It was the chatter of relatives and guests who had arrived from different cities to Bangalore to participate in an event that evening that woke me up with a thud.
March 4th 2008 seemed like any other day. But it took me a couple of minutes to let the fact sink in that by the time of the day's sunset, my baby would be born...finally ! Its a strange feeling, especially when you have gone through 15 long years of labour pains!!
I meandered through the eventful day, in a zombied state ---a state that has become such a characteristic feature of mine for the last couple of weeks, with all the frenzied activity. By late noon, as i stepped---tense and extremely nervous--- into the magnificent Raj Bhavan located in the corner of one of Bangalore's busiest roads, it suddenly seemed like i had stepped into a time machine that took me back by a few centuries! The awe-inspiring building, with a history of over 150 years to it, as the seat of power of the British Commissioners to the erstwhile Mysore State, can be quite intimidating.
The magnificent banquet hall of this regal building, the retinue of royally dressed handsmen of His Excellency, the arrival of His Excellency (which made me freeze, literally), the presence of blue-blooded royalty in the form of a Princess of the royal dynasty, the smiling faces among the audience, my beaming parents, teachers and friends, the national anthem, the documentary, the release of the book----in the midst of all this drama that was unravelling before me, i struggled hard to keep focus and actually convince myself that what i was beholding was indeed true.
My thoughts couldnt help but take me back in time...images of a young child clasping the hands of his old, petite grandmother and she struggling to keep pace with his exuberant walk, as the odd duo paced the sprawling courtyards of the magnificent Mysore Palace flashed across my mind's eye.......
19 comments:
Hi Vikram!
Hearty congratulations on a great achievement! This is Karthik, Vinayak's cousin. I remember seeing a draft of this book some time in the late 90's - truly a culmination of a fantastic journey.
Keep it up, Vikram. Wish you all the best. I hope to buy a copy and get your autograph on it!
Hi Vikram, congrats again.
This is Raghu, I met you at Jaganmohan Palace at Mysuru after the release of your book. I gave you the brochures of our store as well as the those of 'Bombe Mane' and 'Kreedaa Kaushalya.' Couldn't speak much with you since you were busy.
Do visit my blog too and leave your valuable comments. Thank you.
Raghu
raghuonlife.blogspot.com
Hi,
I came to know about the book from Deepti's blog. I visited your blog and read 'He stuck to his dream of a united Mysore'. If found it to be the most unbiased article about Tippu ever. We need more such analysis and thank you very much. You might now about Ikkeri near Sagara, once the capital of Keladi Kings (other was Keladi) who were defeated by Hyder Ali in 1956. The temple was sacked by Tippu's army later when he came to power; gold and Kalasha were stolen. This is not outside but in the hearland of Karnataka (Sagara, Shimoga). You can still see a Maseedi sharing the sacked portion of the Ganapathi temple in Sagara. I disagree to infer that Tippu was pro Kannada by only looking at the letters. While Mrathi was in because of its use in land records and also for being a native language of the people in the north of the kingdom. Persian, we know, is an Iranian language spoken by none of the natives and having strong association with Islam. Such introduction does not make him plural but makes the introduction rather an imposition. It is as plural as introducing, say Mandrin. I disagree also with the use of "Kannada Nationalism". The pathetic shape of Kannada in Bengaluru for example should have given birth to a much stroger reaction. It is not nationalism yet!
Neverthaless, your article is as close to reality as today's public media can allow it to be. Congratullations and Thank you for writing about kings who facilitated one of the progressive kingdoms in India. It is a great way to thank them. I wish this is only a begining and much more interesting things will come from your pen.
Regards
~rAGU
@karthik--thanks a lot Karthik, it is indeed the same draft u saw many many yrs ago!! it would be my pleasure to sign you a copy of the book.
@raghu--Hi raghu, thanks so much for stopping by and also for giving me your brochures that day. Was a little disoriented because of the hectic schedule. You can mail / contact sometime and stay in touch.
@Ragu--It was v nice of you to have come in here through Deepti's blog and for the comments on the article. Well, i couldnt agree more with you on what you say. While in my book, i have analyzed these issues threadbare, in a popular newspaper there is just that much i could analyze. Tipu according to me, is an enigma and he somehow escapes any straightjacket portrayl of himself as either a hero or villain. He is a bundle of contradictions and i wonder if any historian would ever be able to analyse him well...
