Expose I

11/11: Deshi Rajya

The early twentieth century offered multiple possibilities of imagining a post-colonial India, and all the Princely States of India were evidently concerned about their own future within a larger republic. It was almost impossible to arrive at a clear political framework due to several voices offering their renditions of an imagined nation. On one hand the Indian National Congress was creating their own charter of an independent nation and on the other, the Chamber of Princes met and discussed several possibilities of their administrative and political powers that could be consolidated into different levels of federal governance.

One such source from Gujarat that offers a detailed glimpse into the discussions that took place amongst the “deshi rajyas'' or the Indian States is a monthly journal titled “Deshi Rajya: The Only Monthly discussing questions pertaining to Indian States from a Constructive Point of View”. A monthly magazine published by Jayantilal Morarji Mehta from Nadiad, Gujarat, this magazine was written largely Gujarati, with an occasional piece written in English. Consistently published for about twenty years between 1925-1945, this monthly captured a plethora of voices from the Princely States of Saurashtra/Kathiawad. While the contributions to the magazine were not limited to Kathiawad region, most of the writing emerged from Gujarati speaking states of the Western Indian subcontinent. For a bi-lingual scholar like me, it is a very exciting archival source from the Pattani library that offers a rich glimpse into not just the political discussions, but also into the history and geography of different parts of Gujarat.

-Tana Trivedi

10/11: The Round Table Conference

Three Round Table Conferences were held between November 1930 and December 1932, largely to discuss the future of the Indian constitutional structure. It is well documented that Sir Pattani had persuaded a very reluctant Gandhiji to participate in the second Conference after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact of 1931 . One of his correspondence with Anantrai Pattani (Bhavnagar) during the Conference chronicles his admiration for Gandhi, where he says, “Gandhiji has already begun making very good impressions. He combines such courtesy and boldness that he astonishes whomever he meets…”. In another note, he mentions the rising communal tensions that Gandhiji was trying to mitigate, and the discomfort of the princely states in arriving at a mutually agreeable political framework. The Round Table Conferences are significant in chronicling the creation of the Indian constitutional framework, and in accelerating the freedom movement. The correspondences found in the archives are akin to real-time minutes of the Conference proceedings, which also reveal the position of Sir Pattani within the larger political discourse of that time.

-Tana Trivedi

9/11: Automobiling India

An article titled “Automobile Industry in India” published by Current Science in October 1940, chronicles the efforts made by Sir M Visvesvaraya to set up an automobile manufacturing plant in India . A report prepared after extensive research and travel to various factories in Europe and America, was received very positively by the promoters, but was rejected by the government of Bombay. A letter dated 14th of April 1941 from Diwan Anantrai Pattani to the Maharaja of Morvi mentions a request made by the Automobile Manufacturing Company to the Mysore government requesting an investment of 50 lakhs, with a guarantee of 3 percent interest to shareholders (but not to be given to the Company agents) for ten years. Had the state of Mysore agreed to these requests, even Bhavnagar would have contributed 15 lakhs to the Automobile Company for setting up their plant in India. While one of the letters mentions World War II as a reason for rejecting the proposal, the article quotes “The tragic events of the War which have placed the Empire in a critical situation are attributable to the entire lack of scientific thought and scientific mode of approach and solution of national problems”. The archives open doors to such interesting conversations.

Ref: AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY IN INDIA. (1940). Current Science, 9(10), 445–448. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24208639

-Tana Trivedi

8/11: Budget conversations

Correspondence between Sir Prabhashankar Pattani and Mirza Ismail, the diwan of Mysore, dated 22nd June, 1931, is an insightful document that reveals the eagerness of a young diwan to discuss the annual state budget in terms of productive capital works (the Irwin Canal and the New Bangalore Water Supply Project), sinking funds, public debt, and state investments with a seasoned, progressive statesman, who had, around the same time proposed the famous debt redemption scheme of Bhavnagar. Sir Pattani, in his reply to Mirza Ismail, clearly states his distrust towards “the new ideas regarding finance that have travelled to India from the West”. Referring to the Western policy of National debts, he says, “They (West) believe in National Debts, or what I call “mortgaging future generations”. They first start borrowing on the plea of productive works. Imaginary pictures of a golden future easily bring forth funds...and what used to be demanded for productive work comes gradually to be used for the purposes of administration.” Sir Pattani then goes on to explain the need for a balanced budget and building reserve funds, giving an example of the railway reserve fund utilised for building railway lines.

As a professor of Business History, I find these archival conversations extremely interesting, nation-building narratives that emanated from the princely states, with considerable scope for indepth research.

-Tana Trivedi

7/11: Bhavnagar, et. al

The correspondences contained in the archives reveal some very interesting aspects of the relationship between the state of Bhavnagar with both- the other states of Kathiawad, and the other princely states of the Indian subcontinent, especially in the early 20th century. For instance, while Sir Pattani, in 1921, wrote to the dewan of Baroda state recommending a student for scholarship, in 1931 the Maharaja of Toda, wrote to Sir Pattani, lauding him for his efforts at uplifting the populace, and in the same year, the Maharaja of Bikaner corresponded with Sir Pattani regarding the Gang canal constructed in 1927. In yet another 1931 correspondence, the Maharaja of Kolhapur expressed his regret at being unable to attend the wedding of the Maharaja of Bhavnagar. In a very interesting letter, the Diwan of Mysore, Mirza Ismail, successor of Sir M Visvesvaraya, shared the detailed budget for 1932 as approved by the Mysore Legislative Council, prompting a detailed discussion with Sir Pattani around economics and economy. A study of the association that the princely states shared, sheds significant light on the political ethos of pre-independent India.

