Those
Frenchmen in Lahore ONE does not often realise it, for only a few names are mentioned again and again, but the glittering court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Lahore teemed with people of foreign origin: Not only those who came visiting of these there are long lists, again but those who were in his service. As many as 54 of them are mentioned, drawn from all over the world, mostly adventurers who came in search of employment to the mysterious East: from Italy, Greece, Spain, Germany, even England, but most of them from France. An odd medical doctor or two apart, nearly all of them the Maharaja engaged to train his army, which eventually turned, with their efforts, into the greatest, most disciplined, fighting force perhaps that the British had ever to face in India. Among the most gifted, and engaging, of these men who served a foreign master, far away from their homes, were three Frenchmen Ventura, Allard and Court and I was reminded again of their presence in these parts while working on related material recently. All three of them had once served in the French army, and all three travelled, the first two together, towards the east, after Napoleons fall. It is not as if they headed straight for the Maharajas domains: they spent years on the way, taking up short assignments in Iran, or Afghanistan. But the early twenties found them here in the Punjab, working closely with Ranjit Singh, the first one on the infantry, the second on cavalry, and the third on his artillery. That story, however, has been told well, and at length, by many. What interests me about these men is the extraordinary manner in which they struck root here, leading their lives in the manner that Indian noblemen and men of rank did, running establishments with a regiment of servants of all description, two of them settling down with Indian wives: young, attractive women from Kashmir. Memories of France did not ever completely leave them: General Allard always wore on his person, proudly, the Legion of Honour he had been honoured with in France, and visitors to his home remarked on the fact that the eagle and Napoleons flag were displayed on each wall of his. But, in so many other respects, their ways and their styles were of a native. |
There are some vivid descriptions by
visiting Europeans of the art that these Frenchmen
surrounded themselves with."General Venturas
house", the Austrian traveller, Hugel, noted,
"built by himself and though of no great size,
combines the splendour of the East with the comforts 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..." Venturas
house was situated in "Anarcolly", so was
Allards, almost next-door. In Allards, the
Englishman Barr also saw much, among them a portrait of
the General "which bespeaks him to have been a
handsome and benevolent man, possessing much firmness and
decision of character, tempered with mildness." What
intrigued Barr greatly, however, was "what in truth
may be called the Painted Chamber, as it is
adorned with pictures of the battles in which the two
generals were engaged, and executed on the chunam walls
by native artists." To Barrs Victorian eyes,
so used to academic work, the perspective of these
battle-scenes looked most curious, even ridiculous, but
he did remark on "the policy of these gallant
soldiers", which has led them this far to assimilate
their dwellings with those of the native
population,..." That these men grew to be fond of native artists one knows from other sources. General Court is known to have commissioned a Lahore artist to execute paintings for the account of his stay in the Punjab that he was writing. But even more interesting one knows now that, at the asking of a colleague in France, Allard had the Lahore painter, Imam Bakhsh, illustrate a copy of that great French classic, the Fables of La Fontaine, some most engagingly painted leaves of which were shown recently at the V & A in London. For me, personally, a favourite remains that wonderful portrait of Allard and his family, which was painted in 1838, the last year of the Generals life. In this, the General sits on a chair, thoughtful expression on the face, his long, forked beard prominently on view, almost ignoring a letter in Persian that a munshi holds in his hand for him to sign with the pen he offers him. The Generals Kashmiri wife sits on the floor close by, resting, Indian-fashion, against a large bolster even as their five children play about, or are held by ayahs, playing with dolls and toy-guns, great charm writ on their lovely faces. It is a moving picture in many ways, official but also informal, full of innocence and human warmth. The inscription in Persian at the top of the painting, evidently added after the Generals death, gives it a touch of poignancy, for it speaks of this being a portrait of "the late General Allard Sahib Bahadur, Commander of the forces of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bahadur, now residing in heaven". A different battle Speaking of the
paintings that he saw everywhere in the Punjab, Lt. Barr
drew attention, with his usual sense of fun, to some on
the walls of the large Nalwa haveli at Gujranwala.
"Some of these related to their gods", he
noted, "others to the harem, and the latter, as may
be supposed, were by no means most decorous in their
description. As several of them have been entirely
removed, and many glasses of others are cracked, we asked
our guide for an explanation; and he replied that the
apartment belonged exclusively to the fair daughters of
Eve, who on one occasion had quarrelled among themselves,
and to settle their differences had resorted to the
feminine weapon of slippers, which they heroically flung
at each others heads, and thus caused the
destruction apparent in the late Sirdars
property" (!) |