow him to surrender.
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Edwardes confided in me that neither he nor the Resident is vested with any power, to grant full or even partial pardon to anyone suspected of murdering British Officers. All that he could assure Mustafa Khan was a fair trial of Mool Raj under the Law in the British Court of Justice, and on the insistence of Mustafa Khan, he had given an undertaking in writing to this effect. Moreover, as for guaranteeing the safety of the Khan and his family, he has given an open assurance that all those who take refuge in British Camp, whether Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs, and wow not to take up arms against the Maharaja and his protectors East India Company, shall be given full shelter, protection and security. Tempers are high, vitality is low. It is full summer. Hot mornings, blazing noons, and sweating windless nights are gnawing at us mercilessly. The tribes gathering here to enlist look like swarming locusts. Yousufzais, Mohmands, Afridis, Shinwaris, Turis, Bangash, Orakzais, Waziris, Mehsuds, and Ahmedzais etc. no power has ever been able to subjugate these tribes until now, from Alexander of Macedonia to the Imperial British. The conquerors could take only the plains. The Hill-tribes defied the Persians, the Greeks, the Turks, the Mughals, the Sikhs, and the British. The tribals never paid any taxes, even the tributes that they promised their conquerors. As soon as the invaders turned their back, these tribes froze their tributes. The victors had to compromise and grant them semi-independent status. These tribals have their own laws and their tribal society customs. The very cut-throat tribes, who defeated British in the Afghan War (1838-42), are now willingly joining hands with the British to grab their share of loot from Multan. The Anglo-Afghan War, also known as Aucklands Folly, resulted in the annihilation of more than 20,000 people on retreat, civil as well as militia, in the treacherous snow-clad gorges and passes alongside River Kabul. Almost all the people were killed except Captain James, Sergeant Fair and seven soldiers. The British consoled themselves that most of the casualties were expendable Indian recruits. With these cutthroat tribes joining them, the British themselves now feel safer amidst Muslim populated areas than they could be anywhere else except in a British cantonment. The risk that Dewan Mool Raj is taking is not well calculated. It can be disastrous. The days of Independent rule of the governors are over. Under British supremacy, the power of the Governors, Rajas, Maharajas, and Local Chiefs be they Hindu, Muslim or Sikh, will be strictly limited. All of us want to be happy at all times. So why do we, with our actions and speech, bring suffering at its wake? A man is con106

sidered wise if he is able to feel sorry for hurting others and offer timely apologies to them. Besides, British are trying to set up their spying net work in Multan and are plotting to create a tussle between Multani Pathaans and Multani Sikhs. If the balance tilts in the favour of Pathaans, the first victim may be Dewan Mool Raj himself. In that case, the city is likely to be plundered by its own defenders. It is up to you now to see that Dewan Sahib hands over the governorship of Multan peacefully to the Durbars appointee Sardar Kahan Singh as he originally intended to do vide his resignation personally submitted to the Acting Resident John Lawrence, brother of Major Henry Lawrence, on December 18, 1847. In anticipation of an encouraging and positive response, Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardhi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, Is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed)

***

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VII

Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
British Camp, Dera Ghazi Khan, June 02, 1848. Janab-e-Aali (Respected Sir), Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. Thank you for your instructions to follow the orders of the Dancing Dervish along with your sealed letter addressed to him. It was passed on to him with due respect in the process of bowing before him for his blessing, day before. I do not know what you wrote to him for he vanished from the camp, unseen, and unnoticed, without giving me his address at which I should forward your future communications. No one seems to have seen him since last evening. Please let me have your fresh instruction as to what to do now! Should I (i) personally sneak out from the British Camp in search of him? (ii) Stay here and await his return? Alternatively, (iii) forget him and stick with the British Camp where I have a secured position, and report my observation direct to you through my network? British are collecting the Land Revenue (that should have been collected by the kardars of Dewan Mool Raj) and raising new levies to fight against our own forces that we should have raised to fight against British. We have been moving with Lt. Edwardes from his camp to camp. Edwardes is not only playing Muslims against Hindus but also Muslims against Muslims where it is of some advantage to him. He found out that Kaura Khan, the Baloch, was the sworn enemy of Jalal Khan Lughari of Dera Ghazi Khan, commanding the forces of Mool Raj under Launga Mal, Governor of Dera Ghazi Khan. He invited Kaura Khan to join the British who will give him a free hand to invade Dera Ghazi Khan to humble down his sworn enemy Jalal Khan Lughari. Kaura Khan sent his son Ghulam Haider Khan in advance who was welcomed and honoured by Edwardes with a khillat and assigned to General Cortlandt to invade D. G Khan. On May 20, however, Ghulam Haider Khan sought permission to go ahead alone with his troops, raised from his clan, and join his father Kaura Khan to drive out Lugharis and Launga Mal from D. G. Khan. Chetan Mal, uncle of Launga Mal, who had withdrawn from his weaker position at
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Sungarh and joined his nephew Launga Mal to give better resistance at D. G. Khan, fought a desperate battle for three hours with just 500 men and one gun, and was martyred in the battlefield. While Jalal Khan Lughari ran away with eighty men of his tribe, Launga Mal was taken prisoner alive. This information reached us when we were still at Piranwala an hour before midnight of May 21. Dera Ghazi Khan was won by British strategy employing our own people against each other, while Multani force sent to help Launga Mal was stranded at village Qureshi, unable to cross the Indus without boats. General Cortlandt only stepped in to take possession of the fallen city. Now all the tribes of Dera Ghazi Khan Alizyes, Bhugtis, Boozdars of Mangrota, Dreeshuks, Gopangs, Gurcahnees of Hurrund, Khosuhs, Kusranis, Loonds, Lugharees, Madaris of Roojhan, Murrees and Nutkanis have joined hands to boost British cause. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the loveliest spots of the Punjab. It is called the city of palms. It is one of the most fertile area until Mithunkot where after the fertility abruptly ends. Between Mithunkot and the border of Sindh, the area is thinly populated and the local people are less cultured and illiterate. The Government of Multan is not able to enforce law and order in this remote area, probably because there is hardly any scope here to garner as taxes. This remote area is exposed to desperate Balochi robbers of different tribes who plunder the sparse villages at will and claim their own protection tax in cash and or kind. There was a great jubilation at the British Camp. We marched away from Piranwala village with triumphant Edwardes on the 24th May and joined the forces of General Cortlandt on the 26th May 1848. This encouraged and emboldened the Muslim tribe of Kaura Khan to plunder the Hindu civilians of the beautiful city of Dera Ghazi Khan and indulge in other nefarious activities of which I, myself as a stern Muslim, am ashamed to mention. I am astonished at the way Lt. Edwardes turned a blind eye towards these excesses while he boasts of British justice for all, always. Multani forces are stranded at Qureshi with no General to array them and Har Bhagwan Das, the nominal head of the Multani forces, is being laughed at for seeking instructions from Multan for every movement, even for going to toilet, it is rumoured. Edwardes is planning to fox him and reach Shujabad to join the advancing army of Daodputras of Bhawalpur from across Setluj in the south of Multan. Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hand
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VIII

Transcription of letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram to Lala Ram Lal

Suraj Kund, June 06, 1848 Dear me, Sorry! I had to vanish again from the British Camp at Dera Ghazi Khan, this time under the direction of Lieutenant Edwardes. After conquering the territories of Multan across the Indus, he felt that I was of no use to him as a Muslim Dervish. Muslim tribes were almost in his pocket, he said, vying with each other to win his favours. He wanted me to re-emerge as a Yogi and establish my Yoga Shiver at a suitable place, just about 2 to 3 miles away from Multan, and keep a watch on the movements of Mool Raj. I thought of the historic Suraj Kund, apprised him of its location, and asked him to look for me around this place on his way to Multan. Suraj Kund (Sun Pond) is the third ancient monument of Multan. It has a radius of 132 feet and depth of 10 feet. It is said that all energy in the world is generated by the sun in one way or the other. The brilliance of the sun alone is life sustaining. It would be the most convenient place for you too to keep in touch, as the bearer of this letter, my disciple Mohan Singh would reveal in person to you. I would appreciate it if you could please take some time out to meet me, face to face, before the arrival of British forces to invade Multan. Lakes and ponds are stagnant. The qualitative strength of the river is the constant addition of fresh water and that is why it is always flowing and growing. It appears that you are not treating my observations, my letters, and my reports seriously. On whose backing do you intend to push the British out of Punjab? Where are the people who proclaimed that they would rise like a tidal wave and wash the British back to the shore? Edwardes may be just a lieutenant, but just look at his war strategies! Your European trained regular army has not been able to push his local illarmed levies out of even the territories of Multan, what to talk of the liberation of Punjab. I reported to you that British Generals are not in favour of taking risk to place British army in the field to face the extreme hot weather of Multan. For the time being, they want to restrict the movement of Mool Raj within the city of Multan and want the Durbar forces to surround Multan from all sides. Kindly refer to my dispatch dated May 20. The white men cannot stand the Indian summers. In
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summer all parades and active work in British India is terminated by 09-00 a.m. The heat of the plains is so great that the Englishmen have to confine themselves in the barracks with high roofs where they lie down listlessly, doing nothing until 06-00 p.m. As such, it becomes easy for them to sink into low morals and indulge in sin. Thinking that no body will know of what they were doing here, they go to Indian Bazaars and indulge in locally made Indian liquor, nautch girls, and prostitutes, sowing their wild oats here and there. It was our Hindu Rao of Gwalior, Edwardes wised me up, whose taunt gave the British the idea of keeping the English army in the Hills during the summer. Hindu Rao, I learn, remarked something like this: What fools these English are! Had I such soldiers as they have, I would place them on the hills and keep them there in health and strength and well fed until I wanted them. Whenever there was fighting to be done, I would bring them down on elephants, horses and bullocks, and let them loose upon the enemy, like so many cheetahs. What could stand before them? Our own gods too, think of it, have their abodes in the hills. Lord Shiva, the creator and the destroyer is believed to reside in Kailash. His consort Parvati, as the name itself suggests mountain belle was born and brought up in the mountains. Mata Vaishnav Devi has her abode in Jammu Hills, Bhairvi in Kangra Hills, Mansa Devi in the foothills of Haridwar etc. etc. Initially, British set up the hill-resorts as the sanatoria for the heat-struck and sick soldiers. Later on, they became hill-stations for military as well as civil to escape from the burning heat of the plains of India. Simla, established by them in 1819 after the Anglo-Nepal war, was transformed into Imperial summer capital of British India with proper roads, pucca dwelling units, and water storage tanks. Mussoorie was developed into hill-resort in 1826 and Darjeeling acquired by Deed of Grant; from the King of Sikkim in 1835. These hill-stations offer more than health and morality. Strategically safe from surprise attacks and fully rested, these fresh and ready soldiers response quickly to troubles in plains, ready to descend full of health, vigour and confidence, like cheetahs, as Hindu Rao envisaged, on the foe! I am not a great reconnoiter to report for military purpose but the vibrations that I get from my closeness with the British tell me that now is the time to push the rag-tag army of Lieutenant Edwardes out of the territories of Multan before winter comes. As related to me, in confidence, Edwardes is afraid to use the Sikh battalions under the command of General Cortlandt against Multan lest they crossover to your side en bloc. One or two small victories at this stage could place your friend in better posi111

tion to bargain for the peace at favourable terms. At present, the spirits at the British Camp are high and Mool Raj, for sending his mercy appeals through his untrustworthy emissaries, has become a butt of joke: For mercy Mool Raj begs, With tail between his legs! How long can Mool Raj hold himself behind the high walls of the fort of Multan? No doubt the fort of Multan is the strongest fort in Punjab, but not invincible. It has fallen to invaders many a times before, last to Misr Dewan Chand in 1818 leading the Sikh army. British have better artillery and best siege-trains. Even if you are able to manage to combine forces and resources to take elaborate defensive maneuvers, you can only delay the process of defeat but cannot turn it into victory without external help. The main aim, in the military context, in any war, is to break opponents will to fight. There has been no persistence, no passion, and no will to win in any movement of the Multani Forces so far. If we cannot make the rag-tag British army fight for every inch of their march to Multan, cannot convert every stone on the way as a barrier, cannot make them disheartened and so famished by depriving them of even a morsel of food on their way to Multan, we can never liberate Multan from the British fangs. It is one thing to talk, quite another to act. Like Mohammad Ghori, British can afford to lose many battles. We can beat them once, defeat them twice or thrice, and push them across the Setluj at the most, but they will be back again. They have the resources of all of India at their disposal. They are the invaders. We are the defenders. Our first defeat will be our last battle. Survival of Multan depends on up-rise of all of Punjab, if not all of India, against the British and forcing on them a treaty to keep their hands off Punjab. All that sounds like a dream wish. We cannot inflict, nor have the necessary power to inflict any such damage to the British. Where a country is on the defensive, the advantage of initiative and preparation naturally lie with the aggressor. The defender, as such, first must halt aggression, stabilize its position, and then, as its strength increases, assume the offensive. The fortunes of war often fluctuate. The maintenance of the aim requires determination and dogged perseverance. Faltering here means confusion, chaos and perhaps defeat, where victory may be possible. Come out of fantasy! This is real war, not a demonstration of troops to collect taxes! Grow up to face reality! Beware of those who fan the fire of conflict to serve their selfish ends. Beware of Mustafa Khan who is trying to wean away Multani Pathaans to the British side. Everybody wants to be on winning side. Enlist the help of the noted nobility of Multan to create a harmonious conflict-free atmosphere, where a meaningful dialogue leading to peace could be possible. In spite of much show of heavy cannon and number

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of troops, after all, it proved to be ineffective against identical hordes, not bound by any sentiment of love of the country, under British Officers. Positive thinking can change the negative situation into a positive one. Whatever happens, happens for the best. Whatever has to happen, will happen. Compromise is an effective means to achieve lasting harmony and peace, within and without. One kind word can warm three winter months. May Saraswati the Goddess of Speech, make our voice sweet and soft. Vitriolic words keep negotiators away. May we always be soft spoken to attract one and all, enhancing brotherhood! Yajur Ved All religions teach us to be humble and not to feign arrogance. Our gods are everywhere, ever present, not just confined to temples alone, ever ready to come to our help when invoked for the right cause. Peace is a process, not a deal. It takes time for wounds to heal. A lone Englishman, commanding a ragtag army of invasion is advancing towards Multan like the notorious Dust Storm of Multan. Your small pickets cannot block its approach. Think of the ways to extricate Multan from its onslaught. Think fast, act fast. Help save the ancient city of Multan and its much-devastated inhabitants. Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardhi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, Is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed) ***

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CHAPTER 5

Fencing Ground
An Unforced Error I

Transcription of letter from Aatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
British Camp, Noonr June 18, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. In the absence of any fresh instructions from you, I am keeping myself attached to the British Camp, gathering tidbits about the small skirmishes here and there. 1. Kardar of Jatoee, Prabhu Dayal, who had collected the revenue for Mool Raj, was seized by the zamindaars of Jatoee, soon after the news reached them that the troops of Bahawalpur had defeated Jawahar Mal near Alipur where his small forces were almost annihilated to a man and Jawahar Mal himself barely escaped to Khan Garh, opposite Shujabad. These same zamindaars had a few days earlier caught hold of one of my qasids, Abdul Aziz, and mistaking him for a British qasid, as he was heading towards British Camp to report to me, singed his beard as punishment. He brought the news to me that, originally, the zamindaars were all loyal to Multan Government but did not wish to be victimized for the payment of lagaan twice first to the Kardar of Multan and then to the British appointed collector of lagaan. 2. Another agent of mine brought the information that the British Government had appointed Lieutenant Lake as the Commander-in-Chief of Bahawalpur forces led by Pir Ibraheem and that he is on his way to take charge soon to invade Multan.
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3. For the time being, the plan was under operation for joining of three forces: ! (i) Bahawalpurs Red-bearded Daodputras led by Pir Ibraheem Khan; (ii) Lieutenant Edwardess Fresh Levy of Pathaans and Balochis (iii) General Cortlandts Regular Durbar troops, encamped somewhere near Shujabad to push the retreating platoon of Multan under the command of Raja Bhagwan Das towards Multan. 4. The only other Hindu besides our Yogi that Lt. Edwardes trusts is Sada Sukh, his personal Munshi (secretary). He is a brave and fearless man, carries just a Kashmiri paper mashie pen-box, instead of sword, in his hands and a packet of papers in his girdle, and follows the English Sahib even in the battlefield, unarmed and unafraid, wherever he goes, like a tail. These very salt hills of the village of Noonr from where I am writing this very report were under the occupation of Raja Ram Rang until yesterday. He could have certainly defeated the Bhawalpurias and made them run back to Bhawalpur, had he not delayed the attack on them. 5. A day-before-yesterday, while this humble servant of Allah, self-attached with the combined forces of Englishman and General Cortlandts was still at the right bank of Chenab, intelligence reached us that Multani forces, freshly reinforced from Multan, under the command of Raja Ram Rang, were entrenched at the Salt Hills, awaiting the arrival of Bhawalpurias. The Multani forces were estimated to be five to six thousand strong, horse and foot, with about ten field guns. Though Bhawalpurias were about eight to nine thousand strong with eleven guns and thirty zamboorahs under the command of Fateh Muhammad Khan Ghouri, the Englishman felt that the Multanis were more experienced and better fighters and may easily defeat and disburse Bhawalpurias without British help. The Englishman had about five thousand newly recruited Pathaans and Balochis, horse and foot, and thirty zamboorahs, and two divisions of regular trained troops, foot and artillery, and ten guns under General Cortlandt but not enough boats to cross over at one go. Faujdar Khan, under the personal guidance of the Englishman, managed to cross over with a strong division of three thousand handpicked Pathaan-warriors and about fifty mounted chiefs in the dead of night where they were met by a column of Bhawalpurias and quietly led to the place where their main army was entrenched. Having no patience to wait for the fleet of boats to return to pick up the remaining soldiers and the guns, the Englishman made us embark the two small fishing boats with him, his tents and personal guards that had been procured from a downstream ferry-wharf to cross over to the left bank of the vast river, first thing in the morning. Midway we met the fleet of boats going back to pickup the main army and artillery awaiting transportation. Since the artillery and the cavalry could not be transported together, safely, at night, the Englishman shouted a command to send the artillery first. Before we could disem115

bark on the east bank of the river Chenab, the roar of the guns greeted us. Not a soul was visible on the shore. From the north side, the firing was heavy. It must be from the guns of Multan, murmured the Englishman. From the south side, the firing was timid and at irregular intervals. It must be from our Bhawalpuri allies, he muttered. He made us ride straight towards the south through wild shrubs and dark jungle. Soon we met a horde of equestrian led by Pir Muhammad Khan, Faujdar Khans uncle, sent by the Adjutant Faujdar Khan himself to guide us to the scene of action. Here, we learnt that the Multanis had taken up a strong position on the Salt Hills of the village Noonr and were raining shots at the Bhawalpurias hiding behind the trees in the plains below. The matchlock volleys of their warfare were not strong enough to face the downpour of Multani guns. It had staggered them and made them run back, hither and thither, in confusion. 6. The Englishman immediately took the command of the whole operation. His presence itself helped restore order. He hurriedly called a meeting of the all the officers of the combined forces. Forced them to withdraw into thick jungle behind, beyond the range of Multani guns and made them hold their fire so as not to reveal their position to the Multanis until the arrival of the Punjab Government guns that might take some four to five hours to join us. He made them spread all their guns twenty yards apart and open fire only when our scouts report sighting Multani horses trying to reconnoiter our position, turn by turn, after an interval of fifteen minutes each, so as to confuse the Multanis and gain the time for the Lahori Guns to arrive. It was a waiting game waiting for the guns. I am sure the Multanis did not know then that Bahawalpurias were by then under British command. 7. It was no childs play to withhold eight to nine thousand wild red-bearded Pathaans of Bhawalpur and three thousand British levies of tribal Pathaans and Balochis to lie still behind the shrubs for hours together under the June sun doing nothing but breathing the smoke and heat of the fire being emitted by the Multani artillery. However, our Sahib managed to do so. He was even successful in his attempt to restrain them to fire back in self-defence when some random Multani shots found their mark and blasted away dozens of henna-dyed red-bearded Pathaans lying low under the shrubs. I remember feeling the constriction in my throat that comes with fear. My legs felt as if they would cave in under me and I felt a wave of nausea. 8. Although the jungle gave us a good cover, the commotion caused by the muchawaited arrival of Lahori guns must have betrayed our position, because suddenly we found ourselves under the bombardment of almost all of the Multani guns. The line and the order of our combined forces were broken and our men started running backward helter-skelter. No one paid any heed to the imploration of our Sahib and even we who were so near to him could not grasp his words of command in all that
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booming noise of gun-blasts. Presently, our Sahib exhibited his presence of mind. He ran back towards the cannons being wheeled up, pulled by horses and pushed by men from behind, stopped them and ordered them to fire a few volleys in the air to announce their arrival for boosting the morals of our forces and deflating the ego of Multani forces. This worked like magic. Our forces on the run stopped in their tracks. A jubilant roar went up. Multani guns too stopped firing as if to make sure they did hear the Lahori guns roaring in reply. My heart began to sink. The Multanis had lost their chance. The guns were accompanied by two regular regiments Subhan Khans Corps of Mussalmans and Punjab Governments Suraj Mukhis dispatched by General Cortlandt with plenty of ammunition boxes on the wheels. 9. The temporary lull was broken. The Multani guns resumed their firing. The Punjabi guns too took their position and started returning fire with gusto. I had not seen such a fierce fighting before. The Multanis appeared to be taken by surprise. Their aim dithered, fire slackened and shots started going wild. The Punjabi artillery was well trained, well aimed, and well restrained. It started finding its mark and successfully silencing the roaring Multani guns, one by one. 10. They were now too close to fire grape shots into each other. At this range, the volleys of the Lahori guns were terribly effective. It was a mutual slaughter. Four sets of Indians were killing each other under the supervision of a lone Englishman: (i)! The first set of Multani Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims for liberation of Multan from British Yoke under the banner of Mool Raj of Multan, fighting under the command of Mool Rajs brother-in-law, Raja Ram Rang. (ii)! The second set of Bhawalpuri, Hindus, and Muslims, who spoke the same language Multani, for regaining their territories across Setluj, snatched by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the name of bringing the entire Punjab under one rule. They were now fighting on the instigation, protection, and support of British in the hope of gaining yet more territories for their tiny State as a reward. (iii) ! The third set, picked regiments of the army of Lahore Durbar, ordered to move against Mool Raj on behalf of the infant Maharaja Daleep Singh by the British Government through their Agent Sir Frederick Currie. The one-sided Treaty of Bhairowal, dated 22nd December 1846, had placed the administration of Punjab in the hands of a Council of Regency composed of eight leading Sardars who could act only under the control and guidance of a British Officer. (iv)! The fourth set, fresh levy, raised by the Englishman, Lieutenant Herbert Edwardes, on behalf of the Lahore Durbar through the funds collected from the Multanis subjects for their protection from the wrath of British Government against the Multani Up rise. Though I was not a part of the British levy, but being a part of the
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personal paraphernalia of Lieutenant Edwardes, I was furnished with a rifle fixed with a bayonet for my own protection and fire in self-defence to keep the opponents at bay. In spite of all my efforts at self-control, my heart persisted in beating faster. I even noticed a slight trembling of my hands as I aimed my gun, though for the sake of appearance only, at my own people yet keeping the fire above their heads. 11. It was around four oclock in the afternoon that the guns ceased to fire. As the smoke settled down, we found that the Multani army had retreated from the battlefield, leaving their dead, blown guns and tattered tents behind. Multani artillery consisted of 3, 6, 12, and 24-pound guns. It was pitiable that they left so many pretty guns behind. Heavy artillery is of little use because of its immobility if one is retreating in hurry. Multanis exhibited occasional flashes of military skill and enterprise in the design to attack but in the absence of a military commander they faded away at the right time of execution and ended up in a weak withdrawal. The Bahawalpuri Pathaans are known as Daudputras. Daudputras mean the descendants of David. It is the family name of Bahawalpurs tribe. Daudputras would have been surely routed and made to run back to Bahawalpur, had not this lone Englishman guided them to victory, in this Fencing Ground. The presence of an English commander boosted up the morale and the spirit of the Bahawalpurias who willingly faced, individually and collectively, the extreme risk of complete extinction. The Englishman applied his military skills with audacity and success. He displayed his courage to take an almost impossible task and stand up against all odds. The spirit of do or die carried the field. Yours most obedient servant, (A reluctant witness to the rout of the Multani Force.) Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***

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II

Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
Suraj Kund, June 29, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. Tagging along with the Englishman, we reached Suraj Kund day-before-yesterday. We established our camp near the ancient Kund (pond) and the Shiva Mandir (Shiva Temple) on the south side of Nala Wali Mohammed Khan as the intelligence reached us that a Multani Picket was entrenched on the north side of the Nala after blowing away the only bridge over the Nala leading to Multan. The Nala, as you know Sir, is ten feet deep (five feet below the ground level and five foot raised with mud embankment above the ground level). It is thirty foot wide and not easy to cross without a bridge. They deputed me to survey the land around and report to them about the feasibility of reconstructing the bridge. Further intelligence reached us that Sheikh Imam-ud-din with his Durbar troops was somewhere across the Nala Wali Mohammed under the occupation of Multani troops and was desperately trying to cross over to Suraj Kund, to be on the British side. I was also asked to smell for him also. However, whenever I tried to raise my head above the embarkment on the south side of the Nala, a bullet fired from a Multani rifle hidden behind the embarkment on the north side of the Nala, whizzed past over my head, compelling me to duck below the embarkment. I, as such, decided to retreat to Suraj Kund Temple, out of the range of the rifle fire, and survey the topography from the ramparts of the Temple. And lo, surprise of all the surprises! As I stepped into the temple, I came face to face with our long-lost Yogi, well established there with a large number of followers, not only from the villages around Suraj Kund but also from the city of Multan, with many known faces taking turns to wave the hand-held large cloth fan to keep him cool. The priest of the temple, Pandit Ram Chand, had placed a two-room set along with an open court yard 50 feet by 50 feet at his disposal where large banners in Hindi, Gurmukhi and Urdu displayed the holistic way of treatment by Yoga through Asanas, Pranayama, Mudras, Bandha, Jal Neti, Sutra Neti and Meditation. All those cloth banners promoting Love displayed at Sahuwala Ashram were also adorning the Suraj Kund campus.
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Suraj Kund is as ancient as the city of Multan. The Hindus predominantly populate it. The ancient temple could not withstand the pressure of Islamic invasion and was destroyed and rebuilt many a times. Lastly, Dewan Sawan Mal rebuilt it about 22 years ago and it regained some of its lost glory. Presently a bunch of ash-smeared, matted hair saadhus who make it a point to attend the yogic classes of our Yogi jee and his vedantic sermons occupies the temple. Our Yogi jee is not running a lunger a free food camp this time but offering panchamrit a mixture of honey, milk, ghee, yoghurt & misri (crystallized sugar) five nectars, as Prasad, while chanting: Akaal mrityu haranam, sarva vyadhi vinashnam; Vishno padodakam pitva sirsedharyamyahan. Meaning: May this consecrated sip (panchamrit) protect us from untimely death and all painful diseases as we imbibe this liquid that has washed the feet of Lord Vishnu and raise what is left respectfully to our head to be doubly blessed. The devotees accept the Prasad respectfully in cupped hands, raise the cup to the lips, and wipe the hand clean by passing the palm over the head. I knew how fond was our English Sahib of our Yogi jee and I immediately rushed back to the Camp to report to the Sahib while our Yogi was still trying to place me. The Sahib was very pleased to hear of the Yogi and tagging along Lieutenant Lake, Commander of the Bhawalpur Forces who had joined us on the 28th evening at our Suraj Kund camp, he ordered me to lead them to the Suraj Kund Ashram. However, before proceeding towards Suraj Kund Ashram, he asked General Cortlandt, on the basis of my report, to silence the sharpshooters across the Nala Wali Mohammad, re-build the bridge, and help Sheikh Imam-ud-dins forces, entrapped in the territory under the occupation of Dewan Mool Raj, to cross over to our side. After paying all the respect due to a man of God, both Englishmen took the matasana offered by the beaming Yogi. Our Sahib then bade me to carry on with the work that I was assigned to and I had to leave them alone reluctantly. I would report to you soon as I find out what happened at the meet. By the time I climbed up the ramparts of the temple wall, General Cortlandts men were on the job. They had brought two long range guns with them and the roar of their two volleys were enough to send the Multani picket galloping back to the safety of the city-walls. The British success at Noonr has encouraged the Durbar troops under Raja Sher Singh dilly-dallying at Talamba, Sheikh Imam-ud-din at Dipalpur and Dewan Jawaharmal Dutt in Sindh Sagar Doab to ask permission to reach Multan to help the British and Bahawalpur troops. Our English Sahib had given strict instructions to these
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three advancing columns of the Durbar to leave the Sikh troops at their respective camps and march towards Multan with only Mohammedan troops. Bhai Maharaj Singh, who was prophesying the victory of Khalsa over the British in Punjab (Raj Kareyga Khalsa) was supposed to have been liquidated along with his followers by a squad of soldiers sent by British Resident Sir Frederick Currie. It is surprising that he was very much alive and helping Mool Raj raising new levies as well as persuading the retrenched soldiers of the disbanded Great Sikh Army to join the standard of Mool Raj. Hence his strict orders to the Durbar troops not to allay Sikh troops against Multan. Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***

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III

Transcription of letter from Bhai Bamba Ram in Lunde to Lala Ram Lal
Suraj Kund, June 30, 1848 The news of the disaster at Noonr came in trickles to me through various mouths but I heard it in full detail from Lieutenant Edwardes himself as he met me like a long lost brother yesterday at my Ashram in Suraj Kund. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Lake and led by our Aflatoon himself. We had heart-to-heart talk. He was in high spirits for having won the battle of Salt Hills, which he calls the battle of Kineyri. He is now doubly confident that he can, with the present forces at his command, defeat Mool Raj without the help of White English Division, if only he could have at his disposal the necessary Siege Guns. Edwardes showed his concern about Bhai Maharaj Singh being alive and his very presence in Multan. He firmly believes that real Bhai Maharaj Singh who roamed about the Kingdom of Punjab prophesying the downfall of the British Empire and raising the troops for Khalsa to rule the Punjab, was routed by the British picket sent after him and pushed into the mighty river Chenab where he was reported to have drowned along with hundreds of his followers. Bhai Maharaj Singh, he tells me, was a disciple of Bhai Vir Singh who died while fighting on the side of Attar Singh Sindhanwala in Hira Singh Dogras time. He wanted me to find out from my sources whether the new claimant was the real Bhai Maharaj Singh or an imposter, or it was just a rumour being spread by Mool Raj to boost the morale of his defeated army. As a precautionary measure, he has strictly warned the columns of Durbar troops advancing towards Multan, under (i) Raja Sher Singh through Ravi & Chenab via Talamba, (ii) Dewan Jawaharmal Dutt via Sindh Sagar Doab, and (iii) Sheikh Imamud-din via Qasur and Dipalpur, to leave their Sikh regiments behind at their present camps as rear guards, and advance towards Multan with only Mohammedan columns. His spies report that Bhai Maharaj Singh had miraculously escaped from the Chenab assault and taken shelter at a Sufi khanqah at Uch from where he was safely conducted to Multan. It is further reported that Bhai Maharaj Singh is being sent to Chichawatni on the River Ravi, the border of the province of Multan, where the column of Sardar Shamsher Singh under the command of Sardar Sher has been ordered to halt. Evidently, Bhai Maharaj Singh is being sent to woo the Sikh column to join Mool Raj. It has further disturbed Edwardes to learn that disobeying the halting
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orders, Sardar Shamsher Singh has moved down to a place called Kot Mehra, a strong hold of Khatri Mehras, just forty miles away from the north of Multan. Edwardes tells me that Mustafa Khan Khagwani again called on his camp at Sikanderabad on the morning of 25th, to convey that Mool Raj had declined to accept the offer of just a fair trial and insisted on full pardon which was not in his power to grant. In fact, he feels relieved now of his former guarantee for which he says he had to fight to ensure fair trial. In war times like this only summary trials are held and dangerous prisoners are just hanged, shot by firing squads, or blown off the canon-mouths. Mustafa Khan, as such, decided not to report back to Mool Raj and made good his escape to his native place along with the members of his tribe. Edwardes firmly believes that with his diplomacy, he has been able to sow the seeds of suspicion between Mool Raj and his Pathaan arms and that the Multani Pathaans did not exhibit that hot-headed gallantry for which their race was famous. On the other hand, it is reported that many of the Nawabs Doodputras had quietly abandoned their posts and stolen back to their villages. Lieutenant Lake, the new commander of the Bahawalpur Forces had, however, assured that the Nawab is sending more troupes to replace the runaways with fresh military stores. Not all is lost yet. Please do try your best to avoid this unnecessary blood shed. It is not easy to be sitting on the side firing guns at your own brethren on the other side. Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardhi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, Is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed) ***

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IV

Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
British Camp, Tibbee (Little Mud-hill), Outskirts of Multan. July 2, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. It is really my misfortune to witness and report the setback after setback suffered by the Multani Forces, this time led by Dewan Mool Raj himself. You might have heard by now of the reversal suffered from Dewan Sahib himself. All the same, I intend to report to you from the British side, the briefs of the happening. The bridge at Suraj Kund, rebuilt by the Engineers and Sappers Division of General Cortlandt, was of immense help to Sheikh Imam-ud-dins division to cross over to the British side on June 30. The intelligence had reached us that Multani troops intended to bombard the British Camp at Suraj Kund from behind the high embarkment of Nala on the morning of July 01. General Cortlandt, strategically decided to move the camp from Suraj Kund to the high grounds of Tibbee. The British army moved out at dawn in battle order along the south-west side of the Nala, under the protection of its high embarkment, undetected by the Multani Forces on the northeast side of the Nala, assembling to open their fire at Suraj Kund. The Multani Forces got wind of our movement, changed their plan, and started marching parallel with the Nala, similarly well concealed by the high embarkment of the Nala on the other side. They must have crossed the Nala through the masonry bridge outside Boher Gate, suddenly emerging on a plain land ahead of us. A fierce battle took place at noon. Muslims from both sides crowed, Allah-u-Akbar, Hindus, Har Har Mahadeva and Sikhs Sat Sri Akaal, in their attempt to invoke the

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blessing of their God for their respective sides. Probably God did not like His followers fighting each other and reserved His favour for the brave souls only. Lieutenant Lake was lucky enough to find an isolated high mound (tibba). As the saying goes, the men who are eager to fight will always put them in the most advantageous positions for fighting. He immediately placed his artillery behind this natural entrenchment. The best of Multani artillery appeared to be still behind the city and fort walls of Multan. As soon as the Nawabs artillery under the command of the British Officer, Lieutenant Lake, started roaring, Multani guns that opened first seemed to have lost their roar. The Multanis forces were entrapped from three sides all the sides led by British Officers. General Cortlandt led his cannonade with Subhan Khans Mussalman regiment and Durbars Surajmukhi regiment in the centre. The Pathaan infantry and cavalry of Lieutenant Edwardes marched in the battle order with Sheikh Imam-ud-dins army, holding the position on the left just outside the village Saddosam, and Lieutenant Lakes Bahawalpur troops advanced from the right on Suraj Kund side, facing Multan. The combined attack of the British forces annulled the Multani forces maneuver to take the British by surprise. In spite of the lesser number of guns employed by the Multanis, the artillery fire on both sides was almost equal. The cannon balls kept flying from both sides, smashing human bodies, blowing up horses and mules. A chance shot, however, hit the howdah of the elephant on which Dewan Mool Raj was seated and he had to, perforce; change his mount from his elephant to his horse. Associated with energy, strength and power, an elephant is the premier symbol of royalty. Airavat, the celestial elephant, was the mount of Lord Indra, the rain-god. A yellow fog of gunpowder smoke and the notorious dust of Multan blotted out every thing. The crying wounded soldiers could not be seen through the mist that shrouded the battle ground, strewn with men and animals killed and maimed. As the fog lifted, the empty howdah gave way to the rumour that Dewan Sahib was either wounded or killed, or carried away to the safety of the walls in side the fort. It, probably, broke the resistance of the Multani forces who were fighting so bravely and stubbornly, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. in the after noon the hottest period of the day. Self-preservation is the first law of the nature. The leaderless Multani forces, which had admirably breached the British defence, suddenly started retreating into the city through Boher Gate under the protective fire cover from the ramparts of the city walls, frittering away their sound start.
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Unknown to them, then, as my spies reported later, Dewan Mool Raj too, with mud-soiled clothes and only slightly injured, was one of the limping, sodden, and exhausted troopers to stride back, safely, into the city. Multanis, in haste, left two guns behind for which the Surajmukhi regiment of the Lahore Durbar claimed the credit for having captured the guns in a style which only British could excel. The British acclaimed this skirmish as a great victory. Though casualty on British side was no less, the sycophants claimed more loss on Multan side and even reported that many Multani levies with self-owned horses (Khud Ispehia) did not reenter the city and fled straight to their home villages. Many Pathaans of note, reputed for their ferocity and willingness to fight for whoever paid more, lost their lives. Among them, Shah Muhammad Khan Daodputra of Bahawalpur, carrying green flag of Bahawalpur (Green is the symbol of Islam as it was the favourite colour of Prophet Mohammed), Fateh Khan, Husn Khan Moosazye, Rahim Khan, and Hyder Khan of the British levy, who staked their lives for the British cause, were personally known to me. One firangi in the employ of Bahawalpur force, Captain McPherson, also lost his life and was given a state burial in the village of Saddosam, with full Military Honours. The British Khichri army is now scenting Women and Wealth of Multan. Lust impels even incompatible people to come together. They may not now wait for the Gora Pulton (White British Army) expected to join them after the rainy season, and start pounding, any day, The Great Walls of Multan themselves. A local Commander, howsoever experienced, excellent, and zealous, does not carry the same awe as a white-skinned European Commander, in the eyes of these people. Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***
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Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
British Camp, Tibbee, Multan July 04, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. I beg leave to report, Sir, an incident, or accident; I should better call it an accident that took place here in the British Camp, yesterday. It is not always possible to report incidents verbatim; one has to piece things together for the sake of coherence. Gul Hasan, the favourite messenger of Lieutenant Edwardes, related this incident/ accident to me. It so transpired that he was waiting outside the tent of his Sahib while the Sahib was holding a conference with Lieutenant Lake and General Courtlandt, and a local spy known as Abdul Sattar had just gone in, when he heard a loud bang of a pistol-shot coming out of the tent. He rushed in immediately fearing that one of the white men for bringing some bad news might have shot Abdul. However, to his surprise he found his own Sahib Edwardes holding his right hand tightly with his left hand, messed up, with the blood oozing out of his right hand. All the men were in the trance of the shock to do anything. He exhibited his presence of mind, tore down the bed sheet, made a bandage out of the torn piece of the sheet, and wrapped up the wrist of the injured hand tightly to stop the flow of the blood. That broke the shock-trance and the Sahib asked the men and the spy Abdul to rush out and attend to the emergency first while Gul Hasan, the Sahib said, would look after him personally. General Courtlandt, while rushing out of the tent asked Edwardes Sahib not to take any chance with the local herbs and wait for the Military doctor of his unit that he would be sending immediately while gathering up his troops. While bandaging the wound, Gul Hasan had observed that the shot had gone through the centre of the palm of the Sahib, making a big hole, similar to the holes that the European slave-traders used to carve out with a sharp knife in the palms of the slaves for passing the rope through, to tie them up together in a row to stow them. To divert his attention from his wound, Gul Hasan engaged the Sahib in conversation to find out as to how he got this nasty wound!

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Cursing Mool Raj, the Sahib blurted out that he thought that the British had given Mool Raj such a beating that Mool Raj would not dare come out of his fortress for long time to come. The spy Abdul Sattar, however, reported having noticed some movement of Multani troops on the stone-bridge in the battle order. All the three of us, Edwardes said, then rushed to get ready for the battle, putting on our uniforms, tying up our shoes, and buckling on swords and pistols. It appears that the hammer of one of my loaded guns got stuck in the belt as I tried to push the gun into the holster. My right hand must have gone under the barrel to help my left hand to push it under the belt and accidentally the trigger got pressed. I hope the military doctor would be able to mend the damage. He gave a hoarse laugh. His pain must have been doubled when the report turned out to be a false alarm. The so-called movement of the Multani forces in the battle-order turned out to be just a scouting party of a dozen of equestrian to observe British movements. The military doctor turned out to be Hakim Rehmat Ali Khan of Kohat who claimed having worked under a European doctor for six months across Khyber Pass during the last Anglo- Afghan war. He, carefully, applied some pungent European medicine smelling like red-hot chilly bhut jalokia, all the time conscious that he was treating a white man as important as the General of a British army. However, our Edwardes Sahib did not like him from his very Indian look and appearance, and started cursing him as he tried to sew up the hole in his palm. This made him nervous and shaky and he patched up the wound, not so satisfactorily, as he could have done, had our English Sahib not made him nervous and panicky with his pinching racial abuses. . Come evening, Gul Hasan himself came to me with a verbal message from Edwardes Sahib to fetch Yogi ji for him when he also wised me up with the incident. Yogi Ji was distressed to learn of the accident and rushed with us to the British Camp. General Cortlandt and Lieutenant Lake had just left Edwardes Sahibs tent to recline in their own tents. His personal Munshi Sada Sukh, was however, still there. On examining Edwardes Sahibs condition, Yogi Ji requisitioned Haldi (turmeric) and a glass of hot milk from the army Kitchen. First, he poured a spoon of haldi into the glass of milk and stirring it vigorously with a spoon, offered him to the Sahib to sip it slowly, slowly. Observing his hesitancy, Yogi Ji, beatific as always, spoke in his usual innocent manner, I am not a physician, but from time immemorial Haldi is being used in India as remedy for sprains, swellings, and wounds. Taken with milk, it reduces inflammation and swelling, and acts as a pain reliever. It is such an efficient antibiotic that it not only kills dangerous bacteria but also neutralizes parasites when applied as a paste on wounds. Cur cumin, the active ingredient that gives turmeric its yellow colour, makes it effective against infections and inflammations. Turmeric, as such, is considered immunity booster and infection fighter. Its characteristic yellow colour reduces inflammation, removes blockage in blood vessels, and heals body scars, bruises, internal injuries, and wounds. Haldi boosts the bodys immunity system. Added in vegetable or non vegetable dishes, it stops loose motions and disinfect stomach and intestines.
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I am in no condition to argue with you. Your touch is as soothing as the tender touch of a mother. It is a luxury to be mothered and smothered like a child in such a tender and loving manner. Of what use I am without my right hand! Do what you like to this half-dead body! lamented Edwardes, surrendering his right hand to Yogi Ji, reluctantly. Our Yogi Ji has his own way of saying soothing things. While applying turmeric paste on his injured hands, smoothly and delicately, he chanted in whispers:
Na punyam, na paapam, na sukham, na dukham; Chidanand rupa, Shivoham, Shivoham. Neither good nor bad (virtue or sin), joy or sorrow is there. It is the universal peace of God that is always there!

Then, as a consolation, he added:

Life is a journey of Ups and Downs, Of unwanted Shoes and coveted Crowns. When light shines, darkness vanishes, As knowledge dawns, ignorance perishes. Love, Compassion and Mercy wins Over Hatred, Enmity, Avarice, and Sins.

