The Times of India Aug 4, 2014

In Paris, where he died; in Britain, where he grew up and was cremated; in Amritsar, that he loved; or in Lahore, where he belonged. Here is what prominent Punjabis from across the world have to say

The global face of Punjab, scholar Tariq Ali dismisses the case of return of Maharaja Duleep Singh's remains to India or Lahore as "trivia". However, ever since the demand was raised by some Sikh groups in the UK recently, people have been reacting and reacting strongly in most cases, both for and against. TOI puts together some of them here.

Nadir Ali, a writer based in Lahore, says all such decisions should be left to the families who have to manage hereafter. Prod a little and he says let Raja Duleep Singh come to Lahore. "But Maharaja himself was partial to Amritsar, where he kept his treasury and the population of that city grew in that period, while that of Lahore declined," he says.

However, British-Pakistani writer, journalist Tariq Ali, who is often considered a global face of Punjab, dismissed the entire issue merely as unimportant. "Not interested in trivia," says he in response to an email interview.

For London-based writer Amarjit Chandan, the only last resting place of Duleep Singh will be next to his father, 'Singh Sahib' Ranjit Singh's samadhi in Lahore. "The Punjabis could wait till the reunification of the Punjab, which I hope will happen in one or two generations' time. Taking back just Duleep Singh's remains to Amritsar will be a hollow gesture in every sense. Both he and the Kohinoor belong to the Lahore Darbar and not to the SGPC and any Akali Dal. So please let Duleep Singh rest in peace till the time comes," he says.

UK-based filmmaker Jay Singh Sohal says any step to being Maharaj Duleep Singh's remains to India would be detrimental to British Sikh heritage. "I and many others were inspired to learn more about our history having visited the Duleep Singh burial site; destroying this will mean future generations do not learn from the tragedy of his story," he says.

However, Chandigarh-based Prof Gurtej Singh, who has authored several books on Sikh history in Punjabi and English, feels the demand is justified. "Maharaja Duleep Singh belonged to us, the Punjab. He remains should be interred here. That will bring peace to his soul," he adds.

Agrees former director of Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla and an eminent historian of Sikh history, Dr JS Grewal. "The demand is justified. Maharaja Duleep Singh was taken to Britain and then converted to Christianity. He was never allowed to return to Punjab and spent his last few days in exile. A Sikh, he was given a Christian burial," he says.

The demand for remains of Duleep Singh to leave Elveden has been raised by UK based organizations Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trust and Maharaja Duleep Singh Trust. It remains a great injustice, says Jasvinder S Nagra, trustee, Maharajah Duleep Singh Trust, UK. "He was denied the right to return to India even in death as his presence was seen as a threat to the Raj," he says. The trust along with Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trust has demanded that his remains be returned to Punjab. "This will redress the injustice in some way," says Nagra, adding that they have been researching and canvassing opinions for some time.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that the demand has been raised. Around a decade back, former chairman of National Minorities Commission, Tarlochan Singh had written to the British High Commission to return the remains of Duleep Singh to India. "I was told by the high commission that since the body is in a church, he must write to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop told me to write to the local church in Elveden. We did not receive any cooperation from them," tells Tarlochan Singh.

So to where remains should go? Tarlochan Singh feels that since India is partitioned, it would not be possible to send the remains to Lahore. "If Giani Zail Singh was able to bring martyr Udham Singh's remains back to India, bringing Duleep Singh's remains back is a feasible idea," he says.

Still, for a large section of intelligentsia it is a trivial issue. For Darshan Singh-- an 84-year-old author of 10 novels-- it is not one of the most crucial issues of the times. "Both the bourgeoisie and the petty bourgeoisie of the Sikhs should sleep in peace and let the Prince enjoy his eternal sleep," he says.