SHAHU CHHATRAPATI

A Royal Revolutionary
 Shahu Chhatrapati
- A Royal Revolutionary
SHAHU CHHATRAPATI
A Royal Revolutionary

BOMBAY
POPULAR PRAKASHAN
ioPULARPRAKA~HANPRIVATELIMITED
35c Tardeo Road,· Popular Press Building, Bombay 400 034

@ 1976 by D. V. KEER

PRINTED IN INDIA

BY V. D, LlMAYE 'AT THE INDIA PRINTING WORKS, NAGIN,DAS MASTER ROAD

_L'\'TF.NSION 1, FORT, no~mAY 400 001, A.'ID PUBLISHED BY RAMDAS G. BHATKAL
FOR POPULAR PIUKASHA.'l PVT. LTD., 35C TARDEO ROAD, BOMBAY 400 034
 To
LOKANETE
BALASAIIED DESAI
 Preface'

'' !
IN October 1961, on the occ:;uion of the publio.tion of m) bio-
graphy of Mah:itm:1 Phooley, I ,had dccbred my intention, of
writing a biograph) of Rajanhi Shahu Chhatrapati There-
a[ter I defo·ercd three lectures on Shahu in March 1970 at -
Shfr.1ji Unhenitj·, and tiic.re kcturcs were later published in
• I '
bool Conn. But the matena1 I had collected was not adequate to
write a biography. The need for material was met by Dr. Appa-
!.theb Pa war, the then Vice Chancellor of Shivaji Unfrersiry.
Ilut [or that ma.terfal 1 would not h:ive been nble to write a
fuJ1.fiedged, !J.Uthentic and romprchem1\'C biography.'
It is now fi£t)-lhree }ears since Rajarshi Shahu Chhatra.pati
died. lt is not ~ short period to judge a ruler or a leader. And
a grateful Mahar.uhtra significantl}' celebrated his birth cente-
nary on July 26; 1974, under the 'prcsid~ntship of the then
President of the Indian Republic. V. V. Giri. ' ' •
Shahu Chhatrapati wa~ a m)riad-sided personality.' He wa,
1
a niter ,, ho made re\'olutionary social changes e,en at the risk
of his crown and life. In building -vast dams. and launching
ambitious schemes in the fields of agriculture and (0-()perathe
!0(1etics, he proved to be the Father 0£ the Green Revolution
in fod1a, He was a Jaw-giver' who did signal deeds of, social
jusuce. A !aviour of the suppressed, oppn~ssed and the under•
dog, he liberated them in his State from the shadles of bondage
and ga\'e them fut[ human rights. Among the Indian rulers
Shahu was the only Hindu Prince since the Buddha to set an
example of social equality by eating at public: places from the
hands o{ the mucaste or by dining with them
Gre.at men are the product of the social changes that press
in their times for solution, and they play an important role in
t-!J
viii PREFACE

giving expression to the ideas of those changes and in crfectin.g

them. Naturally their lives portray the demands of their
times. Shahu played an important role in vehemently putting
forward the demand for a new India which would give a better
deal to the Backward and .Depressed Classes.
During Shalm's lifetime Maharashtra had become a hot-bed
of social disturbances. Several stonns swept over it. The defen-
ders of old values and the social no-changers vilified Shahu for
introducing new social values. The story of Shahu's life de-
monstrated why many of the Tilakitcs later became graceful
nonenti'ties. • ; • •
The. acrid controversies and.· the acrimonious warfare l1avc
died down. TI1e fog of prejudice and ill feeling has melted.
Yet a tinge of hate lingers in some quarters from father to son.
F;natical hero-worship also has cooled down. f.Cencc it is pos-
sible £or a blographer to deliver a final verdict. •
Although· this biography is written in terms of p~rsonality,
it is inevita~lc f~r the biographer to discuss, }O some extent,
trends and tendencies of .the times to give the .story an historical.
background. For it_ is difficult for a biographer to separate
individ_ual biography from cultural and social history. With
t\CW facts and discoveries about Shahu, it has become possible
for the biographer to break new, ground,. to give new interpre:
tations and to make new asse.ssments. The facts arid. history
provid_ed by A.. n:·Latthc in his Memoirs 0£ Shahu,· th~ ·book of
Memoirs :edited by Madhavrao .Bagal, the Memoirs edited, by
Dattajirao Kurane, the Rajarshi. Shahu Smarah Grantha edited
by Raosaheb Bannc, and .various other Spccial--numbcrs, were
useful, to inc. •
• .It "may be noted here that,almost all the letters of Shahu
quoted in :this biography arc originally in English and they'. arc
quoted as they arc. While· translating Marathi passages from
books and· newspapers
' ,
'I have
. not done ·,vord to word, verbal,
literal translation; for it 'is impossible to translate literally ·arid
wcl~ at the same ti~c: .• India~ i'lord~· arc printed in· italics at
then fmt appearance, an'd repetition ·oE italics has been avoided
so far ·as' possible; A bi))liograp~y of Indian words is given at
the end of the book:' • • • • • • • ·· · · •
 PRll'ACl:

I am glad to mention here that the Acharya Atre Foundation,

Dombay, appreciated my biograph1ol worJ.. and bestowed on me:
their Aw.ird in August 1975 for making a ,,aluable contnhution
to Marathi literature and for writing this biography o[ Rajarshi
Shahu Chh:ttrapati.
Owmg to my failmg e)esight 'and poor health, thisttime my
friends and publuher had to•tak.! extra trouble in re:r.dmg the
\ • >

typescript The first and foremost arnong them 1s Professor

Nissim Ezel.1el who minutely went through 1t and ma.de several
helpful suggestions I express my deep debt of gratitude to htm
for his ready help and kindness. My pubhsher, Ramdas Bhatkal,
took. a le.en mt('rest in re.1dwg the trpescript in order to lessen
my :iru:.iety. I sincerely e...:press my gratitude to him and to hi,
office staff.
Mr friend, Mr V G. Khobrelar, Director of Archhes and
Archaeology, kmdlf made available to me certain records for
the verification of facts. I sincerely thank him for his help.
My poor health and weak e}es would not ha,·e permitted me
to go to dwant places for the scrutiny of the material.
My thanks are due to Shd Chhatrapati Shahaj1 MaharaJ,
Dr. Appasaheb Pawar, P. C. Patil, Sfmmati Ushatai Ithape.
Madha.vrao Bagal. Ratnappa Kumbhar. Minister for Food and
Civil Supplies, l\Iaharashtra, P. B. Salunke, Honourable Justice
G. K. Vaidya, M,ss Chandra MudaHar, the late Madhavrao
Shinde, the late Dattoba Pawar, Yeshwant Mahara.J, C, D.
Kh:molbr. Arvmd Til.dar, Achyut Tari, Dr. S G Mal.she,
Mukundrao Kirloskar, Ex-Prime Mmister Dadasaheb Surve's
son Ilabasaheb Scr.rve. N. T Patil, Prabh.1Lar Kel,hk.a:r,
Smt. Vatsalabai Pinge, Manohar Keluskar, B B Maharaj,
Mrs. Su:bhadrabai Pagar, Dinkarrao Mane, Dr. D A. Gftatge,
D N Satham, l\ladhavrao Kamat, G K Kurhade, my brother
Vmayal.., my son Rajesh, Jagd1sh Khadpe, Manager, S.udar
Griha, Prarthana Samaj. Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangraha•
laya, The 'Time\ of India Library and several others who helped
me by supplymg some matenal or m other work concerning this
biography Many others sent their reminiscences, but I could
not use them for want of space and scrutinJ, I am th::inkful
to ui.ern afso. r appreciate u'te li.dp my sort &. Suml ~
in preparing the index.
X PREFACE

i sincerely acknowledge my deep debt of gratitudeto all the

authors, publishers and editors from whose books, journals and
other publications I have drawn excerpts.
• I need not add that my publisher's broader· views on social
reform and national literature have played an important role
in the production of this book.
My sincere thanks are due to V. D. Limayc for his kind
attitude towards my work and his accommodating spirit in
printing this book.

17 Bhageshwar Bhuvan DHANANJAY KEER

"Dilip Gupte R(?ad
J3orobav 400 016
1A T'
 Contents

Pre/au . . . . vu
I From ShivajL to Shahu 1
2. Traming and Travels 12
3 Atceuion . 31
4 A Difficult Task. 42
5 A Model Ruler 59
6 The Social Conflict . . 77
7. Education of Dackward Classes 99
8. Voyage and Thunder 112
9 Demand £or a New Indta 127
JD Pohtical and Moral Pres.sure 147
I I. Religious Terrorists 161}
12. Repres'>ive Trials 184
I! Factions and Refonns 202
14 New Schemes New Pnests 220
15 Seek.mg Help to Defeat T1Iak 240
16 \\Tarries and Clashes 257
l7 Communal Represcnrar1on 27'7
18 The Arya Sama1: Kun.arm Va tans 299
19. V1suahses Labour Government in India 327
20 Life'!! Mission . , . . 351
21 Two Forces of Soci:i.I Democraq :
n•. Nair and Shahu . 376
22. Appeal to Indian Leader,; 391
2j Tilak's Threat 414
24 Kshatra Jagadguru . 437
25 Not a Traitor but Saviour 461
26 Faces Death Bravely , 48Q
Abbrevuztums u.ud m the References 5ll
Reftrences . • 515
Glossary of Indian Wordr 521
Jnde,: 524
XI
 Shhaii the Great
- founder or lhc
MJratha Empire

Jl.,fJhr.in1 iurJhaf
-founda of lhe
K<'lhJpur GJth
 Regent Abasaheb Ghatge Radhabaisaheb
' -Father
- Shahu's Mother

