- due to the rising numbers of trimmers & clean shavers ?
- due to disappearence of turban & appearence of caps ?
- due to non existence of Punjabi speaking kids any more ?
- due to the fashion of tambaku, wine, drugs, bear, brandy, rum ?
- due to abortion of female foetus ?
- due to non existence of Gurmat parchar even amongst Sikhs ?
- due to the practices of Manmat instead of Gurmat ?
- due to any other reason ?
Why don't you give your opinion, comments, views, ideas,
suggestions ?
Please use the comments button below.
SikhsIndia
spreading awareness
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
Friday, October 2, 2009
Animation Film : Bhai Taru singh ji
Bhai Taru singh ji, True saint, Fearless soldier, you can view the Animation Film BHAI TARU SINGH as per detailed schedule of release as below.
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
Animation Film : Bhai Taru singh ji - 1
Release schedule of Animation Film Bhai Taru singh Ji:
| New Jersey, US | Clearview Cinema12 Morris Hills Shopping Plaza 3165 US Highway 46 Parsippany, NJ 07054 | Saturday, Oct 3rd 2009 | 2.00PM 4.00PM | 732-642-3232 | 323-375-7755 mail@vismaad.com |  |
| Birmingham | Conference Hall, NCA.\ Nishkam Centre 6 Soho Road Handsworth Birmingham B21 9BH | Saturday, Oct 3rd 2009 | 6.00PM | Kiranjot Kaur (0121 515 4229)kiran.jheeta@ncauk.org | |
| Slough ( U.K) | Khalsa Primary School, Wexham Rd,Slough SL2 5QR | Saturday, Oct 3rd 2009 | | Onkar Singh 07737749556 onkarsinghslough@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Birmingham UK | Conference Hall, NCA. Nishkam Centre 6 Soho Road Handsworth Birmingham B21 9BH | Sunday, Oct 4th 2009 | 6.00PM | Kiranjot Kaur (0121 515 4229)kiran.jheeta@ncauk.org | |
| Connecticut, US | Hilton Stamford Hotel Executive Meeting Center 1 First Stamford Place Stamford, CT 06902 | Sunday, Oct 4th 2009 | 2.30PM 4.30PM | Inni Kaur (203.259.6574) innikaur@gmail.com | |
| Glasgow | Woodside Hall 36 Glenfarg Street Glasgow G20 7QF | Sunday, Oct 4th 2009 | 5.45PM | Harjit Singh (07877381183)ssyp@hotmail.co.uk | |
| Toronto | Chinguacousy SS Auditorium 1370 Williams Parkway Brampton, On, L6S 1V3 | Saturday, Oct 10th 2009 | 02:30 PM 04:30 PM 06:30 PM | Sukhwinder Singh (647-722-3496) |
Animation Film : Bhai Taru singh ji - 2
Release schedule of Animation Film Bhai Taru singh Ji:
| Toronto | Chinguacousy SS Auditorium 1370 Williams Parkway Brampton, On, L6S 1V3 | Sunday, Oct 11th 2009 | 04:30 PM 06:30 PM | Sukhwinder Singh (647-722-3496) mail@vismaad.com | |
| Hamilton/ Brantford (Ontario, Canada) | Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School,50 Albright Road, Hamilton, Ontario L8K 5J3 | Sunday, Oct 11th 2009 | 03.00 PM | Jaswinder Singh (905-869-7259) Daljit Singh (519-720-9971) sukhmani1963@yahoo.ca | |
| Calgary (Alberta) | Gymnasium Khalsa School Calgary | Saturday, Oct 17th 2009 | 2.00PM 4.00PM | 403-978-4960 403-921-7476 403-466-6545 403-827-1699mail@vismaad.com | |
| San Jose | IMC 6 1433 The Alameda, San Jose, CA, 95126 | Saturday, Oct 17th 2009 | 1.00PM 3.00PM | 510 371 5718 mail@vismaad.com | |
| Calgary (Alberta) | Gymnasium Khalsa School Calgary | Sunday, Oct 18th 2009 | 2.00PM 4.00PM | 403-978-4960 403-921-7476 403-466-6545 403-827-1699 mail@vismaad.com | |
| Fremont, California | NAZ-8 Cinema 39160 Paseo Padre Pkwy Fremont, CA 94538 | Saturday, Oct 24th 2009 | 1:00 PM 3.00PM | Kashmir Singh(C: 510-299-7982) Sukhpal Singh(510 589 0179); Taranjit Singh(510-585-7791) mail@vismaad.com | |
| Auckland, New Zealand | Hoyts Cinema Sylvia Park Mt. Wellington. Auckland. | Saturday, Oct 31st 2009 | 2.45PM | 0275131699 khalis@khalsa.com | |
| Auckland, New Zealand | Hoyts Cinema Sylvia Park Mt. Wellington. Auckland. | Sunday, Nov 1st 2009 | 6.15PM | 0275131699 khalis@khalsa.com |
Animation Film : Bhai Taru Singh ji - 3
Release schedule of Animation Film Bhai Taru singh Ji:
| Los Angeles | NAZ8 Cinema (Artesia) 6440 E. South Street Lakewood CA 90713 | Saturday, Nov 14th 2009 | 3.00PM | Sukhwinder Singh (323-375-7755/ 323.205.9946) losangeles@vismaad.com | |
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Save the Sikhi - Sri Guru Granth Sahib Sewak Jatha
Those who paid gold coins, in Mughal rules, for a sikh head, could not finish the Sikhs. But today, our kids are paying, from our own pockets for trimming the beards, for cutting hairs, for buying caps, for eating tambaku and for consuming liquor.
