Punjab

by Rajmohan Gandhi

For centuries, the fertile land of five rivers in the north of the Indian subcontinent was coveted by numerous empires and invaders. In this, the first major account of undivided Punjab, award-winning historian, biographer and scholar, Rajmohan Gandhi, traces its history during its most tumultuous phase from the death of Aurangzeb, in the early eighteenth century, to its brutal partition in 1947, coinciding with the departure of the British.
Relying on fresh sources as well as previous accounts provided from opposing perspectives, the author gives us a compelling narrative about the great events of the time in the region – the battles and tragedies that routinely disrupted the lives of ordinary Punjabis, the sacking of iconic cities like Lahore, Amritsar, Multan and Jalandhar by a succession of conquerors, the ravages wrought by invaders like Nadir Shah, the rise of the Sikhs culminating in the storied reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Britain’s successful wars against the Sikh kingdom, the Great Rebellion of 1857 and its effect on Punjab, imperialist machinations, the influence on the people by leaders of the independence movement like Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and LalaLajpatRai, as also key regional figures such as Fazl-i-Husain, Master Tara Singh, Sikander Hayat Khan and Khizr Hayat Tiwana, the devastation of Partition —and much else besides.
Believing that modern India and Pakistan cannot be understood without comprehending the Punjab that was, the author also delves into the idea of Punjabiyat — Punjabiness — the literature and poetry of creative giants like Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Iqbal, Amrita Pritam and SaadatHasanManto, the spiritual teachings of the Sikh Gurus and Sufi saints, and, above all, the testimonials and narratives of ordinary Punjabis, to create an unforgettable portrait of a place – undivided Punjab - that continues to fascinate us (even though it broke up more than six decades ago) and of its hard-tested and resilient people, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh.

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction, Politics, Pakistan

624 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

Rajmohan Gandhi (born 1935)is a biographer and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and a research professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Until end-December 2012 he taught political science and history at the University of Illinois and divided his time between India and the United States.

Reviews

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite a disappointing read. I was expecting so many things from this book. It had a good start but after some pages it was becoming dull. Book is like basically a collection of chosen sources and it was directionless. The author made his best effort to say that Muslims were at no fault and the conversions by Hindus was voluntary. There are some serious error. Book states that Ahmed Shah Abdali had captured Kohinoor diamond from the Mughals in Delhi. Well, actually Nadir Shah had captured the diamond from the Mughals in his 1739 invasion of India, and Abdali had taken the diamond from Nadir Shah's possession after the latter's death. I was even expecting great information on Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Narnaul and Pataudi .

All in all, It was a disappointing read specially coming from a well known historian. I have to look for other books which are authentic on Punjab.

[Mansoor Azam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is grand and eye catching, one has to admit that much. then the name of author (being grandson of Gandhi) has a certain appeal. So any history buff is bound to fall for this one in a bookstore.
But beyond all this glamour is a pretty average book. why? here are some reasons;
1. The name may be big but here's a Gujrati writing about history of Punjab!
2. Iniatial 3/4th of the book is nothing but reproduction of choosen sources. If you are into the history of Punjab this one has nothing new.
3. The period covered is from start of 18th century till partition in mid 20th century. For the sake of keeping it compact many events are glossed over in single liners.
4. Any insight one might be expecting, bearing in mind his lineage, is sadly lacking.
5. A writer of history can't produce a true flavour if he/she is prejudiced. and Mr Gandhi certainly is. which he evidently shows in his last chapter by keeping on one narrative.

Well if these aren't reasons enough, You gotta buy this one and find many more. Still for someone who's not at all familiar with Punjab aand it's times. this might prove a good starter if one keeps the prejudice out of it.

The initial chapter of the book is good so is the introduction. But if you have read Hari Ram Gupta's series ! You will just yawn as this one is a cut copy paste effort or in a civilized way I can say draws heavily from this work.

over all 2 stars at most.

[Navdeep Pundhir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading a book by William Dalrymple on the Afghan war which ignited my interest in this title. I read this book alongside Kohinoor and An Indian Summer which effectively chronicles the beginning and the end of this one. This made me lose interest in a plain vanilla narrative of Rajmohan Gandhi.
This begins solid but as the author begins to narrate events following the Great war of 1857, the text becomes rugged and directionless. The author then wants to cover one too many dimensions which repel the reader. To finish this book without being horribly repelled, I have given myself two and the author one star

[G M · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very good account of 'the' Punjab - the undivided one, with some detailed reference points. But I also felt it could have been more coherent. A good read never the less.