Shrimant Bapusahcb Ghatge Akasaheb Maharaj

-Brother -Daughter
~~~,,~ ,.,
·:, :, '

"·--,.Prince Rajaram Maharaj

.I-. Prince Shivaji Maharaj
 The Circuit House where Shahu was born

Shahu
at the agi: of 15
Shahu at the age of 12
 Shahu Chhatrapali
- at the time of Accession
 Sir Tulo11 P,rnar Shahaj1 Chhalrapali
De\\as -Maharaja of Kolh::ipur
Grandson
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Madhavr.io Scindia
SayaJ1rJo GJikwad - Maharaja or Gwalior
- Maharaja of Baroda

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. ,.,..
_.,,:..------
Shrunant UdaJ1rao Pawar MamJsaheb Kham1IJ..ar
_ Maharaj of Dhu
 Sir Stuart Fraser Sir Claude Hill
- Friend, Guru and Guide - Friend. Philosopher and Guide

Colonel W. B. Ferris Resident W. B. Wodehouse

- Politic:1) Agent

Resident Colonel Merewcthcr • Dewan Sabnis

,_ Statesman
 Mrs Ralhmabai Kclokar BhaslarrJO Jadhav
- Educatiomsl - A great scholar and
rearless leader

Da11rao Amrutrao V1chare

-Engineer P. C Patil
- A great Fnend
I ,
!

Khaserao Jadhav Sadash1vrao Laxman Patil

- Fnend and Pa tnot -Kshatra Jagadguru
Alladiya Khansaheb Govindrao Tembe
-A doyen of Indian -A Matchless Harmonium
Musicians Player

Anjanibai Malpekar Keserbai Kerkar

-A great Musician -Surashri

Kc~havrao Bhosle Narayanrao Rajhansa

-- The great Actor - The Wonder and Magic
of the Marathi Stage
"~LT v;:- J .r

.; '. ~~- -~~~-

------~-- ~ .. ~--=

Yalchand Kothari
- Echtor and Leader Dhagwantrao D Palekar
Jagu.ruJ.. - Editor: /agruit

Shnpatrao Shmde Prabodhankar

- Editor and Leader K. S Thackeray
V11r1}i Marafha - Leader, Author, Reformer

r-
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D. B Randne Karm:neer
-Editor: Sanjuan ~ l9H
 Dinkarrao Jawalkar
Mukundrao Patil - Editor. and Leader,
Editor: Di11aba11dJm Tarun Marat/ta

R. D. Bhosle
Shammo Desai - A dedicated Leader
Editor: Raslttraveer

•.·

r Ganpa\ruo More
- Organizer and Leader
Shripati Chavan
- A reputed Wrestler
 ,. ·"
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I

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,,
.,
~
"·

Shahu Chhatrapat1
Organizer. Inspirer and Liberator
 (I) Lady Willingdon (2) Shahu Chhatrapati
(3) Lord Willingdon (4) Bapusaheb Ghatge at a shikar.
'11/' I J' 1'' '1",/

,, ' ' ,
,/~, r;f,', ,, I :•/ ,, ./ l :

·" :, :

J_

Shahu Chhatrapati and the Prince of Wales

at the Shivaji Memorial Foundation in November 1921.
 h.11r.1p.it1
~halrn C~er of th:: People
~ Th.:: Plu]osop
Maharani Laxmibai
 j \'

''

CHAPTER ] ' .'

From· Shivaji To Shahu

KoLHAYUR has been well known through the ages as one al cJ,e
unpon,mt towns in southern India, both in cultt.tral and in
rehgmus history. In the w.enteenth century it became a part
of the !ifar.2tha. Empire founded by Shila.Ji the Gte:tt, who ·was
the most eminent J-Imdu king smce Ashok. Later, from the first
decade of the eighteenth century, Kolhapur became a d1stinct
and independent pnncipahty, After the fa.JI of the Maratha Em-
pire in 1818, it remained a comparatively small but distingu1shed
principality among the Indian States Smee then it has been
connected with crucial political and social changes in Maha•
rashtra In the twentieth century iu .$lXfa1 as well ai cultural
contribtH1on to Indian Art, Mmic: and Drama has been of
tremendous cansequence So it i$ de,cribed as K.alapur (City of
Art) as wen
The etymology of Kolhapur is varied. It is called Kolh:i.pur
as it was infested ,~1th jackals and Kolha in Marathi meatts a
jackal. .Koihara in Marathi means a potter; so it was called a
.sett1ement of potters. Azain, mythology attributes its names,
Kolhapur and Kaneer, to the demon K.olha.sura and his son
Karveer, who were both killed by the goddess MahalaJ(JlU. Hiuo-
rJt.1JlY, the early references to this oty as K()lhapur ;U'e found
in an eighth centurt tnanuscript at Shra,'l!.nbelgol 1 in Kamatak.
Ho¾e\er, the name probably had its origin in Kolias, who had
inhabited it Jong before the advent of the Amns or Draviili:ins
on the scene. The e:<istence 0£ che place-names and cute-names
derived from J{ollas pro,-e its veracity,
On the deatb. of Sbi,aji at Rajg;:id <>n Apr!I 3, l6S0, hH elder
:son Sambhaji, ascended. the tnrone and metn\ts>\1 J)\l\ to dn\h
1
SC-t
2 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

h.is father's trusted statesmen as he had grown extremely distrust-

ful of them. Soon after this tragedy, Aurangzeb, destroying the
Muslim kingdoms of Bijapur and Golkonda, swooped down on
Maharashtra with his formidable army to destroy the Maratha
kingdom. Hand.some, brave, daring but impetuous and unbalan-
ced, Sambhaji fought heroically but fell into the hands of
Aurangzeb. The fanatic Emperor put him to death in :i. barbar-
ous manner, a manner that startled Maharashtra and put it on
mettle. The wife of Sambhaji and his son Shivaji were taken
captive by Aurangzeb. This Shivaji was called Shahu.
The Maratha generals, Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav
and statesmen Pralhad Niraji, Khando Ballal and Ramachandra-
pant Amatya, all gloriously fought against Aurangzeb under
Rajaram, younger son· of Shivaji, for the independence of the
Marathas. After Rajaram's death in March 1700, his twenty-five
year old ,~idow Maharani Tarabai took up the cause. She
organized the Maratha chieftains and their armies and inspired
them with courage, heroism and patriotism to repel the attacks
which the mighty army of Aurangzeb had successively launched
on them for twenty-three years. Thus by her action and ·deeds
she proved to be an outstanding administrator and a heroic
commander. Under her dynamic leadership the Marathas regain-
ed their prestige and power, striking terror into the hearts of
the Moghul forces. She was aptly called an angry goddess and a
great destroyer. Aurangzeb eventually became depressed, dis-
appointed and frustrated and laid his bones at Ahmednagar.
Maharani Tarabai with her brave generals proved to be the
saviour 0£ the Maratha kingdom.
A[ter Aurangzeb's death on February 20, 1707, his younger
son Azam Shah released Shahu. By doing this Azam Shah hoped
perhaps to get respite and relief from the Marathas in his strug-
gle for power at Delhi against his eldest brother Shah Alam,
later known as Bahadur Shah. Ori his part Shahu, grateful and
helpless as he was, ·agreed to be a Moghul vassal under humiliat-
ing tem1s, leaving his mother and wife as hostages at the Moghul
Court.
The emergence of Shahu as a claimant. to the Maratha throne
drove a wedge between the loyalties of the Maratha soldiers and
statesmen. Each faction· fought for its master's cause. The result
 FROM SHIVAJI 'to SHAHU<

wa'i th.at Mahat:mi Taraba:i's -commanders went m•er to Shahu

who proclaimed himself on January 12, 1708, the Chhatrapati
of the Maratha kingdom Shahu made Satara his capital. On her
part, Tarabai regarded Shahu as an imposter, interloper and a-
M0ghul vassal She readily repaired to Panhala Fort and in 1710,
proclauned her minor son Shivaji as the Chb.atrapah. Thi~
ShivaJi is known as Shivaji I of the Kolhapur dynasty
Meantime, m February 1714, Tarabai was dModged from
power by a coup at Panhala, and she and her son Shivaji were
put under house arrest. Admittedly, Tarabai was then a mighty
figure hallowed by courage and heroism. But unfortunately, she
met wtth her downfall largely through the treachery o[ her
commanders and statesmen and partly through the narrowing
influence caused by her overbearing nature.
Consequently. SambhaJt, Rapram's younger son by llajasbai,
was proclaimed Sambhaj1 II A brave and tenacious soldier. he,
to(), continued the feud with Shahu. After several expeditions
and prolonged warfare, Shahu and SamhhaJt, the grandsons of
Shivaj1 the Gre:11, entered into a _treaty on April 26, 1731, mal.
inJJ the Rn·er Wama the boundary line between the two
l.mgtloms. The treaty of ,vama recognised the smereignty of
Kolhapur over the whole terntory to the south' o[ the Junction
of the Rivers Krishna and Warna. It also allowed SambhaJi to
claim a fourth share in all conquests to the south of the Tunga.
bhldra

II

There was a ume when Shahu, who was at death's door, was
perhaps thinking of uniting the two Kingdoms by adopting
Sambhaji. Balaj1 Bajirao, the Peshwa, had slyly :igreed to this
proposal. Having sensed thi-s, Tarabai. on Shahu'$ death, put
forward the claim' of Ramrap, her own grandson But shortly
after Ramraja's installation, Tarabai, swa1ed by political ambi-
tion, duowned him ln the fight for leadership and power, Dalaji
BaJirao alias Nanasaheb, fmstrating the attempts of Shahu'5-
Queen Salwarbai, expediently clung to R:unraja the puppet.
Ila.laJt Bai1rao !fatterecf rara.fia1 for a whik, ln:« i« rlre etrd
£oiled her attempt to c:ipture power. Evident1y Tarabai was.
4 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

motivated by the thought that power should be retained in the

hands of the successors to the throne, so that the Peshwa should
not usurp it. Yet it cannot be gainsaid that in discarding Ram-
raja she was guided by the exigencies of political situation. And
no doubt the Pesh~va, too, was actuated by political expediency.
Ramraja's downfall led to the establishment of the Peshwa's
Brahmin rule. This Brahmin raj changed the purpose and struc-
ture of Maratha rule which was originally based on merit and
character and not on caste supremacy.
Shahu had unwisely or h~lplessly allowed the Peshwa to
develop Poona as a parallel centre of power independently of
Satara. As was natural Balaji Bajirao soon turned Poona into
the real seat of power, keeping the semblance of a capital at
Satara for the future puppet kings.
Sambhaji II could not achieve his ambition of ascending the
throne at Satara. He died childless in 1760. On his death, the
direct line of Shivaji became extinct. The Dowager Rani Jijabai
adopted a boy· from the Khanwatkar family, one of the descend-
ants of Sharfaji Bhosle and installed him on Gadi on September
27, 1762 as Shivaji II. It was Shivaji II who shifted his capital
from Panhala to Kolhapur. Shivaji II fought bravely against
Mahadji Scindia and Parsharambhau Patwardhan, who were the
Peshwa's two powerful generals. Mahadji defeated him; Pat-
wardhan was killed in the battle. But under the treaty of 1812
with the British, Kolhapur was reduced from an independent
kingdom to a Princely State. The ruler of Kolhapur was called
Maharaja by the people of Kolhapur, but the British described
him as a Raja.·
During the last decade of the eighteenth century, Shivaji II
appointed Siddheshwarbuwa his spiritual preceptor. For main-
taining the dignity of the family of Siddheshwarbuwa, hereditary
grants of land and hereditary honours including the tit]e of
Maharaj were conferred upon him by Shivaji IJ.2
After Shivaji II's death in 1813, his eldest son Shambhu alias
Abasaheb ascended the throne and started his work for the wel-
fare of the State in a peaceful atmosphere. But unfortunately
he was killed by a wicked and disgruntled man named Sayaj";rao
ifohite, for money and land in July 1821, when he was twenty.
 l!Rmt SHIVAJI TO SHAHU 5
Bhau Maharnj, the youngest $On of S1ddheshwarbuwa, who
w.as: then spn-itua.1 preceptor of Abasaheb, hastened to che scene
of murder; but somehow nervously, or rather in a mysterious
manner, he allowed the murderers of,his master to escape safely.a
Much earlier, on August 2, 1818, Gener.al Sir Thom:is :Munro
described m his letter this Bhau Maharaj 'as a particular friend
of the Honourable Company' and again in a letter addressed
on August 15, 1818, to Ab:u:iheb, he referred to the st:nices of
Bhau Maha.raj and chatacterised him as "a very worthy man
mdeed" On October 25, 1818, the Maharaja had rewarde<l JJhau
Maharaj fat his poluical servu:es by a gift of a Iakh of mpees.
Moremer, in 1821, he had granted to Bhau Maharaj 10 ,illages.
several of which were withm the talubs of Cb.ikodi and Afanoh,
Shaha11 alias Buwasaheb, who succeeded Abas.iheb in 1821
after a turmoil, was self-wiIIed, imprudent and oppresshe. But
he was righteously filled with intense h:ttred for the increasing
Bnush interference in or pressure on his Govemment. Neither
could be get on well with his feudatoties. Rather shorHightedly,
he often invohed himself in clashes with the Rntish ~he result
of his foolhardiness was that he ptO\,ole<l skinnhhes, punitive
expechtiom which ended in a wbstantfal curt:ulment by the
British of hi! power. presuge and m1ht::i.ry forces. In addition
to this. a British-nominated Chief l\linister, over whom Buwa•
saheb had ho control, was imposed on him. 'Ibis happened
under a treaty made in 1829 An expert nder and noted hunter,
Buwasaheb died on November 29, JS38, wlrile on a pilgrimage
to Tul1apur.
At this time Buwasaheb l\faharaJa.'s elder son, Sh1vaj1 TH
alias B:ibasaheb, was e1gl1t }ears old, ,D.uwasaheb had a ~cond
son, Chimasaheb, whose mother had died m his infancy. C1uma•
saheb was in the care of Saibai, the semor Queen who dispuced
the claim of B:tbas:theb to succeed Shn,aji. 'Ihere was a serious
rift between Andenon, the Polilical Agent, and the mother of
Babas;1l1eb and Sarbai regarding die control of admmistratfon.
Ramrao Desai, who w;1s appointed Chief }.fiuister by the Drit1sh,
remained m the ba.ckground, each fa<:tion fighting in the Council
for power.
Up to tl1is time it was customary with tfle British officen to
call upon the MaliaraJ:t of Kolhapur barefoot, but bring con·
6 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

scions.of their mighty power, they were now indifferent to that

customary courtesy. It was now agreed that the Raja at his Court
and the emissary at his office should welcome each other by
advancing a few steps to receive the other. A Regency Council
ruled for ,the minor Babasaheb, but it was torn between two
factions, one led by Anandibai and the other by Saibai' and
Dinkarrao Gaikwad. The latter faction dominated the scene, but
they misruled the· State. Consequently, this Council was sacked
by the British Government
• , The discontent of Saibai ·and Dinkanao Gaikwad ·expressed
itself in the form of a revolt inspired and engjneered by them.
Saibai paid. for the misrule by perishing in Poona in Octobel'
1861, she having been deported first to Ahmednagar. Dinkarrao
died in the Fort of Ashirgad. Major Douglas Graham was
appointed Political Superintendent in 1845. He organized the
State on the British pattern, appointing Daji Pandit, Chief
Revenue Officer, Balajipant Gokhale, · Kolhapur's first Sardar
Amin, and J. H. Kirtane, the first Judge.

III

• Shahaji Chhatrapati of Satara.alias Appasaheb, who had paid

a visit to Kolhapur in 1841, died in April, 1848. So Satara was
annexed. under the notorious Doctrine of Lapse. Chimasaheb,
Babasaheb Maharaja's step-brother, aged· 28 was . deported to
Karachi for his parlicipalion in the revolt of 1857 in Kolhapur.
Babasaheb was thirty years old at the time. He wrote and spoke
English well. He was frugal and loyal and lived on an annuitv
of Rs. 80,000. In 1863 he was at last invested with full power~
to rule over his State. The number of gun salutes to the Maha-
raja, however, was reduced from 21 to 17; subsequentlv, on a
representation the number of salutes was raised to nineteen.
In 1862, under the Sanad of Adoption, the rulers of Kolhapur
were granted the hereditary right of adoption. The area of the
Kolhapur Raj now remained as large as a district.
: Babasaheb ruled only for a short while and died on August
1, 1866. Three days before his death he adopted Nagojirao
Pata~'kar, who ·was named Rajaram. The adoptee was the son
of lus sister, Aubai, married to Ramchandrarao Patankar of
 FROM SUIVAJI TO SJIAIIU • , , 7
Patan. This boy as well as Ja)singrao Ghatge, lived with Buwa-
saheb in his palace. Jaysingrao Abasaheb Ghatge of Kagal was
tlie san of hi, .1nother sister Dalab.ti. He w-as also his favourite.
But he lost his chance of being adopted as he was. perhaps more
given to dogs and horses than to books. Moreo\'tr, at that time
h~ had gone to Kagal, it is said, to invole the blessings of the
family deity.
1
Raj'ar.:im iJaharaja being a mim>.t of sjxteen, there- began
again a period of regency rule conducted by the British adminis-
trator Anderson., Rapr.im was put under Captain Edward ,vest
for his education, and West was piea')ed with his student's pro-
gress So good was the impre5.1:fon Rajar.1m created that he was
chosen to reply in English to an address by the Gmemor of
Dombay, Sir Bartle Frere, during a Darbar held in Poona in
1866.
'
Rajaram took an acth e interest in tl1e spread of education and
donated a la.rge .sum toward.s this cause. A lover of education,
he built a new building to house the Kolhapur High School,
which had been started in 1867 with l\!ahadeoshastri Kunte as
headmaster.
In May 1870 along with Captain West, Rajaram vfaited
England. Whtle m England, he met Gladstone, Dadabhai Naoroji,
the Chancellor of Oxford University and many other worthies
On his return 1oumey, he rued at the age of twenty in flon>nce
on No\'ember 30, 1870, after a short illness. A life of great
promise was cut short
. Rajaram was cremated in Florence on the banks of the Amo.
Three years later, a memorial was erected to his memory at the
spot ,\he-re he ,ws cremated. For his deep interest in educational
activities, Koll1apur High School was named after him.
Rapram had no son, and so his renior wife, a ghl of eleven,
adopted Narayanrao, son of Oinb.rrao Bhosle, from the 'iawar·
delar branch of the Bhosles on October 23, 187 I. Eefore the
adoption, he was medically examined by che Crvil Sur[;eon of
the Kolhapur State and was found fit About this time a
descendant of the Tan1ore ruler claimed the gadi of Kolhapur,
but his claims v.ere turned down by tht- Bomb:iy G..-xemmet1t
The rousm of Rapram, Jaysmgrao Ghatge, had been already
8 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

adopted by the Ghatge family of Kagal (senior) . So Jaysingrao

lost a second chance of being. the ruler of Kolhapur.
Narayanrao Bhosle, who was named Shivaji IV, was eight and
a half years old. He was placed by the administrator Col. Andcir-
son in the educational charge of Captain West for training.
According to this guide and guardian, the boy Raja showed "fair
promise at that early age". "His face," observed West, "is intelli-
gent and pleasing, especially when he smiles, and it is hoped
with the careful training and edu.cation which he will receive,
his mind and better qualities will b.e so developed .that he will
prove worthy to succeed th~ accomplished and amiable prince
whose son he has now become."4 Y. W. Patwardhan, was appoint-
ed his 'native' tutor.
Meantime, a notable event took place in the form of the
appointment of Mahadev Vasudev Barve as Karbhari of the
State from June 9, 1871. He was in the service of the British
and his services were lent 'to the Kolhapur Darbar in 1869.
Formerly, this Chitpawan Brah.min •served in the Education
Department and had clashes with Tilak's father who was in the
same department. By nature Barve was an ·astute, overbeanng
and imperious administrator. Impatient and intolerant of oppo-
sition, he was extremely jealous of his power.
On becoming the Karbhari, Barve treated the ruling family
and tl1e Maratha• aristocracy with little respect. He hated them
intensely as most Brahmin politicians hated them in those days.
It was, he thought, his sacred mission to raise Chitpawan Brah-
mins to high positions in the State. Within a few ')'Cars o[ his
appointment as Karbhari, he managed to import and recruit a
hundred of his castcmen in various departments of the State as
officers, clerks, police and even office peons.
This aristocrat; who regarded himse1£ as a kingrnaker, demand-
, ed that the boy Raja should retum his salute,r. although it was
the custom of the ruling family, as sanctified by religious practice,
not to rctum the salute of any of its subjects, sardars or officers,
however high or l?w, The king accepted the greeting with a
nod: Barve f~lt insulted and desired the members 0£ the Royal
famlly to advise the hoy Raja to return his salute. Neither the
Dowager Ranis nor the courtiers responded to his whimsical
orders. The boy Raja spiritedly and flatly refused to comply.
 FROM SIUVAJI TO SllAHU 9
Bane, theretore, resolved to teach him a Jessonll in a vindictive
manner.
Consequently, Barve decided to isolate the boy Raja from his
parents under one pretext or another In good faith, the Britfoh
Official~ agreed to Barve's proposals. The boy Raja was then
removed from the scene of palace disputes, jealousies and intri-
gues of the widows, senior and junior, who were stniggling for
power The boy felt isolated, lonely and neglected inasmuch
as he was kept away from his wife, his adoptive mother and above
all his natural father who had given his only son in adoption on
condition that he should be kept in the company of his son The
ca.use of this harassment originated in the ambitrons of Sakwar-
ba1, Abasaheb Ghatge and Ban·e. In their zeal to retain power
a.t the Court they :rimed at the postponement of Shhaji's coming
to power. The most powerful of these power-seekers WJS Ilan e
who outshone e1·en the powerful Brittsh Poluica1 Agent. The
second rival, Abasaheb Ghatge, had been invested with power a
yea.r earlier in his own puny Jalwgir.
The boy Raja hra'd been sent to the Rajkumar College at
' he wai brought back to Bombay 1n
R.ljkot. but a5 lie fell m,
consultation with the Bombay Go\errnnent, BarYe kept him at
l\JahabaJeshwnr under the direct supenisfon of :Edmund Co'",
the Assistant Political Agent; hi'! tutor B P. Modak and Bane's
spy Rambhau Ainapurkar were there to help Co'<.
A little earlier, on June 26, 1876, Salw,trbai had written to
Queen Victoria that Shivaji was being educated according to
English principles and polides and that there ll.'3.5 e\ery reason
to hope that he would pro\e a capable ruler. Besides being a
dyed-in-the-wool imperialist of the Kipling t)pe, Cox beha,ed
like the devil incarnate and Private Green, v. ho acted as a sort
of l..eeper, like a demon in human shape. They were the ,~orst
trpe of companions for a Prince, l\ho ·was suspected of mental
1mbalance. TI1e de,,il and the demon \ubjected the boy Raja
to endless msults :md physical hardslups, nggr.nated his :i~onie,
and imperilled his recovery at Poona where he was kept fur
some days.
WJu{e tf1ese intrigues l\ere going on, Il. G. TilaJ:. and G. G.
Agarlar, editors or die ,tfali.ratfa and the Kam~ tiere mm~ br
the harrowing tales of Shhaji's illness and hiJ piifabte rondmon.
10 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI'. A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

As editors devoted to championing the cause of the Indian

Princes they upheld the cause of Shivaji and launched a frontal
attack on Ban•e, E. Cox and Green. In this they were aided by
.Abasaheb Ghatge, .who had fumishccl them with some letters
against Barve.7 Abasaheb Ghatgc did this because he wante.cl to
harm Barve's image in the public eye. Barve therefore sued
Tilak, ·Agarkar and Ranade, the editor of Dnyanaf,rahaslz, and
others.
An astute and able politician, Abasahcb 'Ghatgc thus gained
his object in damaging the reputation o[ his rival, Barve. Con-
sequently, in March 1882 he was made Regent of the Kolhapur
State with the honour of a salute of nine guns. He, therefore,
brought pressure on Tilak not to produce the ariti-BaTVc letters
in the Court. Tilak, however, destroyed the letters accordingly
and he and Agarkar bravely faced their tria1 in Jul'] 1882. As
Tilak and Agarkar were let.down by Abasaheb Ghatge, they both
had to tender an apology to Barve who did not accept it. Tilak
and Agarkar, therefore, were sentenced to four months' imprison-
ment and were released on October 26, 1882. It may be noted
here that Cox was so enraged at some articles in the Mahratta
that he later wrote: "If any man could wish to have his knife
into some one, I might be pardoned for wanting,to have mine
into Tilak.."S
.While Shivaji's mental malady was taking a: serious turn,
Abasaheb Ghatge was, it is said, showing his son's horoscope to
an astrologer.II
Tilak and Agarkar lost the case, but. they gained the sympathy
of all the native States and of the people of Maharashtra. Later,
as a symbol of gratitude, Abasaheb alias Jaysingrao Ghatge,
Regent of the Kolhapur State and Chief 0£ Kagal, paid a visit on
September 18, 1883, to the New English High School conducted
by Tilak, Agarkar and Chiplunkar, and donated Rs. 500 for the