They can not speak Punjabi. They can not recite Gurbani. Ask any trimmer and he will give a dozen explanations to prove, that, he is more than a sikh.
It's a wake up call for all of us. We can not promote the Sikhi because our leaders are busy elsewhere. But if we join together, we can atleast try our best to save the Sikhi. Therefore, we are launching a new platform in the name & style of :
They can not speak Punjabi. They can not recite Gurbani. Ask any trimmer and he will give a dozen explanations to prove, that, he is more than a sikh.
It's a wake up call for all of us. We can not promote the Sikhi because our leaders are busy elsewhere. But if we join together, we can atleast try our best to save the Sikhi. Therefore, we are launching a new platform in the name & style of :
SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB SEWAK JATHA
We are looking for persons who can join us in this endeavour. We are more interested in persons, who can work with us in our effort.
Please add your comments as well suggestions, ideas, comments, views in the comments box below. Please forward this link to your friends & well wishers. You can also send us a mail to show your interest :
www.sohnijodi.com/sggssj.phpWe are looking for persons who can join us in this endeavour. We are more interested in persons, who can work with us in our effort.
Please add your comments as well suggestions, ideas, comments, views in the comments box below. Please forward this link to your friends & well wishers. You can also send us a mail to show your interest :
with best regards
SikhsIndia
http://www.sohnijodi.com/
http://www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com/
subscribe the RSS feeds of our Sikh blog, direct into your mail box.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Building places of worship on public land is now illegal
Bhadra Sinha , Hindustan Times
New Delhi, September 29, 2009
The construction of religious structures — like shrines and temples — on public land has been banned.
The Supreme Court passed this order on Tuesday and told the Centre and states to ensure it is implemented strictly.
Calling such structures — of which there are more than 60,000 just in Delhi —“unauthorised”, the court told state governments to review existing constructions and file a status report within eight weeks.
The verdict came after Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian said the Centre and states had on September 17 reached an agreement on not permitting places of worship on public land.
The ruling has its roots in the Gujarat High Court’s May 2, 2006 order to all municipal corporations in the state to demolish places of worship that caused obstructions on public roads.
The Centre challenged this in Supreme Court, saying the high court had acted on the basis of a newspaper report, without verifying facts.
On July 31 this year, the top court said such structures were a nuisance and sought the Centre’s assurance in stopping them from coming up. At this, the solicitor general pointed out that land was a state subject and the state governments were entitled to their own decisions.
But in September, the Centre and states reached a consensus.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) got into action immediately. Its press and information director Deep Mathur said all deputy commissioners had been told to keep an eye out for new constructions.
The New Delhi Municipal Council, however, said it was yet to receive the order and would study it first.
with thanks : source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/No-new-shrines-in-public-places-SC/H1-Article1-459332.aspx
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
New Delhi, September 29, 2009
The construction of religious structures — like shrines and temples — on public land has been banned.
The Supreme Court passed this order on Tuesday and told the Centre and states to ensure it is implemented strictly.
Calling such structures — of which there are more than 60,000 just in Delhi —“unauthorised”, the court told state governments to review existing constructions and file a status report within eight weeks.
The verdict came after Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian said the Centre and states had on September 17 reached an agreement on not permitting places of worship on public land.
The ruling has its roots in the Gujarat High Court’s May 2, 2006 order to all municipal corporations in the state to demolish places of worship that caused obstructions on public roads.
The Centre challenged this in Supreme Court, saying the high court had acted on the basis of a newspaper report, without verifying facts.
On July 31 this year, the top court said such structures were a nuisance and sought the Centre’s assurance in stopping them from coming up. At this, the solicitor general pointed out that land was a state subject and the state governments were entitled to their own decisions.
But in September, the Centre and states reached a consensus.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) got into action immediately. Its press and information director Deep Mathur said all deputy commissioners had been told to keep an eye out for new constructions.
The New Delhi Municipal Council, however, said it was yet to receive the order and would study it first.
with thanks : source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/No-new-shrines-in-public-places-SC/H1-Article1-459332.aspx
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Obama State Dinner: First One Honors India
WASHINGTON — And the first state dinner of President Barack Obama's administration goes to ... India.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is coming to America for a state visit Nov. 24, just before Thanksgiving. Such visits include an elaborate arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn, one-on-one time with the president and, in the evening, a state dinner.
It's a plum presidential nod of recognition for the world's largest democracy and most stable U.S. ally in a hostile corner of the world.
But why India first?
