Transition of royalty

ONCE upon a time, India was a land of kings, princes, nawabs and nobleman. It was not such a long time ago too - 53 years ago. And then these noblemen became common folk; ordinary citizens.

Nobility may have come and gone but the palaces remain; monuments that tell their own story, of a period firmly entrenched in history books, a time when royal India was vibrant and pregnant with happening. Most rulers played their parts as well as anyone else as the country passed through a most difficult time in history.

The concept of a kingdom and the perception of what the king stands for has not changed over the years, particularly when viewed in the context of the epics, the Mahabharata and Ramayana. The king was the servant of the people. By and large, royalty followed this principle, and where still established is popular with the masses. Highlighting this aspect and the elements of luxury, the hallmark of India nobility, is Sharada Dwivedi's beautifully illustrated offering.

Normally the Indian ruler, as seen by the West, was rolling in riches - his collection of jewellery and cars often confounding critics. The adage then was that a king was known by the wealth he had and India had a number of examples. "The Coveted Jacob diamond - 62 carats in all and used as a paperweight; the beauty of the diamond necklace of Maharaja Pratapsingh Gaekwad of Baroda in which lay the famous 'Star of the South' and 'The Star of Dresden'; the crystal collection at the Shiv Niwas Palace in Bikaner - the largest in the world; the 27 Rolls Royces owned by the Maharaja of Patiala; the dog kennels in Harasar which had electricity and telephones, and the car collection in Udaipur used for ceremonial processions".

"The mirage becomes a reality when the writer recreates the awesome magic and scintillating wonder of a world gone by ... the stuff that fairy tales are made of ... tales of heroism and valour, the pulsating excitement of secret liaisons, the dark intrigues of the zenana, the opulence and sheer beauty of princely treasures - the world of the Maharajas - a world immortalised by poets, painters and musicians ... a life away from common lives that was so near its subjects and yet, so far ..."

According to Arvind Singh Mewar, who has written the foreword, "their (the rajas) contribution has never been highlighted or even acknowledged. Such is the weakness of democracy. However their role cannot be sidelined for ever. Surely one day soon, the true facts will emerge and the princes' contribution will find their rightful place in the annals of history". In particular he refers to the integration of the States in independent India and says that "it was a peaceful transfer from monarchy to democracy and that this would not have been possible without the support of those who lost the most from it - the rulers of the princely States".

The government's volte-face (abolition of privy purses, rescinding the special status guaranteed under the Constitution) was met with a deal of world-wide criticism and a loss of integrity for the country but the princes declined to translate their protest into dangerous resistance; a fact largely underplayed and "deliberately suppressed". The quiet dignity in which the ex-rulers accepted the decision was something admirable. Much of what has been generally projected about the princes as rulers who squandered public money is far from true. Some Maharajas perhaps did whittle away the assets of their States but there were several model States ruled by enlightened rulers where progress in the field of education, administration or technology was far superior to British administered India. These were Baroda, Mysore, Travancore, Hyderabad, Indore, Gwalior and Bikaner and even smaller ones like Aundh, Sawantwadi and Gondal where no income tax was levied on the subjects.

The Maharajas ensured that there was bonhomie and harmony between the various communities. Regardless of the religion followed by the Maharaja, all festivals - Muslim, Hindu, Christian and others - were celebrated in a spirit of togetherness. In Hindu ruled Jaipur, Indore and Gwalior, Id was celebrated with as much gusto as were Diwali and Holi in Muslim ruled States like Bhopal or Hyderabad or even smaller ones like Cambay and Palanpur. Religious tolerance resulted in hardly any communal disturbances during the Raj. While the rulers were also known to be extravagant, there were also examples of princes helping the government. There is a famous example of the contribution by the Nizam after his State (Hyderabad) had finally became a part of the Indian Union. The Government found itself in urgent need of funds and the Nizam agreed to give it a loan. Gold sovereigns and silver bars were brought from Hyderabad to Bombay by special train (it filled two railway wagons).

And the rulers did not leave their dependents without money. Several of them, particularly those of the larger States that had a larger privy purse, set up trusts for the maintenance of dependents and employees and for the establishment of institutions for research, education, healthcare and social welfare. Prominent among these were the Gangajali Fund of Gwalior, the Hari-Tara Fund of Jammu and Kashmir, trusts in Bikaner and Hyderabad and the Mewar Foundation established by the Maharana of Udaipur.

"Several princes, on the other hand, began selling their assets - palaces, jewellery, objects of art, furniture, painting or vintage cards - to channelise these funds into a variety of businesses. Others with educational qualifications, took up jobs as managers in industry or joined the diplomatic service. Still others opted to become politicians. There were also those who believed in a commitment to preserving the specialised arts and crafts in their States. And some become hoteliers, successful ones at that.

Though the era of Maharajas had been consigned to history, it is still preserved for posterity through the palaces, collections of art and jewellery and royal hunting grounds now converted to wildlife sanctuaries or national parks (Periyar, Bharatpur, Shivpuri, the Gir forests, Ranganthitto, Kutch, Bandipur, Dachigam and Jadavpur). Zoological gardens in Hyderbad, Baroda, Junagadh, Mysore, Jaipur, Kotah, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Udaipur house royalty's private collections of animals and birds.

RAMU SHARMA

The Maharaja And The Princely States Of India, Sharada Dwivedi, printed at Lustre Press, Roli Books, price not mentioned.

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