Palace of Clouds

by Rajyashree Kumari Bikaner

  Interestingly, Dalel Niwas was soon put to a completely different use after the demise of the dowager Rajmata. The popular Sophia School in Ajmer approached my father in the early fifties with a view to set up a sister branch of the school in Bikaner. My father was only too happy to assist them and suggested that they set up their facilities in Dalel Niwas which was by now lying vacant. The school began very successfully and I recall that long after I had left for Delhi to attend Mrs. Law’s School, my sister Madhulika as a little girl attended Sophia while it was located at Dalel Niwas. As the school became more settled, the number of their students grew to a point where they could no longer accommodate them and they moved further away from the city where they continue to flourish even today.

  Though I was born three years after the demise of my grandfather Maharaja Sadul Singh, I did through the years, speak to many members of his staff and family and they all remember him as being a very kind- hearted and gentle man who showered love and affection on his family. My aunt Manhar Kumari who was married to my paternal uncle Maharaj Kumar Amar Singh, my father’s younger brother, once told me this rather amusing story—it appears that soon after she got married and came to Bikaner as a young bride, grandfather made every effort to ensure that she was comfortable and that her meals were cooked in the Gujarati style in order to make her feel at home. It was a small act of kindness she obviously never forgot.

  My aunt or ‘Kakisa,’ as a young bride, spent the summer months in Mount Abu where the family had an imposing British colonial- style residence built around 1893. At just over three thousand feet, Mount Abu which stands on the border of Gujarat and Rajasthan state is the only hill station in Rajasthan. In days before travel became both easy and more common, virtually every princely state in Rajasthan had their summer holiday homes built there. As soon as the heat in the plains became unbearable, the princes and their families along with their large retinues relocated to Mount Abu for the summers and remained there until the arrival of the monsoons. Bikaner House is a large and imposing residence perched atop a hill, and every summer the entire family would retire there. The family’s absence from Bikaner also enabled the numerous repairs and renovations that had to be carried out in and around Lallgarh Palace; it was the time when the vast marble courtyards and endless corridors were polished and made ready for when the family returned home.

  Bikaner House is a thriving hotel today. Most of the princes have turned their palaces into hotels, which seem to do very well, particularly in the summer months; the ownership of the property remains with the family. It was on one such trip in the early years of her marriage that one day, when my aunt was asked what she wanted to eat for lunch, she told her maids that she wanted ‘magh’ which is the Gujarati word for lentils. The maid told a very puzzled Bikaner male attendant that Maharaj Kanwarani Sahiba wanted some ‘magh’, his quandary was explicable since in Rajasthan the word for lentils is ‘moong’. The poor chap went off and soon returned with an ordinary mug, assuming that that was what had been asked for. This went on for some time as mugs of varying description went back and forth till my grandfather was informed and he immediately sent my uncle to ascertain exactly what his wife wanted. The puzzle was soon solved, when it became clear that she merely wanted some lentils for lunch! This incident remains a very funny anecdote within the family to date.

  Though most of our summer holidays were spent in Bombay, we did on a couple of occasions spend a few months in Mount Abu. On one such trip, when both my sister and I were quite young, we were taken on a road trip to the hill station. My father loved driving and so he was at the wheel with my mother in the front seat. Bringing up the rear was Thakur Devi Singh of Malasar or ‘Devi Kaka’ as we called him; the poor man sat in the middle, squashed between my sister Madhulika and I. The journey by road from Bikaner to Mount Abu is one that lasts for almost nine hours. I recall that the trip was unbelievably dull and tedious for both of us, though Devi Kaka kept up a patter of interesting conversation and gossip that kept my parents amused and engaged. We stopped albeit briefly at Jodhpur where my father’s cousin Maharaj Bhadur Singh was posted as a Wing Commander in the Indian Air Force. He and his lovely wife aunty Pushpa gave us some lunch and we were briefly diverted when we played with their children who were more or less the same age as us.