It was just four years ago that President George W. Bush and Singh raised their glasses and toasted the U.S.-India relationship at the start of a July 2005 state dinner.
Indian officials, however, have watched warily since then as the U.S. has become more engaged with its archrival, Pakistan, focusing on greater military cooperation in dealing with Islamist extremists there and in neighboring Afghanistan. Honoring Singh with what is considered one of the grandest and most glamorous of White House affairs 10 months into Obama's presidency may allay some of those concerns, along with perceptions that Pakistan has surpassed India as America's best friend in South Asia.
It also may be Obama's way of closing the loop with all the major U.S. allies as his freshman year in office draws to a fast close.
Obama's first-year international itinerary has taken him to the major European power centers of England, France, Germany, Italy and Russia. He has toured the Middle East and is scheduled to visit China and possibly other Asian countries in November, before Singh visits.
The president has even scheduled a day trip to Copenhagen this week – he'll spend more time in the air than on the ground – in a bid to personally boost his adopted hometown's chances of bringing the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hand-delivered the state-visit invitation from Obama during her July trip to India.
Singh, re-elected to a second term earlier this year, and Obama met on the sidelines of a London economic summit in April, and discussed cooperating on the economic downturn, climate change and counterterrorism. Obama later called him a "very wise and decent man."
After years of mutual wariness during the Cold War, U.S.-Indian relations are at a high point, thanks partly to the Bush administration's push to allow American civilian nuclear trade with India. The Obama administration has used that accord as a foundation for improving ties and hopes of cooperation on the president's priority issues, such as climate change and countering terrorism.
"We are very committed to this relationship," Clinton said of India when questioned about deepening U.S. relations with Pakistan.
But a trip to India so far has escaped the sights of the president's travel planners.
That's where the state dinner comes in.
Obama's first one will be the talk of the town, perhaps second only to his inauguration and the parties that followed in terms of celebrity star power and got-to-be-there fever.
A ton of planning is involved, from creating the invitation itself to compiling a guest list. Meals, desserts and wines are tasted until the right pairings are found. Flowers must be chosen and arranged just so, along with the seating, place settings and entertainment.
Responsibility for the planning falls to first lady Michelle Obama and her staff, and people will be waiting to see what twists she and her social secretary, Desiree Rogers, will put on one of the White House's most staid traditions.
Early state dinner rumblings after Obama took office were about opening the events up to "real people."
Inquiring minds also want to know what other changes may be in store. Will they eat in the State Dining Room or shift chairs to the larger East Room? Will dinner courses be prepared with vegetables pulled from Mrs. Obama's popular South Lawn garden?
Would they consider putting their well-dressed guests on boats headed down the Potomac River to Mount Vernon? John F. Kennedy did that for his first state dinner a just few months into his term, in May 1961, for the president of Tunisia.
Or how about dinner and black-tie inside a big tent in the Rose Garden? Bill Clinton did that for his first such dinner a year and a half into his presidency, in June 1994, for the Japanese emperor.
Bush held his first dinner eight months in. It was for Mexico, less than a week before the terrorist attacks of September 2001.
with thanks : source : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/29/obama-state-dinner-first-_n_303343.html
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is coming to America for a state visit Nov. 24, just before Thanksgiving. Such visits include an elaborate arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn, one-on-one time with the president and, in the evening, a state dinner.
It's a plum presidential nod of recognition for the world's largest democracy and most stable U.S. ally in a hostile corner of the world.
But why India first?
It was just four years ago that President George W. Bush and Singh raised their glasses and toasted the U.S.-India relationship at the start of a July 2005 state dinner.
Indian officials, however, have watched warily since then as the U.S. has become more engaged with its archrival, Pakistan, focusing on greater military cooperation in dealing with Islamist extremists there and in neighboring Afghanistan. Honoring Singh with what is considered one of the grandest and most glamorous of White House affairs 10 months into Obama's presidency may allay some of those concerns, along with perceptions that Pakistan has surpassed India as America's best friend in South Asia.
It also may be Obama's way of closing the loop with all the major U.S. allies as his freshman year in office draws to a fast close.
Obama's first-year international itinerary has taken him to the major European power centers of England, France, Germany, Italy and Russia. He has toured the Middle East and is scheduled to visit China and possibly other Asian countries in November, before Singh visits.
The president has even scheduled a day trip to Copenhagen this week – he'll spend more time in the air than on the ground – in a bid to personally boost his adopted hometown's chances of bringing the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hand-delivered the state-visit invitation from Obama during her July trip to India.
Singh, re-elected to a second term earlier this year, and Obama met on the sidelines of a London economic summit in April, and discussed cooperating on the economic downturn, climate change and counterterrorism. Obama later called him a "very wise and decent man."
After years of mutual wariness during the Cold War, U.S.-Indian relations are at a high point, thanks partly to the Bush administration's push to allow American civilian nuclear trade with India. The Obama administration has used that accord as a foundation for improving ties and hopes of cooperation on the president's priority issues, such as climate change and countering terrorism.
