Chapter VIII – Vulnus, Inceptum, Vale

Chapter VIII – Vulnus, Inceptum, Vale

 

Vulnus: 1945 – The World Stage

The year 1945 was one of extreme turmoil and upheavals. Briefly –

America/Europe: After D Day in June 1944, the tides of war were turning with the inexorable advance of the Allies in western Europe. 1945 - Jan end – Battle of the Bulge. Feb - The Yalta Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, where the final defeat and joint occupation of Germany was decided and Declaration of Liberated Europe is signed;   the Allies step up the aerial bombing of German cities – Dresden, Berlin and other German cities. By March, American & British (Empire) troops cross the Rhine and into Germany and from the other side, Russia invades Austria & the Eastern bloc countries. 12^th April US President Franklin D Roosevelt dies from a massive stroke whilst in office. The only US President to be elected four times, he tirelessly pushed to bring WW II to an end. V.P. Harry Truman becomes the 33^rd President of the United States. Besides the many European countries liberated by the Allies, all the concentration camps are opened up. The Battle for Berlin begins in the 3^rd week of April and by 26^th April, Soviet forces encircle Berlin. Apr 30^th - Adolf Hitler commits suicide along with his new wife Eva Braun in the Fuhrerbunker in Berlin. With scattered fighting in many different theatres in Europe, Nazi Germany surrenders on May 8^th, when German General Wilhelm Keitel formally signs the document of surrender to the Allies in Berlin. May 8^th is called V-E Day in all Allied countries except Russia, which calls May 9^th as Victory Day.

 

 

 

 

 

In Asia / Far East: After the most decisive air and sea battle of WW II in October 1944,  the Battle of Leyte Gulf (or Battle of the Philippine Seas) crippled the Japanese Navy, and laid the groundwork for the Allies dominance in the Pacific. The Japanese lost three battleships, one large aircraft carrier, three light carriers, six heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, and 11 destroyers, while the US lost one light carrier, two escort carriers, and three destroyers.

Early Jan 1945, the Allies land on the west coast of Burma & conquer Akyab. In Feb, the Battle of Iwo Jima starts & the US Marines overrun the islands. In March, the US troops/Allies re-capture Manila and other areas in the Philippines are re-taken; Mandalay in Burma is liberated; Tokyo & other Japanese cities fire-bombed. April Battle for Okinawa begins. President Roosevelt dies in office and Harry Truman takes over as 34^th President of USA, continuing the policies of his predecessor. In May the Allies re-take Rangoon, Burma, without a fight. In June/July, Okinawa falls; liberation of Philippines declared; Naval bombardment of the Japanese Main islands. July 26^th - Potsdam Declaration, which defines the Terms for Japanese Surrender. Aug 6^th The first Atomic Bomb “Little Boy” (uranium fission) is dropped on Hiroshima, death toll estimated around 100,000 – Japan still refuses to surrender to the Allies’ terms; Aug 9^th The second A-bomb – the Plutonium implosion-type "Fat Man" is dropped on the secondary target of Nagasaki, death toll estimated around 40,000. Aug 10^th – 14^th Discussions for the terms of surrender. Aug 15^th V-J Day - Emperor Hirohito accepting unconditional surrender: The Imperial Rescript of 15 August 1945. Between Aug 15^th ~ Sept 13^th – the various Japanese commands in China, Hongkong, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indo-China, Korea and Burma surrender.

The Imperial Japanese Army/Navy/Air Services committed numerous atrocities during World War II – from the infamous  1937-1938 Nanking mass killings,  the notorious Unit 731 Experimental facility where hideous human experiments were conducted, the massacres of locals & POWs in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indo-China, Burma, Borneo etc., attacks on Hospital ships, gunning down of sailors in the water. All these resulted in estimates ranging from 3 million to over 10 million people being annihilated. These were further compounded by their inhuman treatment of POWs – the Burma-Thailand Railway (depicted poorly by the movie “Bridge on the River Kwai” some 110,000 or more of the local population, including more than 13,000 of Allied POWs  (British, Dutch, Australian and American) lost their lives in a year-long period from 1943 to 1944.

The list of other atrocities goes on: The “Comfort Women” – many young women in all the Japanese occupied territories being forced into sexual slavery for their military personnel -  not only Korea, China, and the Philippines but also in all of South East Asia; the Chemical Warfare unleashed especially in China – phosgene, chlorine, mustard gas etc.; widespread looting & plunder of invaluable artefacts, priceless works of art & cultural pieces etc.

