Acknowledgements
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Postscript
Bibliography
Glossary
Index
PREFACE
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he erstwhile state of Bikaner was founded by my ancestor Rao Bikaji in the fifteenth century. Rao Bika was the son of Rao Jodha (1438-84), the ruler of Marwar State. Bika was an ambitious, brave and a valorous soldier. In 1465 AD, Rao Bika set out to conquer new lands with a few hundred men. The area, which he conquered, was situated in the middle of the Indian desert. Its landscape formed by hot, barren stretches of sand, endless distances, deceptive mirages and low sand-dunes. With grim determination, great courage and the blessings of goddess Karniji, Bikaji created the kingdom of Bikaner in 1465.
The area of the erstwhile state of Bikaner was 23,317 square miles. Among the Indian states, it was the sixth largest state area-wise and second largest in Rajputana. My ancestors of the House of Bikaner belonged to the warrior clan of Rathores. Over the centuries, the Rathores have produced great warriors, kings, scholars and statesmen, patrons of poetry, art and culture. Their patriotism, valour and chivalry were known far and wide.
The House of Bikaner in modern times had produced three illustrious Maharajas’ in succession. They were: my great-grandfather Maharaja Ganga Singhji (1887-1943), my grandfather Maharaja Sadul Singhji (1943-1950), and my father Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji (1950-1988).
Maharaja Ganga Singhji was the twenty-first ruler of the State of Bikaner. He was an outstanding soldier, administrator and statesman. He was one of the greatest builders of his time and a great nationalist who was proud of being an Indian. His welfare and developmental works, innovation and change, improvements and reforms without destroying the traditions of the land made him one of the foremost rulers of India.
He demonstrated a high level of wisdom in the activities of the British Empire, and his role in the Imperial Council and War Cabinet, Paris Peace Conference, League of Nations, Round Table Conferences, was applauded by all. He served as Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes for six years, and Chancellor of the Benares Hindu University for nearly eighteen years. A handsome and imposing personality, he commanded respect and admiration from all who met him. He was without doubt the architect of modern Bikaner.
My grandfather Maharaja Sadul Singhji was the twenty-second ruler of Bikaner State. Due to his demise at a young age, his reign was short, extending from 1943 to1949, which was a critical period in India’s history. The end of the British Raj was approaching near, and the independence of India had become a reality. Prior to the Indian independence on 15 August, 1947, the Maharaja was confronted with two significant, but complicated issues, namely, entry of the state to the Constituent Assembly and the accession of the State on three subjects – defense, communications and foreign affairs – to the dominion of India. Regarding these two issues, my grandfather made an appeal to the Princes of India to rise to the occasion so that they might be hailed as co-architects of the structure of India’s independence and greatness.
He advised the Princes to join the Constituent Assembly immediately and pointed out that the policy of ‘wait and see’ being advocated by a section of the Princes could be suicidal for them in the times to come. In April 1947, the Bikaner State entered the Constituent Assembly, along with a few other states. The remaining states gradually followed. My grandfather further demonstrated wisdom and statesmanship by acceding his state to the dominion of India in August 1947; he was one of the first among the rulers to do so. The role of the Maharaja was greatly appreciated by the Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, Sardar Patel and V. P. Menon. He was styled as the co-architect of India’s unity and oneness. We, his family, are enormously proud of him.
My grandfather Maharaja Sadul Singhji was a brilliant shot. The old-timers insisted that grandfather was a more superior shot than even my father. Taking inspiration from his father, Maharaja Dr. Karni Singh, my father, became a shooter of great repute. He represented India in Clay Pigeon shooting in five Olympics from Rome to Moscow, many World Shooting championships and Asian Shooting Championships a number of times. Along with my father, I also represented India at the Second Asian Shooting Championships held at Seoul in 1971, where we secured a bronze medal for the Indian team. My father had been the unbeaten National Champion in Clay Pigeon Trap for 17 years, from 1960 to 1977. My father and I both received the Arjun Award, the highest award of the country in sports, in the years 1962 and 1968, respectively.