"We are very committed to this relationship," Clinton said of India when questioned about deepening U.S. relations with Pakistan.
But a trip to India so far has escaped the sights of the president's travel planners.
That's where the state dinner comes in.
Obama's first one will be the talk of the town, perhaps second only to his inauguration and the parties that followed in terms of celebrity star power and got-to-be-there fever.
A ton of planning is involved, from creating the invitation itself to compiling a guest list. Meals, desserts and wines are tasted until the right pairings are found. Flowers must be chosen and arranged just so, along with the seating, place settings and entertainment.
Responsibility for the planning falls to first lady Michelle Obama and her staff, and people will be waiting to see what twists she and her social secretary, Desiree Rogers, will put on one of the White House's most staid traditions.
Early state dinner rumblings after Obama took office were about opening the events up to "real people."
Inquiring minds also want to know what other changes may be in store. Will they eat in the State Dining Room or shift chairs to the larger East Room? Will dinner courses be prepared with vegetables pulled from Mrs. Obama's popular South Lawn garden?
Would they consider putting their well-dressed guests on boats headed down the Potomac River to Mount Vernon? John F. Kennedy did that for his first state dinner a just few months into his term, in May 1961, for the president of Tunisia.
Or how about dinner and black-tie inside a big tent in the Rose Garden? Bill Clinton did that for his first such dinner a year and a half into his presidency, in June 1994, for the Japanese emperor.
Bush held his first dinner eight months in. It was for Mexico, less than a week before the terrorist attacks of September 2001.
with thanks : source : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/29/obama-state-dinner-first-_n_303343.html
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Emerald and seed-pearl Necklace, worn by Maharani Jindan Kaur wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is for sale at www.bonhams.com
An important emerald and seed-pearl Necklace from the Lahore Treasury, worn by Maharani Jindan Kaur (1817-63), wife of Ranjit Singh, the Lion of the Punjab (1780–1839) Lahore, first half of the 19th Century
comprising six polished emerald beads, one later converted to a pendant, each bead gold-mounted and fringed with seed-pearl drop tassels, gold clasp, in fitted cloth covered case, the inside of the lid inscribed: "From the Collection of the Court of Lahore formed by HH The Maharajah Runjeet Singh & lastly worn by Her Highness The Late Maharanee Jeddan Kower"
8th Oct., 2009
the necklace 38 cm. diam.; emeralds total weight approx. 50 ct
Estimate: £25,000 - 35,000
Footnote:
Provenance:
Collection of Maharajah Ranjit Singh and Maharani Jindan Kaur, sold by Frazer and Hawes from Garrards, Regent Street, London; English provincial saleroom, where it was acquired by the vendor: it was stated that the lot had been in the same local family for at least two generations.
Another necklace from the Lahore Court, retailed by Frazer and Hawes from Garrards, in a similar fitted case with identical inscription appeared at auction in 1999 (Christie's, Magnificent Mughal Jewels, London, 6th October 1999, lot 178) and is now in the collection of Satinder and Narinder Kapany.
Between 1849 and 1850, when the British took control of the court in Lahore, they entered the Treasury, where they found the court jewels wrapped in cloth. The Treasury was fabled to be the greatest and largest treasure ever found. The most famous and well-known jewels were taken away as gifts for Queen Victoria, including the Koh-i Noor and the Timur Ruby. Confiscated treasures were sold by Messrs Lattie Bros. of Hay-on-Wye in the Diwan-i-Am of the Lahore Fort. The items were listed in seven printed catalogues and the sales took place over five successive days, the last one starting on 2nd December 1850. It is also know that some jewels were boxed in Bombay by Frazer and Hawes, and were sent to London, where they were sold by Garrards, but this would have Garrards are said to hold a secret list of the jewellery, the contents of which has not been made public. From the boxing, this would have been done after the Maharani's death.
Maharani Jindan Kaur
Maharani Jindan Kaur was born in 1817 in Chahar, Sialkhot, Punjab. Of humble origins, she was the daughter of Manna Singh Aulak, the Royal Kennel Keeper at the Court of Lahore. She grew into a young lady of exquisite beauty and came to the attention of Maharajah Ranjit Singh at a young age. Manna Singh was reported to have pestered the Maharajah, promising that his daughter would make him youthful again. In 1835, she became Ranjit Singh's seventeenth wife and in 1838 bore him a son, Duleep. Duleep was his last child and just ten months later Ranjit Singh died following a stroke. Jindan was the Maharajah's only surviving widow, rejecting the practice of 'Sati' or throwing herself on the funeral pyre with his other wives, choosing to bring up her young son instead.
