Rulers of Erstwhile Bikaner State

MAHARAJA SADUL SINGH was born on 7'h September 1902 and succeeded his father on his demise on 2 February 1943 as the twenty-second ruler of Bikaner. Before he attained his majority at the age of eighteen, he had been placed with various Ministers and senior officers to acquire practical administrative training. On the attainment of his majority after holding a formal Darbar, Maharaja Ganga Smgh invested him with the powers of Chief Minister which post he held for four and a half years. The six years that Maharaja Sadul Singh was destined to reign actively were the years of great political turmoil and radical changes in the Stats as well as in British India. Many steps were taken in the Bikaner State itself to further democratize the system of Government. During this period India had come through the ravages of World War II and slowly but surely moved on wards to attain Independence. The period of Maharaja Sadul Singh's reign was full of events pertaining to political relationship of the House of Bikaner with the Central Power.

The Maharaja had on his accession to the Gaddi announced Praja bit Vratino Vayam (in the service of my people) to be his motto and guiding principle and reiterated in his speech dated 8'h march 1943 his desire to follow in the foot-steps of his illustrious father in the matter of introduction of constitutional reforms. He expressed his ardent hope of seeing his people associated with the administration of the State in an ever-increasing manner.

The second World War was still going on with full vigour when Maharaja Sadul Singh succeeded to the Gaddi. And the young Maharaja who, as heir apparent, had already offered his sward and personal services in the cause, again expressed his desire for an opportunity to proceed on active service. He also repeated the offer in his letter dated 25'h July 1943 after becoming the Maharaja. The offer being accepted this time, the Maharaja, accompanied by his second son, Maharaja Kumar Amar Singh, left Bikaner on 26 October 1943, and visited the Sadul Light Infantry stationed in Persia, the 49 (Bikaner) G.P.T. Company stationed in Iraq as well as certain other units of other States Forces and Imperial and Allied troops including the 4'h Indian Division and the 3 Indian and Armoured Division. He returned to India in November, 1943 and on his way to Bikaner visited the Ganga Risal which was then stationed in Sind.

In November 1944 Maharaja proceeded to the Assam-Burma war theatre where the Bikaner Bijey Battery was engaged in active operations against the Japanese and returned to Bikaner in December 1944. While passing through Calcutta on his return home, the Maharaja received a tumultuous reception by a lac or more people of Bikaner settled in Calcutta in pursuit of business. The Maharaja and his staff were the recipients of the 1939-45 Star, Burma Star, Defence Medal and the War Medal.

Industrialisation also received a great impetus. In Maharaja 'Sadul Singh's reign the industrial growth of Bikaner was given a great fillip. Transport and communication were considerably improved in the time of Maharaja Sadul Singh. Railway lines were extended and most large cities were linked by trains and roadways. Maharaja Sadul Singh had a plan for having a grid, and it was his plan that all towns with a population of 5000 and over should have electricity. In the later years, especially in the time of Maharaja Sadul Singh, there was a sharp change in architectural planning. It was influenced by the British and European architects in Bikaner like Meckenzie and Broomfield.

In March 1946 the Cabinet Mission was appointed "with the intention of making a supreme effort to break the deadlock between Britain and the Indians on the one hand, and Congress and the Muslim League on the other". The Mission was authorised to make decisions on the spot to convince India of Britain's sincerity in going ahead with their promise of granting Independence. The mission arrived in India on 23'd March 1946.

After discussion and correspondence with the Chamber of Princes and its representatives, the Cabinet Mission issued a memorandum dated 12 May 1946 wherein it said that the Chamber of Princes had confirmed that the Indian States fully shared the country's desire for the immediate attainment by India of her full stature. The memorandum added that the rights of the States which accrued from their relationship with the Crown would no longer exist and the rights surrendered by them to the Crown would revert to them and that the void so caused by the lapse of paramountcy would have to be filled in by the States entering into new relationships. The memorandum further referred to "the desirability of the State, in suitable cases, forming or joining administrative units large enough to enable them to be fitted into British India. And in the Cabinet Mission's plan announced on 16 May 1946 the proposals, so far as they concerned the Indian States, were that there should be a Union of India comprising both of British India and the Indian States which should deal with Foreign Affairs, Defence and Communications and that the States the Union. The representatin of the States in the Constituent Assembly was not to exceed 93 and was to be determined by consultation. The States unanimously accepted the plan but not without internal difficulties, and it was an a resuld of the efforts of Maharaja Sadul Singh that unanimous decision was possible.