Night is quiet and peaceful. It would take you in its lap like a mother, lull you into sleep, comfort you, and give the required rest to your tired body and mind. Meditation, yoga and other diet-based therapies have been in practice here besides Ayurvedic and Greek medicine. Ayurveda believes that the body can heal itself by getting rid itself of toxins. Panchkarma (Five techniques) prescribed in Ayurveda can help clear the toxins through herbal decoctions. Until your European doctor arrives here, we will try to keep you comfortable. Do not fret! Proper medical advice and natural healing will join hands to nurse you back to good health. You will bounce back to your old self again. This has given a firm rooting to the rumour circulating here that our Yogi is not only a great exponent of yoga but is also blessed with a healing touch from the super powers. Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***
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VI

Transcription of letter from Bhai Bamba Ram in Lunde to Lala Ram Lal
Suraj Kund July 10, 1848 One thing that will never tire me out of repeating about this injured British tiger is his spirit of fighting. Lying prostrate on his back, his bandaged right hand stretched on a pillow by his side, he is using the lull period in dictating letters for Sir Frederick Currie, Resident; Lord Hugh Gough, Commander-in-chief of the British Army; Major General Whish, commander of the Invading British Army and Lord Dalhousie, the Viceroy, at Fort William. The first half, when it is comparatively cooler, Mr. Quinn writes letters for him and in the second half, Sada Sukh, his native scribe, who is well attuned to the heat of Multan. My own brown body, darkened by sun and toil, looks coal-black against the pale-white body of the Englishman. He still exudes and inspires the confidence of a man who can get things done. He confidently reports to his superiors that he has enough troops to lay a siege around Multan and all that he wants are a few heavy guns, a mortar battery and Major Napier to plan his operations with as many sappers and miners as possible, and of course, assigned a special commission to do so. Mind his attempt to lord over his seniors Majors and Generals so flushed he is with his success as a Lieutenant. He is proud of achieving his object of shutting Mool Raj in his fort and depriving him of all his territories between Setluj and Sindh with his rag-tag army, all raised at the expense of Mool Raj. The British will now collect the revenues of the whole State. How long can Mool Raj keep paying his troops without fresh revenues and how long can the stores of Multan feed his troops! When a ship starts sinking, the rats are first to abandon it. The British Camp expects a daily desertion from the Camp of Mool Raj. He is worried about Raja Sher Singh, leader of the first Column, sent against Multan. It was under his advice that Raja Sher Singh was asked to halt at Talamba, the second strongest fort of the State of Multan, and await further orders. Edwardes was afraid that Mool Rajs Sikhs might persuade the Sikh army of Raja
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Sher Singh to join him in his War of Liberation. Raja Sher Singh, however, could not restrain himself at Talamba for long and crept to Multan to share the spoils, on July 05. Though still in pain with his wounds sustained just two days ago, Edwardes asked me to accommodate him at the reconstructed bridge, near my temple, at Suraj Kund, just two miles down from his Camp Tibbee, and keep him and his Sikh Force engrossed in my religious discourses advocating peace and loyalty to the King of Punjab, Maharaja Daleep Singh. The number of white men in his camp has increased from four i.e. 1. Edwardes himself; 2. His scribe Mr. Quinn; 3. General Courtlandt of the Lahore Durbar; 4. Lt. Edward Lake of Bahawalpur; to seven now with 5. Lt. Harry Lumsden, Commandant of the Punjab Guide Corps, sent by the Resident to reinforce Edwardes; 6. Hugo James, a young adventurer who volunteered to join the British campaign in the hope to be absorbed as a regular soldier; and 7. Dr. Cole, the military surgeon; besides Captain Christopher and Mr. MLawrin paying him occasional visits while cruising in the river Chenab, for raising toasts in the name of Queen Victoria and drink each others health. Englishmen, they boast, carry England wherever they go. With all the rivers of Punjab and the river port of Multan, Raj Ghat, under the British occupation, the military stores like cannon balls, gunpowder, rifles and bullets are reaching the British Camp, unhindered by boats and steamers along with the luxuries of soda-water, whiskey, gin, rum and beer. The weather too is changing. The sun is losing its bite. Mornings and evenings are pleasant these days and the nights comparatively cooler. The British camp looks more like a picnic-camp than a war camp. They are all waiting for the British Army and British Guns to arrive and blast away the ancient city and pulverize the mighty fort of Multan. Edwardes, however, strongly feels that it would add to his prestige if he could take the city of Multan before the British Army arrives. Mool Raj, he says, has no guts. To lead men forward under fire requires more daring than needed for self-defence. Edwardes appreciates my work and says that my helpful nature is earning for me an immense goodwill. He knows that I am in correspondence with you. He has asked me to write to you a strong warning letter that if the city falls, it would be disgracefully sacked, perhaps burnt, by the wild mass of ruffians that is under his command and that he and his half-a-dozen white men might not be able to restrain the rapacious levy from general plunder and rape. Almost all the chief Pathaan and Baloch tribes have joined the British in subordination of just one British
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officer, a mere lieutenant. While Mool Raj and his army would confine themselves safely into the fort, what would the general public resort to? The people would be plundered, their homes ransacked and there would be no one there to give them protection and mitigate their sufferings. The kings, princes and the courtiers, some sage rightly said, are wastrels and spongers who spend all their lives in amusing themselves at public expense. Will someone instill some sense into Mool Raj? If he cannot drive away an undisciplined crowd, lined up as British Army, what chance he has to stand against the welldisciplined and well-equipped British Army of English soldiers nicknamed as Cheetahs by Hindu Rao of Gwalior? Vinaash Kale Vipreet Buddhi Aberration of the intellect suggest coming destruction. When a person is doomed to be ruined, his senses desert him as rats desert a sinking ship. The only difference is that he will sink the entire ancient city of Multan and its inhabitants along with him. Could someone ask him as to what is he waiting for? The first stroke is half the battle. Is he waiting for the British Army to arrive? Our ancient warriors, known for their bravery, never indulged in fighting an unarmed or ill-equipped warrior and provided a similar weapon to their opponents before a combat to express their chivalry. Does your friend really feels that he cannot condescend himself to indulge with a ragtag army and will show his true mettle to the cheetahs of the British Army only? (Sting is intentional). One, who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, achieves nothing, and is worth nothing. Trying even at the risk of failure is essential for self-empowerment. Trying again after failure helps one come out of structured failure and lead towards success. But your friend, probably, knows that he cannot make an effectual resistance outside the fort. His men, it is reported, have started grumbling and muttering among themselves, as to how could they depend on such officers who in stead of attacking and driving away the British levies are vying each other to find excuses for inaction. Edwardes, in spite of his injuries, is flushed with success. Oh, how I wish, you could still convince Mool Raj and his coterie even at this stage to sue for peace! When a fierce wind threatens to blow away and uproot all that comes in its path, the trees that submissively bend, manage to sustain its fury. A blade of grass flattens itself against the swift current of the river in spate and resurfaces again as the current subsides. The plants that have no brains use this method of defence for survival prompted by Nature. How is that that human beings who have been blessed with thinking mind by Nature, hesitate to adopt this
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method? Your assessment of the situation should be realistic. You must muster all your resources, understand the strengths and weaknesses of your adversary, and be prepared to put up the stiffest resistance. At the same time, if you find yourself inadequate to meet the challenge, you should be prepared to bear the momentary unpleasantness in anticipation of lasting pleasantness and try to work out the best bargain! No matter what the doomsayers predict, it is not easy to eclipse the British, the new rising power of India. The lull time is providing us with an opportunity to achieve peace. Seize it. Do not let it slip! Do not seal your lips! This is not the time for remaining silent. This is the time for action. Act before it is too late. Everyone is looking for peace, love, and happiness. This is not the time to dwell on the past. Keep your eyes on the future. Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardhi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, Is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed) ***

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VII

Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
British Camp, Tibbee, Multan July 27 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. There is nothing new to report except that I am still alive to mark my presence at my allotted post. The news are rife here, as you might have heard of too, that the Gora Paltan, the British White Army, led by General Whish with siege guns and British Artillery is on way to Multan in response to the urgent appeal of Lt. Edwardes. This has worked as a splash of cold water on the faces of Sikh soldiers under the command of Raja Sher Singh, Sardar Shamsher Singh Sindhanwala, and Sardar Attar Singh Kallianwala. They are cooperating superlatively with the forces under the command of Lt. Lake, Lt. Lumsden and General Cortlandt since Lt. Edwardes is still not able to ride and lead the British Army. Edwardes has appointed some Pathaan officers to keep a specific watch and observe the conduct of the Sikh army. On both the occasions, July 20 and July 26, the observers reported that the appearance of the Sikh army against the Multanis deterred Mool Raj to arraign his army against the Sikhs and made him withdraw back behind the city walls. Our Yogi is also performing his own bit to advocate peace through his sermons at the Suraj Kund temple. It takes courage and tact to speak the truth, at the right time, in the right manner, without being abrasive. There is Japanese saying, he says, that the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists the wind. It is not what you are doing; it is how you are doing it that matters. His morning yoga class lasts for an hour or so including 20 minutes of his religious discourse. In yoga, he teaches how to sit in a posture with spine erect, breathe in through one nostril, hold it as long as one can, and breathe out or release it through the other nostril slowly. One could also release the accumulated breath through the same nostril and breathe in and out through the other nostril next, repeating the process as long as one could. His audience not only consists of Sher Singhs Sikhs but Balochis and Pathaans of Bahawalpur regulars and the irregulars of Edwardes
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from cutthroat tribes too. Sometimes even white men stroll in. He can handle different people of different races deftly. His determination and courage aspires everyone to strive ahead. Yogis attain equanimity the art of retaining normalcy under dualities of pleasure and pain, honour and dishonour. There is a Chinese proverb, he says, when the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills. He begins with praising all faiths that lead to one Great Master whom we address as Allah, Ishwar, and God. All religions profess, he proclaims, that there is a God who is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. Allah showers His mercy on every human being, be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jew or Christian. I am not gifted to recall exactly what he says, word by word, but, patching together my recollections, I can safely say his sermons go something like this: A soldiers duty is to fight for right cause and enlist with the group he thinks is just and if he is a professional, fighting for the one who pays him, his duty is to be loyal to his paymaster and fight for him what ever the cause, and leave the issue of war and peace to his masters. In moments of grief , he says, recite silently your favourite prayer to dissolve all negative thoughts. Any religion, he says, that divides people, cannot lead to God. Renounce hatred and jealousy. Announce love and compassion for all. Live in peace and harmony and bring Satyug (the millennium of Truth) back in the world. According to the Hindu Holy Books, he proclaims, the life span of the world is four millenniums. 1. Satyug, 2. Tretayug, 3. Dwaperyug, and 4. Kalyug. Kalyug, which literally means tomorrows period, he defines as the period of inter-fighting Kalah which was to dawn tomorrow, has dawned and turned into today and is the current / present yug the period of in-fighting and destruction. If we can put an end to self-destruction killing each other over who rules whom, live in peace with each other, may be we can bring back satyug the era of Truth and Peace. Man is an ocean of love (pyar ka saagar). He is made in the mould of God. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking be put away. He, who conquers others, makes them enemies, not friends. Be ye kind to one another, tender hearted and forgiving to usher in an era of peace and tranquility. Be ye like sandalwood, which perfumes the axe that wounds it. Men, like threads of different colours, are woven together into a multi-coloured cloth. You cannot separate the threads without destroying the cloth. Quoting Bhakta Kabir, he sings in his melodious voice: Pothi padh-padh Jag Mua, Pandit Bhayo Na Koye, Dhai Akhyar Prem Ke, Jo Padhey so Pandit Hoye!

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Meaning: Many people die without achieving wisdom in spite of reading many a books, but those who have read only a few letters of LOVE, gained wisdom. (Love in Hindi script Prem has two & half letters.) He has created a serene atmosphere in his Ashram and keeps his audience mesmerized. Sat Chit Anand Truth, Consciousness, Bliss. Gods do not have to be propitiated through offerings, rituals, or sacrificial rites to ward off evils. They can only be pleased and won over by good deeds. How truly he says. I am not able to take note of all that he says and can manage to quote only a part that mysteriously lingers in my mind for long time. Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***

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VIII

Transcription of letter from Bhai Bamba Ram in Lunde to Lala Ram Lal
Suraj Kund, August 03, 1848 Having heard from the Resident at Lahore that British army was on its way to Multan under Major General Whish, Edwardes persuaded me to do him a favour. He asked me to prepare one of my dependable double agents who come from the city of Multan often posing as my disciples, but actually are working as informers for the Government of Multan on the one hand, yet bringing inside information from my friend in Mool Rajs camp on the other hand. He confessed that he has had his eyes on the people who call on me often but his men have not been able to find any material with them incriminating enough to seize them. Through such persons who could well conceal the Warning Proclamations received by him from Lahore, and smuggle into the city, he wanted me to post them at some prominent places in the city of Multan and surprise Mool Raj out of his wits. Proclamations are of two kinds, printed in Hindi, Urdu, Gurmukhi, and Persian. One, warning the mercenaries to go back to their homes, save their precious lives, and not lend their arms to a losing side. And the other, warning the citizens of Multan to desist from assisting Mool Rajs army in any manner so as not to force the British Army to take the city by storming, in which case, the British may not be able to protect the lives of innocent citizens - men, women and children and their properties. You might have seen these proclamations by now and wondered as to how they got into the city! I got one each of the two proclamations, posted right in the Gala Mandi (Grain Market) at the Piao (Drinking water kiosk) opposite my very own shop, and at the pipal tree at Hussain Agahi, opposite the shop of Teen Bhai, (Three Brothers) Kirana Merchants. One each could be seen at the very Chowk of the Chowk Bazaar at the corner shop of Yamuna Das Bajaj, and at the Masjid Phul Hattan in Chowk Bazaar. Another set at the corner shop of Babbar Halwai, in Kale Mandi, and at inside and outside the walls of all the six gates of the city of Multan. I under-

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stand that Edwardes got one posted at the Sikki Gate in the fort and one into the Council Chamber of Mool Raj himself through some other agents. Frustrated with the loss of his right hand, Edwardes seems to be taking his frustration out on easy victims. I cite two incidents here that are witness to this assumption. The truth about the first incident, reported to me, is something like this: Sardar Satinder Singh, a cavalry commander with Raja Sher Singh, was envious of the popularity of a Jageerdari Ghurchara (Government-granted Estate-holder & cavalier with his own horse) known as Sardar Shujan Singh. Shujan Singh was a fearless and dashing equestrian and very popular among the cavaliers, which Satinder Singh could not cherish. He knew that Mool Raj was trying to woo Raja Sher Singh to join him in his war of liberation. Taking advantage of the troubled times, he planted some letters under the saddle of Shujan Singhs horse which purported to reveal a conspiracy to (i) poison Raja Sher Singh to death in the event of his not joining Mool Raj; (ii) take over the command of the Sikh cavalry and cross over to Multanside. Gurdeep Singh and Kulwant Singh, who knew of Satinder Singhs burning jealousy against Shujan Singh, tried to dissuade him to settle his personal scores with Shujan Singh under such a serious charge. This enraged Satinder Singh and he involved them too under conspiracy charge as his co-conspirators. Raja Sher Singh, to keep himself distant from conspiracy and counter-conspiracy suspicions, handed the three suspects to the British for judgment. It was an opportunity that Edwardes was waiting for to reassert his authority and wipe off his frustration. A quick summary trial was held and all the three prisoners declared guilty. Shujan Singh, as the ringleader, was sentenced to death and the other two victims to various prison terms, in spite of the fact that evidence against all the accused was inconsistent and unsubstantiated. There was no substance in the allegations leveled against Shujan Singh to warrant death sentence. The prosecution was not able to bring on record any evidence legally sustainable. A judicial official must conduct himself with dignity and manner becoming of a judicial officer, in tune with its highest standard of propriety and probity that is integrity, uprightness, and honesty. However, here, to make an example of him, Shujan Singh was blown off cannon of the Sikh battalion in the Sikh Camp, instead of hanging, by the revised orders of Edwardes who knew very well that Khalsa does not approve of such execution. The move was obviously calculated to increase tension, bitterness, and strife between different religious groups. It was barbaric and a slur on the name of British Justice.

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Just think of it. Only a few days before I was reciting some of the fundamental sermons from the Japji Sahib at my Yoga assemblage where besides these three martyrs, then just a few faces in the crowd, even Edwardes had strolled in. Finding him in my audience, I virtuously eulogized the British Administration for introducing British system of Law and Justice in the Kingdom of Punjab, saying: Waging of war was a prehistoric pastime. Killing each other was no sport or bravery. Annihilating Gods creation was a sin. Those who are self-sacrificing and wise, remain calm and tranquil despite provocation. All religions believe in serving the humanity in ending the sufferings of all beings irrespective of their faith. I took the opportunity to repeat and translate the meaning of the Gurbani words of the Guru Nanak Sahib ji, into English for the benefit of Edwardes:
Karmi avai kapra, nadri mokh duar; Nanak evai jaanye sabh aape sachiar. Human body is obtained after a good deed (karma), He, however, attains salvation with the Grace of God. Guru Nanak states that one must keep in mind That True God is realized all by Himself. Thapia na jaye keeta na hoye, Aape aap niranjan soye. God cannot be created or established by any mortal. Pure God, unaffected by riches or material wealth, is all by Himself; Jin sevia tin paya maan, Nanak gaviye guni nidhaan. Those who serve God, obtain honour; Nanak says, Sing the praises of God, Who is the epitome of goodness.

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The Japji Sahib, I said, comprises spiritual vision and insights of Baba Guru Nanak. It contains the essence of his spiritual experiences. Our ancient scriptures state that there are eighty four lakhs kind of species a soul has to pass through before it can obtain human form. Human life is a reward, given to those who earn it, who deserve it by performing good karmas (deeds) in their past lives. Human life is a rare blessing. Enjoy the span you have been allotted to exist as a human being and let your fellow human beings too, to live as such. Let us not snuff out human life unnecessarily! The soul experiences the pleasures and the pains of the body in which it resides. If you cannot improve the living condition of the world, at least leave it as it is. And if you can make it a little better, a little happier, a little more beautiful, as the British Authorities are promising you, welcome it by all means. You will be remembered for this for a long time to come. People remember Ram for his just reign (Ram Rajya). Krishna is remembered for restoring a just cause, giving gyan (knowledge) through the great epic Geeta in the battle of Kurukshetra. Jesus Christ is exalted for His gospel and New Testament; The Prophet Mohammad for having been chosen by God Himself for the revelation of Quran through the Archangel Jibril (Gabriel); Baba Guru Nanak Dev for his great reforms and new path to salvation; Maharaja Ranjit Singh for consolidating Punjab and bringing the people of all faith in Punjab together under one umbrella and establishing peace in the region. Unfortunately, the peace of the nation is disturbed again. Our life is enmeshed in ups and downs, gains and losses, laughter and sorrows, ecstasy and dejection, acceptance and rejection. We feel unsafe and dread to face uncertainty about the future, about our personal lives, about our religions, about our financial and social institutions. Human life is precious. It has special powers of accomplishment. Do not treat them as goats and sheep. Human value lies in vivek-vigyan i.e. power of discrimation between the good and evil. As long as we live in human form, we should adopt pragmatic generous activities, and swing with the changing time and not cling to old theories, ideas, or outdated rules. Renouncing selfish desires, we should focus our attention on non-attachment, non-hatred, and non-violence, kindling the love for all. Let us act in harmony with the men in power and help restore the peace. Alas! It had no effect on the ever-scheming, steely-eyed British martinet. He let no opportunity escape to flaunt a white mans superiority. Proud of his colour, creed, and status, he feels reluctant to accept his mistakes and say sorry to anyone. While Edwardes thinks that he has frightened the Sikhs and the allied forces into submission by making a scapegoat of Shujan Singh, the Sikhs, though outwardly silent,
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inwardly are full of resentment. If they ever join the cause of Multan, I am sure; the historians would lay the blame on this over-enthusiastic inhuman Englishman. The second incident is that of poor Launga Mal, governor of Dera Ghazi Khan. By now, you must be fully aware of the fact as to how Edwardes, the astute Englishman, induced Kaura Khan, the Baloch the sworn enemy of Jalal Khan Lughari of Dera Ghazi Khan, commanding the forces of Mool Raj under Launga Mal, Governor of Dera Ghazi Khan, to invade Dera Ghazi Khan. Kaura Khan with his son Ghulam Haider Khan who was honoured by Edwardes with a khillat, raised fresh troops from their own clan, and defeated their archenemies Lugharis. Chetan Mal, uncle of Launga Mal, who had withdrawn from his weaker position at Sungarh and joined his nephew Launga Mal to give better resistance at D. G. Khan, fought a desperate battle for three hours with just 500 men and one gun, and was martyred in the battlefield. While Jalal Khan Lughari ran away with eighty men of his tribe, Launga Mal was wounded, taken prisoner alive, and handed over to General Cortlandt who had stepped in to take possession of the fallen city for the British. For over two months, the British dragged him along as their war-catch across Sindh and Chenab. To pronounce his presence and authority, Edwardes brought him out of the prison cell and put him on summary trial for treason against the Lahore Government for not handing over the District of Dera Ghazi Khan peacefully to the British, official agents of the Lahore Durbar. Launga Mal pleaded his case himself very boldly, declaring that he was, firstly, an employee of Multan Government and obeyed the command of his superior, and secondly, he tried to defend his city against the local tribal invaders, not the Durbar troops or British troops. His pleas were overruled and he was sentenced to death by hanging, in accordance with the predetermined verdict. Even my pleas in our private sittings had no effect on Edwardes. No one, I argued before him, has a moral right to claim righteousness of his own beliefs, his own goodness, and his own ethics only and look down upon others. The pleadings of Launga Mal were solid and Edwardes should have shown the magnanimity of British heart by pardoning Launga Mal and setting him free as a brave soldier who fought for his principles. According to Lord Buddha, I interjected, there is no revenge as complete as forgiveness. Forgiveness is an antidote of the poisoning of revenge. Forgiveness is an abode of love and happiness. Forgiveness is a gift of God. However, apparently, he was not blessed with such a gift. Goodness never comes near a person who thinks himself good. He was adamant and determined to hang Launga Mal.

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The hanging took place right before the paraded troops in Edwardes Camp and creditably to his last, Launga Mal maintained that he did not revolt against any authority and was only defending his district as a legally appointed Governor against the invading hostile hordes of Balochi tribes. His last words were bolder than his stand: That which you destroy is not me, and that which I am, you cannot destroy. Edwardes failed to realize how disgustingly he could transform into a cruel dictator while posing as a just officer! May be a mean streak runs in his blood! This shows the worst degree of depravity and brutality of a British mind. The sympathy of the people, in both the cases, went with the victims. Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardhi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, Is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed ***

That which you destroy is not me, and that which I am, you cannot destroy

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IX

Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
British Camp, Suraj Kund, Multan August 16, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. It is now confirmed that Major General Whish with his British Army have reached Sardarpur and is expected to join our camp at Suraj Kund within three days. That is why Lieutenant Edwardes hurriedly summoned Raja Sher Singh, Sardar Shamsher Singh, and Sardar Attar Singh at his Tibbee Camp on the evening of 15th of August and persuaded them to exchange their camping site with him for better maneuvering of the British combined forces. The reports had seeped in that since the execution of Shujan Singh by dreaded cannon-blast, Sikh soldiers were quietly deserting Raja Sher Singh in small groups with their arms and mounts and crossing over to Multan, reportedly to join Dewan Mool Raj. Lieutenant Edwardes did not want a disaffected Sikh Army between his army and the army of General Whish when it reached Multan. All the three Sardars were baffled but had no say, no voice, and no alternative but to obey and make way for him to welcome and receive the invading army of General Whish. An arrangement was made for the Sikh army to march at daybreak from Suraj Kund towards Tibbee and for Edwardes army from Tibbee towards Suraj Kund. Raja Sher Singh, wisely, left a division behind to guard the bridges over the canal until the arrival of Lieutenant Edwardes bandwagon. Similarly, Lieutenant Edwardes too left a rear-guard to protect the bridge over the canal that lead to Boher Gate the scene of the last skirmish. We felt a little hurt to observe that while Rajas army marched as if withdrawing from one campsite to another, Lieutenant Edwardes army marched in full battle order and halted midway, reining in their horses as in an equestrian
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show, to let the Sikh army pass by as if allowing a defeated army to retreat-back from a battlefield. So much dust was raised by the marching feet of men and animals that the men had to cover their faces to protect their ears, noses, and eyes from the man made dust storm. Lieutenant Edwardes is still not fit enough to mount a horse and moves about in a palkee (palanquin) but he skillfully managed to exchange the camps of the two armies men, animals, and equipments without an incident and is now ready to receive the great army of General Whish.

During the process of this changeover of the camps, I could not help overhearing the grumbling of the Sikh soldiers of Raja Sher Singh: If the aim of the up rise of Dewan Mool Raj was to drive the British out of Punjab, why were they trying to fortify themselves in the fort? Massing of troops at one place does not ensure victory. It is the deployment of troops at strategic points and making maximum and tactical use of the forces that is the art of generalship and that is what wins battles.
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There is no substitute for well-trained and well-equipped army. I am not a military man and have no right to comment on such observation and remarks. However, living and moving with the British soldiery, day and night, all these months, I too have started thinking like a soldier. I feel that in all ventures, there must be a leader and those that follow their leader. The leader must accept the responsibility of leading his followers to victory. The followers must feel it their duty to follow the directions of their leader, obediently, sincerely, and faithfully. The quality of leadership and flexibility of mind and action can only help to keep an army a step ahead of its enemy. Originality, audacity, and rapidity, combined with secrecy, concealment, and deception are the main tools of victory. A surprise attack, catching the enemy unaware on the flanks, can win a battle. The defensive outlook is more damaging. It betrays incapability to attack, inferiority in strength and equipment, and need to be safe at all costs. Moreover, unity of command in the field is the first prerequisite in any war. Please excuse me for saying so. Multani army does not have even an outward semblance of a cohesive force. Defensive tactics can be invaluable to wear out the enemy, to regroup ones own forces or to commission an offensive against the enemy and drive it out of ones territory across the border. There is no doubt about it that lesser forces, safe in proper fortification, can hold up and wear down a larger and superior army, but without a will to launch a tactical offensive during the defensive battle whenever and wherever an opportunity occurs, will result in exhaustion. In weakness, defence is inevitable, but to be continually on the defensive is inexcusable. This attitude may invite disaster. It would be suicidal to stick to defensive tactics with no intention or plans for a counter-offensive. May the Lord of Success carry us through this difficult time! Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***

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Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
Edwardes Camp, Moosa Khoo, Multan September 06, 1848 Janaab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. General Whish with his advance column of the British besieging army, arrived here on August 18, 1848 and encamped at Seetal-ki-Maree, about six miles east of Suraj Kund, opposite the great fort and the city of Multan, out of the reach of Multani guns mounted on the walls of the city and the fort. As per military custom, the Sikh artillery, one under the command of Raja Sher Singh and the other under General Cortlandt, fired cannon shots in the air in honour of the approaching army of General Whish. All our units were under qui vive (on the alert) lest Multanis decide to attack while the British army was occupied in erecting tents. The other column, commanded by Brigadier Salter, reached here, next day, on the 19th of August. The European regiments, attached to both the columns, were ferried by boats, to keep them cool, while the natives walked or rode along the bank. The siege-trains were also transported in boats. The first column marched along the left bank of the river Ravi up to Talamba where it merges with Chenab and from Talamba to Multan along the left Bank of Chenab. The second column marched from Ferozpur, in British India, to Bindri Ghat opposite Bahawalpur, along the right bank of the river Setluj. The siege-train and the heavy guns could not make to the battleground before 4th September. The distance of six miles between Suraj Kund where Lieutenant Edwardes along with Lieutenant Lake were encamped, and Seetal-ki-Maree where General Whish was encamped, irked General Whish. He did not like the prospect of Multani forces passing through the gap and getting into the rear of British troops. My services were
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requisitioned to survey and suggest a suitable place near Seetal-ki-Maree for the army of Edwardes to encamp. My suggestion of encampment at Moosa Khoo (Mausam Khans Well) was accepted and we abandoned Suraj Kund and moved to the new site on the 1st of September and encamped at the Moosa Khoo about two miles nearer to Multan. It was nice of Edwardes to persuade Yogi Ji to leave Suraj Kund and move along with us. In the process, we had to expel the advance guards of Rohillas and Akalis posted by Dewan Mool Raj from the Garden of Khuda Yaar Khan and Kuttee Bairagi along the embankment of Nala Wali Mohammed Khan. The famous Jog Maya temple is just 300 yards away from our camp where our Yogi Ji has established his Dera. In the compound of the temple there is also an ancient yajna (Yagya) Kund where the fire rites used to be earnestly performed. The Yogi Ji has rekindled the fire there and started performing yagna. The Hindus in the native troops brought by General Whish have started attending the yagna. My services were requisitioned again for the following proclamation, hand written in Persian, Urdu, Hindi, English, and Gurmukhi to be pasted at the prominent places in the city and the fort of Multan:
PROCLAMATION By Major General W. S. Whish, C. B., Commanding the Army before Multan. September 04, 1848 I invite both, the inhabitants and the garrison of Multan, to an unconditional surrender, within twenty-four hours after the firing of a Royal Salute, at sunrise tomorrow, in honour of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and her ally, His Highness Maharaja Daleep Singh. I shall, otherwise, in obedience to the orders of the Supreme Government of India, commence hostilities on a scale that must insure early destruction to the rebel traitor and his adherents, who, having begun their resistance to lawful authority with a most cowardly act of treachery and murder, seek to uphold their unrighteous cause by an appeal to religion, which everyone must know, to be sheer hypocrisy. If the town be surrendered to me, as above suggested, private property will be respected; and the garrison of the fort will be permitted to withdraw unmolested, on giving up Dewan Mool Raj and his immediate associates, and laying down their arms at one of the eastern gates of the town, and fort, respectively. Given under my hand and seal this 4th day of September, 1848.

Seal of Major-General Whish

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Signature of Major General Whish

At the sunrise of the 5th morning, the same proclamation was read over at the head of the British force to boost their morals and a Royal salute was fired from the British guns followed by the supportive gunfire from Durbar guns commanded by General Cortlandt, Raja Sher Singh, and Daodputras of Bhawalpur. Before the echo of the British guns died, a shot from the direction of the fort of Multan landed just behind General Whish, creating a deep crater. It must have been fired from great height, most probably from long barreled Zam Zama gun with which Multan was conquered by Misr Dewan Chand for Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This single shot, in response to the proclamation has shaken the British. Intelligence and counter-intelligence is a vital part of war. The British were not probably aware of the existence of the famous Abdali gun in Multan otherwise they would have taken its possession for themselves after the Treaty of Bhaironwal. Made of copper and brass, this massive gun had helped Ahmed Shah Abdali subdue Marathas in the third battle of Panipat. The Bhangi Sikhs of Amritsar had taken it over from the Afghans who could not wheel the heavy big gun with them on their way back home to Afghanistan and it came into the hands of Maharaja Ranjit Singh on his victory over the Bhangis of Amritsar. Since then the gun acquired the name of the Bhangion ki Tope. A single shot from the Zam Zama gun shook the confidence of the British forces that, man-to-man, they were superior to the Multani forces. A bold offensive action can make ones opponents, larger than your own, run for cover. While I am writing this report, a highly confidential meeting is being held in the tent of General Whish. Colonel Drummond, C. B., Deputy Quarter Master General; Major Napier, Chief Engineer; Major Garbett, Artillery; Major Becher, Assistant Quarter Master General; Captain Siddons, Assistant Engineer; Captain Garforth, Engineer; Captain Whish, Assistant Adjutant General; General Cortlandt, Durbar Service; Lieutenant Edwardes, leading Local Levies, Lieutenant Lake, Commander of the Bhawalpur Force; are believed to be in the meeting. The British believe that a battle should only be offered when there is every chance of success. Success in a battle depends on foresight and on sensing the psychological moment. The fate of Multan is under consideration with these top-notch officers of the British army. Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***
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CHAPTER 6

Battleground
I

Transcription of letter from Bhai Bhamba Ram in Lunde to Lala Ram Lal
Temple Yog Maya, September 13, 1848 My relations with Herbert Edwardes have grown into trust and deepened with understanding. We could discuss even battle strategies without embarrassing each other though we normally pick up the subject of spiritualism. It so happened that General Whish found my encampment in Yog Maya temple, militarily, irksome and asked Edwardes to remove me back to Suraj Kund. The General is of the opinion that a Yogi has no place in a battlefield. Besides, this Yogi, he asserts, is not alone. The Yogi has his paraphernalia to be accommodated and the devotees that he attracts, with free food and shelter, may give chance to Multani spies to infiltrate into the British camps. To justify my presence in the battlefield, I brought up the subject of Geeta. Wisdom of Geeta, I said, was revealed at the battleground of Kurukshetra the greatest war that was ever fought in the subcontinent in which all the kingdoms of India took one side or the other (Kauravas or Pandavas) to annihilate each other. That is why it is called Mahabharata The Great Indian War. Lord Krishna was the greatest Yogi and there is not a single chapter in Geeta that does not contain one or the other aspect of Yoga. Every asana in yoga has a positive effect on your body and mind, and is useful in war and peace. On the eleventh day (Ekadashi of the bright half Shukla Pakshya) in the month of Magh (December) 5,000 years ago, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the great warrior Arjuna, the greatest bowman of his time, refused to pick up arms to kill his own relatives, friends, and acquaintances, aligned on the side of Kauravas against Pandavas. What Krishna outlined to him to make him pick up his arms, gave birth to the Bhagavad Geeta, right in the middle of the battlefield. Geeta is as fresh in insight and as relevant in this war as it was 5000 years ago. In the first Shloka (verse) of Geeta, Dhritrashtra King of Kauravas asks Sanjay, his official battle-observer & reporter:
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Assembled on the battlefield of Duty, tell me O Sanjay, What are my people and Pandavas doing on the field of Kurus! Similarly, Mool Raj too, standing in the observation tower with his Military Officers glued to the field-glasses, was probably asking, like Dhritrashtra, as to what his forces entrenched against the British Army were doing? Dhritrashtra was blind from birth. Mool Raj was not. However, he was acting blind. Eyes he has but sees not! Holed up in his fort, he is surrounded by a vast British Army. He is virtually blind. Can he not see that when he could not drive away the irregular army raised by a lone Britisher, how could he pose any challenge to regular, disciplined British Forces? I took this opportunity to explain to him the class system among Hindus. The noble Kshatriya class was created to defend the other three classes the literate Vipras (Brahmin), the varinjya business class (Vaishya), and the service class (Shudra). The Brahmins were encouraged to learn and teach others the art of living and the code of conduct as envisaged by our sages in holy books, for which the other three classes contributed in cash or kind according to ones means. The noble Kshatries were induced to concentrate on bodybuilding, learn the art of fighting and wrestling to defend the other three classes from invaders for which the other two classes, the Vaishya and Shudras contributed by way of taxes imposed by the Kshatries who became rulers. However, on gaining power, the physically strong Kshatries started indulging in the pursuit of pleasure and comforts and amassing wealth for their individual selves, neglecting utterly their sacred duty to serve their people. Their hunger for more wealth, made them invade their weaker neighbours and expand their territories and tributaries for more and more revenues. By quoting Geeta, I was trying to justify my presence in the battlefield like that of Lord Krishna and the validity of our Great epic in the present war. A mystic only, I said, can provide divine touch. Our conscience keeps check on us and guides us what to do, and what not to do! Geeta enjoins one to perform ones duty selflessly without expectations of any reward. Geeta consists of eighteen chapters, divided into three sections of six chapters each. The first section unveils Karma Yoga, the second section talks of Bhakti (Devotion) Yoga and the third section covers Gyan Yoga i.e. Knowledge of self . It is our inner voice that cautions us, when about to commit something wrong, but we often overlook or ignore the warning in our greed and selfishness. It is your trust and confidence in me that keeps me motivated to serve you better. I think I could be more useful to you here in the battlefield, reminding the native troops of their Dharma (duty) than dwelling safely back in Suraj Kund. Besides, my inner voice directs me to serve the battle-scarred persons from either side without discrimination, be they Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Christians, Browns or Whites, with love and care. Those who have universal peace in mind would see the glimpse of Divine in each wounded person performing his duty on this side or the other. You might have observed that I welcomed
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the Muslim devotees to use the temple water to do vazu (ablutions) before offering prayers in the open fields behind the temple. The glory of life is not in never failing, but in rising each time one fails. The purpose of life is to serve. We come from shunya (nothing) and go back to shunya i.e. nothing. He seems to be convinced by my arguments. Let us hope he is able to convince General Whish. On the night-fight of September 9, when the Multani army successfully repulsed the British attack to advance through the village of Ram Tirath, my disciples and I tended to the wounded, carrying them safely to our temple through the crossfire without caring for our own lives, before the British aid could arrive. The British General who until now was of the opinion that marches at Multan would be a cakewalk for his army as Multanis were slow and lumbering, was compelled to change his opinion. Edwardes too was forced to acclaim that Multanis were really courageous and excelled in Defensive Warfare. They fight with incredible tenacity. The British lost many white soldiers and officers too beside their Indian recruits. Among the killed were Major Montizambert, Colonel Patton, Quarter-Master Taylor, Ensign Lloyd, and Lieutenant Cubbit. Among the injured was the Chief Engineer Major Napier. One of the seriously wounded was Captain Christopher of the British Navy who brought war supplies to Multan along with British wine, champagne, and beer in his steamer cruising through the river Chenab. Unfortunately, he gave up his ghost this morning. He was very close to Edwardes, as we say Hum Piyala, Hum Nivala with whom one shares the wine cup and break bread. Captain Christopher and his colleague Mr. MLawrin were regular visitors to the Club-7 formed by the British Officers. His loss was lamented by all the officers of the Club 7 who used to gather together for a drink in the evening while waiting for the British Army to reach Multan. He was buried at Suraj Kund with full military honours. In the absence of any Christian priest, Edwardes himself conducted the funeral service. By the evening, his mood changed. He had received the orders of his promotion. From a Lieutenant he had been promoted to a Major two ranks up. The only pinch that he feels is, he explained to me in a depressed tone, that he would not be getting the salary of a major. The rank is called Brevet-Major a sort of honour bestowed in consideration of distinguished services rendered in war, a commission promoting a military officer to a higher rank without increase of pay and with limited exercise of the rank. Nevertheless, all the units turned up to congratulate him for his well-deserved promotion. Edwardes confided in me that with his right hand gone, his future in the army was bleak. He was likely to be retired after the fall of Multan. He came to India in the beginning of the year 1841 with no friends, no influence, and no contacts to get a suit151

able employment of status. In 1845, he was promised a job in the Department of Advocate-General in the Bengal Presidency, or on the North-West Frontier of India under the Governor-Generals Agent, as and when a vacancy occurred. As luck would have it, Sir Hugh Gough, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army took note of him and accommodated him as an Aide-de-Camp on his personal staff. In the Setluj war with the Sikhs of Punjab, Lord Harding, the Governor-General, had taken to the field under General Gough to save the British Empire from the onslaught of the famous invincible Sikh Army. On their courtesy call at the Field Hospital where lieutenant Edwardes was lying wounded after the battle of Mudkee, Sir Hugh Gough proudly introduced his ADC to Lord Harding. On the recommendation of General Gough, Lord Harding was pleased to lend his services to the Government of Punjab and now the General himself had sent a letter of congratulations through the Resident Sir Frederick Curie on his achievement at the battlefront of Multan. The praising words made him weepy and misty eyed, as he read this letter aloud for me. He said that he would preserve this letter as a letter of commendation. Work well done is in itself a reward, I said and composed a few lines in rhyme for him in tune with his mood to express the depth of my love and intensity of the bond of friendship that we shared:
We cry when we are sad; we cry when we are glad We cry when we are hungry; we cry when we are angry We cry when we are in gain; we cry when we are in pain Crying gives us relief to the letter; after crying we feel better.