But i do disagree with you on the"kannada nationalism" bit. Those championing the cause of the language can barely speak it well (messed up pronounciations!) And burning buses, vandalizing people, banning non-kannada films--is certainly no way of promoting the language, in my humble opinion!
Vikram, congrats on the book. Haven't read it but will do so soon, but very impressed with your effort and commitment.
That said I do not agree with your last comment. Looks like you are looking at Kannada from a certain madivanthike. You should realize that there is a whole section of Kannadigas who do not speak Kannada the way it is written in books and taught to schools. That doesn't make their Kannada any lesser. IMO, janapada always survives over elitism. Something to think about, may be that will make you accept different variations.
That said voilent methods that endager life/property shud not be used. But drawing attention and making people aware is important that needs to be handled carefully.
im
i have some time, so let me comment a bit!
i do not think Tippu was any different.
willing to talk in Kannada is more important than being able to speak properly. though not ideal, vandalism is one way of venting the anger. it only indicates that there is a problem and also that healthy channels to express anger are insufficient. most of the state has been quite execept in Bengalooru, where i think there is a problem. unless something is done to solve it wicked ways of venting anger will continue to emerge. we can keep arguing only to prove that the issue is debatable! we should continue to do it.
i will pick up a copy when in Bengalooru. glad to meet u online!
Very well written blog!! Congrats again!!
congrats!!!!!
u are a true mysorean.......... I WILL DEFINETLY GO THROUGH THE BK.
By the way,which is ur hometown?????
Vikram, I happened to read some sections of your book on your website. I feel you have presented a lot of views of your own instead of getting details from the ground and from that of historians. I fail to understand your expertise on this subject other than that you have taken an interest recently about the history and details of mysore. Example: You have spoken about talakad & its sand and curse of Alamelamma on the royal family from your modern thoughts. History and local knowledge say that after the battle at Kesare between the mysore king and the governor/viceroy of seringapatam, the defeated viceroy srirangaraya who was in charge of the 5 temples under his rule retreated to talakad ..and that alamelamma used to worship sriranganayaki by decorating the idol with her own jewels. You have claimed that the mysore rulers with all humbleness went to get the jewels for the temple. Tall claim - yours or the wodeyars ?. It may well have been that the ruler chased Alamelamma to get the jewlels for their own coffers and the king and soldiers may have tried to misbehave !..causing her to try and escape and in the process committing suicide along with a curse. History cannot be your opinion alone !
Kriteen
Thanks for your comments! I would suggest you buy or borrow a copy of the book and read the sections before making such an assumption. All of these historical facts have been mentioned by me in detail in the chapter on Alamelamma. History bleaks out at this stage and one needs to consider all aspects of a story before drawing conclusions. But finally a historian is not entirely a moral eunuch and his perspectives add to the study as well. History after all is the interpretation of the person who writes it.
I am sure you realise i cant be uploading the entire book on my website and only a few portions of it could be put up there. I would have appreciated if someone like you who is supposedly so interested in Mysore actually read all the contents and then gone on to make generalizing comments on whether or not i consulted historians and "ground" realities and of course if i have any expertise! Of course i didnt spend 15 years of my life in weaving fanciful tales!
Thanks
Vikram
Thanks for the comments Ashwin! My hometown happens to be Bangalore, but then i guess we are unbilically linked to the erstwhile Mysore State in more ays than one :-)
Vikram,
I may not have the time to borrow your book and go through it. But what irritates me is the language & content you have used in the excerpt of your book at the following link against one of the Rani's of of Vijayanagar http://vikramsampath.com/royalmysore_excerpt_1.html
1) You have quoted: "It is noteworthy that historical documentations of the 17th and 18th century make no reference to Rani Alamelamma."
Let me explain why you are wrong; historical documents "made by the British" may not have this. The british were known to rewrite history in their/ their allies favour - which is a well known fact among indian historians (I am sorry you have put in 15 yrs on this but missed this fact) - my ancestors were erstwhile rulers themselves in different capacities there and i feel i should correct you/ alert you on the language used against the historical Queen - that is offending to a native.
Srirangapattana was as you know the capital of vijayanagara's kannada region (current Karnataka) which controlled the current Mysore and Talakad and their rulers.
Rani Alamelamma's was the wife of the King Rama Raja Thirulmalaraya Rangayya (Pls dont read Viceroy in the British meaning - Viceroyalty at that time meant a King but who reported to a higher King).
