The Story Isn’t Over: History from the Margins The Rise of the Sikh Soldier | Gurinder Mann
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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★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ 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’? 01:22:11 - Conclusion