The acceptance of this plan of 16 May 1946 was acclaimed by the Maharaja as the greatest step forward that had been taken in the cause of India's march to Independence. According to him the Princes were not to be anxious about their position in a free India, only if they realised the significance of the changes and adapted themselves accordingly. So far as the Bikaner State was concerned, he said that the had recently an occasion to meet Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Pandit Nehru and discuss with them the reforms that he was at the time planning to introduce and that their reactions were favourable and friendly.

On 20 February 1947 Attlee had announced in the House of Commons that transfer of power to a responsible Indian Government would be made by June, 1948. Lord Wavell resigned and Lord Mountbatten took over on 24 March 1947. The Maharaja, who was in Delhi, did not however attend the swearing in ceremony but later in the day called on the Viceroy to explain his absence when the pointed out that the Nawab of Bhopal by his attitude towards the interim government was responsible for raising controversial issues in their ranks and expressed the belief that by the Maharaja's group joining the Constituent Assembly, the new regime would be considerably strengthened. The Nawab of Bhopal, the Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes at the time, was insisting that no action should be taken by States individually but only collectively and by agreement with the Chancellor. It may be noted that India's firm belief in secularism is seen as a glaring example during negotiations at the time of India's Independence being conducted by the three interested parties viz. the Congress, the Muslim League and the Indian States, by representatives who were all Muslims- Maulana Azad, spokesman for the Congress, Jinnah for the Muslim League and Nawab Hamidullah Khan of Bhopal for the Princes.

During the meeting of the Princes standing Committee held in Bombay in April 1947 the agreements arrived at the two negotiating committee (the States Negotiating Committee and its counterpart set up by the Constituent Assembly) were taken up for ratification and approved. However, a difference of opinion arose between the Chancellor and the Maharaja over the time when the States should join the Constituent Assembly. The Chancellor and the majority of the princes were in favour of the States entering the Constituent Assembly at a stage when the Union Constitution was being framed, whereas Maharaja Sadul Singh and his group were in favour of joining immediately. Finding that it was not possible for him to make the princes realise the gravity of the problem, the Maharaja staged his historic walkout leaving a note for the Chancellor wherein he asked to be excused for not remaining in the Standing Committee any longer as it would place him in an awkward position; he stated that his views on the problems then facing the rulers and the country at large were totally different from those of the Chancellor and the majority of the Standing Committee, and neither could he remain silent nor did he wish to speak anymore on his point of view which he had stressed many a time before Their Highnesses. The Maharaja issued an appeal to his brother princes the same day stressing that the only safe policy for the State was to work for the creation of as large a section of India as possible which would safeguard both the States and British India in the vacuum that would be created on the withdrawal of the British and which would maintain peace, order and good government and prevent civil strife. He added that a policy of "wait and see" if adopted by the princes would not be in conformity with their declared professions to help India to attain Independence. He, therefore, urged that the Princes should rise to the occasion and be hailed as co-architects of India's Independence and greatness.

The Maharaja's walk out and appeal resulted in a compromise being worked out and ultimately it was decided that the States could join the Constituent Assembly at any stage after the Constituent Assembly had ratified the agreements arrived at between the two negotiating committees. This historic walk-out by the Maharaja broke "Bhopal's game" of evolving a third force and the action was not only acclaimed by all sections of the press but was also eulogized by eminent British Indian leaders. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel refered to the Maharaja as "one who has taken such a prominent part in the negotiations which preceded the entry of the princes into the polity of the Indian Union and who has stood by the country with steadfast loyalty. And the first President of Independent India has referred to the Maharaja's patriotic move in glowing terms. He added:

"The great move for the unification of India could materialize primarily because of the goodwill and ready willingness of Princes like Maharaja Sadul Singhji to participate in Constitution masking and to send their representatives to the Constituent Assembly of India. It was a difficult task, too difficult to be described in words because but for this kind of willful cooperation India might have remained split in several bits. It redounds to the credit of the late Maharaja of Bikaner that by his bold decision he gave a correct and timely lead to other princes. This eventually resulted in the accession of not only Bikaner but also other princely States to India. Therefore, India is, and will remain, indebted to him." "... ....When the history of that period is written, it will be recorded therein that at a time when India was faced on the one hand, with the calamity of partition and, on the other, with the dangerous possibility of Balkanisation Maharaja Sadul Singhji prompted by farsightedness and the most patriotic of motives stood firm like a rock and averted that possibility."

