But what makes him unique among empire builders was his consummate humanity: he tortured no one, gave employment and responsibility to defeated foes, provided non-Sikhs a majority share in his government, and honoured other faiths.
He built up a kingdom in Punjab that virtually extended over the entire area north of Delhi, almost to Kabul in the north-west and to Tibet in the north-east. His military and political genius united the twelve warring Sikh misls, absorbed numerous Hindu and Muslim territories, threw back the invading Afghans and held up British supremacy from spreading all over the Indian subcontinent for close to half a century. A school dropout who lost sight in his left eye due to a childhood illness, he was truly at home only in the saddle. A long-awaited book on the epoch-making events that led to the creation of the Sikh empire and the role played by its founder, Ranjit Singh who inherited his father's misl (or chiefdom) at a very young age, Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) soon made his presence felt.
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