After the liberation of Mandalay – the previous capital of the Burmese Kings – the Indian Auxiliary Pioneer Corp was stationed in tented camps on the outskirts of this city for a few months – assisting other brigades including the East African & the British Regiments in flushing out pockets of Japanese soldiers who were hiding out in the jungles, as well as setting up and guarding camps for the Japanese and INA POWs etc.

During one of the forays into the jungles during the monsoon when Pani’s company was in the advance party, the jeep was skidding and sliding all over the place owing to the terribly muddy & slushy conditions. Apparently, the jeep nearly went into a ditch close to some ruins. After pushing the jeep out of the muddy slush, Pani went to investigate the ruins, which turned out to be a small Pagoda that had been completely destroyed by bombing. Curiously looking inside, Pani noticed that something was glinting in the rubble. With his boys helping him in digging it out, he found this to be a bronze Buddha, which was completely oxidised and tarnished. The Buddha was around 18 inches high and heavy – weighing around 20 kgs. Pani took it back to his tent and found that the (top facing) left palm was missing. According to his story, it took them another trip & a lot of searching for his boys to find the missing piece.

The Burmese Bronze Buddha - Early Mandalay 19th Century at our home.

 

Pani was Mentioned in Dispatch for the part that he played there.

The Certificate and medals presented to Pani for the Burma Campaign.

 

After this, Pani was promoted to Acting Major and was reunited with his Regiment. The 1^st battalion, 16^th Punjab was also assisting with the guarding the POWs and in the conduction of the War Crime Trials that took place in Rangoon, Mandalay and Maymyo in 1946 and 1947. The defendants were charged with crimes against Western prisoners of war and civilians and with crimes against local people. The British Indian Army was also assisting the Burmese Administration by bringing back a semblance of governance in the war-torn country.

 

 

Towards the second half of 1946, The 1/16^th Punjab started to withdraw into Indian territory. The boys were coming home.

India – mid-1940s

The clamour for Independence in the Raj was slowly reaching a crescendo. The British never wanted to leave India, but after the end of the war, Britain was politically & financially exhausted, and overt pressure from the Americans was giving them no leeway. The US administration maintained an anti-colonial and anti-imperialistic policy and was not prepared to support the British colonial rule over India and the other dominions.

The three-man mission headed by Sir Stafford Cripps – the Cabinet Mission Plan of early 1946 – proposed a loose federation of a complicated tier system with the grouping of provinces based on Hindu and Muslim lines. The idea did not take traction amongst the stakeholders in India. In the end, the Viceroy Lord Wavell set up the plan for a cabinet with Nehru as the Interim Prime Minister. 

Jinnah was furious and ended up declaring 'Direct Action Day' on 16^th August 1946, to accede to his demands for a separate homeland for Muslims. This culminated in sparking communal riots and violence – mainly blamed on the Muslim League: The Great Calcutta Killing of 16^th-21^st Aug left some 4,000-5,000 (some estimates state even 15 to 20 thousand) people dead and a further 100,000 homeless. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the ruthless Chief Minister of Bengal and considered by many, to be the main instigator of the thugs who started the violence, was also responsible for initially holding back the police & military from interfering and even writing in a newspaper that "bloodshed and disorder are not necessarily evil in themselves if resorted to for a noble cause." The British administration swung into action on 21^st, deploying Army troops. Some weeks later, communal mayhem would play out at Naolakhi (now in Bangladesh) and in Tripura, where thousands of Hindus were said to be massacred – wild speculation, rumour mongering etc ended up with enraged Hindus and Sikhs in Bihar and elsewhere attacking Muslims in the region. Rather than the Indians confronting the British, the main Indian communities had turned against each other.  The schisms were opening up.

The 1/16^th Punjab was returning to India during these tumultuous times. With the communal troubles in the Bengal, they were diverted to Calcutta: by train from the railhead at Tinsukhia, to Guwahati and on to Calcutta. By then the situation had been brought under control; however, the British had a problem in their hands – many Regiments were made up of a mixture of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs – The Punjab Regiment being one of them – having Jats, Sikhs, Dogras and Muslims. There was widespread reluctance amongst the Army command to use these regiments in communally sensitive situations, as these could become divisive forces to create trouble amongst the soldiers in a racially mixed regiment.

