THE GAEKWAR OF BARODA

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 233, 30 March 1912, Page 9

THE GAEKWAR OF BARODA

SOME PARALLELS TO HIS INSOLENCE. To "temper justice with mercy" is undoubtedly a very sound and good moral precept, but there are moments when one feels that it is somewhat of a pity to have been too merciful. Such a feeling must be predominant in reading of the slight punishment meted out to the Gaekwar of Baroda for Hs great insolence to the King during his Majesty's Coronation Durbar. That any Indian Prince should attend oven an ordinary levee in his everyday attire would be considered a terrible insult, but it is increased a hundredfold when one considers not only the importance of the occasion in which this ihsult was offered, but also the high rank held by the perpetrator of the deed. The title of "Gaekwar" is held by the chief one of the Maratha soverignties, of which only three have survived the Maratha wars of 1817-1818, and the capi. tal of his kingdom is Baroda. Lying north of Bombay and west of Holkar's territory, it comprises an area of 8220 square miles. The Marathas are a powerful native race, low-caste Hindus, probably not of Aryan stock, but many of their leaders belonged to the Brahmin caste. Sivaji first organised them for fighting purposes in the sevententh century, when Aurangzib was emperor. The office of Prime Minister to Sivaji's successors became hereditary in a Brahmin family known as the Pestwas at Poona. When th<» Mogul Empire was shattered, the Mahrattas became the dominant power in Central and Upper India. In 1761, their conquests were checked by the Afghan Ahmed Shah, and after that they had the British also to contend against. The Marathas then formed a confederacy of which the chiefs were the ! Peshwa at Poona, Sindhia at Gwalior, Holkar at Indore, the Bhonsla at Nagpore, and the Gaekwar at Baroda. Complications were constantly arising from the relations of the Nizam of Haiderabad, Hyder Ali of Mysore, the Marathas and the British. It was during the Maratha war of 1778-1781 that Sindhia learnt that friendship with the British was better than enmity. However, in 1803, the Marathas united against the British, but were hopelessly beaten by Arthur Wellesley at Assaye and by Lake at Laswari. When Sir George Barlow became Governor-General temporarily, in 1805, he was ill-advised enough to make an unfortunate peace which enabled the Marahtas to retain their powers until the wars (as already mentioned) of 181718. This resulted in the annexation of the Peshwa's dominions, the other chiefs managing to remain independent, though with somewhat circumscribed powers. Ngapore was annexed under Dalhousie, but Sipdhia, Holkar and the Gaekwar are still sovereigns. By this short sketch it will be seen what an important position is held by the Gaekwar, both traditionally and at the present day, and yet he was allowed to insult the King and was let off, so to speak, with a caution. Not so would the great John Nicholson have acted, as the following anecdotes quoted at length from his most interesting biography by Captain Trotter will show; — Some of the methods of transacting business were none the less effective for their bold defiance of set rules. 'Not long after he came to Banner,' says Gen- j eral Younghusband, lie met a jirga (i.e., council or deputation) of petty native chiefs from beyond the border. They had been so accustomed to rather a j weak rule on the frontier that their insolence in spech and behaviour was very marked. Nicholson listened to what thev bad to say. At last one of them hawked and spat out between himself and Nicholson. This was a dire insult, and meant as much. 'Orderly!' .said John Nicholson, 'make that man lick up his spittle, and kick him out of camp.' The orderly seized him by the back of the neck, ground him down, and held him there until the deed was done. This lesson in politeness had a most marked effect, and curiously enough was thoroughly appreciated by the trans-border men themselves, the hero being unmercifully quizzed for his share in the transaction." Nicholson never brooked the faintest show of insolence towards an officer of tin- ruling race. The same kind of grim humor which marked his requittal of insults offered by a rude hill chief comes out in his mode of punishing an insolent Mohammedan Mullah. He was riding one day through a Bannuchi village with his escort of mounted police and a few of the local maliks. As he passed along, every villager saluted him except one, a mullah, or Mussulman priest, who sat in front of the village mosque. Instead of salaaming, he sat on, looking at the hakim with a scowl of open hatred. As soon as the calvacade had passed out of the village, Nicholson asked one of his orderlies if he had noticed the mullah's behaviour. Yes, he had noticed it. 'Then go and bring him to my camp.' The village barber was sent for at the same time. When the mullah appeared, his replies to Nicholson's queries were tantamount to a confession of guilt. Whereupon Nicholson ordered the barber to shave off the man's beard—the direst ignominy known to a true Mohammedan. He was then allowed to return to his mullah made a lasting impression and be\illnge, where the sight of a beardless came the talk of the whole district. But, perhaps, the most apposite of the three anecdotes is the following and last, which in a much smaller way, indeed, is equivalent to the act of the Gaekwar, and for the truth of which lord Roberts himself would vouch, as he was an amused eyewitness of the whole. Ihe faithful Rajah of Kapurlhala had placed in Jalandhar a body of his own troops, to protect the station and dischaige the duties formerly reserved for our Sepoys. As commissioner of the province, Edwardes' old comrade, Major Edward Lake, decided to pay a befitting compliment to the Rajah's officers and

sirdars. At his request, Nicholson consented to meet them at a "Durbar" in Lake's house. Lord Roberts, who was present as one of Nicholson's staff, shall tell us what happened at the close of the ceremony. "General Hehtab Singh, a near relative of the Rajah, took his leave, and as the senior ih rank at the Durbar was walking out of the room first, when I observed Nicholson stalk to the door, put himself in front of Mehtab Singh, and, waiving him back with an authoritative air, prevented him from leaving the room. The rest of the company then passed out, and when they had gone Nicholson said to Lake, 'Do you see that General Mehtab Singh has his shoes on?' Lake replied that he had noticed the fact, but tried to excuse it. Nicholson, however, speaking in Hindustani, said: 'There is no possible excuse for such an act of gross impertinence. Mehtab Singh knows perfectly well that he would not venture to step on his own father's carpet, save barefooted; and he has only committed this breach of etiquette today because he thinks we are not in a position to resent the insult, and that he can treat us as he would not have dared a month ago.' Mehtab Singh looked' extremely foolish, and stammered out some kind of apology. Buf Nicholson was not to be appealed, and continued, If I were the last Englishman left in Jalandhar, you' (addressing Mehtab Singh) 'should not come into my room with your shoes on.' Then politely turning to Lake, he added, 1 hope the commissioner will not allow me to order you to take your shoes off and carry them in your own hands, so that your followers may witness your discomfiture.' "Mehtab' Singh, completely cured, meekly did as he was told. Although, in the kindness of his heart, Lake had at first endeavored to smooth matters away, he knew the natives well, and he readily admitted the wisdom of Nicholson's action. Indeed, Nicholson's uncompromising bearing on this occasion proved a great help to Lake, for it had the best possible effect on the Kapurthalla people; their manner at once changed, all disrespect vanished; there was no more swaggering about as if they considered themselves masters of the situation." ■ Alhough all this happened more than fifty years ago, still the Indian has not altered so very much, and Nicholson knew the intricate working of the native mind as it has been given to few Englishmen to know. What, then, we wonder, would he have said to the Gaekwar's action ? Would he once more repeat, "He ■has only committed this breach of etiquette because he thinks we are not in a position to resent the insult," and how would he have punished him? Forced him at the sword's point to quit the Royal presence and return as soon as possible suitably attired, or simply shot him out of hand ? That he would not merely have insisted on, and been satisfied with, a mere bald apology we may be certain.