foundation of the Kagal prize. A year later Abasaheb Ghatge
donated a handsome sum to the Deccan Education Society and
was instrumental in securing several donations to the society.
In its issue of September 9, 1916, the Kesari said that the Kagal
prize and a donati9n 0£ Rs. 50,000 towards the Fergusson College
emanated from this Kolhapur affair.
 FROM SHl\'AJI TO SIIAUU II
On June 18. 1882, Abasaheb Ghatge, sent the young Raja to
Ahmednagar with Pnvate Green as his keeper. Cox was trans-
ferred to the Police Department in September )882, but Pn\'ate
Green remained as the keeper to torment the Raja The mental
.condition of the Raja v.ent from bad to worse. Ile ra1,ed, he
cried to nm aw.t} from the ((lnfinement, but he was thrashed,
horse--whipped by the intemperate' bully. In a scufile the Raja,
~•strugglmg wuh this clevil, pulled him over on top of Jum" ;md
1he hrote kicked the ailmg Raja in the stomach And the Raja
died on December 25, 1883, as a result of the injuries.
The British officials, as all men in pm1er sometimes do, shoo'L.
off their responsibility by claiming to ha,e held a post-motrem
and a magistenal inqun-y and declared that the young Rap had
died of an enlarged spleen Dr. Birch, who was in chaTgi! of the
RaJa, had examined him on December 18, 1883, but at that time
he had not found an enlargement of the spleen The result was
that Private Green w,1s- e).onerate<l. It is import.1nt to note that
the Regent saw the Raja only once at Ahmednagar.
Onre fo power. Aba.saheb's dynamic and powerful person<1hty
was soon able to achieve the object of his heart Ile won the
.crown of Kolhapur for his elder son Yashw.mtrao BaT\'e,
although successful m the Court, lost face in public ancl had to
.abandon so0n the Dewanslup of K()lhapur.
CHAPTER 2
Training and Travels

AT long last, on March 17, 1884, Abasaheb Ghatge, the Regent,

fulfilled his ambition by installing his elder son Yashwantrao
Eabasaheb on the gadi of Kolhapur. Both the Dowager Ranis
gave their consent and Sir James Fergusson, the Governor of
Bombay, approved of the adoptee. Yashwantrao was born on
July 26, 1874, at Kolhapur in the palace which is now called
arciiifnotis<:( His'brother, Bapusaheb, was born on January 3,
1876. Their mother Radhabai, the daughter of the Rajasaheb of
Mudhol, died in 1877.
The adoption ceremony was performed amidst great rejoicings
and unparalleled enthusiasm. On the eve:· of the adoption
ceremony, observes Col. H. A. Reeves, the Poiitical Agent,
peopie's prejudices and superstitions were removed
,
just to usher
.
in the auspicious reign of the new ruler. The remains of the
preceding three Rajas of Kolhapur and those of tl1e Royal widows
and the ashes of Shivaji IV were despatched and disposed of at
Benares with appropriate religious rites.
The dawn of March 17, 1884, saw the Regent, Abasaheb
Ghatge, marching in state procession with his son Yashwantrao
Babasaheb to the palace where the ceremony of adoption was to
take place. At seven in the morning the religious ceremony com-
menced. The titulary gods were invoked. The sacred fire was lit
up. Abasaheb poured water on the hands of Rani Anandibai,
which signified that he gave his son in adoption to her. The boy
was then placed in the lap of the adoptive mother. She and
the Royal ladies gave him sugar, and he was given the name 0£
Shahu Maharaja. The Rani and Shahu visited the temple 0£
Mahalaxmi, the family deity. Then Shahu wa'; seated on the
12
 TR.AJNJr,,C AND TRAVELS 13
gadi, :ind his name and title ,l\ere proclaimed by heralds. A
salute of 19 guns was fired.
A huge crowd, from far and near, joined the people o{ Kolha-
ptu· to ce1ebrate the e1 em with f;Te:lt hopes !or the future. The
boy Raja then recehed the homage of his sardars, mankaris,
and feud.-ztories and also the offerings made by rhem 'I11e
Chiefs of the Southern :Maratha Country, who were present,
made presents to the boy Raj.l, TI1e Chiefs of Al..aU..ot, l\fudhoI,
MiraJ (senior), Kurondwad, senior and Jimior, and Ramdurga
were present The Pres1dent of the Kolhapur Municipality and
some members of the Sarva.Janik Sabha of Poona were present.
Agashe. the Presjdent of the Kolhapur .i\!unicip.1l1ty, re:id out
the address and presented it to His Highness in a nice siher
caskeL T11e San;apmk S:ibha of Poona, the mon influentfal
association in the Deccan in those days, p.:trticipated in the cele-
bratJons. Headed by a Brah@n ruJing Chief, the representatives
of the SaT\'ajamk Sabha presented His Highness with an addr~
in "\\-hicl1 they obsened· "The accession to the throne o[ a
sovereign is naturally an occa1ion o[ great rejoicings to those '"'ho
ha, e to the under bis rnle and to his we1Iw1shers abroad. There
are pecu1iar circumstances, which dtstingui~h the present ce le-
bratton from simil.i.r rejoicings on former occasions. For the
past fifteen }ears, owing to the untimely death in a foreign land
of RaJaram l\IaharaJ, and the HI-health of the late unfortunate
ShivaJi Maharaj, Kolhapur has been associated m the national
mmd with great misfonunes which filled the whole country witl1
anguish and lamentation."
The address presented by the people of Kolhapur to the l\f aha-
raja beamed wtth theIT traditional pride of the House of Shivaji
and said. ''No one is more nearly allied to the Royal family of
Kolhapur than your noble self. The elevation, therefore, o( your
son to the Kolhapur throne is most natural, and at the same
time rnast accept::i.bk to the throne:·
The vast assembly was given Pan and suPari and a party of
dancing girls entertained the guests At noon, the R~nt hosted
a dinner to the European soldiers stationed at Kolhapur. His
Excellency Szr James Fergusson, the Go1aernor of Bon:iba}, though
interested. m lhij gFe:J.t ei·ent, ccuM nCtl .auenif the ceremony.
Jn the e.,ening, the Political Agent held a special Darhar and
14 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL R.l!.VOLUTIONARY

received His Highness with great pomp at the Residency com-

pound, the local infantry having gireeted him with a guard of
honour. The Political Agent Col. H. A. Reeves announced the
adoption and installation o[ Shahu in a right royal way. On this
occasion he announced that the Regent and the Government
intended to give His Highness the best education in order to fit
him for the responsible post to ,vhich he had been raised. The
Regent, he added, wished to send his son to England for educa-
tion, and the Political Agent hoped that he would develop a link
between Englishmen ·and the natives of the country. "His liberal
education," he concluded, "and extensive travel will enable him
to introduce reforms and ventilate ideas which may be liable to
misconstmction if they emanated from Europeans."
On the night of March 17; 1884, thousands gathered on the
banks o[ the Panchaganga to witness the fireworks where the
Royal personage was seated in a tent specially pitched for the
purpose along with several other tents. The principal public
buildings and streets in the capital were illuminated.
A grand dinner was given to the Kolhapur local infantry on
the noon of March 18. In the evening a gathering of about 2,500
school boys greeted their Maharaja ·with great enthusiasm. The
ceremonies ended with a • performance of Shashihala and
'Ratnapal, a play adapted from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?
given by the students of Rajaram College.
The Regent made proper arrangements. for the· education· 0°£
Sh.ahu and his other son Bapusaheb, Balasaheb alias Kakasaheb
and Dattajirao Ingle from Kagal under the tutorship of K. B.
Gokhale and H. B. Gokhale respectively. Their education was
carried on at Kolhapur by the teachers under the supervision of
P. S•. V. Fitzgerald, Assistant to the Political Agent, who was
appomted Superintendent on August 29, 1884, by the Govern-
ment to prepare the boy Raja for his education in England. But;
l~ter, _Abasaheb, who had left for England in March 188.5 with
1us fnend, Sit James Fergusson, changed his mind on his return
to Kolhapur in September 1885 and decided not to send him te>
England so soon. The Superintendent, therefore, relinquished the
charge of l1is office in November 1885.
Fitzgerald's. report on the progress of the boys was interesting.
The boy RaJa had completed his primary education and had
 TRAINING ANO TRAVEL'! 15
started learning English in which, the tutor thought, he must
study hard 'rhe boy Ra]a v..as found shy thot,gh also "pa!lls•
taling and an"1ous to learn". Indeed, his shme~~ was a store of
admirable qualities,
As tlungs were, Bane was nor there to tale cate of che boy
RaJa, He w:i.s allowed to proceed on lea"e early in 1883, and
after his resumption of duty m the middle of 1884. he was allow•
ed to retire Khanbiliadur l\.leherjibhai Kuverji Taraporew.illa,
who was acting in Barve's place, was confirmed as Dewan and
Ramaheb B N. Joshi n"1s confirmed as Chief Judge of Ko1113pur
early in l 885
Abasaheb Chatge and Col. J. W. Watson demled to ~end the
boy to the Ra1kum.tr College at Rajkot. In January 188G, the
boy Rap. and his companions, together wttl1 the imors Gol..hale
and Buwas.aheb Ingle, went ro Rajkot via Bombay by train and
by tongas 'When they readied "Bombay Shahu WJ.s gi\'en a salute
of 19 guns Buwasaheb Ingle was a good sportsman and a
symbol of manliness and s1mpliciry Ar R::i.jf..ot he served as a
companion to the Kolhaput teachers and the boys.
The Principal of Rajkun\.ar College was J\Iacnaghten, \\JlO ·was
a sympathettc and kindhearted gentleman. When the boy Raja
and his companions Joined the college, its strength increased to
fortHhree. Shahu was admmed to da~s V, as also Dalas:ilieb,
llapusaheb and Datta11 Ing-le of Kagal. Bha,smhji of Bhav-
nagar was m the same class
No sooner d1d the boys 1oin the college than Ab.1s:1heb was
tal..en seriously Ill The Kolhapur boys were, therefore, sum.
moncd home on 1\1:irch 19, 1886, "m consequence of the hea\'y
affi1ctton; ,~hich has recently befallen· them and their State."
l\lacnaghten obsenes m the annual report for the )ear 188.3-86:
"And it is, I fear, possible tl1at they may not return. The
distance from Kolhapur, it must be confessed, is nther a serious
obst:tcle. They are all good pronming bo}S antl one of them,
D:ittaJi Ingle, a exception:tlly clever. "1
On his return to Kolhapur from England, Regent Aba,aheb
was presented 111th pub1fr acJJ.rcsse.1- ;H Ka~al and Kolhapur, for
he was the first Jahag1tdar to make ;a ,oya-;e to London It was
now found tb:1t he suffered from a heart ailment. On hii death•
bed the dying Regent, m the pre:sence o{ Wilfo1ru Lce-H'.:imer.
16 SHAHU CHHATRAPA'.J"I: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

then the Acting Political Agent, expressed his wish that Shalm
and Bapusaheb should proceed to England when they were suffi-
ciently instructed in the English language al Rajkot.
Abasaheb died on March 20, 1886, at the age o[ thirty. His
sons reached Kolhapur on March 22, 1886, to sec the whole State
plunged into grief. A clever diplomat and a charming adminis-
trator, Abasahcb had the proud privllcgc of having an audience
with Queen Victoria when he visited London. He had introduced
several refo1ms in Kagal and Kolhapur. His simple habits, genial
disposition and his genuine interest in the welfare or the
peasants and the poor had endeared him to the people. His
august personality was known for physical feats and spons-
manship.
Abasaheb was married twice and had two sons by his frrst wife.
His second wife Radhabai came o[ the Surve family of Kuchamba,
a small village in the Chiplun taluka of Ratnngiri District. She
was married in 1878 at the age of fourteen and the man-iage
proved to be a happy one. She was jointly responsible for the
upbringing of her step-sons Shahu and Bapusaheb. She had two
daughters, one of whom died in Abasahcb's lifetime and the
other a(ter she was married.
On his return to Kolhapur from London, Abasaheb Ghatge
drank excessively. Drinking, perhaps a useful habit in a diplo-
mat, is disadvantageous to ·a ruler. "That," said Demosthenes,
"is a good quality in a sponge, but not in a king." The boy Raja
stood in such a dread of drinking that in his later lifc he would
not keep company with his father's so-called educated and
enlightened frie'nds and abstained from their bibulous diver-
sions. Shalm had lost his mother when he was three years old
and now at the age o( twelve he lost his father. The sorrows of
li~e began early £or him. At such a tender age the boy Raja Jost
Ins moral, royal and natural support, and this created in him a
sense o[ aloofness.
. Th~ ca~ses th~t led to the death 0£ his father produced an
mclchblc impression on his mind and this resulted in his total
aversion to drink and the boycott of habitual drunkaT<ls in his
company. The second effect of his father's death ·wac; more
touc~1ing _and lasting. Whenever a feudatory or any Chief died
Jeavmg lus young children, he sent sympathy and money to them
 1
TRAl'l;!",G A:--n TR,\\ HS f t .i 11 1 u
l'J
amt cxprcs~tll his solicitutlc iu other wars.. In their sorrow :md
plight lie ,1cmemhc:rcd , his own. . I..:1ter, in bis }ou t.h, it was
su~rcstc·d b) hii tutor, K n. GoL.h:ile, that ht sho\tld pte!cr the
<0mp:111y of the respenetl fncmh of his father ~thet than of rncn
from iJ1e loner tfas.5,cs, Upon tlm the }Ollng Raja 1>romptly
replied, "Ah, I lnow,fully well, ,.,hat the company of.such men
g.1, c f:t1hcr-d1c one , ice wl1ich nuucd l1i~ splendid hc:-atth and
which I am detc-nmned to a,oitl. No, l ,,ant neither thi~ so--
called socictr nor 1n \ices.'-:
, Wuh the death of the Regent, a l\:l\C or sorr~w passed o,er
the Kolhapur State. Lot<l ,Reay, the Gmcmor o{ llomha}',
exprcsm1g Im wrrow mer the cleath of J\basaheh (.hat,s-e, said
"Her MJJCSt) 's Prmopal Secretary of Staie £or Imh~. desired me
fO mform YDur JJsghncss of his deep regret at tlic Jass susta.ined by
the Kolhapur Court in tht- person of the late Regen1 for whom
Lord Kim~tlet Jiad 3 grc.u regard. Tlie cxpn>ssion of his
Lonhhip's ~)111p11hy wtll, I tru~t, comincc Your H,~hness and
t!ie Koll,apur Cocrrc of d1l'resreem m ulud1 tlic late Regent was
hcltl by tho-.e "'ho 11crc bcsl quaMied to jud~ of hi, merits and
his accomphshments," 3 As a result of the Regent's death, the
Poht1ral ARCnt ,\\', Lce-)\'amer was .1.ppointed President ol the
Rcgcnq Council. •
r i,
lI
1 I C r I f

Despite this 1m11IfcraLte b'1iet, the boy Rap '\".1.s· sent bad. to
RaJL.Ot after the summer \aC!lfon Durm{{ the rainy season lie
11 as ill for some <la} i.. J.:xcept for an a ttad-. of com ulsion which
.,. j ~ I ..- ,..

Ile ,suffered at ,the age or tl1ree, he was qmre hc:'altl1y. ,In

Nmember 1886, he met Lord DufTerm whrn the Gc>\emor-
~rneral an~\ed ,in Ilomb1y ln a letter' to. Lore~ Du!Tenn he
re3Smred him: "l am finnly resolrecl to tread ln the footsteps or
my late famentetl father an<l to roaint.11~ ynbroken and cordial
~fattons, ,~luch ha,e alwa)s subs1sted,,bcmee~ Her Majest}'~
Government ,and the Kolhapur State''.4 • 1 , ,, . , , ,
Jn November 1886 the boy'Rap and lus companions ,1s1ted
K.atluawad, Jtmagad and the hills of Palllana,wluch were full o[
lofty Jam temples.. TJie cUmate of Ra.JL.?t did not Sl)It the_ health
o[ the Raja 1 He loyed outdoor, game~, Wresthnp; was lus forte
sc--i
18 SHAHU CHHATRAPATl: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

~nd he excell~d in wrestling, drill, shooting and riding. Sundays

lie spent in riding and hunting. Yet he studied well. He and
his companions gained praise from the examiners.
In his report for the year 1886-87, the Principal of the Raj-
kumar College observed ti1at the Kolhapur students were promis-
ing boys, Dattajirao Ingle being probably the clevcrest.0 In the
year 1887-88 ,they were in the third class.
E~ery year the journey from Kolhapur to Rajkot was made
by riding or driving in carts or tongas. The young Raja assisted
his servants in cooking and looking after the animals. These
traits· he had inherited from his father whose love of animals,
especially dogs and horses, was proverbial. These traits formed
the leading characteristics of Shahu also. .
During the year 1888-89 C. H. Candy, the Priticipal of Raja-
ram College, Kolhapur, acted in place of Macnaghten and was
in charge till December 1888. Candy was rude to the Kolhapur
students and insulted them at every possible opportunity. ·what
his insolence and rudeness cost him will be seen in the next
chapter.
a
:This dwarf of man, whose moustaches overgrew his preten-
sions to knowledge, was incompetent to give lessons in English
literature.6 Just as. an average Maratha could have taught
Marathi in the England of those days, so also an Englishman
like Candy could pass himself 'off as a Professor of English in
Indi~. Candy was in the post not because his knowledge o( the
English language ·~nd literature _was profound, but bet::ause he
happened to be 'an Englishman. The deficiency in kno,,,ledgc of
English literature, this old Cambridge cox made good by his love
of cricket which he promoted among the boys. So he was popular
with them to some extent.
The Koih~pur' State sanctioned the construction of its ·own
?tate_ R<!ih;a_Y as an earlier proposal about connecting Satara •and
Kolh~puT :with the main line from Poona to Belgaum had been
tur~ed down. Long aft~r the Poona-Miraj line was· set in ope-
rat10n, the Kolhapur State now planned a Railway line of its
own from Kolhapur to Miraj. · . • • • ·
-?h~ cere.~o-ny of turni~g the first sod of the Kolhapur :State
~ailway was performed by Shahu on May 8, 1888. On that
occasion the young Raja said frankly: "You· will not ex1>ect
 TRAINING ANO lRAVtl.S 19
from me anything beyond the few words which it has been sug~
gested to me to say," Howe\'er, he added that the completion
of the Railway line Would add to the means of wealth of the
State, and expressed the hope that in his minorit} e\'erythmg
posstble would be done m the interests of his subjects, and the
Railway line was one such prominent act 1 Indeed the Radway
line paved the way for opening new markets and nel't opportuni-
ues for traders and peasants to extend their business activittes
In the report of the Pnncipal for the year 1889 90, the Rolha•
pur students are mentioned as havmg left the Raj'lumar College
as also the Ra1a's fnend Kumar BhavsinhJi of Bhamagar with
whom he formed a hfelong lnt>ndship
In general Shahu d1shked the treatment gi"en to him by the
staff of the Ra1kumar College Later he opined that it was "ery
essen u.aJ that a }Oung Chief should be brought up in his own
State and amongst his own people and ne\er be kept aloof from
the State under the charge of European guardians or brought
up with no local man to lool after him This reflects his dis•
pleasure at and dtsbke of the treatment at Rajkot.
The Acting Poliucal Agent Wilham Lee.Warner l\ent home
on a }ear's furlough. Before leaving India, he wrote on ~-!arch
4, 1889, to the young RaJa ac Ra1koc that he had, beanng in
mind his father's w1~hts, made now arrangements for his educa-
tion by appointing an officer, who, he hoped, was a gentleman
whose care and fnendsh1p he h11ll!ielf would be glad to secure for
his own children. "I trust," he concluded, "that Your Highness
will grow up like your father, a kind just and honourable gentle-
man in private and public ltfe, loved by )OUr subJects and
deserving their affection'' The Kolhapur's students left the
Rajkumar College at the end of Apnl 1889. ,
The new guardian and tutor appointed "'as Stuart Mitford
Fraser, IC S Before he was appointed wtoc and guardfan of the
RaJa. of Kolhapur, the Chief of Kagal, and the BhaHinhji or
Bhavnagar, he had sen,ed as Assistant Coliector and Magistrate
at Nas1k and Pobt1cal Agent for the Dang, and Surgana for nearly
four }ears. Fraser's thoughtful and kindly face with his straight
fine nooe, reclining forehead and shining deep-set C}es made him
an impressive figure, A man of liberaf views ancf cfu1i(ul dis--
position, he took charge ··or his ward from Ma)' 22, J889, .u
. 20 SHAHU CHI·IATRA!-'ATI: ,A ROYAL Ju.VOLllTION,\RY

Kolhapur, and the training began on June 11, 1889, at Dharwar.

Fraser was given an assistant teacher Prabhashankar Dalpatram
Pattani to look after. the Bhavnagar Kumars. Pawmi later be-
came the Dewan of Bhavnagar.
As the students and their Guru di<l not get suitable quarters,
they occupied ·ordinary houses· in the, Fort of Dhanvar; the
Kolhapur students in one ·house and the Bhavnagar Kumars jn
another. ln the second tenn they moved to more comfortable
·houses in a,bette1\ healthier locality,and from June ·rngo, pass-
ing the rest of their tuition· period in new bungalo,vs close to
each other. The servants 'ancl the: horses were housed in two
hired "utaras" in the town. ' '

K. N. Gokhalc, the Indian tutor, who had given conscientious

and unceasing care to the Raja's he~lth and traiU:ing,' was with
them. He was a man of high ideals and character ,ind a good
-disciplinarian. Naturally he expected the hoys to come up_ to his
high ideals. Impre;sed by I-iis ·character and ability, Fraser paid
"glowing 'tributes to this' kind tead1e~,o[ the young Raja. .,
The period from 1889 i-.o', the year 1892 was sp'ent in givirig
the· b;ys sound instruction 'in sev~ral subjc~t~: English, Ari th-
:in~lic, Geog~·aphy and Elementary Economics among others. The
•~chool met from lOa.m. ,to 1 P·J!l·.. ai'.i<l 2,p.~: to. 5 p.~. , They
had drill for half an hour: Then they played tennis o{· drove or
r
walked. At dusk they g~ne'i-~11{ 'rr~1ctiscd native • end~g. ;~d
gy_n:masti~ u~der a spe~'jai. _iri~tfpctor:: Af~er the cv~ning_ -~cal,
they prepar~~- le~so~s for ~h~ _pexr_ d~y._ : "I:hc. programme was so
ananged _that _the boys might not lin_cl, time for lo\lfing and un-
wliolesome conversatio_n, ·~o 1vhid1 idleness. tempted. Sundays
and holidays i.hey spent in _l~untjng expcditi~n~_:with Buwasaheb
Ingle,. who \J~S a thoro'ughly· experienced sportsman and a fine
old-fashioned ·Maratha. •• • •• ' '
. In tl1e cla~s D,ai.taj1rao Ingi~. w~_ f?u.~(~asily _the .•fii:s; and. tl~e
best of them all •. Balasaheh alias Kakasaheb was a· harder ar{d
more ~houghtful worker. ~s reg~'rds th~ progress, ~ri.. Shah~'s
ctl~cat1on, Frns~r observed in his report:_ _"His Higlu~~ss the
RaJ~, ~houg~1 st_1ll rather backw~rd, ~as done a satisf_~ctor)'.,);ea:r's
work and cont111ually makes faster progress. He is not clever
but he has very good common seD;~e. and fairly good ~emory,
'• '
 21
addct[ to 'l\f11ch fie i, ~cnuinefy :tn""<:iou\ to learn, anct takes pain~
and lntl'Tfiit m h11 lcs,ons:•
.. llh rommon ~n5e," proceeded the tmor, "'ha, p:micubrly
.,11>pe.1rcd in the rle-mcnw1· Polirk:tJ 1:1.':onomy d1ey :tre now
Ie:1.mmg, a subject in \\hich he is better than thC' ™t· His
J:n,t~foh ronven.ation ha,; d1slinctl)' 1mprmed, both in correctness
and in rn'i!", ;mcJ udJ con1inuc to imprmc a, he Jose! hit .!h}nes.s
which, with strangcn, pmcnt1 1us doing him~elf justice"
"Tf1e ~<'at fault of his '"'orL:• fra~r <ondmkd, ••is c:ireless-
ncss an<l unmlma" \\hidt appt:'ar panin1farly in his spcllmi::-,
wTitmg :111<1 rompo'>ilion. In di~position, lhs HiAlmc-;1, l\ho m
spite of 1iis sire iJ stzll quire .1 oor, i~ he.1hhr·miml<'<l. open,
~nerou<i and tnithful lie is 101:i.lly free from lmmptiou,ncss
and I h:t'tc sttn h1any little imtance,; of umtlli'i.hness and
thou,i::;htfuln~1 on his 1,an which ~ho,v- that he is as good•
n!l.tuml a1 he lools,"
IU1:n~inhj1'" meffurfal t~mpcrameru and good humour made
the c,, en lng1 c-hecrfu I. \ \'h !le indoors he was a lwa}s the Mc and
soul o( 1he p:.my. Hapt1,aheL Ghatge \I.as their m.an of action,
a rare marlmi:m who could Jut luth a rifle a nip("e tossed into
the air. From his early bo)hoo<l he showed a capanty for judg-
111~ a 5itualion w1tl1 independeme as wdl as common sen~
As reg::mh Sh:ihu, Fr:i.ser of,.,ened that his characteristics were
tho-,e of a simple, ~enerom, affect1ona.tc and truthful ~non
l11csc ,iu.,Jme.'l by upon rhc surfare from the firit day Fr.i~er
J..new lum. He w:i.s n rail, burly, h:mthorne type of !us t.ice.
Although he J..ncw the yafue of education, he learned ,;lo"V.1y
from h<x>\.i but more from ob~enat1on, action and e:\peritmce
lie was ne\er a slurl..er, ':lnd 1 when t r:iser Iecturetl on subjects
esw1itbl Sor Im future airccr :u a ruleJ, his mrrrtst quid..ened as
he keenly 'desired to fit lum'ieU for his hii:ih po~ition

llt

In tJ1e winter of ]889, Shabu ww, talen to Poona ta pay !us

1espect~ to H. R.,H. Prince Albort Victor, who wa!I on a vim to
