DE LA ROCHE, HENRI FRANCOIS STANISLAUS (d
1842), a Frenchman born in Mauritius, served in the army of Begam Samru. As the force was disbanded by the British after the Begam`s death, he came to Lahore in 1838 and took up service under Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a cavalry officer on a salary of Rs 500 per month. Apart from army duties, he was occasionally deputed to settle boundary disputes on the Sikh frontier.ELECTRIFICATION OF THE GOLDEN TEMPLE, Whether or not electricity be inducted into the Golden Temple premises was a raging polemic in the closing years of the nineteenth century. There were views pro and con, and the debate was joined by both sides vehemently and unyieldingly. As was then the style of making controversies, religious and social, no holds were barred and no acrimonious word spared to settle the argument. If tradition and usage were drawn upon by opponents, need to move with the limes was urged by the supporters, pejoratively called bijli bhaktas, devotees of electricity.
GANESHA SINGH, BHAI (d. 1888), assistant chief secretary of the Khalsa Diwan, initially called Singh Sabha General, which was established in 1880 to coordinate the activities of the Singh Sabhas at Lahore and Amritsar, was employed in the Amritsar municipal committee as a sarishtadar or clerk. When the Khalsa Diwan was reorganized in 1883, Bhai Ganesha Singh was named one of the two chief secretaries, the second being the better known Bhai Gurmukh Singh. With the split in the Khalsa Diwan in 1885, whereas Bhai Gurmukh Singh left to establish a separate body at Lahore, Bhai Ganesha Singh continued as chief secretary of the Amritsar Diwan.
HOLKAR, JASVANT RAO (d. 1811), Maratha chief of Indore, who, defeated at Dig and Fatehgarh in 1804 by the British, moved northwards to obtain succour from the cissutlej Sikh rulers and from Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Accompanied by his Ruhila ally, Amir Khan, he arrived in 1805 at Patiala, where he received assurances of help from the Sikh chiefs assembled there. Meanwhile, Lord Lake`s army came in hot pursuit of the Maratha refugee. On hearing the news of Lake`s arrival at Panipat, he crossed over into the Jalandhar Doab and ultimately reached Amritsar. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was then camping near Multan, hastily came to see him.