The Nalwa legend

Hari Singh Nalwa (1791-1837) was one of the most renowned and trusted generals and administrators of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He was the one who turned back the tide of Afghan and Pathan invasions of India going on for over five centuries back into their homelands. They had made Khyber Pass a one-way traffic route. Nalwa not only reversed the route of traffic, but also ruled the province with an iron hand, giving the traditional marauders of India a taste of their own medicine.

Consequently, while his name was used by Afghan and Pathan tribes women to frighten their children to submission, in India it is used with pride as one who paid the invaders back in their own currency with compound interest. Many legends have grown around Nalwa. It is hard to sift facts from fiction. At long last we have one of his descendants, Vanit Nalwa, gather textual material, including ballads composed by the general's admirers, as well as old paintings put together in one volume—Hari Singh Nalwa: Champion of the Khalsaji (Manohar).

The book will be available in the market by the time this article is published.

Vanit Nalwa has written about her distinguished ancestor with unconcealed pride, brushing aside criticism of his ruthless methods he used to crush turbulent tribesmen of the North-West Frontier Province. They have never forgiven the Sikhs for what Nalwa did to their forefathers. His name still rankles in their minds. Nevertheless, her book is a most valuable addition to the bibliography of Sikhism.

Vanit Nalwa is a practising psychologist with a doctorate in neurophysiology from Delhi University. She did post-doctoral research in Oxford University and won a Fulbright scholarship to train at the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland (US).