Ranjit Singh's empire stretched from the Indian Ocean to the Himalayas, with its southern boundary bordering British India. His court was fabled for its patronage of the arts and sciences, and for its riches. The Russian painter Alexis Solykoff wrote on visiting the court: "What a sight! I could barely believe my eyes. Everything glittered with precious stones and the brightest colours arranged in harmonious combinations". Upon the Maharajah's death, his body was carried through the streets to his funeral pyre in a golden ship, "with sails of gilt cloth to waft him into paradise'. Immediately after his death, Ranjit Singh's golden empire began to crumble. His eldest son, Kharak Singh took the throne, but was murdered two years later; the reign of Sher Singh was similarly short-lived and he was assassinated in 1843, upon which Duleep was proclaimed Maharajah at the age of five, with his maternal uncle as Prime Minister and his mother, Jindan, as Regent. His uncle's position as Prime Minister was brief, after the Khalsa Army declared him a traitor and killed him. As Jindan came to power, she was swiftly confronted by the British army that had moved to her southern border in the hope of conquering one of the last independent states of northern India.
As Regent, Jindan became a thorn in the side of the East India Company. She waged two unsuccessful wars against the British, the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars of 1846-49, which brought about the annexation of the Punjab. In 1846 she was deposed as Regent and in February 1847 the British took possession of the capital, Lahore, installing Sir Henry Lawrence as British Resident to oversee their affairs. The British continued to see her as a major threat to their control of the Punjab, since she was instrumental in organising Sikh resistance, rallying her armies to battle and plotting rebellion against the British. Thus in August 1847, to halt her influence on the young king, Duleep was sent away from the palace and Jindan was ordered by Sir Henry Lawrence to the Summan Tower of Lahore Fort and was then was incarcerated in the fort at Sheikhurpura. After being moved around several prisons, in 1849 she escaped from British captivity at Chunar Fort, leaving a note for the British: "You put me in a cage and locked me up. For all your locks and your sentries, I got out by magic....I had told you plainly not to push me too hard – but don't think I ran away, understand well that I escape by myself unaided...When I quit the fort of Chunar I threw down two papers on my gaddi and one I threw on a European charpoy, now don't imagine I got out like a thief!". Disguised as a beggar woman, she fled to the Himalayas, where she found troubled sanctuary in Kathmandu, Nepal. All her jewels and gold that had been left in the government treasure in Benares were confiscated, with the added threat that if she went to Nepal she would lose her pension as well.
In Kathmandu, she lived under the protection of the Nepalese King and government, and spent her time studying scriptures and doing charitable work through a temple she had built near her house. Life was not easy for her and she was kept as a virtual prisoner with a meagre allowance. Under pressure from the British officials at Kathmandu, who portrayed her as dangerous with her alleged efforts to create disaffection against the British, the Nepalese imposed humiliating restrictions upon her. In the meanwhile, the British press began a campaign to blacken her name, calling her the 'Messalina of the Punjab', a term first coined by Governor-General Lord Hardinge. Like Messalina, the wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius, Jindan was portrayed as a licentious seductress, who was powerful and influential, and too rebellious to control.
The young Maharajah, Duleep, was moved to Fategarh, where he lived under the guardianship of Dr John Login and his wife, and eventually arrived in Britain in 1854, at the age of sixteen, where he was adopted as a godson by Queen Victoria. Under the influence of the Logins, he converted to Christianity and was brought up as a young English gentleman. In 1860, Duleep sent his native attendant to Kathmandu to find out about his mother and a report came back through the British resident at Nepal that: "The Rani had much changed, was blind and lost much of her energy, which formerly characterised her, taking little interest in what was going on". The Governor General agreed to a meeting based on this report of the Rani's condition, thinking that the last queen of the Punjab no longer posed a threat.
In 1860, tired of her exile and isolation, and the indignity she was made to suffer, she travelled to meet her son in Calcutta. For the first time in thirteen and a half years, they were reunited at Spence's Hotel in January 1861. Duleep found her almost blind and suffering from poor health. He offered her a house in Calcutta, but she expressed her wish to stay with her son, following years of enforced separation. And so it was agreed that the Rani would travel to England. Her private property and jewels, previously taken by the British authorities, would be restored to her on the basis that she left India and in addition she would be granted a pension of £3,000 per annum. Her jewels were returned to her at Calcutta at the start of the journey.
The Maharajah returned to London with his mother and took a house in Bayswater. Lady Login observed: "The half-blinded woman, sitting huddled on a heap of cushions on the floor with health broken and eyesight dimmed, her beauty vanished, it was hard to believe in her former charms of person and conversation! However, the moment she grew interested and excited in a conversation unexpected gleams and glimpses of the torpor of advancing age revealed the shrewd and plotting brain of the one who had been known as the 'Messalina of the Punjab'".
Lady Login noted a change in the Maharajah and for the first time heard him talk about his private property in the Punjab, information that only Jindan could have given to him. It is possible that the Rani saw it as a chance for retribution against the British for what they had done. During this time, she reawakened her son's true faith and royal heritage, telling him stories of all that had been lost to the British. She had sown the seeds of discontent in Duleep Singh's mind, which would bring about his fall from grace in later life. John Login tried to persuade the Maharajah to find his mother a separate house, feeling that her influence was bad for him. This did not happen until 1862 when she was moved to Abingdon House in Kensington under the charge of an English lady.
By 1863, Duleep Singh had set his sights on the Elveden Estate in Suffolk. On the 1st August of the same year, Jindan died in her Kensington home in the country of her sworn enemy, just two and a half years after being reunited with her son and leaving him inconsolable.
