Today I’m joined once again by Gurinder Singh Mann and we’re discussing his latest book - Rise of the Sikh Soldier - as well as a whole host of other topics.
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You can find a time stamped breakdown of the full podcast below:
00:00 - Teaser
00:55 - Introduction
01:27 - What made you write the book?
04:01 - How did you go about your research for this book?
05:54 - Out of the 4 pages of illustrations listed in the book, which are worth mentioning?
08:30 - How did you go about picking who to include?
11:17 - Could you tell us a little bit about the upbringing of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia?
14:50 - Why did you not include Nawab Kapur Singh?
16:25 - What could you tell us about Jassa Singh Ahluwalia’s reading of the political landscape?
22:32 - What could you tell us about the communications between the Misls and the British?
26:23 - In the letters between the Misls and the British - besides military matters - what else do they discuss?
29:24 - What is the political system of the time?
32:07 - How did the rakhi system work? Was it akin to racketeering?
38:10 - In a nutshell, who is Charat Singh Sukerchakia?
43:34 - What leads to the Sukerchakia’s rise to power?
46:19 - Who is Lehna Singh Majithia?
50:19 - Is there a particular reason why the artillery was predominantly composed of Muslims?
52:58 - Although not included in the book, what could you say about Akali Phula Singh and Hari Singh Nalwa?
59:06 - Who is Sada Kaur & why is she important?
01:05:32 - What could you tell us about the military system of Ranjit Singh’s Empire & the influence of European generals?
01:09:12 - Who are the elite troops of the Sikh Empire?
01:13:21 - Did the Sikhs ever conquer Afghanistan?
01:19:03 - Anything you wanted to mention or we’ve missed out?
01:21:27 - Where can I get a copy of ‘Rise of the Sikh Soldier’?