| [Contd from Part 1] |
| The kinship between our two families remained, even after the Sikh kingdom of Lahore had ended itself. My father Fakir Waheeduddin commemorated that relationship by writing his popular biography The Real Ranjit Singh in 1965, and I hope I have made a parallel contribution in my generation through my two books on Pahari Paintings and Sikh Portraits in the Lahore Museum, and on Sikh Portraits by European Artists. |
| An enduring emblem of that connection has been the hereditary use of the prefix Fakir by all male members of our family. It came, according to one family source, from Maharaja Ranjit Singh himself. It is said that when Azizuddin was asked by the grateful Maharaja what sort of title he could bestow on him - Raja? Nawab? Dewan? - the far-sighted Azizuddin replied: Bestow such a title on me that if I am rich, it should teach me humility, and if I am poor, it should describe my condition.' |
| Since then, whether members of our Fakir family have enjoyed heights of wealth or endured troughs of poverty, they have collectively been the beneficiaries of one common treasure - a priceless linkage with the Sikh community, extending now over two hundred years. |
| During that same span of time, by remaining residents of Lahore, they have been witnesses to its history unfolding. |
| In 1799, Maharaja Ranjit Singh entered the city gates of Lahore at the invitation of its citizens. I would like to imagine that the young Fakir Azizuddin had accompanied him and been a witness to that historic event. |
| In 1999, exactly two hundred years later, Prime Minister [Atal Behari Vajpayee] , you undertook an arduous bus yatra with the city of Lahore as your destination. On the night of your arrival, you spoke within the Lahore Fort (Ranjit Singh's fort) and heard your counterpart recite your poem advocating co-existence. I listened to you again the following afternoon, on the lawns of Government House, when you addressed another larger audience. I count myself privileged to have been a witness to both moments in our common history. |
| During your speech that afternoon, you had asked: What can be achieved in only twenty-four hours? And then you answered yourself with another question: What cannot be achieved within twenty-four hours? |
| Similarly, one could ask today: What could anyone achieve within only one lifetime? And yet what cannot be achieved within a lifetime? |
| Maharaja Ranjit Singh demonstrated what one man could achieve and did, even in the face of discouraging odds. |
| Sir, both Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his Foreign Minister Fakir Azizuddin learned, and therefore never forgot, that diplomatic relations between states are rarely smooth and never free of pitfalls, especially if they happen to be between neighbours. |
| I am reminded of a conversation once between Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan and the Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Mr. Peres complained that Israel found itself in a very difficult situation. It was surrounded by its enemies. |
| Prince Hassan replied: Consider yourself lucky. We in Jordan are in a much more difficult situation. We are surrounded by friends. |
| It was in the skilful management of his friends and his neighbours that Maharaja Ranjit Singh showed his political sagacity. He drew from his armoury `consummate prudence, his great knowledge of human nature, and energetic perseverance.' And occasionally, he alternated with the sweet-sour remedies of `cunning and conciliation', mixed in the right proportions. |
| It was in the equally skilful administration of the pluralistic religious components of his kingdom that Maharaja Ranjit Singh achieved a justifiable reputation for even-handed secularism. |
| And it was in his untutored, instinctive but always humane conduct of public policy that he has left what can be justly regarded as an example of tolerant, sagacious administration. It remains a model, valid even today two hundred years later. From it we can meaningfully derive inspiration, and distil our own solutions to the complexities of modern governance and relationships. |