[Arman Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive in terms of the events and characters concerned. The questions explored in the beginning are much more interesting and insightful than the moral overtone of the tail end.

[Subodh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Punjab today accounts for about two to three percent of India's population and area. Its impact on India, however, is disproportionately large. There is a larger Punjab across the border in Pakistan where it is the largest, richest and politically the most powerful state. The partition of British India into today's India and Pakistan in 1947 divided Punjab in the west and Bengal in the east. Punjab, in particular, paid a very heavy price for partition in terms of transfer of population and bloodshed. The term ethnic cleansing hadn't become fashionable in 1947, but that is what happened in both parts of Punjab. Muslims moved from the India to Pakistan and a reverse migration of Hindus and Sikhs happened in the other direction.

Even before the bloodbath of 1947 Punjab had a tumultuous history. In 900 years it was ruled by a Punjabi dynasty for just about fifty years from the end of eighteenth century to the middle of the ninteenth. Situated on the traditional invasion route from Afghanistan to Delhi, it remained the battleground between the rulers of Delhi and invaders from the west.

Rajmohan Gandhi's history covers the period from Aurangzeb, who ruled India for half a century into the first decade of the eighteenth century; to Mountbatten who was the last Viceroy of the British Crown in India and became independent India's first Governor General in 1947. The history divides itself into clear periods - the flourishing of Punjab as one of the most important provinces of Mughal India under the great Mughals ending with Aurangzeb; the period of anarchy following the collapse of Mughal authority after Aurangzeb; the establishment of Sikh rule in Punjab by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1799; the conquest of Punjab by the Britsh as Ranjit Singh's successors failed to measure up to him; another period of peace and prosperity under the efficient British administration; and finally, the growth of the movement for independence culminating in the partition of 1947.

Gandhi's surname is not a coincidence; he is a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. His scholarly credentials are beyond reproach. The book is meticulously researched and well written.

Many histories of Punjab exist. Rajmohan Gandhi does not dig up any new facts. What he does is to present familiar facts of history, poses a few questions and tries to find answers to them. The first question is about the post Aurangzeb Punjab. Muslims were in majority in Punjab followed by Hindus, while Sikhs were a very small minority. However it was the Sikhs who emerged as the rulers at the end of the confusion surrounding the waning of the Mughal power. Why didn't the Muslims of Punjab rise to the occasion? The second question or observation is about the inability of the Punjabis to find solutions to their own problems without intervention from outside. There were problems between Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus of Punjab, but despite these problems the three communities lived in peace and harmony most of the time. As the time for independence approached, however, the leaders of the three communities displayed a remarkable lack of ability and wilingness to sit together and hammer out a solution to the problem of partition. They kept looking to outsiders like national leaders and the British administrators to solve their problems for them. Many of them would have preferred the British to stay on as impartial arbiters as they had little faith in their ability to sort out the differences themselves.

Raising questions is easy, finding answers a lot more difficult. Questions of this nature usually don't have clear answers. Rajmohan Gandhi does not provide any clear answers. He draws attention to them, underlines their importance and leaves the readers to find their own answers. Will the Punjabis be able to learn from history and do a better job of running their affairs in the future?

[Naveen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 12, Punjab by RajMohan Gandhi. As the title suggest , this is story of undivided Punjab through 1100s to 1947. This is a literary marvel sometimes on the verge of being a textbook due to Punjab’s myriad political canvas. Infact, to get a hang of it , I virtually was forced to take notes in order to keep track of the various persona throughout the years depicted in the book. A mammoth read of 440 pages , first 200 odd pages are dedicated to Punjab as ruled through the times from 1100s delhi sultanate to 1857 Bahadur shah Zafar. It talks about Maharajah Ranjit Singh and his creation of mighty sikh empire and there on towards the end of book , glances towards the British admisnistration of so called British Punjab leading upto partition. A great deal of effort has been made in detailing each and every major milestone in the regions history. Its Like reading Mughal , Maratha , Sikh and British history in one book. I agree that due to inherent nature of such books, it becomes quite a drag , for me especially during British era which I find particularly boring. Otherwise this is one of the book you want to read if you want to understand Punjab and India history in bit more detail.

[Juhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the remarkable history of Punjab in an interesting way. This region is now divided between the 2 countries of India and Pakistan. It is one of the most culturally rich places, was birth place of the Sikh religion, many great sufi saints came from here and has been a lot of bloodshed. This book tells the history from the time of Mughals till 90s. Its an extremely rich and interesting history. Things we know happened but wouldn’t think to be connected. Eg. After Nepolean lost, many of the generals of his great army ended up in indian subcontinent working for indian kings. It shaped military tactics but also many things culturally.
Overall, highly recommended for anyone who likes reading about history. The writing keeps u interested through all the phases.

