Remembering nationalist ruler

Col J P Singh, Retd
Maharaja Hari Singh was born on 23 September 1895 in Amar Mahal, Jammu. He started his reign on 25th February 1925 with the following declaration, “although I am born Hindu, as a ruler I possesses no religion; justice will be my religion” He further stated, “in the happiness of my subjects lie my happiness, in their welfare my welfare, whatever pleases me, I shall not consider it good but whatever makes my subjects happy, I shall consider that to be good.” With this secular and prudent pledges as foundation of his rule, he stands out far above the other rulers in British India. He lived by his pledges not during his rule alone but throughout his life. Seeing the prevalence of discrimination, injustice and  recurrences of communal clashes frequently, one wonders why those who sought the state from him did not inherit his pledges.
While the state is coming out of the floods ravages, Maharaja’s handling of 1928 floods in the valley is being remembered through the social media. A British lady Journalist has narrated one such incident in her book. While she was staying in a Hotel in Lal Chowk, on an illfated night she heard panic and rushed out with others to learn that Jhelum embankment had broken. She saw Maharaja’s convoy rushing to the breach site. After sometime she accompanied others and saw the ruler directing the blockade. When a British officer shouted on the ruler to leave the site lest he is drowned the Maharaja said, “if Kashmir is saved let me be drowned.  If I live and the valley is swept, whom shall I rule”? The breach was plugged. Maharaja did not leave the breach site till the morning. That was his loyalty to his subject perhaps because he had no one to seek help from or blame to.
When India got independence, Hari Singh was the ruler of  J&K. On 4th June 1947, Lord Mountbatten addressed the question of 562 princely states and stated, “The treaty relations between Great Britain and the Indian States would come to an end, and on 15 August 1947 the suzerainty of the British Crown would lapse. Consequently the princely states would assume independent status. They would be free to choose to accede to one or the other of the new dominions”. Jammu and Kashmir, on account of 77% Muslim population and  cultural and commercial links with West Punjab, (now Pakistan), was expected to accede to Pakistan. It however was contiguous to both India and Pakistan. Had the logic and parameters of partition been logically applied, rather than the decision of accession left to the discretion of the ruler, J&K would have been given to Pakistan by the Radcliffe Commission on the basis of religion as was done in case of Lahore. Although there was much in favour of accession to Pakistan, Maharaja thought over it for a while. On 15 August 1947, as the borders between the two dominions were being drawn, communal riots had spread and waves of refugees were pouring in J&K aghastly. It was not so easy to take a decision one way or the other. It is said that to begin with he was harbouring an idea of remaining independent. But the taste of pudding is in eating. Today J&K is in India because of him.  Not only that, it is politically a special  and economically a pampered state of the Indian Union because of the decision that Maharaja  finally made in favour of India.  On his 119th birth anniversary today, His late Highness deserves to be remembered for what he did for his subjects and for making  us Indians at a crucial period when the history of the subcontinent was being written in blood. It is hoped that apart from this anniversary’s great celebrations at Tawi Bridge and Samba, Jammu will celebrate it as faithfully as the Keralites celebrate Onam in the loving memory of their benevolent King, Mahabali.
Hari Singh’s rule witnessed lot of political upheavals. From 1931 onwards his rule faced Kashmiri insurrection. On 20 May 1947, Maharaja arrested Sheikh Abdullah. Hearing this Pt Nehru announced his visit to Kashmir. Maharaja banned his entry but Nehru defied the ban. He was arrested at Kohala Bridge. His arrest was the turning point in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. Pt Nehru was the future Prime Minister of India. Instead of welcoming him warmly and seeking his cooperation in resolving problems with Sheikh, he was arrested and made enemy for no alarming reason. It seems ironical that a visionary ruler as Hari Singh was, and in many ways democratic and progressive, could not see the writing on the wall. He grievously misjudged the political situation in the country as well as political storm in his state. It is from then on that the dye was cast and an ironical erosion of Dogra empire commenced. It was just a matter of time before the storm struck and the edifice collapsed. Nature decides the life and longevity of each species on earth. Maharaja’s empire could not be an exception.
Being an effective ruler is one thing, coping with once-in-the-millennium historical phenomenon is another. At the time of partition there were four major forces at work in the subcontinent. Unfortunately Maharaja was inimical with each one of them. First were the British. They had decided to transfer the power after dividing India. Still Maharaja was suspect of their handing over power.  He never trusted them. He did not allow ‘Union Jack’ to fly over govt buildings as was the practice before. Being nationalist, he did not strike any surreptitious deal with them. Second was Indian National Congress. It was sweeping the subcontinent with freedom movement. Maharaja was not in good terms with the political party, mainly because of Pt Nehru’s anti feudalism and close association with Sheikh Abdullah, his arch political rival. The third force was Muslim League. It was led by Mohd Ali Jinnah. Despite the fact that Jinnah was anti Sheikh which Hari Singh could have exploited, but he could not digest Jinnah’s aggressive communal and divisive agenda. He spurned all the offers made by Jinnah thereby annoying him. Finally it was ‘National Conference’, the main political force within the state. It was led by Sheikh Abdullah. Maharaja feared it to be the main threat to the Dogra rule. He therefore did not trust and tolerate Sheikh Abdullah. The net outcome was that when the crucial time came, all the four forces were jointly arrayed against him. Thus at the time of reckoning, he stood alone and helpless. The edifice of Dogra Empire built so painstakingly by his predecessors, started collapsing brick by brick and finally fell on 15 November 1952, when Yuvraj Karan Singh, the Regent and the inheritor of the empire himself abolished monarchy in J&K.
Despite all the above, his rule has been described as ‘remarkably glorious’ by British and Indian historians including K M Panniker. He will be remembered for the reforms he undertook. He constituted a Praja Sabha of elected and nominated members in 1934 and appointed four of the elected members as Ministers thereby putting the state on the path of democracy. He made primary education compulsory and opened new schools and colleges. He banned infanticide, child marriage, Sati and Shahukari. He enacted a ‘State Subjects Act’ in 1927. The significance of this Act was  highlighted by Mufti Mohd Sayeed, former Chief Minister of J&K. In PDP convention on 22 April 2012, Mufti said “it was Maharaja Hari Singh who introduced the state subject and duel citizenship law when people from Punjab were out to garb the land in J&K”. High Court of J&K is his gift though only known to the legal fraternity. He abolished untouchablity and opened all the places of worship and drinking water for the schedule castes.  In 1932, he constructed Bridges on Tawi and Chenab. He opened hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar. He used to pay Rs. Five Lac yearly to King George Medical College Lahore for five MBBS seats for the state. He laid the foundation of Radio Kashmir Jammu on 31 December 1947.  His reign was an era of welfare and reforms while the rulers of rest of India were by and large involved in pleasing colonial masters and enjoying luxurious lives.
His Highness breathed his last on 26 April 1961 with acclamation for being ‘The Last Ruling King of Independent India’ since he continued to be Maharaja till 15th  November 1952 while all other rulers had ceased to be Kings by 1949.

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