As it was, the Red Fort Trials / Court Martials of three most prominent INA soldiers —Col. Prem Kumar Sehgal, Col. Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon and Maj. Gen. Shah Nawaz Khan caused considerable nationwide anger because INA soldiers were popularly seen as brave freedom fighters - that they were patriots and nationalists and should be given clemency. Regardless, the Naval (or Bombay) Mutiny of Feb 1946 (ultimately involving some 20,000 sailors in 78 ships and shore establishments all over India) as well as revolts in the army camps in Jabalpur, Madras and Poona, persuaded the British that they could no longer rely on the Indian armed forces to prop up the British Raj in India. Originally, the British Parliament had proposed June 1948 being decided as when the British would relinquish the colony. However, with the scaling up of troubles in the country, on June 4^th, 1947, the new Viceroy - Lord Louis Mountbatten announced that independence would be brought forward to August that year – a “last-minute” mechanism – presenting the various political parties with little alternative or time but to agree to the creation of two separate nations – with Pakistan’s Western & Eastern parts being separated by around 1700 km of Indian territory.

 

Meanwhile in Delhi, Bombay, Baroda & Chhota Udepur –

Anandrao (Dada) had been in Delhi since mid-1945, staying with his cousin Indu Sakharam (Gangolli) Rau (at 7, Queen’s Way in Govt. quarters), whilst Nalini and the children continued to reside at Deepak Bungalow in Bombay. [This (ground & 1^st floor) bungalow belonged to Asha & Suhrud Mehta – Asha was Baroda's ex Dewan Sir Manubhai Mehta’s granddaughter. The Mehtas lived on the upper floor]. Dada had applied to his Department head to be allocated family residential quarters in Delhi so that he could bring the family over, however owing to the chaotic post-war situation, the only available accommodation (I believe) was in tents!

KB Rao’s sister Vatsala, was married to Benegal Dinkar Rao (or BD – as he was popularly known) in 1945.  In early 1947, KB was posted in Delhi as Director, Purchase – India Stores Department.

In 1922, India Stores Department was established in India to arrange purchases for Government Civil Departments and Military Purchases. This department was the precursor of Purchase and Inspection Department which was reorganised as the Directorate General Supplies & Disposals (DGS&D) in its present form, to handle all government purchases centrally.

From Calcutta early 1947, the 1/16^th Punjab was briefly posted in Jalna, Maharashtra. Pani (reverted back to Captain) finally managed to get leave and proceeded to Bombay. He was going home after four long, dangerous and adventurous years.

KNP had finally retired in Jan 1947 at the age of 65, after serving for six & a half years as Naib Dewan (Revenue Member) of Chhota Udepur State.  During his tenure there, the gross revenue collection of the state had gone up from Rs 13 lakhs in 1941 to Rs 23.5 lakhs when KNP retired. Whilst he was at Ch.U., KNP also appears to have completed his LLB – not a bad achievement for a man in his 60’s! Before that, he had worked for Baroda's Gaekwar for 33 years.

KNP and Sunderben had retired to the big house in Baroda. When Pani got his leave in Feb 1947, they too went to Bombay for the return of the prodigal. Around the same time, Dada – in Feb 1947 applied for and was given leave as Nalini was expecting their 5th child – Rekha – the first one to be born in Bombay.

So finally, the Panemanglor siblings were reunited along with their father.

Panemanglors - 1947

 A few days after the reunion, Pani accompanied KNP & Sunderben to Baroda, where he stowed his trunks etc, before rejoining his battalion.

Dada meanwhile, had put in his papers since he wanted to work in Bombay and be with Nalini and the children. For Nalini, it was difficult to handle all the kids by herself, although during that period KNP had arranged for two tribal teenagers Gulab and Shanti from Chhota Udepur to help Nalini in the house. Once released from Government service in April 1947, Dada joined The Bombay Metal & Alloys Manufacturing Co. (Private) Ltd. – the very first metallurgical casting company in India, set up by a German Jew, Gerhard L. Gabriel in the year 1945. Gabriel had arrived in India in 1929 when he was just 21 years old. A dealer in exporting scrap metals for a Frankfurt based company, he went on to establish GG Brand Valves and later The Bombay Metals.

Kamli & Vivek joined KB in Delhi mid-1947. KB had been allotted an apartment in the exclusive Sujan Singh Park enclave.

Soon after the cessation of the WWII, once the "dust had settled" as it were, the Indian Government started disbanding a number of battalions – especially those that had been raised during the War years. Sustaining an army is expensive, and the downsizing was to be brought to pre-war levels.