[Himanshu Damle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rajmohan Gandhi's Punjab is a book that is unique for the period under consideration, viz. Aurangzeb and his fall till the last Viceroy of India, Mountbatten. The temporality of work isn't really collected in any other single volume, according to the author. Other episodes covered in the volume are the downfall of the Mughals, catalysed by the brutal invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali, the consolidation of the Sikh Empire under Ranjit Singh, the Afghanistan adventures & misadventures as a result of the Great Game, the British Colonial Rule, Partition and the trauma caused by it. The timeline, though linear is suffused with a text that fluctuates in its density with a rich diversity of characterization that often lends the book a highly concentrated effort.

While the book cannot be faulted on its historical accuracy (though, some episodes are confounding), it packs these narratives tight without actually invoking the role of the rivers in Punjab's history of the said period. This is not to say that waters didn't flow in them, or by way of mentions in the texts, rather, it wasn't voluminous enough, and that's the downer, albeit negotiable. But, what certainly isn't negotiable is a bare treatment of the princely states of Patiala, Jind, Nabha and Dujana, to name a few. The geography of Punjab is concentrated on the Lahore-Multan Belt on the other side, and Amritsar, Jalandhar, kangra and Ambala belt on the Indian side. This is where the crux of the historical narrative is set. But there is a moral high ground on record here, which, though, towards the end (decades after the bloody partition) does show a semblance of resilience, it nevertheless is responsible for a parochial treatment of an area and demography subject to reductionism that is redundant. This moral high ground is 'Punjabiyat', loosely translated as 'Punjabiness'. This trait continued through the sensitive times Punjab was faced with, according to Rajmohan Gandhi. Such a take calibrates the historical study of Punjab in a conservatively constricted sense, showing scant respect to religious and cultural diversity of the clannish state, the land of the five rivers is known for. And where does this ground stem from? From the echoes of Waris Shah, Amrita Pritam, Manto and Faiz. Undoubtedly, important figures on either side of the Partition, the affinity of the bias is the affliction of the prejudice hold true here most of the time.

Leaping over the Sikh Empire (we will touch that shortly) and the colonial rule immediately after 1857 to the end days of the Raj, the author's indulgence is very academic making it a challenging read. It nonetheless exposes nuances that are generally eclipsed in works that trend to be popular in nature, which is an upside. The upside is severely dented by a skimpy take on Linlithgow and Wavell, the two Viceroys before Mountbatten. Even Radcliffe's role is meagrely presented as the boundary commissioner, and the only secular and non-political attribution comes from Jinnah, ironically. Interestingly, VP Menon gets a paltry mention in what is the most inexcusable omission (or as good as) in the book. Mahatma Gandhi moves along the perimeter, but for brief centripetal movements, though his involvement far outscores Vallabhbhai Patel's. The trauma of the Partition is a chillingly captured section and at times even disturbingly moving. This shows Rajmohan Gandhi's astute observations and sensitivity to deal with the darkest chapter in India's 20th century history.

Leaping back to the Sikh Empire - even if I'd prefer Khushwant Singh on the topic, Rajmohan Gandhi has much to say about the complex scenarios that elevated Ranjit Singh to three throne of Lahore and the personality cult that developed around him in his living days and every since. Rajmohan Gandhi views Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a symbol of a unified, multicultural Punjab that existed before partition, characterized by secular values, justice, and meritocracy. In his book, Punjab: A History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten, Gandhi highlights how Ranjit Singh's rule fostered social harmony, religious tolerance, and effective governance, contrasting it with the later communal discord. He sees Ranjit Singh as a "son of the soil" who built a strong, progressive state through his vision and compassion, even abolishing the death penalty for certain crimes, which is unusual for a monarch. Much of the modern historiography, pursuing Indian nationalistic goals, has not only distorted the pre-British history but also attempted to rob the Sikhs of their icon, their long history of struggle and a distinct culture and way of living. Referring to the plural, composite and complacent Punjabi society, eminent historian Rajmohan Gandhi makes a terse remark that when Punjab’s Muslims and Hindus forming a majority of the population were not opposing the Delhi rulers and their viceroys, what motivated the Sikhs to continue their fight for ‘Self-Rule’ for a hundred years? Surely, it was the Sikh ethos and the Khalsa way of life that had made them restive and freedom seeker. How much of it is true can be discovered by going through these viscous pages.