  At the time I used to feel very car sick and bearing this in mind, some ad hoc provision had been made but when the car started the steep climb on meandering roads to Mount Abu, I remained ill most of the time, and as far as I was concerned, the entire trip was absolute torture.

  However, we soon perked up when just before reaching Bikaner House we spotted a large and very beautiful panther lounging on some rocks just above the road. My father I think was a boy scout in his previous life, since he believed in always being well-prepared, so of course he had his favourite rifle and shells in the boot of the car, hoping for just such an opportunity. After expertly sizing up the best possible shot the panther would give him, my father stopped the car and whispered to Devi Kaka, ‘Baron get out of the car and find the rifle and shells quickly.’ We were naturally very concerned and quite convinced that Kaka would be attacked and eaten by the leopard, but the beast did not seem to be in any mood to be dining on a human at the time. Kaka bravely got out of the car and managed to find the rifle but could not locate the packet of shells, try as he might. The beautiful panther was quite clearly destined to live another day and after a while he lazily got up, gave us a disdainful glance and wandered off. We then drove on to our destination, and as it often happens in stories like this, the moment we reached the house and the boot was emptied of its contents there lay the missing box of bullets. Needless to say my father was not too pleased.

  The demise of Maharaja Ganga Singh in 1943 had closed an important chapter in the history of Bikaner, but the state was fortunate to have as its ruler Maharaja Sadul Singh, the twenty second Maharaja of Bikaner, my grandfather. He ascended the throne on 13 February 1943.

  At the time, the political climate of India had entered a critical phase. World War II was at its peak and within the country; the Quit India Movement of 1942 was at its zenith. A tide of emotional nationalism was surging high. Simultaneously, the waves of communalism and the demand for Pakistan were swelling; the leadership of the Muslim League was vociferous and strident in their demands for a separate state.

  Grandfather displayed astute political acumen and patriotic zeal during a very difficult time, both for India as well as the state of Bikaner. Discussions for the independence of India and the merger of the princely states into the newly formed Indian union were both far advanced. It was at this critical juncture that grandfather rose to the occasion when called upon to make a constructive contribution to the historic ongoing deliberations on the eve of the transfer of power, within and outside the Constituent Assembly. In many respects, he was far better equipped to participate in the onerous deliberations than his predecessors. He was a farsighted man who, through experience and training under his father, was well versed in political affairs. By his quick and decisive action, he demonstrated unequalled patriotic fervour and thus prevented the disintegration of India. Veteran journalist D.R. Mankekar, in his book, Accession to Extinction, has justifiably called him ‘aman of vision and the true son of a great father.’

  A patriot at heart, Sadul Singh had, as early as March 1945, written to the Maharaja of Patiala that ‘the period of inactivity necessitated by the overriding consideration of war’ was coming to an end. The Maharaja thought England was all set for a real move forward, which would assure self-government to India and give her Dominion status. Sadul Singh urged his fellow royals to establish an organisation to work out a scheme for co-operation with British India to share the freedom he clearly saw coming. Two months later, the Nawab of Bhopal, Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, convened a meeting of the special committee of rulers and ministers to examine the question of political adjustment between the states and British India. At the meeting, the
princes discussed the question at length but failed to arrive at any conclusion.

  On 30 September1945, when addressing an informal meeting of the standing committee of the Chamber of Princes, Maharaja Sadul Singh anticipated the princes’ role in shaping their future set up of a free India and exhorted brother princes to put their house in order and prepare to play their part. ‘Before very long we shall be discussing how the states are going to fit into the future Constitution of India,’ he said. ‘Public opinion and pressure on the part of political parties in British-India, and very soon, after a little more spread of education, public opinion within our own states and our own people, will demand a higher standard of administration and living conditions. A great surge will come which will wipe off those states which do not march in conformity with the times.’