Guided by the most patriotic of motives Maharaja Sadul Singh kept up his own plighted word of seeing India attain Independence as also provided the much needed courage to his wavering brother princes; he prevailed upon them from the very beginning, to cooperate to implement the Cabinet Mission plan to which the princes had already promised their support. The allegation of Liaqat Ah Khan that the stand taken up by the Maharaja was made under pressure was promptly contradicted by the Maharaja who affirmed that the decision taken by him was solely guided by patriotic motives and in the best interests of the nation. His rejoinder was widely applauded by the press. The representative of Bikaner, K.M. Panikkar, took his seat in the Constituent Assembly on 28 April, 1947.

The task of carrying out negotiations with the Princes was entrusted to Lord Mountbatten who was the Crown representative. The Viceroy summoned a full meeting of the Chamber of Princes on 25'h July 1947 at which the authors was present as a spectator. The Viceroy, who was looking handsome in his naval uniform, made out a strong case for the States acceding to the appropriate Dominion in regard to the three subjects, assuring them at the same time that this would involve no financial liability and that there would be no farther encroachment on their internal sovereignty. The Viceroy's persuasions succeeded and a majority of the princes signed the Instrument of Accession, Maharaja Sadul Singh being the first to do so. His services in uniting India were referred to in glowing terms by Sardar Patel while expressing his gratitude to the Maharaja for all the assistance and cooperation received from him. Sardar Patel added that a t a time when the whole scheme was being sabotaged, it was the Maharaja of Bikaner who saved the situation by his unswerving loyalty to the cause of united India. He said -

"...Now that all the fully empowered States who were invited to accede to the Indian Dominion, have, with the exception of Hyderabad and Junagadh, signed the Instrument of Accession which was finalized by the Negotiating Committee of the Rulers and States' representatives, may I, on behalf of my colleagues, myself and the States Department, say how grateful we are for all the assistance and cooperation received from Your Highness during those difficult days. None knows better than Your Highness in what atmosphere we all had to work and what intrigues we had to encounter, not only from almost the whole of the outgoing Political Department, but also, I regret to say, from some of our own countrymen including members of the Princely Order and their ministers. Attempts were being made again and again, to sabotage the whole scheme and thus to give a death blow to our ideal of a strong, united and powerful India, but, fortunately for us all, those efforts failed, thanks to the unswerving loyalty to the cause of united India shown by Your Highness and other patriotic rulers and ministers of States. I am f Lilly conscious of the trouble taken by you to dispel doubts and misgivings deliberately created to mislead the Princely Order. It indeed gives me pleasure to recall on this occasion the support then received from you......"

The country-wide rejoicings on the attainment of Independence were celebrated with full enthusiasm in Bikaner on 15 August 1947. The flag hoisting ceremony was performed by the Maharaja personally at the Stadium. In the evening a State banquet was held at the Lallgarh Palace to celebrate the function at which Panikkar, while proposing the Maharaja's toast said: "We are all proud that the Maharaja has been one of the architects of the Independence of India." The Maharaja in his reply said that the day's celebrations were in honour of a great and historic event and that he had done his duty to India, to the States as a whole and to his State and his beloved People.

While Maharaja Sadul Singh accepted the assurances of Sardar Patel open heartedly, time was to rove that not all the assurances given by free India's representatives were to be honoured in the exact spirit in which they were made. Little did the Maharaja know of the future that was in store for the States. Perhaps he knew better than the others who were forced by circumstances to submit to the inevitable as will be seen later. At this stage the author was in very close contact with his father, the Maharaja, attending many important meetings with Indian leaders along with him and shared his genuine good faith in our leaders.

On news reaching the Maharaja that the Boundary Commission was likely to award Ferozepur Tehsil to Western Punjab, the Maharaja again telegraphed the Viceroy stressing the importance of retaming the Headworks at Ferozepore in India as the economic life of the State depended entirely upon it urging that his Prime Minister and Chief Engineer Irrigation, might be afforded an opportunity to place facts before the Viceroy. It must be said to the credit of Lord Mountbatten especially, and to others concerned as well, that the efforts of Bikaner were finally crowned with success and a just cause upheld. Ferozepore remained in India.

And at midnight of 14 August 1947, India, after a long struggle, became a Dominion and attained freedom with Lord Mountbatten as its first Governor-General. Nehru reflected: " Lond years ago we made a tryst with Destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.