As a Sikh queen, cremation was the traditional practice, but one that was not allowed under English law. With the help of John Login, the Maharani's body was moved to the Dissenters Chapel at Kensal Green Cemetery until such time that it could be take to India for the last rites. The simple ceremony at Kensal Green was attended by a number of Indian dignitaries and the Maharani's retinue that she had brought with her, and the Maharajah spoke to them in their own language. Her body remained at Kensal Green for nearly a year and recently a marble gravestone bearing her name inscribed in English and Gumurkhi was found in the catacombs of the Dissenters Chapel. At the time, Charles Dickens wrote: "Down here in a coffin covered with white velvet, and studded with brass and nails, rests the Indian dancing woman whose strong will and bitter enmity towards England caused Lord Dalhousie to say of her, when in exile, that she was the only person our Government near feared".
In 1864, permission was granted to take the body to India, which had been her dying wish, and she was cremated at Bombay (Duleep was not allowed to go to the Punjab), her ashes scattered on the Godavai and a small memorial or samadh erected on the left bank. In 1924, her ashes were later moved to Lahore by her grand-daughter Princess Bamba Sutherland, and deposited at the samadh of Ranjit Singh. Finally the 'Messalina of the Punjab' returned home to rest.
with thanks : source : http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=lotdetailsNoFlash&iSaleItemNo=4387717&iSaleNo=16851&iSaleSectionNo=1
thanks : http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/19162/92/
SikhsIndia
spreading awareness
comprising six polished emerald beads, one later converted to a pendant, each bead gold-mounted and fringed with seed-pearl drop tassels, gold clasp, in fitted cloth covered case, the inside of the lid inscribed: "From the Collection of the Court of Lahore formed by HH The Maharajah Runjeet Singh & lastly worn by Her Highness The Late Maharanee Jeddan Kower"
8th Oct., 2009
the necklace 38 cm. diam.; emeralds total weight approx. 50 ct
Estimate: £25,000 - 35,000
Footnote:
Provenance:
Collection of Maharajah Ranjit Singh and Maharani Jindan Kaur, sold by Frazer and Hawes from Garrards, Regent Street, London; English provincial saleroom, where it was acquired by the vendor: it was stated that the lot had been in the same local family for at least two generations.
Another necklace from the Lahore Court, retailed by Frazer and Hawes from Garrards, in a similar fitted case with identical inscription appeared at auction in 1999 (Christie's, Magnificent Mughal Jewels, London, 6th October 1999, lot 178) and is now in the collection of Satinder and Narinder Kapany.
Between 1849 and 1850, when the British took control of the court in Lahore, they entered the Treasury, where they found the court jewels wrapped in cloth. The Treasury was fabled to be the greatest and largest treasure ever found. The most famous and well-known jewels were taken away as gifts for Queen Victoria, including the Koh-i Noor and the Timur Ruby. Confiscated treasures were sold by Messrs Lattie Bros. of Hay-on-Wye in the Diwan-i-Am of the Lahore Fort. The items were listed in seven printed catalogues and the sales took place over five successive days, the last one starting on 2nd December 1850. It is also know that some jewels were boxed in Bombay by Frazer and Hawes, and were sent to London, where they were sold by Garrards, but this would have Garrards are said to hold a secret list of the jewellery, the contents of which has not been made public. From the boxing, this would have been done after the Maharani's death.
Maharani Jindan Kaur
Maharani Jindan Kaur was born in 1817 in Chahar, Sialkhot, Punjab. Of humble origins, she was the daughter of Manna Singh Aulak, the Royal Kennel Keeper at the Court of Lahore. She grew into a young lady of exquisite beauty and came to the attention of Maharajah Ranjit Singh at a young age. Manna Singh was reported to have pestered the Maharajah, promising that his daughter would make him youthful again. In 1835, she became Ranjit Singh's seventeenth wife and in 1838 bore him a son, Duleep. Duleep was his last child and just ten months later Ranjit Singh died following a stroke. Jindan was the Maharajah's only surviving widow, rejecting the practice of 'Sati' or throwing herself on the funeral pyre with his other wives, choosing to bring up her young son instead.
Ranjit Singh's empire stretched from the Indian Ocean to the Himalayas, with its southern boundary bordering British India. His court was fabled for its patronage of the arts and sciences, and for its riches. The Russian painter Alexis Solykoff wrote on visiting the court: "What a sight! I could barely believe my eyes. Everything glittered with precious stones and the brightest colours arranged in harmonious combinations". Upon the Maharajah's death, his body was carried through the streets to his funeral pyre in a golden ship, "with sails of gilt cloth to waft him into paradise'. Immediately after his death, Ranjit Singh's golden empire began to crumble. His eldest son, Kharak Singh took the throne, but was murdered two years later; the reign of Sher Singh was similarly short-lived and he was assassinated in 1843, upon which Duleep was proclaimed Maharajah at the age of five, with his maternal uncle as Prime Minister and his mother, Jindan, as Regent. His uncle's position as Prime Minister was brief, after the Khalsa Army declared him a traitor and killed him. As Jindan came to power, she was swiftly confronted by the British army that had moved to her southern border in the hope of conquering one of the last independent states of northern India.