Once the date for Independence had been confirmed for mid-Aug, the Division of Assets Agreement was that 2/3^rd of the Tri-Services, their assets etc., would remain with India and 1/3^rd would go to Pakistan. At Jalna, the 1/16^th Punjab started north heading for Lahore. The Jats, Sikhs and Dogras (along with Muslims ranks wishing to stay back in partitioned India) were to be demobbed at a waystation in Eastern Punjab, whilst the Muslim ranks (along with some Sikh jawans who lived in West Punjab) would carry on to Lahore. Pani accompanied the battalion to Lahore, where he along with some other officers were given the task of ensuring the assets were properly divided. By July however, the situation in Punjab was getting a little serious, and Pani along with other officers returned to Delhi. Here he was informed that with the disbanding of the Punjab Regiment, he was being temporarily re-assigned to the Brigade HQ at Secunderabad.

In Secunderabad, Pani met a Major Lalitkumar S. Naidu (LSN) who was in the Royal Indian Army Supply Corps (RIASC). LSN had joined the Army from the Jail Deptt in 1942 and served with RIASC in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Iraq during the war.

LSN was married to a Bhanap from Pune – Shanta nee Tonse. Upon finding out that Pani was a Bhanap, he became a point of interest for Shanta Naidu (then expecting their first child). Matchmaking moves got underway...

Inceptum: Freedom at midnight – mid-Aug 1947

On Independence Day, Pani, Shanta & LSN were in Hyderabad/Secunderabad, Dada, Nalini and family - in Bombay and KNP & Sundarben - in Baroda whilst KB, Kamli & Vivek were in Delhi.

Elsewhere... The Indian Independence Act of 1947 gave the Princely States (PS) an option to accede to the new dominions of India or Pakistan (or continue as independent sovereign states once the Paramountcy of the Crown lapsed). In the last week July, Lord Mountbatten addressed the Chamber of Princes summarizing the terms of the Instrument of Accession (IoA) which would enable each of the PS to join either India or Pakistan. From mid-1947, over the next many months, furious lobbying took place and by mid-Aug, the majority of the PS had already signed the IoA. There were exceptions, however: Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Travancore, Junagadh, Kashmir and a handful of small principalities either wanted independence or to join Pakistan, even though their states were not congruent to that nation. That’s another piece of history, and will not be discussed further on this forum.

India celebrated Independence on August 15^th, whereas Pakistan did so the previous day. The Boundary Commission (relying on out-of-date maps and census materials and led by British Judge Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who had never visited India before) set up the new borders, which split the key provinces of the Punjab and Bengal in two. Mountbatten announced & shared the new carved out nations only two days after Independence on 16^th Aug.

No one had conceived that there would be such vast population transfers due to the Partition. This major upheaval triggered riots, mass casualties, and a colossal wave of migration. Partition was the largest mass displacement in human history – starting in the 3^rd week of July 1947 and extending well into the new year of 1948.  Millions of Muslims heading towards Pakistan whilst Hindus and Sikhs in the direction of India. As many as 14-16 million people are estimated to have been displaced, travelling in miles-long caravans on foot, in bullock carts and by special refugee trains, and subjected to massacres, rape, pillaging & plundering.  Wanton torture & bloodshed was carried out against members of the other communities. Post partition, estimates of anything from 7 Lakhs to 2 million are supposed to have died in the sectarian violence, killed sometimes by their own families (to save them from rape or worse), as well as by the contagious diseases which swept through refugee camps. The situation was especially dangerous in Punjab, where weapons and demobilised soldiers were plentiful. The violence finally petered out in September with the two governments stepping in. The deep wounds of this fratricidal tragedy would fester for tens of decades to come, and even today, both India and Pakistan still remain crippled by the faded memories built around the tumultuous period and circumstances of Partition.

To compound issues further, as it was, the new Dominions were in major flux: besides the huge refugees influx into the Indian side, there was the integration of over 500 princely states to form a cohesive nation and the defining of the states into various provinces and administrative divisions. Then in Oct 1947, tribal Pashtun lashkars from NWFP were pushed into Kashmir, which precipitated with Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K signing the Instrument of Accession to India and so started the 1^st Indo-Pak War – the conflict lasting practically till the end of 1948.

Meanwhile, Shanta Naidu had gone to her maternal home in Poona for the delivery of her first child. Milan was born in Dec 1947. It does appear that the matchmaking plans for Shanta’s younger sister Mira had taken root.

