Embedded Files
We showcased "Chronicles of the Indian Princely States" from the library collection of Pattani Archives as a part of the larger exhibition "Stories of Archiving in India" curated by Curating for Culture. It was very gratifying to be invited and participate in this national event organised by the Union Ministry of Culture. An amazing opportunity to network with diverse professionals from across the country and learn about unique initiatives across the country towards preservation of culture and heritage. The festival was inaugurated by the President of India, the wonderful exhibit was set up by Curating for Culture and Trishla Doshi(also the designer of the creatives)with help of the organising team.
The Story
The Story
The early twentieth century was a tumultuous period in history. With two world wars; and the ongoing freedom struggle in India, different alternatives for post-colonial India were being imagined. Amidst this, the Princely States were unsure of their future within the subcontinent; regarding their power and administration.
During this time, a monthly journal was published by Jayantilal Morarji Mehta from Nadiad, Gujarat, offering a glimpse into the concerns and conversations amongst the Princely states. It was called ‘Deshi Rajya’ - The Only Monthly discussing questions pertaining to Indian States from a Constructive Point of View'.The journal was largely published in Gujarati bringing different voices and perspectives from the region of Kathiawar. It was consistently published for nearly twenty years.
Sir Prabhashashankar Pattani was one of the voices that contributed to this magazine. As a former diwan of the princely state and head of the minority administration in Bhavnagar, his insights were considered paramount. Sir Pattani’s private library(now part of the Pattani Archives collection) holds several volumes published by this vernacular journal.
These journals are extensively studied by Dr Tana Trivedi, lecturer at the Amrut Mody School of Management and our academic advisor. Fascinated by the regional historical narratives, she did her postdoctoral fellowship researching the princely states of Kathiawar. Her project was titled “The Counterfactual Republic: Towards revisiting the “Deshi Rajyas” of Kathiawad''.
Vernacular journals such as these are often forgotten in larger historical narratives and they offer a rare glimpse into not just the political discussions, but also into the history and geography of different parts of a nation.
About the library Collection:
About the library Collection:
The Pattani Archives Project was founded on a repository of nearly one lac papers, books, photographs, artworks, textiles, vinyl records, paintings, and furniture; collected by the Pattani family over the years. Sir Pattani’s private collection is a part of the archive. The collection houses over six thousand books in eight languages, with a wide selection of subjects and titles. Sir Pattani was a man of many interests; apart from being a diwan to an erstwhile princely state of Bhavnagar; and a council member, he was also a poet and an avid reader. These books reflect his diverse interests, wit and vivid personality.
The library offers a range of subjects such as politics, history, religion, literature, medicine, science, law, philosophy and others. One can find holy texts and scriptures, and books on and about war, but also contemporary literature from his time like G. B. Shaw, and H.G. Wells as well as classics in Sanskrit by Kalidasa and King Harsha and in English such as Eliot, Austen, Dickens etc There are scientific journals, encyclopaedias, periodicals and travelogues, numerous translations from and to regional languages.
This century-old library had its system devised with furniture specially designed for organising and storing books, like drawers designed to hold index cards for cataloguing. Most books have a stamp - 'Prabhashankar dalpatramno khangi sanghrah' and a sticker on the books noting the same. Many books have underlined and annotated paragraphs by Sir Pattani with his thoughts scribbled in the margins.
It has been an active agenda by the archive to restore these books and give them proper care through preservation and keep them in their original form. The archive aims to invite more scholars and researchers and bring out forgotten and undocumented regional histories and include them as a part of larger historical narratives.
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