The Maharaja also wrote to and met Sir Evan Jenkins, the Governor of the Punjab but with no satisfactory results. On the contrary the Punjab Government opposed the giving of water from the Bhakra Dam to the Bikaner State. The Maharaja thereupon took up the matter with Sardar Patel, Gadgil and the Union Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. At one of the meetings with Pandit Nehru in this connection, the author accompanied the Maharaja, his father. AS a result of these efforts he was assured by the Union Prime Minister that he was convinced that the Bikaner State should have its share in the Bhakra Dam project and that he would do everything in his power to see that it was done. Though the benefits could not be reaped during Maharaja's Sadul Singh's life time, it is however a great consolation that his efforts and the efforts of his father, Maharaja Ganga Singh, as a result of due and sympathetic consideration by the Central and Provincial governments, were ultimately crowned with success and today the water is already flowing in a part of the Canal. It may, however, be mentioned here that whereas the 1939 scheme envisaged to command an area of 12 lakh acres, the area which is now actually to benefit by this project will be only 4,17,000 acres.

In 1948, .a few months after the attainment of Independence by India, Lord and Lady Mountbatten visited Bikaner when the Governor-General took the opportunity to invest Maharaja Sadul Singh with the insignia of the Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India. This was perhaps the last of the formal functions held in Bikaner in honour of a representative of the King, in India. Maharaja Sadul Singh and Lord Mountbatten had known each other since childhood and welcoming the distinguished visitor the Maharaja referred to their early acquaintance, adding that whatever the relations of India and England might be, he was confident that their personal friendship would continue to the last. Both Maharaja Sadul Singh and Lord Mountbatten had served together on the staff of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, when he visited India in 1922. The two had in the intervening period, kept in close touch and addressed each other intimately by their first-names I ord

Mountbatten referring to the Maharaja as "Him" which was the pet name given to him by Maharaja Ganga Singh, and the Maharaja referring to Lord Mountbatten as "Dicky". This personal friendship developed further during the viceroyalty of Lord Mountbatten.

And thus the curtain was rung down on the five century old history of Bikaner during which not only the most cordial relations existed between the House of Bikaner and the Central Powers but also the last two rulers played an important role for the attainment by India of her full stature in the comity of Nations of the world and the unification of our country. This noble cause taken up by Maharaja Ganga Singh at a time when no other prince could have done it, and fighting for it whenever and wherever an opportunity offered itself, was nobly continued by Maharaja Sadul Singh. He not only gave his unstinted support to every measure that went to speed up the achievement of the goal but also by his exhortations and actions induced the wavering princes, and compelled those scheming, to fall in line with the changing times, and extend their cooperation to India freedom fighters, thus helping in the maintenance of the solidarity of the country when it was faced with "partition on the one hand and the possibility of Balkanisation on the other. No wonder then that his patriotic sentiments and actions received full praise not only from leaders like Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India's first President, and Sardar Patel but also from the first Governor-General of free India, Lord Mountbatten. These facts were also duly acclaimed in the press in general. It is a matter of much pride for the House of Bikaner that the patriotism of its rulers was perhaps unrivalled at a time when the drama of India's independence was being enacted on the Indian political arena.

With the extinction of the sovereignty of the Bikaner State, its armed forces were necessarily integrated with those of the Indian Union, Rajasthan State being grouped together temporarily. Bikaner has always very proud of its State forces. Some of the finest fighting men both in the States forces as also in the Indian Army have hailed from the Bikaner State and from Rajputana. A large number of soldiers hailing from some of the toughest fighting stock, as for example the Rajputs, Jats, Sikhs and Kyamkhanis came from the Bikaner State.

On the other hand, the sincerity of the princes and their sacrifices in the larger interests of the country and specially those of Maharaja Sadul Singh cannot better be described than in the words of India's first President, the late Dr. Rajendra Prasad who said:

"By placing the interests of the country before their own the princes played a memorable part in the process of India's unification. The help which the late Maharaja Sadul Singhji gave in this connection, has been thankfully acknowledged by the great Indian leader and Minister of States at that time, namely, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel."

The statue was raised by the voluntary contribution of the people of Bikaner in memory of the late Maharaja who died a premature death striving for the welfare of his people and parted with his ancient heritage for the greater glory of his mother country and so the five century old saga of Bikaner's history comes to an end. The desert soil of Bikaner produced fighters strong and true. The part that Bikaner played in the unification of India is, therefore, a matter of much pardonable pride for all of us.