Chapter II – Veni

 

A Prince Among The Educators And An Educator Among The Princes

The Father of the Library Movement in India

Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of the state during his rule. A new era of progress and constructive achievements in all fields began. He did a tremendous amount of work to modernize Baroda, encouraging education, libraries, colleges, and model textile and tiles factories, which helped to create Baroda’s modern textile industry.

Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Shrimant Maharaja Sir , Sena Khas Khel Shamsher Bahadur Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda, GCSI, GCIE, KIH – Gaekwad was one of the 3 Royal Houses – besides Hyderabad and Mysore to have the 21 Gun salute. He was also one of the richest men in the world!

Vadodara today is a great and fitting memorial to Maharaja Sayajirao. It was the dream of this able administrator to make Baroda an educational, industrial, and commercial centre and he ensured that his dream would come true. A city shaped by the his legendary vision, Baroda (earlier also referred to as Sayaji Nagari / Sanskari Nagari– and now known as Vadodara) is one of India’s most cosmopolitan cities, and the seat of arts, culture, architecture, music, education and industry of Gujarat.

 

In 1906, Sayajirao made primary education free and compulsory for all children in the State. Education was the foundation on which the Maharaja decided to build up his new social order. Baroda became the first territory not only among the Native (Princely) States but also in British India to have compulsory free primary education.

The family legend has it that Maharaja Sayajirao III of Baroda (SRG henceforth) – an avid educationist who had set up the College of Arts & Science in Baroda in early 1880’s  – wanted to introduce Classical Languages in the College in Baroda.  Looking for a Latin teacher, he apparently approached St Xavier’s College Bombay and managed to convince the Principal, Fr. Dreckmann to allow KNP to join the Baroda Education Service. The story goes that the SXC Principal got HRH Gaekwad to take an undertaking that he would always look after the welfare of KNP.

And hence, this 25 year old gentleman headed for Baroda towards the end of 1907.

When KNP was around 21-22 years old, he had got married to 13-14 year old Radhabai R. Hosangadi in  1903-04. But, as was the norm, the bride would stay at her parents place till she attained puberty – usually till 15-16 years. In this case (cn) the Hosangadi family lived in Karkal, South Kanara. Family legend has it that Radhabai along with her 14 year old brother Shivshankar Hosangadi proceeded to join KNP in Baroda around 1908, where they initially resided in the Staff Residences for the State Officers.

 Prior to inducting Classical Latin in the Baroda College of Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao & his illustrious wife Chimnabai II decided to experiment teaching of Latin to their son Shivajirao – who was making preparations for the entrance exams for Christ Church College, Oxford Univ.  Besides Latin, KNP also tutored Shivajirao in English and Physics.

This continued for around a year and a half, after which Shivajirao proceeded to England and joined Oxford. He was an excellent sportsman – both in Cricket and Lawn Tennis – but his studies did suffer owing to his lack of interest in education.. He had played for the Hindu Team vs the Parsees in the Bombay Tournament of 1909. Later in England, in 1910 he played for the Gentlemen of England v Oxford University, as well as a number of First Class matches for Sussex-Martlets and Eastbourne Cricket Club and the Oxford University XI. He was a fair batsman and kept wickets as well.

An unfortunate incident resulted in Shivajirao being sent down from Christ Church and he returned to Baroda in 1913.

Meanwhile, the plan to teach Latin in the Baroda Arts College was scrapped – since Latin really has nothing to do with Indian languages. Although “Mother” of the English language, Latin was really superfluous in the Indian context, and so KNP never taught there.

However, I was told, KNP, had created quite a bond with their Highnesses as well as young Shivajirao, resulting which, Sayajirao decided in around 1909, to induct KNP as one of his Personal Secretaries and Aide de Camps..

Thus did KNP’s career get diverted from being a Latin teacher into becoming a Royal courtier. KNP would have been drawn into carrying out his duties

as a PS/ADC and be working under the Private Secretary and other functionaries in the Gaekwar’s Offices, besides being at SRG’s beck and call.

Those were heady days indeed: SRG was an exceedingly busy ruler – involved in all kinds of reforms and setting up new factories, schools, libraries, hostels, launching the newly formed Bank of Baroda, and further establishing the state administration, setting up the first “Native” State Legislature in India besides others..