Who was he ? Let me explain: After the major battle of 1565 at Vijayanagar, Krishna devyaras son in law the famous "Aliya Rama Raya" was killed in battle as you know(he was more than 90 yrs old) and his brother Thirumalaraya (Tirumala I) relocates the capital to Penukonda and retires in 1570 due to his age. He names his 3 sons to 3 viceroyalties (Telugu, Tamil, kannada regions). Rani Alamelamma's husband is the srirangapattana viceroy(king) during that time. The Mysore Raja reported to him so did the Talakad Maharaja at that time. Now you know who is Rani Alamelamma and her stature in Srirangapattana history.
Rani Alamellamma's elder son was sriranga II who was crowned King of the entire Vijayanagar in 1614 but was unfortunately murdered within 4 months. Eventually Rani Alamellama's grandson became the King of VyYNagr in 1617 till 1640.
Hence i find it absurd & disgusting that you make it sound like Rani Alamellamma was a nobody just becasue your "Re-Search" using british documents did not find this information. (Actually it is present even in british documents !).
2) You have also Quoted: "But here was a woman whose lust for the gold ornaments seemed all encompassing!" . What gives you the level or class to write in such a manner about a queen ? I know we are a democracy and you have the right to your views and expressions...but
your writing is full of arrogance and attitude - for heavens sake you are talking about a queen here !!!!!! Please !!!
Warm Regards
Kriteen
Kriteen
Thanks for that long and elaborate reply. For heaven's sake dont jump the gun and understand that its an "extract". cant be puttng up the entire chapter there for simple copyright issues. the book however mentions all those names of the 3 regions etc etc that u painstakingly docuemnt.
Also I am not some "British historian" sitting in an ivory tower far removed frm the "natives" (such terms are no more used if u didnt know, but since you belong to royal lineage u perhaps feel the need to)So while i thank the unsolicited advice on what to write and how to write, i would term it as rather misplaced and premature when you havent even bothered to read the portions you defend! Attack anyone with all ur might, but read fully before u do that!
'Srimanmaharajaravara Vamshavali' (SMV)was not written by a British. It was commissioned by the Mysore maharaja himself. Hayavadana Rao himself mentions on pg 59 that none of the palace records prior to the Annals (SMV) mentions Alamelamma. He was also a high browed historian like me i suppose? The Annals (SMV) also mention her husband as Srirangaraya, elsewhere it is Tirumalaraya. Obviously you think the Authors of the Annals were also wearing blinkers? The 'Chikkadevaraja Vamshavali' talks of the skirmish between Raja Wodeyar and Tirumala II and the latter retiring to Talakad with his only wife Ranganayaki. The Annals mention there were 2 wives Alamelamma and Ranganayakamma. All "native" accounts, uncorrupted by your supposed British censorship and rewriting and having differing versions!
Francis Buchanan's accounts speak extensively of every local custom and ritual. He extensively interviewd the "natives" and in his account on pg 162 he talks vaguely abt some lady crossing the river to visit the temple at Talakad but drowning while doing so and in a fit of rage cursing the God and his temple to which he had set out, to doom and despair (the typical -ninna mane haLaghoga abuse!) Could the natives have missed telling him a story as important as this that affected the genealogy of the ruler of their land, of the plave they inhabit? And even if they told him, what benefit would accrue to Buchanan to censor that info? Wilks' account of 1810 also skips mention of Alamelamma.
It is cliched and naive to think that all british accounts are necessarily coloured. What makes you presume court accounts or that of "natives" are objective and dont depend on eulogy of the ruler alone?? Would it have benefitted Buchanan or Wilks to whitewash her existence, especially considering the fact that this was an embarssing event for the Wodeyar who was under their tutelage by then?? They would have played it up more if only it was told to them at all. The Annals was a royal family commisioned project. Why then did they not censor an embarassing incident for a member of their own dynasty?
The official communication of 1874 mentions a 'traditionary curse' without elaborating what it means. In Rice's Gazetter the three line curse makes it first appearence in 1876. And has been reinforced ever since in all accounts thereafter.
So you may be privy to some secret documents of "natives" (being a royal yourself )which no other historian has been. So please go ahead and get that published if u have documentary evidence--u will be creating an epoch of sorts in Mysore history!
