Selected Speeches of Maharaja Ganga Singhji of Bikaner (1880-1943 A.D.)

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About the Book The present book is a fine collection of the selected speeches delivered by Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner within India and abroad.

Maharaja Ganga Singh succeeded to the gaddi of his ancestors as the 21" Maharaja of Bikaner on 31 August 1887 when he was only seven years old. The Maharaja assumed full powers of government on 16 December 1898. He ruled the state for a period of five decades- from 1887 till his demise in 1943. Under his rule the city of Bikaner had advanced beyond comprehension - from a small desert town into a thriving, modern, well-laid-out city.

Maharaja Ganga Singh was an intrepid and colourful personality, and had earned a high place in the gallery of great Indian rulers of the era. Apart from being a visionary administrator, he was also an eminent statesman and an eloquent orator who was held in the highest esteem all over the world.

The British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George in his memoirs, the war-time premier says:

Bikaner the Indian Prince was a magnificent specimen of manhood of his great country. We soon found that he was one of the wise men that came from the East. More and more did we come to rely on his advice, especially on all questions that affected India."

As described by Iris Butler in 'A Viceroy's Wife:" "Sir Ganga Singh.......occupied a great position in Indian politics and social life. A man of striking personal beauty, charm and great ambition......A very cosmopolitan, a very sophisticated man, but one who never forgot his Rajput past..... Maharaja Ganga Singh's note after signing the Paris Peace Treaty.

It was thus for the first time in Indian history that the signature of an Indian Prince representing the Princes of India appeared on a document that most fateful in the history of the world and which, it is earnestly hoped and prayed, will result in a stable and lasting peace."

Foreword TAHARAJA GANGA SINGH (AD 1880-1943) succeeded to the throne of M Bikaner State at the age of seven and ruled for a fairly long period extending to nearly fifty five years. He was an illustrious ruler, the chief architect and the builder of modern Bikaner, for he played a vigorous part in the revival and regeneration of the State. Tall, robust, magnanimous, perfectly dressed, having soldierly moustaches, he was perhaps the best looking and the best dressed among all the rulers in India. He was in many ways the ideal figure for the contemporary television age. He spoke with clarity and sincerity in the language of an ordinary man. He was no phrase maker or a jargon constructor. There were no echoes of looking back in his utterances, for he had the phenomenal vision of always looking forward. He possessed many of the clements of a genius, and that he was a most innovative administrator and a thinker, ever to preside over the House of Bikaner. He was determined to live up to the ideals of a benevolent monarch, combining with it a tinge of Plato's philosopher king. He could radiate so many different utility oriented ideas, at a time when the theory of the welfare state was still in its intra-uterine stage. His habit of ordering the bureaucracy and ministers was replete with a seriousness of purpose, a toughness of mind, and a devotion of duty, which were quite alien to the feverish frivolity of the other princes in India. He was not averse to getting rid of colleagues doing a bad job. If Henry Fairlie is to be believed that, "ruthlessness is necessary in politics," then Maharaja Ganga Singh certainly had one of the necessary qualities. He was a highly cultured and civilized figure, keenly interested in literature and arts, and his choice of paintings and sculptors, fondness to construct magnificent buildings and public utility institutions, reflected his excellent taste.

Preface The history to on from time to time there has emerged on the world stage a person who, by sheer dint of his many faceted genius, has single handed guided the destinies of millions and shaped the future of nations and States in such a manner that it has left a lasting impact on the sands of time. The passage of time enhanced the memory of legacy of such persons and raises it to cult status. Their innovations, responses to challanges, commitment to human values and abiding faith in traditional principles of sound governance placed them on a pedestal where mere mortals simply gazed in awe and sought inspiration to better their daily existence.

One such star who shone very brightly on the firmament was Maharaja Ganga Singh Ji of Bikaner who dominated and played a very crucial role in shaping the destinies of India in the closing decade of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. During this eventful era he also represented India with rare distinction on many an international fora and his role in these won him universal respect. On the domestic front at the same time he transformed a backward desert state of western Rajasthan into a progressive state which became a role model for other princely states in India.

This enlightened ruler was born on the auspicious day of Vijaydashmi (13th October) in 1880. He was the son of Maharaja Lal Singhji and ascended the throne of Bikaner as its 21st ruler at the tender age of 7 years when Maharaja Dunger Singh Ji passed away on the 9th August, 1887. For the next fifty six years till his death on 2nd February, 1943, he strode like a colossus on the Indian political stage and his impact was felt in many institutions with which he had been associated or had been created by him. Maharaja Ganga Singh Ji was cast in the ideal mould of a far-sighted Statesman whose political acumen and astuteness were widely respected and his advice was invariably sought on weighty national and international issues. His vision and broad-mindedness contrasted starkly with the narrow mindedness of the age.

Introduction AO BIKA, A YOUNG Rathore Rajput prince, son of Rao Jodha, R Maharaja of Jodhpur dared to penetrate the desert, the endless stretches of sand dunes, where the sun blazed down mercilessly with temperatures often exceeding forty-five degrees Celsius, and where there was an acute shortage of water. The absence of trees provided no shelter from the harsh, and frequent, dust storms. It was here in the middle of the Thar Desert that a new kingdom was formed in AD 1465 Bikaner- named after its founder, Rao Bika, the first ruler. The erstwhile state of Bikaner was the sixth largest princely state in India, having an area of 23,317 square miles.

During the course of 300 years of their patriotism the Rajas and Maharajas of Bikaner had demonstrated their worth in the history of India. Their patriotism, valour, sacrifice, secular outlook and benevolence were of a high order. In addition to this, they were great patrons of art, architecture, music, literature and culture. Looked at from every aspect the history of the Bikaner state is fabulously rich. A focal point of Bikaner is the village of Deshnoke. Here in this small, quiet and peaceful town twenty miles from the city of Bikaner, is situated a marble temple in the memory of a Charan lady, Karniji.

She is the deity of the Bikaner family and after whom my father was named. When Rao Bika came to carve out a kingdom for himself some five centuries ago, he stopped at the village of Deshnoke. It is said that Karniji provided the inspiration to Rao Bika in his quest for a kingdom.

Maharaja Ganga Singh succeeded to the gaddi of his ancestors after the demise of Maharaja Dungar Singh, who was Maharaja Ganga Singh's elder brother and had no son; in 1887 he adopted his younger brother as his heir, Maharaja Dungar Singh died on 19 August 1887 and on 21 August 1887 Maharaja Ganga Singh was proclaimed the 21" Maharaja of Bikaner. However, according to the customs of the state he was formally installed on 31 August 1887- after the twelve day ceremonies.

**Contents and Sample Pages**