As his mood elevated a little, I confronted him with my well-rehearsed question: We all know, Sir, there is no force in the world today that can compete with British in power, wealth and resources; no sea in which numerous ships of British Navy do not float; no region of the earth in which British soldiers do not abound. Chin up, eyes straight, boots crashing in perfect file and harmony Left Right, Left Right. The marching columns, stiff in their starched uniforms, stony faces depicting dignity. Even our Maharaja Ranjit Singh was awed by the spectacle of an army equipped, provisioned, disciplined, and inured to war, such as no other nation in the world could hope to compete with, what to talk of defeating. What I fail to understand, Sir, is that why your government is behaving so stubbornly by not granting pardon to one person and sacrificing lives of so many brave and loyal people, native as well as British? He was stunned for a moment. Just for a moment. Then the eyes of this clever man sparkled again.
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A moment ago you were reciting some stanzas from your Holy Geeta. Why did not Lord Krishna stop the unnecessary bloodshed of so many brave and valiant warriors in the battle of Kurukshetra? Why did he egg on Arjun, who did not want to kill his friends and relatives just for the sake of five villages Indrapat, Tilpat, Sonepat, Panipat, and Baghpat to wage a war? And this time I was dumbfounded and had no answer to his remark. You see! he resumed triumphantly, Some sacrifices have to be made to establish righteousness. It is not in my hands to grant full pardon to your one man Mool Raj, but here I am fully in concurrence with my government. Certain crimes even merciful God cannot condone merely owing to repentance and prayers of the culprits. You invite some people to come and take over the charge and then back out and allow them to be killed, reward the ruffians, and yet claim your precious self to be innocent? You yourself are a witness to it. At least you should not raise this question? He paused for a moment and then burst out, Dont tell me again and again the situation had gone out of the control of Dewan Mool Raj! I have seen and witnessed the dense masses of audience of the humble as well as wild tribes maintaining a pindrop silence and decorum at your congregations that only civilized people can exhibit. Seeing, is believing! This has made me change my opinion about the people of Multan. He could have contained the disaffection and harnessed the insubordination and not allowed, if he waned to, his authority to be impaired. An opportunity missed is an opportunity lost. Let us not get despaired now. Hope is the highest act of faith. Hounded, harassed, and persecuted, Multanis always cling to hope. We shall survive this invasion too. Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (Recitation of the name of God, says Guru Nanak, Is a way to rise higher in His Esteem; By His Grace, let everyone be benefited and redeemed ***

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II

Transcription of letter from Bhai Bamba Ram in Lunde to Lala Ram Lal
Temple Yog Maya, September 14, 1848 Raja Sher Singh Attariwala suddenly uprooted his camp from the isolated space allotted to him at Sher Shah Road, early in the morning today. He marched with his Division of 5,000 men, 12 guns and 115 swivels, past Boher Gate, Lahori Gate and through Hitthar (low-lying area between Lahori Gate and Daulat Gate), the manmade valley that separates the city and the fort, to support and join the up-rise against the British. I can imagine how jubilant all of you must have felt today and rejoiced with hearts content. The way he was being treated, rather mistreated, by the British, especially after the arrival of the British invading forces, I was wondering how long it would take him to realize his predicament! Firstly, his men were used as the fodder for Multani Guns whenever Multani Reconnaissance Forces ventured near British Lines. It was not comfortable for the Sikh Army defending the city of Multan to aim their guns on the Sikh Army of Raja Sher Singh, defending the British Line, and vice versa. More often than not, Multani forces withdrew after observing their own Sikh Brothers on the opposite side falling victims to their guns. Edwardes intentionally employed Sher Singhs men to lead the attack with his Pathaan levies behind the Sikhs under the ruse of supporting the Sikhs but with secret instructions to shoot the Sikhs found hesitating to aim their guns at the Multanis or trying to cross over to the opposing side of Dewan Mool Raj. The secret leaked out as in India, some people take pride in divulging the secrets to show off their position as close confidants of the British high and low authorities. Secondly, messages reaching Raja Sher Singhs camp at Multan from his father Sardar Chattar Singh, Governor of Hazara, were alarming. You were, Lalaji, in your assessment of these so-called British Advisers. They are asserting themselves as the real rulers of Punjab and any advice not accepted by the native provincial governors is termed as revolt against the Company Bahadur. However, Sardar Chattar Singh belongs to a well renowned family of the Sikh Chiefs of Attari. His daughter is betrothed to the Maharaja Daleep Singh, the King of Punjab. Sardar Chatter Singh
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could not take the insolence and rudeness of his British Adviser, Major James Abbot, lying down. From the day one of taking his charge as Political Adviser in Hazara, Abbot started openly slanting the authority of Sardar Sahib by countermanding his orders. He shifted his Residency to Sherwan, populated by Pathaan tribes, 30 miles away from Haripur the capital of Hazara. Hazara, probably you know, was originally known as Abisara, the country of Abisares, the chief of the Indian Mountaineers at the time of the invasion (327 BC) of Alexander the Great. It is said that Timur the Lame, on his way back (1399 CE), stationed a thousand (Hazaar) Qarlugh Turk soldiers for protection of this strategic and important route to India from Central Asia, and the place got its name - Hazara - since then. Mythologically, Hazara has many significant places for the Hindus, believed to be of the times of Mahabharata. It is said that the Pandavas obtained their salvation (Moksha) at the place here, called the Hill of Mokshapuri (9232 feet above sea level), just above Dunga Gali. Ashoka was the governor of this province (272 BC) for his father Emperor Bindusara. Manshera Rocks record fourteen of Ashokas edicts proclaiming Dharma or righteous law. In the second Century CE, Raja Risalu son of Raja Salbahan of Sialkot, conquered the place from Raja of Poonch and merged the territory into Punjab. When the famous Chinese pilgrim, Hiun-Tsang, visited the area, Durlabh Vardhan, King of Kashmir for Emperor Harsh Vardhan, ruled it. The last Hindu Shahi ruler of Hazara was Raja Jaipal who was defeated by Mehmood Ghaznavi in the 11th century. Soon after the assassination of Mohammed Ghori by the Karamatis of Multan, the Kashmiris once again regained the control of Hazara. When Multan born Ahmed Shah Abdali also known as Ahmed Shah Durrani, King of Afghanistan, extended his kingdom to Multan and Punjab, Hazara came under his control. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in his westward mission to consolidate Punjab, sent a large force under the command of his famous General Amar Singh Majithia to conquer Hazara but the General was defeated and brutally murdered by the hit and run Hazara tribes. Ranjit Singh then himself invaded Hazara and reduced all the warring tribes into submission, enslaving its ruler Muhammad Khan. Hazara is infested with cutthroat tribes of Qarlugh Turks, Tanoli Swati, Gujjar, Dhund Abbassi, Karlal (Sardar), Shilmani (Sulemani). Jadoon, Awan, Ghakkar, Syed, Maddakhel, Kohistanis, Tareen, Mishawani, Gabari, Paracha, Tahirkheli, Kashmiri, Dilazak, Isazai Pashtun, Durrani, Ghilzai, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Kazakhis beside Hindus and Sikhs. Karakorum Highway passes through Hazara. After the outbreak at Multan, Major Abbot started raising his separate levies from the Hazara tribes and started instigating them against the Hindu Sikh-Rule. Tension ensued between the local tribes and the Sikh army. As a precautionary measure against small incidents that may get elongated later, the Governor Chattar Singh, on August 10, 1858, directed his troops scattered about the town of Haripur, to move
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near the walls of the fort Harkishen Garh, under the protection of the long-ranged guns mounted at the ramparts of the fort. The Sikh Infantry and Cavalry obeyed but the artillery commandant Colonel Canora, an American commissioned in the Sikh Army since 1840, proclaimed that he would not accept any order from any person other than the British Adviser, Major Abbot. It was infuriating and insulting act, yet Sardar Chattar Singhs men tried to bring him round by arguing with him to consider the gravity of the situation. Major Abbott was living 30 miles away at Sherwan and was probably not aware of the tension prevailing here. By the time a Qasid reached him and brought a reply, the insurgents might seize the guns. However, Colonel Canora was adamant and did not budge from his stand. He ordered his artilleryman to open fire on the infantry who had called to wheel away the guns. But the man refused to open fire on his own troops. This infuriated the colonel and he killed the man instantly, and took possession of the lighted torch and applied it to the loaded cannon. Fortunately, for the Sikhs, the gun misfired and no one was hurt. That gave a chance to infantrymen to overpower him and cut him down on the spot. The guns were safely conveyed to the Fort and the action subdued the local tribes. But Major Abbot took the matter as a personal affront and exaggerated the issue in his report to the Resident. Killing of the artillery man by Colonel Canora was justified as a punishment for insubordination, but killing of Colonel Canora in selfdefence by the infantry after escaping from being blown away from the cannon operated by the Colonel himself, was reported as plain murder by the men of Sardar Chatter Singh under his explicit orders. On Major Abbots advice, Sardar Chattar Singh was dismissed from the Governorship of Hazara and his jagir confiscated. Raja Sher Singh had various meetings with Edwardes but though claiming personal friendship with the Raja, Edwardes flatly refused to take the side of his father and advised him to ask his father to surrender to the British unconditionally. Thirdly, the shadow of suspicion and distrust shown by the British Invading forces against the Sikh Army under Raja Sher Singh, who were prepared to lay down their lives for the British Invading Forces, caused the balance to tilt in favour of deserting the British. Sher Singh was also bewildered to observe that the proclamation issued by General Whish to the people of Multan on September 4, 1848 was on behalf of Her Majesty, the Queen of England and not on behalf of The King of Punjab for whom they were feigning to fight the war. The King of Punjab was mentioned only as an ally of the Queen of England. Fourthly, they were further humiliated on the night of 11 September by an abrupt order to withdraw from the battlefield and march back to Talamba at River Ravi and await further orders. After serving as the fodder for Multani Guns before the arrival
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of the British Army, they were now being considered as redundant, and were no longer needed by the British. Everyone, from foot soldier to commanding officer, felt a deep palpating pain in his heart. It was not easy to endure blow after blow, insult after insult, and not allow anger to get better of you. Lastly, as I reported to you earlier, Edwardes had formed Club-7 where they used to drink and dine together to keep their spirits up and raising toasts for their Queen Victoria. Sher Singh, Raja or not, a member of Governing Council of the Kingdom of Punjab or not, could not be admitted to the membership of this all-white club. However, as a British ally he was allowed to call on Edwardes as and when he liked. He used to meet them quite often after the meals. Last night, on the 13th September, as usual, he called on with his attendants for a chat and bid good-bye to Major Edwardes, and took his usual seat by Edwardes. General Cortlandt, slipped out of the tent, summoned his pre-picked Pathaan guards and posted them around the tent, as if suspecting treachery from Raja Sher Singh. Sher Singh must have felt very awkward. Suspicion was oozing out of every eye focused at him. The atmosphere in the tent turned tense. Sher Singh felt very uneasy and uncomfortable to initiate usual chatting. It was a sure sign that he was no longer trusted or wanted in the Club-7. Suddenly, he had been turned into a persona non-gratis. He feigned yawning, begged himself to be excused for the night, and galloped away to his camp, vowing never to return to the Club-7. I think this was the last straw that broke the camels back. Hope for the Best, yet be prepared for the Worst! Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (The name of Nanak is the Gift of God, By His Grace let everyone be redeemed!) ***

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III

Transcription of letter from Bhai Bamba Ram in Lunde to Lala Ram Lal
Temple Yog Maya, September 22, 1848 It is apparent now that I have outlived my usefulness to the British Camp over here. I could not contrive to win over the confidence of General Whish. He, in fact, never wanted my presence anywhere near the British Camp. Somehow, our Brevet-Major Edwardes of the Bengal Army, exercising his position as an Assistant Resident, managed to keep me in the British Camp under one pretext or other, without disclosing, I firmly believe, my true identity. Last evening was one of those evenings when I was feeling less than worthless, expecting nothing to go right, when even Aabe-e-hyat, (Elixir of life) as the clich goes, would fail to cheer one up. I had just finished my religious sermon at the congregation, lamenting from the British point of view, the departure of Raja Sher Singhs forces in the morning and advising the bewildered people: Jap (chanting) or singing hymns (Bhajans) is the best technique to counter stress, fear, or anger. Chanting the name of God is the seed mantra. It energizes and churns the mind to draw out all dormant thoughts and emotions concealed in its subconscious layers rejecting and ejecting negative thoughts. It lightens your soul and help you transcend into a joyful, meditative state, and develop a positive attitude, when Edwardes barged in, to talk to me in private. As the sangat (congregation) dispersed, he told me that he wanted, urgently, to send me out of the Camp on a tricky confidential mission. He does not approve of using one of my reliable qasids or any disciple of mine for the assignment and specifically wants me to do it personally. The departure of Raja Sher Singhs troops from British Camp yesterday, had depressed the British troops. Although they were not using the Sikh troops for the siege of Multan, they feel enfeebled now with Sher Singhs troops on the other side of the fence. General Whish called an emergency meeting yesterday where it was unanimously resolved to lift the siege, abandon the trenches dug outside the ancient walls of the city of Multan and withdraw back to the trenches dug out at Tibbee, at the embarkment of Nala Wali Mohammed Khan, and at Suraj Kund, and await the fresh arrival of proper reinforcement to conquer Multan. General Whish is of the firm opinion that laying the siege of Multan, in a hurry, with the inadequate troops was a
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great mistake. The strength of a besieging army should be at least three times as strong, if not more, as the army besieged. I cannot spare any troupes for a sure slaughter, he declared. Meanwhile, taking a lesson from Indian History, the cunning Edwardes wants to play the same dirty trick that Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb played with his own son and heir apparent Prince Sultan Muhammad Akbar in 1681. I wonder if you can recall to memory the story of Veer Durga Das Rathod and the role that he played in rescuing the baby King of Marwar, Ajit Singh, from Delhi and rousing Prince Sultan Muhammad Akbar, the eldest son of Aurangzeb against him! Aurangzeb, who governed Multan as a prince from 1648 to 1652, had shown his true colours as a despot ruler. As an emperor, there was no hand powerful enough to stop him in his attempt to convert Hindustan into Dar-ul-Islam Refuge of Islam. When Maharaja Jaswant Singh Rathod of Jodhpur died at Jamrud in Afghanistan as the governor of the Mughal-outpost in December 1678, without any heir apparent, Aurangzeb announced the annexation of the kingdom of Marwar a policy that the British started following a century later. Jaswant Singhs two queens, however, on their way back to Delhi from Jamrud, gave birth to posthumous son each at Lahore, in February 1679. One died soon after birth but the other survived and was named Kunwar Ajit Singh. The unsuspecting Royal family reached Delhi in June 1679 and was put under house arrest in Bhuli Bhatiyan where they learned that their State Marwar was annexed and could be restored only if the Prince embraced Islam. Rathods, the backbone of the Mughal Empire, who fought many battles for the Mughals since Emperor Akbars time, could not pocket this insult and rescued their baby King Kunwar Ajit Singh and Queen Hadi Rani under their leader Durga Das with just 300 brave Rajputs who, sparing a few accompaniments of Durga Das and the Royal family, gave their lives willingly, fighting the Mughals pursuers to the last man so that their Prince and Queen could escape from the clutches of tyrant Aurangzeb. For two decades, Marwar remained under direct rule of Mughal Governor who plundered all the towns and destroyed all the temples, but the Rathods, who had concealed themselves well behind the sand dunes in the wilderness of Thar Desert, continued harassing them with their hit-and-run tactics. However, Aurangzebs tyranny did not subside, so much so, that his own eldest son, Prince Sultan Muhammad Akbar, who was made in charge of the campaign against the Rajputs, revolted against his fathers reactionary policy. Rathods of Marwar and Sisodias of Mewar took this opportunity to assure Sultan Muhammad Akbar that Aurangzebs fanatical attempt to annihilate Rajputs was suicidal for the Mughal dynasty. If he, the heir apparent, declared himself as the emperor, not only all Rajputs would accept him as their Emperor, but all other states too, Hindus and Muslims who have been victims of his religious excesses, plunder and loot, will rise to support him by all means. Akbar then
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issued a fatwa under the signatures of four Muslim Ulemas, who pronounced that Aurangzeb had violated the Quranic laws by his excesses and therefore forfeited his right to govern. On January 11, 1681, Sultan Muhammad Akbar allowed himself to be crowned as Emperor Akbar, the Sani, (Akbar II) and the very next day, accompanied by the contingents of Rathods and Sisodias, marched against his own father, Alamgir Aurangzeb, who was encamped at Ajmer. It was an unexpected blow to Aurangzeb and he was stunned. Aurangzeb loved Sultan Muhammad Akbar and had named him after his all-timegreat, great-grand-father Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, though personally, he differed from his condescending please-all policy and considered it as a sign of weakness for the mighty Mughal Emperor. Cunning Aurangzeb, then, devised a dirty plan to trick his son, which Major Edwardes, taking cue from Aurangzebs success, is trying to play with Raja Sher Singh. Aurangzeb wrote a letter, purported to be highly confidential to his son Akbar, complementing him for playing the ruse of declaring himself as the new Emperor and winning the confidence of simpleton Rajputs as per the strategy planned. Now it should be seen that not a single Rajput escaped uncrushed from the two grinding stones - (Do patan ke beech se baaki bache no koi) that is between the troops of Aurangzeb and that of Akbars. And he planned the delivery in such a manner that the letter reached the hands of Durga Das instead of Akbar. This created a shock wave among the Rajputs who confronted Akbar immediately. No amount of pleas of innocence and that it could be a scheme of his detractors by Akbar could win their confidence back. Akbars own troops, fearing the wrath of Aurangzeb, deserted him and joined back Aurangzeb. Akbar himself escaped from the camp and was never heard of again, dead or alive. His camp was looted by Rajputs but his family escorted to their secret hiding place by Rathods led by Durga Das. Later, Aurangzeb was made to make peace with Durga Das on the condition of delivering Akbars daughter Safiyat-un-Nisa and son Buland Akhtar safely into the custody of Aurangzeb for Royal care. Aurangzeb commissioned the services of Shahi Imam to induct his grand children for religious training, fearing that they might have been influenced by Hindu beliefs. However, a pleasant surprise was in store for Aurangzeb. Magnificence of Hinduism triumphed over fanaticism of Islam. When Shahi Imam started his bismillah, the little grand children began reciting ayats from the Holy Quran, leaving Aurangzeb dumbfounded. It is said that Aurangzeb relented his excesses during the last days of his tenure on earth. Now Major Edwardes wants to try a similar trick and sow the seeds of suspicion against Raja Sher Singh in the mind of Dewan Mool Raj. His spies in Multan have reported to him that as matters stand now, Mool Raj is already suspicious about the
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real intentions of Raja Sher Singh and is not allowing him to encamp in the fort. Not only that, we learn that when the Raja wanted to meet him and discuss the warstrategy, he was admitted alone and his personal escort was kept outside the Sikki Gate of the fort. Edwardes wants to take advantage of the misunderstandings between the two and wants to use me as his qasid to carry a letter from him to Raja Sher Singh but carry it in such a way that it falls accidentally into the hands of Mool Raj. To serve that cause, he wants me to vanish as a yogi as I did at Sahuwala and as a dancing dervish from Piranwala and report before him at his Durbar, first thing tomorrow morning as a plain ordinary qasid not worth casting a second glance. He holds his Durbar every morning in front of his tent where he takes care to hear all complaints, grouses of all hues and colours, significant or insignificant, big or small, against or for people from all walks of life, richest of the rich and poorest of the poor. He wants to assign a duty to me at his open Durbar, in a routine manner so as not to attract special attention of any peeping Tom. I had no other choice but agree to appear before him as desired. I assured him that I would do my best to serve his cause. For clarification of my status, I asked him: What if I was caught and executed as your emissary. After all Faqir Wazir Singh too was executed after a mock trial as an emissary of Mool Raj on your bidding? He stared hard into my eyes and then said, I am sorry, I would not be able to be of any help to you there. You would have to take that risk. In fact, your so-called friend should come to your rescue and claim you as his special man! I know you are in regular communication with him though I have not been able to lay my hands on any of your communications. So far, you have not done anything for the British cause except advocating peace and entertaining our troops with your yoga exercises and religious sermons. As far as we are concerned, I stand by my promise of protecting your family and your property from victors assault, arson, loot or confiscation whether you live to see the British victory or not! I will arm you with a British Safety Tablet the most powerful talisman that your family should display prominently at the entrance of your house to keep at bay the invading army. Besides, our agents too would be posted outside your house and those of others serving the British Cause, after the occupation of the city of Multan. I believe that is what you were looking for a guarantee to hold, unmolested, your possessions, your lands, house, and women. In fact, we will try our best to protect all civilians who do not resist the British Army. These are modern times and we are a civilized nation. We do not believe in indulging in general slaughter, arson, and loot. Our army, as you would notice, is well disciplined, well paid, and well looked after! Stern orders will be given prohibiting plunder and spoliation.

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Mutual attraction had brought us together. The magnet between us appears to have been worn out. I felt like a squeezed lemon, of no use to him now. I did his bidding. We wound up our camp during the night. My man Mohan Singh saw to it that no one got the wind of it. Every man was to carry away one piece each as a souvenir, walk, or ride away one by one to his village. Mohan Singh is to arrange my entry through your efforts and wait for me near Lahori Gate. You will hear from him separately. I am sending this letter through Bemissal as I do not wish to use Aflatoon and want him to look as surprised as he was at my disappearance on earlier occasions. I would be carrying only the letter from Edwardes. Before I close, let me tell you that I presented myself before Edwardes at his Durbar this morning that he was holding outside his tent, at his summer timing of 07-00 am sharp. He claims himself to be very sharp and eagle-eyed but he had never been able to recognize me whenever I appeared before him in different disguises. This time I was dressed like a half-naked farmer, traveling with a Gatthri (bundle) of clothes tied to a full-size staff, mounted on a mare without a saddle. He was busy pacifying some of the villagers wailing about the loss of their movable property forcibly carried away by the Pathaan levies of the British army without provocation. The villagers were mercilessly beaten, their homes were burnt to ashes, their fields ravaged, their livestock carried away. To some he was getting their property restored and to some he was doling out cash compensation and reassuring them that under British Rule everyone will get full justice. I dismounted from my mare, offered my salutation by kneeling before him like peasants do, and quietly waited for my turn. He casually looked up, nodded in response to my salutation without taking any note of me, and went on dispensing his justice. When my turn came, I just stood up with folded hands without speaking. He looked sharply at me, scrutinizing me from top to bottom, but apparently could not place me. Yes, tum kya maangta? What do you want? he asked me tiredly. I am here, Sir, at your command, I answered him in my Multani English. He was a bit surprised, his tone softened a bit. I dont get you. Who are you and what do you want? I am your qasid Sir, presenting my humble self at your service, as personally ordered by your good self last evening at the temple of Yog Maya in the presence of reverend Ramta Yogi ji Maharaj! His eyes widened with surprise. Oh, I see. So you are Bhumboo. He then shooed off everybody declaring that the court was adjourned for the day. Though the people apparently disbursed, they hung around inquisitively to observe what was happening between us. Why a special hearing for an ordinary villager was taking place?
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Now listen Bhumboo, he winked at me, mischievously and said in a whisper but loud enough for the curious people hanging around to hear, I want you to take this little bit of paper to my friend Raja Sher Singh. If you deliver it to him safely, without letting another human being catching sight of it, I will make a man of you; but if you let it fall into the hands of Raja Mool Raj, I will slit your nose as sure as your name is Bhumboo!. Then he added in a low whisper, hardly audible, That was for the benefit of eve-droppers and spies of Mool Raj. Do see that it falls right into the hands of Mool Raj, as planned and then he raised his voice to loud whisper, Here are twenty rupees for you, now go and God be with you! What was twenty rupees for me? Nevertheless, I bowed in gratitude and accepted the largess gracefully. But, I felt as if I had been ordered to march right towards gallows! It is said that almost all the human beings go through the miseries at least once in their life- time. The greatest misery is to be asked to walk towards ones own sure death. Yashu Massiha (Jesus Christ) was made to carry the cross on which he was to be nailed. Well, he was son of God. He was redeemed. Who would save me from the wrath of frustrated Mool Raj? Fear of ones own death hounds everyone. I had no business to hang around the British Camp. Major Edwardes is rough and tough like a nail, and succeeds where others fail. I walked leisurely towards my saddle-less mare, mounted it effortlessly like a rustic farmer, and trotted out of the Camp. You may wonder why I was writing all such things in detail as if I was writing my own obituary! I cannot predict whether or not I will be able to enter the city or fort alive in these troubled times or really meet you in person but I know this letter would reach you surely and safely through the safe hands of Bemisaal, and that you would come to know what actually transpired here in the British Lines. Fully knowing that we are all mortals, why do we desire to be blessed with eternal existence? No one can live forever. No one can do anything if I am destined to die in my attempt to save Multan from unnecessary plunder and destruction, and becoming an object of rapacity. Yours, Ramta Yogi With Best Wishes for Welfare of One and All. Nanak naam chardi kala Tere Bhaane Sarvat da Bhalla (The name of Nanak is the Gift of God, By His Grace let everyone be redeemed)

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IV

Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)

Major Edwardes Unit, British Camp, Suraj Kund, Multan. September 24, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. I am afraid I failed again. Unfortunately, the man assigned to keep an eye on Yogi had been momentary called by me at the British Camp where I was on duty with M a j o r E dwardes when the vanishing act took place. T he night before last, our venerable Yogi vanished again, this time from the Yog Maya temple, with all his paraphernalia, without a trail. Yogi Ghaib ,
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his Muslim followers are babbling about and his Hindu followers are just amazed Yogi antardhyan - became Adrishya - invisible. Even Major Edwardes expressed his surprise. How could anyone walk away from a military camp under guard round the clock, unnoticed? His in-depth enquires were of no avail. He declared that the Yogi had not vanished, but absconded! Anyway, the place was no longer safe for him for meditation or holding yoga camps nor was he in position to influence Major Edwardes anymore now that the command of the British Army had been taken over by a Major General. The Yogi must have quietly slipped away from this war-torn area to a more convenient, peaceful and serene niche to establish his camp. I am short of men these days, having employed more than 50% of men to run errands for Major Edwardes, and cannot spare any one to send after the Yogi in this turmoil. But, if it is necessary, I can raise a fresh team to do so. Please advise what steps to take now? You must have come to know by now that Sardar Attar Singh deserted Raja Sher Singh and defected to Major Edwardes. Sardar Shamsher Singh hid himself under the cot of his tent and made good his escape to the British Camp next day in his nightdress, bare-footed and shorn of his pugree turban, by crawling from under the tent-wall at the dead of the night. My men report that a few days after Major Edwardes sent a personal letter to Raja Sher Singh, not through his own qasid, but through a villager whom he called Bhamboo, ostentatiously, with strict instructions to deliver that letter to Raja in person only or else his nose would be chopped off in punishment. The British spies hanging around Dewan Mool Rajs court, however, report that the said letter was delivered to Dewan Mool Raj, not by the villager Bhamboo, but by some Multani Grain Merchant known as Bhai Bamba Ram, with great fan and fair. Major Edwardes, instead of flying into rage over the miscarriage of his orders, is reported to have shown great pleasure and satisfaction with a hoarse laugh as if it was really meant to be delivered to Dewan Sahib. The letter was read aloud in the durbar of Dewan Sahib so many times, it is said, that the British spies were able to jot the contents down, word by word. They managed to send a copy of the so-called confidential letter to the Major who, in turn, read it aloud to the members of his Club-7 and raised a toast to the Queen on the mission accomplished so successfully. The letter in Persian, a copy of which is in my hands, reads something like this:

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My dear Raja, What you say about the prey falling into the net, has pleased me much. In fact, it is the best joke I have met with for some time. I expected no less from your discretion and management. I must mention to you, that I have been obliged, for the sake of appearances, to issue a proclamation calling you a namak-haraam which, among friends, I trust will be excused. Let me know often how are you getting on? Yours, Sd/(Major Herbert Edwardes)

It is more than evident now that the mission of Major Edwardes was to sow the seeds of suspicion in the mind of Dewan Sahib so that he and the Raja do not join hands together against the British. However, from unrestricted movement of spies from Mool Rajs Camp to British Camp and vice versa, it has come to our notice that against the expectation of Major Edwardes, Dewan Mool Raj and Raja Sher Singh have joined hands together. They have issued a joint appeal to all Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims one and all to unite together and push the British out of Punjab and give them such a beating that they dare not step into Punjab again. It is reported that almost all the soldiers discharged by the British from the Great Sikh Army after the Setluj war, are trickling into Multan. Many of the reports reaching here are not dependable and appear to have been picked up from Bazaar gossips and passed on as confidential reports. Although British army has brought troops from British East India (Bengali, Odisi and Poorbi-Gorakhpuri), and from British West India (Konkoni and Marathi Hindus and Muslims, Punjabi Hindus and Muslims are the major concern of Edwardes. He got his own levies, the Durbar troops under General Cortlandt, Jawahar Mal Dutt, Sheikh Imam-ud-din, Colonel Badri Nath and Subhan Khan together and addressed them in chaste Urdu: Listen my fellow soldiers and brave Punjabi fighters! Do not fall victim to the false propaganda of your enemies! This is not a !haramyudh a religious war. Be ye Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or of any other faith! All faiths are allowed equal freedom un166

der British Rule. Peace prevailing in the territory of British India is witness to it. There is no jizzia protection tax on any community in British India. Under British system of justice, as your local saying goes Sher & Bakri Ek Ghat par Pani Peetey Hain i.e. the lion and the goat sip water from the same water shed. All of us have assembled here under the orders of the Regent of Maharaja Daleep Singh to suppress the up-rise against him and establish peace in his kingdom. We might have had temporary reversals like lifting of the siege of Multan and withdrawing a few paces back for better fortification but ultimately we will overcome these minor reverses. To us every life is precious be it a foot soldier or a cavalier, native or British. The reinforcements are on its way and we shall soon be laying the siege again with more manpower, better equipments and more vigour. Meanwhile, in this lull period, we will try to manufacture the implements and equipments of the siege right here in Multan. Victory will be ours. Be it known to all that Britannia is ruling half the world, justly and fairly. If the conduct of Mool Raj and all others who join his unjust cause, forces the hands of the British Government to declare the treaty under which Punjab is enjoying British Protection, null and void, it may annex the Punjab to British India. If it comes to that, then I, as Assistant Resident, take the responsibility on myself to assure all of you who stand by us and perform their duty to the last, faithfully and obediently, that you will be absorbed in the British Army with due promotion and on the same scale of pay as the Indian units of the British Army, without discrimination of caste, colour or creed. Let no one have any misgiving or misapprehension of dismissal or retrenchment after the war. There shall, however, be no binding on all those who wish to disengage themselves after the war. They shall be suitably rewarded with khilats (Robes of Honour) & Jagirs as per their individual performances. So help us God. Though he talks of humility, his body language depicts arrogance. Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands

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Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
Major Edwardes Unit, British Camp, Suraj Kund, Multan. October 10, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. Although the siege has been lifted, the British army withdrawn from the forward trenches and taken shelter behind the Wali Mohammad canal, Multan is still surrounded by the British Army. Multanis would have to open many fronts to rush out in great numbers and push the British out of the territory of the entire province at one go otherwise they would find themselves encircled from all sides. The canal has been completely drained off and its feeding source dammed up at the river Chenab by Lieutenant Glover, turning the canal into a dry ditch. General Whish has planted heavy guns on the embarkment to keep the Multanis at bay. For the first time since the war started, the army officers are able to sleep on the cots. The British spies reported that the letter sent by Major Edwardes to Raja Sher Singh and delivered to Mool Raj by ruse, took its toll, in spite of Lala Ram Lals assertion that it was a trick being played by the British in the same way as played by Aurangzeb against his own son Akbar in 1680, some 168 years ago. One must learn lesson from history and not allow one self to be victimized by such ruses. But the majority of Mool Rajs coterie was against trusting Raja Sher Singh. No amount of pleading, not even his swearing on the Holy Granth Sahib, moved Mool Raj and his prejudiced advisers. The stalemate continued for days. Ultimately, Raja Sher Singh offered to leave Multan and march away to join his father Sardar Chattar Singh provided the treasury of Multan compensated him towards the wages of his troops, since he could not claim the same from the Kingdom of Lahore after deserting the British. It is reported that Mool Raj readily agreed to bear the expense and Raja started preparing his troops to depart from Multan.

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But the British army was kept on its toes. They were instructed to widen their circle and leave enough gaps to let Raja Sher Singh and his army march away from Multan without confrontation. We were as such surprised when, in the afternoon of 7th October, our observers brought to our notice of having spotted Mool Raj and Sher Singh marching together, fully armed with artillery, followed by civilian crowds shouting, Bolo Shri Raja Ram Chandra Ki Jai and carrying huge paper-wrapped bamboo images of human beings, towards the great open fields of Kutti Bairagi where British levies under the command of Major Edwardes was once encamped before the siege was lifted and the forces withdrawn to Suraj Kund. The alert was sounded, the guns wheeled in position and defensive lines were formed. I quietly approached Major Edwardes and submitted. I am a small man, Sir ji, just your local guide and errand boy, and surely not a military man, but if you care to listen to this puny man who thinks he knows whats going on, may I say something? He looked at me harshly, but finding sincerity writ all over my face, softened a little and commanded, Say, what you have to say? Sir, it is the festival time, the ten days Dussehra festival to celebrate the victory of Lord Rama over the demon King Ravana victory of Good over Evil. Usually this festival is held in Ram Lila Ground outside Delhi Gate. It is a dramatic re-enactment of the life of Lord Rama, staged annually with great pomp and show on successive evenings during the auspicious period of Sharad Navratras nine nights (October November), culminating on the 10th day called Vijay Dashmi or Dussehra. All the enactors move out in a procession through the citys main bazaar, Chowk Bazaar, leading up to the mela ground, where the enactment of the final battle takes place, before giant effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarana and son Meghanath are set afire. This year, due to the war, Multanis were thinking of celebrating the festival at a low key in Hitthar (low grounds) between the fort and the city but since the siege had been lifted and the British had withdrawn from their entrenchments, Multanis decided to celebrate the festival in the larger fields of Kutti Bairagi to accommodate the army of Raja Sher Singh and Mool Raj who have joined to celebrate the occasion together as well as escort the unarmed civilians in case we chose the opportunity to attack them. Major Edwardes and his colleagues seemed to be satisfied with my explanation but did not drop their guard and remained on the qui vive until the celebration, jubilation was over, and the assembled dispersed and trickled back into the city of Multan. They did not understand the sentiments of such celebration and considered it as a criminal waste of such huge quantity of valuable gunpowder for nothing.

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At the daybreak, on the 9th of October, alert was sounded once again as the movement of the troops led by Raja Sher Singh was noticed. The troops were marching, singing in unison, the martial song composed by the tenth Guru, Shri Guru Govind Singh Sahib:
Deh Shiva var moh ihe, Shubh Karman se kabhon na tarun; Na daraun arsaun jab chahe ladau, Nishchai kar apni jeet karun. Auspicious One, Grant me a boon that I never shirk from doing a right thing, Or fear to fight for a right cause, And ensure the Victory.

Having seen Mool Raj and Sher Singh together, day-before-yesterday, with all that hula gula and fireworks, the British were not sure whether Raja Sher Singh was really withdrawing his forces from Multan or it was a military maneuver to waylay British. A hurried conference was called. General Whish ordered to dispatch about 900 cavalry and eight horse artillery guns after Raja Sher Singh to chase him out of the territory of Multan. Major Edwardes, however, tactfully dissuaded him to indulge in this suicidal attempt of rushing just nine hundred riders against Sher Singhs five to six thousand strong Sikh warriors known for their bravery and defensive warfare. General Cortlandt, commanding the Sikh and Mohammedan army of the Government of Punjab, supported Major Edwardes. The whole warfare system of the Sikh army, he revealed, is based on defensive system even while attacking and invading a virgin territory. They dig their own trenches with the bayonets of their rifles. They are skillful in all kinds of entrenchments and wait patiently for their opponents to lose their patience and rush at them, to become fodder for the guns of the Khalsa army. The Sikh infantry was trained to load and fire with fixed bayonets so that they could charge immediately after firing their volleys without wasting time in re-fixing their bayonets. Their cavalry too was trained on Napoleonic pattern to charge in good order, not like a horde of Afghan horsemen, boot to boot, increasing in speed as it neared the enemy, as you might have observed, when they were our allies, emphasized General Cortlandt. With a yell Sat Sri Akaal to boost their morals, they charge like wild elephants to trample down their opponents. He further added that he would not advise challenging these fanatics. It would be better, under these circumstances, to allow them to escape unscathed from the battlefield of Multan.
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A reconnaissance squad was, then, rushed to Gogran to observe the movement of Raja Sher Singhs army, who reported back by the evening that Raja Sher Singhs troops had halted at Gogran, 12 miles to the Northeast of Multan for the night only. They were to continue their march towards Hazara after the sunrise tomorrow. The reconnaissance squad also brought the intelligence that Raja Sher Singh not only moved away from Multan with just his own troops but also carried away many of the Multani Sikh stalwarts with him to support the cause of his father Sardar Chattar Singh. That put the matter to rest. The chase was abandoned. Then the question arose whether the British should re-lay the siege? The siege was lifted when Raja Sher Singh walked out of the British Camp to join the Multanis. Now that Raja Sher Singh had deserted the Multanis, should the British recapture the abandoned trenches and re-lay the siege? Having tasted the resistance of Multani forces, General Whish has changed his opinion of marching into Multan like a cake-walk. He says that he has achieved his purpose of isolating Multan and surrounded it in such a manner that no one can reach or leave Multan without British permit. He has as such, decided to wait for fresh reinforcement before laying the second siege. Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***

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VI

Transcription of letter from Aflatoon in coded Urdu to Lala Ram Lal

(Decoding courtesy Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
Major Edwardes Unit, British Camp, Suraj Kund, Multan. December 25/27, 1848 Janab-e-Aali, Rahmat-ul-alameen Mercy for all realms and worlds. Its Christmas Day today a Christian Festival celebrating the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. The British regiments along with Native regiments from Bombay, Madras and Calcutta are greeting each other with Merry Christmas with flowers and presents. The fresh reinforcements started arriving with the start of the extreme winter months of Shirsh and Poh corresponding with December and January. The British had so far done nothing during these three months to dislodge Mool Raj since the lifting of the siege on September 14, giving rise to the rumours that the British were incapable of storming a strong fort like Multan. Some spies, carrying such messages concealed in their orifices, were caught. The messages revealed the forecast that the entire Punjab would rise against the British and the success of Punjab would evoke the rest of India to follow suit. The fact here is something different. It was a great strain on General Whish to restrain his pack of wolves not to resume attacks until the arrival of fresh reinforcements. Yet his men had not been idling. His Nakshanavis mapping-draftsmen had been busy preparing plans of the city and the fort and the surrounding area from military strategy point of view. His Sappers and Miners have returned from Shujabad where they had set up factories and foundries to manufacture siege materials like gabions (cylinders of wickerwork), fascines (long bundle of sticks bound together for batteries) and many other gadgets and contrivances for facilitating the operations of the siege. On the other hand there are no encouraging reports from Multani forces, except that the Kattaar Mukhi Sikh regiment of the Durbar troops refused to fire on their own brethren among Multani forces and walked
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over from British Line to the Multan side on the morning of 7th November in one of the skirmishes termed as the battle for Suraj Kund. This was taken as a great setback by the British for up till now the reports of the Sikh-soldiers deserting Multan to join Sardar Chhatar Singh were trickling in here and it was believed that Multan has been enfeebled. No day passes, it said, without a score or two of Multani soldiers easing themselves down with a rope from the walls of the fort and vanishing into the forest behind the riverbed of Chenab. And all this, in spite of giving the British a good taste of their valour, in all the skirmishes so far. Yesterday too, Multanis fought well. The first volley of rounds from their guns were admirably aimed and plunged through the British lines, creating a great havoc. But as usual, they abandoned the venture at the brink of winning due to lack of trust and confidence in the leadership, and suddenly started retreating back to the fort, leaving behind two brass six-and-ahalf-pounder cannons, two six-pounders, and one two-and-a-half-pounder, enabling British to claim a great victory. The greatest strength of the British army vests in their amazing regularity of formation and exact obedience, which with long practice, has become its second nature and cause of its bravery. The British troops are capable of executing the most difficult maneuvers advancing in close order without losing their files or distances, reforming with promptness, reversing their direction suddenly on orders to fall on the flanks of the opponents, gaining an advantage by a forced march and surprising the opponents in rapidity, constancy and fortitude. Through constant drill and practice, British soldiers were able to load and fire their muskets twice as rapidly as their opponents and before their opponents could reload and fire again. A British soldier has complete confidence in himself and makes it a point of honour never to give way. Their motto: A man of grit would never quit. The British soldiers keep fighting even when wounded to keep aloft the name of their regiment lest the lack of bravery on their part disgrace their regiment. They are not like Multani soldiers, sitting desultorily, lacking in confidence and visibly disorderly, inside their trenches. The British reinforcements have started arriving. The rural land and the satellite towns around the city of Multan are all now completely in British hands. The Bengal and the Bombay Divisions re-occupied the mound of Seetal-ki-Marhi, this morning. The siege, suspended three months back, on the departure of Raja Sher Singh from the British Camp, has been resumed. British attack will be focused on the north-east angle of the fort, Wazirabad, where lay the Samadhi (Memorial Platform) of Dewan Sawan Mal, sacred to the Multanis, Garden House of Mool Raj and the cantonment of Aam Khaas Bagh. They would also start pounding the city walls from Awa Mandi targeting Khooni Burj (Bloody Bastion) and Delhi Gate, as an easy target, before bombarding the fort. Bahawalpurs forces and levies of Major Edwardes have been

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assigned to maintain the possession of the suburbs and keep the supply route open from the river port Raj Ghat on the Chenab and Bahawalpur on the river Setluj. Sir Henry Lawrence, the former Resident, protector, and chief patron of Dewan Mool Raj, is back from England. He was pained to learn that his protg for whom he had gone out of way to help had revolted. He revoked his sick leave, sailed back to India, and made it straight to the Multan front before the laying of the second siege. He is totally against giving any quarter to Mool Raj. They now intend to surround the city and the citadel, leaving no space for even a single sparrow to escape from Multan. Who could hold in check the grand army of the British Empire, so magnificently organized and enjoying the vast resources of the entire India? Yours most obedient servant, Signed Aflatoon (Baqalam Khud) Signing myself with my own hands ***

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VII

A Brush-up by Satyagrahi Nand Lal

I am sorry, said Satyagrahi Nand Lal, gloomily shufing through the leftover pack of papers, I cannot make any sense out of these moth-eaten brittle papers. They must be relevant, otherwise, they would not have been part of the pack. But we just cannot help it. There is no dispatch on record hereafter either from Bhai Bamba Ram or from Aatoon. There is no trace of any letter, not even one, purported to have been written by Lala Ram Lal to Bhai Bhamba Ram though there is mention of such letters in the dispatches of Bhai Bamba Ram and Aatoon addressed to Lala Ram Lal. It appears that Bhai ji destroyed every letter that he received lest it fell into the wrong hands but Lala ji, wonderfully, preserved all the letters that he received. From some of the blank papers in the pack it appears that the contents of these papers were carefully obliterated by immersing them into the bucket of water. Both of them, Lala ji and Bhai ji, appear to be fond of keeping detailed notes in their daily diaries but avoided jotting down their thoughts, after the war broke out, either due to lack of time or on purpose, again, lest they fell into wrong hands. Those were troubled times. Many details I myself have come to know while going through these papers now, along with you. However, the summary of entire episode I had learned through my father and grand father, and your maternal grandfather, Bhai Chaanda Ram, in bits and pieces, at many sittings, as and when the occasion arose for such revelations and was quite fascinated with such narrations in which fear, pleasure, sorrow, compassion and violence were all inter-related. He stared at me, and nding disappointment lurking at my face, added. If you like, I can brush you up with what I learned about it afterwards! That may not be as authentic as these dispatches are, I said, but what comes out from your mouth would be more sacred to me than what others may say. A lot of loose ends need to be tied up! Then, Satyagrahi Nand Lal took great pains to wise me up of the events that took place thereafter ***
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VIII

The Fall of the City of Multan

(As narrated by Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
There is nothing in the world that knits people together so rmly as common sufferings and common danger. Bhai jee did not sit idle after the departure of Raja Sher Singh. Only faith, with no struggle; Cannot solve any puzzle! The strongest people are not always the people who win, but the people who do not give up even when they lose. Donning a mask of Hanuman, (the monkeygod) he raised volunteers (all wearing monkey-masks) called Vaanar Sena (monkey brigade) to escape the eyes and the ears of the faceless British spies. His brigade helped collecting brass utensils from door to door for manufacture of cannons at the newly constructed foundries within the city as the foundries outside Harem Gate were then under British occupation. Lala Ram Lal took this opportunity to walk out of the fort to join the Monkey Brigade in procurement of the brass utensils for the cannon foundries. Multanis liberally contributed their inner doors and windows for use as fuel for the furnace. Even the holy trees were pruned to garner wood for the purpose. Joining hands with Bhai jee, Lala ji organized women brigade (Mahila Dal). He readily allowed his young 18 years old daughter, Radha, to be trained as ghters for self-defense, and learn the technique to resist rapeattempts. Ingenious in devising ways and means to create hurdles for the invaders, Radha excelled in jumping from one house to another in situations of great peril by unexpected means, and surprise the invaders. To Multanis, the invading soldiers meant the monsters of cruelty who, raped women of all ages, tortured and murdered their husbands, brothers, sons, and fathers, looted and burnt their houses. It is said that (i) self-effort and (ii) fate are like two wheels of a chariot, or like two blades of a pair of scissors. It was impossible for a tiny province like Multan to
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continue an unequal struggle for long against the resources of the mighty British Empire who were innitely superiors. The interest of Multan lay in peace. However, peace must be acquired at reasonable terms. Mool Raj was in no position to keep in subjection the unruly soldiery who surrounded his palace in the fort. In fact, disaffection and insubordination had spread throughout the army and impaired the authority of its commanders. Multan was famous for their wrestlers. In Alexanders times, Multan was known as Mallithan the place of wrestlers. A famous Multani quartet prevailed:
Ao Chalen Desh Multan Jithe Wade Wade Pehlwan Khaande Giriyan Te Badam Marende Mukk Kadhende Jaan.

Meaning:
Let us go to the State of Multan Where reside the great wrestlers Who nourish dry fruits like almonds And with one blow can knock an opponent out.