India Sh:ihu was glad to see Poona blazing with :Jfomin:1tiom
!Juch was the enthusia,;rn of the people that on his terum frnm
the' procession at 3 'am, the people detained the Prince to offer-
22 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Rowers to him. The striking thing about this visit was that the
young Raja was received in formal Darbar, the only native
ruler being honoured in this way. In February 1890, Shahu and
his companions spent the first fortnight in Kolhapur and visited
Chinchali on the occasion of the annual Horse and Cattle Fair
held in honour of the goddess Mayakka. This regular yearly
feature 0£ the fair attracted huge crowds.
A lot of strange stories are told about the physical feats of
Shahu, who was a giant of a man in body and mind. It is,
therefore, of some interest to know of his physical development
in his student days. Fraser did an admirable job in giving the
details of Shahu's physical development. Stating that he was a
big boy standing five feet and nine inches in height and weighing
14 stone and I pound in 1890, he continued; "He is broad and
has a good carriage, but his hereditary tendency to corpulency
is a cause for anxiety. It is a matter for satisfaction that by
moderation in food, and much exercise and by continuously
watching his weight, he has kept himself from increasing since
October last. The fi.ts of his heaviness which I am told, he had
at Rajkot, have not re-appeared, and were doubtless due to over-
stoutness."
"Want of animation however," Fraser adds cautiously, "is still
the fault to be found with his manner joined to shyness with
Europeans, of whom he has no inclination, 1 think, to see very
much being provided with the society of so many of his com-
panions. This is ,an unavoidable disadvantage in the arrange-
ment. Physically His Highness has come on during the past year.
i:-Ie is now a strong rider, and it may ,be mentioned that he won
the tent-pegging prize at Chinchali ,from several European •com- .
petitors. He is too clumsy for Tennis, but is a fai\r shot, and has
learnt to drive four-in-hand and tandem, to swim, and to row a
little."
At school Shahu was not all that bright. In the class Shahu
seldom beat his brother Bapusaheb. Acc~rding to Fraser, Shahu
was not idle, but the fault of all his work continued to be
slovenliness, and that led to difficulties 'in solving arithmetical
problems.
His father was an expert ,rider and riding came to Shahu
almost as early as speaking. He loved horses both to ride. and to
 'tR.AISl:-.C AND TllAVU.S 21
dnve A roaster at training and driving teams, he sldUully
neere<l a. ream of six horses even through the n:urow nreets ot
Kolhapur,
One day this hard and fearless rider, during a pi~tidiog
expedition near Hubti, after charging his spear, fell he::ivily in
.some rough ground witl1 hn horse which broke its leg, 1f was
his fa\'OUrite ,,,bite waler and he grieved "'hen it had to be shot.
He ·was devoted to his hones and to m:1ny other animals. The
fall C:tused di1lOC1t1on of Shahu's ri_g-ht shoulder and prevented
him from using the arm for six weel:.s.8 '
TI1e game of Billiards will gireatly appreciated by mast of hh
companions, besides enjoying hunting with the station pack of
Co~-hounds.
There were some changes at this stage in the administration
of the State. After the departure of Wilham Lee-,vamer to
London, Lt. Cot. Hunter was appointed Acting Pohticil Agent
ll-ho was JolJoll-td by Charles Wodebouse. Khan B.:ili:ulu.r
Meher11bhai Kuvarji Taraporew:iUa was roade President of the
Council ot Administration.
The winter of 1890 was .tpent in a tour cf nort1i Jndfa. Lea\·-
ing Kolhapur on November 16, 1890, the party reached Nasik
where priests in a beggarly spirit swarmed aro11nd him for r'a>cina.
The Raja refused to sign the hered1tarJ books ol pilgrim,; pre.
sented by two m-al claimants. Each clam1ed •that he was the
hereditary priest of the RaJa :it Nas1l:.. The Raja simply brushed
them aude. ' i • 1
Then the party visited Ben;1res and Allahabad The Raja had
a bath in the Ganga at the instance o! his family priest who had
fastened on him.. Bnt he flatly refused to bathe in the Mani-
l:am1ka well ¾-hich was the 'foulest and holiest water of a1J',
His refusal perhaps much scandalu-ed his spiritual guide. 1 At
Calcutta the young Raja was quick to notice that the hones in
the streets ·were generally fine: but tl1e tram horses ~t'l're much
inferior to those in nombay The clnnate ,of Calcutta at that
ume ·was delightfully fresh They, hke<l the capnal of India
e,pedaliy for its zoological and other gardens and the splendid
majdan. They saw snow-clad peals o[ the Himalayas at D;trJeel-
ing v.here poor K. B Gokhale, harassed by his asthama and
wrapped in shawls, was regarded as a Raja.
 1 TRAIXl~G AND TRA VEU 1
'
25
Euson, had pto<luced on the oc(a'siot:i an e1aborate collection of
mineraJ products l J 1 • r ' ) }

Balasaheb Ghatge .incl 'Bapusaheb Ghatge, unde and brother o[

the Maharaja, 'were married soort after Shahu. Then the J!,faharaJa
and his companions continued their 1stud1es under Fraser. The
Rants of Kolhapur called back Shahu 1for the Tembl:ii festi,aJ
to perform a , e:ta.in religious ceremony, wl1iclt 11e was not encit1•
ed to do before his marriage. As I regartls the progress of the
l\faharaJa Fraser in Iii~ report 'cif October,' 1891, observed that
Shahu '""Orked willingly and took much interest m the new sub--
Jects of Law and :Elementary Sden'ce and had begun to think out
thmgs for him5elf. His carelessness, a great fauit. made alJ his
writing work unsausfactory. He was still shy in. com ersation
especrally 'Wlrlt Europeans, but took giear interest in hor.;es, dog,
and guns "His father's skill," observe<l traser, 1·a\ a whip has
descended to him and the last term at Dharwar he himself tr.tined
a. te:im of six honf'S and. dro1 e them w,th perfect controJ " The
report adds: "The'state' 6£ his physique is. decidedly satl'sfactory,
for his weight remams about the s:1me :u last }'ear; fotirteen stbm~
and two pounds, while he has increased ill height and riow 1t
1
stands fi,.e feet ten :i'nd one-fourth inches•• 11 , : , ~, '

i Although horn to a 1great name and wealth and possessions, the

Ma.haraJa' loved ntst1c \implic1ty of hfe and not the manners of
European sonety. He was md1fierent to a•ltfe of fashion and
aristocratic society.' He had lost his parents 10 hh early age and
felt lonely; perhaps in such cases boy, 1rurn in upon them$ehes as
Shahu did. He was fn need of sympathy and a.rrection ,, But his
shyness, which 'I~ the effect of liis Jonelmeil,' was d1arged "irh
ht'> power bi observation and this escaped fra5er'5 hotiet".
Naturallyfrnen' with European manners were bound to find m
Shahu's '!im'plictty an<l l in formality only un t1d1n'ess -i:ml dm't:nli•
ness."'He was in hatmonr with the poor and the fricndlt-s:i." He
did not 'bother much abOut cntichl rdna.rks 'and 'once he 11:id
replied to Col H A. Ree,cs, Polilical A~ent, that hi~ barber
wa~ not responsible for not p:2nng hu n::uh. Ir w.as evi1lent that
he \\as wann hearted and simp1e: unsdfish and familiar l\tlh the
poor,
, As the tour o[ last ytoar h:ul :i Ht'Y gocxl effect on the de\'d<>p--
ing mmtl 'of the 1'.fah:naja;-rhc Political Agent 3.fim,ed them crt
26 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

embark on a trip of southern India and Ceylon. It commenced

from November 5, 1891. They visited Vijapur, Hyderabad,
Madras, Pondicherry, Tanjore, Tuticorin, Colombo, Candy and
Newara· Eliya. On their way back they visited Bangalore and
Mysore retuming to Dharwar on December 21, 1891. The
Council 0£ Administration were glad to note from Fraser's repot_'t
~hat the party were shown great hospitality at Hyderabad, Tanjorc
and Mysore and also received kind attention from His Excellency
the Governor of Ceyfon. The Maharaja was glad to ,renew con-
tact with the Tanjore House of ·Bhosles who received them with
great warmth and pride remembering their.family connections.
The party enjoyed hunting in Ceylon. Shahu and his compa-
nions found these months of travel exciting, and beneficial.
.Simultaneously, ,arrangements were made--for imparting edu-
cation. to the young Maharani· Laxmibai. She studied under her
Governess for £our hours a day. Besides, she prepared her lesson
by herself. She.completed the course for, the se_cond standard with
some elementary knowledge of, Geography,. Drawing and Needle
work. Mrs. Cox was engaged to give her lessons in painting twice
aweek. • .,. ..
Maharani Laxmibai in her studies as also .in music, needle-
work and games was found intelligent and persevering. She paid
-regular attention to her lessons. .Mrs: Little and Anandibai
Ranishaheb, the adoptive mother:0£.the Mahai:aja, and Sakwarbai
Ranisaheb, -grandmother of the Maharaj a· by -adoption as also
Ahilyabai the most senior Rani in the palace, were all in favour
0£ promoting educational;activities in the State. ,
During the second term Shahu made much progress in History
and Elementary Science, but he remained weak in Mathematics
for· want of exactness and- carefulness. During that year he
neither grew in height nor added to his stoutness. He had short
attacks of billious fever at Kolhapur and during the tour, but in
general the health of the Maharaja was s_ood throughout the
year,

Although Shahu had been married now for some time his
father's friend Lee-Warner and his guide and guardian F~aser
 TitAlNlf\!G AND nuv.tu 27
100k great precaution against the young Maharaja having sexual
union with his wife until she was old enough to bear children.
In a sincere and thoughtful letter on December JO, 1B91, Lee•
-warner, appealing to the Maharaja's good sense and higher
nature, said, "Your ancestors, your noble Howe .and your sub--
Jects all looked to }Ou to provide a healthy succe:;sor; but you
know from the history of India, how frequently the issues of
jmmature parents are delicate in bodies and weak m intellect
Your father's expressed wishes should be dear to you. Consider
then your three-fold duty, to your wife, Lo )our dynasty and to
the memory of 1our wise and enhghtened father and do not be
moved from the nght c0urse by the folHes of an ignorant Jot of
:surroundmg:s which your father fu1ly considered when he earnestly
desired you. to postpone union with your wife tiU she was oJd
enough to bear cluldren.''
The )Oung l\taharaJa, much 1mpresSed wuh thf! advice, acted
.accordingly. The Board of Admm1straton was particularly
-delighted that His Highness was endowed with the very desirable
faculty of self-control, and "by keeping a certain promise made
in connection ,VJ.th his inarriase has given evidence that he can
.also exercise selC-denia.l under tempung circumstances''
The British Go\emors were repeating their Ptoposal about
.sending the MaharaJa to .Engbnd to complete his trlocation. In
doing this the) thought that he would denve both thl" enjoy-
ment and che profit which his father Jud ant1c1p~ted, Dur the
Maharaj a of eighteen tactfully resisted the pernstent appeals and
powerful influences of die administrators and gt1ardfans He
rnet the GO\ emor Lord Harris at Mahahaleshwar and suggested
that he would be in a better position a few years. Jatet to take
full advantage of a visit to :England than he was likely to gain
at that stage,
ln an appealing and persuauve letter which Shahu '\\Tote to
Lord Hanis. he confirmed his talk and obsen ed that hrs people
h.:id been waitfog for a nJ rive rule for a very long time. When he
had ruled for a wne and had had children the fear ·would pass
off "Besides, the Ranis,. he added, ".say tb~t U J go now, my
tharacter will perhaps be spoilt, because my character is not
settled, and that m a rontment Jike Europe there are- many
temptations" He had seen, he concluded, a report on his hcahf•
2ff SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

by M. C. Conaghy who advised him a sea voyage, but there was

no ~eeci to decide about tlikt yet." ••• i ' ' • '

The Government accepted Shahu's. suggestion and fell in with

his wishes on tlie ground that'.t11e·y were :echoed by his family and
by the large number oE people in his S.tate. Admitting t~e force
6£ the Maharaja's arguinent,'Lord Hanis wrote on July 20;:1892:·
"I am, therefore, ·quite able to realise the feelings which actuate
your coming to th~ decis{on you have and I have no intention_
of 'bringing any' more pressu~e· than I h·ave: exercised upto' now, to
bear on you with a view to 'your dis1'egarcling' them .• , '.' • - .•
Besides • intervie~ving • Lord : ·Hal'ris• at Mahabaleshwar, • the
1vfaharaja sperit' the' summer of 1892 there: meeting European-
friends at social· functions ·of the season. 'The Jvlahara_ja and his•
party again. embarked oh a t~ur on October 2i3; 1892 .• Th~ 'Stai:.e
astrologer, a Brahmin, had fixed an a~spido~•; day a'ffer numer-
ous offerings to' gods and goddesses to propitiate them, but in
spit~· of' these· ceremonies,' the astrology and·· 'the gods proved'
inclfecti~e. The tour ,vas p6stponed· to -an~thei day ·which: was
October 28, as irienfioned above. 'This incident must not 'have·
escaped the l\faharaja's atlentidn. ' • -i • •• •' .. • •,, 1:
The 1;arty was met by the'Dewan 'of Ba1:oaa·and by tlH! moth~r
o[ Her Highness Ahilyabai Ranisaheb aiicl som·e -relations 0£ the
Maharaja's wife, ,~•ho were glad to have a· glimpse of Shah ti. The
party was pleased to see 'the Jain temples at Mount Abu>wlth
their marble' statuary. At Jo'clhpur; Sil: jas,vant Singh, 'the head
of the celebrated Rathai.· cla~, and 'his brother· Col. Sir Pratap..
singhji ga\'e a tremendous welcome to tI\e Maharaj a at the 'station·
and laid the found~ttions o[ the friendship which lasted to the end
of his life. Joclhpur was famous for sports, especiaily 'for pig-stick-
ing, aiHl the l\faharaja lost no time in Ieaming more lessons· in
hunting with grcnt zeal and alacrity. 'With Sir Pratap the day-
was devoted to pig-slicking which became. a favourite sport. of
the 1faharaja throughout his life. •n·uwasahcb Ingle missed ·i
hoar and_ to the_ !,'1·e~t joy of a~l th~ N!aharaja got the first speaf
through 1t and 1t died after n brave fight·- ·., •: i •!":
\Vhcn they reached Alwar, the town was found to be in •·a
tl'~!!;ic. situation; its n1ler ha,·ing fallen a \'ictim to excessive
dnnkin~. On December 12, 1892, th'ey were at Bharatpur, the
famous Fon iii Indian history. The ?\Iaharaja was impressed
 TRAl",I\G A:i-.O 1lt.\\£I.S , , 29
with the superiority 0£ the military equipment J)(messcd b} the
Rawut nil<-r, but he, pomtcd om that in the tnatl<"r of ro::ids,
schools, h0'>}>1tah and other en ii, mstiturions, Kolhapur .1ml the
S01.1thern Maratha St.itc-s \CCmcd e,en 10 tr.ncllers IiJ..e th~m-
.sehcs !Jr in .uh:mce of die St.itcs of the north, • ,
The- Maha.raJ:'l~ 0£ Jodhpur, Alv.-:i.r and Uharatpur iecchc<l the
l\laharaja and 111'1 party 1\1th sm-at hospitality. fhe Cntish
authormcs also p.ml e,ery attention to them when they p:m('d
throu~h lowm under thetr Jlinsdic 11011,
,.\t l\Iarhura, t11c :'\fah.::iraj.1, at die sight of a rn.1rm of touts,
a Oocl o( Drahmin bc~gars and a group of priests ran bad.. to
the carriage He ,\a~ presented \\ith an address nt Albhab::ul hy
the Ana Samajlsts \\ho c::tme into contact with hirn there. There
t\\o B~hm1ns trKd 10 oht:un the signature ol the Mah:iraja in
rhe,r bool..s m rhcy both tfaimed ;i. rig11t to the hfoh.::ir..zj, :u a
pilgrim After ,mting S:ihatanpur and Ilardwar, they saw the
Golden Temple at J\mrit:'iar and, staving: for a weel at Peshawar,
,·uited I~1.horc At SuU.ar, Abdul Khair. a tammdar, i;a,e them
an opportunny for slul..ar There they came across the bbd..
partrill,ll'c \\hich both the- 1\Jaharap anil llharnnhji thought of
m1roducing mto their own States
On December Ui, 189Z, the partt, p.tssmg through Multan,
lty<lcr.1bad and Sup.1\al reached Karachi At the station Uda.}a•
ram Mulchand met them and he tool them to the Gmemment
bungalow m the Mere,\ether gardens fhe bumµlmv- wa~ bmlt
after the Mar:itha plan and had been occupied during his exile
by Chim:naheb, brother of SJ11va11 M1h.uap JJJ, nl10 was
dt>ported to Karachi m 1857 for taking part in the re,olt of
1857 at Kolhapur. His .mmad/11 lies in :i garden dme by rmm
there the party C1me to Ilombay in a steamer The ?\faharaja,
having seen \1rtuaHy mmt of the big dues in India and C'..cylon,
\'.JS ~lad to obsene that there wa~ none to compare with Bom-
bay m beauty and ,ariety o( interest The party then returned
to Dhanvar on the e1emng of December 24, JB!l2
During the period of training, Shahu made three tours in com-
pany with Bha\sinhJi and his otl1er comp,m,ons ~md Fr.uer. He
gained varied lnow]ed~ and e,:penenc..e of men, their ways and
tl1e1r customs. All these tours enhanced b{,; power o( Ol~,;en.i-
tion, broadened lti~ experience and widened his mental horizon
30 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

The tours really proved to be very usefui and valuable from the
viewpoint of a ruler.
Fraser was loyal, wise and upright. In deference to the Dowager .
Ranis he saw that his Indian assistants were careful in conduct-
ing the household of the boys on the strictest lines of caste and
religious orthodoxy. "None of the boys, for example," he
observed, "took so much as a cup of tea in my house, and even on
shooting trips they ate their lunch under one tree and I under
another".
 CHAPTER 3
Accession

ON his arrival in Kolhapur in January 1893, Shahu was laid

up with fever for a short while. His tutor, K. B. Gokbale, wish•
ing to reure, proceeded on leave. So in January 1893 Govern•
ment appomted another Indian tutor, Raghunath Vy.:mkaji
Sabms, and his studies continued now under Sabnis: Fraser, the
due£ gmde and guardian, remaUled holding the same positfon.
A graduate of Bombay Vnfrersity, Sabnis was actmg Headmasrer
0£ the Thana High School. and his services ·were lent to the
Kolhapur State by the Bombay Government Born on Apnl I,
1857, at Cajendragad fo Dharwar Dhmct, Sabni.s, though in
straitened circurmtanc:es, worked hard and studied patiently at
Kagal, Kolhapt.1r and Bombay and sened in the Education
Department from 1879 to 1892 By disposition he was serious.
truthful and genial as also rne1hod1cal m his work and well•
versed in Engh~h and Sansknt. He had a deep reg,.i:rd for the
hfe and mission of Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of the Arya
Sama1. and was a strong supporter of the cause' 0£ the Un•
tom:hables (
Though under training, Shahu was gradually taking part in
pubhc act1VIt1es of his State.' Lord Harris, the Covemor, visited
".Kolhapur to open the Agricultur.tl Horse -and Cattle bhow which
was held at Chinchali m the first.week of February 1893 1-'or
the preifous two years the show had been abandoned, first on
account of the census and secondly owing to the bad season. It
was the ninth show m succeSS1on.' Col. Charles '\'odehouse, the
Pohucal Agent; was present ' At' the state banquet given by
Shahu Mahar.11:i:,' he •welcomed the guests In hn reply the
Gol'emor said' that 1t had given him• and lus wife the greatest
31
;:'./. filli\111/ CIIIIATHAl'ATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

1,-:itill/'(' 1o vi1,it what might be ~allcd the ~cntre _of ~faharashtra

11
i111 i1 1, 1 I,,: JiJ'l(HClll al a cong-rcgat10n of agriculttmsts m that part
,,f 1lw r1111 11 1.ry-that community which formcq the ~ackl?one of
p;,diw; ;1nd rncrcanlilc communities of the Peninsula. .
I lh J ligh11css, the Governor proceeded, had the opportunity
Iii 1;,,,1 what 1hc J~ritish administration')1,ld been able to do. He
vmntcrl him to realise the power of the British administration
/fti wdl :iH j}ic enormous power of the British capitalists.l "You
;ntd I, ladies an<l gentlemen," he continued, "who have watched
1)w JH'IJ/~t·css made by His Highness under the careful tuition of
Ml', Frnlir!t', ancl with the great advantage he had had of the
r-x p1'.rl1mc:r: · r>f r\.he· friendship of Col, •Wodehouse, may look for-
w11 rd wirh; l:ori/idcncc to the day;·t.which 1·cam1ot·now be•far·off,
wlwn llis J·Jighncsnvill ascend· the gadi 'and assume the powers
wllldt Ilic (;Mernment may·assign to him." ' ·:'• 1
,, <:oud uding,· •the Governor ·said: ,~ith confidence, 'that from· a
k11otvled14c iJf Bh:1Jiu M'aharaja •he felt sore-that in, his friendship
nnd ar.rJ\rnintancc'.with them-he had displayed;·:in a remarkable
dfip,n!<!, synipalhctic and kindly ·ieclfog.i! .lfe'.:was also 'sure, ;that
1b11:H! qualitics,of mind:and heart ivoultl be in: no way lacking
mul· "will earn· him the·conficlcncc ancl·affection of. those whose
all';d1·11 it;willbe.his High office,to,a<lministcr.'.'2 . 1 ,
J ndircctly-- this speech was::a pointer; to .the ,forthcomif!g -an-
1101111ccment of Shalm's: access.ion· to the, gadi· and )iad th';! effect
or reassurfog a long awaiting perple. Shahumow beg·an to show
a11 ,in1crest,.in the educational.activities.of his St~te. ,So,h~ was
in vitecl, .to· give away prizes .to. the :successful ,students of Rajaram
College on. Ap1,i1 3, 1893 .. Expressing satisfaction over .the high
swnclard maintained and success gained by Rajaram .. College;
I\C said•he•was happy.tJ1,at encout·agem~nt was given to:qualified
students, to enter, upon independeht lines of. business and nol' -to
seek Government .sei:vice. ,, He, thcyefore; wished·.success to, the
four Kolhapur students who had chosen to :go to· ,Poonajt~ enter:
upon some independent husiness ... ,He declared that all Kolhapur
was ,proud o[ :the: cricket eleven who; had scored two. victories
over the-Deccan College, Poona,, < ... ,' . . . ·· ,
•. Jn the end Shahu promised ;to present the College..Boat,Club
with a set of· oars. The audience was pleased• 1vith: the speech
and the interest he took in, educatiop.' The people, were glad, to
 ACCESSIO~
' '
see that their Mabar:ija was being to.ined for his exalted posi-
uon in a: worthy manner.
The )ear before the accession, Shahu spent in a tour of the
State along with Fraser and his brother Bapusaheb, the Chief of
Ka:G<Zl. As it happened, Shahu was the fim Ma:haraja of Ko1ha-
pur to VISit and inspect nearly all the Taluka stations including
those of the feuda.torie<;. He was the first !Hahara1a to meet and
mzx with the farmers as neJJ as with the Iowesc of the low and
to make mquines into their Jiving tonditions. Seeing their :ruler
amidst them, they were thrilled wnh joy and enthusiasm.
Shalm ha<l seen In<l1a from Cape Ca.morin to Peshawar, and now
he was eagerly inspecting offices, schools and dispensaries in his
own distncts and studymg the life of ·his people at first hand,
learning about their suffering and appalling p(nert}
Shahu s::i.w the black sml plains o[ the east and the rugged hill
diuricts of the Sahyadri, comprismg the Kolhapur ~tate. Every.
where tlie Jah:1gird.1rs and n·ots rece1ved him with the warmest
enthusiasm. The ryoti; from far and near crowded the roads to
see their ruler; they had not seen a grown-llp ruler 0£ Kolhapur
for years. And no ruler liad visited the outlying p:111:s ct the
State for the previous fifty years. The people spontaneously
.subscnbed large smm Ior decorations and fireworks m hts
honour Huge crowds .1t Hatkalanga:d.1, Shfrol, G.:u!hingbj,
N1p:m1 (Belgaum Distmt) and Gargoti greeted him The
Ichalkaran11 Chief welcomed him and the Pant-Pratinidh1 spared
no pams in entertaining the party at Mafakapur.
Dunng tlm last ')ear of his tutorship, rraser gave his Royal
pupils. some l..no-wledge of the general principles of Gmernment
.and lf'gislauon and of mote important laws regulating the thief
branches of administration. "With thn object," Fraser obsen·es,
., I have defoered to them lectures on Jurisprudence and Legis-
lation particularly in connection with Indlln political Jaw and
they hne studied the Treatie~ whid1 bind the Kolhapur State
.and tl1e histot1ca.I t:\enls which g:ne rise ta 1 them."
The , final phase 0£ the all-round training began in right
e.unest. Shahu and Ilapusaheb, having been furmshed with
notes and lectures on the "ilfage a:nd di5trkt police system .:ind a
summary of the JmJ.i,w .Pen:JJ Code .an.d Criminal Procedure
Code, both attended the Court of the Chief Judge. Sitting by
s~
34 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTION~RY

the Chief Judge in the Court, they took down independently_ the
evidence in selected cases under trial. Some lectures were given
to them on the old and existing system of land revenue admini,s-
tration with an ~ccount of the Alienation Settlement in the State.