Overall, the book is not intended for general readership, but rather for those that have immersed or at least taken a deep dive in the history of the region earlier. The book tends to dock towards a particular bank, and when it successfully done so, it realizes the folly (for lack of a better word), and thus its coming back is on muddy waters.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am married to a Panjabi, and am a novice with regard to the history of Panjab. I found this book to be very difficult to read, and had to force myself to finish it. There are lots of names, lots of details, and it was hard to keep track of the over-arching thread of history and its importance. The last chapter helped to summarize what I had read. I would only recommend this to someone who already has a background in the history of this area, and then only as a reference book.

[Ludo-Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is a very good history of undivided Punjab, the aim of Rajmohan Gandhi is much more subtle than simple narration of history. Let me use my unsurpassed ability to synthesise and try to tell you in a nutshel what his point is. Ok it is this: "Oi! Pakistan, India, come on guys why the hell are you fithing?! That makes no sense are you out of your mind. Come on stop it!"

And how does the author reaches his aim you ask? Well, through the whole narrative he points out that there is a strong and rich common history that links “Indian” and “Pakistani” Punjab, and that the bitter enmity that accompanied the partition of 1947 was sheer, unjustified folly. He describes the century-long divide and conquer tactic, that the British empire used to avoid the creation of a unified anti-Raj front. This prolonged strategy played a major role, according to the author, in setting the scene for the massacres of 1947. The arguments that he brings are so strong that it is hard to object this.

Brilliant in making Gandhi’s point is the last chapter collecting some testimonies of mutual aid during the violence of the partition. Indeed people risked their life to help their neighbours and friends (or even sometimes strangers!) of the different religion. Kind of reminded me of histories of solidarity during the Shoah in Europe, just a few years before the book’s culminating events.

Yes there are times that the book becomes a bit difficult to read (the detailed description of political facts that led to the partition could be a bit tedious), but overall the book is well written and easy to follow. The only real negative point is that it is printed in really small characters. This is a 400-pages book that could have been easily split in 2 volumes of say 300 pages, with a slightly bigger font.

Overall highly recommended. I would read it vis-à-vis Khushwant Singh’s A History of the Sikhs, to get two rather different points of view on the history of the same region.

[Manish Pawar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Punjab, being a gateway to India, was part of great invasions, conquests and defiances. Punjab, a home to eminent historic figures such as Sikhs Gurus, Banda Bahadur, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, has always been an interesting political and military theater from Mughal era to the days of Raj. Dr. Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Gandhi ji and an eminent historian at center for south asian and middle eastern studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has impressively covered it all from Jasrat Ghakar to Khizr Tiwana, last ruler (Chief minister of United Punjab) in this extensively researched text. People interested in partition of British India may also find it worth reading as Dr. Gandhi has addressed partition era political discourse nicely.
Though Dr. Gandhi has written history of Punjab as if ‘Punjab’ itself narrating its life and times but fiction readers may find it boring at times. I recommend this book to every Punjabi living on either side of International border, drawn in heart of Punjab to divide a single race into two different sects.
I personally find ‘The Legend of Banda Bahadur’ quite interesting.

[Aryan Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In punjab lies the soul of the sub continent", I cannot agree more with rajmohan gandhi on this one. Punjab has for long been the centre of conflict and culture, stretching from the fertile tracts of rawalpindi to the large fields of ambala, consisting of hilly regions of himachal, punjab has it all. Drained by the great rives. Rajmohan gandhi has yet again proved his mantle and written a magnum opus for studying the modern history of United Punjab. The decline of mughal rule in Punjab to the establishment of the mighty syncretic empire of Maharaja Ranjit singh. The story of punjab is one of culture, violence, hate and more importantly love. The eventual division of punjab into two parts is tragic reality which deprived the world of a powerful United province. It will forever be a blout on all of humanity for what happened in punjab during partition the land of Waris shah became so engulfed in hate that knew no bounds. But still Punjabiyat lives on as a symbol of defiance against hate and violence.

I yearn to visit a punjab I was never born to, to see it in all its glory with phulkaris, jhootis, eid and Baisakhi.