Lithic records mention gifts and grants made to Lord Kirtinarayana of Talakd by the Mysore royals in 1718--also corroborated by Hayavadana Rao. The Gaurishankara temple in the talakad complex near the dunes, was built during Chikkadevaraja's time --1672-1704 as per a Kannada inscription there. The Anandeswara temple was another excavation in the site that dates to 1750's.Would kings make grants or build temples in a place already drowned in sand? Which means even 150 yrs after this so called curse (1610) in the 1750's there was no sand there? Did it take 150 yrs for the first line of her curse to materialize? Also the very man who was cursed, Raja Wodeyar begot sons (many of whom died in quick succession no doubt, but his wife Edanahalli timmajammanni was pregnant when he died and her son Immadi Raja became king after the grandson who took over immediately after raja Wodeyar;s death) So what line of succession are we talking? "Mysuru doregalige makkalaagadirali" means alternate generations shud be childless?? Yeah of course the Annals mention Raja Wodeyar worshipping her bronze statue and she blessing him thereafter. But why concession of alternate generation?? Either keep the curse or take it off fully !
As regards your disgust on the usage of language just because someone is a king or queen, i am sorry, i dont have colonial trappings like u do. A king or queen (or a politician of today) is a human being and can be judged as much a commoner. That your extra sensitive sensibilities were wrongly tickled is unfortunate and unintended. As for your dig on my "re-search", if u have anything original to your credit (other than sending anonymous comments on blogs), i would love to peruse them and see your sources.
It is high time Indian history is rescued from such superlatives and un-objective and emotion-based harangues as many of your ilk sadly do!
Having said this, i would still recommend your reading that chapter before jumping the gun with another set of tirades.
Regds
vikram
Vikram,
I am not jumping the gun ...i am speaking as a common man who knows the local history and who respects ones own queen of this region..The statements that you have made in a language derogatory towards a local queen is not acceptable is all i am hitting at...and those statements are not part of history or historical records..but being implanted by you into a book that is probably a good historical book on mysore...and i am purely against your wording . If you want to interpret respect to a queen as colonial trappings...i dont think i agree. But making derogatory statements against ones own queen like you have done..you are not gaining acceptance by a large section of locals. Respect your history and the people in it! Your book for all we know may be read by a person 200 years from now and the reader will end up thinking of this queen in bad light...i am against you portraying our own queen in such a manner. No colonial trappings here..but I respect our history and the people in it. Lesser attitude in your writing in this context will then probably make this a fantastic book on mysore and its history.
Kriteen
Kriteen,
Thats exactly what i have been trying to impress upon you. Dont draw conclusions of the kind u have by reading a small paragraph and not seeing in what context it has been written in the book at large. Thats being rather unfair.
Secondly, just as u say these deductions are 'implanted' by me, i am also saying that there is strong evidence to show that this queen also was perhaps implanted. I have shown a glimpse of the lack of documents and contradictory evidence in my last post, and have tried to elaborate those in the book. Finally, there is nothing called "TRUE HISTORY"---all historical accounts are interim reports as a famous historian had said and it finally is the interpretation of the person who writes it. We need to have that scientific temper and objectivity when dealing with history-- not get too carried away by emotions.
And being a Kannadiga myself and someone who hails from the Old Mysore State, i dont think the queen u mention has the kind of cult image among people here--may be you and a few others are exceptions (though u have royal company in the current scion of the mysore family !!) Is she part of folk literature--the kinds even a tipu sultan is through numerous lavanis and so on? have there been kannada litterateurs who have written a moving account of her life and death? In case u have such proofs and i have overlooked them, i might want to get educated. But as far as i know none exists. so how can u claim that what i have written has not "gained acceptance for the large populace"?? I myself belong to this common man group of Karnataka and hence rather bewildered by this sensitivity!
WHat i also fail to see is why u think our kings and queens are beyond the lust of gold, power, land and kingdom? Were they all saints who had renounced all their wordly pleasures ? if so, would wars be fought? Isn't that 'divine rights theory of kingship' which is what bolsters a colonial mindset that 'the king is an incarnation of god on earth'? Lust for gold or power isnt a "BAD WORD" especially considering the fact that royalty (or today's politicians) have always amassed that. SO i completely fail to see the point u raise.
Hi Sir,
This is Vinod, I love to read about history and am in love with Mysore, with its royal touch. I chanced upon this link when i was searching for data on Mysore royalty.
Could you please give me the address where i can buy ur book.
my id is geradvinod@yahoo.com.
Thanks and congrats on writing the book, im sure it takes a lot of effort and toil.
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