In addition, the system of village reve·nue accounts and• the
elaborate accounts' kept in the Khasagi Department had also
been studied. At the same time important subjects of general
education were not entirely left out.
Thus came to an end the training which had begun nearly
four years earlier. This was really a good type of education and
training for a ruler.
The kind-hearted Fraser prepared the Royal pupils for the
great task that lay before them. They. learnt several virtues
from their tutor. They owed much to his fatherly care and
affection, sympathy and discipline which profoundly influenced
their lives and improved the quality of their heart and head.
Indeed, he indelibly impressed their lives. Fraser, thus, proved
to be their real guide, friend and philosopher. No other ruler
held his Guru in higher respect and affection. 'That sympathy
in human life is a watchword and a great moral force' was the
abiding lesson Shahu learnt from Fraser.

II

As the day o[ accession drew nearer, Lo"rd Harris, the

Governor, thought it proper to make some .useful suggestions to
the I\faharaja regarding the administration he was expected
shortly to conduct. In a letter of February l, 1894, Lord Harris
impressed upon Shahu's mind the importance of the distribution
o[ work. lt was not possible for the controlling figure, he said,
to peruse every application or initial every order that issued.
He could well leave certain small matters to trusted officers to
dis~)ose of. There were other matters of some importance 0£
wluch he should have cognizance before orders were issued.
There were other matters which, in fact, he should keep under
his own eye.
At long last the day, April 2, 1894, dawned which brought the
ruler to the Kolhapur subjects, for whose assumption 01 power
they had been longing for long. The investiture ceremony took.
 ACCESSION' 35
t>lace m a Darbar held for the purpo.se at the hands of Lord
Harns, the Governor of Bombay. The investJture ceremony was
attended by the Chief'§ and Sardars of the Southern l\faratha
States, the feudatory Chiefs, Sardars and offi<'ers of the Kolha•
pur State and a large number of .European and Indian guests.
Making a speech on the occasion, Lord Harris opened the
proceedings He said that after an experience of the misfortunes
that had attended the Kolhapur House for nearly thirty )ears,
the people of the State had been an.:uously, perhaps impatiently,
tool.mg forward to the day when the rightful heir should ascend
that throne. Then reminding Shahu o[ the solemn obligation
wh1di his House had incurred, namely, loralty to the .Bdtish
Crown, a faithful adherence to the engagements, Treaties and
sanads, which fixed His Highness's telation with the British
power, he paid high tributes to Shahu"s tutor and fnend Fraser,
to the late Col ,vodehouse and 1.ee-,vamer who had taken a
keen interest in the development of his mental power;, per•
sonality and welfare He also stated that the land revenue
s}'stem in rhe State had been set in order by brmging Kolhapur
under the Survey Settlement, and trade had been freed to a great
extent.
The Governor also com•eyed the congrntulatwm of the Vice•
roy upon Shahu's accemon And Ieadmg Shahu to the throne,
the Governor announced his access10n to all and adjured him
to rule without {ear and without Cavour and to thinl::. only 0£
the nght Condudmg his speech, the Governor appealed to the
Chhatrapati "to rule and so direct his acts that they would earn
hirn the greatest reward of a wise ruler. the respect and the
affection of a wntented people."3
Shahu, now the Chhatrapati o( Kolhapur, was overwhelmed
wjth the rejoicings and blessings of the people. For a moment
lie looked back upon all the p:tst years, and a number of pleasant
as well as sad pictures pa~sed before his mind's e}e With his
characteristic boldness, calmness and equipoise, he gratefully
thanked the Gol>etnor for the weighty words of advice in which
the Go, emor had done bun the g-reatest honour of handing O\er
to his charge the care of his State,
Standing on the threslrcld o/ .1. gre.it c.Jreei-, Shahu Chh:itm-
pa.u said that he was grateful to the Government for the care
36 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

of his .State and for his personal welfare. Gratefully expressing

his debt of gratitude to .his father, he sincerely thanked his Guru
Fraser for the able, conscientious and almost fatherly care which
he had devoted to preparing him to fulfil worthy positions in
life. Profoundly did he express ·his gratitude to Sir James
Fergusson, Lord Reay, Col. Wodehouse and Col. Hunter, the
then Political Agent, for their good wishes and advice. In the
end he requested, the Governor to convey .to His Excellency his
thanks for his kind message of congratulations .
. On the night of April 3, •1894, Lord Harris, in replying to
the toast proposed oy the Chhatrapati, expressed his apprecia-
tion of the development of his personality and said: "It has
been a sincere.pleasure.to me to notice bow rapidly the strength
of your mind has developed, how keen is now the interest you
take in public affairs, and how clean is the perception you have
formed on. many subjects which I have ·.discussed with you."
After the speeches of ·'tl1e Governor and the l\faharaja at the
state banquet, addresses to His Highness were presented by the
Ivlunicipality of Kolhapur, subjects of the Kolhapur territory,
the Poona· Sarvajanik' Sabha, the Deccan Education Society, the
Deccan Inamdars' Association, Industrial Association of w·estem
India, the :feudatories;. Chiefs a'nd Sarclars of the Kolhapnr State
and• several other Associations ·and communities,
. The Deccan• Education Society, whose President had been
Shahu, -Maharaj a since its inception in October 188~, sent a
deputation consisting of R. G. ,Bhandarkar, G. G. Agarkar and
G. K. Gokhale; to wait upon His Highness Shahu Chhatrapati
on the occasion of his installation. 1,1t was the practice of the
Deccan Education Society to depute its representatives to be
present on the occasion of the ceremonies of the Royal Patrons
and •present them with addresses of congratulations. Tilak had
~ttended the accession ceremony of Shivaji Maharaja of Indore
in July 1886. • .
Paying a t~bute to ~hahu Chhatrapa~i, the address pr~sented
by the Deccan Education Society referred in irrateful terms to
the sympathy and active interest of His Highness's lamented
~ather, Shrimant Jaysingrao Abasaheb Ghatae Chief •of Kagal
m t~e Society's insti~utions and appealed to Hjs Highness as th~
President of the Society to continue that family tradition. They
 A CC£5SJO:-I 37
respectfully pointed ouc that the past fradidon of Kolhapur and
its position as the Premier Natne State on that side of India
conferred a sort of utle on people of the Dec.can outside Kolha-
pur to look up to His Highness for encouragement, sympathy
and support in their endeavours for regeneration of their com-
mon countty, 4
Tifal. did not far; behind in .showering car1gratufa(1ons on the
accession of Chhatt:1p.ati Shahu, While expressing good w1shes
for the new niler, 'filak observed in an editorial, in the Kcsari:
"An unexpectedly, favourable po1itical happening at the holy
place of Kaneer": ''To tak.e a proper pride in Hindutwa and
to mfre se1Elcssly for 1ts prosperity is the hereditary duty of tlie
Kolhapur rulers. To fulfil thls duty, may God grant Shahu
Chhatrapati, wisdom, courage and long hfe, and may he be
successful and h1s rise be: constant and unifonn."G

111

When Shahu Chhatrapati ascended the gad1 three forces were

working m Maharashtra, The social refornters led by .Agarkar
and Ranade, the Satya Shodlui.k Samaj founded by .Mahatma
Jotn:ao Phooley and the political 1wrJ..ers led by Tdak CODSt1wted
the three forces.
The group of social refonners were preaclnng and promoting
social reforms among the higher classes, s:i.ving the widows from
bemg tonsured, encoura~ng the education of women, advocat•
mg remart,age of widows and pleading to the higher cfasse5 to
adopt western science and education for their uplift No doubt,
they occas1onally referred to the woes of the Depressed Classes.
Although some of them feebly streased equal rights for the poor,
the pnncipie of equahty 0£ roan was not their force. LoJ..ahita-
waili Deshmukh pomted out the temble and dehumanised state
of the Untouchables. Agatkar dreamt of seeing an inter-caste
dinner of Brahmins with the Mahars The followers of Mahatma
Phooley worked for the uplift of the lower d:isses, peasants and
warJ..en promorfog education, the prmdp!e of equality ciI man,.
liberating women, workers and peasants from the religious and
me.m:iJ 1.br.aJrlom oI Jh~ prjesu who added to their pmerty,
ignorance and st1perstition, When the Satya-Shodhak.ites per·
38 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

fonned marriages without Brahmin priests, the Brahmins said

that if they continued to do so, their families would be extinct
on account of the curses bf :Brahm.ins and the w:rath of Gods.
Tilak's followers, who were mostly Brahmins, bitterly opposed
the social refonners as they were opposed to liberalising old rigid
customs and social restrictions. vVhat is more, accepting the
equality of man was beyond their concept of religion and social
reconstruction.
The Arya Samaj, because· of its anti-caste outlook and its
emphasis on the removal of'untouchability, did not take root in
Maharashtra which had in its near past a Brahmin ra,i, wherein
Brahmins alone had privileges, prestige and power. The spiritual
reformers under the Prarthana Samaj resorted to the policy of
evolution and least resistance in the matter of social reforms.
They also cou1d not do much in the field of social ;reform as
they eschewed the ideals oE social revolution which their mother
institution, the Pannahamsa Sabha, had brilliantly expounded.
Though the Brahmins were not more than 5 per cent of the
total population in Maharashtra, they were second in command
to the British officials in administration, education, revenue super-
vision and such other offices. "Although all power is vested in
the· British", observes Gula vane, the historian of the Brahman
Sabha established on June 17, 1888, "the Brahmins have suc-
ceeded in capturing many important posts and on account of their
success in this field, the non-Brahmins are fuming and chafing."
Gulavane also added that Jotirao Phooley's Satya-Shodhak Samaj
had launched an attack on the Brahmins, saying that the Vedas,
idol worship, Chaturvamya and priesthood should be given up.
In the villages Brahmins were officers, money-lenders and
priests. They were in league with the Brahmin clerks, Brahmin
lawyers and •Brahmin revenue officers like Mamlatdars who
worked tinder the British: officers. These Brahmin officers some-
times c~eated their British bosses by omitting, while reading the
complaints or the appeals to them, the main or relevant or vital
statements 0£ facts or arguments from the peasants' letters and
ap~lications. Thus the administration of, the law was partial,
UnJust and full of malpractice and corruption because of the
domination of one caste in the administration. vVhile· dispens-
ing justice ancl administering the law, these Brahmin officers
 ACQ:s.1 I O'i 39
d«ukd c:ue, in r:nour of Hr2hmln m011ey-lenden and bndJord.t
and com lctcd 1hc poor pe,n:mu.
ln wuthrm lntlil in the prt1idency ()£ ~h.dr:u, the nnhmin1
'4't're-' per ci:t1t of die tot:1l papubtion. Dut they held BZO f>O\IJ
out 0£ 2.!00 G:areued pm.ts nnd the non•Urahmi:ru fodudin£r die
Untoud11blri, who werr 6--1 per ttnt of the popubtion, held only
;5 Gututd pou.1.•
TI1e ,mtntion or tf1e Dnhrnini. neHirtf1efeis. \t.":ls not gratified
i.ith rJ1is f>Owt'r .1nrl pmlige. "'lf incl~ Nualion," said Sir
Rl<h:ud Temple, the GO\'t:mor o{ Domhly, "had Jud the effect
o{ thro"•1ng- ffflplornmu into the h:ind• of other c::aste, 1hen the
Jlr~hm,n• would hne been je:iloui. nut such i1 not the c:ue:
tlit1 l1,u-r nothing co rompbin or on dii1 count. On the contrary
1hty btmi: from m1<"lkm1aJ qt.1alihe1 tnfl,miu,:d diroogh many
gt:'nrrauom, must be the cle1-cmt of atl the people, gtt all to-
f;'l h~ the 1,nt or It m e\er,1hin11: th3t depc:nd, on educa1ion,"
&fore the :ad,tnt of flrimh mfc m India, educ.ttion l't.U not
comideretl 1he ropomibihtr of die S1.1te. Owing to mfaJ :ind
religiou4 injunrti()fls, non-Drahmins were prohibilw from
obtamin~ ii. Non-nrahmim could not openly leant the Vedas.
Pr.t1al)Sinh, the ruler of Satara, had to ,tuJy his lem>ns at night.
LJu.•r.i:Wrc w.u the prh ileged treamre, and e<luc.11ion was the
numopoly or 1he Ur:ihmm1 It wa, the sJcred belie£ of the nrah·
mms th:it 1he non,llrahmms and the Untouchables had no right
10 educ:thon,
The Pirecton o( the £.m India Comp:my opened in JS.Ii-I. dte
g31e, or t<luration m ;iJJ in Jnd1a iITC1pccthc 0£ caste and creed.
Y,t the nnta,h officers were indifferent to the spread of aluC':1·
tion among the non-Drahntins. The Dr.ihmini in the name o(
religion r.ti!ed a ,1olent oppD'lilion all mer India to non•
llr.1hmm, bemg gum .in) etlucation. TI1ey feared th:;at the Jo\1-er
classe5, ir cduca1ed, would rc:ip the benefits of educauon and
their monopoly woultl be in danger; consequently the position of
the Ilrahmin1 in society would be jeopardiied.
"JJrabmim", .uM die L.ihhirawad.1 in 1818, ''ski1£nl!y J.ep,
e<luc:ition a, th,ir presene. Under the guise 0£ religion, others
were kept oft from the mea.ns of learning nnd knowledge. lV110
1'-{('n=', in {:ict., ro«rat~d an../ conn~rtro mw JMIJ of lr;,mfog b,v
Brahmins who lept the sc:hoob? Almo,t all rmployment ts
40 SIIAHU CI-IIIATRAPATI: A ROYAL lU:VOLUTIONARY

monopolised by Bralunins. The trick used by the Brahmins is

that on the one hand the Brahmins have controlled religion and
on the other they have monopolised employment and prevented
others from entering it. If any Shudra becomes a clerk all the
Hrahmins look askance at him. They think that writing and
reading is their profession ancl the Kunbis arc depriving them
or their livclih.ood."7
The ,nritish raj, too, ,..,as not cager to spread education among
t11c lower dnsses for fcar of a revolt. lMtish statesmen like Lonl
Ellinborough and Mountstuart Elphinstonc had cautioned the
Government against doing this. Besides, their policy was to
reconcile with the Brahmins who were the cleverest and the
most vocal section of the society.
So until the last decade of the nineteenth century the children
of non-Brahmins were either discouraged or, summarily driven
out of the schools. The fate of the Untouchables was worse. J(
untouchable boys were admitted to missionary schools, Brahmin
boys would oppose their admission ancl would threaten to boy-
cott the schools.
It was Mahatma Jotirao Phoolcy who strngglecl to liberate the
lower classes and Indian women from, the thraldom of l3rahmanic
scriptures, pricstcraft and the caste system and opened schools
for their education. His followers and his o.rganisation, the
Satya-Shotlhak Samaj, strove to disseminate education among the
lower and the Backward Cla.~scs. 'When later, the non-Brahmin
leaders its directed by their leader and prophet Jotirao Phooley,
entered government service and began to replace Brahmins in
Maharashtra and southern India, the Brahmins began to com.
plain that the nori-13rahmins were begging jobs of the British
Government and so they were not patriots.

'IV

During the minority rule the power in the Kolhapur State was
enjoyed by European and Parsi officials and especially by a
number of Brahmin officials who were imported inLo the State
fro~ outsid~ by Dewan Barvc. Now the Dewan was Mchcrji-
bha1 ~uvarJ1 Ta~aporewal~a,, Chic{ Judge :n. N. Joshi, Dorabji
PattonJee the Clue£ or Pohce, Shannon the f.xccuLive Engineer,
 ACCF.SSION 41
Dr Sinclair the Darbar Surgeon, 1\Iiss Little the lady Superinten•
dent fo the .Education Dep:irtment and Mes. S.uab Sr1-.es, State
midwife and nurse m the Albert Edward Hospital Candy was the
PrmClpal of Ra1aram College; and the name~ of other officers
were Bavadekar, Golwalkar, Thatte,,Bhave, Altel-ar and Godse
Because the ruler had no control mtr the situ;tion these officials
had grown indifferent, insolent and overbearing. TI1e feuda.
tories, for want of control o-ver them, had run into debts
There ,vas no room for the indigenous men. 'The influx of
the outsiders had driven the natives of Kolhapu:r out of the
administrat10n During the Barve regime, the Chitp:man Brah-
mms ha.d aJmost merrun the State. ln the Jear 1891 Kolha.pur
had 60 Brahm.in offidais while 11 officials ,vere n<:>n-Brahmins.
In private ernploJment 0£ the Maharaja there were 46 Brahmins
and 7 non-Brahmins Out 0£ the total population of nine fakhs,
Brahmins and other high caste people numbered 26 thousand.
B~Core the ad,ent of Shahu Chhatrapati on the scene, the
Brahmins, who had monopolised the administration, had ltleracy
rate of 79.I per cent wlule that of the Marathas, 8 6 per <-ent.
Kunb1s, I 5 per cent, Muslims, 7.5 per cent and Jain$ and Linga-
yats stood at 10 1 per cent.
1n Kolhapur, the Brahm ins owned and conducted some
journals and newspapers In 1870 Dnyansagar was established
by one Mr Mantn Its purpose was to spread knowledge Some
m1ss1onanes also conducted Dakshm-J'ritta in ISi0.
CHAPT.ER 4
·A. Difficult Task

DURING Barve's administration in Kolhapur, the Brahmins held

sway, and the feudatories and the vested,interests,_looked on the
new order with jealousy and hatred. On account of the long
minority rule, the Political Agent had become all powerful and
a despot. The British officials had grown insolent and over-
bearing. The P~litical Agent, too, thought his position equal to
that of the Maharaj~ in returning the salutes or in giving and
receiving honours. The European officers complained to the
Political Agent on the least occasion.
Shahu Chhatrapati had to restore order to the administration
and finances of his State. Economy was to be enforced in expen-
diture; extravagance to be discouraged. Education was to be
spread among the masses; public works were to be staTtecl. Cor-
ruption and malpractices were to be uprooted. Rural conditions
we~e to be improved. To remedy these evils caused by the
successive minority rule, the Chhatrapati embarked on a con-
structive and progressive policy.
Under his wise tutor 'Fraser, Shahu had studied the duties 0£
a progressive ruler. He studied the past carefully, watched the
present anxiously and looked ahead to the future eagerly. Social
evils and superstitions among the people were the main handi-
caps to their evolution, growth and progress. As a ruler it was
not his immediate duty to attempt to overthrow the existing
social order but to modify it by blunting the edges of social
evils and helping the individuals to grow. Naturally he had to
work with caution, courage and determination by educating and
mobilising public opinion. To maintain the administration on
a high level and to achieve a standard of efficiency Shahu had to
42
 A DlFFICULT TASK 43
give 1t a sound foundation And to do so was not to keep the
reigns o[ the administration in the hands of one coromumty
alone; other communities must have a share in it.
The assumpt10n by the Chhatrapati of the reins of Go\em·
ment was notified to the subjects by proclamation in .Marathi on
April 2, 1894. lt read as follows:
''Be it known to all our subjects 0£ the Kolhapur State that
the function of the Council of Administration which conducted
the affam, of the State during our mmority have terminated,
and we ha,e acceded to the full powers of our State from today
i e 2nd April, 1894."
"lt 1s our earnest desire," the proclamation continued, "that
our subjects should always be happy and contented, that their
welfare should increase from day to day and that our St1.te
should go on prospenng in all its respect. In promoting the
welfare of the subJects, we rely on the most loyal and hearty
co-operation of our Jahagmlars, Refames, Sarrlars, Mankaris,
Inamdars, Kamdars,' Mercantile classes of all ranks and all
-0-ther subjects. 1Ve imole uith undhided attention the bless-
ings of the Ruler of the Universe the Highest spirit on our
career commenced this day that it may last long and prove
benefidal."1
With these great hopes, wishes and blessmgs, Shahu began to
act as the Chhatrapatl. The first act of his rule v.as to ctis~ohe
the Council of Administrators m its executh-e capacity and to
turn it into a consu1tathe body. It was presided o\er by the
Dewan, and irs other members were the Chjef Revenue Officer
and the Chief Judge.
A new office called the Hu:mr Offi(e or the Sea-etanat was
created The services of R. V, Sabnis were retamed, and he ,...as
appointed Chief Secretary, Huiur Chitnis, from April 14, 189i
to supervise the executive work of the State.' "All orders," an•
nounced the Gazette, ••p:i.ssed by His Highness mue under the
signature of the Huzur Chitnis v.ho signs by order of His High•
nes., the Maharaja."
Sabnis cime of a family belonging 10 the Kayastha Prabhu
community which w·as v.ell l:.0011,,"'Jl in Maratha his,ory for its
Ioy,1lty, ,inte1Iigence and abilitr in d1 il ::ind miHt::ary ~dmini~
tr:uion. There was ::a J..een m'alry bchu~en the Drahmm poh•
44 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL Rl:VOLUTIONARY

ticians and the Prabhu politicians during Peshwa rule, and the
latter suffered socio-religious persecution ,at the hands of the
Peshwas. The Brahmins of Kolhapur tried· to dissuade the Maha-
raj a from appointing Sabnis to the high post but failed. Sabnis
shared Shahu's social views· and- outlook, and· he proved to be a
loyal, able and upright statesman in the years that followed.
The Chhatrapati sought an improvement in the economic
conditions of the State and in administration .. 'With that end in
view he . took a keen interest also in relieving indebtedness
among the Inamdars and landholders by granting loans on easy
term to them. Among other things, rules facilitating the grazing
of cattle in .protected forests were promulgated.
··That year the Chhatrapati spent· the summer at Panhala.
Although less cool than Mahabaleshwar, Panhala, a hill Fort,
about 2,800 feet high, receives cool breeze from the- Sahyadri.
He stayed there from April 19 to June 6, 1894: There he worked
hard and disposed of six cases every day. There were 600 cases
for final disposal, of which 200 were special appeals, in addition
to the usual, day to day work.
In his boyhood Shahu had observed how the Brahmin clerks
produced before his father cases of non-Brahmins when he was
tired or worried. They brought in cases of Brahmins ·when his
father was joyful and in ·good humour. ·This was not the case
with Shahu Chhatrapati when he worked. He had relieved the
Chief Judge of most of his work as District Judge and leffhim
free to advise him·in Judicial matters. In important matters he
consulted the Council which now met thrice a week instead of
twice, and carefully marked on what principles they decided
the matters laid before them. Moreover he made some changes
~n ~he budget by retrenching from ·expenditure without pre-
Judice to the work of utility and reducing the deficit of Rs.
60,000 to a tolerable amount. -
. Before goi~g for shooting and pig-sticking, Shahu issued a very
important circular and also published it in the Gazette on:
April 14, 1894. Whenever he visited the villages for shikar it was
~e practice-of th~ Mamlatdar to ask the Police Officers to· pro-
vide the party with necessary goods and artic1es. ,· The police
secured articles from the villagers in the vicinity; the: clerk in
the party usually made the payment for the articles at the ~time
 45
oE ,!cp..1tt1ntr, Out S!uhu doobrnl '11111:1.hrr die , ilbgt-n r::ot
ntot1C', for tf:dr :111icft1- ln nttkr lo :uoi<l die dhUC"\1 d 1:u
mh;ht Ill" 0111<'\l 10 tht ,ilb::tn. hr tlim1r1I th;at thr puty
111<K1lJ c.nrr idtinr.- wuh 111c-m rfrc-, d.:d. \\l1C'Jt, j<nur ffour, sug:tr
2nd mn1!lmt>f1h 211<l dq,111c ;a uun ;ahc-.1J 10 IJU\ othrr 1hln~ for
r:ul1 nu 1hr ,pol. J, "-.:i, 1h;a nun's 1Ju1r ro buy Jud ::wd ptodu«-
.1 trm•i1)( (t,r it hurn 1hr l'ornt or Rnt'nue om.i:r or £rum the
mirm:r in 1hr J11tl("ncr of ll1~ Kulhrm ()r l'alut:" rJhl. A1 br :i.1
tht' Jnlicr. the cmubr u11l• .tumid 1101 Le- .i.,\.r1I to
J,t")\Hhl(",
tirnnm: du: thin~
1lir nu.ufar :u!1'nl 1t1ll thMC' rule, ~f1nuftl f.ic mitd) olJ\Cnr,I
L) Cmt1nmcm offittn llhe-n thC'y \\tre on 1011r. IC they bong.ht
tmut" :rr1idC'i fo die ,ill.:i,:;:n die) mmt rur d1(' pri<c ort d1~ ,poi