[Karanvir Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a journey cutting across religions, cultures, castes and other facets. It provides an unbiased view of a state which has been at the forefront of action. The state which has always been a frontier for India and has seen multiple wars, bloodsheds and uprootings by external invaders, has not only withstood them but absorbed them as well.
It might be injustice to portray a history, that phenomenal, in few pages but the author has done his best to compress it in a logical manner and still retain the essence. Highlights of important conversations of bygone era places you in the shoes of the speakers.
Gladly, the closing chapter was aptly written which portrays the ambitions of 'Punjabis' for posterity. When I put the book down, it made me ecstatic and uneasy at the same time as Punjab, its leaders and people need redemption for the wrongs done over the last century.
The thing I loved about the book was, it kindled my thoughts and emotions. Also, it made me aware of the state that I am residing in is far from being inanimate.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. Rajmohan Gandhi does an exceedingly good job of putting together a story of Punjab in one volume.
There is much to commend this book. Early history is not always easy and often seems confusing when seen from the perspective of the modern-day world. However, he has done admirably and presents the sweep of history with a deft hand.
We get an idea of some of the early conflicts and realise how they have been aggrandised by later day political leaders.
I would have liked some more detail on some of the recent events in Punjab, especially the Khalistani movement, but that may be in the scope of the next edition.

[Keval · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a long time, I'd been looking for a history of Punjab that isn't told almost exclusively through the lens of Sikh history, and this book does the trick (though I'm guessing I'm going to need to find other such resources).

Lots of fascinating nuggets of information here which would perhaps surprise (some if not most?) Punjabis today, especially after having grown up with a (possibly) slanted - whether rightly or wrongly - recent history of the land (I know I did).

This book was recommended to me and I strongly recommend it too if you would like to dig a little deeper into this region.

[Adnan Arshad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a very good book for people interested in political history of Punjab. Number of political aspects have been covered and every political incident has been commented. After reading this book we come across so many personalities who had ever take part in shaping history of Punjab.

Author has relied mostly on research work of other people and has not been able to formulate an independent opinion. Sometimes, sentence structuring also seems awkward.

Its a must read for every one who wants to understand the politics of Punjab.

[Dinesh Kudtarkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt and it left me thinking; could have been different scenario today if Punjab was undivided. I strongly feel for those who sacrificed for united India. Power hungry politicians took away punjabiyat from united India.

Recommended book.

[Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive book that draws from a lot of sources, telling all sides of the story.

[Rameez Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, well researched but I personally took a lot of time to complete because it used to get boring a lot of times. The way it's written is like some history book.

[Ajitabh Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and detailed book focusing on Punjab. A must read for all Indian history lovers.

[Mr. Taimur Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply amazing! The best book on Punjabs complex and fascinating history.

[Moeen Khan]

1707-1947

[Colossus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent piece

[Vishaal Bhatnagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since my mother was born in Lahore, and her ancestors hailed from the city, reading this excellent, deeply researched book was a very personal journey for me. Thoroughly enjoyed every page.

[Deepanshu Aggarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unnecessarily complex written style that doesn't impress a regular and excited reader who's interested in reading the long history of the Punjab.

[Tejinder Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rajmohan gandhi Reviewed the history of Punjab in short,,I like it

[Shukar · Rating 1 out of 5]

No better than school history textbook. Sheer Boredom. Disappointed.

[Kunal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Punjab is an interesting look at region lies to west of Delhi till Pashtun areas. It has been gateway to India from western front and since time immemorial witnessed military attacks, trade caravans and great games. Although at present the region is divided in two countries, the cultural and linguistic similarities can not be ignored. Broader understanding of this area is of immense use in decoding the relations between two nations and geopolitical significance.

[Masen Production · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been a difficult read for me for the past 11 days. I have yet to come across a history book that deals with dates & events inserted in every line. At times it was difficult for me to stay abreast with what was unfolding thus I had to go back a couple of pages & start again.

I must say that Mr. Gandhi has researched minutely thou I must say that his presentation has been different from contemporary history writers. It starts from declining Mughal era when people either converted to Islam due to force or by choice so as to further one-self's prosperity. As time went by the Mughal reign declined & this erupted into violent century of annexation by various Afghan & local forces. Before the advent of the British empire Punjab saw the dominance & decline of the Great Ranjit Singh.

Once British came into power of the Indian sub-continent they went with the divide & rule policy so as to frustrate the INC. This action helped in keeping the Muslim & Sikh at bay and from joining INC to form a strong opposition to the Raj.

The book towards the end also chronicles some bravery during the riot carnage of post-partition Punjab. I would say this book is a tough cookie for a reader to master. I thought the writer had more perspective of the Gandhi camp & INC and not much from the Jinnah camp or the Muslim League.

I wish the narrative was more simpler, so that for a non-Punjabi (me) it would have been easier to follow. Also the book has used a lot of abbreviations yet there is no index for the same.