Land Of Five Rivers

Noted Indian writer and translator Khuswant Singh's tribute to 18 major Punjabi writers whose stories he has translated in this collection of short fiction. The writers included here are familiar names in India - writers such as Amrita Pritam, Saadat Hasan Manto, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, and also two new women writers, Ajeet Caur and Usha Mahajan - among others.

The book you are holding in your hands is a collection of six short stories written by a grandmother who wanted to introduce her grandchildren to the land of their origin, Punjab in Pakistan. The name 'Punjab' is derived from the Farsi/ Persian words broadly translating to 'five rivers'. Tales from the Land of Five Rivers went to the printers because of the social isolation and the unique circumstances created by Covid-19. The six tales are a peek at the colourful Punjab of the author's childhood, a joy she wanted to share with children from around the world. These stories evolved while the kids steered their grandmother on with endless questions about the land of their origin. There is one inspired by 'Basant, ' the colourful kite festival, while the rest are about endearing birds and animals and the joy that kids derive by bonding with them. The stories are very descriptive and rendered in a manner that captivates a child's imagination right from the very beginning. The author, my mother, did not forget to add a moral lesson to her fiction. This has been done very discreetly, making the stories as meaningful as they are entertaining. Ahmed Naeem

In 1801, at the age of just 20 years old, Ranjit Singh became the Maharaja of the Punjab Empire and subsequently became one of the greatest figures in the history of India. He was a fiercely brave leader, capturing the city of Lahore before becoming Maharaja and overcoming a variety of challenges during his 40-year rule, such as harsh terrain, an ethnically and religiously diverse population and strong aggressors including the British and the Afghans. Despite such challenges, Ranjit Singh was able to unite Punjab's various factions yet rule a nation that was strictly secular; the Maharaja was benevolent to his subjects no matter their ethnicity or religion and sought to promote interfaith unity through policies of equality and non-discrimination. Aside from building his own nation, Ranjit built solid strategic relations with his most challenging aggressor - the British. Through stamina and political will, he managed to establish a formal treaty between the two and secured from 1809 Britain's protection against third party attempts to conquer the Punjab. Following Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the Empire fell into decline. Just six years later, the Punjabis attacked the British, and in 1845 they were beaten and forced to sign the Treaty of Lahore, essentially conceding control to the British.Ranjit Singh's personal characteristics and leadership skills were what held the Punjab nation together in a tumultuous period in history. Mohamed Sheikh's new account of Singh's life illustrates these characteristics and skills and illuminates the man who singlehandedly created and sustained the Empire.

First Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Study on the political, military, and economic achievements of Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of Punjab, 1780-1839.