:rnJ o1ltlln tntsph TI1nt' suiu otiltn :m· ;a, 1i~11ilicJnt :uni
nm1pl.1r, :z1 tll"Y :nc rdt', :int to our 1ime\. To 1d1c,e 1he
J.umcn hum thr du1d1H of the mon~•kudtrt, Sh:lfiu Oh.!ertd
1he Ci, 11 Coum not u, 11iu up the f.tmicn· £.um ::inimah for
aucflon.
M1::alm J.1nc1iontd Ut :amoun1 or R, YIO towanh the puLtk:i,
tmn o( l•rof("\.sor \'lr:ipurhr'1 Cra~tlrarnal,, t1l1ich lie 1urte<l on
die o<c:nion of Shah11'» :i.ttt"11ion in the hdic£ th:1t dh~in:ition
of l.ncrn kd.t(' .imrnu: die cmmh)mm ,.._., the real mrins of
r1md11rin;:: m<"n of mt"rh
11:a, mg a. i.::ime o( Jug- ,1 iclm::; in Julr :at ~lurhj111h in J:at for
10met11nr. Sh:ahu \o.i:'tll to Kai:r,a1 10 in,cu hi<i Lro1hcr Jl.:ipuuhcb
Gh;ll~l" w-i1h tl1!!' f!C"ers or hh J;ah.,~ir on AWUHt JO, 1891. The
fl('opk or K:ii:::11 rt«ncd Sb:thu C.:r111at~1ud with gn-at macfon
A gr;utful ruler. Sh:1hu tmit"mbcml Im ;11fop1h't" (;uhcr. Uur•
in,: the- ptl'\ious ltn )r;in tin• J1tmadlii o( Shiuji IV had bttn
neglcctl'11 by the lJHh-1r ~ol.KKI)' rcnmnLeml it. h w.1s Sh:ihu
,,ho mo,1 thUirully ,ind J;r.itdully s.1nttioned Rs 15,000 for
ctrcting a memorial to him at· l\hrncJn:il-,'lr in 1hc- !mm 0£ a
lcmplc. ,\II were: h::i11py to know 1his.'
ln Ser>rcmt<r J891 Poon3 11'!."Joomed ·Sh:ihu, die Cld1;1trnp1ti
of 1he d}11:i,1y or ShhJJI, n1th J.,rrcat rntlnui;um '111e I'oon:t
SJ.najaml Sabha g:nc a gTnnd dinner in hi; honour :u Hitab..1g
on Sept em bcr 21. J891 "hich w,:n a ttemlc-d Ly SC\ er.ii kad ing
pe,wm.1N1kJ ,',f.;,½~w J.•n.1,,ilw :md .Sh:ihu's brother Dapu•
•ahcb Ghatge were grrc1etf Ly the pcoplc. G K. GoJ.l1ale, then
46 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

a budding politician, read the address. Gokhale, bo,rn, brought

up and educated mostly in the Kolhapur State, held the Maha,
raja in high respect. The address expressed' profoundly the
respect the citizens of the historic place felt for the descendant
0£ Shivaji the Great. "The distinction which at one time it
pleased providence to assign to Poona in strengthening o[ those
foundations of the national life of the Marathas which were laid
by your illustrious ancestors is now a matter o[ history. But the
Kolhapur Gadi still continues to stand as a visible example of
the great work which the Marathas were able to achieve and its
occupants 'will be always regarded by the people of the whole
of Maharashtra, even by those who are not directly subject to their
rule, with feelings of veneration and affection." "In welcoming
Your Highness, therefore," the address added, "the people of
Poona welcome one to whom they are bound by strong tics of
the past, and who recalls traditiona1 memory 0£ which lapse of
time can never obliterate."
"Your Highness's first and foremost duty," it concluded with a
moving appeal, "is necessarily and beyond all doubt to secure
the progress of your own subjects. But the promotion of the
welfare of the common country in general, and of Maharashtra
in particular, is ·also a duty devolving upon Your Highness and
in importance it is second only to the duty which Your Highness
owes to the people of your own State."
The Chhatrapati, barely 20 years old, was astute, enough to
express his view on· the concluding part of the address. In a
reply befitting the o·ccasion which his Dewan read, he said in a
i:autious but proud vein; "It was hardly necessary for you to say
that I should have .at heart the welfare pf not only my subjects
but that of the whole Maharashtra. Under the benign influence
of British rule, the different parts of the Empire have been so
w:lded together that the progress of one part is hardly possible
without an outward motion of all. Besides, the common. ties
which have_ so long bound togeth~r the people of Maharashtra,
are a sufficient guarantee of their mutual sympathies hereafter
and for ever."
Shahu wisely appealed to the leaders of the Sarvajanik Sabha
to bring about a peaceful settlement3 between the Hindus and
the Muslims who had clashed a few days earlier in Poona during
 " A DIFFICULT TASK , 1
47
the Ganp::iti festival The Sudharak, giving a brief attount of
this function 1n its issue of October 1, 1894, referred to th~
suggestion nude by Shahu Chhatr.i:pati regarding the Hindu-
Muslim problem and observed that the leaders would consider
the suggestion, but that work would be done more smoothly if
they received prOper help and co..opetation front offit1als hke the
Collector.
Another 1.roportant function took place m Poona. It was an
'At Home' given by the Chhatrapati m the Council I-fall in
honour of Lord Harris with a view to cultivating acquaintance
wtth the ehte of Poona society, both European and Indian. Shahu
Chhatrapati also took the opportunity of vmting the public insti-
tutions in the city and in most casei g:ue suitable donations.
Baba Maharaj, a descendant of the Royal pteceptor of the
MaharaJa of K.olhapur, also honoured the ChhatraJJati by gi\·ing
a public entertainment in his honour.
The young M,1haraja showed some interest in the industrial
enterprlSt!' caJJed the Cottorl and Silk .MiJJ at Poona Encouraged
by his interest in one of the Poona Industries, l\fahadev Balial
Nam1oshi, Tilak's: friend, appealed to the l\fahataJa {or help
and support to his Metal Manufacturing Company. On Septem-
ber 17, 1894, the Chhatrapati opened the wire-drawing depart-
ment of the Metal Manufacturing Company started by Namjoshi
and by his fnend Presenting the young Maharaja with an
address, Namjoshi,'in his introductory speech, purposely referred
to his relations with Shahu's father, Abasaheb Ghatge, and to
his own role in st,ltting and continuing the Kelart and Ma/iral(a
newspapers. Narnjoshi ended his speech with a request for :r
loan. Replying to the addres'>, Sl1ahu Chhatrapati said he
would help as far as possible to promote the indostry. How the
Poona group was ut1Ii2ing its senices to Abasabeb Gh:uge and
eY.erczsing moral presmre on Shahu Chhatr.ip:iti for help was
now qutte evident. ·-
In October and No,ember JBg4, Shahu agai'n rested at
Panhal:l. Everything was not smooth in the administralion, and
the press. it seems, was critical. • The pleaders complained that
they had no acce~ to the Maharnja. A friend reminded Shlhu
of rl1e book, Letters lo on lndum Roja, t+Titten by Mam.a Panna~
na:nd 1n it Pann.mand had bid down 1he duties 0£ a RaJa. So
48 SI-IAHU CHHATRAPATl: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

his friend asked him to fix a. day once a week when he could
meet anyone who might come to sec him in his ·private room at
the palace. At other times he should not object to receiving
people who wrote to his private Secretary asking for an intcniicw;
a poor man might be heard at almost any time.
"You say," Shahu's friend continued, "that the Council and
high officers do not obey readily. This was to be expected under
the circumstances: but Maharaja, you will save much trouble in
the future, if you from the first make· every one sec that you are
the Master.· Don't -let people presume too much on your good
naturc.'' 4
• Although Shahu Chhatrapati did not giv~· interviews to those
who came without appointment, he sa~ the poor when· he went
to the stables and had frank talks with i~he~_. The British
adrriinist~ation: in many other ways was stri,ci:. and well-disci-
plined. The Maharaja could not give, a p,resent as a token of
gratitude even to his Guru Fraser. And he had ,to make a request
to the British Government to allow .a regimental party to take
part fo the Dassara procession. •
Having gained now a considerable insight int.a his work,
on November 11, 1894-, Shahu appealed lo the Governor to
recommend to the Government of India to. restore his powers to
pass the death sentence. He ·pleaded also for allowing him to
resume his jurisdiction on the foudatories in. respect .of the resi-
duary criminal jurisdiction by making suitable changes in the
last clause. of the 8th article of the Agreement of- 1862. Lord
Harris was so much. impressed with his suave, sincere and con-
fident appeal that he convinced the Governor General that
Shahu would rule well and wisely. The Viceroy acceded to his
wish and the powers of passing death sentence were restored-to
him on May 31, 1895, as a mark o[ confidence in Shahu's loyalty
and in recognition o[ his rank and position among the Chiefs
under the political control of the Government of Bombay. The
residuary jurisdiction on the fcudatories was restored at a later
stage. ..
The first day of the new year o[ 1895 saw the conferring of the
G.C.S.I. on Shahu by Queen Victoria. Though such honours
were not considered a great distinction to the Chhat.rapati, it was
 A DIFFICULT TASK 19
clear that the Brithh Co,ernment was slowly recognizing his
ambitfon and his comtructfre role-.
Shahu began to function ,rigorously as Chhatrap:i.ti He
enc:unped at Shirai and ,isited the villages in the vicinity. The
'ilbger.s and the n,ot.s h.1d free access to him; his morning
ridef g:l\e them an 0PPottunity of direct communication with
him. He acquainted himself with their wants and problelD.'I
type
During his sh»..:1:rs, ;U :d.so on such visits, he used to see the
of food they ate; the rags they wore: the diflirulties they faced
Often he exchanged his rich food with them and despite the
ad\ ice of his doer or and frjends to the contrary, he ate their
coarse, simple, often stale food. He patiently listened to their
complaints and grievances and tried his best to remo\e and
redress them. This created imn1ense confidence in them about
their ruler and liberator. It insp~red them with genuine loyalty
to the Chh:ur.ipati.
With grent curiosity Shahu visited Narsoba Wadi and he Wa\
seited with an atn::iet}' for segregating the lepers, who believed
lh:u they could be cured b} the sacred armosp11ere at suth places
The prob1em of the segregation of the lepen was solved a liuie
later when the Victoria Leper As)lum in Kolhapur was staned
on June 22, 1897. Jt was afterwards remo1,ed to Anuskura, a
secluded place in the Ghat regmn
Shahu felt it his duty to visit Bombay co bid goodbJe to Lord
Harris on the occasion of his departure to England During that
,isit he bad the pleasure o( making acquaintance with Loni
Sancihun1t, the new GO\ernor. •Tlle Chinchab Horse Snow was
shorn of its pomp and glory as the Chhatrapati now preferred to
encourage :t_.,."ftculture and cattle breeding ia a leH costly and
more useful way. That )ear a number o( g0ests took p.trt in
exh1b1ting horsemanship, but the skill d1splaJed by the ,-oung
).faharaja excelled them all Lord Sandhurst, who was the chief
guest, praised him highly for his excellence and proficiency in
horsemanship, and said: "It is ,ery gratifying £or us to see the
Chief of the Marathas taking his place and hOldmg his own in
dee<ls of poble horsemanship "3
Shahu was famous {or his skill in horsemanship. At this junc-
ture he rode to Mahabaleshwar in eight hours, a distance of one
Sc-t
50 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

hundred and forty miles. from Kolhapur. Indeed, this was a

record performance for which The, Times of India praised him.
The Governor, Lord Sandhurst, had another opportunity to
appreciate the great qualities of the Maharaja. The ceremony
~£ investing the_:Maharaja with the insignia of his Order took
place on Septe~ber 18, 1895. Lord Sandhu,rst said on this occa-
sion in a laudatory sp~ech: .. "While the history. of the Mara:
thas in the tinie of his ancestors abounds with dazzling deeds of
arms: I trust the an~als of his ti~e will be no less illustrious, but
for different reas◊-n~for reasons that his rule will be marked
by sympathy, justice, firmness and g~neral developi_ent, as .his
Higlmcs:-; governs the State during' the days 0£ peace." •
• Shahu now visited •some of the public institutions in his
capital, appreciated their work ~nd paid them handsome dona-
tions. In :fviatch he' paid a visit to Panhala Peta to acquaint him-
self with the contli'tion of the forest tribes residing in the jungles
o[ the Sahya<lri. They were happy that their beloved ·chhatra~
pati •had come all the way to redress their grievances. • The
Chhatrapati visited their homes and saw for himself the fruits,
roots and other articles which. formed' their staple· food during
the greater parL. of-the _year. •
. The tribal folk 'placed before Shahu their·difficulties in respect
o[ Kumri cultivation which. engaged Shahu'.s attention for· a
considerable time. Although rainfall in these ranges of Sahyadri
was not regular, at his behest an experimen·t of a coffee planta-
tion without artificial irrigation· was undertaken by the Forest
Department on a small scale. For that purpose Penclakhle in
Panhala Peta,· a hill slope· with . a· northern· aspect and· cool
climate was selected. The banen soil of these Ghat districts
which had been lying fallow for ·several years was now utilized
and Shahu provided ernploymentfor the hill population. ·'
The constructive work •was ·thus started in right eaniest:
Shahu's earnest will expressed itsel£ in ..another direction. Iri
those <lays the market place for the jaggeiy trade was situated on
the pavement near the Municipal premises. The annual turn-
over was about, Rs. 3 lakhs. The land under cultivation was
aboUl sc,·enty-four thousand acres an<l the jaggery trade was done
through Rajapur and it was known throughout Konkan and
Bombay as Rajapur jaggery. Kolhapur, too, had',become a
 A Dll'FICULT TAn 51
cr01ulcd city. l\'1th ;1 ,1ew to remo,ing congestion in the city
anti encouraging lra<le, Sh:thu Chhatrapati umlenook the Shahu-
pun c,tc-mion proJCCl m 1895. He planned tl,e <l~·elopmem of
a new trade centre to encourage trade. So he met some Bombay
aml Guj.1r.1.1 mrrd1an1i :md pcrsu.1dcd diem to st3rt the j:1frgery
trade at the new centre hluch he c:alled Shahuputi. It grew in
)ears to be a Jlr05petous imlustnal centre as weJJ as a resuJen1faJ
;m,•;1 for the upper cfa.\ses. The annual turno,er from the sugu
trade at this place i, now about Rs 40 crorcs
, 111e pre,iom )ear there ,~as 10me JOY m the palace O\el' the
birth 0£ a daughter to Shahu on ?-larch 10. JS!) l 111e followin~
)Car another daughter was born on ~fay 23, l8!J5. Lut she died
m mfanq.
111e Cngfah officfab d11.t not beh,ne reasonably towards Shahu.
The Mahar-.11a had some trouble about the e'tchangc compema•
tion Pnncipal C.ind) dem.-inded ,, hen he proceeded on a year's
furloutth Rude :u he was, Cami}' ,~rote an inmltmg- letter to
du: lluzur Office ul1ich he facer .;1polog1sc<l for and withdrew
He \\as o,erbearing ;rnd also circulated false reports about the
]l.faJi::ir;1p among J:uropean drclrs His. defi,,nt ;injmde Ji.id
caused con'iirJerahJe anno}ante for se\eral }ears in the past. ·n1e
Mah.iraja "'ould ha,e left the matter alone :ifter the apology:
hut Candy ,-..as riding for a fall. Realising now liis pasiuon
under the ruler, he now appealed desperately to the Governor
to consit.ler him a Go.,emment servant in forei~ service. On
March 17, 189:S, W. Lee-Warner wrote from Ilan~Iore to Shahu
that the Dewan of M}sore was playing v.1t!1 edged tool in mal..mg
a. pretence o{ reprcsentame GO\ernment, and lie wa~ then
terribly embarras.seJ bf , the grmting-, demand to ghe tile
Assembly a. real ,oice in Jegidation. It wa!I a c.onsultame elec·
rne Assembly, he added, 10 whfrh men were elected, but that
was not the sort of example he should set before Shahu
The Chhatrap:i.11 paid a -.isit to Poona in c.onnection with th
opening ceremony of the new building of Fergusson ColJege.
A.s President of the Deccan l-:ducation Society, Shahu welcomed
Lord S:mdlurrst on Man:h 271,1895, and said, "Tite sore aim and
object or this body ii tpread of l.nowlec.lge. :md it 1s \eTY luck)
Jhat , aftt:r your .Excellency's arriul m thts city' your firJt act
should be in connection with it," Stressing the•SUCCe$$. of tht
52 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A 'ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

60ciety in the educational field and stating that successive

Governors 0£ the -Presidency had taken a deep interest in its
welfare, Shahu said: • ''But this is not,· in my opinion, a true
measure of the, real work and merits of the society. vVhat I
admire is the noble example of self-sacrifice and zeal in a· right
cause, •which the originators have set to the rising generations."
Lord Sandhurst praised the work of the members and the life-
members of the Society and said: "No Government, whatever
its resources, can cope single-handed with the problems of public
education ... •So in the present circumstances of their country
the Indians· cannot serve it better than supplementing the efforts
of Government in the matter of bringing secondary and higher
education within the reach of the public ... No Government can
do all it is asked to do nor all it should like to do/' Lord Sand-
hurst then congratulated the Chhatrapati on being the President
of such an invaluable educational society.6 ·After the function,
Shahu returned to Kolhapur immediately.·
The Maharaja had left his tour in the middle; he now resum-
ed 1L There were some places notorious for depredations and
other atrocities of the Berad gang. During his talk with some
of the prisoners there, Shahu came to know that there ·was no
speedy disposal of cases. The result was that Shahu had to issue
a circular instructing his Magistrates to furnish ·monthly return
of prisoners remaining under trial for more· ·tha:ri·-a month to-
gether with a statement of explanation · for the same. The
people of Gargoti prayed for education; he gi·anted their prayer
by opening a girls' school. The need of drinking water in the
region attracted his attention and he made proper arrangements
for it. 'With great interest he visited a catechu -factory, and if it
:succeeded, he said he would open many such factories near
jungles.
Towards the end of April 1895, the Chhatrapati went to
Mahabaieshwar and stayed there till the· end of May excluding
about five days he spent in the first week of May 189.5 at Mudhol
in attending the wedding of the Chief's.eldest son, He had taken
the Huzur Office to Mahabaleshwar -and there disposed 'of a
number of cases. In June of that year he ordered .his Taluka
officers to send a weekly report on rainfall in ordc;r to be careful
about the supply of foodgrains. -. . • . · ·:
 , A DIFFICULT TASK , , , 53
Sbahu Chhatrnpali, desirfog lo r.aise 1he st.1ndard o( effidency
m administration, was in search of good officers who could be
}1dpful to him in his administratii e worl. Dewan M. K. Tara.~
potewaila felt uneasy :a.nd &tarted to go on Ie:ne now and then.
It ,vas his desire to cmpfor and train educated rncn from the
non-Br:i.hmin community in the state service with a ,·iew to
leepms the bal::i.ncc ol his power and encouraging the Backward
Classes to go in for higher education and attain better qualifica-
tions. ln that spmt he recruited a Jain )oung man who was in
the, D.A. ClasJ. The CJifof Judge JoshJ tulmin:ned .1gaimt the
appointment of this }Dung man. The Judge argued that Ilrahmin
graduates mere ,nailable for a smaller pay and w tl1ey should be
rcc:nutecL
Anxious to pie!.. up cfcyer and abf e young men for the
admimstrat1on, the M:diataJa appointed Bhasl..ar VithoJi Jadhav.
Probationary Asmtant Sarsubha, from June I, 1895. Jadhav
was a. brilliant scholar 0£ Bombay University and came first'in
the l\latrkubtion Examinat10n in 1888, Dom in 1863, he
obtained a Pint dass m hjs B.A. and M.A. .Examfoations in 1892
and 1891 respccthely. One can imagine the agony and jealousy
tliis appointment mig11t fon•e pro1-oled Jadliav W.l5 appointed.
but was asked to join a£ ter completion of his studies
, ,The interested group and the Brahrnin newspapers began to
cntidse the l\faharaJa for appointing non-Brahmin officials of
Im choice. Jadhav's appointment awakened the curiosity of
Justice Ranade. He inquired of Sabms, who knew him weII, for
both of them were once sen':ing at Dhu1ia, whether Jadhav could
worl as well as Sa.bms and he ,rnuld do 1 This showed how even
a liberal and broad-mmded leader hke Ranade failed to recog~
nise unresen,cdly the ab,hty of a non-Brahmin to work as effi-
ciently as a Brahmin. Educated Brahmins called Shahu a youth
of h::irdly twenty-four summers wJ10 was supposed to foIIow the
whuns of the Political Agent. And hiding their desiqns and
griev.tnces under the pretext ol the welfare of tJ1e Srate, th<'y
expressed their fear that His Highness would not have able :tnd
experienced advisors. ~ .
,It was Shahu's firm belief that a mixture of different castes ut
J.he .adnimhtrat1on would hold the ,,balance prope.rly. On
December 27, 1895, Lee-\Vamer warned him that Ilrahmin
54 SUAHU C!UlATRAl'ATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

intrigue was not the only intrig11e but he had found Maratha~
and other classes quite equ:11 to it. \-\'h:tt Lee-Warner s:-iid about
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad in the s:tmc letter is noteworthy.
"I have always thought," he said, "that the Gaikwar means ,.,.ell.
but has worried himself into :111 attitude of mi<.tnm and un<Z:r•
tainty and indecision, by the feeling which everyone who h~ars
office in India must feel, that he cannot depend upon all his
subordinates."
Shahu Chhatrapati not only appointed non-Brahmins to impor-
tant posts, but also· kept in his company men from tl1c poor
classes, so that he might' know from them how the execution of
his orders was done in favour of the poor dasses. He said J1e
learnt good things from good men and the dark side of the pictt1rc
from men in difficulties:
About tl1e year 1895 an agitation for the repairs to Shivaji's
samadhi at Raigad h:1d rc:iched its zenith. In 1887 Govind
Babaji Joshi, a social worker in Harotla, wlio had vi~itcd the
Raigad Fort on April 3, 188~, ,,-rote a pamphlet drawini; tl1c
attention of kings antl noblemen to tl1c dilapidated condition of
Shivaji's samadhi. In it he said that it was the first duty o[ the
Marai!la States to ·repair the samnclhi. If the Maharashtrians
neglected this, "then all the learned men and hi~torians of the
world will charge us that there arc no such sinful, unmindful of
favours and ungrateful meri •like us."8 And he quotccl Jam.cs
Douglas, the author o[ 'A Book of DomlJay (1883) as say.ing th:it
"no man now cares for Shivaji over all those wide dominions
which once owned him Lord and Master, acquired by so much
blood and treasure and which he handed down with care to
the Rajas of Kolhapur; the Bho5las of Satara and their Peshwas
in Poona, not one man now contributes a rupee to keep or
repair the tomb ·and temple of the founder of the i\J;m1tha
Empire." Douglas reproduced this passage 1·cgarding- the
samadhi in his Booh of Bombay and Western India. in J8!)3.
The matter was taken up by M. G. Ranade, reformer, thinker,
an<l Assistant Judge, who ·organised a meeting of the Sardars of the
Deccan and dtizens of Poona, on May 2,1, 1885, under the presi-
dentship of Dadasahcb Pant Pratinidhi 'to raise the necessary
fund for the repairs of the samadhi.0 At that meeting :i commit-
tee was· appointed to raise funds and to draw estimates for
 ,,__, A D1FnCULT TASJ( ''' 55
repairing the samadhi. Ab:m1heb Ghatge~' n:uur.iJ father of
Shahu Chhatrapati, was made Chainnan of that tommitte-e , By
deputing a man to R:1:lg::i.,l specially for this purpose, he pre•
p:lttd the est1mat~ and made a report regarding the building of
a temple and other ammgements'th.::it .sholJJd be m.::ide ::it Raigad.
But this plan temaintd unexecuted ov. ing to Abasaheb's untimely
death 10 ,
It must be not~! here as a matter of history, that Mahatma
Jotiroo Phooley, who was the first man to pubfoh a Me 0£
Sh1vnji m ,ene in June 1869, was also the first man to di,covrr
Shivaji's samadM at Raigad in a dilapidated conilition c<nercd
with dry leaves and stones. 1lt was' he who first cleared the
samadlu and the ground of ,..,-eeds:. , It 1is said that before the
years 1870..75 a person nruned Bhosle dug up1 Shi1•.1ji's .1amadhi
and other places in RaiR:}d in se:i.rcl1 of hidden treasure.
Thereafter, in March 1886, the British Gm-emment had 'got
the weeds on the octagonal diabutarc, of 'the samadhi removed
and some 'repairs were carried out It also bad a nuling built
round the samadln., at a cost of lls. 51,S O or so. "As a ,favour;
sometime in l\fay 1886, out of the contingency of the Mamlatlbr
of l\fahad a sum of Rs· 5 C\ery year was allowed by the B:riush
Government for the e1'penses of removing 1 tl1e weeds from the