I have seen my father shoot, and as far as I am concerned, he was the best. When my father picked up a gun, it was as though it was part of his own body. The movement was fluid and graceful, and his marksmanship always accurate. I know because he taught me to shoot from the age of six and we went on to represent India in many shooting competitions all over the world. Maharaja Dr. Karni Singh was a pioneer in the field of clay pigeon shooting, the first to introduce Trap and Skeet in India, a sport that he took up with great enthusiasm and sparked an interest in the younger generation whom he coached and offered his own private range in Bikaner to practice on. Today it is in this very discipline of trap and skeet that many talented young Indian shooters are winning medals in international competitions and even in the Olympics.
My father entered politics in 1952 when he was elected as an Independent Member of Lok Sabha (Parliament) from the Bikaner–Churu Parliamentary constituency. Again, in 1957, 1962, 1967 and 1971, he was elected to the Lok Sabha as an Independent Member. During his tenure of 25 years as a parliamentarian, he played a positive and constructive role in representing his constituents.
It has been a very strange experience writing this book. Looking back at my own life and examining it from every angle and experience has been both an exhilarating one, and also punctuated with sadness. When I was a young teenager, I had utopian notions of life, believing that it would be pleasant and gentle like that of many ladies of my family. I had imagined that I would have a wonderful and unexacting life. At that time, I was unaware of the harsh realities of life. Life as they say happens while one is busy making plans, like any young person, I too had many hopes and dreams and expectations, some were realised and others not.
I often wonder which direction my life might have taken had I not gone to live in London upon my marriage. Perhaps the best thing in my life was to be sent away far from home; it taught me to stand on my own feet and fend for myself. I learned so many things while I lived there, cultivated many interests, gained humility and discarded backward ways of thinking. Every skill I know today stems from my time in the United Kingdom. Living there knocked off all the rough edges of my personality.
Life did not quite turn out the way I had expected. It was in reality very different in many ways from the lives that my parents led. I have no regrets whatsoever; it has been a great life, though unexpected in many ways but it taught me to grow up and shoulder my responsibilities. It was a tough road, but then I was brought up as a feisty Rathore and my ancestors had in their day faced life and death situations on a daily basis. Despite the many obstacles that I have faced, I have tried to live my life with dignity and to the very best of my ability, giving my very best to Bikaner. Giving everything, every single day of my life to this much loved desert home to which I belong. Indeed, my life has been a great voyage and serving my ancestors in my humble capacity has been richly rewarding and a great honour.
Acknowledgements
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was greatly influenced by the two autobiographies: ‘A Princess Remembers’by Rajmata Gayatri Devi of Jaipur and Benazir Bhutto’s ‘Daughter of the East’ among the many biographies that I have read over the years. Both were ladies of gritty determination and faced the odds in their life with courage and determination. Rajmata Gayatri Devi was of course of a different generation to me, thus I found more in common with Benazir Bhutto: she was the same age as me and we were both deepl
y devoted to and heavily influenced by our respective fathers. Both these ladies led inspirational lives.
Frederick Forsyth in his autobiography,‘The Outsider: My life in intrigue’, describes the ideal situation for an author when he or she is in the process of writing:‘the result is a need for long periods of peace and quiet, often in complete silence without even the gentle music, and that requires solitude as an absolute necessity, the first of the reasons behind our oddness.’ How fortunate Mr. Forsyth is in finding the optimal conditions that has led to him being a hugely successful author. His booksare sold around the globe and translated into a multitude of languages. In my case I am afraid I have not been so fortunate. Whenever I sit down to write, there is not the slightest attempt made by my household comprising of both human and canines to afford me even one brief second of peace and tranquilty to marshall my thoughts and be creative. How these books of mine ever get written is a complete mystery to me!