-Tana Trivedi

6/11: The Pattanis and the Sarabhais

A series of correspondence between Saraladevi / Saralaben Sarabhai and Anantrai Pattani, discussing varied topics ranging from procurement of milch cows, to hiring an English and Sanskrit tutor for Gita and Gira Sarabhai aged 21 and 19 respectively, to more serious topics such as seeking support for data collection for the National Planning Commission’s 1939 report on the role and position of women in a planned economy, the archives provide a glimpse into both- personal and formal conversations of that time and age. The Bombay Harijan Act passed on 12th September 1946, a Bill for the removal of the social disabilities of the Harijans, was supported by Saraladevi, who wrote to the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, seeking his support. In another instance, Leenaben Sarabhai wrote to Anantrai Pattani seeking advice on educational reforms proposed by Madam Montessori, projecting her views on the existing colonial methods of education. Between “Retreat” and Bhavnagar, this steady flow of interaction sheds light on the progressive thoughts of both- the Diwan and the Sarabhais, both preparing to build a free India.

-Tana Trivedi

5/11: The Kathiawad Conference of 1925

In 1925, Gandhiji, while addressing the Kathiawad Conference at Bhavnagar, emphasised the need for abolishing untouchability and practising non-violence as essential to nation building. The permission to hold his conference was granted by Sir Prabhashankar Pattani, who was accountable to both- the minority administration, and to Charles Cunningham Watson, the Chief Agent to the Governor General and Resident, Western States. In a series of correspondence that takes place between Sir Pattani and CC Watson, it becomes evident that CC Watson did not want Sir Pattani to grant Gandhiji the permission to hold a conference in Bhavnagar. Sir Pattani, however, took an independent decision to grant the permission to his old friend, Gandhi, while assuring the British government that no political discussions would take place during the course of the conference. It was a bold decision that he had taken, considering that the Maharaja was still a young boy, and that any political disruption would threaten his position.

-Tana Trivedi

4/11: The Three Princes

The Three Kumars in England

One of the outcomes of the British Raj was the propagation of the English education system. English tutors and nannies were appointed to train the Indian princes (kumars) in English etiquettes, so that they grow to become rulers faithful to the crown, and remain loyal to the Indian traditions. The three kumars from the royal family of Bhavnagar were sent to Harrow, England for their early education. The archives contain several correspondences between Sir Pattani, the princes and their tutors, where Sir Pattani expresses his anxiety about the kumars losing touch with their culture and traditions, while acknowledging the need for discipline and etiquette. These letters shed light on a very important but insufficiently researched topic of the education of the Indian princes.

-Tana Trivedi

3/11: The Hunting Party

A 14-page sketch of Maharaja Bhavsinghji of Bhavnagar, penned by Colonel Zorawar Singh, Commandant of the Bhavnagar Imperial Service Lancers is an animated account of the hunting prowess of the maharaja, and his numerous interests related to animal taming, breeding, and training. Besides several hunting expeditions, bringing to life the spirit and thrill of hunting, there are two significant points that emerge from this archival paper: 1) hunting expeditions were a means for the maharaja to interact with the ordinary subjects who accompanied him for the kill, and know about the “zoolam” inflicted by the officers and 2) the maharaja’s sportsmanship was a measure of his chivalry, bravery, worth and standing as a ruler.

-Tana Trivedi

2/11: The Poet and the Diwan

While being a state administrator, Sir Pattani was also a man of letters. At the turn of the 20th century when the Indian subcontinent was undergoing several historical transformations, Sir Pattani’s reflections, anchored on his experiences in the office, expressed his philosophy of life and living. The open window on the cover page of his collection “Mitra” is symbolic of his inclusive and benevolent outlook towards the community and its welfare. Chancing upon Sir Pattani’s handwritten poetry while opening the archives felt like an unexpected visual and sensory treat that suddenly transported me to a different time and place.

- Tana Trivedi.

1/11: Conversation to Conservation

I trace my association with the Pattani Archives way back to 2019, when Avni Pattani approached me with a request to translate some of Sir Pattani’s works from Gujarati to English. What began as a series of discussions about translations, eventually culminated into a full-blown family archives project, with a passion and robustness that extended beyond our imagination or even estimation. It has been an interesting, illuminating journey of experiencing history through the family archives, revealing myriad stories about the family, state, and the nation. These archives shed significant light into the political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of the princely states of Kathiawad-Saurashtra.

-Tana Trivedi.

Expose with Dr. Tana Trivedi

For our first collaboration on the Expose Series we have invited Dr. Tana Trivedi who is already associated with us in the capacity of an academic advisor. And hence we thought why not start at home.

In the image is a short description of her profile and here is her detailed bio : https://ahduni.edu.in/academics/schools-centres/amrut-mody-school-of-management/faculty/tana-trivedi/