Bhai ji requisitioned the services of the wrestlers to train their Nari-Sena i.e. Women Brigades in unarmed ghting, kicking in the places where it hurts the most, twisting and turning and wriggling out of the holds like a slippery reptile. Heaps of stones and brickbats were stored on the rooftops of the cluster of houses sheltered in the narrow streets where cannons could not be wheeled in. Though the walls of the houses of Multan were 18 to 21 thick but not capable of resisting artillery. The women and the children were also trained how to hurl these stones and brickbats from the roof top to discourage and dissuade the troopers who might try to enter their houses for loot and rape, and then how to duck below the parapet walls which were 14 inches to 18 inches thick to avoid the bullets of the sharpshooters. The houses abutting on the wider streets were to be vacated and abandoned for they knew if the resistance came from such houses they would

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be blown apart by the artillery and leveled with the ground to make way for the troopers to walk through. Mool Raj had never won any battle and did not know how to maneuver his troops. He was afraid, and most of all he feared to show his fear. Every action in this war was being conducted in the unruly manner. There was no reconnaissance, no liaison with anking units, no effective central command. They were merely ghting under individual leaders, group by group, as each group leader might decide. Such sporadic ghting was likely to zzle out. The troops were bafed and bewildered. They needed a leader who could lead them to victory, no matter what the odds. Their ofcers often quarreled among themselves over the defence strategies. Some lamented that it was a blunder on the part of Mool Raj not to attack the British Camp with full force and drive them out before the arrival of fresh British reinforcement, siege guns, and the Gora platoon. It was foolish, they said, to conne the army within the city walls and the fort and leave the fertile land and villages for the British to take over. British could move from village to village at will collecting food and recruiting fresh soldiers without opposition. Mool Rajs only concern appeared to them to seek his own safety and safety of his family. Some criticized the defensive positions taken while others censored heavily the decision of Mool Raj not to trust Raja Sher Singh and his trained and well-disciplined army and let it leave, denuding Multan. The straw that broke the camels back was a chance hit of a mortar shell, on the 30th of December 1848, that found its way through the dome of the Grand Mosque in the fort that was being used as the principal magazine which blew up, one by one, all the armoury, gun-powder, mortar shells etc. stored there. It shook both the armies Multani as well as British wherever they were. They froze; stopped ring at each other and fearfully watched with awe the spectacle of reworks that followed. It was like thousands of the efgies of Ravan packed with explosives put to ame together. Each new explosion diminished the chances of survivors, if any, left in the fort. The ash was seen and the sound of the explosion was heard, it is said, as far as Lodhran and Bahawalpur. The ash and the sound from the explosion were so bright and deafening that the residents of Hussain Agahi and Daulat Gate claim having gone half-blind and
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half deaf. The totally blind persons asserted having seen the ash behind their eyelids. Everybody was tense, taciturn, and morose. Whenever someone dared to speak, as if ordained by fate, he was hushed up by bursting of another shell somewhere in the armoury. Then it suddenly dawned on the British army that the backbone of Multani resistance was irreparably broken and with the shouts of triumph, they started pumping vigorously more balls of re into the blazing fort. The walls of the city shook with the bursting sound of shells never heard before. Insecurity grew. Fear of failure haunted every one. An air of indestructibility of their ancient city and fort that every Multani carried, especially after the reinforcement introduced by late Dewan Sawan Mal, was completely shattered. In their moment of triumph, British decided to take over the city rst lest the Multani forces abandon the fort and take refuge in the city. Merchants and traders started closing their places of business, opened so far for local consumption, and removing their merchandise to hiding places at which Multanis were hereditary experts, to escape the dreaded orgy of pillaging and violence by invaders. On 2nd January 1849, the intelligence reached the City Kotwal that British were trying to create a breach in Khooni Burj (Bloody Bastion Alexander is believed to have entered the city of Multan through that Bastion) and Delhi Gate simultaneously. Mool Raj made a hurried round of the ramparts to encourage the army, but his very presence, the lack of unity of command and his ignorance of what steps to take, and the enormous number of advisers, paralyzed the army. There were so many plots and counterplots surrounding Mool Raj that he was not prepared to trust any one of his advisers. The city-walls were thick but not capable of resisting such erce artillery that was pounding incessantly at Khooni Burj. The roar of guns wearied the ears. As soon as Dewan Mool Raj came to know of the breaches affected by the British at Khooni Burj and Delhi Gate, he dashed to the fort and closed its gates to secure himself and his family with the cream of his troops in the fort, leaving the citizens of Multan to fend for themselves. Leaderless, our so-called army spread out like a string of beads cut from the middle, like headless chicken running from one post to other, like men dying of thirst running from the mirage of one well to another, like marooned men looking for reinforcement and helping
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hands to plug the breaches. The army on which Mool Raj was constrained to depend was an unruly and insatiable monster, whose veracity was impossible to appease. Large sums were disbursed among them, from time to time, to keep them happy but their appetite grew more and more. In an army that is not composed of regularly paid soldiers, uctuations do occur. Some leave at will without taking leave, some join at will without persuasion. All our strategic positions had fallen to the British. Our troops were completely routed. The mercenaries hired by Mool Raj were running away and it was impossible to stop them. The mercenaries fought only for money. There was no patriotic sentiment in them. Winning the battle for them was only a bonus in pillage and rape of the vanquished. With the escape of their pay-master to the fort and before the British forces could pursue them in the streets of Multan, they took shelter among Afghan tribes outside Lahori Gate and ed to their respective villages under the cover of darkness that very night, leaving the citizens of Multan at the mercy of the invaders. The inhabitants of Multan confused, isolated, and vacillating between the will to resist and exist or to surrender and sue for peace, had now lost all hopes from other provinces of Punjab to come to their aid against a powerful invader, land-hungry and known expansionist. British needed Punjab to secure their Indian Empire from Tsarist Russia. The sack of Multan would give them a foothold to do so. That night the Multanis were afraid to go to sleep. They feared that once they went to sleep, they might not get up in time next day to give ght to the invaders. They kept awake whole night. One with the food invited others for a bite. The other with water, invited all others for a sip. This made them feel strong and stable. The fear of death vanished from their mind. The ring was getting closer and hotter every moment. The thunder of cannon and the rattle of musketry were growing ercer minute by minute. People were roaming uneasily, uttering like frightened chicken about the streets. A sound of hiss and thump followed by the booms of cannon-echoes from Khooni Burj (Bloody Bastion) set the windows rattling. From different sides came the sound of crashing of cannon balls and bursting of shells dropping in the city. The bullets whizzing like hailstones. Even if you shouted at the top of your voice, you could
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not hear your own voice in such roaring noise of guns. The streets were shrouded in smoke. Large plumes of smoke rising from the burning houses could be seen from the terraces of all the houses in Multan. At the same instant, the piteous wailing of women and screams of terried children could be heard from all the streets of Multan. British troops were then reported to be racing up the slopes of Delhi Gate and climbing through the breaches of Khooni Burj to beat their comrades to the plunder of famous gold-city of Multan. The smoke of the cannons mixed with that of the musketry grew so dense that it curtained the whole slope. The British forces forgot their fatigue in the ush of success and ran through a carnage of dead and dying men, disemboweled horses, dead elephants and scattered pieces of blown up artillery wagons. Showing no mercy, they pounced on retreating Multanis, killing the wounded and stripping their bodies of weapons, shields, and armour. It was no longer a battle; it was a massacre. Those who had taken shelter in the houses were blasted out. No quarter was given to the people offering surrender. Volley after volley of shots were poured on the unarmed civilians. Treading over their half dead bodies, the British troops waded through them, bayoneting anyone who showed any sort of movement. Sullenly and savagely they died, ghting or resisting, to the last. The Chowk Bazaar crawled with wounded Multani civilians and soldiers, some dragging their broken bodies along on their elbows, crying pitifully for help. Roving parties of British soldiers were killing them mercilessly with a bayonet thrust, or hammering their heads with their musket butts in spite of their oaths not to kill the wounded enemy soldiers. One could see rider-less horses, bleeding from gunshot and sword-cut wounds, running hither thither in their bewildered agony. The retreating men, jostling one another in their hurry to escape only jammed the narrow streets. Cries and shouts could be heard above the incessant crackling of the ames. Echoing them, similar wails rose in other parts of the city too. Women dread being chased, captured, and molested by invaders, prepared to stick their tongues into the mouth of any woman. The terried women would rather jump into the deep wells or dive from terraces, head rst, to ensure instant death than be an instrument for the fulllment of their carnal desires.
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In Kup Bazaar, there were clusters of houses belonging to Kshatries alone. Sixty years old, Hari Chand Malhotra, an Iron Merchant, could not stand the general slaughter. He coaxed the Kshatries of the Mohalla to come out of their hidings. He shouted at the top of his voice, For a Kshatriya there is nothing more sacred than a righteous cause to ght for. You are fortunate to have such an opportunity. Come on! If you push the devils out of the city walls, you are the heroes for the day and you save your women and children from molestation, rape, and slaughter. If you die ghting for the cause, you attain swarg (paradise) for your venture. Mercifully, you do not live to see the victors maul your bodies to deprive you of your arms and armour, and witness helplessly the plunder of your houses, molestation and raping of your wives, sisters, daughters and mothers. It is a pity that you have faith in thousands of your mythological gods but no faith in yourself ! God helps those who help themselves. Have faith in yourself and stand up to defend yourself, your family, and your property. On his call, not only men, even women came out with their kitchen knives, cow-chains, and walking sticks. Mothers enraged by the spectacle of their children dying and Fathers maddened with the atrocities of the victorious British troops, pounced on the invading marauders with swords, staffs and sticks, whatever they could lay their hands on, in full ferocity. The surprise attack from the docile civilians bafed the British soldiers and froze them in their boots. In the melee that ensued, Hari Chand was able to de-horse a British cavalier and snatch his bayoneted rie. Jai Bhole Nath (Praise be to the pure and simple hearted Lord Shiva), he shouted. Mounting on the snatched horse, with the reins in one hand and the bayoneted rie in the other, he charged with his bunch of followers into the British ranks, acclaiming Har Har Mahadev! Needless to say they were too small in numbers to stand the swarm of invading forces and were all martyred, but not before slaying twice the number of heads they lost. It is not death, it is dying that matters. They defeated death by dying in the battle of Multan, defending unarmed women and children from the raping, murdering invaders. They voluntarily assumed the duty that the professional soldiers abandoned. Bhaiji had spoken very highly of the character of Major Edwardes who had doubly assured him that there would be no looting, no plundering and no molesta182

tion of any woman. The English people, Major Edwardes had repeatedly said, were highly civilized and that it was not their custom to target women and children even if they were ghting against the British and that the British soldiery do not believe in killing the wounded soldiers lying helplessly on the ground. Mool Raj, probably, did not know then that what he was being led to do, would result to such a disaster. Things started going from bad to worse with an alarming rapidity. In spite of the oaths sworn by them on their swords, the British army had started plundering the houses, systematically, under the ruse of searching for the hiding soldiers of Mool Raj. The British soldiers seemed to be well experienced and knew where to look for hidden treasure. In a Muslim house, they would dig up the oors and in a Hindu House, a niche in the wall. They preferred to cut off a womans ears and nose rather than bother to remove the tiny gold rings and nose-pins that most of the Multani women wore as ornaments. The gold and diamond studded bangles were easy to wrench off their wrists and necklaces snatched from their slender necks. When we are not strong enough to stop our tormentors, we seek divine intervention to get justice. Someone composed a rhyme:
Ya Illahi, kar Tabahi, Saare Englistan ki Bachcha Bachcha Maangta, Azaadi Multan ki. O Lord! Destroy the entire people of England! Every child of Multan wants to retain its independence!

The British were reported to be violating the code of ethics, by killing the soldiers and the civilians offering surrender while robbing brutally the wounded. The news of the bravery of Kup Bazaar Kshatries had spread throughout Multan from terrace to terrace. Our boys and girls thus prepared themselves for handto-hand ght. They knew that the people who refused to ght for their existence were doomed to extinction. All the inhabitants were strictly instructed not to allow themselves to be killed without struggle. This may deter the British not to enter the civilian quarters and restrict them to enjoy their political victory. The women posi183

tioned themselves behind each door of their houses, armed with whatever came to their hands: service spoons, kitchen knives, axes, hammers, sickles, wooden staffs, staves, iron bars, cow-chains, shovels, spades etc., ready to bring down any man who intruded into their houses. The young boys and girls took positions on the terraces with the pile of stones, pebbles, and brickbats stocked there to hurl at the invaders, to deter them and make it difcult for them to enter the narrow winding lanes leading to their homes. Four Muslim Houses (i) Gilanis, (ii) Qureshis, (iii) Khagwanis, and (iv) Gardezis helped the British. They allowed the British sharpshooters to climb up at their rooftops and shoot at sight our boys and girls hurling stones from their terraces to block the entry of ravaging soldiers. The parapet walls could not protect our boys and girls from these sharpshooters positioned higher than our terraces. From the terrace of Haji Khuda Baksh in Verah Noori opposite Verah Tambakoowala, the British sharpshooters shot dead 18 years old Radha, the leader of the girls squad, the only daughter of Lala Ram Lal; and 16 years old Satnam Kaur, daughter of Sardar Darshan Singh. Resistance in Mohalla Maharajan came to an abrupt end. Dragging the bodies of the dead girls, our boys and girls took refuge in the middle oors from where they started hurling their household furniture items to create hurdles before the rushing troops trying to enter their houses. However, they could not hold them for long and soon there was all chaos and disorder. The conquerors raped the vanquished women in extremely brutal, grotesque, diabolical, and revolting manner. They caught hold of young boys too for sodomy, tearing open their tender anal orices, depicting the worst cases of brutality and carnage. For three days and two nights, the devils ruled the city. The haveli of Bhai Bhamba Ram, and many other houses like Bagais, Salujas, Dhingras, and Jains etc., protected by the British Safety tablets, however, were spared. The wolves let loose, were reined in on the fourth day. The army discipline restored. Fresh British regiments replaced the Bombay and the Bengal divisions and irregular army of Major Edwardes. Bhai ji again had an opportunity to display his extraordinary courage. Forming the Multan Sewa Dal a Voluntary Service Group - he offered his services to the British conquerors to clean up the bloodstained city of Multan with rotting
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corpses of men and beasts. Many bristles put together make a broom. A single bristle is of no use. This gave him a chance to cover up those unarmed brave Multanis who had to kill British troops to save the honour of their women. He helped them hide the corpses of such offenders. The uniforms and the belongings of such troopers were removed and their bodies mixed up with the dead native soldiers and civilian who were stripped off by the invading forces in the general massacre. Here a few more stories about the bravery and wisdom of Multani women came to light: Bibi Sardaro and Anwar Mian of Mohalla Sultani near Bohar Gate did not feel safe from the invaders in spite of repeated assurances of other residents of the mohalla. The residents assumed that since their mohalla was populated cent percent by Muslims siding with the British, they were under British protection and would not be subjected to rape, murder, and pillage. While others were loitering about in the streets watching the plight of their neighbouring Mohallas, Anwar Mian and Bibi Sardaro started shifting their valuable to their secret cellar and storing it with food and water. They were half surprised when they heard the loud wails from the streets as the British wolves let loose in the streets of Multan started pillaging and raping their mohalla too, house to house, sparing none except the holders of British Safety Tablet. There was virtually a stampede in the streets where everyone tried to run to the safety of ones own house. No one was prepared to ght or block the invaders. Many were butchered with bayonets, battered with rie butts, or cut down with swords. Bibi Sardaro was on her last lap to carry some more food when the invaders managed to barge into her house. She knew that she was cornered and there was no other way of escaping the brutality of rape than to offer her body voluntarily for the abuse if she was to save her husband and her child. Her husband and her ve-year old son were hiding in the cellar below under the tools and carving instruments of her artiste-husband, and the secret entrance lay in the very room she was trapped. She had just crawled up to gather some more eatables from her kitchen. How she wished she had not submitted to her greed to garner some more food for her family. Her eyes welled up with tears and face went pale with fears. She readily agreed to surrender herself to the British Sergeant, if he kept the pack of other animals away from her.
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The sergeant, nding the voluptuous woman such an easy prey, shooed off his mates to nd other victims somewhere else, bolted the door from inside, and pounced on her like an intoxicated bull without waiting for any preliminaries. Bibi Sardaro closed her tearful eyes and submitted herself to his abuses as promised, praying to Allah to help her bear the white brutes excesses for the sake of her husband and child. A few moments later, however, she felt that some metallic object was bruising her thighs. Slowly she opened her eyes and discovered that the English pig had not bothered to remove his pistol tugged in his belt and that was hurting her in his beastly movements. She extended her hand to push the hurting object away from her thighs and the pistol, on its own velocity, slid right into her hand. It was a colt revolver with revolving chamber of ve bullets. She was not in vain the wife of an artiste and engraver and had handled many a guns while assisting her husband in his profession. She cocked the gun and pulled the trigger without giving it a second thought. All that she could hear was the blast of a gun. All that she could see was horror of death in the eyes of her molester. All that she could feel was a relief from a heavy load of the beast lifted off by the blast and a simultaneous little push from her to throw the invading brute aside. She picked herself up from the oor, dusted herself off, rearranged her torn, uplifted dress, and stared hard at the horror-lled dead face of her molester. He must have died instantly for the bullet appeared to have passed through his groin. She checked the revolver. Four live bullets still left in the chamber of the gun emboldened her to explore her own house for any lurking invader. The noise of the gunshot went unnoticed in the din of the crackling rie shots echoing all over in the streets of Multan. The inhabitants of Multan were being shot irrespective of their age, status, colour, or creed for refusing to divulge the hiding places of their ornaments, gold and silver coins or trying to save the honour of their women. Those who had found their treasure or good lay were shooting in the air in the jubilation. The wave of rufans had passed through her house and it looked like a haunted house with all her belongings rufed and scattered. Leaving the door of the room ajar lest another wave of rufans, nding the door closed, might think that someone was still hiding there, crawled back into the cellar below from where they were rescued by Bhaijis Sewa Dal after 24 hours.

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In Mohalla Hanu-da-chhaja, old women thought of a novel way to save their wealth and honour of their young girls. They asked all the families to pack their ornaments, gold and silver coins in cloth bags marking them with their own names or symbols for easy identication and made a pile of them in the centre of their verahs. They then dragged the dead bodies of their warriors from the streets and laid them on the piles of their treasure potlies (bags), imploring the young women to lie down posing as dead persons among the bodies under the shrouds. Next, they tore their tops, sat down in circles around the corpses, and started beating their sagging naked breasts continuously in loud lamentation, cursing Mool Raj by name for leading them to such a disaster. Multani siyaapa (mourning) is notorious throughout the Punjab. Howsoever a stone-hearted a person may be, he would always have a soft corner for old wailing women mourning their dead. The beating of breasts was real, not fake. They beat themselves so hard that their breasts turned red and blue and some even started bleeding. The victorious hordes stopped for a moment to watch the mourners, commiserated, and bypassing them entered other unprotected houses to carry away whatever they could lay their hands on and marched off to other localities. Multan was a big city and there was no shortage of other victims. ***

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IX

Fall of the Fort

As narrated by Satyagrahi Nand Lal
The guns seized from Multani artillery were planted at strategic points of the city walls to concentrate their re on the Sikki Gate of the fort where Dewan Mool Raj was seen to have taken shelter, to wear down his shattered defence. The battery was increased by fty fresh British guns and was ordered to keep pounding the Sikki Gate to pieces from every point. The corps of the British engineers was known for their skills and enterprises in siege work. The British gunners redoubled their efforts and sent round after round crashing against their object like of which had never been witnessed before. The rumble of gunre could be heard as far away as Shujabad. The yellow dust clouds began to rise above the mud-walls (Dhoolkot) of the fort. The interior of the fort was a wreck. A constant storm of shells was pounding it day and night without a break, making it hazardous for the men inside to move about. The fort had never faced such a bombardment before in its history of millenniums of years. Mool Raj and his coterie now realized that their game was up. No power from any corner of this world was coming to their aid. Road to Multan was sealed. The roar of guns had frightened away even the ock of birds that used to hover over the fruit gardens of Multan. Mool Raj tried to open fresh negotiations for peace to gain time, hoping against all hopes, that help may pour in from Peshawar and Sindh Sagar Doab or Raja Sher Singh and Sardar Chattar Singh who were reported to have been reinforced by the Bannu regiments and the disbanded soldiers of the old Khalsa army, north and west of Chenab. The constant shelling of the fort had made the movement of the troops from one part to the other parts unsafe. The gunners were unable to serve their guns and place them at vantage points. Their grain stores and wheat our godowns had
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lost their protective roofs in the heaviest bombardment that the fort of Multan had ever faced. Over ve hundred of the best of troops and a hundred thousand seers of explosive powder were destroyed. The Gunpowder got mixed with wheat our, making it unt for human consumption. Most of the buildings had no roofs at all. Mool Rajs very ring of advisers who forced him to rise against the British, were now pressing him hard to surrender and sue for peace. Consequently, he appealed to Major Edwardes as the Assistant Resident on January 05, 1849 to allow his condential representative to pay his respects, submit before him his true role in the whole play, and seek his advice as to how to end this unfortunate episode. Major Edwardes however rejected his application and refused to entertain any representation short of unconditional surrender to General Whish. He then wrote a similar supplication to General Whish through Major Edwardes on the same day, requesting him to pass on the same to the General with his recommendation. British could sniff the blood of victory and were in no mood to accept anything less than complete capitulation. Even while the letters were being exchanged and the condential adviser of Mool Raj, Daya Baksh, was trying to negotiate for better terms of surrender, the British did not slacken their re. They added a new battery of seven eighteen-pounders in their trenches and played havoc on the fort during such meetings. On the night of January 12, the Multanis made a bold attempt to swarm the British trenches to silence their deadly guns but did not have enough numbers to overcome the trenchers and were repulsed after a erce battle. From the very beginning of this unfortunate up-rise, Mool Raj had only two options with him to surrender unconditionally or ght for liberation. He still had only these two options. Either to lead his remnant troops for a ght to the nish, leaving his women folks to face dishonour at the hands of the victorious enemy or surrender unconditionally as the British still insisted and save his women from violation of their honour as the British were morally assuring him. It was a situation like the siege of Chittorgarh by Alla-ud-din Khalji where the Rajputs under Rai Ratna Sain chose to ght to the nish and the women folks led by Rani Padmini chose to commit johar (mass suicide by burning themselves alive) to escape dishonour.

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At daybreak on January 22, 1849, Dewan Mool Raj, the last Hindu Governor of Multan, raised the white ag of surrender. The British batteries ceased ring. He had sent advance information that he along with his 3,500 troops would be laying down the arms at 09-00 a.m. outside Daulat Gate. The citizens of Multan heaved a sigh of relief. The Martial Law was proclaimed in the city and the citizens were not allowed to move in a group of more than three. The people tried to trickle down, one by one, into the streets leading to Daulat Gate, but were not permitted to cross Chowk Bazaar from any side. Only a few hundred people could manage to reach the houses near Daulat Gate from roof-top to roof-top to see the spectacle of surrender. The scene of surrender is best described by Major Dunlop in his book Multan during and after the Siege: At length Mool Raj appeared with his brothers, Sham Singh and Ram Singh, and several of his Sardars, riding on an Arab Charger, covered with a rich scarlet saddle cloth. He was gorgeously attired in silks and splendid arms. He looked around without the smallest emotion and showed in his countenance neither deance nor dejection but moved along under the general gaze, like a man conscious of deserving the admiration of even his enemies for having done his duty to the last. This heroic surrender was not palatable to Major Edwardes. As a white man, he considered himself to be of a superior race than the brown and black races of India. Of his own admittance, had Mool Raj fallen in his hands in any of the skirmishes, he would have hanged him with a summary trial, the way he had hanged Launga Mal, the Governor of Dera Ghazi Khan. He hated Mool Raj from the core of his heart. It was not enough for him just to have Dewan Mool Raj as his prisoner. He must crush his ego & pride. Behaving like a medieval despot, he ordered Mool Raj to be put in irons and paraded in the main Chowk Bazaar of Multan. From Daulat Gate through Hussain Agahi, Chowk Bazaar, Masjid Phul Hattan, Loha Mandi, Kaley Mandi, and Harem Gate, Dewan Mool Raj former Governor of Multan, was made to walk in chains, on foot. While the inhabitants of Multan hung their faces down helplessly, some tribals, specially hired by Edwardes, booed, and jeered. The tribes of Gilanis, Gardwezis, Qureshis, Khakwanis, and Badzois lined up on the side of British. It goes to the credit of Dewan
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Mool Raj that he walked with a gait, holding his head high, becoming a Governor of a Province, in dignity. It is an established norm A winner gets applause, loser gets the boo. A Royal Salute was red from the fort in honour of the British victory in the morning and another on the sunset of January 22, 1849 for happy termination of British Military operations in Multan. Major Edwardes report to the Resident at Lahore read something like this:
January 22, 1849. It is with heartfelt satisfaction that I announce to you the surrender of Dewan Mool Raj to Major General Whish, C.B., at nine A.M. this morning, and the occupation by British troops of the strong fortress of Multan, without the bloodshed of an assault. The morning opened with a severe storm of thunder and rain, which did not interfere, however, with the arrangements for assaulting the citadel by two breaches, should the rebels fail to surrender by the hour appointed; and the determined attitude of the besiegers, undismayed by the raging elements, must have had no small share in convincing the garrison that further resistance was in vain. The ag of Old England is now ying out in a fresh breeze and bright sunshine from the highest bastion of the citadel. Dewan Mool Raj is a prisoner in the tent of the Chief Engineer. The troops intended for the assault are now disarming the garrison, and protecting the women and children. I congratulate you, the Government of British India, on the extinction of the rebrand which raised this ame in the Punjab.

By a special proclamation, the British banned the manufacturing, possessing, and carrying of arms, even walking sticks that could be used as weapons throughout the Kingdom of Punjab. Only small kitchen knives up to 4 inches long were allowed for household work. ***

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Plight of the Vanquished People

(As Narrated by Satyagrahi Nand Lal)

Multanis, especially Hindus and Sikhs, were suffering from the frustration of being ignored by the new Rulers. They were ordered to open their shops and resume normal business activities after the fall of the Fort. Any shop found closed was to be conscated and auctioned openly to the best bidder willing to run the business, and the money so collected was to be deposited in the British Treasury Ofce, especially opened, to collect funds to cover war damages. The owners of the houses involved in brick-bat hurling on the British troops, were heavily ned, and in case of non-payment, their houses were razed to the ground. A row of about twenty houses in the narrow winding lane leading from Verah Kapooraanwala to Jandhi Duiyaan, were razed down to turn the lane into a wide square that came to be known later as Madaan Talla (Downtown playground). In sullen silence, they suffered the injustice and the racial partiality. Lala Ram Lal had vanished. No one knew of his whereabouts. His Haveli in Verah Tambakoowala, Silk factory outside Delhi Gate, and business ofce in Hitthaar were impounded and his persona declared Wanted for War Crimes. Bhai ji tried to reach Major Edwardes for the sake of those intimate days and unique friendship that they shared and enjoyed in troubled times at Sahuwala, Piranwala, and Suraj Kund, but he was no longer the same Edwardes. From the British point of view, Major Edwardes was the Hero of Multan. His senior ofcers were full of praise for his valour, equating him with the achievements of Lord Robert Clive, the hero of the battle of Plassey that laid the foundation of British Empire in India. Under recommendation of the Commander-in-chief of the British army, Lord Gough, he was promoted Brevet Major in September 1848 and now was under consideration for being honoured with a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). He had no time for any businessman of Multan, a Pir or a wandering yogi. Bhai ji felt shackled and very helpless. Nevertheless, he honoured the secret pact and

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saved the property of Lalaji from demolition by repurchasing it in the open auction. It was another story that no one competed with Bhaiji in the open auction and helped him buy back the properties of Lala Ram Lal at the lowest possible price. Multanis could hardly do anything to change their fate and accepted as it came, with equanimity.

Dewan Mool Raj was moved to Lahore Jail on February 20, 1849. Raja Sher Singh and his father Sardar Chattar Singh Attariwala, laid down their arms after a futile trial of strength with the British Empire at Chillianwala and Gujarat, with forty-one pieces of artillery and sixteen thousand troops, on February 21, 1849. The British annexed the truncated Kingdom of Punjab on March 29, 1849. ***

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CHAPTER 7

Strangulation Ground
I

ANNEXATION
(As narrated by Satyagrahi Nand Lal through handwritten pages shed out by him from his pocket)
NOTIFICATION of ANNEXATION
Foreign Department Camp Ferozepur. March 30, 1849. The Governor General is pleased to direct that the accompanying proclamation, by which the Punjab is declared to be a portion of the British Empire in India, be published for general information, and that a royal salute be fired at every principal station of the army on the receipt thereof. By order of the Right Honourable the Governor General of India. P. Melvill (Signed) Under Secretary to the Government of India, With the Governor General.

PROCLAMATION
For many years in the time of Maharajah Ranjeet Singh, peace and friendship prevailed between the British India and the Sikhs. When Ranjeet Singh was dead, and his wisdom no longer guided the counsels of the state, the Sirdars and the Khalsa army, without provocation and without cause, suddenly invaded the British territories. Their army was again and again defeated; they were driven with slaughter and in shame from the country they had invaded, and at the gates of La-

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hore the Maharajah Duleep Singh tendered to the Governor-General the submission of himself and his chiefs, and solicited the clemency of the British Government. The Governor-General extended the clemency of his government to the state of Lahore. He generously spared the kingdom which he had acquired a just right to subvert; and the Maharajah having been placed on the throne, treaties of friendship were formed between the states. The British have faithfully kept their word, and have scrupulously observed every obligation which the treaties imposed upon them. But the Sikh people and their chiefs have on their part, grossly and faithlessly violated the promises by which they were bound. Of their annual tribute no portion whatever has at any time been paid, and large loans advanced to them by the Government of India have never been repaid. The control of the British Government, to which they voluntarily submitted themselves, have been resisted by arms. Peace has been cast aside. British officers have been murdered when acting for the state. Others engaged in the like employment have treacherously been thrown into captivity. Finally, the army of the State and the whole Sikh people, joined by many of the Sirdars in the Punjaub who signed the treaties, and led by a member of the regency itself, have risen in arms against us, and have waged a fierce and bloody war for the proclaimed purpose of destroying the British and their power. The Government of India, formally, declared that it desired no further conquest; and it proved by its acts the sincerity of its professions. The Government of India has no desire for conquest now; but it is bound in its duty to provide fully for its own security, and to guard the interest of those committed to its charge. To that end and as the only sure mode of protecting the State from the perpetual recurrence of unprovoked and wasting wars, the Governor-General is compelled to resolve upon the entire subjection of a people, whom their own Government has long been unable to control and whom (as events have now shown) no punishment can deter from violence, no acts of friendship can conciliate to peace. Wherefore, the Governor-General of India has declared, and hereby proclaims, that the Kingdom of the Punjaub is at an end: and that all the territories of Maharajah Duleep Sing are now and henceforth a portion of the British Empire in India. His Highness the Maharajah shall be treated with consideration and with honour. The few Chiefs who have not engaged in hostilities against the British, shall retain their property and their rank.

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The British Government will leave to all the people, whether Mussulmen, Hindoo, or Sikh, the free exercise of their own religions but it will not permit any man to interfere with others in the observance of such forms and customs as their respective religions may either enjoin or permit. The Jagheers and all the property of Sirdars or others, who have been in arms against the British, shall be confiscated to the State. The defences of every fortified place in the Punjaub which is not occupied by British troops shall be totally destroyed: and effectual measures shall be taken to deprive the people of the means of renewing either tumult or war. The Governor-General calls upon all the inhabitants of the Punjaub Sirdars and people to submit themselves peaceably to the authority of the British Government which has hereby been proclaimed. Over those who shall live as obedient and peaceful subjects of the state, the British Government will rule with mildness and beneficence. But if resistance to constituted authority shall again be attempted; if violence and turbulence shall be renewed; the Governor-General warns the people of the Punjaub that the time for leniency will then have passed away, and that their offence will be punished with prompt and most rigorous severity. By order of the Right honourable the Governor-General if India. (Signed) H. M. Elliott, Secretary to the Government of India, With the Governor-General. Head-Quarters, Camp Ferozepore, March 29, 1849. ***

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II

Frustration
(As narrated by Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
The annexation stunned the inhabitants of Punjab. Many fair-thinking Englishmen too were shocked. The sword was drawn; blood was shed; peace restored. No further justication was required. The minor King was the ward of the British Government. Even by the one-sided Articles of Agreement dated 16 December 1846, the British Government undertook the maintenance of an administration, and the protection of the Maharajah Dalip Singh during the minority of His Highness. This commitment was to cease and terminate on 4 September 1854, on attaining the full age of sixteen years by Maharajah Dalip Singh. In order to administer the State of Punjab, the British had armed themselves with supreme and plenary power to employ and occupy any portion of the Sikh Empire with British soldiers, in such position as it may deem t. The British Resident/Regent/Agent had more plenary powers than Maharajah Ranjit Singh. The so-called Council of Regency was just one part of the machinery instituted by the British GovernorGeneral, kept in perfect subordination to the British authority for day-to-day running of the country, the security of the capital and other parts of the country, for the protection of the Maharajah and the preservation of the peace of the country. The power of the Resident extended over every department, and to any extent. The articles of the Agreement that the infant Maharaja and the Council of Regency were made to sign on the dotted lines, gave the British Resident unlimited authority in all matters of internal administration and external affairs during the minority of the Maharajah. How could the minor Maharaja under British Regency and British administration be blamed for mismanagement and punished with the annexation of his kingdom? Sir Henry Lawrence was strongly opposed to the annexation of the Kingdom of Punjab. He wanted to resign from his high position in protest and return to his Regiment as a Captain of Artillery. However, the close circuit of his friends pre-

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vented him and persuaded him to overlook the highhandedness of the GovernorGeneral when all his efforts to save the Kingdom failed. Maharaja Duleep Singh was born on 6th September, 1838. He acceded to the throne of Punjab on September 15, 1843 at the age of 5 years, under the Regency of his mother Rani Jind Kaur. He was placed under the British Regency at the age of 7 years 6 months and 3 days, on March 9, 1846. He was separated from his mother at that tender age on his refusal to apply tilak on the forehead of Misr Tej Singh, (August 07, 1847), allegedly under the inuence of his mother Maharani Jindaan. Maharani Jindaan was removed from Lahore, and detained as a prisoner in the fort of Sheikhupura on August 20, 1847. The Maharajah was dethroned on at the age of 10 years, 6 months and 23 days on March 29, 1849. The British appointed Dr. Sir John Spencer Login as the new guardian of Maharaja Dalip Singh on April 06, 1849. ***

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III

Trial of Dewan Mool Raj Chopra

(As narrated by Satyagrahi Nand Lal)
Just two days after the annexation of Punjab, Dewan Mool Raj was put on trial. The British Government appointed a Commission, consisting of Mr. C. G. Mansel of Civil Service as President, Mr. R. Montgomery of Civil Service and Lieutenant-Colonel Penny of 2nd Bengal European Regiment as members of the Commission to try Dewan Mool Raj for murder of Mr. Agnew and Lieutenant Anderson. Dewan Mool Raj still had faith in British justice. He requested Major Herbert Edwardes to defend him, in spite of open declaration of Major Edwardes, that had Mool Raj fallen into his hands at any of the battles, the Major would have hanged Dewan the way he had strung Launga Mal of Dera Ghazi Khan, outside the city of Multan. When Major Edwardes refused to defend him, Mool Raj requested Sir John Lawrence to take up his defence. Sir Lawrence declined to accept the same as he had already been sounded to appear as the witness for the Prosecution against him. Mr. Loring Bowring, Assistant to the Board of Administration, was appointed as Counsel for the Prosecution and Captain Hamilton of the 34th Native Infantry, then acting as Deputy Commissioner of Punjab, was appointed as Counsel for the Defence with Lala Girdhari Lal, Vakil, to assist him. Captain J. H. Wakeeld was appointed as Ofcial Recorder of Proceedings in English and Maulvi Rajab Ali, Recorder of Proceedings in Vernacular. The Commission held its court like the erstwhile Kings holding their Durbar in the Diwan-e-Aam of the fort. The Diwan-e-Aam is a spacious hall in the Mughal era fort of Lahore, which presented a very imposing appearance. It was lined up with the British and Native troops. One European (Sahib) and one Indian clerk (Munshi) were posted at the entrance to the Diwan-e-Aam. Only respectable persons, limited to 500, were allowed to take seat in the hall reserved for the audience.

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There were separate seats for the dignitaries, Sardars and Rais and they were permitted accompaniments of their attendants. Three charges were framed against Dewan Mool Raj Chopra:
1.! Enacting and instigating the murder of two British ofcers, Mr. Patrick Vans Agnew and Lieutenant William Anderson by his troops and followers. 2.! Being an accessory before the fact to the murder of the said British ofcers, Mr. Patrick Vans Agnew and Lieutenant William Anderson. 3.! Being an accessory after the fact of the murder of the said gentlemen by approving the act and rewarding the murderers.

Dewan Mool Raj pleaded Not Guilty to all the three charges. The Commission rushed through the eleven witnesses produced by the Prosecution and ten witnesses produced by the Defence to reach their predetermined verdict of Guilty on all the three counts. Captain Hamilton turned out to be a man of conscience. Taking into account the fact that he was not a lawyer by profession, the manner and the sincerity in which he presented his defence, even a professional lawyer could not have done better. He vehemently denounced the evidence produced by the prosecution as no better than foul heaps of falsehood and perjury. All the witnesses produced by the prosecution were men of no worth or status in life except Sir John Lawrence. All of them, admittedly, were unemployed, without any job and were giving their tutored statements in the hope of securing jobs as rewards. Mahabharat, the Great Indian mythological war lasted eighteen days. The trial of Mool Raj lasted nineteen days. On the eighteenth day, Thursday, June 21, 1849, Captain Hamilton addressed the court of the Special Commission in defence of Dewan Mool Raj as under:Gentlemen, it is a rare occurrence for a British ofcer to appear in the position I now occupy, but a few words will sufce to explain the causes which led me to undertake the ofce of advocate to the distinguished but unfortunate individual now arraigned before this court. On my arrival at Lahore from a distant province, I was informed by authority that although the circumstances of the prisoner at the bar who was not only totally ignorant of the forms of justice observed in British courts, but also (from his limited intercourse with
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Europeans possessed little knowledge of our customs and character), peculiarly required the assistance of an adviser it has been found impossible to procure the services of a competent person. This information was accompanied with a request that I should undertake the ofce. I am no professional advocate, and I cannot pretend to say that the study of law has ever been my favourable pursuit. It may, therefore, appear presumptuous in me to undertake the task I have assumed, but as I am not impelled by any motive, save (in accordance with the wishes of my superiors) that of rendering to an unfortunate and friendless stranger the imperfect aid I can afford, I trust I may meet with favour and indulgence. I have been but a remote spectator of the stirring and eventful scenes of which these regions have been the theatre, but that circumstance is not without its disadvantages. I am not prejudiced in favour of any party, and I am not bound to support any particular policy. My rst enquiries into the case of the prisoner were sufcient to interest me in his behalf, and to incline me in his favour, and the subsequent investigations have led my full conviction of his entire innocence of the crimes charged against him. This conviction has lightened my labours, and has given me hopes that my endeavours to exculpate him, in the opinion of others, will not be unavailing. The prisoner at the bar is no ordinary individual, and the charges preferred against him are of no common character. A few months since he was at the head of a determined garrison, engaged in the defence of a celebrated city, whose government had almost become his legal inheritance, and offering an effective resistance to one of the bravest armies of the mightiest power in Asia. He is now arraigned as a criminal, charged (most erroneously I believe) with the foul and cold-blooded murder of the two brave young ofcers, who had gone in to him (in full condence in his delity) in the sacred character of guests and envoys. I hope to show that, however that prisoner may have swerved from his allegiance in other respects, he is guiltless of the foul treachery imputed to him. After narrating the case and his comments on the witnesses produced, he closes his statement with The garrison and citizens of Multan were guilty of a heinous crime, and heavy has been their punishment. Their homes are a mass of ruins, their wealth has become the lawful spoil of their conquerors, and those who have escaped the sword and the mine are now houseless exiles. Is that not enough to satisfy justice, or does she still demand fresh victims? We are now at the close of an eventful period. This unhappy land, so long the seat of anarchy and crime, is about to enjoy the blessings of peace and good government. The last kingdom of India is now a province of our mighty empire, and the last fortress in the land has fallen before our arms. Are the gibbet and the scaffold the trophies we should raise in
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honour of our victories? Let us rather mark the epoch by an act of mercy, if not of justice. Say ye to the prisoner at the bar Go, thou art free, and I am sure there is not one in this wide empire but will rejoice in your decision. Captain Hamilton Thursday, 21st June, 1849

The Honourable British Court, however, declared Dewan Mool Raj guilty on all the three charges and sentenced him to suffer death but suspended the execution of the sentence in compliance with the instructions of the Right Honourable the Governor General of India, recommending earnestly the prisoner to mercy as being victim of circumstances. In March 1849, before the trial of Dewan Mool Raj began, Dr. Sir John Spencer Login, who was, later (06-04-1849) appointed as the guardian of Maharaja Dalip Singh, was the Governor of the Lahore Fort in which all State prisoners such as Sardar Chattar Singh Attariwala, his son Raja Sher Singh Attariwala, and Dewan Mool Raj were incarcerated. The deceased Patrick Alexander Vans Agnew was a personal and intimate friend of Sir John Login. He personally called on Dewan Mool Raj in his cell to confront him and tell him that Agnew was his dear friend and his death was a grief to him. Until he met Mool Raj, he too considered him guilty. A brief face-to-face conversation with Mool Raj changed his opinion. He wrote to his wife in a letter dated June 10, 1849 that he now believed that Mool Raj had no hand in the death of poor Agnew. Mool Raj neither encouraged nor authorized the attack on him. Mool Raj expressed great regret for what had unfortunately occurred. He is a weak, chicken-hearted fellow, afraid to do what was right and entirely in the hands of some resolute villains around him. I do not think he really intended any harm to dear Pat Vans Agnew, but he had not the moral courage enough to put the fellows down Sir John Lawrence also had written to the Resident Sir Fredrick Currie: Bad as Mool Rajs conduct may have been, I should doubt very much if he has had anything to do with the original outbreak. Depend on it he has been forced into it by circumstances. He was notoriously a timid man, and one of the chief points on

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which he originally so much insisted with me was that he might be allowed to get away before it could be publicly known that he had given up the country Writing in his book The Punjab Chiefs, Sir Lepel Grifn states: It is not for history to praise an unsuccessful rebel, but a careful review of the Dewans history will show him to have been more unfortunate than criminal. It is certain that when Mr. Vans Agnew rst arrived at Multan, the Dewan had no intention of rebelling. Had such been his design, he would not have resigned his charge or have given over the fort. It is equally certain that the rst attack on the British ofcers was without the Diwans privities or consent. That attack was either an outburst of fanatical hatred on the part of the Muhammadan soldiery, who saw the fort, in which they took so much pride, passing into the hands of strangers, or it was instigated by some of the Dewans ofcers, who wished to compromise him and compel him to rebel. It is probable that he was under restraint and unable to command the obedience of his soldiers when the Idgah was assaulted and the English ofcers slain. At no time, from that fatal day till the arrival of the British army before Multan, could the Dewan, with any safety to himself, have proposed terms of submission or have sued for pardon. He was surrounded by relatives, friends and troops who depended upon him for place and wealth and power, and who saw in a new Governor nothing but ruin to themselves. They determined to force Mool Raj to rebel, for his victory would enrich them, and his defeat could not be more injurious to them than his resignation. Dewan Mool Raj was not an amiable character. He was mean, grasping, suspicious and vacillating. But the crimes of coldblooded murder and of premeditated rebellion cannot, with any justice, be laid to his charge. Lord Dalhousie, as predetermined, was pleased to commute the Death Sentence to life Imprisonment with banishment from India, accepting the mercyplea since the real culprit, Godhar Singh, had already been sentenced to death and Mool Raj at that time was in no position to stay the fury of the fanatic mob. Long after, in 1911, when the private papers of Marquis of Dalhousie were edited and published by J. A. H. Baird, it came to light that in one of his letters dated February 5, 1849, much before the trial of Mool Raj, Lord Dalhousie had written: I cannot hang him, but I will do what he will think a thousand times worse; I will
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send him across the sea, what they call the Black Water (Kaala Paani) and dread more than death. Mool Raj was taken to Calcutta, en route to Black Water. He could not overcome the shock of his life, the British Justice, to whom he had willingly surrendered. Feeling low and miserable on being blamed for all that went wrong in Multan, he went into depression. The dreaded doom made him sick and he never recovered from his sickness. For almost a year, he was incarcerated in the doomed cells of Fort William in Calcutta where his condition further deteriorated. They were removing him to Benaras but on his way, near Buxar, he gave up his ghost on August 11, 1851, at the prime age of 36. His mortal remains were cremated on the banks of the river Ganga at Pratabpur near Buxar. When the sad news reached Multan, Multanis, irrespective of their religion, of their personal losses and suffering, declared a national mourning for thirteen days for their last native governor. ***