Shanta & Mira’s eldest brother – Tonse Ramanand Rao – a Meteorological Officer with the Royal Indian Airforce, was posted in Delhi early Jan 1948. Mira went along with Ramanand and his wife Muktabai, to help them settle down in Delhi at the Pandara Road Airforce quarters. The matchmaking relations had swung into action, and I understand Kamli had been approached for matching horoscopes etc for her younger brother. She and her cousin Indu Gangoli Rau went to Pandara Road on 29^th January to see the prospective girl.

Mira – 20^th Jan 1948. Photo by Tarleja Bros, Queensway, Delhi / Bal & Mira with Kamli – 1^st Meeting Delhi – 2^nd Feb 1948

I believe Kamli was enamoured with Mira, who was an ebullient youngster, not yet 19. Kamli had made up her mind and shortly thereafter sent telegrams to Pani/Bal in Secunderabad, and Dada in Bombay to come at the earliest, to Delhi.

And the very next day – Mohan Karamchand Gandhi – Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a member of Hindu Mahasabha. Gandhiji's last words apparently were – "Hey Ram, Hey Ram". The subsequent events, the reasons behind the assassination etc will not be covered here.

 

Bal and Dada arrived in Delhi on 2^nd Feb, when the young couple were introduced to one another.  Everything went off very well and all arrangements were made at fairly short notice. The wedding took place at Bombay on 30^th April 1948 at a wedding hall near Hughes Road at Gamdevi. Practically all the relations from the Panemanglor and Tonse clans were present. Dwarkanath and his wife had come from Baroda. The Tonses were a large family – 6 brothers and 5 sisters – a veritable hockey team, although a couple of the siblings had passed on in their infancy.

Mira’s father – Tonse Mangesh Rao, B.A., L.T., (A Science teacher in Biology, Chemistry, Physics), he was among the great scholars and writers from the coastal region of Karnataka and the contemporary of famous literature writers like Panje Mangesh Rao and Ullal Mangesh Rao – the 3 Mangeshes - "ToMaRa, PaMaRa & UMaRa" of Mangalore who had made names for themselves in the early twentieth century . T. Mangesh Rao had become very popular in the academic field owing to his accomplished science books for children & students that he had published through Mangalore Science Readers series of books by Basel Mission. These were way ahead of their times if one were to go through them even today. He was also a student of photography, loved to introduce new technological devices in the Government Teacher’s College where he ultimately became Head Master, was very fond of drama and music – a multifaceted personality. Unfortunately, T.M. Rao passed away in 1940 and wasn't present for his youngest daughter's marriage.

The young couple stayed on in Bombay for another week, then proceeded with the senior Panemanglors to Baroda, where Pani had to pick up his baggage and then they were to go on to Kamptee (the Army Cantonment outside Nagpur), where Pani had been posted as Staff Captain. That is when Mira saw the Big house during her first and only visit whilst KNP was alive. She faintly remembers the bungalow being very large – there were 4-5 rooms on the ground floor and 3-4 bedrooms on the 1^st floor – although she recalls that mostly all the rooms on top were kept closed since only KNP and Sunderben now lived there. The horse carriage and the Chrysler Convertible were still there and she remembers the new Patidar Boys Hostel (presently the C K Bhagat Patidar Chhatralay?**)that had come up in the portion of the property that KNP had sold three years earlier. For Mira, this was a surreal, whirlwind trip; they met and were invited by many of the family friends and relations, and they called on Maharani Shanta Devi to pay their respects and get her blessings.

** If this is the same original boy's hostel built in 1946-47, then it would mean that KNP's old property is now intersected by a road – Prof. Manekrao Road that passes Khanderao Market; however, on the other hand, possibly the original hostel was demolished and the present  C K Bhagat Patidar Chhatralay was built across Prof Manekrao Road much later. (cn)

Soon after, KB Rao was posted to London as Director, India Stores Department (ISD), where he coordinated purchases for the Indian Government. Kamli and Vivek followed KB by steamer in the spring of 1949. 

The family would remain in London till 1955. KB returned to India as Director General, ISD. Vivek stayed back in the UK, to complete his schooling, and subsequently, his degree in Chemical Engineering.

