HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Historical Background
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE NOVEL, The Mystery of the Rose: The Return of the Prince by Sukh D. H. Khokhar and the Connection to the famous Koh-I-Noor Diamond . . .
DEDICATION
The Second Edition of The Mystery of the Rose is dedicated to the memory of my dad, G. S. Deepak, a superb Urdu poet, and my two Great-Grandfathers, Sardar Natha Singh, and Captain Ram Singh, whose life and times have provided the historical background to the novel.
Sardar Natha Singh served as the ADC to Prince Nau Nihal Singh at the Courts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh; later as Killadar of Shahpur Kandi Fort, he fulfilled the tough assignment of safekeeping and ferrying the famous Koh-I-Noor Diamond to Bombay in route to London with his four confidants.
Captain Ram Singh reorganized the Sikh army in 1901, and was a royal guest at the Coronation of King Edward V11 in 1902, in England, and at the State Durbar in Delhi, in Jan. 1903. He joined the Akali agitations and made remarkable contributions to the Indian Independence movement and the Golden Temple.
Finally, I dedicate this edition to the Higher Source, for the gift of creativity to promote diversity in literature and art and to build bridges—a step towards an inclusive society.