As Regent, Jindan became a thorn in the side of the East India Company. She waged two unsuccessful wars against the British, the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars of 1846-49, which brought about the annexation of the Punjab. In 1846 she was deposed as Regent and in February 1847 the British took possession of the capital, Lahore, installing Sir Henry Lawrence as British Resident to oversee their affairs. The British continued to see her as a major threat to their control of the Punjab, since she was instrumental in organising Sikh resistance, rallying her armies to battle and plotting rebellion against the British. Thus in August 1847, to halt her influence on the young king, Duleep was sent away from the palace and Jindan was ordered by Sir Henry Lawrence to the Summan Tower of Lahore Fort and was then was incarcerated in the fort at Sheikhurpura. After being moved around several prisons, in 1849 she escaped from British captivity at Chunar Fort, leaving a note for the British: "You put me in a cage and locked me up. For all your locks and your sentries, I got out by magic....I had told you plainly not to push me too hard – but don't think I ran away, understand well that I escape by myself unaided...When I quit the fort of Chunar I threw down two papers on my gaddi and one I threw on a European charpoy, now don't imagine I got out like a thief!". Disguised as a beggar woman, she fled to the Himalayas, where she found troubled sanctuary in Kathmandu, Nepal. All her jewels and gold that had been left in the government treasure in Benares were confiscated, with the added threat that if she went to Nepal she would lose her pension as well.
In Kathmandu, she lived under the protection of the Nepalese King and government, and spent her time studying scriptures and doing charitable work through a temple she had built near her house. Life was not easy for her and she was kept as a virtual prisoner with a meagre allowance. Under pressure from the British officials at Kathmandu, who portrayed her as dangerous with her alleged efforts to create disaffection against the British, the Nepalese imposed humiliating restrictions upon her. In the meanwhile, the British press began a campaign to blacken her name, calling her the 'Messalina of the Punjab', a term first coined by Governor-General Lord Hardinge. Like Messalina, the wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius, Jindan was portrayed as a licentious seductress, who was powerful and influential, and too rebellious to control.
The young Maharajah, Duleep, was moved to Fategarh, where he lived under the guardianship of Dr John Login and his wife, and eventually arrived in Britain in 1854, at the age of sixteen, where he was adopted as a godson by Queen Victoria. Under the influence of the Logins, he converted to Christianity and was brought up as a young English gentleman. In 1860, Duleep sent his native attendant to Kathmandu to find out about his mother and a report came back through the British resident at Nepal that: "The Rani had much changed, was blind and lost much of her energy, which formerly characterised her, taking little interest in what was going on". The Governor General agreed to a meeting based on this report of the Rani's condition, thinking that the last queen of the Punjab no longer posed a threat.
In 1860, tired of her exile and isolation, and the indignity she was made to suffer, she travelled to meet her son in Calcutta. For the first time in thirteen and a half years, they were reunited at Spence's Hotel in January 1861. Duleep found her almost blind and suffering from poor health. He offered her a house in Calcutta, but she expressed her wish to stay with her son, following years of enforced separation. And so it was agreed that the Rani would travel to England. Her private property and jewels, previously taken by the British authorities, would be restored to her on the basis that she left India and in addition she would be granted a pension of £3,000 per annum. Her jewels were returned to her at Calcutta at the start of the journey.
The Maharajah returned to London with his mother and took a house in Bayswater. Lady Login observed: "The half-blinded woman, sitting huddled on a heap of cushions on the floor with health broken and eyesight dimmed, her beauty vanished, it was hard to believe in her former charms of person and conversation! However, the moment she grew interested and excited in a conversation unexpected gleams and glimpses of the torpor of advancing age revealed the shrewd and plotting brain of the one who had been known as the 'Messalina of the Punjab'".
Lady Login noted a change in the Maharajah and for the first time heard him talk about his private property in the Punjab, information that only Jindan could have given to him. It is possible that the Rani saw it as a chance for retribution against the British for what they had done. During this time, she reawakened her son's true faith and royal heritage, telling him stories of all that had been lost to the British. She had sown the seeds of discontent in Duleep Singh's mind, which would bring about his fall from grace in later life. John Login tried to persuade the Maharajah to find his mother a separate house, feeling that her influence was bad for him. This did not happen until 1862 when she was moved to Abingdon House in Kensington under the charge of an English lady.
By 1863, Duleep Singh had set his sights on the Elveden Estate in Suffolk. On the 1st August of the same year, Jindan died in her Kensington home in the country of her sworn enemy, just two and a half years after being reunited with her son and leaving him inconsolable.