Owing to SRG’s independent streak he had been having an acerbic & growing stiffness in the relationship with the British Residency, the Viceroy (Curzon) etc., because SRG did not show much servility to the Crown. Around the same period, the Raj officials believed SRG to be involved in seditious dealings with the freedom fighting figures of those days and there was much suspicion on both sides.  Also in 1908, there was much celebration with the birth of Yuvrajkumar Fatehsinghrao’s son – Pratapsinghrao in June; but however this was followed by tragic news when Fatehsinghrao died in Nov 1908 at the young age of 25…

Around this time. KNP was inducted into the Royal Baroda Cavalry where he would finally attain rank of Captain.This would have entailed him training with the State Forces, learning to ride and essentially go through all the processes of being a military officer.

I would hazard a guess that KNP was (quite likely) one of the first Bhanaps to don a military uniform, albeit in the Princely State Forces.

 Other Bhanaps served in the First (Great) war -fifteen obtained temporary commissions in the Indian Medical Service (IMS) of which six rose to
the rank of Captain, and a couple of them laid down their lives in the line of fire.

Capt. KNP in Baroda State Cavalry dress uniform. Around 1914-15.

 

 Meanwhile his wife Radhabai was expecting and she spent her confinement with her husband’s family in Bombay, where their first child Anandrao was born in 1911.

 

SRG toured his realm a fair amount, checking on the efficiency of the administration and progress in the state. Over the following years, KNP was part of the retinue accompanying the Royal party, very often as a member of the advance party. 

SRG also travelled abroad extensively – he called it the highest form of education. He used the tours for imbibing the technological advances as well as understanding the systems of education & libraries, governance and other administrative practices abroad, for carrying out such reforms and applying these in his state. From the last decade of the 19^th century, SRG had started having increasing health issues (plagued mainly by gout, but also possibly from overwork or stress), and visited Europe practically every year – except the war years (during his lifetime, SRG travelled at least 20 times to Europe and USA (cn)).

And thus it was, that KNP got to join the Royal party on their visit to England in 1911.

Subsequently, KNP would accompany SRG as part of his Royal retinue on 4-5 more foreign tours over the course of his service with Gaekwad.

There were certain ramifications though which KNP had to face, for crossing the oceans – he was excommunicated from the community – as were a number of others for the same reason. Sometime in the latter part 19^th century, a myth started gaining ground that if a Brahmin goes overseas, he becomes polluted. So far as Bhanaps were concerned, this topic was first brought before the Mahasabha of 1896, and then again in 1903; on the latter occasion, the question of Prayaschitta (atonement with penance) was also raised. A number of young Bhanaps had gone to England in the last quarter of the 19^th century for further studies: Sir N.G. Chandavarkar, Kaval Vithal Rao, Mankii Raghavendrarao,  Labhadaya Ramamohanrao and some others – which had started off a passionate & heated debate in the samaj, and this would continue for many years. This foreign travel ban would finally be withdrawn in the 1932 Mahasabha.

Our revered Mathadipati HH Pandurangashram Swami’s views were that Foreign Travel per se was not a sin but what His Holiness doubted was the ability of people to adhere to one’s Dharma when they went abroad, upon “being polluted with western ideas”. However despite Pandurangashram Swami’s view, the Mahasabha delegates had taken a majority resolution to impose a ban on Foreign Travel and to excommunicate (bahishkar) those who had undertaken it, and even those who had any dealings with these excommunicated persons (samparka). Nonetheless, later, HH Pandurangashram Swami decreed that such persons should be taken back into the fold after performing propitiatory Prayaschitta.

For most of the persons  concerned, namely those who had returned from trips abroad, this did lead to a sense of estrangement, indifference and declining support for the Maṭha as well as the alienation of substantial numbers of Bhanaps, as there was a clash between reformists & traditionalists [but being beyond the scope of this tale, will not be further discussed in the blog here].

Meanwhile, Radhabai was back in Baroda with their firstborn Anandrao. Anandrao (or Dada, as everyone called him) apparently spent his young childhood days in the palace, as HH Chimnabai was extremely fond of him. It is possible that he was a playmate of young Pratapsinghrao – who was 3 years older? (cn)

Radhabai’s brother Shivshankar completed his studies and joined the Baroda Police Department in 1914. In the same year, Radhabai was expecting their second child and their daughter Kamala was born in Sept 1914, this delivery being in Baroda.

In 1914, the First World War had broken out whilst their Highnesses were in Europe. Her Highness had a long & tedious journey through hostile territories to join her husband in London. They returned to India towards the end of the year. They would not travel abroad till after the war ended, ie in 1919.

Then in 1915, there occurred an incident which would have important consequences for KNP – this will be covered in the next Chapter