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IV

Rise from the Ashes

A cat has nine lives. Multan had many from prehistoric to the modern era that started with British Rule since 1849. Many a times it was plundered, and destroyed, and yet every time it climbed back to glory. Multan rose back like the mythological bird phoenix from its ashes, again and again, in the freshness of its youth to live through another cycle of life. Sir Alexander Cunningham got every building in the fort of Multan demolished, brick by brick, and reduced the mighty fort to the level of a mound of earth called tila instead of qila. He, however, spared Prahladpuri temple, mosques, and the Su shrines. Shah Pal Khakwani had established Kadi Afghani near Lahori Gate in the 17th century. His descendant, Ghulam Qadir Khan Khakwani was given the title of Khan Bahadur and his youngest son, Ahmed Yar Khan was awarded the title of Nawab Sahib, for helping British against Dewan Mool Raj. East India Company established its rst hospital in Multan on the European pattern in 1850 and rst Anglo Indian High School in 1856 in Hussain Agahi. East India Company awarded Major Edwardes a specially struck Gold Medal for distinguished services rendered in the Punjab. He returned to a heros welcome in England and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) by Oxford University in 1850. His suggestion of creating a strong Afghanistan under British protection to discourage the designs of Imperialist Russia against invading India, through Afghanistan, received the approval of Lord Dalhousie. The Treaty was signed in 1855 and the British believe it helped them in maintaining peace in Punjab during 1857 up-rise. Edwardes was knighted (KCB) in 1859 and given the rank of brevet Colonel. There was a minor set back in 1857. When the rest of India revolted against the British Empire, the province of Punjab did not respond to the call of up-rise,
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probably in retaliation against the rest of India for not coming to the aid of Punjab at their time of need. Yet the Black Platoons (Kaali Paltan) of the East India Company, consisting of Poorabias of Gorakhpur Platoon no. 62 and 69, stationed at Shershah, Shujabad, and Jalalpur, revolted against the British regime. Ahmed Khan Kharal and Lal Khan Balochi, started Gorilla type of warfare, defeated, and killed Berkley. Elphinston and Hamilton were unsuccessful to overcome these gorillas. Sayyad Mehar Shah Bokhari was about to be overpowered by the revolutionists when Nawab Mustafa Khan Khakwani came to his help near River Ravi and saved him. Ahmed Khan Kharal, his nephew Murad Kharal, Sardar Sarang gave up their lives in 1857. General Courtlandt won over the local population and with the help of Nawab Mustafa Khan Khakwani, Muhammad Sheikh Hamid Ganj, Sadiq Muhammad Khan, Kotwal of Multan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Mehar Shah Bokhari suppressed the revolutionaries. The 1857 up-rise was termed as Indian Mutiny by the British but the people of India named it as the First War of Indian Independence. The effect of the 1857 up-rise brought the Rule of East India Company to an end and India was placed under the direct rule of the Crown. Queen Victoria proclaimed equal rights and religious protection for all Indians irrespective of their colour and creed. However, British settlers tended to be more racists and in spite of declaration of equal status for all, discrimination remained. British were, after all, the ruling class. It became the aim and the object of the British Government to justify its governance of India with the aid of English speaking Indians. Lala Ram Lal never surrendered to the British. He was promised a fair trial. He had seen the fate of Dewan Mool Raj. It was a known fact that Lalajee tried his best to dissuade Dewan Sahib from waging war against the British. But Major Edwardes refused to intervene and would not accept anything less than a complete surrender. In the consequences, all his properties were conscated and put to auction in which Multanis stood together in helping Bhaijee to get them back at a reasonable bid. Lalajee became invisible and yet people claimed having seen him at one or the other risings wherever these took place against the British. Lala Harbans Lal, his only son, could revive only one of the lines of the vast business of his father, the silk-threading, with the fresh capital provided by Bhai Bhamba Ram.
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He was just 18 when Lalajee vanished. It took him seven labouring years to establish his small business well enough to earn his Daal-Roti. His competitors took advantage of his distress and lured away his regular customers who did not wish to displease the British by associating with him. In 1858, Multan Cantonment was planned, and new Courts on the British pattern were set up outside Lahori Gate. In 1859, railway line was extended from Amritsar to Multan via Lahore, Kot Lakhpat, Raiwind, Changa Manga, Okara, Montgomery, Harappa, Chichawatni, Mian Channun, Khanewal, Shamkot, Kot Mela Ram, Riazabad, Tatepur, Peeran Ghaeb, Multan City, and Multan Cantonment. The North West Railway was later extended to Kotri in Sindh towards Karachi in the South, and to Delhi in the North. Viceroy Canning imposed Income Tax in India in 1861. The British opened Indian Civil Service for educated Indians too irrespective of colour and creed. Satyendra Nath Tagore, eldest brother of Rabinder Nath Tagore, was the rst Indian to join Indian Civil Service after the passing of the Indian Civil Service Act of 1861. In 1862, Colonel Edwardes was made the Commissioner of Ambala where he served for 3 years and left India on 1 January 1865, at the age of 46. He was made Knight Commander of the Star of India (KCSI) on 24-05-1866, promoted to Major General on 22 February 1868, and granted a good conduct pension of 100. He was offered the post of Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in March 1868, but before he could take up the assignment, Edwardes died of pleurisy in London on 23 December 1868, at the age of 49. Sir John Lawrence, former Regent of Punjab, became viceroy (1864-69) and brought Bhutan under British control but did not annex it to British Empire. Arya Samaj was founded in 1875 and taking lessons from the Christian Missionary Schools, the rst D. A. V. (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) School was founded in 1886. The Sanatan Dharma preachers too did not lag behind. They created religious trusts and established Sanatan Dharma Schools to impart teaching to people based on the eternal religion. On January 01, 1877, the British proclaimed Queen Victoria as the Empress of India. A symbolic Durbar was held in Delhi. It was attended by the 1st Earl of Lyt207

ton, Viceroy of India, where all the Rajahs, Maharajahs, Nawabs, Rais, Rai Bahadurs, Sardar Bahadurs, Khan Bahadurs, Rai Sahibs, Sardar Sahibs, Khan Sahibs, renowned Sahukars, Bankers. Landlords, Moneylenders and intellectuals were invited to celebrate the transfer of power from the East India Company to the British Crown. Bhai Bhamba Ram was one of the distinguished invitees on the occasion. Inside Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, the message from Queen Victoria is inscribed that was presented at the 1877 Durbar to the people of India:
We trust that the present occasion may tend to unite in Bonds of close affection, ourselves and our subjects; That from the highest to the humblest, all may feel that Under our rule, the great principles of liberty, equity, And justice are secured to them; and to promote their Happiness, to add to their prosperity, and advance their Welfare, are the ever present aims and objects of our empire.

Special medals to commemorate the Proclamation of the Queen as Empress of India were struck and distributed to all the honoured guests. It was at this glittering Durbar, it is said, that a man dressed in a white homespun spotless dhoti-kurta, quietly rose to read a citation on behalf of Pune Sarvajanik Sabha in a very humble and polite manner:
We beg of Her Majesty to grant to India the same political and social status as is enjoyed by Her British subjects.

This citation was claimed as the rst polite demand for a free India. The educated people of India had realized that they could not attain freedom by rising-inarms against the mighty British Empire. They must prick their conscience and morally compel the British to grant them freedom. Lala Harbans Lal got married in 1858 was blessed with a son, in 1860, named Krishan Lal, by a renowned Saadhu of Udasin Sampradaya who moved from place to place, absorbed only in Brahma the creator of the world. The Udasin sect is the inborn branch of the Vedic Hindu Religion. The sect is believed to have
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been pioneered by the four mind-born sons of Lord Brahma Sanat, Sanak, Sanandana, and Sanatana. The inhabitants of Mohalla Maharajan envied Bhai Bhamba Ram and thought that he, indeed, must have been most favourite of this particular sage for he chose his haveli to stay whenever he paid a visit to the historic city of Multan. The people of Multan ocked around this sage at Bhaijees haveli to seek his blessings. Multan was afliated to Punjab University, Lahore in 1880. In 1890, Railway Bridge at Chenab near Muzaffar Garh was erected to extend its arms to westward too. The introduction of Railway not only interweaved the different states of India but also consolidated the British Empire. The British had been able to drive a wedge between Hindus and Muslims. In Multan, in the holy month of Muharram, Hindus used to set up water-stalls with plain and sweetened water to offer their Muslim brothers, as they passed in procession mourning the martyrdom of Hazarat Hussain. Shia sects of Muslims inhabited Multan, predominantly. The Shia Muslims believe that their Imam, Hussainibn-Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, became a martyr at the illegal battle of Karbala on the 10th day of Muharram in 61 AH (680 AD). Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to ght during this holy month. Since then the Shias consider the rst ten days of Muharram as the period of mourning. They put on black clothes, keep day-long fasts, hold memorial meetings where Shia orators vividly depict the incident invoking the sympathies of the audience and moving their emotions to such a pathetic state that they start beating their chests and wailing as if the tragedy had taken place in the present and not centuries ago. During the entire ten days period, they keep themselves away from music and all joyous activities, weddings and hulla-gulla parties. Even Hindus of Multan, abhorred celebrations of any kind during this period, in sympathy with their Muslim brothers. On the 10th day, the Muslims observe ASHURA by taking out a mourning procession, carrying models of the mausoleum Hazarat of Imam Hussain, beating themselves with chains and bunch of knives bound in rings, as an expression of their grief on the untimely death of their religious leader, considered to be the representative of Allah, chanting and lamenting all the way Yah Hussain, Yah Hussain, Sayyad Mara Be-gunah, Hussain, Hussain, Hussain.
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For centuries, Hindus of Multan shared their grief and offered them fresh water to drink, applied homemade Ayurvedic ointments on the self-inicted wounds and supplied fresh towels to wipe their sweats. However, the British Government did not permit Hindus to conduct any such service in the name of maintaining peace and encouraged only Muslims to put up their own water stalls. At the Railway platforms too, all over India, they had put up separate water-stalls for Hindus and Muslims, and appointed criers to warn the prospective users Hindu Water and Muslim Water. On the suggestion of a British Civil Servant, Allan Octavian Hume, the Indian National Congress was founded on December 28, 1885. The rst meeting was held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay, with 72 delegates present. Hume had secured the Viceroys special approval to create a congress that will be afliated with the British Government and act as a platform to voice Indian public opinion and support the Government in levying taxes and legislative reforms in India. Hume was the rst General Secretary and W. C. Bannerji of Calcutta was the rst President. William Wedderburn and Justice Sir John Jardine, both Scottish Civil Servants were also the founding members of the Congress. The Congress presented themselves as loyalists, but wanted an active role in governing their own country under the British Crown. After 1849 disaster, Multan suffered another debacle in 1899 a highly contagious plague epidemic. It is generally believed that the plague entered India through the British colony of Hong Kong through the sailors calling on Indian seaports. Initially the impact was limited to the port towns of Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, and Karachi but by 1899 the Indian Railways carried it to the Importing/ Exporting cities like Poona (Maharashtra) and Multan (Punjab). There was no Public Health policy in British India until it was affected by epidemics like Cholera and Plague. The loss of Indian life was so tremendous that people rose in violent protests. The riots broke out in many towns. This marked a turning point in the British strategies. They imposed quarantine to prevent the spread of epidemic disease and conceded recognition to the practitioners of indigenous systems of medicines that were so far considered unscientic. Multanis rose to the occasion. Bhai Bhamba Ram was then 81, too old to serve as a volunteer. However, under
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his guidance the people of Multan formed again a voluntary service organization, and jumped into the eld. With Ayurvedic Vaids and Unani Hakeems (Greek Medicine Practitioners) they removed the affected persons to Quarantine Camps and the deceased to Cremation and/or Burial grounds. Another lavish British Durbar was held in Delhi in 1903 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII as the Emperor of India. Lord Curzon devised a festivity of a fortnight in meticulous detail. The land around Delhi was turned into a tented city, with light railway to bring the crowd to applaud the progress of India under British rule, such as introduction of electricity, telephone, postal service, telegraph, modern hospitals, exhibition of new sanitation and drainage systems. To the disappointment of Lord Curzon, the King-Emperor himself could not come to India but sent his brother, the Duke of Connaught. The Maharajahs and the Maharanis came from all over India, decked in their best jewels to grace the occasion. The Commander-in-Chief of the British army, Lord Kitchener, paraded his army in new uniforms and the military bands played the latest tunes to entertain the audience. The movie-footage, covering the event was shown in makeshifttented cinema halls with live orchestra throughout India, which initiated the production of Indian movies in Calcutta and Bombay. In political circle, Bal Gangadhar Tilak from Maharashtra was the rst to proclaim Swaraj as the national goal. Rising public leaders like Bipin Chandra Pal backed him from Bengal and Lala Lajpat Rai from Punjab. The trio became famous as Bal, Pal & Lal the rebrands of Indian National Congress. The moderates like Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Sir Pherozshah Mehta, and Dadabhoy Naoroji believed in negotiations and political dialogues. The Congress party in those days did not have public membership. Gopal Krishna Gokhale explicitly stated in 1913: No Indian could have started the Indian National Congressif an Indian had come forward to start such a movement embracing all Indians, the ofcials in India would not have allowed the movement to come into existence. At Lucknow session in 1916, Tilak along with the young Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Mrs. Annie Besant demanded Home Rule dominion status right to participate in the affairs of their own country.

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Under their Divide and Rule policy, British induced Muslims to form their own party, All India Muslim League, alleging that Congress was dominated by Hindus and was not suitable for Indian Muslims. Sir Agha Khan founded all India Muslim League in a meeting held in Simla under British patronage, hosted by Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah. About three thousand dignitaries including Hakim Ajmal Khan, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Zafar Ali Khan, Nawab Waqar-ulMulk Kamboh, Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk, Syed Ameer Ali, and Sir Mian Mohammed Shaf attended the meeting. Sir Agha Khan was elected as its rst President. The constitution of the League was framed in Karachi in 1907. The aim and the object were to protect the liberties and the rights of the Muslims, to promote understanding between the Muslims and other communities, to encourage education of the Muslims and to discourage violence. Seeking of independence from the British Rule or separate land for Muslims was not included in the aims and objects of their constitution. In the winter of 1909, the Udasin Sage was on a visit to Multan again and stayed as usual with Bhai Bhamba Ram. The people often wondered whether it was by chance or by design that this Udasin sage decided to depart from this world and leave his mortal remains in a samadhi pose (sitting with crossed legs with back straight like a ramrod, palms spread open and resting on each lap) in Bhaijees house, on December 04, 1909 at an advanced age of 95. People thronged for his darshan in the Samadhi pose. As the rigor-mortis set in, his body could not be stretched in to sleeping pose to t into the cofn. A special plank was made to carry his body in the Samadhi pose to the Cremation Ground situated outside the precincts of the city walls. Bhaijee bestowed the honour of performing the last rites (Kriya-karma) and igniting the re of the funeral pyre of the Udasin to Lala Harbans Lal. After the congregation held to pray for the peace of the departed soul was over, the family members of Lala Harbans Lal were taken into condence, on solemn oath of secrecy, and wised up that the reverend Udasin sage was no other person but Lala Ram Lal himself. Unfortunately, the plague visited Multan again in 1909. With unhygienic conditions prevailing in Multan under the British Rule, Multan had become prone to contagious diseases. This time Malik Chetan Das and Lala Parmanand Thukral
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and some of their service-minded friends formed Sri Multan Sewa Samiti. The dreaded disease had taken such a terrible turn that the parents were compelled to run away from their homes leaving their affected sons and daughters behind, the sons their affected parents, a husband his wife, and a wife her affected husband, to escape the tentacles of this monster disease. At such a terrible time, the dedicated volunteers of the Multan Sewa Samiti virtually carried the sick and dying persons on their shoulders to the specially set up temporary quarantined hospitals, unmindful of the risk they were taking in catching infection themselves. The Samiti also took care to cremate the unclaimed bodies at their own expenses. The inhabitants of Multan donated liberally to the Samiti for their noble work. In 1911, Bhai Bamba Ram died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 93. In December 1911, Delhi was declared the Capital of British India, at the special Durbar held to commemorate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India. Some prominent citizens of Multan too were chosen to represent Multan at the great Imperial Durbar held in the North Delhi, where the New Imperial Capital was to be set up. Bhai Bhamba Ram had already expired and his son Bhai Khushi Ram had kept himself aloof. His son Chaanda Ram, grandson of Bhai Bhamba Ram attended the Durbar as an ordinary spectator on his own expenses. He revisited this site after migration to Delhi, now known as Coronation Park, near Village Dhirpur, in the vicinity of Kingsway Camp, for old time sake, reliving the experience of his rst visit thirty-six years ago with nostalgia. To commemorate the occasion, the British had placed a 50 tall granite needle on a broad-based platform 25 feet high, comprising a series of receding steps and terraces and placing on it a tablet that reads:
Here on the 12th day of December 1911 His Imperial Majesty King George V Emperor of India Accompanied by the Queen Empress In solemn Durbar Announced in Person to the Governors

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Princes & Peoples of India His Coronation celebrated in England On the 22nd day of June 1911 And received from them Their Dutiful Homage and Allegiance

A similar tablet in literal Urdu translation is placed on the eastern side of the Coronation Pillar too. When the British committed India to the World War in 1914, the divided Congress re-united. Tilak, Gokhale, Mrs. Annie Besant the most prominently involved European in the Indian independence struggle, along with the young Mohammad Ali Jinnah launched the Home Rule Movement to demand Dominion Status within the British Empire. The Indian contribution to the war (1914-1918) was enormous more than one million soldiers and labourers in Europe, Africa, and the Arabian countries named as The Middle East by the British, participated. The Princely States of India contributed money, food, and ammunition. After the war, high casualty rates, increasing ination, and sinking economy forced the British Government to impose heavy taxes in India, increasing the suffering of the people of India. More than fty thousand Indian soldiers had died ghting for the Great Britain. With the demise of Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Lokmanya Tilak, the leadership of Congress passed on to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a Bat-at-law, from England. Gandhi had successfully led the struggle of Indians in South Africa, with his non-violent method and returned to India to lead the freedom struggle. Gandhis call for protest against the passing of Rowlatt Act in 1919 achieved an unprecedented response. Gandhi did not claim himself to be a prophet or a philosopher. However, the patience that he displayed in his nonviolent movement under police ring and laathi charge, earned for him the reverence of a Mahatma. The symptoms of a Mahatma are his tolerance, mercy, and friendliness for all living entities. He rmly believed that un-armed people had no chance of success against the well-armed rulers. 1848-1849 up-rise in Multan and Punjab, and 1857 up-rise in the rest of India, left only a bloody trail of butchery, hatred, bitterness, and devastation all around. According to Mahatma Gan214

dhi, every human being, even an enemy, has a kernel of decency. There were only evil acts, no wholly evil men. His technique of Satyagraha was designed to appeal to the conscience of the opponents to shed evil, and be just and fair to people all around. Satyagraha eschewed violence and emboldened people to ght injustice in a peaceful manner. However, Jallianwala Bagh Massacre at Amritsar in 1919 ared up Indian anger and gave birth to many an armed revolutionary group. Baisakhi is celebrated throughout North India, in every village, town and the city. On April 13, the Baisakhi day the start of harvesting season thousands of Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims including women, children, and senior citizens had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh, near the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), in Amritsar. Brigadier General Reginald Dyer went mad with rage and to teach the Indians a lesson, led personally around 90 soldiers with armoured vehicles equipped with machineguns. The Bagh is surrounded by residential houses and has a few narrow entrances. The main entrance is a little wider but not wide enough to let an armoured vehicle pass-through. Dyer posted forty soldiers at other entrances to block the exits and with 50 soldiers, walked through the main entrance, and ordered his 50 men to start ring at the unarmed gathering without any warning. Women of all ages some with toddlers in their laps, a little older children holding their ngers; men of all ages some carrying children on their shoulders and some leading them with ngers in their hands, and senior citizens overseeing their families every one was taken with surprise. His army kept on ring until they were out of ammunition. About 1650 rounds were red. More than 1300 persons were massacred and 1100 were wounded. About 120 bodies were pulled out of the solitary well where some people had jumped in to escape from the hail of bullets. Many people died in the stampedes that occurred. Dyer later admitted that it was not his intention to allow the people to disperse or escape but to terrorize them. His only regret was that the narrow passage leading to the Bagh did not permit his armoured vehicles into the Bagh and open re with his machine guns. Dyer was of those white-men who considered the white race as superior with birthright to rule over the inferior races of brown, black, and yellow races.

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British historians are of the opinion that the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was one of the foremost reasons for the fall of British Empire. Indias poet laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, renounced his knighthood as a protest and never allowed him to be addressed as Sir thereafter. The plague invaded Multan again in 1919. The brave volunteers of the Sri Multan Sewa Samiti fought again fearlessly but in the process, the Samiti lost some distinguished volunteers like Shri Dharam Chand Tillewale, Shri Naru Ram, Malik Darbari Lal, and Shri Chhotu Ram Harijan. For their seless dedicated services, Shri Mool Chand Thukral, Shri Chhabil Dass Arya, Shri Narain Lal Shastri, Shri Pujara Lal Thukral, Shri Takan Dass Jargar, were honoured as the gems of the Samiti. People of Multan gave full recognition to the devoted volunteers of Lala Parmanand ji and started addressing him as Bhagat ji the Devotee, the way Gandhi ji was addressed as Mahatma Gandhi. Lala Harbans Lal led a quiet life throughout his tenure of 90 years and died peacefully in the summer of 1920, leaving behind his wife Usha Devi, and the only son Lala Kishan Lal, aged 60 years, his daughter-in-law Sita Devi, aged 50 years and a grand-son, thats my humble-self Nand Lal, aged 10 years. He never took any part in any upheaval, any protest-rallies but did not forbid his son Lala Kishan Lal to do so. Similarly, Bhai Khushi Ram, 6 years his junior, never took any interest in any political party and limited his exercises to business activities only. One has to be daring to attend secret meetings and both of them knew, they were under the watch and wait magnifying glass of the British agents. In 1921, Sri Multan Sewa Samiti got its constitution and called a General Body meeting at which Dr. Purshotam Lal was elected as the President and Shri Bhagwan Das Jasooja as the Secretary. Bhagat ji (Lala Parmanand) was elected as Commander-in-Chief of the volunteers, called Sainiks (soldiers). This year Multan was visited again by the dreaded plague and Mahatma Gandhi himself inspected the camps being run by Multan Sewa Samiti, and applauded the devoted services being rendered by the Samiti. The British implemented some reforms in 1921, but the diarchy system still maintained English control over the government. During the Prince of Wales visit to Bombay in November 1921, riots occurred, and 53 people were killed. Gandhi cancelled civil disobedience in Bardoli and fasted until
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the violence ceased. In Calcutta 25,000 people were arrested. After a mob killed 22 police at Chauri Chaura on February 5, 1922, Gandhi cancelled the noncooperation campaign, making Jawaharlal Nehru and others in prison angry. In March, the British sentenced Gandhi to six years, but he was released after 22 months In 1922, Shri Madan Mohan Malviya and Hakim Ajmal Khan paid a visit to the ofce of the Multan Sewa Samiti, applauded, and honoured the volunteers with mementos. In 1924, the Sewa Samiti encamped at Shikarpur (Sindh) to help the victims of Cholera that had engulfed the town. Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar founded Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a Social and Cultural organization in 1925. The aim and the object were to oppose British colonialism and Muslim separatism and to coax Hindus to rise to the level of their past glory. He adopted Chhatrapati Shivajis Bhagwa (Saffron coloured) Flag as the ag of the RSS and composed its prayer too in Sanskrit to give it a nation-wide acceptance. The members of the RSS were known as Swayamsevaks self-serving volunteers and the party as sangh (union) of such self-serving volunteers. These well-disciplined workers earned recognition for their seless role in the relief work in natural and man-made disasters. The idle youth was attracted by offer of free games like kho kho, kabbadi, and physical exercises practiced there as to how to march in a le and how to wheel and turn about on particular command. The British military command words were literally translated into Sanskrit to make them applicable throughout India since all the provincial languages were Sanskrit based. The swayamsevaks were also taught, once a week, how to wield a staff (cut to the shoulder height of an individual) in self-defence. The focus was to build a strong India with a burning devotion to serve the cause of freedom, to live and strive for the welfare of everyone from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Assam to Balochistan one country, one nation. Soon their number grew to more than 5 million swayamsevaks. Dr. Hedgewar was disillusioned with the armed movement and formed RSS to create a well-disciplined corpse of physically and mentally strong, high-spirited sacricing boys. The British detested RSS and were watchful about their activities and graded them as a paramilitary organization. Lala Kishan Lal joined RSS and remained an active member as Sanghchalak of Mo217

halla Maharajan until he died in 1940 at an age of 80 (1860 1940). It goes to his credit and swayamsevaks like him for rejuvenating Hindus. Under the British patronage, Muslims of Multan had become so bold that they could sneak into a Hindu Mohalla and abduct a Hindu girl without causing much stir from subdued Hindus taking advantage of the absurd practice of the British Law that needed witnesses to prove abduction and Hindus had no guts to come out as witnesses. Two Muslim youths were an army while twenty Hindus were just a ock of chicks. The common curse of mothers for their daughters, in vogue, those days was Chaati Wanjey May someone carry you away! The communal riots, on triing issues, had become quite common. Muslims often taunted Hindus. Beware, when the next riots break, I would carry away your sister/daughter/wife, and even if you are able to recover her, after the riots, with the help of the police or any voluntary social or religious organization, the obsolete customs of your religion would not permit you to accept her back even if she was pure like Devi Sita! All these things changed with the inuence of RSS. Now two swayamsevaks were an army. No Muslim dared enter a Hindu mohalla, and when the riots broke, Muslims would pick up the fall-end of their lungis and run to get out of the city walls and Hindus who were outside the city walls, would pull-up their dhotis, leap into the precincts and the safety of the city walls. The huge doors of the six gates of the city were blown off in 1848 and never replaced again. Even the door-less gates stared back at the invaders as a challenge. The Hindus had awakened and could no longer be cowed down. Hindus knew that they were never safe outside these gates as the area outside the walls were predominantly populated by Muslim Jats, and Muslims were aware that Hindus were no longer docile and pliable and that RSS had turned them into a stout ghting force and that they were better and safer off the city limits. I joined the Congress as a satyagrahi along with tens of thousands of volunteers who had accepted the challenge of resolving social problems facing all Indians whether Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Christians, and uplifting India under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi. At the Congress session held at Lahore in 1929, the services of 113 volunteers of the Multan Sewa Samiti led by Bhagat ji were utilized
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in looking after the assemblage and Bhagat ji was honoured with the title of Dalpati (Group-leader). On January 26, 1930, Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed Indias independence, and Gandhi announced an 11-point program. Civil disobedience began on March 12 as Gandhi led a march to the sea to make salt, and by May, more than 100,000 people were in jail. Finally, Viceroy Irwin met Gandhi, and they signed a pact on March 5, 1931 that gave concessions for the end of civil disobedience. Gandhi went to London in September, but negotiation failed. Civil disobedience began again, and Gandhi was arrested. In jail, he fasted for the rights of the Harijans (untouchables) in September 1932. British repression and police brutality were widely reported as 120,000 were arrested. Gandhi fasted again in May 1933 and was released. He was arrested again, fasted, and freed in August. In 1935s Quetta Earthquake Disaster, the Multan Sewa Samiti rendered a commendable service for the relief of Quake victims and were honoured by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the then Congress President with mementos. Later, the volunteers who participated in the relief work at Quetta, were honoured by Lord Willingdon, the then Viceroy of India also, when he visited Multan on his ofcial trip that year. The Quetta quake had uprooted many people who had moved out from other states of India to settle down there. Homeless and penniless they were then moving back to their hometowns and villages. The Multan Sewa Samiti organized community kitchen-camps (Langar) for them at Multan Cantonment Railway Station. There they learnt that many victims were bye-passing Multan by traveling from Lodhran to Khanewal via chord. Lodhran to Khanewal via chord was just 55 miles but via loop through Multan was 76 miles. All Mail and Express trains passed through Multan but many passenger trains made short-cut through chord. Khanewal, until the British made it a Railway Junction with a huge shunting yard and Railway Store and Workshop, was just a tiny settlement for grassgrowers. It is said that Dewan Sawan Mal, the renowned Governor of Multan, in the times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, appointed Farid Khan as Kardar (Revenue Ofcer) to collect grazing tax from the livestock owners of this vast area of grassland, just 20 miles away from Multan City. The settlement came to be known as Khan-e-wal the place of the Khan. After the excavation of Lower Bari Doab Canal in 1912, and establishment of canal colony here, Khanewal witnessed a
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rapid growth in business and population. Many known business houses of Multan set up their ofces and second homes in this town. Bhagat ji reached Khanewal to explore the possibility of setting up a relief camp at the Railway Station there. He came into contact with Malik Ganesh Das Khanna, grand son-in-law of martyr Shri Dharam Chand Tillewale, a Sewa Samiti Volunteer, who had laid down his life while serving plague-affected patients in 1919, at an early age of 54. The Khannas readily agreed to form Khanewal Sewa Samiti on the lines of Multan Sewa Samiti, raise funds locally, and set up a relief camp for the Quetta victims. Seth Bhoja Ram was unanimously elected as the President, Malik Lok Nath Khanna, elder brother of Malik Ganesh Das Khanna as the Secretary, and Malik Ganesh Das Khanna as the Commander-in-Chief of the volunteers. India Act was passed in 1935 and the provincial elections held in 1937. Eight of the 11 provinces came under the Congress Rule. When people started relishing the effect of even this partial independence, Viceroy Lord Linlithgow chose to declare India as a belligerent country and on behalf of India, as its Viceroy, committed India to war with Germany on September 3, 1939. The Congress objected strongly to the declaration of war without prior consultation with the elected Indian representatives. The Congress Working Committee suggested that it would whole heartedly cooperate and ght along with the British, shoulder to shoulder, if a Central Indian National Government was formed, and a commitment made to Indias independence after the war. The Muslim League, however, offered its full support to the British, with Mohammad Ali Jinnah calling on Muslims to help the British Raj by honourable co-operation at this critical and difcult juncture, while asking the Viceroy for increased protection for Muslims. The Congress Ministries resigned, in protest, in October November 1939. Resolution for Quit India Movement was passed at the Bombay Session of the All India Congress Committee on August 9, 1942 that ignited an unprecedented Civil Disobedience Movement, all over India, where lakhs of Satyagrahis courted arrests. New slogans were coined, new rhymes were composed: Jail chaloge? (Like to go to Jail?) The group leader asks in rhyme. Kyon bhai kyon? (Why should we?) The group asks in chorus, in response.
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Ik cheese milegi. (You will get one thing) The leader replies. Kya bhai kya? (Whats that?) The group asks in chorus. Azadi. (Independence) The leader replies. Wah bhai wah! (Well, that is great) The group exclaim in chorus. (The demo was like a streetplay) Many people courted arrest. The volunteers of the Multan Sewa Samiti too did not lag behind the satyagrahis of the Congress. When there was no place in jails to lodge them, they were transported to jungles, and set free there. They trudged back to the nearest cities and courted arrest again. The Administration transported them again to places farther away to kill the movement. Some satyagrahis chose to go underground to infuse new blood to keep the movement alive. 1943 Bengal Famine was the worst man-made catastrophe in which four million people lost their lives, leaving a big blot on British Administration. This gave the hunger-struck Bengali a pseudonym of Bhookha Bengali. World War II ended in Europe in 1945. At the time of Japans surrender in September 1945, after the drop of Atom Bomb at Hiroshma and Nagasaki, Netaji Subhash Chand Bose left for Manchuria on his way to Russia and was reported to have died in an air crash near Taiwan but his body was never found. This kept the rumour hot that Netaji was still alive. His battle cry Jai Hind left a permanent mark in India and is still used as a welcome and a good bye greeting by civilians and militia alike. British sorted out three out of thousands of captured members of the Indian National Army raised by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose a Hindu, a Muslim and a Sikh for trial, ironically, at the very Red Fort, in Delhi, where Netaji was to unfurl the Indian National Flag, after pushing the British out of India. The days of the Trial of Mool Raj were over. The people were awakened and united now. The whole nation raised their voice against the British in the defence of the valiant INA soldiers. It was the last major campaign in which all the political parties of India united including British patronized Muslim League. They formed INA Defence Committee that included legal luminaries like Jawahar Lal Nehru, Bhula
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Bhai Desai, Kailash Nath Katju, Asaf Ali, to name the few. The British carried on with their pretence of fair trial, convicted the defendants, and sentenced them to deportation from India for life. But the immense public pressure, demonstrations and riots against the government forced the British to set them free and suspend the trials of other INA prisoners. The patriotic fury was beyond the communal barriers and was disturbing for the British and made the think-tanks of Great Britain realize that Indian Army that was helpful in suppressing peaceful Quit India Movement in 1942, could not be trusted to suppress such nationwide movement. INA shortened the British Raj by at least two decades. Not able to make any sense of the multiplying problems in India, the British Government decided to leave India and appointed Lord Wavell as their last Viceroy and Governor General of India, to wind up their affairs in India. Lord Wavell came up with a plan to hand over the entire India from Assam in East to Balochistan in West and from Kashmir in North to Kanya Kumari in South in one piece. The way British had weaved all the regions of India into one unit, no other ruler had ever been able to do so. Viscount Wavell did not believe in partitioning India and wanted the British to leave India in one piece, gradually and gracefully, bit by bit, handing over the governance to elected representatives of India. Lord Wavell noted in his diary that Jinnah was a sick man. Unfortunately, neither the British nor the Congress and Lord Wavell knew at that time that Jinnah was actually dying of Tuberculosis. In their hurry to wash their hands off India, the British lost their patience with Field Marshal Wavell (1943 1947) and replaced him with Lord Louis Mountbatten. After assuming ofce and meeting various warring political parties/tribal groups/factions, Lord Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, came to his hurried conclusion that the only solution to the constitutional impasse was the partition of the country that the penultimate Viceroy, Lord Wavell tried to avoid. With Jinnah already clinging to his sleeves, Mountbatten won over the Congress leader Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru to accept the partition, and the problem from the British side was amicably resolved. On February 20, 1947, the British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, announced that Britain was going to hand over the reigns of the Government of India into re222

sponsible Indian hands within a year, either as a whole or in such a way as may seem possible to the satisfaction of all factions. On February 22, 1947, a meeting was held in Multan, under the chairmanship of Master Tara Singh, President of Shiromani Akali Dal, at the residence of Sardar Nanak Singh, General Secretary, Akali Dal, Multan, where leading citizens of Multan were invited to raise their voice against the partition of the country. A new slogan was coined, Hindu Muslim Hindustan, Nahin Chaahiye Pakistan (Hindustan is for both Hindus and Muslims; Pakistan is not desirable) and Akhand Bharat Zindabad (Long Live United India). Sardar Nanak Singh, an advocate by profession and Vice President, Bar Association of Multan, remarked that Creation of Pakistan will not only divide the nation into two mutually suspicious and hostile countries but also divide the Muslims of India into friends and foes, besides encouraging the other minorities to ght for their own homelands on sectarian basis. The Government of Punjab, under Sir Khizar Hayat Khan, resigned on March 2, 1947. This heightened the already explosive communal tension. The very next day, pro-Akhand Bharat and pro-Pakistan demonstrators clashed in Lahore, the capital of Punjab. Someone unfurled a Muslim League Flag on the Punjab State Assembly Hall. This upset Master Tara Singh, leading a Sikh Jatha, protesting against division of the country. He unsheathed his Kirpan a small sword carried by Sikhs (One of the ve Ks) and cut down the League Flag into pieces with a cry, Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal (Blessed are those who shout God is Truth) and Akhand Bharat Zindabad (Long Live United India). This kindled riots between the two opposing factions. The Police had to resort to Baton (Lathi) charge and open re to disperse the crowd. The news section of All India Radio carried this news far and wide. On March 4, 1947, a huge rally was held at the vast open ground of Kup Bazaar, at Multan, where all parties barring Muslim League participated including, Congress, Hindu Maha Sabha, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Anjuman-e-Aqliyat-e-Multan (Minorities Fedration), and Akali Dal. Dr. Saif-ud-din Kitchlew, a prominent Congress Leader, addressed the peaceful rally, highlighting the advantages of a United Democratic Secular India. Sardar Nanak Singh also spoke passionately against the division of the country. He said that way Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and other sectarians could ask for a separate
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homeland, but Sikhs have decided not to demand a separate homeland for Sikhs. Sikhs, he said, were created to defend all faiths and not to break up India. We have lived together for centuries and have helped shape the country as it is known today. Any change would bring catastrophe of an unparalleled proportion. We must keep religion as a personal matter and allow every member of the family to worship whatever gives him peace. In between the speeches of political leaders, Multani poets regaled the audience with their patriotic and humourous compositions. On the morning of March 5, 1947, the students of Emerson College of Multan took out a peaceful procession from their college with the intention to walk through the main Bazaars of Multan protesting against the proposed partition of the country. Due to political tension, Punjab University had postponed the Annual Examination from March to June 1947. As such the students of DAV High School too joined the procession shouting slogans Long Live Secular India and Akhand Bharat Amar Rahe (May Undivided India live for ever!). The School and the College both were in the suburbs of Multan, outside Bohar Gate. As the procession entered into the city through Bohar Gate, mobs of pro-Pakistan suddenly emerged from the Muslim Mohallas and started hitting the boys participating in the procession with sticks, long knives, daggers and sharp machetes. The sudden attack, without any warning, stunned the boys. Some, by habit, took to heels and slipped to safety through narrow, winding lanes. Some fell to the blows. Some resisted, snatched back the daggers from the attackers, and made the pro-Pakistanis run for their lives. The news spread throughout the city of Multan and before the swayamsevaks could react and come to their help, Sardar Nanak Singh, General Secretary of Akali Dal, rushed to Bohar Gate to calm down the frenzied mobs. He reached the site within minutes and shouted aloud, Listen O, my Muslim brothers. If you are true Muslims, you would stop butchering these innocent children. As you can see, I am a Sikh Sardar. The Sikhs have no quarrel with anybody and consider all to be their friends. Our struggle for independence had only been successful because we had all stood united. When there is so much strength in unity, why go along separate ways?

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His fearless and sincere words had a momentary effect on the hostile mob. Some relented and stepped back, giving a chance to many a children to escape. But some hardened mischief-mongers regrouped to surround and attack Sardar Nanak Singh with sharp lethal weapons in their hands. With no police to restore order and no one else to back him, he stood bravely alone to fend off the brutal attack on the lone soldier of peace, with bare hands. Someone tried to push a long knife into his stomach. The knife, piercing through his left hand, nailed it to his stomach, where natural reexes had taken it to shield it from the erce thrust. The instincts forced him to draw his kirpan and cut off the next person about to club him. In the melee, no one could see who hit whom. Multitudinously wounded and profusely bleeding, he stood his ground, wielding his little kirpan as long as he had life in him. Like a true Sikh, he gave his own life to save the lives of others ah, the budding youth of Multan. The frenzied mob, in celebration of their victory over a lone Sardar, started looting and setting on re the shops of Hindus and Sikhs that were shut because of strike-call. The news was suppressed by Multan Administration and it was only on March 14, ten days after the incident that The Tribune a prominent daily newspaper of Punjab could come out with censored version:
Land of Prahlad in Distress Baldev Singh visits Riot-affected Areas 250 killed: 750 Houses destroyed in Multan: Many deaths in rural areas From Our Special Representative Lahore, March 13. In the historic city of Multan where the two shrines of Hazrat Bahawal Haque, a Muslim divine, and, Bhagat Prahlad, stand side by side, communal frenzy went high suddenly; not only was the blood of innocent peace-loving citizens, men and women, split but even places of worship were not spared as many as thirteen such places were desecrated and some others set on re and one or two completely demolished. This happened on March 5 & 6, when people ran amuck. The total number of deaths, according to the ofcial sources, is 250 killed, and 750 houses and shops destroyed, mostly by re. Though the number of persons killed in the rural areas has not been ascertained

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and it may not be possible to do so the general view is that in villages surrounding the tehsils of Multan and Shujabad property was mostly looted, not so much set on re. Of the killed the most tragic end has been that of Seth Kalyan Dass and Sardar Nanak Singh, both well-known persons of Multan.

