Baron Charles Hugel on Maharaja and his kingdom

[dallysingh101]

1 hour ago, GurjantGnostic said:

And remember. The imperials we live with may seem nice...they always did...

Yep. 

Question: Do you think that some people, by their nature, are just incapable of seeing through the act? Is it some cognitive deficit, some intelligence issue? Brains simply incapable of piercing through surface presentations and getting to grasp what really lies behind?  

Or maybe cowardice? Faced with a powerful, insidious adversary, they succumb because they don't have the heart to confront it (and by that I mean just mentally, not actually confronting the beast with actions, just mentally comprehending what is happening). 

[dallysingh101]

For those interested. Here's a fascinating internal account of Frenchman Jacquemont's arrival in Panjab and his interview with M. Ranjit Singh from the Persian diary of events kept at the darbar by Sohan Lal Suri (called Umdat-Ut-Twarikh). @shastarSingh Thanks for the link to the work bro. 

 

[GurjantGnostic]

7 hours ago, dallysingh101 said:

Yep. 

Question: Do you think that some people, by their nature, are just incapable of seeing through the act? Is it some cognitive deficit, some intelligence issue? Brains simply incapable of piercing through surface presentations and getting to grasp what really lies behind?  

Or maybe cowardice? Faced with a powerful, insidious adversary, they succumb because they don't have the heart to confront it (and by that I mean just mentally, not actually confronting the beast with actions, just mentally comprehending what is happening). 

Anyone who bought into the supramacist narrative, or think their survival is based on it, won't accept the Truth. 

Some people, sometimes myself, see the best in people only and have a hard time reconciling the Kalyugi in front of them with the Atma they are seeing. 

The mind keeps tricking us it's Satyug, and that people are Satyugis and they just aren't. 

This niceness thing ... goes really well with fakeness, goes really well with doing evil. 

The imperials play nice, knowing they are the opposite. They prefer their docile populations they control, try to be actually nice, and stay in their place. Meanwhile the imperial has every form of evil planned all along. 

Someone slipped thou shalt not kill into the torah. Convenient if you want the conquered well behaved. 

Guru Granth Sahib Ji does not condone murder but does call on us to kill those that need and deserve it. 

Kindness...might not be nice. Niceness often hides something very unkind. 

Can't stand nice devils. Especially anglo saxons. Need a good slap. 

 

[dallysingh101]

Putting a face to a name. This is what Victor Jacquemont looked like:

 

[GurjantGnostic]

Reminds me of another very dangerous concept. 

"Keeping up appearances. "

English love that. It's brutal. 

[Not2Cool2Argue]

18 hours ago, dallysingh101 said:

By referring to Ranjit Singh in a derogatory, belittling fashion

To be fair, i doubt green or yellow makes good fashion. The european gives specific colors gambone color or something, and honestly it doesnt sound too elegant.

But ur point about coveting it all, and thinking of the natives as inferior,  also holds true. 

[dallysingh101]

2 hours ago, Not2Cool2Argue said:

To be fair, i doubt green or yellow makes good fashion. The european gives specific colors gambone color or something, and honestly it doesnt sound too elegant.

But ur point about coveting it all, and thinking of the natives as inferior,  also holds true. 

I think you may have misunderstood me, I meant the 'fashion' in which they are talking about Ranjit Singh, as opposed to his style of dress. 

 

[dallysingh101]

Note how Jealous Hugel calls the maharajah 'ugly' but Jacquemont describes him as follows:

The rajah bore no mark of his rank except his place of the centre of the circle and the cushion on which he was seated. He is a thin little man with an attractive face, though he has lost one eye from smallpox, which has otherwise disfigured him little. His right eye, which remains, is very large, his nose is fine and slightly turned up, his mouth firm, his teeth excellent. He wears a slight moustache which he twists incessantly with his fingers and a long thin beard which falls to his chest. His expression shows nobility of thought, shrewdness and penetration and these indications are correct. He wore a little turban of white muslin rather carelessly tied, a kind of long white tunic with a little cape falling over his shoulders, like a French riding cloak, tight trousers with bare feet.

 

His clothes were of white Kashmir tissue with a little gold trimming on the collar, cuffs and sleeves; of a very comfortable and old fashioned cut it seemed to me. For ornaments he wore large round gold earrings with pearls in them, a collar of pearls and ruby bracelets almost hidden under his sleeves. At his side hung a sword, the gold hilt of which was encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.

[intrigued]

Sketch of Maharaja Ranjit Singh done by a British woman - forgot the name

 

Edit: Emily Eden is the artist. Thanks @dallysingh101 

[shastarSingh]

Maharaja Ranjit Singh had a huge heart. He was a very very special soul.The European officers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh lived in grandeur. Every one of them had a large kothi or bungalow. Baron Charles Hugel, who had an opportunity to visit the house of the European officers Allard and Ventura in the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, thus talks about the style of their houses as: 

“Their house combined the splendour of the East with the comfort of a European residence. On the walls of the entrance hall, before the range of pillars on the first storey, was portrayed the reception of the two French officers at the court of Ranjit Singh, consisting of many thousand figures. The second room is adorned with a profusion of small mirrors in gilt frames, which have an excellent effect, the third is a large hall, extending the entire width of the house, and terminating in the sleeping apartment. At a short distance behind the 
house stands an ancient tomb, crowned with a lofty dome. Carpets 
brought from Kashmir and Kabul were spread, hangings of silk and 
brocade, pictures and filling of looking glasses to increase the 
beauty in the night when lights were lit, was done. Portraits adorned 
rooms with a profusion of small mirrors and gilt frame".