The Power of Ranjit Singh
Of all the European events to mark the sixtieth anniversary of Indian Independence, the Sikh Forum International dinner held in the historic Great Hall of Lincoln’s Inn, in the heart of the Inns of the Court in Central London, was the most impressive.
With quiet dignity and an understated glamour, the most eminent members of the armed forces, British and Indian, fifty members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, security and Government chiefs, and top business executives met with the most prominent personnel from public life for a reception before gently taking their places in the Great Hall dining room, at tables laid out in an elegant fashion. Robed figures from legal history smiled from portraits hung all around the wall-panelled room at the colourful, magnificent uniforms of the military guests, including the smart turbanned Sikhs and their beautiful wives.
There hasn’t been such a powerhouse gathering collected in one place at one time on any such occasion. The entire committee of Sikh Forum International, led by President Sardar Ranjit Singh OBE which organised the evening, had invited the distinguished guests to witness the presentation of the Sikh of the Year award 2007 to General JJ Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC, Chief of the Indian Army Staff. Among the A-List visitors were General Sir Richard Dannatt, KSB, CBE, MC, ADC, Lord Mohamed and Lady Shaida Sheikh, Viscount Slim, General Sir Mike Jackson (ret’d) KCB, CBE, DSO, ADC, Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur CBE, QPM, Lord Karan Bilimoria, the Chief Executive of Cobra Beer, Lord John Stevens, Field Marshall Rt. Hon. Lord Inge (Ret’d) KG, GCB, DL, and Sir Ian Blair QPM, MA (Oxon), Commissioner Metropolitan Police.
Here, in a hallowed bastion of power in Great Britain’s capital city, where the most important British and Indian eminences were gathered to hear wise words and to laud the achievements of a great Sikh, General JJ Singh, under the benign watchful eye of the Sikh Forum International President Ranjit Singh OBE, there was an echo of the latter’s namesake, Maharajah Ranjit Singh, the most powerful and most famous of the Sikh rulers, holding court, with his most trusted advisers and the great and the good of Punjab, both British and Indian, assembled around him.
And just as Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s court musicians played to his court, so here in the Great Hall in Lincoln’s Inn, the accomplished bandsmen of the Coldstream Guards played lyrically for guests from an ornate panelled gallery. It added to the regal atmosphere. Also, very unusually for an Asian function, the event ran to time quite punctually and speeches were short.
Sikh Forum International President Ranjit Singh welcomed guests and spoke early about the work of the charity organisation which he chairs, set up in 1985, which contributes to the community and has raised £5,000 to support Sikh children.
Sir Ian Blair, who, as Metropolitan Police Commissioner, is occasionally a headline target when London security issues are in the news, raised a smile from the audience when he adapted a quote and said,
“Rumours of my obituary are premature.” (He received much encouragement and support from guests too when he met them informally). Sir Ian’s words resonated with guests when he spoke of all of the countries of the Asian Sub-Continent and Britain “being bound together in a web of historical DNA.”
General JJ Singh addressed the gathering and described the Indian army, the second largest in the world, as characterised by,
“Professionalism, an apolitical approach, and secularism.” He said that the Indian military counter-terrorism approach was that of
“an iron fist in a velvet glove….get the terrorist with the minimum amount of collateral damage…to civilians…..”
There was a genuine and palpable warmth not only between the military personnel, but also between the representatives of Britain and India. General JJ Singh spoke of his personal affection for Sir Richard Dannatt and General Sir Mike Jackson, and demonstrated that “military to military collaboration” between the two countries was experiencing an “upswing.”
After the three-course dinner, Judge Mota Singh (Ret’d) QC, patron of the Sikh Forum International, talked for a few minutes as did Dr Rami Ranger, MBE. Viscount Slim announced the presentation of the Sikh of the Year award to General JJ Singh, which was given by Lord John Stevens. General JJ Singh is not only a fluent Arabic and French speaker, he has served his country several times over, notably in Jammu and Kashmir at a height of insurgency during 1991-1992, commanding the 79th (Independent) Mountain Brigade in the Baramula sector. Among many accolades earned are a war wound medal and India’s highest military honour, the PVSM.
The Sikh Forum International has a fresh crop of young committee members, as characterised by Gurpal Singh Oppal LLB, MA, who hosted some youthful guests on his table and gave a polite Vote of Thanks, and Mr JS Kandola, a Barclays executive so senior protocol states that he doesn’t carry business cards! The vitality of the younger members demonstrates how progressive the Forum is, not seeking to retain power exclusively amongst the founder members, but happily turning to the voices of the future and taking their views on board. In true Sikhi fashion, this renders the Forum very modern, evolving, and changing with the times as required, while always encouraging Sikhs to be part of all aspects of British life, to enter politics and the armed forces.
After dinner, a content Lord Bilimoria told me privately;
“To me, it’s a matter of great pride to see the success of the Sikh community being celebrated worldwide both here in the UK and in India by honouring General JJ Singh, an inspiration to Indians the world over.”
And General Sir Mike Jackson said to me pleasantly,
“I think the speeches showed a sense of shared heritage, and that though there was a political parting of the ways (between Britain and India) there was not a cultural parting of the ways, particularly on the military side. I count General JJ Singh as a very special man.”
All in all, a magical diamond of an evening with many priceless guests.
Rani Singh
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