ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>JA&#7748GN&#256M&#256 LAHORE</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279<i>JA&#7748GN&#256M&#256 LAHORE</i>, by K&#257hn Si&#7749gh, is a poem describing the battles fought between the British and the Sikhs during 1845-46. K&#257hn Si&#7749gh belonged to Ba&#7749g&#257, Jalandhar district, and undertook the work at the instance of the British Deputy Commissioner of the area, Mr Vanistart. Though there is no internal evidence to date the work, we can safely assume it to have been completed sometime before 1853 as one of the several manuscript copies of the work which are extant is dated 1910 Bk/AD 1853 by the scribe. The only printed text available is in the anthology <i>Pr&#257ch&#299n V&#257ran te Ja&#7749gn&#257me</i>, edited by Shamsher Si&#7749gh Ashok. The <i>Ja&#7749gn&#257m&#257</i> written in a language that is a mixture of Punjabi, Hindi and Persian, has 444 couplets composed in the <i>masnav&#299</i> style. After the customary invocation to the Divine, the <i>Ja&#7749gn&#257m&#257</i> proper begins with the treaty of friendship signed between the British and Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh who is praised for his qualities of valour and justice. However, after his death on Thursday, H&#257&#7771 <i>sud&#299</i> Ekam 1896 Bk/27 June 1839, the intrigues and machinations of courtiers and officials led to internal feuds resulting in the fall of the Sikh kingdom. Since the <i>Ja&#7749gn&#257m&#257</i> was written on the instruction of a British official, the poet tends to be biased in favour of the British, though at places he does give credit to the Sikh soldiers for their stamina and chivalry. The sole responsibility for the Anglo-Sikh war is fastened upon Jind Kaur, the widow of Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, who, according to the author, wished to avenge the murder of her brother, Jaw&#257har Si&#7749gh, by having the Sikh forces punished by the British. The battles of Mudk&#299, Pher&#363 (Shahr), Baddov&#257l and Sabhr&#257o&#7749, have been dealt with in detail by the poet, and in the process he has given names of some Sikhs who got killed in action. Among them are Bh&#257&#299 Jaimal Si&#7749gh Ak&#257l&#299 (264-65) and his brother Buddh Si&#7749gh Ak&#257l&#299 (296-98), Atar Si&#7749gh K&#257li&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 (294-95), Kaur Si&#7749gh (290), Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Singh Bha&#7751&#7693&#257r&#299 of But&#257l&#257 (299), Nidh&#257n Si&#7749gh of Tu&#7749g (322-24), Sh&#257m Si&#7749gh A&#7789&#257r&#299v&#257l&#257, H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh (383-84), Hukam Si&#7749gh Malva&#299 (38), Pañj&#257b Si&#7749gh, Bel&#257 Si&#7749gh (381), General Mev&#257 Si&#7749gh Maj&#299&#7789h&#299a (380) and M&#257khe <u>Kh</u>&#257n (377) . This feature is especially noteworthy, for no other contemporary or near-contemporary work records the names of so many of the warriors who were killed in the first Anglo-Sikh war.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Ashok, Shamsher Si&#7749gh, ed., <i>Pr&#257ch&#299n V&#257r&#257&#7749 te Ja&#7749gn&#257me</i>. Amritsar, 1950<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Dharam Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>