samadlu and the ro~d and for leepmg them in good repairs,
Another meeting was held at Huzurpa.g m Poona, on 1-.f::ty 30,
181)5, under the Presidentship o( Shri Shriniwasrao Pantaprati-
nidfu to give 3h organised shape to the rnovement. J115tice
Ran.ade tdegraphe<l his sympathy with the object of the meeung
and sugi;e.sted that a permanent fund should be raised for the
purpose of carrying it out. Shn Chafalkar Swami, descend:mt
of Swami Ramdas, the'Pratinidhi of Aundh, the Sacf1iv of .Bhor,
the Chief" of Icha:lkara:nj1, the Chief, of Kumntlhwad, ant.I
Senapati Dabhade of Tategaon and other Chiefs and Sardars and
prominent leaders like br Vishram Ramji Ghole, Shaikh Abdul
Razak, n1jiy Wail.ar, Sardar Balkrishna. Vithal Potnis and R G.
1
Tdak ¥.ere on the dais. 11 '
Making an inspiring- speech at this meeting. Babsaheb
Kunmdhwadkar said, "In this connection 1 have to su~est only
this much that a deputation slioufd' 6e sent to .Ipp:.tl (a t~
11.taharaja ol Kolhapur in Lhis matter. The hl.aharaja ,~ educat-
, 56 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:. A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

ed and he is of noble and generous·. disposition. When he shows

so much zeal for. others I, have not the least doubt that he will
help generously towards the repairs of the samadhi of Sbivaji
Maharaja, the' founder of the .Maratha Empire and the founder
of his own family.": Tilak· observed that "the· Maharaj a of
Kolhapur should kindly accept our.subscription so collected and
should complete this work."
It was unanimously resolved at this meeting to ,raise a fund for
repairing the samadhi, building a Chhatri thereon, for making
arrangements -for its .maintenance as well as £or the ·annual cele-
bration of a festival in honour of Shivaji. A committee "IV'a5
formed with Bal Gangadhar Tilak.. as the working Secretary.
It· had about fifty members. Professor Bhanu, thanking all, said
that, so long as Maratha rule continued, proper care was being
taken of the samadhi, and it was, neglected, only after its
decline.
Just· at the close of the meeting, a telegram conveying full
agreement with the objects of the meeting was received from the
Chhatrapati of Kolhapur.
Accordingly, at 11,30 a.m. on the morning of August 26, 1895,
the ,deputation of leading and influential men · from several
quarters met Shahu Chhatrapati at Kolhapur requesting him to
undertake the work and complete it as per the resolution passed
at the ·meeting of May 30, 1895. The Chhatrapati had informed
them that he would see· the deputation at Poona. But• the
Shivaji Fund Committee requested him that, it would be better
that if he met them in Kolhapur. He agreed: The members
of the deputation were Balasaheb. Kurundwadkar, Shahu's
brother Bapusaheb, ~he Chief of Kagal, Balasaheb Ichalkaranji-
kar, Balasaheb Bawadekar, Nagojirao Patankar of Kolhapur,
Sardar Potnis, B. G. Tilak, Namjoshi and Doctor M. G. Desh-
inukh of Bombay. The deputation was the first of its kind
which had ever •waited upon an Indian ruler. Shahu Chhatra-
pati ordered that the expenses of the members of the deputation
should be met by his State.
• T_he deputation met him accordingly. Babsaheb Kurund-
wadkar made a speech in which he said that the Chiefs .were
ready to take their share in· commemorating the great person-
age who protected Hinduism, that the amount ·collected was
 A DIFFICULT TAS~ 57
about Rs. 7,000 and that Ga,Lwad had donated out of his
prfratc purse Rs 1,000. He mentioned the fact that the
Ja;ari::-uru Sh:ml.uachart.t had gnen some help along v.-ith his
good wishes The M.2harap's rcpJy was read bf Dc~·an Sabnis
He lmefly S3id: "Shivaji Ji.bh.uaja is t1ic original founder of
the lineage and u one of our forefathers, and the Mahar:ija-
sahcb thinks 1t his duty to arrange for the rep.am of the
samadlu And that he feels great sat1~fac:tion to see th=i.t the
people of Maharashtra are earnestly helpmg this work. The
Maharnja is ,dllmg to subuant1ally help the management and
building o[ a chhatn (memorial) in the manner as the chhatns
0£ the ?i.faharaja's other forefathers are m:maged The nature
and amount of the help would be communicated a!tem·ards," 12
After tlus, Shahu Chhatrapati was sened with betelnuts and
presented with Rowers in the traditional Indian manner Dr
Deshmulh :ind the Hon. Mr. Vantmurikar thanl.ed the Uaha•
raj:1. Tilak did not male a speech. About three months later,
Shahu accepted the Presidcntship of the Shivaji Fund Com-
mittee."
T1lak, the Secretarr of the Shivaji Raja i\Cemorfal Coromiaee,
started celebrating the Shivajr F.estiv,11 on 1lj April 1895 and
it was celebrated there.'l!ter everyr Jear at iarious pfares in
Maharashtra.
In the beginning of the ShiuJi movement, Shahu :Maharaja
was in full S)mpathy with its aims. However, at one stage, it
appears £.r<,m a remark made by Governor Lord Sandhurst that
Shahu <leclmed to subsc:ribe,u but two }ears bter he again
changed his mmd. And there was good reason for th<- change
The members of the Shivaj1 Club began to collt'ct weapons
from 1895 In that }e.Ir anns t\"ere found with some of its
members in Kolhapur and about haJf a dozen of them were
comicted.u Shahu Chhatrapati, who was favournbly inclined
to the Shivaji movement, took alar~ and became \.ery cautious
abou't his relations with 1t. Dut it was after 'Tilal.'s editorials
on the Vedol.ta contrO\ersy that Shahu I\Iaharaja adopted a
cold attitude towards the Shh aj1 movement of Tthl...
Bdtish officials Me Edgerley, Pri, ate Secretary co the
Governor, « ere na'( wi;.ni:rn· ak' rq,.n:h ol' C'rl< ~ h · .N ,~l't'} •
rhought that "to respect Shivaji h »Dt .synon}rnam with beini;r
58 SHJ\HU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLlJTIONARY

against the Government." Col. Sealy, Political Agent of

Kolhapur, referring to the· Shivaji movement later, observed in
1901': "By all means let the Maratha students be proud. of
their national hero, imitate him in his qualities of energy,
organization· and· leadership and just as we English are at pre-
sent about to celebrate the millenary of our Great Alfred, so
let the Maratha youth also keep its enthusiasm and patriotism
green by celebrating the memory; .o[ examples like that of
Shivaji." 16 The British officials adopted a hostile attitude
after the •Shivaji movement assumed a political complexion.
The Chiefs and Princes then withdrew their support.
•The Government then feared that the move ·on the. part of
the nationalists would turn against the. Government and so
with a view to faking the wind out of their sail, it· 'promised a
sum of Rs.' 5,000 towards the cost of erecting. a protective
chhalri over Shivaji's samadhi in response to an appeal. made
by the President of. the Shivaji Raja Mernorial Committ~e.
Long aftenvards,. they undertook the work of repairing the
Samadhi with the help of Shivaji Raja Memorial Committee
and completed the work of building a new chhatri over. the
samadhi at Raigad in 1925. • ••
On December. 14, 1895, Her Highness Ahilyabai Ranisaheb,
the great-grandmother 0£ the Maharaja passed away. It was
her marriage that. first cemented the h~o great• Maratha Houses
of Baroda and Kolhapur. She took an active interest in the
Gi.rl's School• .in Kolhapur. The Maharaja decided to per-
petuate her memory by starting a dispensary of Indian medicine.
It was starte~ on October 15, 1896 and placed in charge of an
experienced vaidya.
About this time new difficulties arose in the spread of
education with the ,emergence of a new regime. Some of the
fcudatorics, .mostly Brahrnins, refused to continue their sub-
s~ript~on to the Rajaram High School. The new policy of
d1ffus1on of knowledge among the large lower sections of ·the
people and Shahu Maharaja's attempt at the restoration of his
powers and 0£ control over the feudatories were the causes of
their displeasure.
 CHAPTER 5
A Mode/ Ruler

S1-1.u-w Chhatrapati, detenmned to create a team of able and

loy:ll executives, was slowly .remming the bureaucrats from
• office, and appointmg men of hu choice. Hu former tc.Uor
Fraser, who was how tutor to the ]lfah.:u-aja of .Mrsorc, addted
him to appomt Eur0pe:1:ns to importarn ~ts m Kolhapur.
Yet ,it was Fraser himself who later infonneJ Shahu of the
rh.alry "between the M)sonans and J\fadrasi Brahmms who
fill many of the best places m the State " 1 Shahu,praised the
Europeart officers for their diSt::1p!ine but, he 53jd, the} carried
complaints to the Polftic:tf Agent at the, feast pro,oc.atlon.
Lee-Warner had alteadr advised Shahu from London to note
that Brahmin intrigue was not the only intrigue but the
Mata th a and other, classes were quite ('qual to 1t. Lee Warner,
giving him another piece of advice, said: "You nn,er beliel'C
the stories that the Agent did thi~ or that, or is pleased or dis
pleased, but simply go and ask. him his views direct, and there
can be no mfounderstanding.'''
The Cbhatrap::i.ti was bent'on {onn/ng hi1 own Council and
so he wrote to Gangar:un 'Dhau l\fhasle, an e-minem Mar.uha
la,~1er and leader in Pooii:r, to sugg""t ,uiubJe Mar.uh,1 gr.r·
duates: for cmplo)ment. A man of great .,pnpath}, 1it1,.u1;
was a si(lcerc rodal n-orJ.er, w110 Ji.2d sr.:utecJ schools ~nd
libr.:rrid Wzth' gtt:3t effort be fmmded m l~R3 1bc D<-rcan
l\faratha £rluc;ition Sodct}' and helped S<'\erJI students ro gtl
through their higher education. Mh:nle nromrnendt'd n A.
Vkhare, aJ1 L.C £.. As he appoinied him 1c, a pmt in the Public
WorJ..s Dep3.rtment, Shafiu was ftannfr criti't:uco. Con-.cqucnt•
.
Iv, Vich;ire- was au:ichcd to the Ilurur Offire for l()mt- time. h
59
60 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLVTIONARY

was now felt by the Brahmins and Europeans that Shahu re•
quired men from neither community.
Dewan Taraporewalla warned Shahu that the policy framed
by him in respect of administration was already known to the
public and though his motives might be noble, the conflict
would be disastrous to the State. • The Brahmins and Euro-
peans thought that he was replacing them and trying to subdue
their influence. The general impression among the educated
classes was that he was unwisely recruiting raw men with uni-
versity education but without experience. Yet the Chhatrapati
acted according to his own plans.
For his own part the Chhatrapati was confident that with the
appointments of new officials the administration would go on
smoothly. It was, however, difficult to please all parties and •
he said: "I must be prepared 'fo take my share of blame for
things done against the wishes of some." He added, "As
matters stand at present it is almost impossible to keep all
Europeans •contented." So he fearlessly and confidently pro-
moted R. V. Sabnis on June 24, 1896 to the post of Chief
Revenue Officer in place of Vaidya who had retired.
R. J. Shannon, Head of the Public Works Department, was
enraged at a mere query by an official in the Hm.ur Office about
certain expenditure on some items of works in his Department.
Upon this Shannon went straight to the Chhatrapati and
asked him how the officials dared find fault with his work.
Shahu replied cooly that he himself felt dissatisfied with the
estimates submitted by him and so he himself asked for the
clarification.
• •Mrs. Sykes, the State nursej resigned on January I, 1896.
Miss. Little, the Superintendent of Female Education, had al-
ready resigned and in her place Mrs. Radhabai Krishnarao
Kelokar (1857-1950) was appointed Lady Superintendent from
September I, 1.895. She was the wife of Di-:. Krishnaji Dadaji
Relokar, who had acted as medical officer at Alibao- and other
p~aces: A sincere lover of female education, he hh~self taught
his wife at home. Unfortunately Dr. Kelokar was seized with
an ~ncurable disease, and his wife had to take up a job, for the
mamtenance of the familv. High officials appreciated •her
ning.
 A MODJ:L RULER ' 61
Mrs. Kelokar W,b then admitted to the Women's Training Col•
lege Her character was exemplary and her knowledge was found
superior She passed the Teachers' tx:amination in, l\Iarch
1833 :s On account 0£ her high accomplishments she was first
'appointed companion to the late Ah!lyaba, Ranisaheb. the
great-grandmother of Shahu. Mrs. Kelolar served the State
efficiently and later retired on Januarr 29, 1922, on a pension
of lls. 50 a month.
Shannon went on leave and resumed worl.. in September 1896,
but he resigned his post at the end of that very month on
a~count of domesttc difficulties. Vich:ire was, therefore, ap-
pointed in his place, although Col. ,vrar, who wa~ appointed
offid;1ting t,'olitical Agent in March 't896, wa,; opposed to his
appointment. Sh:i.hu was criticised for, this appointment h}
some newspapers.
About this time Shahu Chhatrapati, the matchless rider and
sharpshooter killed a tiger When the first shot failed to l,Il
the animal, it naturally grew lt"J"f ferocious. Shahu with great
presence of mind jumped up :i tree· nearby and escaped before
the ammal could pounce llpon him. Swiftly he then shot ll
Some newspapers praised hjm for this l-alorous deed and his
fnend Bha\'sinhji (rom Bha:mag'ar congratulated him on his
success m L...illing the tiger in such a daring spirit He praised
him also for hh presence of mind. Shabu had .aN,:ed his frfond
for peacod. eggs, but Bh.\vsmhji in his reply said that the
season had not )Ct 'started
In Apnl of the year J896, Shahu \isited some 0£ the remotest
parts of the Sahpdn ranges to find out for himself Wh} the
forest people there bad not reconciled the111selves to the Farese
Laws In a letter to Cot. Wray, he said he wanted to see 1£
they bad an}thing reasonable to argue and to see what could
be done for them, "lt ll"t'ms," Shahu H,rote. ''personal llSJU
to their houses in tbe heart 0£ jungles will go a great way to·
wards les,;ening the friction between them ' and the officers "
Concluding' his rcm:irl, he ·s:ud: "Another thing that smkes
me is the extreme indebtedness of the tyots.-, All their bnds are
in the hands' of Sawakats and I am considering ~•hat should be
,.rlrn1-..:t, .tr ..~\n them .. ".. ,. k t .. t

• At this time Shahu Chhatrapati p:nd 'a visit to some primary

G2 S!IAllU C!lltATRAI'ATI: A ROYAi. Rf.\'01.UTIO:,:ARY

schools. He desired to promote education ;1mong the lower

classes so that they might know their rights. It ~\'as in _IS% that
he gave a decision on a very delicate matter. .\t. h.ar_kol he
visited the village primary school, which co\lld not dc:1<k ~or
months whether it should teach K:111:iresc or ~I:1ra1l11. 1 lie
village was near the Karnatak border :incl \\'as 1rntm~lly inllu-
cnccd by Kanarcse. The Chhatrapati resolved the dispute b):
ex.plaining to the pcopk that ;1s :1 Stale bnguap;c )farathi
sl10 uld he the medium of instruction and Ka11arcse shnnld be
taught for practical purposcs.4 1"his solution showed th,tt he
was just as well as practical.
The Chhatrapati continued his tours of the villag('s. He
visited Gadhinglaj on Novcmh-::r 20, l 8~(i, pa~sing through
Raibagh and Katkol, the most detached portion of the territory
which suffered Erom failme o{ the rains. On acco\lnt of the
failure of rains and pr<!\'ailing scarcity, Shahu travelled with the
•smallest possible retinue, ricling camels and horses in order to
be able to sec the state of the crops. 1n this y~ar Shahu made
a representation to the British Government appealing for a
restoration of the powers of the High Court. The Go\'ernmcnt
took about eight years to decide. the question. It was cautious
about investing him with such powers. . '
About this time the Maharaja Shivajii-ao Holkar was to \'isit
Kolhapur. There was some correspondence between Shahu
and the_ Government of Bombay regarding the formalities to be
observed by Holkar in respect of the, Kolhapur Darbar. On
]J.is,arr1val he was.given a warm welcome and a Darbar.was held
in his honom.. .
. ,The latter part of the year 1896 witnessed a graye famine in
Kolhapur. Bec.ause of thi5 and the hilly nature of :the soil,
there was acute suffering i.n Panhala Peta, :Bhuclargad ,and
Katkol in the·• State. Through these famine-stricken districts,
the Chh?,trapati toured from the.last ,~eek of January 1897 to
May 1897. except for a week which he sp~nt at Mahabalcshwar.
Accompanied by the District and Forest Officers and the Exccu-
~iYe Engineer, he toured these districts visiting all rciic~ works
m pr~gress. The houses 9[ the poor were considered. projects
of relief work on the spot. The Chinchali Show was· abandon..
ed. that year also, owing to .the ~ailurc of harvests, t_he great
 4. MODEL R(JU:R 61
scarcity of fodder and foliage. The people of the surrounding
villages offered pra)ers to their tutelary gods for a prolongation
of their Raja's sojourn

ll
Co1 J, W Wra)' was appointed PoliticaJ Agent on January
18. 1897 Wray was )OUng and mexper1enced To start with
he was on cordial terms with the Chhatr.rpatt, the friend of his
father Wra) 's methods, howe~er. prowled oppositmn Colal,
a banister, complained to the Darbar about the bail treatment
he r«eh,ed at his hands. Wr.iy clashed "1th Principal Candy
too '
Candy, 'principal of Rajaram College, ha.d grown inmlen_t
and 1a~erbearjr1g He had aiwa}S boasted 'of his inlluence at
the Hea.dquattets m Bomba) He addres~ed rhe Chhatrapati
an inwlent letcer demand,ng promotion for which Lord Harri~
had made lum apo1ogise to the Mah:i.taja 7l1e dim:i:X' al ha
insolence was reached l\hen he thrashed a police constable and
rook m~ay an offender from 'the custodr, Dcmg reulcss' and
uncomfortable at the bearish befonfour oE C;md1, Shahu
decided to get rid of htm So he wrorc ro Nur;ent,1 ;\femher of
the Governor's Councd, thar he would be gbd to P.J} Cindy
si't'. months' salary rill January next if Gournmcm would recall
Candy :u once
Not content with intimzdatmg his school masters rnto signmg
a petiuon agamn the D.a.rba;, Candy had been trying 10 set
the Mohammedans of Kolhapur through 'one- of hi~ :nsist::ints
u, submit another petition against the Darb;1r. _ fk often
spol.e disparagingly of the Chhatrapati, and n::itutallJ Shahu tli!-
hled him, Shahu had written about ,his tudents.~ to lord
Sandhurst. Shahu turned Wra) ·s enmity with Cnnd} to good
account, He did tJot intetfcre in the d1spl1te or 1rr lO smooth
mer mattt:r.l He lne,\r that ,vr:1-r Mmld e:uih get rid of
Candy The result was that. though Candy had Chriui:m mii-
sionaries on hts side, he had to quit J,;,olh:ipur and had to pa~
hi~ days in Derar. ', ,, •
Clo<e on die heels of famine. a terrible cpidcrnic of pb;u("
hrol..e out earl} in 1896 in Bom~ay.' From Deccmbe, JBl16 It
spre:i.d ov~r to Kar.tchi, .Bhr,-andi and Poona.. The Kolh3put"
{34 SHAHU CHHATRAPATl: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Darbar had to forea1m its.elf' against the advent of this calamity,

which raged almost· throughout· the· year 1896 in villages be-
lono-ing
O
to the British districts of Satara and Belgauin and to
the Southern Maratha States lying on the northern and the
eastern boundary of the Kolhapur State. Precautionary measures
• were adopted by the State against its invasio~ of the Kolhapur
State. So· far the ip.easures had proved largely successful.
Then came the celebration of the 60th anniversary of her
Majesty. Qu~en V~~toria's acce5sion. to the throne. It .was to be
celebrated -on June 21 and, 22, 1897, in spite. of famine and
plagu~,. as Queen Victoria ·had assumed the title 'the Empress
of India' since 1877. According to Lord Elgin's letter of June
5, 1897, the Ghhatrapati celebrated the Djamond Jubilee,.at the
New Palace on June 21, 1897, ,by hplding a special Darb~
attended .by the feudatory .Chiefs: Sardars an~. Mankaris and
Officials 0£ _the State. -. • , ,._ •_
A congratulatory message fervently praying for further pro-
longation .of Her· ~fajestfs "beneficent reign" was sent to her.
On the morning of June 21, an.imperial salute of 101 guns was
fired. At 6 a.m., on the morning of June 22; 'which ·was
"Queen's Day" a salute of 60 guns corresponding ·to the
length of Her' Majesty's reign was fired. Thirty-four well
behaved prisoners were released and seventy-six were granted
partial remission of their sentences. •
Shahu Chhatrapati expressed his :devotion and loyalty iri a
letter to Lord Elgin. In it he described the· Victorian Age as
the era of continued progress both in England and in India
and a great epoch of advancement, thoroughly illustrating the
great truth that "the.crown is in reality held for the people, and
when rightly held it ensures the moral as well as the material
triumphs· of the Government." The Kolhapur Darbar sent to
Her Majesty through the Bombay Government an address
engraved on vellum and placed in a casket of solid gold and
silver made •by' a State artist after an oriental design. It was
acknowledged. by the Government conveying special thanks
from Her Majesty. Shahu thus renewed the contact which his
fathe~ had established with Her Majesty Queen Victoria. • ·
1:his was a homage paid by a former ally turned into a sub:
ordinate and helpless ruler, as ·were an the Indian princes. .But
 A ~l0l1l:l,. RlJUR. 65
Sbahll Chhatr.1pati ltas not alone in paring such a tribute.
Some Indi:;111 k:adcrs :115() paid tuch tributes. M. K. Gandhi
wu one or the men that paid simil:tr homage from Durban to
Her Majesty {or h:inng esublishtd a golden era.,
1l1e Diamond Jubilee was commemorated by the State in
Kolhapur b) 13.)ing the foundation stone of a building £or the
Kolfiapur Infantry Hospital :it the fiands of Lt. Col. J. W. Wray
On June 22, 1897, tlte Ch11atrap:ui himself fajd the foundatfon
stone of a building for the Victoria Diamond J11b1lee Leper
A,,Imn.
l\?uJe Sh:11w and M, K. C:1ndhi p:1id lull thro:1t<'d tnbute,
to the Quctn, B G. Til:i.1, the nationalist r(presentative, oh•
~ned in his famous article in the Kesari cniitkd, 'Glory to the
:\fa~str the Queen Empress': "Well, thC' fcsth,JI which i, kmg
celebrated as :m emblem 0£ their prosperity by the people 0£ a
nation that has thus reached the height 0£ ,\ealth and power
is quite appropriate from their point of ,.iew, We abo p:mi-
cip3te in the jor, as the} are our rultrs; only it cannot be S3id
that "e ha,·e prospered lile them during the last sb..ty }Cars.
One i~ compdted iemphaticalty to say that the preSt.?nt is the
.muieth celebration not of our prosprrity but of our decline."
So saying, Tilak shrewdly attended the celebration held at the
GO\entor's bungalow in Poona, .ind that viery night Rand and
A}n:t, th~ plague officers in Paon.2, were killed by the ttto
Chapcl,..ar brothers Later, the Chapekars were hanged, and
Tilak was sentenced to fifteen months" imprisonment for some
o( his articles m the Krsan which were considered Sl'dirious.
Following these £cs1iv11ies. another great e,ent occurred. The
Chhatrapatl was fortunate in blessing his State with an heir
apparent who wa$ born on July 31, 1897. Naturallyf the peo-
ple were excf'f'dmg]y haPP}· Th~ occasion was Ct>lebrated with
great rejoicings throughout the State They showered felicita•
tions on Shahu and Maharani Laxmtbai at me<:tin;;-s and by
the pre.sentat:on of Addresses The newborn 'V,,JS named Raja-
ram on the sixteenth day of his birth During the previous
thirty }ears he was the first direct male heir born in the, Royal
farmlr. It was therefore considered a red-letter day in the
history 0£ the Kolhapur dyna~ty
sc-s
66 SHAHU CHHA'fRAPATI: A ROYAL~REVOLUTIONARY

As an ·expression of joy, Shahu released twelve prisoners and

distributed gifts consisting of food, money and clothing among
the needy and the poor.
A complaint was lodged by the Muslims of Kolhapur over
the usurpation of a mosque by some Hindu officials. Shahu
inquire.d into the matter and amicably settled the quarrel be-
tween the State officials and the Muslims. A great devotee of
Shivaji, the' foti~ci~r of the. Maratha dynasty, he kept up the
tradition of religious tolerance created by him.
The appointm~nts . of officers in the Kolhapur State still
caused the Chhatrapati much worry as the interests of the Poli-
tical Agent, Dewan Taraporewalla and the • Darbar clashed.
Wray, the Political Agent, desired the Darbar to appoint
Dr. Deo to the post of Assistant Surgeon in the Albert Memo-
rial Hospital and Bomanji B. Dorabshet to the post of Special
Medical Officer. The Dewan being a Parsi desired it the other
~ray. In October i897 Wray wrote to Shahu in the matter,
and Dorabshet : was appointed Special Medical Officer on
November 17, 1897, in charge of the Health Department of the
• Kolhapur City.