As a Sikh queen, cremation was the traditional practice, but one that was not allowed under English law. With the help of John Login, the Maharani's body was moved to the Dissenters Chapel at Kensal Green Cemetery until such time that it could be take to India for the last rites. The simple ceremony at Kensal Green was attended by a number of Indian dignitaries and the Maharani's retinue that she had brought with her, and the Maharajah spoke to them in their own language. Her body remained at Kensal Green for nearly a year and recently a marble gravestone bearing her name inscribed in English and Gumurkhi was found in the catacombs of the Dissenters Chapel. At the time, Charles Dickens wrote: "Down here in a coffin covered with white velvet, and studded with brass and nails, rests the Indian dancing woman whose strong will and bitter enmity towards England caused Lord Dalhousie to say of her, when in exile, that she was the only person our Government near feared".
In 1864, permission was granted to take the body to India, which had been her dying wish, and she was cremated at Bombay (Duleep was not allowed to go to the Punjab), her ashes scattered on the Godavai and a small memorial or samadh erected on the left bank. In 1924, her ashes were later moved to Lahore by her grand-daughter Princess Bamba Sutherland, and deposited at the samadh of Ranjit Singh. Finally the 'Messalina of the Punjab' returned home to rest.
with thanks : source : http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=lotdetailsNoFlash&iSaleItemNo=4387717&iSaleNo=16851&iSaleSectionNo=1
thanks : http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/19162/92/
SikhsIndia
spreading awareness
Haryana Sikhs, expressing support to SGPC, appear before Akal Takht
By Ravinder Singh Robin
Amritsar Sep. 28 - ANI: Opposing the demand to form a separate Sikh committee for Sikhs in Haryana, thousands of Sikhs from the State appeared before Akal Takht and presented a memorandum.
The group urged Jathedar Akal Takht to ex-communicate Jagdish Singh Jhinda and others those who were responsible for the attack on the historical shrineChevin Patshahi, dedicated to the sixth Sikh Guru Guru Hargobind Singh--on September 13 in Kurukshetra.
Supporting Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the group, claiming to represent hundreds of thousands of Sikhs in Haryana, presented a memorandum to Giani Gurbachan Singh, the Jathedar of Akal Takht.
It also demanded a stern action against Jagdish Singh Jhinda and his associates who occupied the Gurdwara Chevin Patshahi, located around 110 kilometres from Chandigarh.
The group opposed the move to create separate Sikh committee for Haryana at any cost.
Bhupinder Singh, former member SGPC from Haryana said, We will never allow this to happen and will do everything to stop a separate committee for the Sikhs to be formed in Haryana.
He said that we also urged the Jathedar to excommunicate those who not only hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs but also violated the Sikh code of conduct.
Kulbir Kaur, a Sikh activist from Panchkula of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), said: We fully support the SGPC to take care of the Sikh shrines situated in Haryana and elsewhere. Poeple like Jhinda should be given punishment for trying to divide the Sikh community.
Meanwhile Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh confirmed that today he did receive a memorandum on behalf of Sikhs living in Haryana conveying their support to SGPC and demanding action against Jagdish Singh Jhinda.
Gurbachan Singh said that five Sikh Jathedars would be meeting at Akal Takht on October 1 to discuss the issue. - ANI
with thanks : source : http://www.littleabout.com/news/36806,haryana-sikhs-expressing-support-sgpc-akal-takht.html
SikhsIndia
spreading awareness
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
Amritsar Sep. 28 - ANI: Opposing the demand to form a separate Sikh committee for Sikhs in Haryana, thousands of Sikhs from the State appeared before Akal Takht and presented a memorandum.
The group urged Jathedar Akal Takht to ex-communicate Jagdish Singh Jhinda and others those who were responsible for the attack on the historical shrineChevin Patshahi, dedicated to the sixth Sikh Guru Guru Hargobind Singh--on September 13 in Kurukshetra.
Supporting Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the group, claiming to represent hundreds of thousands of Sikhs in Haryana, presented a memorandum to Giani Gurbachan Singh, the Jathedar of Akal Takht.
It also demanded a stern action against Jagdish Singh Jhinda and his associates who occupied the Gurdwara Chevin Patshahi, located around 110 kilometres from Chandigarh.
The group opposed the move to create separate Sikh committee for Haryana at any cost.
Bhupinder Singh, former member SGPC from Haryana said, We will never allow this to happen and will do everything to stop a separate committee for the Sikhs to be formed in Haryana.
He said that we also urged the Jathedar to excommunicate those who not only hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs but also violated the Sikh code of conduct.
Kulbir Kaur, a Sikh activist from Panchkula of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), said: We fully support the SGPC to take care of the Sikh shrines situated in Haryana and elsewhere. Poeple like Jhinda should be given punishment for trying to divide the Sikh community.
Meanwhile Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh confirmed that today he did receive a memorandum on behalf of Sikhs living in Haryana conveying their support to SGPC and demanding action against Jagdish Singh Jhinda.
Gurbachan Singh said that five Sikh Jathedars would be meeting at Akal Takht on October 1 to discuss the issue. - ANI
with thanks : source : http://www.littleabout.com/news/36806,haryana-sikhs-expressing-support-sgpc-akal-takht.html
SikhsIndia
spreading awareness
www.sohnijodi.com
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
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