  The Maharaja made a historic declaration on 18 January, 1946, at the annual session of the Chamber of Princes and said: ‘We, the Princes of India are no less patriotic than others and we no less than others recognise the obligation that every son of the motherland has working towards the achievement of destination. The princes along with the rest of India’s sons in every walk of life wish to see this beloved land of birth, great and respected in the world, attain her full stature in the family of nations and fulfil the great responsibility that falls to her by her history, tradition and culture in the affairs of new world.’ Maharaja Sadul Singh led the princes when he raised the banner of revolt against the Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, the Nawab of Bhopal’s campaign in favour of a ‘Third Force’, which was an impractical suggestion. He was one of the first to join the Constituent Assembly, and his patriotic move at a crucial moment changed the tide in favour of Princely co-operation with the Congress and their subsequent accession to the Indian Union. He was convinced that the interest of his State and the people lay in accession to the Indian Dominion. ‘Let us open a completely new chapter based on harmony, friendship and goodwill; and let us act together to turn our country into an abode of peace and prosperity,’ he said. Though the accession of states to the Indian Dominion was a tangled matter, it was made possible by the intense patriotism of my grandfather.

  The Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession on 7 August, 1947. He was one of the first to accede his state to the Dominion of India. His vision and action was greatly appreciated by Sardar Patel, Minister of the State Department. The Sardar added that at a time when the entire scheme of accession was being sabotaged, it was the Maharaja of Bikaner who saved the situation by his unflinching loyalty to the cause of United India. Lord Mountbatten, who visited Bikaner in January 1948 to invest upon the Maharaja the title of GCSI (Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India) was particularly appreciative of the Maharaja’s ‘statesman-like actions’ and his willing ‘patriotic cooperation’, without which the policy of accession ‘could not have been implemented.’ V.P. Menon, Secretary of the State Department, who had an insight into the dynamics of the accession process, wrote: ‘... but the greatest share of the credit for giving a patriotic lead to the rulers and convincing them that it was in their own interest to accede to India, must go to Maharaja Sir Sadul Singh of Bikaner who made utmost sacrifices without bitterness.’

  And lastly, not only in the accession of states to the Dominion of India, but also in the Integration of States in Greater Rajasthan in March 1949, the Maharaja made the supreme sacrifice, and dissolved the entity of his ancient state, as also effaced his own position as Ruler and that of his successors. In a personal letter dated 29 March, 1949 addressed to Sardar Patel, the Maharaja of Bikaner wrote: ‘I can legitimately claim that no ruler has given more unstinting support to the problem of integration of our states than I have when I came to the conclusion that this step became necessary in the interest of our mother country as a whole.’ Sardar Patel referred to the Maharaja as the ‘co-architect’ of India’s unity. The Maharaja handed over the administration of his State to the Rajpramukh of Greater Rajasthan on 7 April. The separate entity of the state, founded by Bika in the fifteenth century, thus disappeared, but Maharaja Sadul Singh, in the process of accession and integration, had emerged as a lofty patriot, a man of vision, and a co-architect of national unity. He had sacrificed himself so that a resurgent India might live in all its glory.

  I, as his granddaughter, am enormously proud of the fact that despite the body blow it must have been for him to affix his signature to the Instrument of Accession, he did so without hesitation and was the first Prince to do so, leading by example to others, who showed less courage in the face of a rapidly changing world. I was in the Lok Sabha when my father, on 2 September, 1970 gave his stirring address to the House on the abolition of the Privy Purse. I could hear the pride ringing in his voice when he mentioned that his father, on behalf of Bikaner, was the first to sign the Accession document.

  Hard on the heels of independence, came the Partition. What had been India was now to be divided into India and Pakistan. Bikaner being on the newly drawn border of Pakistan was given the choice to merge with either India or opt for Pakistan. My grandfather quite naturally chose to remain in India; his only concern at the time was that the Shivpur headworks which provided water to the Gang Canal that irrigated his state should not be given to Pakistan, as this would bode absolute disaster for Bikaner. His father, Maharaja Ganga Singh, had striven tirelessly to ensure that his state, against all odds, had access to water through the miracle that was the canal. Maharaja Sadul Singh and Lord Mountbatten, who was the last Viceroy of India, happened to be childhood friends. Deciding to take this matter up personally with Mountbatten rather than writing letters, he asked his staff to prepare his private aircraft. He then flew to Delhi and met with Lord Mountbatten, wherein no doubt this matter was discussed in some detail, and flew straight back to Bikaner thereafter.