On June 03, 1947, the plan of the partition was ofcially announced. On July 04, 1947, The Indian Independence Act was introduced in the House of Commons by the British Prime Minister Clement Attlee. On the midnight of August 14, 1947 or predawn of August 15, 1947, India gained independence and Jawaharlal Nehru made his famous Tryst with Destiny speech. ***

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Adieu Multan
Independence came with the horrors of partition and dismemberment of vital portion of the main body of India. India that was known as the Golden Sparrow was cut into pieces. The beak of the golden sparrow (Balochistan), the face of the Sparrow (Sindh from which India derived its name Hind), eye of the Sparrow (Multan and West Punjab more than half of the undivided Punjab) and the head of the Sparrow (North West Frontier Province) were wrenched from the main body with one brutal stroke to form West Pakistan. As if it was not enough, the Brits further hacked the tail of the Golden Sparrow, (more than half of Bengal) to carve out East Pakistan. Communal riots ared up. Law and order broke down. Rape and murder scarred the country. People went amuck. The inhabitants of Multan recalled that except for occasional frictions, Hindus and Muslims had been living together peacefully for centuries during the rule of Arabs, Turks, Afghans, Mughals, Sikhs, and British. Why should they abandon their ancestral homes, their wellestablished business houses, secured jobs, self-acquired and/or inherited properties, and foremost their mother country ancient prehistoric and mythological city of Multan and seek refuge in other states of India? The communal tension would cease once the law and order was restored. The hate-phenomenon would evaporate as the time passes. The rulers change, but subjects do not change. But alas, that was not to be. Divide and rule policy of the British were not ending with British rule. They were dismembering India before leaving. The Indians should have refused to be provoked by the divisive policies of the British and the vile campaigns of the religious extremists. The hardcore Muslims, who had started pouring into the newly carved Pakistan from the rest of India, wanted to evict Hindus from their Pure Muslim Land Pak-i-stan (pure place) to create space for them to occupy and settle down. Their eyes widened with greed as they saw the windfall of accumulated wealth and property of Hindus coming into their hands
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so easily if they could only make Hindus run for their lives all the way across the newly created borders, leaving all their material possessions for the newly created Pakistanis to grab. Lust for easy money drove even good, pure, and God-fearing people to crime. They coined new slogans: Qalam Se Liya Pakistan, Talwar Se Lenge Hindustan. (Took Pakistan by the might of pen, would take India by the might of sword). Astrologers predicted that Pakistan would not last for more than two and a half years. Successful professionals and traders were all Hindus. Pakistan would need Hindu doctors, surgeons, teachers, bankers, traders, nanciers, and entrepreneurs to run the new country. History is the witness. When Sher Shah Suri wrenched Hindustan from Humayun in 1540 and Multan gave shelter to Humayun on the run, Sher Shah became furious and invaded Multan with full vengeance. Humayun moved away stealthily towards Iran via Sindh. With Mughal Emperor absconding, Multanis took to heels to escape the wrath of Sher Shah Suri. Finding Multan empty of its lifeline the Hindu traders, Sher Shah announced general amnesty and invited Hindu traders to re-settle in Multan offering them lucrative incentives. Most of the Multanis thought that the prevailing madness would subside and they might not have to migrate to India lock, stock and barrel. They hid their valuables in the wall-niches or under the oors, locked up their houses and temporarily moved away towards India, carrying just the essentials, hoping to be back in their native place in the near future. However, the frenzy did not subside. The moment they left their homes, the locks of their houses were broken by the migrants from across the newly created border and their vacant houses enthusiastically occupied. This made the sticklers feel unsafe and they too started packing to evacuate Multan. Some chartered aeroplanes, some acquisitioned busses, some hired trucks, a few ventured to cross over to Free India in their own vehicles cars, buggies, and tongas as if going out for a family excursion. Some were just driven out of their homes in whatever clothes they were dressed in. Some were not given even this courtesy. They were just slaughtered to death in the name of pure religion. Sri Multan Sewa Samiti came to the assistance of these evacuees. They organized a huge camp in Kup Maidan, in the heart of the City of Multan and gave shelter and rations to all the refugees even those trekking from the suburbs and vil228

lages around Multan. Lala Somnath Kapur and Malik Ishwer Das Malhotra offered their busses free of charge for transporting the refugees to Railway Station to catch special trains run by Indian Railways. The millions of people were uprooted and billions-worth of movable and immovable properties destroyed. The greatest population exchange that ever took place in the History of the world about 10 million Hindus and Muslims migrated from newly carved out Pakistan to India and vice versa. The volunteers of Multan Sewa Samiti, including my humble self, led by their Commander-in-Chief Bhagat Parmanand Thukral, were last to evacuate from Multan escorting the last batch of evacuees, bidding Good-bye to their beloved ancient city Mooltran (main lifeline). ***

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APPENDIX

The Original Home of the Aryans

History is not just a study of the past; it tells you how your present was evolved. Multan is believed to be a pre-historic town the capital of the mythological King Hiranyakashyap father of Bhakta Prahlad. A culture without mythology is not considered as a part of civilization. After Hiranyakashyaps name, Multan was then known as Kashyap Puri. Some people believe that Kashyap gotra originated from Hiranyakashyap. The celebration of Holi, a colourful festival of Hindus, is believed to have started from Multan. Because of a boon bestowed on him that neither any man nor any beast c o u l d k i l l h i m , H iranyakashyap had become arrogant and considered himself as powerful as Almighty God. He forced his subjects to worship him instead of Lord Vishnu. However, his own son Prahlad Kashyap, child devotee of Lord Vishnu, deed him. To get rid of him, Hirnyakashyap asked his sister Holika who too had a unique boon
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A Brief History of Multan

of her own to remain unscathed by re, to sit at the burning stake of re with Prahlad in her lap. However, the boon had a catch she was to remain unscathed only if she was alone. As such, she perished in the re while Prahlad survived unscathed. People rejoiced at the miracle and since then a symbolic bonre is lighted on Holi eve to mark the destruction of evil by re and the triumph of Truth. People embraced each other after sprinkling colours and indulged in free ow of fun and frolic, mirth and merriment without any class or gender bias. Dancing, singing, and teasing formed a part of Holi celebrations. Hiranyakashyap then tried to kill Prahlad by forcing him to embrace a heated column. The Indian concept of the omnipresence of God is depicted in this parable. Hiranyakashyap challenging Prahalads theory of omnipresence of God, asked him, Is your God present in this pillar? Upon his afrmation, Hiranyakashyap challenged him to embrace his God in that burning hot pillar. Lord Vishnu is said to have come out of the burning column in the carnation of Narsimha neither man nor beast, to annihilate Hiranyakashyap the demon king. A replica of the column and a temple depicting the scene was originally built in the middle of the fort that was later destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1658 1707) and a mosque constructed in its place, which in turn was totally blown up in the siege of 1848. The new temple was rebuilt by Dewan Sawan Mal (1821 1844) at the foot-hill of the fort in such a way that it should not over shadow the shrine of Su saint Rukn-ud-din, grandson of Bahawal Haq, commonly known as Rukn-ul-Alam (Pillar of the world) so as not to hurt the feelings of his Muslim subjects. The entrance to the fort lay here and was known as Dev Gate because of this Deval temple. Another school of thought claims Multan as one of the oldest cities of the Asian subcontinent. It was the capital of the Trigarta Kingdom at the time of the Mahabharata war, ruled by the Katoch Dynasty, and named Kashyap-pura after the great Hindu sage Maharishi Kashyap and the great Katoch Dynasty used Kashyap as its gotra. From Kashyap Puri, Multan came to be known as Prahlad Puri, in honour of Bhakta Prahlad. In the month of May-June (Jeshtha on the fourteenth day, Narsingh Chaudas) festival was held in Prahlad Puri to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. From, Prahlad Puri, its name changed to Hanspur (Hamsapura), Bagpur (Vegapura), Sanabpur.
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The natural borders of India were the huge snow-clad range of mountains with the highest peak in the world at 29,000 feet like a crown on the head of the body in the north, extending its range like arms in the east up to the Bay of Bengal and in the west up to the Arabian Sea. Mighty rivers emerging out of the mountains engulf India like rows of necklaces, with the Indian Ocean spreading around its lower body like a wrap protecting and shaping its body into a triangular peninsula of central and southern India with its feet resting on the island of Sri Lanka. India was thus magnicently fortied by nature except the west where few chinks like Khyber Pass, Kurram Pass, and Bolan Pass lead down from the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau into the wide plains of Multan and Panchaal (Punjab). From these passes, Huns, Persians, Greeks, Sakas, Kushans, Turks, Mongols, Afghans, and Mughals marched into India to plunder or conquer and subdue Indians. Some of the Indian historians opine that There is no evidence to show that the Vedic Aryans were foreigners or that they migrated into India within traditional memory. They claim that sufcient literary materials are available to indicate Sapta-Sindhu as their original home (devakrita-yoni or devanirmita-desa). Renowned Vedic scholars suggest that the original home of the Aryans was in the region of the river Devika in Multan. Rig Veda, universally acknowledged as the oldest-known book on earth, is believed to have been written in Multan. Multan had river transportation system with pre-historic towns of Harappa and Mohan-jo-Daro. Coins of Vasu Deva King of Multan and Devajari King of India and Persia were found here. The ancient trade route (8th century BC) called Silk Route between Rome and China, passed through Multan. Wool, gold, and silver came east while silk went west. Under the inuence of Hinduism, its Vedic theory of Karma as you sow so shall you reap, its way of meditation and yoga, its spiritualism, a comparatively high stage of civilization was attained. Some historians claim that Osiris of Egypt conquered Multan and the northern part of India up to Ganges in 4800 BC. Hordes of invaders passed through Afghanistans inhospitable mountain passes, on their way to plunder the treasures of Multan. The great Assyrian Queen, Semiramis, B.C. 900, coveted for the possession of Multan, but her forces were driven back from the river Indus. Multan was
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then known as Mooltran the main lifeline of India. The fort and the city are believed to be older than Harappa civilization (BC 800). The Tatars, the white Huns, invaded Multan in 700 BC. Balmikis Ramayana is believed to have been compiled between 600 and 500 BC and Mahabharata in 400 BC. Darius I, the Great Persian Emperor (BC 521 486), included it in his empire. Hashank, Jamshed, and Naushirwane-e-Adil too are said to have extended their rule over Sindh and Multan. Alexander the Great (328 BC), during his winning spree, was bestowed with the status of Avtar of Vishnu and many of the Hindu kings that ruled over Afghanistan in that era surrendered before him without a ght. The native Aspasians believed that the Greek God Dionysus, an ancestor of Alexander of Macedonia, was born in their valley and the Macedonians found ivy everywhere as the symbol of Dionysus. It was also the sign of Vishnu cult. It is said that the Prince Ambhi of Western Punjab, travelled all the way to Bactria, an ancient country in West Asia, between the Oxus River and the Hindu Kush Mountains, where Alexander was holding his court. He subjected himself before the Macedonian and asked for his help against his neighbour, Puru (Porus) the ruler of Eastern Punjab with his capital at Lo Poro (modern Lahore). Not much later, Alexander, whose army gave up the conquest of India and turned back from river Vips (Beas), after tasting the valour of King Porus, is believed to have crossed swords with Multanis at river Ashkini now known as Chenab. Multan was then nick-named as Mallithan the land of Mallis (Wrestlers). When Alexander stormed the city, a Multani archer with his two-meter high bow that could shoot spears instead of arrows, hit Alexander in the sternum. Alexander was unhorsed and fainted and was carried away to his safe ship anchored at the river Chenab while the Macedonian army sacked the city and killed the inhabitants mercilessly. When Alexander regained consciousness, the Greeks had escaped from Multan and were anchored at Panchnad, the conuence of the ve great rivers of Panchal (Punjab). Alexander built a city there that came to be known as Uch. In the course of time, the conuence shifted some hundred km away to Mithankot. Uch was an important Islamic centre after Multan, during Muslim conquest in medieval India. The tombs of Bibi Jawindi, Bahaal-Halim, and Jalal-ud-din Bukhari, masterpieces of Islamic architecture lie here. It is said
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that Alexander had no smooth sailing thereafter and had to ght his way from Uch to the Arabian Sea against the people who wanted to avenge the sack of Brahman Puri and Multan and the general genocide committed by the Macedonians and plundering and laying to waste the part of India that their army traversed. It is believed that Alexander never fully recovered and later died of the wounds sustained by him in the battle of Multan on his way back to Macedonia at Babylon. Macedonians however claim that Alexander died of pancreatic (indigestion) 323 BC at an age of 32 in Babylon. Chandragupta Maurya defeated Selucus and regained Multan from the Greeks. Selucus not only gave his daughter in marriage to Chandragupta but also the territory of Afghanistan in dowry and left Megasthenes as his envoy in India. After the extinction of Mauryas, Sassanids, Scythian, Shaka, Shilada and Gandhara dynasties ruled over Multan until 340 A.D., when Kidara Kushaan, a feudatory of the Sassanids, with his capital at Peshawar, then known as Purushuapura, declared independence and extended his rule up to modern Uttar Pradesh. Raja Saharas built the present river port Rajghat at River Chenab in Multan in 583 AD. Raja Chuch, the Brahmin King of Sindh, conquered Multan in 632 AD. Multan was one of the greatest centers for Hindu-learning along with Takshila, Nalanda, Mithila, Tirhut, Mathura, Prayag, Varanasi, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Ayodhya. Yuan Chwang, the Chinese traveller, who passed through India during the reign of King Harsh Vardhan, (642 A.D.) writes: The most famous Sun Temple was that at Multan, where the image was of gold ornamented with precious substances, and the daily worshippers counted constantly 1,000 pilgrims from various lands, with a constant succession of females performing music, with lights kept burning all night, incense and owers continually offered, while the Kings and grandees of all India gave precious substances as religious offerings, and erected free rest houses with food, drink, and medicines for the sick and needy. With the gold statuette of Aditya (Sun), Multan came to be known as House of Gold and Moolsthan the main place of the Sun. Sandalwood was sent to Multan from all over India for this famous Sun Temple. It is said that one of the
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temple dancers, Padmavti, was so famous that even Maharani Pingla of Sehwan (Sindh), wife of Raja Bhartuhari (king turned saint), travelled all the way to Multan to witness her performance. Sehwan, 81 miles from Kotri at river Sindh, was the capital of Raja Bhartuhari, brother of Vikramaditya Chandragupta II, the 3rd Gupta Emperor (375-413 AD), who became an ascetic. Music and dancing was so popular in Multan that even the warriors trained their horses to dance to the beat of the drums. 16th July 622 is considered to be the start of Muslim Era and takes its origin from the ight of the Prophet Mohammad from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution (Hegira). Omar I, the 2nd Caliph introduced the Hegira Era in AD 639 (AH 17) with the rst day of Lunar month of Muharram, which corresponds to July 16, 622. The propagation of Islam commenced after the demise of Prophet Mohammad. Islamic conquest of Iran (637-651) brought an end to the Sassanid Empire and Zoroastrian religion in Persia (Iran). Arabs invaded Sindh in 664 AD and reached Multan by 712. Mohammed-binQasim defeated Raja Dahir son of Raja Chuch and conquered Multan by defeating Raja Gaur Singh, nephew of Raja Dahir. It is said that he carried away 40 camel-loads (13220 tons) of gold in 722 AD from this city of gold. Sindh and Multan were the rst to give a foothold for the establishment of Islam in India. Multan was the rst Qubbalul (cupola foundry, a vertical furnace for melting iron to be cast) of Islam. The rst Jama Masjid, Maktab, and Library of Islamic Books in India were established by Mohammed-bin-Qasim in Multan. Art of making ceramic bricks also reached Multan with Mohammed-bin Qasim through China and Iran and Multan became famous for its blue kashigiri ceramic tiles, blue pottery, ower vases, and utensils. Kash is derived from the Sanskrit word that means shine. Pundit Brahm Gopat of Multan was considered as a great scientist. His book Sidhant was the rst book from Multan that reached the hands of the Caliph Abu Jafar Mansoor in Baghdad in 771 AD and was translated into Arabic as Alsand Hind by Ibrahim Qarari. Before the advent of this book, Arabs used to write numbers in words. They learned to write them in gures through this book. This book later was translated into many European languages.
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Durlabh Multani is credited with the rst book on astrology (Jantri) that was highly acclaimed by Al Barooni. In the early 9th century, a great literary upsurge occurred in Central Asia. Mohammad-Ibn-Musa Al-Khorezmi, the founder of Arab Mathematics, wrote a book about mathematics titled al-Djabr from which the term Algebra is derived. His works represent a synthesis of Indian mathematics of Pandit Brahm Gopat Multani and Greek Geometry. The Islamic theory of the state did not permit the existence of any other religion except Islam. Muslims alone were considered as citizens. Non-Muslims were taken as degraded people and divided into two groups for separate treatment: (i) those who claimed their scriptures as revealed ones (ahil-e-kitab) and (ii) those that believed in incarnation of God and were idolaters (kars and mushsriks). Jews and Christians were placed in the rst category and allowed to enjoy partial toleration on payment of individual tax, called Jizya, but the second category was not eligible for any kind of toleration whatsoever. Subsequently, they allowed Parsis (Zoroastrians) too who resembled the possessors of revealed books (musahab ahil-e-kitab) in the rst category. Malik-ibn-Anas (715-795 AD), Ash-Sha (767-820 AD), and Ahmad-bin-Hannibal (780-855 AD) three of the four well-known schools of Muslim Law, laid down that idolaters have no right to live in a Muslim ruled country and that they must either embrace Islam or suffer death. But the fourth Muslim Law authority named Abu Hanifah (699-766 AD) opined that idolaters might be given, besides the choice between Islam and death, one more alternative, namely, permission to live as zimmis or dhimis (living under a contract) as inferior citizens with an obligation to pay Jizya and to submit to certain political, legal and social disabilities as protected subjects. Mohammed-bin-Qasim, the conqueror of Sindh and Multan, found it impossible to enforce rigid interpretation of Quranic Law, and to compel Hindus to choose between Islam and death, on account of their numerical superiority and their being armed to teeth. He, wisely, applied the ruling of Abu Hanifah, and extended partial religious toleration that was the special privilege of the Jews and the Christians only, to the Hindus of Sindh and Multan. This became a precedent to be followed by the later Turkish, Afghan, and Mughal conquerors.

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The Muslim invaders and Muslim Sultans were primarily military men and were mostly well-mounted archers. They possessed remarkable military skills and intellect, and fought with great shrewdness, persistence, and tenacity. Their horses and arms gave them indisputable military superiority over Hindu troops of that age. The Arabian horses were proverbial in History and Turkish were even better, surpassing all other breeds, in speed, endurance, intelligence, faithfulness, and marvelous sense of locality. Whereas the Rajputs prided themselves on their swordsmanship and regarded the battle as a tournament to display their skill and chivalry and a fair ght, the Arabs and the Turks fought to win, hook or crook, and believed that everything was fair in war. According to Islam, war was a kind of deception (al harb khada). The Hindus were averse to taking advantage of the enemys weakness or to resort to feints and maneuvers in which Arabs and Turks were adepts. Mohammed-bin-Qasim appointed Amir Daod-bin-Nassar Amani from the House of Qureshis as the rst Muslim governor of Multan in 722 AD who, in his turn, started Islamisation of the country and made Multan the rst center of Islamic studies. Hindu kings, who tried to reconquer Multan, were kept at bay by the Muslim usurpers under the threat that if they attacked Multan, the rst casualty would be the gold statuette of their Sun god Aditya that would be melted into gold bullion and taken away to Arabia. Hindu kings could do nothing but helplessly watch the mass conversion of their brethren embracing Islam under the sharp edge of the sword or being relegated to inferior social and political status and bear the burden of paying higher levels of taxation for surviving as Hindus. Even those who accepted Islam were subjected to discrimination as the Islamic nobility refused to accept them as their equals though Islam forbids such discrimination. The foreign-origin Muslims became a caste above all castes and lorded over all other Muslims. Su saints, who had great inuence over the ruling House of Qureshis, managed somehow, to stop the forced conversion of the Hindus and preached love for all humans without distinction. There is no compulsion in matters of religion (Sura 2: 256). They believed in discussions, persuasion, and willful acceptance. However, the rulers tried their best to reduce the Hindus to the status of helots (serfs) so as to compel them to embrace Islam.
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The 10th century marked a new phase in the history of Islam. It witnessed the end of the complete domination of the orthodox views on the Quran and hadis, and the rise to prominence of the Su mystic orders. The use of political power to persecute people in the name of Islam was harming the spread of Islam. According to Susm, the prime purpose of Islam was service to humanity, realization of truth, submission to God, and not to terrorize people. The word Su comes from the Arabic word suf that means pure. The patched garments that they started wearing were made of wool known as suf . Su means one who is pure of heart. Their headgear is known as safa also meaning pure. Most of the mystics were persons of deep devotion, disgusted of the vulgar display of wealth and degeneration of morals following the establishment of Islamic empire. The Islamic mysticism, called Susm, later got profoundly inuenced by Hindu thought, belief and practices; the Hindu concept of relations between God and Soul as one of the Beloved and the Lover as against the Islamic concept of relations between God and Men (with no concept of soul) as Master and Servant. There was a healthy exchange of ideas between the Su saints and the Hindu Yogis. Vedantist and yogic ideas were widespread in Persia. The Sus learnt meditation and concentration techniques from the Yogis. Su music is the enchanting outcome of the interface between Hinduism and Islam and is all about the relationship between the moods of the lover-poet-saint and the beloved, like Gopis and Krishna, Meera and Shyam. Susm originated with the foundation of the Chishti order in Khurasan, Persia, and found its expression in several languages like Persian, Arabic, Sindhi, Multani, Avadhi, Brij, and Khari Boli Hindi. Jalal-ud-din Rumi, Bulle Shah, Ghulam Farid, Amir Khusrau were some of the nest Su exponents. Qawalis, based on Hindustani ragas, are sung in tandem with the combination of the harmonium and tabla, followed by ecstatic and vigorous clapping, repetitive and forceful in rhythm with perfect synchronization of the percussionist in a chorus, transporting the participants singers and listeners to a spiritual high. Secondly, pacication and non-violence preached by Su saints conform to the principles of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Susm is based on love for all humanity Oneness of all religions. Thirdly, the practice of starving and torturing ones own body seems to have been borrowed from the
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Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist saints. Fourthly, practice of bowing before the Muslim saints, providing water to the visitors, shaving the head of new entrants to the mystic circle also has a close resemblance to Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist practices. In order to inuence the Hindus and make them embrace Islam, the Sus learned the local languages and the mode of their worship and started dressing themselves too like Hindu saints. Love, persuasion, promises of the material and social uplift and above all the opening of door to heaven became the chief plank for the prospective converts in the Su propagation of the Muslim religion. Most of the Su saints, themselves, led a life of poverty, living on willing charity of the common people. According to Susm, hankering to possess contaminates. Mansura, the rst Arab town in Sindh, became the new capital of Sindh in the days of Ismaili rulers (Carmathians) and though Ismailis too ruled Multan, both the states were independent of each other, yet they formed a close confederacy cemented by Ismaili doctrines. During the reign of the 25th Caliph Mamun (808 813 CE), Tahir, his Commander-in-Chief, became the governor of Khurasan and omitted the name of the Caliph Manun from the Friday sermon and was found dead in his bed next day, stiing the ego of the Muslim commanders who started assuming themselves as powerful as the Caliphs of Islam. Multan was the outpost of Islam in India under the Arabs until about 900 AD when its rulers became independent of Baghdad. In 992, in the reign of Jalm-BinShaiban Ismaili, the ancient Sun Temple of Multan, which was spared by Muhammad-bin-Qasim, was destroyed completely and a new Jama Masjid constructed in its place. Subjugated Hindus had no say and accepted it as their fate. And peace prevailed in Multan until the onslaught of Ghaznis. During the reign of Sheikh Hamid Ismaili who succeeded Jalm-Bin-Sheban Ismaili, Multan was invaded and plundered by Subuk-tigin, who laid the foundation of the Ghazni dynasty, during the closing years of the tenth century. In 963, Alptigin, the Turkish slave ofcer, and commander of Samanid rulers in Khurasan, marched to Ghazni and established himself as its independent ruler. Jaipal, the Hindu ruler of Afghanistan, called Hindu-Shah, tried to stand against the newly
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Islamized Turkish threat by allying with the Hindu Bhatti rulers of the area near Multan and the Muslim Amir of Multan across the Bolan Pass. The Central Asian Turkish tribes who had conquered power all along the silk route were greatly dependent on income from trade for their economic survival. Income from selling Chinese, Persian and Central Asian wares were not sufcient and they had vested interest in the defeat of Hindu kingdom of Kabul. These Turks were also slave traders. There was a huge demand of skilled artisans and slave labour for their construction sites that only the relatively densely populated plains of Multan and Punjab could provide. This propelled pirate-like raids in Multan and Punjab. Muslim Multan and Bhatti Hindus, therefore, readily joined Jaipal as they were all being harassed by the Ghazni rulers for slave raids into their territories, to collectively attack Ghazni. However, the attack of their combined forces failed. They were defeated and had to withdraw from Ghazni. Subuk-tigin, who succeeded Alp-tigin in 977 AD, carried the ght into Hindu-Shahi territory of Afghanistan and laying waste Kabul and Jalalabad, nally conquered Afghanistan in 990-91 and annexed them into Ghazni. To make up the loss of his territory in the west, Jaipal annexed Lohvara (Lahore) in 991 and extended his kingdom from Waihind/Udbhanda (Purshapur or Peshawar the name Peshawar was given by Akbar the Great meaning Frontier Town - Pesh Awar) to Beas. The conquest of Subuktagin (977999) and his son Mahmud (9991030) gave rise to a new type of empire, called sultanate. The 42nd Caliph Tai (974 999) sanctioned the term on special conquest-basis. This established the supremacy of the Turks as a military and governing class. Turkish governing class had absorbed Persian culture. They were bilingual in speech but were proud of its racial origin. Mahmud Ghazni, also known as Mahmud the Destroyer, defeated Jaipal in 1001 in a furiously fought battle near Peshawar. Jaipal was forced to give up all his territory beyond Indus. It is said that Jaipal took this defeat as a great humiliation and entered the funeral pyre and was succeeded by his son Anandpal. Mahmud then turned his attention to the Muslim Amir of Multan. In his vengeance, Mahmud almost annihilated the entire population of Multan at the beginning of the eleventh century. It is said that he defeated the armada of 4000 boats of Multanis with his 1400 boats armed with spikes. Mahmuds last plundering raid in 1025
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across Rajasthan to Somnath demonstrated the capacity of the Turks of swift movement over unknown and hostile territory in the lure of gold. With the riches plundered from India, he adorned his capital Ghazni. He was just a tyrannical plunderer and no hero of Islam. As one of the best-irrigated regions near Ghazni, Multan and Punjab offered not only a rich source of grain for the invading army but also trade and taxes to sustain their kingdom. The large scale looting and vandalism of idols made of gold and silver, inlaid with precious stones were the main motive of their unbridled invasion. So frightened were peaceful inhabitants of India that even after the demise of Mahmud the Destroyer and decline of the power of his descendents, temple-treasures of India kept owing to Ghazni. Some 200 years after the fall of Ghaznis, Multan was invaded again. Another Turkish-Afghan tribe of Ghurids / Ghours, headed by Sultan Ghias-ud-din Ghouri came into power. Ghias-ud-din, the ruler of Ghur, appointed his younger brother, Shihab-ud-din, as governor of Takinabad and sent him to capture Ghazni that was in the hands of Ghizz Turks. Shihab-ud-din conquered Ghazni in 1173-74 and was allowed to rule it independently, though he always recognized his elder brother as his sovereign and bided by his orders and never undertook any campaign without his permission. Shihab-ud-din Ghouri, who took the title of Muizz-ud-din, (1173 1206) is considered the real founder of Islamic empire in India. Mahmud Ghazni had delivered a serious blow to the Carmathian (also known as Qaramatis and Ismailis) Arabs of Multan in 1025, but soon after his death, the Arabians had regained their position. The popularity of the Qaramatis lay in their religious idea, formed on a half way house between Islam and Buddhism inuenced Hinduism. In 1175, Muizz-ud-din Mohammad Ghouri conquered Multan from the Carmathian (Qaramati) Arabs, Uch in 1176 and appointed one of his three top Turkish slaves, Nasir ud-din Qabacha, as governor of Multan and Uch. In 1178, he marched through Multan to Naharwala in Gujarat, with the intention to plunder southwestern temples like Mahmud of Ghazni (999 1000) but was defeated at his very rst encounter with a Hindu ruler, Rai of Naharwala, at Kayadra near Mount Abu, and somehow managed to escape with his defeated army. While nursing his wounds at Multan, he decided to change his expansion strategy.
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He diverted his campaign towards Punjab. In 1179-80, he conquered Purshapur (Peshawar) then known as Fursher and in 1181-82, took Lahore from Malik Khusrau, the Ghaznavid ruler, who was too weak to resist him. In 1182, he conquered Sindh from Arab Amirs and spread his rule right up to Deval Bunder (Karachi)) seacoast. He made Tabarhinda (Bhatinda) his next target that he occupied and put it under the charge of Malik Ziya-ud-din Tulaki with 12,000 equestrians selected from the forces of Ghazni. He now had his Lashkar-gah / Chhawnis i.e. military stations from Deval Bunder (Karachi) to Sialkot, Peshawar to Lahore and Multan to Tabarhinda, where he consolidated his power and created a new frontier Sarhind the boundary of Hindustan, setting a stage to clash with the Rajputs of northern India. Rai Pithora, Prithvi Raj Chauhan of Ajmer and Delhi, realized the great danger to his kingdom in allowing Ghouri to hold the strategic fortress of Tabarhinda and marched on Tabarhinda to dislodge him. The battle was fought in Tarain, between Tabarhinda and Sirsa, in which Prithvi Raj Chauhan gave Ghouri a crushing defeat. Fortunately, for Ghouri, who was lying badly wounded in the battleeld among the dead and slain soldiers, he was not recognized. In the dead of the night, his faithful Turkish slaves searching for his body were glad to nd him alive and carried him back to his camp on their shoulders by turn, and later, breaking their spears, made a stretcher and bore him to Multan where, while convalescing, he started planning new strategies for a major military action against Rai Pithora. Unfortunately, Prithvi Raj did not pursue the dispirited Ghurid army and satised himself with recapturing Bhatinda, treating the ght as just a border skirmish. It was at Multan that Muizz-ud-din Mohammed Ghouri hatched a plot in 1191 to avenge his defeat at the hands of Rai Pithora. It was at Multan that forty Turkish mercenary horsemen brave and warlike joined his army. It was at Multan that he promoted and rewarded Amirs that had remained loyal to him. He had now assembled one hundred and twenty thousand fully equipped soldiers with four veteran warlords of Ghazni experienced, determined, and dexterous Kharbak, Kharmil, Ilah, and Mukalba. Each had under his command a huge army. Besides them, he had his three faithful slaves, Taj-ud-din Yalduz, Nasir-uddin Qabacha, and Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
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Mohammed Ghouri started from Ghazni in the winter months of 1191 and encamped at the same place in Terrain where he had suffered his greatest defeat a year before. This time he had carefully planned his battle tactics. He had 120,000 men fully equipped with steel coats and armour. He kept his main ghting force a few miles behind to give a wrong impression to Indians of his real strength and instructed his advance forces to keep the Indians in play on all the four fronts right, left, front, and rear. Ghouri had witnessed at a huge cost the valour and fearless courage of the Rajputs. He divided his army into four divisions and sent each by turn to engage the Indians and fall back to give way to a fresh division, to mislead the Indians. The battle raged from forenoon to afternoon and then as per plan, Sultans forward division feigned defeat and ed from the battleground. The Indians, deceived by the trick, followed in pursuit, and fell into the well-laid trap. The ambush broke their line of order. The blood of the brave warriors mingled with the earth, and in the twinkling of an eye the Indian lines began to break. They gave way and took to ight. The tactics of Ghouri succeeded and Rai Pithora Prithvi Raj Chauhan, who had already alienated his neighbouring kingdoms by his expansionist policies, was abandoned at this crucial hour, and was defeated. Some historians claim that Prithvi Raj was caught alive and executed on the spot but some are of the rm opinion that he was taken to Ajmer and allowed to rule as a vassal though Delhi was taken away from him. They base this claim on nding some coins issued by Prithvi Raj as the vassal of Ghouri. Feudatories were not permitted to issue coins in their own names. They had to: (i) Mention the name of their overlord in epigraph (inscription) (ii) Attend the imperial court on ceremonial occasions (iii) Pay their annual tributes to their overlord as xed (iv) Make presents on festive occasions and on the weddings of their wards. As such, Prithvi Raj is believed to have been later executed for revolting against the Sultan and was succeeded by his son. The general belief that Prithvi Raj Chauhan was captured alive, blinded, and taken to Ghazni in a special cage, as a prized prisoner of war of Mohammad Ghouri. That Mohammad Ghouri was assassinated by Prithvi Raj Chauhan at the Ghazni court when asked to demonstrate his
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sound-piercing arrow-shooting skill (Shabd-bhedi Baan).is regarded by the Historians as a piece of ction conceived more than hundred years after the incident, to glorify the last fallen Hindu Hero. No doubt, Mohammad Ghouri was assassinated on 15th of March 1206, but not by Prithvi Rajs sound-piercing arrow but by the avenging hands of dethroned Carmathians (Qaramatis) of Multan at the bank of river Indus while he was on his way back to Ghazni. History, combined with folklore, creates legends. Prithvi Raj, no doubt, was a great warrior and had many victories to his credit but his conduct on the battleeld in the second battle of Tarain, according to the modern historians, is a blot on his generalship as well as statesmanship. Descendants of the Chauhan Rulers, who were forced to accept Islam, adopted only three practices of Islam Burial (Dafan), Circumcision (Khatna), and eating halal meat (Zabita). The rest of their life-style remained the same as that of Hindus. Many of them still do not know how to offer Namaz or celebrate Eid. They would have gladly re-converted to Hinduism had Hindu society accepted them back. Mohammad Ghouri had no male issue. He treated his faithful slaves as his sons, as he was very disappointed with his family and his Ghourid chiefs who had deserted him in the rst battle of Tarain. He openly asserted that only his slaves would succeed him. After his assassination, his slaves (i) Taj-ud-din Yalduz took over the reign of Ghazni, (ii) Nasir-ud-din Qabacha of (a) Sindh and (b) Multan under the sultanate of Delhi, and (iii) Qutb-ud-din Aibak (Ai in Turkish means moon and bak means lord), the builder of Qutb Minar in Delhi, of (a) Lahore and (b) Delhi. All the three were khwaja-tash slaves of the same master. Under the orders of Mohammed Ghouri, Yalduz, the head of his slaves, had to give one of his daughters each to Aibak and Qabacha in marriage to bind them up in relationship. Ghouri also set them free from slavery and invested them with viceregal powers, promoting them to the rank of Maliks (a rank next to Sultan). Two of Aibaks daughters the second after the death of the rst one, were married to Nasir-ud-din Qabacha and the third one married to Shams-ud-din, a prized slave of Aibak who was manumitted (set free) by Ghouri even before his master Aibak was.

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After the demise of Aibak, while playing chaugan (medieval polo) in 1210, Qabacha declared himself independent of Delhi and Ghazni, and issued coins in his own name. These coins were in Multani. Qabacha in Multan established the rst Islamic School (Madarsa) in India. In 1222, Mongols laid a siege to Multan led by Uzbek Tai, while pursuing Sultan Jalal-ud-din Mankbarni of Ghazni (Mankbarni had dislodged Yalduz from Ghazni and in turn was dislodged by Mongols and was on the run) but had to lift the siege at the advent of summer, as the Mongols could not withstand the heat of Multan. They contented themselves by plundering the suburbs of Lahore on their way back. Shamsh-ud-din was the governor of Badaun at the time of the demise of Aibak, when some Turkish Maliks with vested interest placed Malik Aram Shah on the throne of Delhi. The Commander-in-chief Amir Ali Ismail did not accept the nomination of Aram Shah and along with other Turkish Maliks, favoured the accession of Malik Shamsh-ud-din. Shamsh-ud-din himself too did not believe in hereditary descent of rulers. The natural law of primogeniture was not known to the Arabs and Turks and as evident in the war of succession waged for Caliphate, it was rejected by Islam too The best son the best man had to lead, though the order of inheritance was rst, son; second, son-in-law; third, slave; fourth, wife or other kept woman. On the death of almost every Sultan, a struggle ensued for supremacy based on the survival of the ttest. Malik Aram Shah was defeated and put to death. Shamsh-ud-din took over Delhi with the title of Sultan Iltutmish. Iltutmish is synonymous with alamgir and jahangir. Iltutmish defeated Qabacha, and appointed Kabir Khan Ayaz, a slave purchased at a high price, as governor of Multan. Qabacha preferred death by drowning than surrender to Iltutmish. Yulduz, Aibak, Qabacha, and Iltutmish, though themselves slaves, had a passion for purchasing highly educated slaves. Ayaz, later found to be a failure as governor of Multan, was recalled, and given a village of Palwal, near modern Faridabad, for his livelihood. Slave traders picked up only promising young Turks, high in demand then, and trained them, not for menial work, but for the service of kings and governors. Torn from their families by the slave-hunters in early childhood, thrown like sheep in a fold and then carefully selected on the basis of their physical, educational and
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other qualications, these slaves were brought up and treated at par with their own offsprings and family members and could recall only their masters than their own parents. The money spent on the education and training of slaves was considered as investment that paid itself many folds over the money spent on their own wards. Slaves were taught all subjects necessary for administration, 3-Rs, the horsemanship, archery, sword ghting, the shield and lance wielding, the strategies of warfare, even Fine Art, poetry, languages Arabic & Persian, court etiquette, oratory and good manners. Aibak purchased Iltutmish in 1197, after the conquest of Anhilwara and Iltutmish purchased Baha-ud-din Balban in 1232. Turkish slaves and non-servile Taziks formed the linchpin of Iltutmishs monarchy. The 54th Caliph of Baghdad, Mustansir (1226 1242), gave recognition to the Sultanate of Delhi and accepted its independent status with a deed of investiture for Iltutmish on 18th February 1229. The 55th Caliph, Mustasim (1242 1258), had taken Turkish bodyguards for himself. The Samanids, though Persian in race, organized their Turkish army by putting it through a hard and stern discipline. Around this time, Sus were organized in 12 orders i.e. silsilahs. Al Ghazali (d. 1112), who was venerated both by the orthodox elements as well as Sus, tried to reconcile mysticism with Islamic orthodoxy. The two most famous Su orders, which ourished in India, were the Chishti and the Suhrawardi. The Chishtis, though they came to Multan rst, later moved over to Delhi and Ajmer and in the areas around it, but Suhrawardis settled down in Multan and Punjab. In general, Sus belonging to different orders were cordial to each other and gave full respects to the visiting saints of the other orders. Hazarat Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti was born in Sejistan in 1138 CE. He claimed himself as the descendent of Hazrat Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad. From his very childhood, he was drawn to the mystics and began visiting the seminaries in Samarqand and Bukhara, the then important centers of Islamic learning, and became a disciple of Khwaja Uthman-e-Harooni. The Chishtiya Su order derives its name from Chishti-e-sharif, a village near Herat in Afghanistan where the founder of the order, Hazarat Abu Ishq Shami of Syria, had set up his hospice. Khwaja Moin-uddin Chishti brought the Chishti order into India in 11th century and established himself at Ajmer.
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The famous Su saint, Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki, came to Multan rst, before proceeding to Delhi, during the reign of Iltutmish. His disciple Farid-ud-din Masud Ganj-I-Shakar, popularly known as Sheikh Farid or Baba Farid was born in Multan in 1175 A.D. The collection of his works Dewan Farid is in Multani. He settled down in Hansi and later moved to Pak Pattan where he died in 1265 A.D. at the ripe age of 90. Baba Farid suffered starvation but never accepted any subsistence from the State and lived on charity willingly given by the general public without any strings attached. His greatest disciple, Nizam-ud-din Aulia, witnessed the reign of seven Sultans of Delhi but never attended the court of any one of them. He acquired great fame and name during his lifetime and became known as Mehboob-e-Ilahi beloved of God. Aulia literally means friend of God. True worship, he advocated, was service to humanity, regardless of religion, race, and status. Baha-ud-din Zakaria, another Su Saint was born at Kot Aror near Multan in 1182. He became a disciple of Sheikh Shihab-ud-din Suhrawardi of Baghdad and set up his khanaqah (hospice of a Su) in Multan. He worked and lived here for half a century and died in 1262 at the age of 80 and lies buried at the foothill of the fort of Multan. The Multan branch of the Suharwardi Su Order acquired even greater importance in the time of Hazarat Rukn-ud-din, grandson of Bahaud-din and claims the same status in the history of Suharwardi Order that Nizamud-din Aulia claims in the Chishti Order. It will not be untrue to say that it were the Sus who laid the foundation of Urdu language by adopting Hindi words in their sermons and Hindustani music in their devotional songs to reach the common people. They tried to look like Hindu saints, adopting some of the Hindu practices and outward behaviour in order to win over the lower order Hindus to embrace Islam. Hindustani music is enriched with songs and rhythm emanating from the inner consciousness of countless Saadhus, Saints, Mystics, and Sus. Multani Kaa and Multani Raag are believed to be contribution of the Su saints of Multan. After the death of Iltutmish, his famous forty Turkish slaves (Bandagan Turk Chihalgani), got the upper hand as after the untimely death of his eldest son Nasir-ud-din Mehmood, there was no capable prince left to assert himself as a
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ruler. Until the well-born nobles and Maliks were thrown out from their exalted ofces, it was not possible for these cash-purchased (dirham kharidgan) slaves to rise and become kingmakers. So these Khwaja tash (slaves of the same master) started annihilating other nobles, one by one and formed a group of forty (chihalgani) and became very powerful. Killing innocent dear and near relatives for no other reason except that they might become possible rival to claim the throne never disturbed the conscience of the most pious Kings. Chihalgani were only slaves of the same master. None of them would bow or submit to another, and in the distribution of iqtas, ofces, and honours sought equality with each other. The Maliks, who had raised Rukn-ud-din Firoz Shah as the 3rd Sultan after the demise of Iltutmish, were liquidated by the Chihalgani within two months and Iltutmishs daughter, Razia Sultan, the only woman to occupy the throne of Delhi, was raised as the 4th Sultan. Malik Izz-ud-din Kabir Khan Ayaz, who had sided with Razia, was given the Iqta of Lahore. However, in 1238, when a plot was being hatched against Razia, the ungrateful Kabir Khan Ayaz joined the other slave ofcers to overthrow Razia. Razia had to march against him. Ayaz was defeated but forgiven. Turkish slave ofcers did not kill each other until Balban reversed this policy. The Iqta of Lahore was taken away from Ayaz and given to Malik Ikhtiar-uddin Aaitgin (who had been appointed governor of Multan by Iltutmish after recalling Ayaz on his failure to govern Multan properly). Razia gave back the Iqta of Multan to Ayaz where he ourished and established his dynastic rule. Alas, the ofcers she trusted most and honoured with high ofces deceived Razia. The Turk slave ofcers wanted a puppet on the throne, not an assertive ruler like Razia who did not like to sit behind the screen, as per Muslim customs. She had abandoned her female attire and appeared in public with the qaba (cloak) and the qula (headgear). Her direct and assertive role in the administration and appointment of nonTurks, especially the appointment of an Abyssinian Malik Jamal-ud-din Yakut, to important posts, created an undercurrent of hostility amongst the Turkish nobles who began to plan her overthrow. Malik Ikhtiyar-ud-din Altunia of Tabarhinda (Bhatinda), revolted against her and as she marched against him, her other favourite Malik, Ikhtiyar-ud-din Aitgin, the governor of Lahore, raised Muizz-ud-din Bahram to the throne as the 5th Sultan of the Slave Dynasty, appointing himself as naib-e-mulk. Razia was defeated on 14-10-1240 and killed the next day. After the
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defeat and death of Razia Sultana, Kabir Khan Ayaz repudiated his allegiance to Delhi and started ruling Multan independently. He died in 1242 and was succeeded by his son Taj-ud-din Abu Bakr Ayaz. Taj-ud-din was a brave ghter and defeated repeatedly the Qarlighs of Ghazni and brought Uch and whole of Sindh under his rule. However, he died young and Multan passed back again to Delhi. At the accession of Ala-ud-din Masud Shah, son of Rukn-ud-din Firoz Shah (the 3rd Sultan) in 1242, Izz-ud-din Balban, also known as Balban-e-Buzurg and Balban-e-Zar i.e. Balban of the white hair, was given the title of Kishlu Khan and assigned the governorship of Multan and Uch. During his governorship, Nasir-uddin Hasan Qarligh of Ghazni attacked Multan but died while the struggle was still on. His followers, cleverly, kept his death a closely guarded secret and persuaded Kishlu Khan to hand over Multan to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. By the time, Kishlu Khan found out their deception, it was too late as the fort of Multan was already in their possession and the city of Multan at their mercy. Malik Nusrat-uddin Sher Khan, cousin of Baha-ud-din Balban (who was given the title of Ulugh Khan and was ruling as the regent for Sultan Ala-ud-din Masud Shah, the 6th Sultan of the Ghulam dynasty) succeeded in seizing the fort back from Qarlighs and saved Multan. Kishlu Khan tried to take Multan from Malik Sher Khan by force but failed to dislodge him. He then tried to win over by pleading Bhai-Bhai theory of Shamsi Maliks, of one family one nest but the only concession that he could get was a safe passage to Delhi where he was resettled with the Iqta of Badayun. In 1245 and 1249, Mongols invaded Multan. Sher Khan repulsed the attacks of Mongols as well as of Nasir-ul-din Mohammed Qarligh and Malik Mauzul-din, ruler of Uch and Nagore, in 1250. Malik Sher Khan introduced a deep open drain system in Multan to carry sewage out of the city into the elds for use as manure. This drain still exists in Multan and is known as bud roe bad-smelly drain. In 1254, Malik Azur-ul-din Balban became the governor of Multan. During his time, Mongols again invaded Multan under Noin Salah and were about to launch a general slaughter and plunder when Su Saint Hazarat Sheikh Bahawaldin Zakaria and some Hindu merchants saved the people of Multan by offering the invaders the ransom of one lakh Dirham.

