ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SUCHET SI&#7748GH R&#256J&#256 (1801-1844.)</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 NAME="keywords" CONTENT="SUCHET,SIDGH,RJ,Person,Person"> <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">&#65279SUCHET SI&#7748GH, R&#256J&#256 (1801-1844.), the youngest of the &#7692ogr&#257 trinity who rose to high positions at the court of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, was born on 18 January 1801, the son of M&#299&#257&#7749 Kishor&#257 Si&#7749gh. He started his career at a young age, appointed to the duty of laying public petitions before the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 in the wake of his elder brother, Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh, assuming, in 1818, the important office of <i>&#7693eo&#7771h&#299d&#257r</i> or chamberlain to the royal household. He lacked the political and administrative ability of his brothers, Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh and Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh, yet he won the favour of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 by his handsome bearing and engaging manner. In 1822, he was created R&#257j&#257 of Bandr&#257l&#7789&#257 and S&#257mb&#257. He was also made the commander of the Ch&#257ry&#257r&#299 Sow&#257rs, Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's crack cavalry brigade. He usually remained at the court performing sundry protocol duties. Foreign visitors to the Sikh capital have paid Suchet Si&#7749gh generous compliments, describing him as 'the <i>beau ideal</i> of a Sikh soldier,' 'a gay courtier and gallant soldier,' and the great dandy of the Punjab. 'Suchet Si&#7749gh was also given assignments in the field. He took part in the Pesh&#257war campaigns of 1834-35 and 1837 and was charged with the administration of &#7789onk and Bann&#363 area in 1836. In recognition of his services in the Pesh&#257war campaigns, Jasro&#7789&#257 was farmed out to him in July 1835, A&#7789alga&#7771h and Ko&#7789h&#299 were given him as <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> in December 1836, and Nadau&#7751 worth 70,000 rupees in May 1838. In 1838, he was assigned to administer the territories of General Avitabile.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;During the lifetime of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh Suchet Si&#7749gh betrayed no political interest but, after his death, he was involved in the murder of Chet Si&#7749gh Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Kha&#7771ak Si&#7749gh's favourite, in October 1839. After the deaths of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Kha&#7771ak Si&#7749gh and Ka&#7749var Nau Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh in November 1840, he supported R&#257&#7751&#299 Chand Kaur against Ka&#7749var Sher Si&#7749gh, but transferred his allegiance to the latter as he invested the Fort of Lahore in January 1841. He escorted Ka&#7749var Part&#257p Si&#7749gh during his meeting with Lord Ellenborough, the British governor-general, at F&#299rozpur in December 1842. At one stage, on 15 August 1843, according to Sohan L&#257l, the court historian, Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh and Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257, who had planned the murder of Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh, proposed that Suchet Si&#7749gh replace his brother as the prime minister. When with the installation of young Duleep Si&#7749gh as Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 of the Punjab, H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh was appointed Waz&#299r, Suchet Si&#7749gh felt jealous. He conspired with Jaw&#257har Si&#7749gh maternal uncle of the young Mah&#257r&#257j&#257, to wrest the office of Waz&#299r from his nephew. Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh, the eldest of the &#7692ogr&#257 brothers, dissuaded him from opposing H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh. He, in fact, took Suchet Si&#7749gh with him when he left for Jamm&#363 on 5 December 1843, but the latter kept up communication with the army at Lahore inciting it against H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh and his adviser, Pa&#7751&#7693it Jall&#257. Encouraged by the response to his overtures, he ordered his Ch&#257ry&#257r&#299 troops to move to Lahore, himself reaching there with a small escort on 26 March 1844. H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh encircled his camp with his artillery and Suchet Si&#7749gh was killed in action on 27 March.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Suchet Si&#7749gh had amassed a vast fortune. He held <i>j&#257g&#299rs</i> worth 3,06,865 rupees annually. He had secretly kept a part of his treasure, worth, about 15,00,000 rupees, at F&#299rozpur in British territory, which later became a matter of discord between the Sikh State and the British Government.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, <i>'Umd&#257t-ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR> <li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, <i>Ranjit Singh</i>. Delhi, 1957<BR> <li class="C1"> Khushwant Si&#7749gh, <i>Ranjit Singh : Maharajah of the Punjab</i>. Bombay, 1962<BR> <li class="C1"> Hasrat, Bikrama Jit, <i>Life and Times of Ranjit Singh</i>. Nabha, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> Charak, Sukdev Si&#7749gh, <i>Gulabnama of Diwan Kirpa Ram</i>. Delhi, 1977<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">K. Jagj&#299t Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>