From (our right): KB, Kamli, Vivek, Vatsala, (father) Dr. K. Gopal Rao and Benegal Dinkar Rao - London 1949-50

 

Pani’s stint in Kamptee was for only 2 months; he was transferred to Bombay in July 1948, where they would put up in the Brady Flats, Colaba, for one year. These were large, spacious apartments, which became a magnet for various relations who would descend on the young couple for lengthy visits that would extend into many weeks; initially a novelty, these visits soon became events to dread. It finally reached the stage that after eleven months in Bombay, Pani had to request the Brigade Commander to be transferred out of Bombay, since his finances were taking a real hit! Finally, in around July 1949, Pani joined his newly assigned Regiment – the 1st Sikh Light Infantry, then posted in Ferozepur.

Post Independence, the reorganization of the Army Regiments was still underway. The complete demobilization of the army after the war still not concluded. The Hyderabad situation had become serious & the “Police Action” – Operation Polo – had the Indian Army intervene in September 1948, finally lead to Hyderabad being annexed to the Indian Dominion, with a bloody aftermath. Major L.S. Naidu (LSN) was DA A & QMG of the Brigade which took part in the Hyderabad Police Action. After this, LSN was demobilised and reverted to his original cadre with the Prisons Department in Central Provinces.

KNP’s health had started becoming indifferent. In mid-1949, Sunderben prevailed upon him to sell the rest of the property, and they purchased a smaller, more modest house. KNP purchased properties for Dwarkanath & other retainers in the Navapura area closeby.

The same Patidars bought the rest of the property and the Big House. Subsequently, they would build Krishna Talkies in the early 1950s – named after KNP? Who knows... The old cinema hall still stands and the grounds have now been converted to a Marriage & Party Hall.  I believe there are some 7 housing societies and a commercial complex in KNP's original property. The financial settlement between KNP & the Patidars must have been substantial.

KNP was never the same after the sale of the property. According to family reports, KNP hardly spoke in the remaining years of his life. He and Sunderben started spending more and more time at Deepak Bungalow. He passed away from a heart attack on the morning of 17^th July 1951 whilst visiting Dada and family. Pani was on leave at the time and also present there. Mira was by the bedside, and she says that his passing away was peaceful but sudden. KNP was 69 years old at the time.

 

 

The last group photograph I have of KNP - in 1949, when Pani was posted in Bombay

 

Vale / Epilogue

Unfortunately, from the very beginning, Sunderben could never properly reconcile with her step-children. They had a very unflattering name for her, justified to a certain extent.  For whatever reasons, KNP willed his entire possessions to his wife, and there were just token pittances for his children. Obviously, there was a sense of bitterness amongst the offsprings for being cut off from their inheritance. Worst still, a fair number of family heirlooms were not handed down to them. Sunderben essentially kept the money to herself and spent it, amongst others, on a tour of Europe in 1952 where she went with some friends of hers. She visited London during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation when she stayed at Kamli’s place for some days. After KNP's passing, she never stayed at Dada's place.

Between 1953 and 1958, Sunderben stayed for several months at a time, with Pani & Mira: in Srinagar, Jamnagar, Mhow & lastly Amritsar. 

After 1958, she spent considerable time in Indore where she had some relations and was also being treated for a number of ailments by a Dr Solanki (cn). This person and his wife befriended her and appear to have made Sunderben dependent on them. From all accounts, she spent a large amount of money in Indore, where this doctor is supposed to have benefitted to a large extent; supposedly, a Scholarship Trust in the name of Capt. KNP was set up in the Medical College in Indore, but all searches on the net have been in vain.

 Early 1960s, Sunderben was living in Nadiad (a town located between Ahmedabad and Vadodara), apparently staying with other relations, when Pani received a telegram asking him come there; this was in 1963, when Pani had just become the Commandant of 1st Sikh LI at Ferozepur. After getting emergency leave, Pani reached Nadiad - only to find the lady had passed away that very morning! I recall him describing the pathetic conditions Sunderben had been put up by her relations - in a small cell like room - barely 8 x 4 or similar. A wretched and lonely ending. She had left a sealed letter for Pani, where she had made a will, bequeathing some family heirlooms and some money to Pani. This turned out to be a nightmare for him, since her remaining property was in this Dr. Solanki's possession. Filing a court case, which lasted nearly 10 years, Pani finally won the settlement, where he got some family deities, a brass handcrafted home pooja mandir, and some knick knacks. The only money he received was less than ten thousand Rupees, which defrayed his costs in hiring a lawyer etc...

But celebrating KNP's life and times - searching on the net a couple of months ago, I came across a clipping from 1915 from The Bombay Chronicle - which sort of sums up what the young KNP was, and how he got to be so close to Sayajirao Gaekwar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this my dear readers, is the story of this Enigmatic Gentleman from Baroda.