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In 1255, Kishlu Khan got back Multan and Uch as his Iqta, tried to make himself independent of Delhi, and went for help to Halakus court. In 1260, Baha-uddin Balban alias Ulugh Khan marched to Multan and captured it from Kishlus son Mohammad. In 1266, at the demise of Sultan Nasir-ud-din Mehmood (suspected poisoning), Baha-ud-din Balban alias Ulugh Khan, took over the sultanate in his own hands and crowned himself as Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Balban the 8th Sultan of the Slave Dynasty. In Arabia, Saffah and Mansur had set a pattern of killing all living members of the Umayyad dynasty in order to make their own Abbasid dynasty secure. Within 10 years after the demise of Sultan Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, the slaves that he had purchased at great cost and nurtured with sedulous care, killed four of his descendants like sacricial goats and wiped out all the male members of his dynasty, diligently with great efforts. According to the historian Barani, Balban organized his court on the Iranian model and emulated the etiquette and ceremonials of the Sassanids meticulously in all details. He was a ruthless ruler. He mercilessly killed every member of Iltutmishs family and talented Turkish nobles, even his own blood relations, who might endanger his descendants, and delivered a deathblow to the group of forty Turkan-I-Chihilgani, to which he himself belonged. In 1275, he sent his eldest son Sultan Muhammad to Multan as its governor. During the governorship of Sultan Muhammad, the famous Su saint, poet, and musician Hazarat Amir Khusrau sojourned in Multan regaling Multanis with his talents. Abdul Hasan Yamin-ud-din Khusrau, simply known as Amir Khusrau, was born in Patiali, a small village in the district of Etah in U.P., in the year 1253 A.D. His father, Amir Saif-ud-din Mehmood was the chief of Lachin tribe of Turks who were driven to India by mighty Mongols during the reign of Iltutmish. Suave and sensitive, witty and vivacious, Khusrau soon became the most soughtafter man in Delhi. Ala-ud-din Muhammad Kashli Khan, nephew of Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, popularly known as Malik Chhaju treated him with great affection and generosity and showered on him the most lavish of praises. Prince Sultan Muhammad took an instant liking for him and honoured him by taking him to Multan as his personal guest. Poet, writer, humorist, historian, soldier, court250

ier, mystic, musician all this and much more Khusrau lived in Multan for 5 years and in his own words, watered the ve rivers of Multan with the seas of my delectable verses. He used Multani words like jul for chalo (go) and wrote his rst poem in Urdu Khalik Bari while residing in Multan. Khusrau was proud of the land of his birth and preferred it to the land of his origin Khurasan. His new style of Persian came to be known as sabaq-e-Hindi i.e. the style of Hindustan. He said, I have praised Hindustan for two reasons. First, because Hindustan is the place of my birth and my country. Love of the country is an important obligation Hindustan is like heaven. Its climate is better than that of Khurasan it is green and full of owers all the year round. Second, because the Brahmins here are as learned as Aristotle and there are many scholars in various elds He observed that the Hindus fastened the strings of their coats on the left side, which was more convenient, while the Muslims fastened them on their right. Khusraus love for India shows that the Turkish ruling class no longer regarded itself as a foreign ruling class and treated itself as Hindustani. Khusrau praised Hindi language, which he called Hindavi. He was a disciple of great Su saint Khwaja Nizam-ud-din Aulia, who in turn was a disciple of Sheikh Farid of Multan. He used to participate in the religious musical gathering (Sama). In fact, the origin of Qawali is associated with Amir Khusrau. His mentor, Hazrat Nizam-uddin Aulia named Su music as Qawali after the Arabic word qol meaning the wisdom of elders, like those of the Prophet. Man kunto maula fa haza Ali un mauli meaning whoever calls me Master, Ali is his master too. Khusrau travelled to the farthest connes of the Sultanate from Delhi in the North to Deogir in the South and from Multan in the West to Lakhnauti in the East, studying and enjoying the rich varieties of languages and customs of India that the country of his birth had to offer. He witnessed the dramatic rise and fall of great dynasties and lived through the reigns of seven sultans. He died at the age of 72, soon after learning the passing away of his pir Nizam-ud-din Aulia, his spiritual mentor, and patron saint, in 1325 and was laid to rest by the side of his spiritual master Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Aulia in New Delhi. A Hindi couplet that came to his lips on hearing the shocking news of the passing away of Hazrat Sahib, was: Gori soway sej per, mukh per daarey kesh,
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Chal Khusrau ghar aapne, rain bhai chau des. The beloved lies on the bed With her black tresses scattered on her face. Oh Khusrau, its time to go back home For darkness of night has fallen all around! The courtiers of Sultan Muhammad read the Shah Nama of Firdausi, the Divans of Sinai and Kumsa of Nizami. Wise men discussed the verses of these great poets before him and Multan became a literary center a pocket edition of Iran. A great patron of literature, Sultan Muhammad invited Sheikh Saadi twice to settle down in Multan and offered to endow sufcient villages for his maintenance and that of his khanqah but Saadi could not make it to Multan due to his advanced age. He, however, sent his ghazals in his own handwriting at both the occasions. Sultan Muhammad was an able and energetic commander. His defensive arrangements at Multan kept the Mongols at bay and he was killed only at a chance encounter with an advance party of Mongols in 1285 where instead of seeking safety in ight, he preferred to stand and die. Without knowing whom he was aiming at, a Qaruna (son of a Muslim mother and a Mongol non-Muslim father) targeted him just for his magnicent horse, sword, bow, and arrows. Had the heirapparent Khan-e-Shaheed not been martyred, he would have been the rst governor of Multan to become Sultan of Delhi. Although Balban ascended the throne only in 1266, the entire period from 1246 to his death in 1287 is called the age of Balban because he was the dominant gure of the Sultanate during this period. No able administrator was left in the Ghulam dynasty of Aibak, Iltutmish, and Balban after the fall of Sultan Muhammad. The reign of Delhi was taken over by non-Turkish Jalal-ud-din Khalji, grandson of Talij Khan, a son-in-law of Changhez Khan. At this, Balbans nephew, Kashli Khan, also known as Malik Chhaju, who had earlier declined the offer of regency when he was arz-i-mamalik the Minister in charge of the army, revolted against Jalal-ul-din Khalji. He was defeated near Badaun and taken prisoner. Jalal-ul-din in his magnanimity spared his life and sent him to an honourable connement in Multan. Malik Ala-ud-din Sheikh, governor of Multan an ap252

pointee of Sultan Ghias-ud-din Balban, had already been put to death under the orders of Sultan Jalal-ud-din Khalji. Khalji was fully aware of the importance of Multan. He assigned his eldest son Arquli Khan, the heir apparent, the governorship of Multan. The living place of Malik Chhaju in Multan became famous as Chhaju-da-Chaubara for literary gatherings. People started acclaiming that Jo maza Chhaju ke Chaubare mein, woh Balakh na Bukhare mein The pleasure that you can have at Chhajus place, you can neither have at Balakh nor at Bukhara. The brief period of Khalji rule (1290-1320) changed the social base of the ruling class. The empire passed from highborn Turkish slave-ofcers to non-Turk Khaljis. The founder of the new empire Jalal-ud-din Khalji (1290-96) did not follow the policy of narrow exclusivism. Though he was a pious Muslim himself, he did not believe in forcible conversion of Hindus or their humiliation, as demanded by some theologians. He maintained that forcible conversion was prohibited in Islam. Even conversion based on an inadequate understanding of the Faith was inadmissible. One could not be a believer if he did not believe. Belief could not be forced down ones throat. La iqraha al-deen (Let there be no compulsion in religion) Verse 256 of the second Surah. La qum deen a qum wal ya-deen (Your religion for you and my religion for me). He allowed Hindus to worship their idols, preach their beliefs, and observe their practices in spite of the fact that staunch Muslims considered these as hall-mark of indelity. In his reign, Hindus were not hindered in passing in processions in the streets, beating drums, and immersing their idols in the rivers. Hindus were allowed to live a life of ease and splendour and honour at Multan and even at Delhi, the other center of Islam. Arquli Khan too was not destined to become Sultan like Balbans son Sultan Muhammad. His ambitious cousin and brother-in-law, Ali Gurshasp, son of the deceased elder brother of Sultan Jalal-ul-din, brought up from infancy in the same household and married to his sharp-tongued haughty cousin, conspired to kill his uncle and father-in-law, Sultan Jalal-ul-din Khalji, in order to free himself from his domestic misery and galling family tutelage. After the assassination of Jalal-ul-din Khalji in 1296, Ali Gurshasp enthroned himself as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji and sent a strong force to capture Multan. The kotwal of Multan betrayed Arquli Khan
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and opened the gates to Ulugh Khan and Zafar Khan sent by Ala-ud-din Khalji. Although Arquli Khan had made adequate provision for its defense, the kotwal wanted to save Multan from plunder. Obviously, inhabitants of Multan were tired of these internecine wars and did not want to be slaughtered, deprived of their hard-earned money, and have their women captured. It was only in Ala-ud-din Khaljis time (1296-1316) that women and children had to pay with their honour and lives for the offences committed by their menfolk against the Crown. Ala-ud-dins faith in Islam was rm like the faith of illiterate and the ignorant (jahil). He considered himself next only to Prophet for spread of Islam and assumed himself as the Caliph and Alexander the second (Sikandare-sani), and had it recited in the khutba (Islamic sermon and thanks-giving prayer) and super scribed the same on his coins. Ala-ud-din did not accept the theory of Jalal-ud-din Khalji in humanitarianism and benevolence, considering them sign of weakness. He adhered more to Balbans theory of fear being the basis of good government and did not spare even women and children of the nobles who rebelled against him. In 1299, Dawa Mongol, the Khan of Trance-Oxania garnered a force of 200,000 soldiers to conquer Delhi under his son Qutlugh Khwaja. Since their object was not to plunder like earlier Mongols but to conquer and rule the country, they avoided the cities and the forts and marched through the villages who could supply them food and fodder their army. When the Mongols crossed the Indus, it is said, all the forts on the route began to tremble. The army at Multan took refuge in its fort and came out only on dark nights to hit and run back into the fort. But the Mongols did not bother about these pinpricks and kept marching towards Delhi. Within a week after avoiding confrontation at Multan, the Mongols reached and encamped at Kili, some six miles from Siri, the capital of Ala-ud-din at Delhi. It is said that Delhi was overowing with the refugees and there was not enough space to accommodate them in mosques, temples, inns, shops, or streets. The caravans failed to reach Delhi with supplies and the prices of commodities began to rise. Ala-ud-din pitched his military camp at the bank of Yamuna at Siri to confront the Mongols. It was a critical moment. The Sultan did not wish to put at stake his Sultanate on the result of a single battle. His army was accustomed to
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ght individual Rais and Ranas, not Mongols known for their tactics of retreat, ambush, and wild charge. Ala-ud-din was a stern realist and a warrior statesman of a high caliber. He took up his position in the centre and spread up his forces covering several miles from left to right. He placed distinguished Rais and Ranas and their Rajput warriors on the left and Muslim forces, led by his famous generals Zafar Khan, Nusrat Khan, Ulagh Khan, and Akat Khan on his right. He issued a rm injunction to all his ofcers not to move from their position without his personal precinct orders. The Mongol army had never faced such a display of a large army before. Their army was no longer worthy of the reputation that Changhez Khan had created for them. Since the defeat of Halaku at the hands of Egyptian Arabs, the reputation of their invincibility was shattered. The two armies stood facing each other in the full battle order, but both afraid to strike rst. It was evident that whosoever attacked rst, would get their advance party completely annihilated. Ala-ud-din was in no hurry to ght. More he waited more and more reinforcements he was likely to get from the east and south of Delhi. Besides, his army posted in the forts from Multan to Delhi which the Mongols had avoided engaging on their march to Delhi, might come out of the forts to help on hearing of the hold up in the battleeld at Kili. Ala-ud-din claimed his lineage from the greatest Khan, Changhez Khan, through the daughter of the Great Khan. However, his plans were spoiled by one of his Generals, Zafar Khan, who became impatient to give the Mongols a taste of his sword, broke loose with his men on the Hijlaks army in front of him. The Mongols, following their well-known trickery, feigned retreat and allowed Zafar Khan and his men who could keep pace with him, for it is said that he dashed so fast that even his best of equestrians could not keep pace with him and his infantry was left behind, to pursue them for miles before surrounding them. None of his men returned to report what happened but it is believed that they really gave the Mongols a real taste of their swords and archery that one-half of the Mongols surrounding them were wiped out. This reckless attack established the reputation of the Indian army for valour and bravery. The next two days, both the armies stood face-to-face from sunrise to sunset with no one daring to attack rst. On the third night, taking advantage of the dark, moonless night, the Mongols slipped back ten miles. Ala-ud-dins military observers reported that the wounds inicted by Zafar Khan discouraged the Mongols to ght
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for the reigns of Delhi and they had started marching back towards TransOxiana. Ala-ud-din wisely did not pursue them and allowed them safe-exit. Some sections of the Mongol army, who did not wish to go back, approached Ala-ud-din for enrolment in his army and land to settle down in Delhi and were welcomed to do so. Their colony is still called Mongolpuri. Incidentally, the historians do not concur with the story of Rani Padmini of Chitor. It is claimed that in the year 1540 CE, 237 years after the fall of Chitor (1303 CE), Malik Mohammed of Jais, a small town near Rae Bareli in Avadh, wrote a Hindi poem in Persian script entitled Padamvat, a historical ction, which became so popular and famous that people started believing it to be true as in the case of Prithvi Raj Chauhan and the assassination of Mohammed Ghori. For Hindus, indeed, the effects of Turkish invasion, was devastating. Their land was ravaged, their accumulated wealth was conscated, and their Royal Families were humiliated. A Yadava king and a Hoysala crown-prince were made to bow down and beg for mercy and forgiveness by Ala-ud-din Khalji. Another king Harpal Dev was taken captive and ayed alive under the orders of Mubarak Shah Khalji. The king Kakatiya Pratap Rudra committed suicide while being taken to Delhi as a prisoner by his Muslim conquerors. In a hundred sinful ways, an inscription in Telangana records, the rich were tortured for the sake of their wealth. The Brahmins were forbidden to perform their religious rites. Hindu temples were desecrated and destroyed and their sacred images broken and trodden. During that calamity period, none dared to claim anything as his own whether it was a piece of property or his mother, sister, wife or daughter. The despair was writ large on the faces of frightened Hindus. Amir Khusrau, the poet-laureate of the Turkish Sultans, recorded such events in his chronicle Khazainul Futuh. Yet Multan did not face the reversing of policy of religious tolerance set by Jalal-ud-din Khalji. Malik Nayak, a Hindu raised to the status of Malik who had been governor of Samana and Sunam, was given command of an army with Muslim ofcers serving under him, which inicted a crushing defeat on the Mongols. In 1297-98, under Ala-ud-din Khaljis orders, Summirahs of Sindh were driven out by non-Turk Nusrat Khan and the capital of Sindh established at Mul256

tan. Taj-ul-mulk Kafuri was made governor of Multan and Ain-ul-mulk Multani, a general of great repute, assigned the governorship of Dhar and Ujjain. Later, due to threat of Mongol invasion, the governorship of Multan passed to Mohammed Tughlaq son of Malik Tughlaq, a slave of Sultan Ghias-ud-din Balban. He constructed Mohalla Kotla Tughlaq Khan Alias Kotla Toley Khan in 1305, and shrine of Hazarat Shah Ruken-e-Alam in Multan. He was brave and clever. An inscription in the Jama Masjid of Multan depicts that Malik Tughlaq warded off 29 invasions of Tatars and saved Multan and the rest of India from plunder and destruction during his governorship and was given the title of Ghazi-ul-mulk. In 1320, after the assassination of the degenerated Sultan Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah Khalji and usurpation of the crown by the debauchee Hasan Khusrau Khan, Mohammed Tughlaq revolted, conquered Lahore and Delhi, and enthroned himself as Sultan Ghias-ul-din Tughlaq. He was the rst among the governors of Multan to become Sultan of Delhi. He assigned the governorship of Multan to his son and heir-apparent Jauna Khan, who, after the demise of Sultan Ghias-ud-din Tughlaq in 1325, took over the reign as Sultan Mohammed-binTughlaq, adding his name to the list of governors of Multan at serial no. 2, and the rst Multan born, who rose to be the Sultans of Delhi. Jauna Khan was born in Multan in Kotla Tughlaq outside Lahori Gate. He gave the status of River Port to Multan during his governorship and introduced custom duty on imports and exports from Multan through the river Chenab. After recalling him to Delhi, Sultan Ghias-ud-din Tughlaq appointed Bahram Aiba with the title of Kishlu Khan as the governor of Multan and Uch. After the demise of Sultan Ghias-ud-din Tughlaq, Bahram Aiba declared himself as an independent ruler of Multan in 1328. Sultan Mohammed-bin-Tughlaq himself charged into Multan to crush the revolt. He is reported to have kissed the feet of Sheikh Rukn-ud-din Multani, a Suharwardi Su saint after defeating Bahram Aiba Kishlu Khan and accepted his intercession for forgiving the people of Multan. He was the rst Sultan to pay a visit to the grave of Sheikh Muin-ud-din Chishti at Ajmer and the grave of Salar Masud Ghazi at Bahraich, and distributed enormous gifts to the guardians of the mausoleum. He was also the rst Sultan to participate in the Hindu festival of Holi. He was a man of open mind, and not a blind dogmatist, and openly associated himself with yogis and saints like Jain saint Raj Shekhar and Jinaprabha Suri. He ap257

pointed Imad-ul-mulk Sartez as governor of Multan. Sartez crushed the rebellion at Sehwan and gibbeted the rebels in 1333. He played a great role in the suppression of revolt at Daulatabad and Gulbarga in 1347 and fell in the battleeld to Hasan Kanzu who later founded the Bahmani kingdom and freed the south from the Sultanate of Delhi. While Sartez was away in south, Bahzad was made the governor of Multan. In 1341, Shahu Afghan defeated and killed Bahzad and declared himself as Sultan of Multan but ed to Gujarat when Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq proceeded from Delhi to deal with him, despite the demise of his mother, Makhduna-e-Jahan. Sultan was so dismayed with Afghans that he ordered wholesale arrest of all Afghans living in his territory. Qawamul Mulk Maqbul, who belonged to Hindu nobility of Warangal, Telengana, and converted to Islam, was then assigned the governorship of Multan. Muhammad Tughlaq was renowned as the wealthiest man in the Muslim world of his time. During his reign, Ab" Abd All#h Muhammad ibn Ba$"$ah, or simply, Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams adDin (13041368), a Muslim Moroccan explorer, known for his extensive travels, landed in Multan. Over a period of thirty years, he visited most of the known Islamic world, including North Africa, the Horn of Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the West, to the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in the East, a distance surpassing his near-contemporary Marco Polo. Ibn Battuta is considered as one of the greatest Muslim travellers of all time. He journeyed more than 75,000 miles (121,000 km), a gure unsurpassed by any individual explorer until the coming of the Steam Age some 450 years later. Slavery was a substantial part of the commercial activities in that era. Ibn Battuta disapproved the way the female slaves were treated especially when they were kept naked and made to work without a stitch on. Tughlaq took a liking for him and made him Chief Qazi of Delhi. At the demise of Sultan Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq at Thattha (Sindh) in 1351, Kamal-ud-din Firoze was persuaded to accept the crown and march towards Delhi via Multan to crush the rebellions that break out for succession on such occasions. Ain-ul-mulk Maharu, governor of Multan gave him full support and Hindu bankers of Multan gave him several lakhs of tankas to raise an army. Firoze Shah
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badly needed the money for his soldiers but accepted it as a loan only and asked for an account to be kept and repaid after regaining Delhi. Ain-e-mulk Mahru was a great administrator but knew nothing of warfare and had no military experience. He was a highly educated man of remarkable politeness and great charm yet he could not pull on with Khan-e-Jahan, and though Firoze Shah wanted him at Delhi, he had to keep him at Multan as its Governor to keep peace with Khan-e-Jahan. He, however, gave him full powers (mutlaq), to govern Multan, Bhakkar and Siwistan, answerable directly only to Sultan and not through Khan-e-Jahan. Firoze Shah was a man of average intelligence but of great and varied experience. He ascended the throne at the mature age of 49 and gave India 38 years of peace. He injected into the hideous institution of the despotic Muslim rulers the principles of the Quran, of the Prophets real teachings and of the humanity, common to all people and all religions. Variety of tortures: (i) Cutting of hands, feet, ears and noses; (ii) Plucking of eyes; (iii) Pouring molten lead down the throats; (iv) Breaking the bones of hands, feet and chests by strokes of iron nails; (v) Burning alive; (vi) Flaying alive; (vii) Thrashing by whips of iron nails; (viii) Sawing alive into two; (ix) Frying alive in oil; (x) Stitching alive in the skin of a donkey, monkey or bull; introduced by despotic Muslim rulers, were abolished by Firoze Shah. It was not in his nature to be cruel and despotic. In 1355, Firoze Shah received the Robes of Honour and a manshur (order) assigning Hindustan to him from Caliph Al-Hakim bi-amrillah Abul Fath Abi Bakr bin Abi Rabi Suleiman from the capital of Egypt. Jaunpur was established by him in 1359 after Jauna Khan Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firozepur, after his own name, at Setluj in 1365.. Although most of the literature produced by the Muslims was in Arabic, the language of the Prophet, the Turks who followed Arabs here, introduced Persian as the language of literature, philosophy and administration, restricting Arabic to a narrow circle of Islamic scholars. In the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the digests of Islamic law such as Fiqh-i-Firuzshahi were prepared in Persian. Firoz Shah died in 1388
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Firoz Shah had appointed Malik Nasir-ul-Mulk Mardan as the Governor of Multan to deal with the repeated invasion of Mongols. After the demise of Mardan, his son Malik Sheikh got the Iqta of Multan, and on his death in the reign of Abu Bakr Shah, Malik Sayyed Suleiman, the adopted son of Mardan, got the Iqta of Multan. Subsequently, on his demise, during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Shah, his Multan born son, Sayyed Khizr Khan, took over the reign of Multan. By this time, Multan was treated as wilayat foreign country. The practice of making the Iqtas hereditary paved the way for the Muqtas (Governors) to consolidate their position and create independent dynasties. In 1395-96, Sarang Khan, Mukta (Governor) of Dipalpur, taking advantage of the weakness of Delhi Sultanate, attacked Multan and snatched it from Sayyed Khizr Khan, Multan-born Mukta of Multan. Deprived of Multan, Khizr Khan ed to Mewat. In December 1397, Mohammad, grandson of Chugtai Turk Amir Taimur besieged Multan and Sarang Khan surrendered unconditionally after the siege of six months. In 1398, Amir Timur himself defeated Mubarak Khan, ruler of Lahore, and occupied Multans second historic fort at Talamba and held his court there. Two Sultans then ruled Delhi the reign limited to two cities (i) Siri ruled by Sultan Nasir-ud-din Mehmood and (ii) Firozabad ruled by Sultan Nasir-ud-din Nusrat Shah. The Amirs and Maliks of the rest of Sultanate had become independent rulers of the Iqtas they were once appointed Muktas. After sacking Delhi and destroying Firoze Shah Kotla, Timur who had taken a liking to Khizr Khan, summoned him from Mewat. Since both the Sultans had run away, Timur appointed Sayyed Khizr Khan as the ruler of territory of India, conquered by him. Khizr Khan was the third amongst the governors of Multan and second among Multan-born to become Sultan of Delhi. Taimur then marched back to Samarqand via Hazara. Delhi, devastated rstly by in-ghting between two Sultans and secondly by plague and famine, had become uninhabitable. Sayyed Khizr Khan, as such, established himself at Multan. But Multan was no substitute for Delhi. It was not possible to control the Sultanate from a border town like Multan. Sultan Nasir-ud-din Mehmood, dislodged by Taimur in 1398, took back Delhi from Khizr Khans men in 1405 though his territory was limited up to Rohtak only. Khizr Khan could muster enough troops only by 1414 to wrench control of Delhi from Daulat Khan
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who was raised as Sultan after the demise of Sultan Mehmood in 1412. Khizr Khan of Multan then started ruling from Delhi but only as a vessel of Taimur. He issued coins in the name of Taimur, recited the khutba too in the name of Taimur and kept sending tributes to him as his overlord, without taking any royal title for himself. He established a new dynasty of Sayyeds but the reign of Delhi was conned to a radius of around 200 miles around Delhi. According to the Islamic theory of sovereignty, there can be only one Muslim King for all Muslims wherever they might be living. Their Muslim Ruler at that time was the Caliph of Baghdad. Sultans of Delhi, as such, ruled India in his name, included his name in the khutba and issued coins too in his name. This ction of the unity of the Caliphate was kept alive until the death of the last Abbasid Caliph Mustasin in 1258 at the hands of the Mongol leader Hulaku Khan. Alaud-din Khalji (1296-1316) was the rst Sultan of Delhi to stop this practice and his son Qutb-ud-din Mubarak (1316-1320) even styled himself as Khalifa (Caliph). The Mughal Rulers, later, went a step further and rejecting the ction of Caliphate, assumed the title of Badshah i.e. emperor. While Khizr Khan ruled Delhi, he appointed Malik Abdur Rahim, an adopted son of his father Malik Suleiman, Iqta of Multan with the title of Alaul Mulk. Khizr Khan died in 1421. During his reign, Multani language inuenced Delhi and enriched Urdu. During the reign of Mubarak Shah Sayyed (1429), due to threat of Jasrath Khokhar of Jhang and Sheikh Ali, naib of Kabul overrunning Multan, and demise of Malik Rajab Nadira, Governor of Multan, Malikus Sharq Malik Mehmood Hasan was sent to Multan with a large army to restore the condence and morale of the people of Multan, as the new Governor with the title of Imad-ul- Mulk. He repaired the fort and strengthened its defenses. In 1431, Sheikh Ali of Kabul invaded India on an invitation of Paulad Turkbacha of Tabirhinda (Bhatinda). On his way back to Kabul, he devastated Jalandhar and villages around and proceeded towards Multan. Imad-ul-Mulk sent Malik Sultan Shah Lodhi to act as a piquet but he was defeated and killed in the brief encounter and Sheikh Ali was able to reach Eidgah of Multan. However, Multanis, en masse, rose equal to the occasion and inicted a crushing defeat on Sheikh Ali. Sheikh Ali and his nephew, somehow, managed to escape but all his plundered
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booty in the form of gold, horses and equipment fell into the hands of Multanis. The historians record that such a dire calamity never befell any invading army on any previous occasion, or in any other reign. Mubarak Shah Sayyed is reported to have renovated the tombs of eminent saints of Multan, strengthened its defenses and made some administrative changes. Multan is credited with encouraging Afghans to settle down in India. In Afghanistan, every Khan considered himself to be of the highest rank. The title of Khan was considered above Malik. The word Khan originates from the Mongolian word Qa-an Khaqan the biggest title endowed on The Leader-in-Chief, equivalent to the Emperor. Mongol is derived from Chinese term Mang ku meaning brave. Muslims named them as Tatar, Turk and Mughal. The Europeans preferred to call them Tartars, after the Greek word Tartarus meaning hell. Divided into units or uluses, Mongols trace their descent from Qublai Qu-an the great grandfather of Chengiz Qa-an. The basic achievement of Chengiz was the unication of the uluses into a single organization and taking the title of Quan. Mongols had no sacred scriptures, no gods or goddesses, no mythological stories, no idols, no temples, mosques or churches, no prescribed forms of prayer. They were tolerant towards all creeds and they did not know religious hatred in any form. Yet they killed and enslaved such an enormous number of Muslims under Chengiz Quan (later spelt as Khan) that Chengiz Khan is remembered as the greatest annihilator of Muslims. It was unfortunate that under his expansion plan, only Muslim and Christian states lay. He would have given the same treatment to Hindus or Buddhists too whosoever faced him in his path. He was a great commander the real Great Khan. The Historians record that No army more disciplined and crueler has ever walked on this earth. Muslims learnt from Mongols the secret of paralyzing large cities and reducing inaccessible forts to distresses. Pride and arrogance did not allow a Khan to bow and prostrate before any king, especially of his own kith and kin. He wanted to be treated at par with any king, any other Khan and his tribe to be respected at every stage. His vanity had to be pampered to get things done from him. Though distinguished by their manliness, broad chests, and physical strength, the Afghans were hard-pressed for livelihood due to devastation of their land by invading forces of Turks and Mongols.
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By migrating to India, not only they got rid of the ignominy of poverty but also got prestigious positions in the ruling class. Because of their courage and character, the governors of Multan recruited Afghan soldiers in large numbers. Malik Bahram, an ancestor of Bahlul Shah Lodhi, joined the services of Malik Mardan Daulat, Governor of Multan, during the fading years of the reign of Firoze Shah Tughlaq. Malik Sultan Shah, one of the ve sons of Malik Bahram Lodhi, entered the service of Khizr Khan, displayed great bravery, and killed Mallu Iqbal in the battleeld, in lieu of which he was given the title of Islam Khan and the governorship of Sarhind. His nephew, Bahlul Shah Lodhi, to whom he gave his daughter in marriage, was born in Multan, in Mohalla Qazian, Hussein Agahi. This Multan born Afghan later became Sultan of Delhi and founded Lodhi Dynasty. He also founded Ludhiana in Punjab. On the appeal of Bahlul Shah Lodhi to his tribe in Roh to help him preserve the Afghan Empire in India, Afghans came like ants and locusts to join their biradar brother-at- war. The descendents of Sayyed Khizr Khan ruled Multan for over 38 years but did not come up to the expectations of Multanis who decided to change their rulers. In 1443, under the last of the Sayyed ruler Sultan Ala-ud-din Shah, people of Multan appointed Sheikh Yousaf Qureshi, an offspring of Hazarat Bahawaldin Zakaria by consensus as independent ruler of Multan. However, the time was not favourable for democracy in that era. His father-in-law, Rai Sehra Langah Sindhi, treacherously occupied the fort with his men and his son-in-law Sheikh Yousaf Qureshi barely managed to run away with his life. Langah and his descendents ruled Multan for over 70 years. The Langahs were converts from the Rajput race and had formed an independent kingdom due to the weakness of the Sultans of Delhi. Sultan Hasin Langah, son of Rai Sehra Langah established the rst Islamic University (Jamia) in Multan. In 1524-1525, Shah Hussein s/o of Shah Beg Arghun of Kandahar annexed Multan after conquering Sindh and merged it in Sindh. Multan turned into a province of Afghans and Afghan families settled there came to be known as Multani Pathaans. Since the Afghan incursions, Multan had begun to have closer administrative afliations with Kabul, until Mughals took it over. After the demise of Sultan Bahlul Lodhi, his son Nizam Khan crowned himself as Sultan Sikandar Lodhi
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on July 16, 1489. In 1506, Sikandar founded the city of Agra. The site of the new city was selected after considerable search and deliberation. Of the two sites selected, he found the ag-irah the one in the foreground better and named the new city as Agra. Sikandar Lodhi died of diphtheria on November 21, 1517 and his eldest son Ibrahim Lodhi took over the reigns. Ibrahim could not maintain good relations with his nobles and Maliks. Disgusted with the suspicious Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi, nobles of Punjab invited Babur in Kabul to invade India and liberate them from the clutches of Ibrahim Lodhi. Ibrahim Lodhi had lost faith in his nobles and had started throwing them into prison, one by one. Alam Khan, brother of Sikandar Lodhi, uncle of Ibrahim Lodhi, personally went to Kabul to extend the invitation to Babur. The rst battle of Panipat ensued. No Sultan of India except Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi was killed on the battleeld. The Sultanate of Delhi, born at Tarain in 1192, was buried at Panipat in 1526. In 1529, soon after establishing himself in Delhi and Agra, Babur assimilated Multan also in his kingdom, restored Multan to its status of a separate province, and gave it to his son Kamran in ef. In 1541, taking advantage of the defeat of Humayun at the hands of Sher Shah Sur, Bakshu Langah, the Mughal governor of Multan established himself as an independent ruler. Sher Shah sent Haibat Khan to reduce the city of Multan. It is said that almost all the inhabitants of Multan ed from the city and Sher Shah had to repopulate Multan, inviting renowned Hindus and Muslim alike to settle down in Multan with great incentives. Those Hindus who were induced from North to settle down in Multan formed their own society known as Uttradh Sabha, those who came from south of Multan formed Dakhanad Sabha, and those who did not run away and remained stuck to their soil, re-formed themselves as Daahrey (Hard Sticklers). Muslim re-settlers were mostly Afghans and Persians. Sher Shah spared the life of Bakhshu Langah, and retaining his son as hostage, restored his land to him but put his own man Fateh Jung Khan in charge of Multan. Sher Shah Suri constructed a proper road from Multan to Lahore with shadegiving trees. After defeating Sikandar Sur, the last of Surs, in the battle of Sarhind in June 1555, Humayun regained Multan. In 1590, recognizing the importance of Mul264

tan, Akbar the Great appointed Mirza Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, son of renowned general Bairam Khan, as the Governor of Multan. Akbar gave more importance to Multan and placed Sindh too under the governorship of Multan by shifting its capital from Thattha to Multan. Mirza Abdul Rahim was a great scholar of Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. He translated the memoirs of Babur Tuzuki-Baburi from Turkic to Persian. Rahim claimed his maternal lineage from Lord Krishna through his mother, a descendent of royal Yaduvanshi family. Later Akbar married the stepmother of Rahim and Rahim became a stepson of Akbar. Rahim turned a devotee of Lord Krishna and composed couplets in Hindi, dedicated to Lord Krishna and gained fame and name as a great poet, no less popular than his contemporary Sant Tulsi Das of Ramayana fame and Sant Kabir known for his spiritual compositions. He was one of the nine gems (Navratnas) of Akbars Court. His manner of giving alms to the poor was very strange. It is said that he never looked at the person while dispensing alms, keeping his gaze downwards, in all humility. Throughout the period of the Sultanate of Delhi (1206 1526) and in fact nearly 40 years after its extinction, there existed only two grades of citizenship in Muslim ruled parts of India the superior grade of Muslims who were treated as the privileged class, and the inferior grade of the Hindus who were regarded as a suppressed and depressed class in their own homeland. Central Asian Muslims, particularly Turks, Arabs, Persians, Uzbeks, Afghans, Abyssinians and Egyptians, formed the ruling class. According to Muslim rulers, the land of indels (Dar-ulHarb) had to be converted into the land of Islam (Dar-ul-Islam). Hindus suffered a great deal of moral and intellectual degeneration and consequently developed a character of low cunning, deceit, and attery in order to get on with the Islamic world. Prior to the Islamic invasions, the rules of warfare between the Hindu rulers were such that the civilian populations were not violated. The mass slavery or the mass rape of women was not in practice. The battles were fought in the open barren elds, man to man, to keep the civilians out of harm and the victors were accepted as the deserving rulers. However, in the slave-owning and slave-trading culture of the Islamic and Mongoloid invaders, it was legitimate for the victors to enslave the vanquished subjects and rape their women and children. This gave
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birth to purdah system and it was no longer safe for women and children to move about freely without escort. The 15th and 16th century witnessed the rise of saints in India. Chaitanya, Nam Dev, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Tuka Ram, Sur Das, Tulsi Das, Rahim, Mira Bai, etc. etc. Bhakti movement not only rejuvenated Hinduism and gave Hindus courage with religion backing to withstand the onslaught of Islamic propaganda and proselytism, but also brought about a compromise between Hinduism and Mohammedanism, and fostered friendly relations between the two communities, though staunch Turko-Afghan rulers did not accept Ram and Rahim, Ishwer and Allah as the names of the same God. However, it cannot be denied that the Bhakti movement and the Su philosophy tended to bring the ruling sect and the dominated people closer together. Akbar went a step further to repudiate and abandon the pernicious and partisan Islamic theory of the State, and substituted in its place a theory of kingship that was essentially national. He felt that it was a disgrace for a ruler to compel people to accept any particular religion by force or as temptation for monetary gains. One could only feel contempt for the people who changed their religion to improve their fortunes and pity for them who did so to save their lives. He established a common citizenship on equal terms with the Muslims. Akbar believed that the King must be absolutely impartial and tolerant to every creed, and must establish universal peace in his dominion. He saw sense in Emperor Ashoks proclamation in Rock Edict XII, One who reverences ones own religion and disparages that of another from devotion to ones own religion and to glorify it over all other religions, does injure ones own religion most certainly. It is verily concord of religions that is meritorious. Akbar afrmed in his own words, The various religious communities are divine treasuries entrusted to us by God. We must love them as such. It should be our rm faith that He blesses every religion. The Eternal King showers His favours on all subjects without distinction. Akbar was addressed as Zill-e-Ellahi the Shadow of God. Muslim seats of learning, in his regime, were Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Multan and Lahore to which Jaunpur and Sialkot were added later. Sialkot is identied with ancient Sagala, the capital of the IndoGreek Menander (Milinada of the Buddhists) and Mihiragula, the Hun (160 BC).
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Jaunpur earned the name of The Siraj of India. The respect for learning has always been the redeeming feature of India. Even the unscrupulous people and avaricious moneylenders contributed graciously towards founding of the temples of learning some to ease their conscience and some for genuinely spread of education and honouring the learned. Almost all the temples, mosques, and Gurudwaras had a school attached to them. Even the business-community who merely learnt what they absolutely required in order to conduct their trade, showered full respect, amounting to adoration, on their humble maulvis, pundits, wandering monks, story-tellers, swamis, saadhus, dervishes, who gave them sermons etc. While Hindus attended Muslim institutions to learn Persian, Muslims attended Hindu schools for instructions in Astronomy, Astrology, Mathematics, and Medicine. No degrees or diplomas were awarded. A students ability and worth was judged by the reputation of his teacher/Guru. Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi (1564-1624) of the Nakshbandi order of Sus, who claimed his lineage to the family of Hazarat Umar Farooq, the 2nd Caliph of Islam targeted the elite of the Hindu society to lure them to Islam. He was of the opinion that if the elite accepted Islam, the common people would automatically follow. Akbar invited representatives of all the major religions for deliberations in 1580. Although Christians claim to have landed in India in the rst century with St. Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, Vasco da Gama reached Indian coast in 1498 and Portuguese captured Goa in 1510. Jesuit priests and envoys who attended the all religions conference in Akbars court brought gifts of oil paintings with Christian themes. Deeply impressed and fascinated, Akbar instructed his court painters to study the art carefully, giving birth to the art of Mughal miniatures. The European royalty too was obsessed with the wisdom and grandeur of India. Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), the Elector of Saxony, Germany, added to his palace in Dresden a chamber for exotic and unique objects of Indian curios. Among these was a precious object named The Royal Court at Delhi on the Birthday of the Great Mughal Aurangzeb. This masterpiece of gold and silver depicted an imaginary durbar of Emperor Aurangzeb (1618-1707) seated on his magnicent peacock throne with courtesans and subordinate kings
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bending and saluting in utter humility. Gold-gilt mirrors, myriads of precious stones, diamonds, pearls, and brilliantly enameled gures adding glamour to the wonderful spectacle. Multani artisans claim that insetting of precious stones and enameling work was their contribution. Urdu was born in the 15th century as a lingua-franca between foreign Muslims and indigenous Hindus and converted Muslims but was not patronized by the Mughals until the end of the third quarter of the 18th century because Persian continued to be the language of the court and the high society, culture and literature. Even Maharaja Ranjit Singh retained Persian as his court language. A couplet coined in Urdu in those days often quoted was - Haath-Kangan ko Arsi Kya, Padhey Likhey ko Pharsi Kya - meaning You do not need a mirror to view your wristbands (bangles) and the one who is well educated has no difculty in conversing in Persian. Though common people remained unaffected, social manners, literary expressions and mode of life, manner of dressing, speaking, etiquettes, and behaviour of upper classes of Hindus were considerably inuenced by the ruling Muslim society. British, French and other foreigners who were trying to establish themselves in India, too had to learn Persian to converse with the Rulers in India. With an innite variety of races, religions and languages, India was called as an ethnological museum. Had Akbars great-grandson Aurangzeb not abandoned this national theory (1658-1707), the fall of Mughal Empire and passing of the country into the hands of an alien race might not have taken place! Prince Aurangzeb and Prince Murad Baksh, the second and the youngest sons of Shah Jahan, both served as governors of Multan with distinction. Multan became the base camp for the Mughal armies for their seesaw battles for possession of Kandahar for almost a century. Aurangzeb camped here during the reign of Shahjahan to reconquer Kandahar. Prince Aurangzeb governed Multan from 1648 to 1652. Despite laying two sieges, 1649 and 1652, he could not recover Kandahar, but in recognition of the valour of the Afghan soldiers who sided with him, he settled them in Multan with grant of lands and estates. These Pathaans too came to be known as Multani Pathaans. Sayed Khan Qureshi, born in 1613 at Multan, brought laurels to Multan. He was honoured by Shah Jahan as a poet and
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served Prince Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh in their courts at Multan. Aurangzeb made him governor of Multan during his reign. It is said that the statuette of Totla Devi installed in the third ancient temple of Multan, Mandir Totlan Mai, situated inside Harem Gate, was uprooted and thrown into the well under the orders of iconoclast Aurangzeb during the period of his sojourn in Multan as its governor. When his infant son fell ill and could not be cured by Muslim practitioners of Greek system of medicine, the High priest of Totla Mai temple, who was also a good Ayurvedic Practitioner, cured him and as a reward, Aurangzeb allowed the statuette of Totla Devi to be shed out of the well and reinstalled with due respect and honour. Dara Shikoh, after his defeat at the hands of Aurangzeb, took refuge in Multan with Abu-ul-Ghias Sayed Fateh Ali alias Sayed Moosa Pakdeen, grandson of Hazarat Moosa Pak Shaheed, then Governor of Multan. Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan and heir apparent, like his greatgrandfather Jalal-ud-din Akbar, believed in the basic unity of all faiths. His Su learnings, that had absorbed many Hindu practices, inspired him to explore Hinduism. He got many Sanskrit works like the Bhagavad Geeta, Yoga Vashishtha and Prabhodhachandraodaya translated into Persian. Dara Shikoh himself was a Sanskrit scholar and was responsible for translating the Upanishads into Persian. He concurred with the Su Saints in the belief that the Vedas too were revealed books. His book Majma-al-Bahrain (Mingling of two oceans Islam and Hinduism) highlights the similarity between the beliefs and practices prescribed in Islamic tasawwuf and Hindu Yoga. All the communities admired him and had he not lost the war of succession, he would have changed the course of the History of India. Downfall of Mughal Empire started in the lifetime of Aurangzeb himself. Aurangzeb ruled for almost half a century (1658-1707) but his son, Bahadur Shah I, lasted for 5 years (1707-1712) and grandson, Jahandar Shah (1712-1713) just for 10 months. Sycophancy ruled the era. Fond of courtesans and dancing girls, Jahandar Shah appointed a mirasi musical instrument player of the dancing-singing tribe Naimat Khan Mirasi, as governor of Multan soon after ascending to the throne in 1712.