If it is not the pitter patter of little pug paws on the wooden floors or their affectionate attempts to snuggle as closely as possible to me so that I am sitting in the most awkward posture like the poor hunchback of Notre Dame vainly attetmpting inspiration before the computer, and if on the odd occasion I am spared their attentions, snoring, snuffling and constant restlessness pacing, then I am regaled with the sound of the cell phone with all its bells and whistles as the smart phone updates itself, it is almost an entity in its own right. Then of course there’s Kanwar Govind Singh and his cell phone which is contantly ringing. This is of course all punctuated with various domestic emergenices, real or imagined. And all through this cacophony or rather despite it I try and write as and when I can—in short bursts—and it is an absolute miracle that I have actually been able to produce two books. Writing this one has not been much of a different experience to the previous two.
My thanks as always to the Maharaja Ganga Singhji Trust; its archives and the Sadul Museum for providing material, both written and pictorial, as required for this book. Those photographs that are not from the archives of the Sadul Museum are from my personal collection. My grateful thanks goes out to Professor LS Rathore for so generously giving of his time to help and correct the text as well as meticulously preparing the Preface, he is my mentor in all facts historical. My thanks also to Dr. Rima Hooja, Dharmendra Kanwar and my nephew Raisinh Jadeja for generously giving of their time and reading various chapters as they progressed and giving their useful advice and criticism. Thanks also to Kanwar Govind Singh who when not busy answering a spate of phone calls is always happy and willing to assist and aid as and when required this book would not have been possible without his efforts and hard work.
My grateful thanks to my dear friends who have taken the time and trouble in writing short paragraphs that are included in this book. Aman Nath knew my father very well and has written a sweet and touching account of his meetings with him. Dr Rima Hooja in the author of my father’s biography ‘Prince, Patriot, Parliamentarian’ which was invaluable in my research for this book. Amrita Gandhi a dear friend was the anchor for the very popular television series ‘Royal Reservations’ filming the Bikaner episode with her was an enjoyable experience. My appreciation and gratitude to Amita Baig, Dr Amin Jaffer, Amrita Gandhi, Tikka Shatrujit Singh of Kapurthala, Maharani Gita Devi of Kapurthala, Dr. Rima Hooja, Dharmendra Kanwar, Javed Abdulla and last but not least my good friend Neelima Chopra. Your kind words enhance and give gravity to this book, my thanks.
Many thanks to my friend Namita Bhatia who has been a source of encouragement and support from the very start, she generously gave of her time in reading through the script and provided valuable feedback. She helped guide me to Bloomsbury and has used her good offices in offering valuable help as the project progressed. My thanks to Praveen Tiwari and all the hard working members of staff at Bloomsbury who have stretched themselves to the utmost to ensure that this book is a quality product.
My great grandfather Maharaja Sir Ganga Singhji of Bikaner.
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“It is indeed a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors.”
-Plutarch
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n June of 2011 the collection of Stuart Carey Welch came up for auction at Sotheby’s in London. Carey, who died in Japan in 2008, was a well- known and respected American scholar and curator of Indian and Islamic art. During his lifetime, he had collected many important Indian miniature paintings and other oriental art and artefacts of great merit. This was going to be a very important sale, in anticipation of which, collectors, curators and art gallery owners from around the globe had gathered in great numbers in London. My friend, Javed Abdulla, who also happened to be in London at the time, mentioned to me over lunch one afternoon, that one of the miniatures in the forthcoming auction was that of my ancestor and suggested that I go and see it while it was still on display at the Bond Street gallery. The miniature painting in question turned out to be an exquisite pencil sketch of Raja Karan Singh, the ninth Maharaja of Bikaner, who was one of the most prominent and noble Maharajas of Bikaner, and I may add one of my absolute favourites. A great sense of pride in my family overcame me as I studied the beautiful drawing on that lovely sunny afternoon.
