Col J P Singh, Retd
Maharaja Hari Singh was born on 23 September 1895. Today on his 117th birth anniversary, he deserves to be adored for his nationalism and pledges he made to his subjects on becoming the ruler. He ascended to the throne of Jammu and Kashmir on 25th February 1925. His coronation was attended by large number of Maharajas, Nawabs, Rajas, Nobles and British lords besides Rajas, Amirs, Jagirdars, Sultans and landlords from Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Hunza and Nagar. Dignitaries from Tibet and Nepal also attended the ceremony which was witnessed by thousands of people from own and neighboring countries and states.
His first declaration was, “although I am born Hindu, as a ruler I possesses no religion; justice will be my religion” and continued “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.” He lived by it till he abdicated his throne in favour of Yuvraj Karan Singh.
India got independence on 15 August 1947. J&K was contiguous to both India and Pakistan. Had the logic of partition been applied correctly, the state would have been awarded to Pakistan by the Radcliffe Commission on the basis of religion of its subjects as was done in case of Lahore. But Maharaja Hari Singh, the then ruler, exercising his right of discretion, acceded his princely state to the Indian Union on 26 October 1947. Although there was much in favour of accession to Pakistan because in addition to religious affinity, Jinnah’s appeal and assurances, Pt Nehru’s tantrums; all the means of communications with outside world passed through newly carved Pakistan. Despite all that he preferred democratic India over theocratic Pakistan because he himself, Sheikh Abdullah, a popular Kashmiri leader, and his subjects wanted to throw their lot with the Indian Union. He felt that politically and economically Jammu and Kashmir will be better placed in a federal and secular India. Today we are politically a special and privileged state, economically prosperous and above all proud Indians because of Maharaja Hari Singh for which he deserved to be adored. Would J&K be as privileged in Pakistan had Maharaja opted otherwise?
On 9 June 1949, He appointed Yuvraj Karan Singh as regent of the state and handed over his executive power to Sheikh Mohd Abdullah. Thereafter he left his state, never to return. He did this in the best interest of his subjects, as per his pledges, because his subjects from the Valley wanted Sheikh Sahib to head the state whereas Sheikh Sahib wanted Maharaja out of the scene in the new democratic set up. Govt of India took over the full control of J&K in 1952 thus ending 106 years hereditary Dogra Rule. He remained forgotten and forsaken till the recent past when an elegant statue of Maharaja Hari Singh was installed infront of Hindu and Muslim shrines on the Tawi Bridge on 1st April 2012. Dogras now feel proud and elated. It is indeed a dream come true for the people of Jammu in the real sense. This event pleasantly made a ruler suddenly alive who had virtually disappeared from the arena of public and political debate from Indian mind despite the fact that J&K continued to be an issue of international intrigue. While we rejoice the recognition, we can’t ignore looking back to see why such token of gratitude was after all denied to the benevolent ruler who led the state through the turbulent periods of history, as ironically as, a three yards burial place was denied to Sultan Bahadur Shah Zaffar, the last Mughal ruler of India in his own capital city. History bears strange corollaries. Without going deep into personal, political and religious rivalries associated with him and Sheikh Abdullah, one can say that things happen as they are destined and are nature driven rather than human. The injustice in this case was also perhaps one such thing even though it is known to be Pt Nehru and Sheikh Sahib perpetrated.
It is very difficult to recount the rule of a ruler whom history has not given his due. Yet His rule has been described as most glorious by British and Indian historians including K M Panniker, because of several reforms that he introduced in judiciary and administration. The facts of the past history do not sit still like a statue. They continue to vibrate despite clutter and confusion created by ruling elite controlled media. Thanks to the present day vibrant and free press, anything wrongly written in the past runs the risk of being exposed and that is what is precisely happening in case of this legendary ruler. I shall therefore continue to strongly articulate my views about this benevolent ruler, in whatever way I can, who worked hard to change the lot of his subjects. My knowledge is from libraries and conversations with senior citizens, above all Capt Diwan Singh, Maharaja’s ADC and a living legend.
In 1934, Maharaja constituted a Praja Sabha of elected and nominated members. He appointed four of the elected members as Ministers. That was the beginning of democracy in the state. He made primary education compulsory for all men & women after which he undertook a relentless campaign to open new schools and colleges. This still remains a distant dream in India despite flagship Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan. He prohibited child marriage and opened all the places of worship for his low caste subjects. He made laws to relieve the farmers from strangle hold of money lenders. He enacted a State Subjects Act in 1927 thereby protecting identity of his subjects. High Court of J&K is his gift to us though not acknowledged in legal fraternity. (In one case, late Prof Ram Nath Shastri’s father refused to vacate a piece of land in Karan Nagar while all other dwellers did it and wanted to file a case against Maharaja. Since no civil case could be registered against the ruler, His Highness ordered the Session Judge to register the case against him and fought this case personally in the court and finally lost. Such was the edifice of justice during his rule. Would any other ruler have done it?) He abolished untouchabilty in 1932 . He constructed iron Bridges on rivers Tawi and Chenab in 1932. In 1933 he banned the social evil of Sati. He checked corruption in the administration by adopting unique ways of detecting it and punishing the culprits. In 1940 he opened hospitals in Jammu, Srinagar and Kotli Hamirpur (now in POK). He used to donate Rs. Five lac yearly to Medical College Lahore for having obtained five seats for the J&K. He started a sugar factory in R S Pura in 1945. He laid the foundation of Radio Kashmir Jammu on 31 December 1947. He banned begar and it is said that during his rule none dared to deny wages to the workers. He ploughed land himself to get land holding rights to the tillers and to promote agriculture production in his state. Were these and many more not unique social reforms for the welfare of his subjects? Can the poor, SCs, STs, men, women, farmers and society as a whole ever forget such benevolent acts of their ruler? His reign was really an era of welfare and visionary reforms while other rulers of colonial India, by and large, ruled by intimidation and cruelty. Counting them all will form a booklets.
Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule witnessed lot of political upheavals as well. From 1931 onwards his rule faced Kashmiri insurrection under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah. He opposed Jinnah’s Muslim League for its communal agenda illustrated in his two nation theory; hence faced his wrath. He was victim of hostility of Indian National Congress because of Pt Nehru and Sheikh. He thus remained victim of triple blasphemy. His differences with Sheikh Sahib continued even after he appointed him Prime Minister which further infuriated Pt Nehru. It was he who faced the first ever Pak invasion in 1947 itself. His appeal to the govt of India for military help and accession was taken by a pinch of salt because of his differences with Pt Nehru. Finally the govt of India accepted the accession and sent army to push the invaders out of J&K. He ruled the state during a turbulent period of history witnessing struggle for freedom from imperial rule led by Mahatma Gandhi, World War II, followed by partition of India and 1st ever Indo – Pak war. Despite all these pressures he ruled benevolently.
He spent rest of his life in Bombay in almost seclusion. Capt Diwan Singh looked after him till end. Having ruled the princely state with distinction for 27 years and spending last decades of his life in delusion; His Highness breathed his last on 26 April 1961 at Bombay when he was 66. He is acclaimed as “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. Decades after his death, society paid him rich tributes by scaling all the political barriers and massively participating in unveiling ceremony of his statue which draws equal acclamation. Elegance and glory of Nargis Flower as described by Alma Iqbal in the following lines befits Maharaja Hari Singh the most.
Hazaron saal nargis apni beynoori pe roti hai
Bari mushkil se hota hai chaman mey deedawar paida.
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