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In 1652, during the reign of Shah Jahan, Khuda Dad Khan defeated his cousin brother Shah Hasin grandson of Sado Khan, Amir of Khurasan, and Shah Hasin took refuge in Multan along with his tribe known as Sadozai. He constructed a glass palace for his family and a mosque opposite his palace still known as Abdali Mosque. Later Sultan Hayat Khan, son of Khuda Dad Khan had also to take refuge in Multan after losing his territory to Shah of Iran. Both of them died in Multan and are buried there. Shah Hasin had no issue of his own and had adopted Jalal Khan, maternal uncle of yet to be born Ahmed Shah Abdali. Jalal Khans sister was married to Zaman Khan, governor of Herat in Afghanistan. After the assassination of Zaman Khan, his youngest wife who was then pregnant took refuge with her brother Jalal Khan and Ahmed Shah Abdali was born here in Multan in 1722. He remained in Multan up to the age of seven and got his primary education at Abdali Mosque. The change of government, every few years, affected both Hindus and Muslims. The inhabitants of Multan reconciled themselves to the periodical depredations of the invaders. Their common suffering at the hands of invaders brought both the communities together. The Bhakti cult of Sant Kabir (rst quarter of 15th century) and Baba Guru Nanak Dev (1469 1538) who particularly stressed the need of Hindu-Muslim unity and preached that both the religions were only two different paths leading to one Supreme God, whether you call him Ishwar or Allah, also helped a great deal to unite the two communities. The characteristic qualities of mind are thinking and knowing. Both the religions advocate acquiring virtues and shunning vices, to rise above pride and prejudices, and get rid of resentful thoughts to nd peace. The Su mystics of Islam too supplemented the work of Bhakti cult and ushered in an age of greater understanding between the two communities. Malik Muhammad Jaisi and Mullah Daud composed their works in Hindi, touched by Bhakti songs of Vaishnavite saints. An eminent Su Abdul Wahid Bilgrami wrote a treatise Haqaiq-e-Hindi in which he tried to explain such words as Krishna, murli, gopis, Ganga Yamuna etc., in Su mystic terms. In 1726, Nawab Abdul Samad Toorani became governor of Multan. By then the center had become so weak that the governors of provinces had started ruling
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their areas again as independently as at the fall of Sultanate. Weakened by endless wars, the Great Mughal Empire slowly imploded into small independent states, and the Mughal Emperors were reduced to pathetic gureheads only. During the reign of Mohammed Shah Rangila (1739), Multan had to withstand the worst of Persian invader Nadir Shah, who included it in the Persian Empire. Nadir Shah is believed to have massacred thousands of people in cold blood and carried away thousands of men and women as slaves, after leaving Zahid Khan as the governor of Multan. Zahid Khan declared himself as independent ruler of Multan after the assassination of Nadir Shah. Multan born Ahmed Shah Abdali too, who had joined the army of Nadir Shah as a soldier, rose to become one of his Generals, and after the assassination of Nadir Shah, pronounced himself as the King of Afghanistan Wasted and desolated by Huns, Turks, Persians, Afghans and Mughals, Multan had been continually exposed to the swords and the guns as all the invaders passed through this gateway of India. Multan as such suffered the most, in almost every quarter the blighting effects of war, its train of ills, pestilence, and famine, and pressure of Islam, an organized butchery in the name of God. Multan was treated as the foot mat of the invading armies from the West. The Greeks, The Huns, The Persians, The Arabians, The Turks, The Mongols, The Afghans, Taimur Lung the Tartar, The Great Mughals, kept it crushing under their marching boots. The Afghans boasted that grass never grew there where their horses had once trodden. Wherever they passed by, the villages and towns were laid in ruin. In general slaughters, even cats and dogs were not spared. People ed to their strongholds. Mercy and compassion were far removed from their hearts. No family, capable of leading an opposition, was allowed to survive. Young lads were picked up and added as hushr (levy) to march against the next settlement for such hard labour as the victors required boys for sodomy and girls for the harem or distribution among the soldiers as war spoils. Most of the dirty work of destruction or burning of the houses were got done from such levy under the whip of the victors. Only the artisans were spared for service. Mongol traditions not only permitted but gloried wholesale massacres of peaceful citizens and destruction of their cities.

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Multan had been subjected to pillage and massacre so many times that its population never attained more than tenth of its number until the establishment of peace under Dewan Sawan Mal. The land once lush with vegetation had been attened out to a treeless, wind-blown desert with dust-pillars moving in spirals across the waste. Its temples had been destroyed in the name of the religion, its granaries looted to feed invading armies, its villages pillaged and burnt in sadistic orgies, its women ravished to appease the lust of violent men. In 1747, Multan-born Afghan marauder Ahmed Shah Abdali wrested Multan from the Persians and put his own Governor at Multan. It is said that Shah Waliullah Mohaddis Dehlvi, Sheikh-ul-Islam, the highest ranked Muslim cleric, invited Ahmed Shah Abdali to invade India to make it Dar-ul Islam (an Islamic State) from Dar-ul-Harb (a state where Islam is not dominant). After the defeat of the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat (14-01-1761) at the hands of Ahmed Shah Abdali, Mughal emperor Ahmed Shah ceded the provinces of Multan and Lahore to Ahmed Shah Abdali ofcially, although both the provinces were already under his rule. Abdali had issued his own coins in Multan and Lahore and appointed Nawab Ali Mohammed Khan as the governor of Multan who ruled Multan from 1752 to 1758 until Marathas drove him away from Multan. In 1760, Ahmed Shah regained it from Marathas and re-appointed Nawab Ali Mohammed Khan as the Governor of Multan who ruled from 1761 to 1767. He got a new canal dug out that passed outside Boher Gate and named it after his brothers name as Nala Wali Mohammed. He was assassinated in his durbar under the orders of Ahmed Shah Abdali in 1767. In 1772, after the demise of Ahmed Shah Abdali, his son Taimur Shah gave the province of Multan, jointly to a Hindu named Lala Dharam Das and a Mohammedan named Mirza Sharif Beg on contract basis. However, they could not pull on together. Mirza killed Lala Dharam Das and then fearing the wrath of Taimur Shah sold out his contract to Sardar Chanda Singh and Ganda Singh and ran away. In 1781, Taimur Shah extracted himself from the distracted affairs of his kingdom, expelled the Sikhsubtenants, and appointed Nawab Muzaffar Khan as the Governor of Multan. Muzaffar Khan ruled Multan, for almost 37 years.

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After the martyrdom (in 1716) of Banda Bairagi, the last commander of the Sikhs appointed by Guru Govind Singh, the founder of Khalsa, the Sikh army was scattered and divided amongst many misls (semi-military groups) in Punjab. People from the same clan, a village or a group of villages adjoining each other, formed a misl of their own to defend themselves in that period of anarchy. Their homeland was slipping out of the feeble hands of the Mughal rulers of Delhi into the grip of Afghan hordes invading the border states of Multan, Peshawar, and Punjab, pillaging and marauding, destroying trade, commerce, industry and agriculture in their course. These small groups indulged in gorilla warfare (hit and run tactics introduced by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maratha against the Mughals in Aurangzebs times), harassing and snatching the booty from the Afghan hordes on their way back home, and dividing the loot equally among themselves except that the group leader (Sardar) got an additional share. At an annual meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa (the entire body of the Sikhs) on the Baisakhi Day of 1748, all the misls decided to join hands together to dispel the invaders from their homeland. The peasants, the landowners, the businessmen, artisans, entrepreneurs all agreed to pay one fth of their income for their protection (called Raakhi in Punjabi), from the invading hordes. Every misl established a dehra (camp) at a strategic point, repaired old abandoned forts and built new garhis (mud fortresses mud could absorb the thrust of a cannon ball) for the security of the neighbourhood. The scheme was a success and paved a way for the rise of Khalsa power. As the Afghan attacks dwindled in Punjab, these misldars became rulers of their cluster of villages, giving birth to small independent states. The doctrine of brotherhood and equality made every Sikh Chief feel second to none. In order to raise the armed Sikhs into a formidable power, it was necessary to bring them together under one leader. One of these misldars, Ranjit Singh, started assuming the place of the Sikh Chief effectively. He possessed the necessary qualities and the force of character to assert his personal superiority. His prowess in battle was beyond doubt. His fame as a vigorous and shrewd person had spread all around. He proclaimed himself as the servant of Guru Govind Singh and presented himself acting always in the name of the 10th Guru to the glory of Khalsa, whether he was leading his Sikhs against Muslims or rival misls and by
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1808 was recognized as the leader of the Khalsa. His litany Raj kareyga Khalsa worked as a spark to rekindle hope of the so far oppressed people to establish selfrule in their own land at last. Some historians say that Sarbat Khalsa conferred on Ranjit Singh the title of Maharaja. On the rst of Baisaakh (April 12, 1801, the New Year day according to the Hindu Calendar, it is said, Bhai Sahib Singh Bedi, applied saffron paste on the forehead of Ranjit Singh and proclaimed him as the Maharaja of Punjab. Some historians, however, maintain that the Afghan king himself conferred the title of Maharaja on Ranjit Singh. Finding it more convenient to keep friendly relations with the upcoming power than setting up his own lieutenants who might later claim independence, the Afghan King let Ranjit Singh govern the turbulent distant provinces of Punjab though he kept his slender hold on the border states of Multan, Peshawar and Kashmir under his own governors. The new rising power of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, tried to consolidate Punjab as one nation and made it clear to his Hindu and Muslim subjects that the days of religious crusades were gone. That it was time for all subjects to get united under one banner and work for lasting peace and betterment of one and all (Sarbat the bhalla), as he assimilated the small states, one by one, into the kingdom of Punjab. With Kanhaya and Nakai chiefs, he made marriage alliances; with Sardar Fateh Singh of the powerful Ahluwalia misl, he exchanged turbans, an act of symbolizing brotherhood and abiding friendship; and to some, he offered liberal compensation. Some of the misldars were happy to accept jagirs and live a secured life; others more active, were pleased to be free of responsibilities and serve under Ranjit Singh, merging their army with Ranjit Singhs for the glory of Khalsa. His main thrust of army was as such cavalry ghorcharahs supplied by dispossessed misldars, and those who contested his superiority, he seized their possessions that included Lahore, Amritsar and Gujarat, with the help of his enlarged army. The Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, had already been put on British Pension, Delhi and all the territories, East of Setluj were under British control. British had established important military posts at Ludhiana and Firozepur. As the leader of Khalsa, he now claimed his rights over the Sikh states of Malwa. The Malwa Chiefs, though small misldars, preferred to remain independent under British protection than be under the political subjugation of Ranjit Singh in the name
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of unity of Khalsa. The British too wanted to keep Malwa Sikhs on their side to check the increasing power of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Ranjit Singh was astute enough to know exactly how far he could stretch his arms without alarming the British. He had also the inkling of their well-trained army. Way back, on seizing the possession of Amritsar, a platoon of deserters of British army paraded before him in celebration of his victory. He was fascinated and very much impressed by the exhibition of their columns marching in step and demonstrating charge in battle formation on shout of a command from the platoon commander. He realized that against the present state of his soldiers, British troops might be invincible. He employed, then and there, the platoon of the deserters to train his army on European pattern and supplemented that by reining in European ofcers like Jean Francois Allard, Jean Baptiste Ventura, General Avitable, and other renowned warriors of the Napoleonic wars. When his spy, whom he had sent to study the art of British warfare, returned with the maps of the deployment of the British forces, he wondered and asked as to why almost the entire India except few pockets was splashed with red colour? He was surprised at the answer that the red colour meant the area under occupation of the East India Company. He shook his head in disbelief and remarked, One day it will be all red. He, as such, made it a point to retain the goodwill of the British power at all costs and perforce signed a treaty with the East India Company of non-aggression against each other, accepting the course of river Setluj as the eastern limit of his dominion. Although he had large designs, his immediate measures were always practicable. He felt proud to learn from his European ofcers that the Sikhs were better adapted to learn and to assimilate European way of ghting than the rest of the people of India. He envisaged that the Sikh army would be second to none except, perhaps, the British themselves. Even the British accepted the fact that the Sikh army was the most efcient and hardest to overcome. Both of them were wary of each other and avoided confrontation with each other as far as possible. Ranjit Singh then diverted his attention to North, West, and South of his domain. After running over the Pathaans of Qasur, Chhathas of Rasulnagar, Sials of Jhang, Tiwana Maliks of Shahpur, Balochis and Awanas of Khushab and Sahiwal, he now turned towards Multan.
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Multan had an enviable position in the International Trade through its exports of ne cotton, silk, spices, indigo, sugar, drugs, precious stones, and various works of craftsmanship. Although the craftsmen and artisans were mostly Muslims, trade was entirely in the hands of Hindus. Multan and the principalities of Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, did not consider themselves as Punjabis or part of Punjab. Their language was a mixture of Punjabi and Sindhi with an abundant sprinkle of Pashto and Balochi. Multan had had a separate governor and was keeping itself aloof from the sense of Punjabi nationalism that was gathering momentum in the rest of Punjab. The ruling class, being Muslims, found it more convenient to ally with Muslim Afghans than with Sikhs. They had experienced the Sikh rule under Bhangi Sardars, Sardar Chanda Singh, and Ganda Singh, whose indifference towards the welfare of the people had created animosity against the Sikhs and forced them to seek help from the Afghan King Taimur Shah to oust the Bhangi Sardars. The people of Multan were quite satised with the governance of Nawab Muzaffar Khan who had established peace in the region and did not want to face another upheaval. However, Ranjit Singh was determined to bring Multan under his rule against the advice of his Generals, who almost to a man were not in favour of undertaking the expedition. They were of the opinion that they were not yet strong enough to reduce a powerful fort like Multan and face both the combined forces of Hindus and Muslims and the hostile tribes that the Nawab of Multan was likely to raise against them. Ranjit Singh, however, overruled them and marched towards Multan at the head of his troops in 1803, rode through the suburbs of Multan and trained his artillery on the fort and the ancient city of Multan. On the advice of his Hindu and Muslim subjects who wanted to maintain peace, Nawab Muzaffar Khan considered it more convenient to surrender and agree to pay his tribute to Lahore instead of to Kabul. Thus, the Multanis succeeded in saving themselves from the plunder and loot that they always dreaded. But Nawab Muzaffar Khan was only biding for time. Although he paid his tribute to Lahore, he kept trying to re-establish his alliances with his co-religionist in Kabul and constantly incite the chain of small Muslim states around Multan to join him in revolt against the Lahore Government. Although Ranjit Singh let him off with just a ne of Rs, 20,000/- for inciting and helping Qutb-ud-din Khan of Qasur against him, the Sardars, Generals and Counselors of the Lahore Durbar at a meeting called
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by Ranjit Singh at Amritsar on Diwali in 1811, unanimously agreed that it was not good enough just to receive tribute from Muzaffar Khan, Multan must be assimilated into Punjab. It took almost seven years for Ranjit Singh to spare a strong force of 20,000 men under Misr Dewan Chand to recapture Multan. Misr Dewan Chand had risen from a foot soldier to the rank of a commander of the artillery by merit and he undertook to reduce the fort of Multan if vested with the chief command. But the jealous Sardars objected to serve under a commander who was once their junior. Ranjit Singh, cleverly, sent the heir apparent Prince Kharak Singh in nominal command of the whole expedition but gave a free hand to Misr Dewan Chand to steer the ship as it pleased him. Misr Dewan Chand requisitioned all the boats on the river Ravi and Chenab to carry supplies and stores of the army and commenced the march in January 1818. Muzaffar Khan prepared the city and the fort for a long siege and roused the predominant Muslim populace of the countryside to ght a holy war (jihad) against the indels but his Ghazis (the staunch Muslims, red by the spirit of defending and spreading Islam, who volunteer to ght without regular pay and accept the part of plunder were called Ghazis), armed with swords & spears, had no chance against the newly disciplined Sikh army trained by the deserters of East India Company on European pattern and equipped with muskets and eld batteries, and inspired by no less fanatic do and die zeal of Akalis called Nihangs who were as obsessed by their Faith as Ghazis. Nihang in Persian means crocodile. A Nihang, dedicated to the service of Khalsa Panth, considered himself as one-man army equal to the strength of 1,25,000 men (Sava lakh). The following couplet is attributed to the 10th Guru Govind Singh: Sava lakh se Ek ladaaun, Phir Gobind Singh Naam Dharaaun. When I am able to make One Sikh stand against One Lac Twenty-ve thousand men, then I would deserve keeping the name of Gobind Singh! The greatest strength of the Sikh Army was the form of devotion that they had inherited from the tenth Guru Govind Singh.

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By the end of January 1818, the two forts of Muzaffar Garh and Khan Garh were seized and in February, the city of Multan was occupied. To earn the goodwill of the public, Misr Dewan Chand absolutely forbade the general plunder and kept his forces well occupied in encircling the famous strong fort of Multan. A steady re was maintained through guns and small arms against every part of the defenses and by April, he was able to make breaches in several places with the Bhangi Zam Zama gun, known for its long-range ring, and demolish many a turrets and bastions. By May, the Sikh army was entrenched near the dhool kot and ready to storm the fort. But Ranjit Singh, though absent from the battle eld, kept in touch with every move in connection with the siege, forbade the Misr to take any risk with the lives of men and continued offering the Nawab a Jagir if he surrendered the fort. However, the Nawab seemed to be determined to hold out to the last. He was prepared to pay the tribute but not surrender his riyasat. The matters dragged on in this state with an occasional exchange of re throughout May. In June 1818, an Akali fanatic, Saadhu Singh, lost his patience and without any orders, probably under the inuence of opium, sneaked into the fort through a breach with a handful of his followers and overpowered the dozing Afghan soldiers. Seeing this, the other Sikh soldiers, on the impulse of the moment, rushed through the breaches all around to support Saadhu Singh. Flushed with success of easy entry through the breaches and taking the Afghan garrison by surprise, the Sikh forces captured the fort, slaughtering all resisting opponents. Nawab Muzaffar Khan, with his four sons, resisted the attack outside his residence but was cut down. Two of his sons, Shah Nawaz Khan and Huq Nawaz Khan were killed on the spot and the third Zulkar Khan was wounded, captured, and taken care of for his wounds. The fourth one, Sarfaraz Khan, was found hiding in a cellar and taken prisoner. An immense booty fell into the hands of the assaulting troops. Multan fell into the hands of Ranjit Singh and the conqueror of Multan; Misr Dewan Chand was bestowed with the title of Zafar Jang Bahadur (Victor of Battles). The surviving sons of Late Muzaffar Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Zulkar Khan were treated well by Ranjit Singh and honoured with suitable titles and jagirs. All the soldiers, ofcers, Jagirdars and Sardars were ordered to deposit all articles, money, jewels, works-of- art etc. plundered from Multan - city and fort, as war-spoils into the Government Treasury under the threat of heavy penalty and imprisonment.
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So great was the dread of Ranjit Singh in his empire that in spite of his connement to bed at that time, his order did not cause any stir, outrage or general resistance and most of the spoil was deposited in the treasury. Towards the close of 1819, Ranjit Singh gathered the Sikh army again, and led it in person to Multan. From here, he directed operations against the territories of the Nawab of Bhawalpur on the west of Setluj that was not under the protection of the British, and towards the south west of Multan, as far as Bhakkar, under the occupation of the Meers of Sindh. He not only wanted to extort tribute but also wanted to extend his empire towards the west. Dera Ghazi Khan, on the west bank of the Indus was wrested from its governor Zaman Khan and leased out to Nawab of Bhawalpur at a heavy rent. Ranjit Singh went back to Lahore in April 1820, taking with him a prized white mare of high repute extorted from Nawab Haz Ahmed Khan of Mankera, bearing the name of sufed pari i.e. White Fairy. Ranjit Singh had a wild passion for acquiring the objects of repute. He had also acquired the famous diamond Koh-e-noor from Shah Shuja of Afghanistan in June 1813. The Koh-e-noor was considered the most brilliant diamond of the world. It was, originally, owned by Raja Vikramajit of Gwalior and came into the hands of the Mughal Emperor Nasir-ud-din Mohammed Humayun after the demise of Raja Vikramajit. Nadir Shah compelled the defeated Mughal Emperor Mohammed Shah Rangila to present the great diamond to him as Nazarana in 1739. After the assassination of Nadir Shah in 1747, it came into the hands of Multan-born Ahmed Shah Abdali and passed on to his son Taimur and then grandson Shah Shuja in 1803 and subsequently to Ranjit Singh in 1813. After the rainy season in 1821, the Sikh army was assembled again and taking the command in person, Ranjit Singh, charged once again into Mankera, Bhakkar, and Leiah. Annual contribution and forced presents were not enough for him. He now wanted to assimilate the territories into his empire. Bhakkar, Leiah, Khangarh and Maujgarh were successfully occupied without resistance. Mankera was situated amongst sand-hills. It was difcult to maintain water supply for the besieging army for long. A division was sent in advance with beldars (labourers) to dig wells and until then the supply was maintained from Maujgarh through camels, ponies and bullocks at great expense. As soon as the wells were sunk and ready to
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yield water, Ranjit Singh himself moved in to supervise the siege. The Nawab of Mankera, Haz Ahmed came to realize that his game was up and sued for honourable terms. He was allowed to march out with his arms, personal property and some 300 followers to Dera Ismail Khan where a suitable jagir was granted to him for the maintenance of his household. The conquest of Multan ended Afghan inuence in the Punjab and broke the solid phalanx of Muslim states in the South West Punjab. Dera Ismail Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mankera, and Jhang were included in the province of Multan. Lala Sukh Dayal was appointed as the rst Governor by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, but was soon deposed and imprisoned for nonpayment of Government dues. 1819 witnessed the repetition in the appointment and deposition of the second Sikh Governor Sham Singh Kashmiri a.k.a Sham Singh Peshori within six month on the similar charge. The third Governor, Budun Hazaree lasted until 1820 and was removed for failing to produce accounts. Appointment of Dewan Sawan Mal as the fourth Governor in 1821 brought the province of Multan back to prosperity. Centuries of conditioning, mixed civilization, pressure of Islam, division, split and contradictory views had confused the simple, God loving people of Multan. It was almost impossible to keep oneself together. Arrival of Sikhism changed the social, political, and religious structure of Multan and Punjab. Multan became a province of Punjab. Though all religions started with the concept of equality, most of them gave up this idea when they acquired political power. Hinduism had deteriorated into castes and sub castes, high and low births, umpteens of favourite gods and goddesses. Buddhism in India and neighbouring countries of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan gave way to Islam. Christianity and Islam had given up their concept of brotherhood and love for the poor when they were promoted as the state religion. Sikhism laid the foundation for ethnic equality, universal brotherhood and turned the class structured, caste ridden, and male chauvinistic society into ideal society. The Sikh supplication sought the good of the entire humanity (sarvat da bhala). In Sikhism, duty towards humanity took precedence over ritualistic form of religion. The Sikh Gurus were great reformers. Their teachings restored the condence of the people and raised them to the status of ruling class from being ruled for centuries, a millennium in fact by invaders.
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It was in March 1822 that the rst European adventurers, Monsieur Jean Baptiste Ventura and Monsieur Jean Francois Allard presented themselves before Ranjit Singh in his court at Lahore to seek military service. The battle of Waterloo had broken and scattered the mighty French army. Ventura, an Italian by birth but an ex-colonel of French Infantry, and Frenchman Allard, an ex-colonel of French Cavalry had suffered great distress in their travels towards East, serving even as criers in the mosques for a living. Ranjit Singh gave them due honour and commissioned them to train the Sikh army on the European pattern. These ofcers won Ranjit Singhs condence, brought in Monsieur Court from the Polytechnic Institution of Paris, and distinguished themselves in subsequent years by transforming the Sikh army into the best ghting force in the west of British India on the French model, dreaded by even the East India Company. General Ventura was assigned the legendary historic building known as the Tomb of Anarkali by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, considered as a great honour. Nevertheless, later, the General built for himself a beautiful French mansion close to it that was subsequently turned into Residency by the British Resident, a year after the occupation of the Punjab in 1847. Dewan Sawan Mal ruled Multan for 24 years. He was in the prime of his life when he took over the governorship of the province. Besides being a scholar of Persian and Arabic, he was an experienced administrator too. He was a man of great vigour and ability, and the prosperity of the province was mainly attributed to his just administration. By his energetic, rm, and superb government, he succeeded in raising the province of Multan to an enviable level of prosperity never witnessed before. The protection of the subjects was the distinctive character of his government. Thefts, thuggies, robberies, and lawlessness were put down with a rm and heavy hand. Multan consisted of important trade centers and agriculture producing centers like Jhang, Khanewal, Dera Ismail Khan, Mianwali, Leiah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Shujabad, Muzaffar Garh etc., yielding an annual income of 35 lakhs from which he contributed about 23 lakhs to the Lahore Treasury, retaining 12 lakhs for the expenses of management and his own emoluments. He was a man of remarkable vision and strongly believed that the peasants who were themselves hungry and lived on the verge of hunger, would not toil to feed the denizens
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of the town and cities; nor weavers, naked themselves, clothe the high and mighty until they could afford to feed and clothe themselves. Patriotism was an unknown virtue. The Ruler expected his subjects to pay their taxes and pray for his welfare and the people expected security and justice from him. Dewan Sawan Mal had extraordinary administrative and military skill, faultless judgment, ability to use and improve upon on the scientic inventions of his day, power to control his subordinates through punishments and inducements, diplomatic trickery and craft. He took great pains to do justice to the poor with impartiality and rich never got a verdict in their favour without paying for it. He encouraged digging of more canals for irrigation and brought many a barren land into cultivation. He liberally lent money to the farmers to buy ploughs, oxen, and dig wells where his canals could not reach. People known for their integrity, uprightness, and honesty were only invited to his court. His popularity made other Sardars (Heads of provinces and those in Maharaja Ranjit Singhs Durbar) jealous. Raja Dhyan Singh, Prime Minister of Lahore Durbar, tried to induce the Maharaja to take the governorship of Multan away from Raja Sawan Mal and confer it on Raja Gulab Singh. Raja Gulab Singh even marched on his own with his Dogra troops to take command of Multan but found the fort too strong to take by force. His awkward position was saved by the news of the death of Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa at Peshawar. The rst priority was then to attend to Afghan menace and not indulge in interchanging governorship of the provinces. Raja Gulab Singh was hastily recalled to join the Royal forces and Ranjit Singh never entertained any proposal to change any governor against whom there were no adverse reports. Sawan Mal became more powerful after the demise of Ranjit Singh. During the brief reign of Kharak Singh, his precocious son and heir apparent Prince Nau Nihal Singh was de facto King of Punjab. Raja Dhyan Singh once again tried to oust Sawan Mal from the governorship of Multan. He started feeding the Prince that Sawan Mal was secretly raising troops and was planning to take over Lahore and declare himself as the Maharaja of Punjab. He challenged Prince Nau Nihal Singh that Sawan Mal who thinks himself so powerful and independent would not care to call at the Durbar even when ofcially summoned by him the de-facto King, and placed a heavy bet on it. The Prince knew that he was being bated but
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to outsmart his scheming Prime Minister, he accepted the bet and wrote a private and condential letter to Sawan Mal along with the ofcial summons, giving him frankly the details of his bet and urgency to call off Raja Dhyan Singhs bluff and saving his face. The intentions of Raja Dhyan Singh were not hidden from Sawan Mal. He wisely decided to cash this opportunity. He presented himself before the Durbar with suitable gifts and made the Prince win his bet. The Prime Minister had to cut a sorry gure. Pleased, the Prince offered Sawan Mal to ask for himself anything he liked. The matured Sawan Mal humbly submitted that with the grace of the Durbar he had more personal wealth and honour than he really deserved. But my barids (intelligence ofcers), he said, report that with the passing away of our great Maharaja Ranjit Singh, our neighbours have again started setting eyes on the coveted province of Multan a place of great name and natural strength, but alas, out of repair these days, in a dilapidated condition and unable to resist a siege. Some of our Sardars too, I do not wish to single them out, but your barids too must have reported, are looking for an opportunity to seize the throne. We must prepare for the eventual struggle and cultivate people who are faithful to the crown and secure strongholds that shall be loyal to the cause in such a case. For myself, I want only an order from you to fortify the fort of Multan and I assure you that even if all the states of Punjab desert you, Multan will be there to stand by you. The Prince was mighty pleased and gave full authority to Sawan Mal to spend the revenue of his province in strengthening the fort. Sawan Mal did full justice to it; requisitioned renowned masons and carpenters and within two years of hard and energetic work, improved every point of the fortications and made the fort of Multan strongest in the kingdom. By repairing and improving the outlook of shrines of Shah Rukn-e-Alam and Bahawal Haq and re-building the ancient Hindu temple of Prahlad Puri, at the foot-hill of the fort in such a way that it should not over shadow the shrine of Su saint Rukn-ud-din, grandson of Bahawal Haq, he heightened and increased the intrinsic security of the fort in the superstitious estimation of both Hindus and Muslims by the charm of these sacred buildings.

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One of the reasons for Maharaja Kharak Singhs slow-wittedness, it was said, was due to his excessive consumption of liquor and opium. Prince Nau Nihal Singh was, as such, induced to take over the administration in his own hands in the name of his father at an age of nineteen years. Ranjit Singh held Prince Nau Nihal Singh in great esteem and often declared in open court that Nau Nihal Singh was truly worthy (Layak deheem-i-khalifa ast) of holding the reins of his kingdom. He saw to it that the Prince was personally trained in the warfare by no less than his great General Hari Singh Nalwa himself. Hari Singh Nalwa was a dreaded name among Afghan tribes and it said that the Afghan women used to frighten their children to sleep by warning them to go to sleep otherwise they would summon Nalwa to help them make the children go to sleep. Nalwa had to be sent to the tribal area many a times because these turbulent people would not pay tribute except at the point of the sword. But a quirk of fate did not let Nau Nihaal Singh succeed to the throne as he met with a freak fatal accident soon after cremating the body of his father Maharaja Kharak Singh on 05-11-1940. As the Prince was passing under the archway of the citys gate along with his friend Udham Singh son of Raja Gulab Singh, his Prime Minister Raja Dhyan Singh, and his cabinet minister Dewan Dina Nath, worn out stones and brick tiles of the old gateway collapsed on them. While both his ministers escaped with minor injuries, Udham Singh died instantly, and the Prince, with fractured scull and broken arm, gave up his ghost sometime later. Bhai Gobind Ram, the priest-baron, pronounced him dying (waqt-e-aakhri ast) after feeling his pulse. He ruled for (just 3 days short) 13 months from 08-10-1839 to 05-11-1840. The court intrigues of succession thereafter only exposed the weaknesses of the Sikh Empire the vulnerable points in the body politic which the British were to discover and turn to their own advantage. The main tussle was between Rani Chand Kaur, widow of Kharag Singh, mother of Nau Nihal Singh and Raja Sher Singh 2nd son of Ranjit Singh. It was during this period that the Sikh army went out of control because of each faction trying to induce the army in its favour by promising the raise in their pay-packages. Ultimately, Sher Singh was invested as Maharaja on 20-01-1841. However, his reign too ended, as it had begun, in vio284

lence, in just two years and eight months. During his period, the events accelerated the dissolution of the kingdom. Sher Singh was alleged to have plotted the double murder, 1st of the pregnant wife of late Nau Nihal Singh and second of Nau Nihal Singhs mother Rani Chand Kaur, and was himself murdered by his boyhood friend Ajit Singh Sindhanwalia along with his son Prince Pratap Singh and Prime Minister Dhyan Singh on 15-09-1843. As soon as the news of the regicide reached Hira Singh, son of Late Raja Dhyan Singh, he invoked the help of General Court, General Avitable, and General Ventura and laid a siege to the fort of Lahore before the nightfall of 16-09-1843. Ajit Singh and his uncle Lehna Singh along with their one thousand strong troops were annihilated almost to a man. Hira Singh had the infant Prince Daleep Singh proclaimed Maharaja and himself assumed the ofce of Prime Minister. The nancial resources of the kingdom were dwindling rapidly. The expenses on maintaining the huge army and the nobility were more than the incoming revenue. Most of the governors of far-ung states stopped sending their annual share of revenues under one pretext or another. Nobility started transferring their treasures in gold, silver, and bullion across the Setluj to the British side feeling it much safer in British India than in the turmoil conditions of the unstable kingdom of Punjab. Some even sent assurances to the British that in the event of the invasion of the Punjab by the British, they would stand aside provided they were assured of their personal safety, safety of their womenfolk and children and of their wealth and property. Dewan Sawan Mal kept his province of Multan safe from the clutches of the opportunist and maintained peace and prosperity throughout his domain. Even he was compelled to pay enhanced wages to Khalsa troops to escape their wrath but he was clever enough to retrieve back his treasure. He granted them extra leave and as they disbursed to go to their villages, he employed Pathaan dacoits to rob the scattered Khalsa. However, one cannot always please every one. On 20th September 1844, a disgruntled soldier, Khuda Daad Khan, who wanted a discharge from service and whom Sawan Mal would not let go, fatally injured him. The soldier was cut to pieces by his guards but Sawan Mal could not survive and succumbed to his injuries after ten days of resistance. Though the post of a governor was not inherit285

able, so great was the name and fame of Dewan Sawan Mal that Hira Singh had no other option but to conrm his eldest son Dewan Mool Raj as the 5th Governor of Multan on the same terms and conditions as that of his father. He, however, laid a heavy succession fee (nazrana) of Rupees thirty lakhs. Mool Raj, in his own right, was fully qualied for the post of the governor. He was then 30 years old and had gained experience of administration under his father as the District Governor of Shujabad and Jhang. Nevertheless, the families of the Prime Minister Hira Singh, son of the late assassinated Prime Minister Dhyan Singh were not at good terms with the family of Dewan Sawan Mal as late Dhyan Singhs attempt to get Multan for his brother Raja Gulab Singh had not succeeded. Hira Singh had his chance now to get even with Sawan Mals family. He imposed a heavy nazrana i.e. succession fee of Rs. 30 lakhs that Mool Raj was not inclined to cough up. He appealed for the reduction of the levy and while the negotiation was going on, Hira Singh was put to death by the Khalsa army at the instigation of Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala, Sardar Mewa Singh Majithia, and Sardar Jawahar Singh (brother of Maharani Jindan) on December 21, 1844. Hira Singh had displayed remarkable nerve and resource in dealing with perilous situations. The Italian, General Avitable, then governor of Peshawar, was found to be giving help and information to the British clandestinely. The French, General Jean Baptiste Ventura, taken into service by Ranjit Singh in 1822, who together with Jean Francois Allard had been responsible for the reorganization of the Sikh army, were also found to have joined the circle of the British informers. They not only posted about events in the Punjab but also helped to shape them as the British desired. After the assassination of Maharaja Sher Singh and Dhyan Singh Dogra, General Ventura and Avitable found it prudent to leave the service of the Punjab Government on their own accord. The other European recruits, one by one, were discharged by Hira Singh soon there after. But as the saying goes: how long could a goat protect her offspring from the knife of a butcher? (Bakrey ki maa kab tak khair manayegi?). When the things seemed to be going out of his control, Hira Singh tried to escape from Lahore but was cut down along with his aids Pandit Julla, Dewan Singh, Mian Sohan Singh, and Mian Labh Singh by Rani Jindans man, Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala on 21-12-1844. Their severed
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heads were displayed as trophies on the branches of the trees outside the Lahori Gate. The small clique of Sardars headed by Rani Jindan and her brother Jawahar Singh succeeded in destroying the Dogra hegemony in the Punjab but they had no idea as to how to control the Great Sikh Army, administer the state, and steer it out of the anarchy. There was virtually no Central Government in the Punjab throughout the year 1845 after the court intrigues put an early end to the lives of Pundit Julla and Raja Hira Singh who were running the state for the infant King of Punjab. Sardar Jawahar Singh reduced the succession fee to 18 lakhs but Mool Raj was still not inclined to cough up even the reduced amount. He paid a part of it and appealed for further remission. Soon after Rani Jindans brother Jawahar Singh was put to death by the army, the ruling clique of Rani Jindan and the new Prime Minister Raja Lal Singh decided to destroy the Great Sikh Army by deploying it against the British. Rani Jindan and Raja Gulab Singh, both out of their own vested interests, made overtures to the British that they were prepared to undertake the lthy job of prompting the Khalsa troops to commit a number of acts providing an ostensible cause for British interference if the British could ensure them the retention of their jagirs, their powers and the rule of their Maharaja under British protection. The Khalsa soldiers too seemed to have cast away all restraints moral, religious, or professional and freely took to loot, rapine, and senseless destruction of life and property. Nothing worse, observed a court diarist, could be expected from a foreign invading army. The sentiments of the Khalsa were inamed by reports of the movement of British troops along the Setluj and sequestering of two border villages of the kingdom under false pretext of giving refuge to the criminals on the run from the British India. The British dismissed the kingdoms representative to ask for explanations for such highhandedness and declared war against the kingdom on 13-12-1845. Lal Singh, leading an irregular cavalry did not want to cross Setluj but was forced by the Khalsa. Lal Singh had not come to win the battle. His object was to solicit British goodwill and continue as a minister in British Punjab. He took no time to convey to the British the assurance of his friendly intentions through his condential messenger, Shams-ud-din Assyria that he and Rani Jindan were the friends of the British and desired nothing more than the destruction of the unmanageable recalcitrant Sikh army. Raja Gulab Singh Dogra and War minister Tej Singh also sent the similar assurances. The Sikh valour was of little avail under the leadership of such traitors. They were driven back
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into the river where they found that their leaders Tej Singh and Lal Singh who had ed at the rst assault had blown up their vital boat-bridge. More than ve thousand brave soldiers, trying to swim back, were slaughtered by relentless re of grape and canister shots by the enemy. In just three months, the great Sikh army, stabbed in the back by its own leaders, was broken and scattered. Yet their bravery did not go unnoticed. General Havelock remarked, another such action will shake the British Empire. A deputation of selected dignitaries of the kingdom, led by Raja Gulab Singh Dogra, welcomed the British as the heroes having come to their rescue. Nevertheless, the British humiliated the delegation and forced it to bring the infant Maharaja and all other chiefs who had remained at Lahore to present themselves before Lord Harding, the Governor General of British India, at the British Camp holding court at the village Luliani situated on the road to Lahore on 18-02-1846. The treaty made with the Punjab Government was a blend of conscatory, retributive, and repressive clauses. The kingdom was restored to the infant king Daleep Singh with British generosity, under the regency of Rani Jindan but Ranjit Singhs compact empire was split in three parts one for Raja Gulab Singh, one for the British and one for the truncated kingdom referred thereafter as Lahore Durbar instead of Kingdom of Punjab. In Anglo-Afghan war of 1842, although Gulab Singh Dogra was sent by Maharaja Sher Singh to help the British out of jam, Gulab Singh told the British that the help was being rendered by him as a personal favour, an obligation to be returned at the time of his needs, and not to Maharaja Sher Singh, the King of Punjab. The British sent him a Kharita expressing appreciation of his help and assuring him of assistance and goodwill for the future. The British Resident as the adviser to the Durbar took over the administration completely though on paper Lal Singh was conrmed as the Chief Minister and Tej Singh as the Chief of the State army. The Sikh troops were ordered to move across the river Ravi and camp at Shahadara and no Sikh soldier was to enter the city of Lahore without a permit. The Governor General had kindly consented to lend the Lahore Durbar British troops for the protection of the Maharaja and the Lahore Durbar under a senior British Ofcer and was pleased to reduce the maintenance charges of the British troops from Rs. 26,00,000/- to Rs. 22,00,000/- per
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annum. Though Multan had no role to play in this war, it had to shelve out Rs. 45,00,000/- as its share for the war damages. The new minister Raja Lal Singh then designed to remove Dewan Mool Raj from his charge. There had been a personal quarrel and ego clash between them for quite some time and as soon as Raja Lal Singh became the Chief Minister again, he ordered the decimated Royal troops to march against Dewan Mool Raj to recover the succession fee as well as revenue due for the year 1845. An encounter took place near Jhang where Raja Lal Singhs troops were routed. The British mediation settled the dispute between them by reducing the succession fee to Rupees Fifteen lakhs from Rupees Thirty lakhs and persuading Mool Raj to surrender the district of Jhang, as according to the British assessment who were then the real Dewans (administrators) for the Lahore Durbar the revenue xed for the province of Multan was far below than its potential. To escape the wrath of his merciless enemy Raja Lal Singh, Mool Raj agreed, as it was the second year of his government and he had yet to establish his reputation as a good administrator. However, when the British Agent almost doubled the quantum of his share of revenue payable, he expressed his inability to garner that much revenue from his truncated province and asked to be released from the charge of governorship of Multan and requested, instead, for a suitable jagir to be bestowed upon him for the maintenance of his family. His resignation was kept in abeyance, he was asked to continue on the same terms, and conditions until Lahore Durbar approved of his replacement. Our story starts from this phase onwards (1848) and ends at the exodus of Hindus and Sikhs from Multan (1947). ***

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism, to steal from many is research.

1. Majumdar & Pusalker (eds.) The Bhartiya Itihasa Samitis History And Culture of the Indian People, Volume I: The Vedic Age 2. Majumdar & Altekar, The Vakataka Gupta Age 3. Leitner, G.W. History of Indigenous Education in The Punjab 4. Roberts, P.E. History of British India 5. Garrett, H.L. & C. Grey, European Adventures of Northern India 6. Thornburn, S.S. The Punjab in Peace and War 7. Edwardes, Major Herbert A Year on the Punjab Frontier Vol. I & II 8. Login, E. Dalhousie Lady Logins Recollection 9. Srivastava, A.L. The Mughal Empire 10. Parry, R.E. The Sikhs of Punjab 11. Singh, Teja The Sikh Religion! 12. Gough, Gen. Sir Charles The Sikhs and The Sikh War 13. Thackwell, E.D.W. Joseph Narrative of the Second Sikh War 14. Singh, Khushwant Ranjit Singh 15. Khan, A.R. Tarikh-e-Multan (Urdu) 16. Habib, M & K.A. Nizami Comprehensive History of India 17. Chandra, Satish Medieval India 18. History of the Punjab The Sect and The Nation of Sikhs (Vol. I & II) The Language Department, 19. Anonymous Adventures of an Officer in Punjab 20. Hugel, Baron Charles The Travels in Kashmir & Punjab 21. Pearse, Major Hugh (ed.) Soldier & Traveller Memories of Alexander Gardener 22. Moreland, W.H. India at the Death of Akbar 23. Kaushik, Devindra Central Asia in Modern Times
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24. Cave-Browne, Revd. J. The Punjab and Delhi in 1857 25. Fane, Henry Edward Five Years in India Vol. I & II 26. Bell, Major Evans The Annexation of the Punjab! 27. Singh, Rupinder & Nilima Dayal Dont Break Up India 28. Mookerji, Radha Kumud Harsha 29. Abbas, Jaffar Amir Khusrau 30. Srivastava, A.L. Medieval Indian Culture 31. Agiealova, E.V. & M. Donskoi History of Middle Ages 32. Bayley, Lady Clive & Sir Thomas Metcalfe The Golden Calm 33. Hiriyanna, M. Outlines of Indian Philosophy 34. Kohli, Sita Ram Sunset of the Sikh Empire 35. Kohli, Sita Ram Trials of Mool Raj 36. Sharma, Praveenbhai N. & Induray P. Desai Sri Tapasviji Poorandasji Udasin ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to Historian Dr. Ms. Tasneem Suhrawardy, Associate Professor, St. Stephens College, Delhi, for suggesting the reading material for research on Multan and sparing her valuable time to read through the history part of my novel. I am also grateful to Dr. B. N. Khanna, renowned Eye-Specialist, for making special efforts to provide authentic information and background about the Sri Multan Sewa Samiti, and for encouraging me whole-heartedly to achieve my object. H. C. Guglani

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

HIRALAL CHUNILAL GUGLANI was born in Karachi, the capital of Sindh, in 1931. His parents belonged to Multan, though the family settled down in Kharadar, the southern part of Karachi. He was 16 years old at the time of partition and regrets that his refugee parents could not afford to send him to college. He completed his graduation privately while keeping numerous jobs to support his family. Since 1951, he has been working with a private rm of architects and town planners, where he has been retained even after superannuation. A keen theatre-person since his childhood, he has won many accolades, assisting playwright R.G. Anand with his theatre group and in lms and helping Shyam Arora and O.P. Kohlis Ayyam group. An occasional scribbler, he has contributed short stories, poems, articles and lmreviews to a number of notable publications including Caravan, Pan-View, Vijay, Ashok and The Delhi Film Society. He currently lives in Delhi with his family.

MORE THAN BROTHERS is his rst attempt at a novel. The work is a blend of ction and facts. It took him more than ten years to research the background of the ancient, mythological city of Multan and put it to pen to share it with you and invite your fair critical views.

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