Foreword To The Book 'Events At The Court Of Ranjit Singh (1810 - 1817)' By G.L.Chopra

No doubt a lot of research has taken place and fresh light thrown on the subjects of history, culture, religion, philosophy and literature of the Punjab, but the old and rare books maintain their own historical signi­ficance. That is why, the Language Department em­barked upon the plan to reproduce such valuable litera­ture.

The book in hand is an English rendering of Persian papers obtained from Alienation Office, Poona and suffers from many omissions including information about the indentity of the · author itself. Despite these lacunae, the material is historically important one, as it is full of information about various aspects of the life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his dominions. The papers describe his daily routine, his engagements, his private and personal habits, besides political and administrative acumenship. The writer has presented graphic pictures of the episodes, but has kept himself .absolutely aloof and detached. The book is basically a source material for the students of history.

I hope, the readers will duly appreciate the effort of the Department in preserving and circulating such rare books.

RAJINDER SINGH, Director, Language Department, Punjab 

March, 1988