  The result of this meeting became apparent in a few days when Sir Cyril Radcliffe who was the Chairman of the Border Commission published his version of the Radcliffe line on 17 August 1947 and ensured that the Shivpur head works were retained in India and Bikaner was not deprived of its precious water supply. Bikaner, quite naturally, elected to remain in India.

  The Partition of India was a human tragedy on an epic scale. Millions of families were uprooted, as many crossed into India from Pakistan and vice versa. It was naive to imagine that this kind of upheaval could have taken place without trauma and bloodshed. Hindus and Muslims who had, in most part, lived peacefully together thus far suddenly turned on each other in an unforgettable surfeit of killing, raping and assault, the indelible scars of which remain in their minds and hearts to date. Amidst this carnage, Bikaner was like a small island of peace and calm, with no form of violence or reprisals. Of the total ten million people who were displaced during the Partition, almost seven lakh crossed into Pakistan or the other way round, specifically through the Bikaner State border. My grandfather ensured that they had safe passage and set up refugee camps to provide for their basic needs. Many decided to make the crossing from Bikaner as they had reliably heard that the border here was safe to cross for themselves and their families. It was to the credit of Maharaja Sadul Singh that despite the millions who lost their lives during this terrible time, there was not a single incident of bloodshed in Bikaner.

  A devoted family man, my grandfather Prince Sadul Singh was married on 18 April, 1922 to Princess Sudarshan Kumari, the daughter of Banketraman Singh and the sister of Maharaja Gulab Singh, the then Ruler of the State of Rewa. On 21 April, 1923 Yuvrani Sudarshan Kumari gave birth to a daughter Princess Sushila Kumari, my aunt, followed by two sons: Prince Karni Singh, my father, born on 21 April, 1924 and Prince Amar Singh, my uncle, on 11 December, 1925.

  My grandfather’s life was cruelly cut short at the age of forty-eight. He had been suffering from ill health for some time. I am, however, convinced that it was the stress of the integration of princely states into the Indian union and the trauma of the Partition that took a toll on his health. He may not have express
ed it in so many words but he must have felt it deeply, that ultimately it was his signature that had brought an end to an almost 500-year-old history of his ancestors. I think it weighed heavily on his mind and he died in England on 25 September, 1950.

  My paternal grandmother or ‘Dadisa’ as we called her was a princess of Rewa, a state in Madhya Pradesh, which was later to become famous for breeding unique white tigers in India. Dadisa was a dynamic woman who spent her entire life in semi-purdah but it never stopped her from enjoying a busy and active life; among her varied interests, she was absolutely passionate about politics.

  The well-known author Dharmendra Kanwar describes in her biography of the late Rajmata Gayatri Devi, ‘The Last Queen of Jaipur’, the events that unfolded after the demise of Maharaja Man Singhji of Jaipur: ‘The political front was set for another battle. Mrs. Indira Gandhi dissolved the Parliament in 1971 and called for an election, one year ahead of schedule. Sad and lonely, Rajmata Gayatri Devi wished for nothing more than to be left alone with the memories of the time when life had been so full of laughter and joy. She felt isolated and did not care one way or another what political equations were being affected and who the winning candidates were. It had been only eight months since Maharaja Man Singh’s death and she just did not feel strong enough to resume her public life again. She was shaken out of her grief by two ladies for whom she had great affection: Rajdadisa, the grandmother of the Maharaja of Jodhpur; and the Rajmata (Queen mother) of Bikaner, the wife of Maharaja Sadul Singh, both of whom urged her to put her grief aside and stand for the forthcoming election, as people like her were needed.’ Heeding the advice of these two august ladies, Rajmata Gayatri Devi went on to lead a very successful and distinguished career in politics in Rajasthan.