Carey Welch had also been a great friend and advisor to my father Maharaja Karni Singh and often visited Bikaner. My father had inherited numerous miniature paintings handed down through the many generations of the Bikaner family. Miniature paintings had little or no value in those days and it was a routine matter for court artists to prepare and present the successive Maharajas of Bikaner with miniatures paintings as gifts on important occasions such as birthdays and other prominent festivals like Holi (festival of colours) and Diwali (festival of lights). In fact, they were akin to modern day greeting cards, albeit exquisite hand painted ones. I recall my father telling me that when Maharaja Ganga Singh, his grandfather, became the Maharaja, he found several thousand miniature paintings lying about in a haphazard fashion, scattered around in dusty corners of the old Junagarh Fort. Great grandfather had the foresight to realise the value of these beautiful paintings and immediately ordered that they be collected and brought to Lallgarh Palace where they were properly catalogued and kept safely in the old Mahekmakhas wing of the Palace. Eventually, it was my father who, with the help of Carey Welch, managed to separate the important paintings from the more mundane ones.
The Bikaner miniature paintings were also part of an exhibition in 1950, which was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Herman Goetz, the renowned art historian wrote a beautifully illustrated book on ‘The Art and Architecture of Bikaner State’. This book had lavish illustrations of a number of paintings that had been sent to London for the exhibition along with many others from our collection. Sadly, the book is now out of print, though as an essential reference book there is still a huge demand for it. Goetz visited India with his wife in 1936 on a grant from the Kern Institute, and besides publishing the definitive work on Bikaner art, he also advised the Maharaja of Baroda, Siyaji Rao Gaekwad, and his imposing wife, Maharani Chimnabai, on conserving his private collection of European art. Goetz was generally considered responsible for raising awareness in India of the urgent need to preserve and maintain valuable paintings and other objects d’art in museums of the highest standards, to showcase the rich history and culture of Indian art to its best advantage.
The ‘ustas’ or court artists in Bikaner, accompanied my ancestor Maharaja Anup Singh, the ninth Maharaja of Bikaner, from the Deccan where he was engaged in military campaigns in the seventeenth century on behalf of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Anup Singh was an exceptional personality in that, not only was he a warrior but also a scholar and a great patron of the arts; it was during his reign that art and culture flourished in Bikaner. The Muslim ‘ustas’, who came with him settled down in Bikaner and over the centuries, created the most beautiful miniature paintings. A prominent court artist of the time was Hamid Rukun ud Din, whose miniatures are regarded
as the very epitome of the Bikaner school of miniature painting and quite naturally, today they are highly prized and sell for many thousands of dollars at art auctions around the world. The ‘Rasik Priya’ style of painting was developed by Rukun ud-Din who went on to train many young artists such as Muhammed Ustad Baq and Nur Muhammed who were his assistants at his Bikaner atelier. The old master Rukun ud Din is said to have died or retired around 1696, whereupon Hassan replaced him as head of the court studio. Their beautiful miniature paintings were a skilful melding of Rajput and Mughal styles, which was distinctive of the Bikaner school of miniature painting.
The Bikaner school of miniature painting developed during the time of Maharaja Anup Singh, and the descendants of those medieval artists even today continue to practise this art, though not so much in painting miniatures but in repairs and restoration of the most delicate and exquisite kind in the old Junagarh Fort. The Bikaner Fort is an absolute jewel, embellished with frescoes, aged mirrors and lacquer work on the walls. The Fort is close to five centuries old and like any old building has seen its share of wear and tear over the centuries. The artists work tirelessly in teams to restore the damage that water seepage and age has done to these beautiful rooms and durbar halls. Their work is intricate and flawless and when completed, it is impossible to tell where the ancient paintwork ends and the restoration work begins. The title of my book is drawn from perhaps one of our most famous rooms in the old Fort, ‘The Badal Mahal’ or Palace of Clouds. In itself a relatively small room, it is a surreal, almost Daliesque vision of thunder and lightning in the deserts of Bikaner. The monsoon scene has been copied many times in different variations and colour schemes over the years and continues to inspire even today. In fact, I have my own tiny Badal Mahal copied in the entrance lobby of my Delhi apartment, and it unfailingly reminds me of Bikaner. It goes without saying that it was painted by one of the descendants of the original ustas who had painted the original one in the Fort many centuries ago.
Palace of Clouds Page 2