However, the friction over.the appointment of Dr. Deo continu-
ed for a long time with.the'result that tension grew between Wray
and the Dewan Meherjibhai Kuvarji Taraporewalla. Neither
could the Dewan work smoothly with the Chhatrapati. Meherji-
bhai wanted to appoint a Parsi whereas Wray .wanted to ap-
point Dr.. Deo, a Brahmin, .and Shahu wanted neither. With
a view to giving plenty of rope to Meherjibhai; Shahu shrewdly
asked the Dewan to advertise the post and appoint a suitable
man.' He knew that Meherjibhai would be partial and appoint
a Parsi, despite. the advice oE Wray. As expected Meherjibhai
put his head into the, noose. He appointed a Parsi named
Rustomji Palanji to the post instead of Dr. Deo and fell a
victim to the wrath of Wray. The Political Agent thought
that the Maharaja was in agreement with the Dewan and so
the friction grew benveen them too. The Executive Councillor
Nugent tried to bring about a rapprochement in November
1897, but he failed.
'As a result of the friction between ·Wray and Mchcrjibhai,
the latter had to proceed on leave from September 5, 1898, for
 A. JtODU RVUR 61
one }C:tr prior to retirement, :md R. V, S:i.bnis was appointed
Dewan front that d:ay. Ho"'ever, until J\larch 1898 Wr:t) :nut
Im wife accomp:inicd the Maharaja and his party to different
pbces for shikar. But now his relations with the Chhatrapati
b;id become much strained, .Nugent, a common friend, broui;f1r
:t.bottt a tenlpora.T} rcconn Hat ion K. B Golh ale. the~ Chi cf
Judtc, died .1ml imtcad of \', n. GoJ..haic, 1"110 was As,;istant
Judge, K. r-:. Pandit was appointed Chief Judge in February
189~. ]1J5t th,m Dhad.,1mo Jadhav was appointed first Cb.s~
Magistrate. '
ln February 18!19 the Chhatrapati went to r..:ag:al with his son
RaJaram and reccl\·cd a thundcrom wc:lcomc from his relatives
and the people 0£ Kagal. There Shahu discu~d the deu!lop-
ment of Ko\hapur and Shahupuri with the merchahts of Nipani,
The Rao of Kutch visited Kolhaput on an lllvit:i.tion from
Shahu Chh:i.trapati, A speci.il Darbar was helcl on April 26,
1899, in his honour. TI1e two princes met under the aegis of
Dr.irMi rule :md enjoJcd 1/111.ar The R.:io then left in l\l.?' lS!l!J.
Pla;ue had spread in Kolhapur, There was little or no rain
that >car and the crops had failed. Water became scarce and
prm:s soared. Bhaslarrao Jadha-.· was app0mted Assistant
Pfague Comm1sm>ner from September 4, 1899, .211d from
January I, 1900 he was made also Assistant F:imine Collettor.
Shahu Chhatrapati dad noc fail to use modern equipment in
his regime He fitted lus ranhafa Palace with tel<'phones con-
necting lus Palace at Kolhapur and the ~ Re~identy This
arrangement spe<:ded up the plague wort...
Measures were adopted to checl the plague ;md the famine.
Arrangements were made not onl> to sell grass at cheap rat-:::s
but also to prodde £odder for those animals which could not
be cared for by their o"'nm. Suspension of land revenu'!, too~
W35 granted hberallr,
In those days of plague, the Chhatrapati wrote to, '\\Tray on
November 25. l899, from Parihala, "l am only sorry that I
c.:innot see the Plague Hospital and camp at Kot.i Teerth eH~ry
day, as I used co do when I w~s tht-re I, however, go to Kolha~
pur ei-·cf} now and then and ntme about in the Ci!y and per-
sonally inspect the arrangements and give instructions "'here
necessary. , Jt is a pity both the Old and the New Palace are
68 SHAHU CHHATilAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

infected, dead rats having been seen there. They arc being
disinfected and I hope that they will soon be habitable. I am
going in a few days to parts where there is scarcity. For the
present people in these parts arc still gathering their crops, and
labour for agricultural purposes is still in demand."
In those days Shalm worked untiringly. In one of his letters
of December 1899 he said: "In fact I only sleep at Panhala and
spend the whole day in doing my office work as the office is
here. The mornings I spend in supen•ising the plague work
i.n the city. A few days ago, I rode about 10 miles across the
,country to see the state of crops myself. I used only one horse
-and went at the ra,te of nearly three miles an hour, as I had to
·make inquiry as I went along. I was very tired."
The Maharaja was kind to farm animals. On December 20
·the Samarth, a political weekly started by Professor Vijapurkar
,on June 6, 1898, congratulated the Maharaja on the generous
•order which he had issued asking the people who could not
\feed their cattle to take them to the State thalas where they
would be cared for. They might take them away whenever it
was convenient for them to do so.

III
The misunderstanding between • the Chhatrapati and Col.
Wray continued and exploded in an incident in which Wray
wanted to involve Shah_u Chhatrapati. This affair sprang from
an anonymous letter to Wray' which informed him that one
D. C. Fernandes had hatched a conspiracy to poison him at the
time 0£ the dinner which was to be given in honour 0£ Mr.
James, a member of the Governor's Council. The dinner was
to take place in the n'arbar Hall of the New Palace under the
management of Wray and his wife on August 5, 1899, on the
morning of which Wray received the letter. It must be noted
that ~ernan~es was a lawyer who had made a complaint against
~ray early m 1898 as he- ~ad cancelled his sanad to practise
m the Agency Court early m 1898 on grounds of professional
misconduct. Wray successfully pressed the Darbar also to
,cancel the sanad of Fernandes.
When· the Chhatrapati came to know about the letter, he
~immediately proposed that the dinner be dropped from the
 A )IODEL RUUR 6!)

programme or that the State police be a5led to Wiltth the

:nr.mg:ements in the Dining Hall, Intemper.ite, lil<omposed,
o,crbearing as he was, ,Vrar promptl) rcjt"Cted both the pro-
poul!. making his own .irr:ingemenu, 'with the :mistance 0£ his
former butler Mulip l\oho Jiad bttn promoted to the prnt of :z
store-Leeper in the Public Works Department of the State.
None in tl1e Darb:u· l.new of the precautions Wr.iy had taken.
When. howc,er, th~ tables had been laid, W'r:iy had the rolls
0£ br~ad already S<."ncd rcmo,ed :ind asked Philip to place
instead the on~ he had brou~ht. The dint1er, then, tool.. pface
without anr mishap. Wrar sent the old rolls of bread, l\hich
had bttn J..ept ;:,side in :i box, to the d,emic.al analrn·r in
Ilomb::t} on August 21 At the end or the month the anairser
reported that he dNected no pofaon, but one of the rolls of
bread contained a \'et') small pictc and some minute particles
or gfau.
The Maharaja wanted to imtitute a. thorough inquiry into
the matter, but Wny oppo'ICd it Sa)ing that i£ publicity were
given to it a weal scandal would be created against the Darbar.
Shahu, however, :l.Slutely said that he did not want to lea,Te the
m:Htt"r to gueuworl:: .1nd ,mpidon He would prefer a: tempo-
rary scandal to the torture or doubt, S() that his enernies might
not ha\'C a comcnient instrument to use against the Darbar.
On receipt of the report from the chemical analyser, the next
d::i.} Shahu wrote to Wray: "It is really ,·ery kind of }OU to
thinl. of the .sc;md:il it mar cre;2te ;ibout the D.'lrb:u--. 3S it wa,
a D:irhar dinner of which :id\,mtap;e was taken Dut I personal-
ly thint d1at it is better to risk such scandal than to let
the culprits estape. It will only make them very hold to do
such things ag:un, If }OU appro,e, I shall asl.. the Police to
mo,e in the matter at once." •
In fact, on receipt of the report, on September 3, 1899, Shahu
imm<"dfatcly a~l..ed rendharkar, his own Po1Jce Chief, to make
a searchini;- inq_uiry, whereas \Vray had waited for advice from
his friendJ in Poona Sh.ahu wrote to the Domb~y Go,emment
asl.ing to pl.ace at his disposal the sen-ices or an expert detec~
tive officer to invcsd,,.:ite the offen~ and a Se$5wns Judge to try
the case in the even; of a trial being necessary Meantime, with
the aJ}pTOval of ·wra.y, Shirgaonkar, Chief Revenue Officer ol the-
70 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

State, ,,,as entrusted with the investigation pending the arriYal

of a British Officer.
Wray had a suspicion that D. C. Fernandes had a hand in
the affair. He, therefore, advised Shirgaonkar to arrest Fer-
nandes, but the latter did not arrest him as there was not suffi-
cient evidence to do so. Thereupon w·ray wrote to the Dewan
asking him to arrest Fernandes on the grounds of his being the
writer ~f certain anonymous letters about the plague measures.
Yet the De,van did not yield to his pressure. At the end of the
first week of September 1899, Gannon, the Police Inspector
deputed by the Bombay Government to undertake the investi-
gation, started his work. • Irritable and vindictive, Wray asked
this Inspector to arrest Fernandes; but he, too, •although he
w'as guided by Wray, declined, tellin•g him that the evidence
against Fernandes was insufficient.·'· •
Enraged at these repeated refusals to do his bidding,. Wray
threatened the Darbar to appoint a commission like the one
appointed tri'investigatc the case against Malharrao Gaikwad in
1875. In ·the Baroda case it was fourid at the State dinner in
Baroda that the Political Resident was given poison in fruit
juice at the end of -the dinner. As a result of that enquiry, the
Maharaja of Baroda was deposed .. Wray not only did threaten
in• this way but also said that the· refusal to arrest Fernandes
created suspicion in his mind that the. Darbar·had a -hand ,in
the affair. '
: •Desperatelr •Wray then asked the . Darbar not to stick to
technicalities of the law in such a serious case. The imputa-
tions weighed =heavily on the mind of the Darbar, and it allow-
ed. the arrest of Fernandes.. Fernandes, who had gone to Poona.
returned to Kolhapur and·reportcd himself to the Magistrate. He
was arrested and along with him was arrested •one Baba Maras,
the only rollmaker in Kolhapur.. Wray suspected that Fern::in-
-cks w~s a t~ol in the, hands of the former Dewan Mcherjibhai
and his faction. Determinedly, he insisted that certain officers
should be dismissed. • The Darbar refused to dismiss officers on
mere sus~icion and_ to institute a reign of terror in Kolhapur.
Y:t . the press,ure mcreascd, and on Wray's specific advice,
Kirt~kar, ·ah ·officer, was ·ordered :to· leave the ·State, •ostcnsibl)·
on six months'. jeave.',
 A •MODEL RUlZR. 71
A pab.ce $Cl"V.tnt Kuttal disclosed to Gannon that l'hilip, the
former butle:r {)[ Wray. in-charge of the Dinner-, had given him
a roll co replace one of the rolls of bread when he :misted l1im:
but later salcl that one lsm:ul pressed him to mal.c the .state-
ment in that manner. At that juncture another letter wa~
recehed b} Wray implicating Maratha officers :md the Sardars
of the State, including Dapusa.heb Ghatge, in a new attempt on
\I/ray's life.
This was too much £or Shahu Chhatrapati atid he repeated
his request for an expert Police Officer to invcuigate the ca£C
and a Judge to hold a trial. In spite o( \eiled oppo~ition on
the pan of Wnr, Brewin am1-ed and mve1t1g.,ted the c:tJC
Ilrcl'.in, an Anglo-Indian intelligent officer, had then won fame
m $Orne important ca~s. in Maharashtra. Wra.y resisted the
demand for a judge, s.:i)ing that it would mean that the Maha•
l.!ja had no confidence in bu State o.ffidalJ, but the Maharaja
did not , itld Wray dei;ired to wind up the ca5e before •the
arrival of Drewin, through a Magistrate on the evidence Gan•
non had g-.\thcred. but he did not Sllccecd in his plan as Shahu
Chhatrap:tti got the case postponed through his officer for fur•
ther rem arid Brewin took Up the' investigation on October 6;
1899. Befitting hi& reput:1tfon ·and position, he worked inde-
pendently ilnd refused to play a subordinate role to Wray, In
the court he deposed that he had no e,•1dence aga1mt Fer-
nandes and he w;u released, .Brewm even withdtew the easel
lo the second week o( November 1899, Brcw1n drafted his
report m Bombay. According to his repon, there was, no
truth in the alleged plot• to1 ,po1!on Wray., Joht; Nugent, Mem-
ber of the Governor's Council, too, he1d £rom 1the beglnn_mg
that there was really no bona fide plot to ,mur(ler, or mJure
Vvray,• but the whole affair was a conspiracy to ruin Fernandes
and secure his reitlo'i-al from KaJhapur. Brewin suspected that
the butler Philip was the pl'imt- moHt' in, dif 'co~spiracy ·He
was removed from the })O:St he held as store-l..Pepet , ,
Dissenting from' this' report, Wray s'aw Edg<-rly with ,his ,er'
s,on of the ca'se Shahu Chh:urapati who was ,,v.ttchmg: hi~
. .
movement riu:led' adroitly' and met tt-ie Cov~mOI' 'in' Bombay
'
on J:mtJ:.ity lt 1900 During the tliscuss1on: the Go\ernor
prornbcd the Chhatrapah that Wray would le:w~ KoJhapar ,u
72 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

he was going home on furlough on March 9, 1900 and that he

would not return to Kolhapur. Despite this defeat, Wray did
not work in a smooth manner. In February 1900, when the
Maharaja went to Bombay, Wray d~tained the guard enroute
to Bombay on the occasion of his farewell visit to Lord Sand-
hurst. Shah~· then had a very unpleasant discussion with Wray
on the matters of procedure.
And yet .this man proceeded on leave from March 1900 and
during bis joum.ey he had the cheek to write a letter to the
Chhatrapati, perhaps in a repentant mood,. hoping to return
soon to Kolhapµr to rid,e and shihar with him. He hoped to
cement, he added, his friendship with Shahu and thanked him
for his kindness and small courtesies.
With the departure of Wray, the British Political Agent, who
regarded· himself as Paramount Power, ended the terror and
tyranny that. had been hovering over Kolhapur for three gene-
rations. Shahu Chhatrapati's shrewdness, courage and adroit-
ness· proved a· match for Wray's machinations.
Wray returned to India only• to be transferred to Sawantwadi
from November 22, 1900. Later ,the report of the Poison Case
was printed in the· Times of India .Press for which a bill of
Rs. 890 was submitted· to the Government of Bombay. Some
time later Wray went on his knees to Shahu Chhatrapati pray-
ing that his Government should count· one year's service to•
wards his pension.
It may be noted here that during the Poison Case several
European friends of Shahu stood by him and Col. Harold also·
was very helpful. •But the Brahmins of Kolhapur took their
stand against the Chhatrapati. 1 • •

~- .C. Ferri.a~des later claimed damages from the Kolhapur

Darbar in ,the Bombay High. Court for his arrest in the Poison
Case. He even sent an appeal to the Government of India.
But he was given full_ compensation by· way of employment
in the _State._ In place of Wray, A. M. T. Jackson, a civilian
and onentabst, was appointed ,to act as Political Agent. He
worked there till the middle ~£ June 1900, and Col. c. w. H.
Sealy followed him in the post.
 • A MODEL RUU:R '' 73
IV
While Shahu was much worried O\er the Poison Case,
trouble for him arose from another direction The }Outh of
Shivaj1 Club now went into action. TI1e Shivaj1 Club was
founded in 1893 by Hanum,:mtrao Kulkarni, alias MurJd
Bha\'ihr at Kolhapur. 111e club was an ama.lgamation of the
Bal Anti Cow Killing Soaety established by Hanumantrao and
Balmitra Sama1 founded by Dattoba Lek who was a teacher at
Raj;uam High School Hanum:mtrao was himself initiated
mto the terronst movement by Bh1de Guruj1 and one Baburao
N1tsure who were members of the Chapekar Club in Poona
The members of the Shivaji Club were )OUng men, mostJy
educated. They were trained in dtmdpatta, which included
sword and dagger exercises on the bank of the P.1nchaga.nga.
At their weekly meetings they spread nationalist ideas and
wore certain types of belts at Drill and in processions. Some
of them in 1895 1 had collected .arm.s and were convicted for
doing so. 1 Kulkarni used to supply Tilak with the information
about their activities These leaders were concerned with the
re,olt that took place at Bhir in Aurangab.ad District on April
14, 1899. They were called then the leaders o{ the Belapur
Swami Math which was led by Bhausaheb Lima.ye who styled
himself Raja and bore many aliases The leaden: of the Shha1i
Club had financed the Bhir revolt but tt failed after a 5mall
skirmish Its leader Lima}e wa<; called Baba, Aimaheb Ram-
chandra, Raosaheb and had declared that he would liberate
the Marathas and all other Hmdus from their wretched condi-
tion. He believed rhat the people would be happy after the
re-eitabhshment of Brahmin rule!
T1Jak may have been aware of these happenmgs as two of
bis lieutenants were in the thick of the event: but released as
he was from his sixteen months' imprisonment on &ptember 6,
1890, tt would be stretchmg the imaginatton to say that he was
the promoter of thu revolt. Some fanatics I stretched and
strained the thread of the revolt evf'n to Shahu Chhatrapati
Bue fach and not fictions are important in history. After some
of the members of the Shh•.1j1 Club h:id been imprisoned m
1895 for collecting arras, Shahu Chhatrapati, who was at one
7_4 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

time favourably inclined towards its Shivaji celebrations, be-

came less interested and withdrew his support as said before.
During the plague of 1899, some of these young men com-
mitted house-breaking in Kolhapur. In the beginning of
January 1900, some members of the Shivaji Club were arrested
for thefts. In the trial, Damu Sonar, Muni Karandikar and
Rama Kulkarni were -convicted in 1.900 while one Arrant Bhag-
wat absconded. Damu Sonar and Warnan Apte made full con-
fessions in the trial; Darnu Joshi and Datto Prasad were ac-
<}Uittcd.
Thereafter, owing to constant watch on the Shivaji Club, it
,vas closed down, and later in 1903 it was ·revived at Bclapur in
Ahmednagar District.·• The British Government reported 10 that
it suspected neither the loyalty of the Maharaja nor that of
l3apusaheb Ghatge; Bapusaheb's name was not in the list pre-
pared by the Police_: ·The· Chhatr~pati, 'however, had under
the British. Government's instructions to issue ·a general order
prohibiting his State official~ and their relatives from joining
the activities of the Shivaji Club. .
• 'Notwithsta~ding th<;se troubles, difficulties and suspicions
~hid~ the Chhatrapc!,ti. had to sunp~unt, Queen Victori~ con'-
ferr~d ~pon.him ·on May 24, 1900, on the ocdsion of her-birth:
~ay, the titl~ of "Maharaja" as ~n hereditary_ distinction for his
i~at work as a ruie~. Offici~lly he becam~ a Maharaja. _Gradu-
-ally he w'as gainh1g P\"~~~r and _prestige which his P!edecessors
had lost during several previous· generations. • • •
1:1c Chhatrapati'. ~bly ·pull~d-. his State th;ough' plague and
fammc. He stayed at Panhala so that the people from the dif-
ferent villages could come directly to him and speak to him of
their difficulties. His stay there was convenient to the district
office~s. who were moving 'in the adjoining areas of scarcity.
Du'ring the terrible ·famine ·days; Shahu opened cheap grain-
'.shops and established poor-houses. To. increase employment
be starte~ works ·at places where water supply was good. He
also sanct10_11ed the grant of tagai to farmers in times of plague,
and in times of cholera the villages were kept dean. Drinking
water was preserved from contamination and medicines were
distributed freely. •All- pilgrimages were banned.· Reports·of
 \ MODIJ, I\ l'J.FJt 'J !,
pl:>~ue rak't were rt'w.m!ed, obJ{'n·;i:rion amp, W<.'re op(ne<I and
food wn supplinl 10 1he poor- and \\e:ik. ,
TI1e diure,.s or famine was thn, not felt too mud, in
Knlh:1pur. Ilut Sh:;ihu wa1 worried ahout people not :ippcarin~
for pl.tgm! r~ts for which «ntrcs b.:id been opcn<d at Shirof,
R:iih:ig :md on the Konl:m ,ide. The dkct of famine fo 01her
part 1. Shahn bb~r-. td 1n a lcu~r to a friend, had greatly affect•
t11 pric('s and he could not uy 10 what h"ight they might rise.
Thi: nev.· Pohtical A~nt, A. M. T. Jad.son, wa1 ple;mxf with
du.· h:ml and ccasdcu worl. rhC' Chhatr.,p:id rlid towards .ameJi,
<Oration of the dltl.dful conditions in the State. In April )!)00,
la· s:ud: "\'ou mmt allow me to congi-atubte )OU on the per-
!mml :utenifon you ha,(' gfrcn 10 thie adminiuration er famine
~lie[ in ,our Star(' and on the $Uc-«5S th:it hJJ so far :irtendcd
,our efforts."
Shahu Chh:itr.ip;ui "'•U no" a happr ruler h:n·ing two sons,
the seconcl !!On Shh-aji being born on April 15, 1809 and a
d:aughter The births or these two sons had gladdened the
he.:irt1 o( hi.t .mbj«t.s and tonHituted ~ient.1 of t;r!!:.tt rcjoidng
in the chcqucrc<l career of the ruling £.amil), During the pre•
, ious twcnt) fh e )cars, three boys had been adopted as there
v.';l! no direct heir born into the Royal family. The craddle
song sung :H the time of Rajaram•s naming cercmon} had be-
come \ f'ry populu rn Kolb.:ipur,
A contemporary 1oumal, de~ibirig Shahu Chhatrapati's
person:il1t}, happiness and power, ob~t'\cd: "'A tall, robust
looking, }OUng man, Shahu Chhatrapati seems to be endowed
wi1h a 1-cry fine phy,iquc. A certain amount of m}'Jless whkh
he c.:i.n ne,cr completely sh:1ke off in the prcscni::e of strangers,
pcth:i.ps st:mds in the way of a correct cst,m:i.te of his quaht1es
:1.t first sight." And depicting him as a simple, high-minded,
watm•he:ured personality, it rtmarJ.cd that Shahu's regard for
the fedingt or othen h:id won him the respect of all who nme
into contact with hun.
The journal appreciated warmly the fact thac the Chhatra-
p:1.ti .ind hls brolhtr D:ipus.1hcb '"tre devoted to each other. It
:1.<lded, "A liher:il master may alwa}s count upon sen-ants who
arc attached to him; but in the caw of Sh:ihu Chh::itrap,1ti, it is
not merely his JibcraJicy; it rs the persona! .interest which he
75· SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

takes in the concerns of those who are arouJld him which ex-
plains the great warmth of affection with which the Maharaja
of Kolhapur is regarded by his servants."
And indeed the great interest Shahu createc1 in others for his
rule was the result of_ the human touch and warmth with which
he conducted his work. Not only by giving amenities to the
indigent . Brahmins, non-Brahmins, and poor widows or help
to the students ·irrespective of caste and creed, but by being
the real protector and .benefactor of his people.
Thus Shahu Chhatrapati became a very popular ruler. By
his charming personality, the expression of his gratitude, by the
simplicity of his private.life and his,domestic happiness, and
above all by his abiding interest in the promotion of the wel-
fare of the common man and his· control over the administra-
tion, he earned the gratitude of his subjects and became a
model prince. All these achievements reflected great credit on
his inborn insight and no less on the sagacity inculcated by his
Guru, Fraser; ·,
 C JI .,f P TL' ll 6
The Social Conflict

Wn11 d1r end or 'th<' Po1vin Ca1(:', the llnti,h lmr-r1utr.1u

sullrd in d1t1r tl:';m for :ii wltilc. The 1upptC11io11 or die
Sh1,;ip Club :angi:rcd the l\r,1.hmin }tmth :i.mt !he Rr.ilumm :l\
:i. rn111muni1, 'IH'rt' dnutufi"<I with lht' r~ruit1nrnt or non.
nnhmm 1oio lhe :admm1~r.11ion in Kolh::apur Th('
,0111!1
tht) 1hou~h1, the O;icJ..'\\:ml Cb\',('S ~qu.al righu
l«Jllrr: g:IH',
"ith tht- fiulunin1 ;nd "';11 oustiti;.: tht'm from job~.
Ptuk,.\<1r \'ijJpurln'• Sdmarth, "hich ,,:u :a rnouthpiccc or
1he Jlrahmim. crMching 1he r«ruiting poliq of th<' Chlmra.
Jllt1, s;iitl: •·,\trt'Jtl} 1hr O.irL;sr h:u cnc<l t'uough in 1his d1rcc•
1fon. Ttit'lt' h dttp dJJpJ~mre and scnou.t disquic-titllde
aml'lng R:1j;1r.tm1ll\ gr:adu:itc, in thit rn:mcr." The Samarth
li:id no objctt1on ro the R.1j.u,1mi:ans hole.ling po3u: throu;liout
1he Prci1denC) :md C\Cn outlidc. Formerly the poorcn Br.:ihmin
11:ad :a st;atus :and tfie b:nk.w:ard d:m. men '11.ert: :alwa}s ~low Mm
Tht' new de:il wu :a d1Jllenge to his pm~cr :md monopoly.
Just illl this ti~ Ttb\. atid his f raends tri,ed through their
friend H. N. Joihi, 01ic{ Judge 0£ Kolhlput·, .;1nd Dr. Dhondo-
p.int l\orker, l'cno11al Jlh)'lkfan of th-e M:ih:m1ja, to pcrsu:i.<le
the Chh:itrapati to bu) 1he businesi o( the rooria Sill Manu-
bCluring C.Omp:anr which wa\ then perishing Ilut Sabnis dis·
su:idcd him from doing so. Then they to!d the Maharaja that
SJbnh \'las a scl£-~krr :m<l a traitor to the M:i.haraja. 1 Shahu
dem::imlcd cl-idcnce to prO\e their allc-g;itions and the ptoaf
was nc,er forthcoming. He therefore p:iid no heed to their
~Jlcg:uions and hupartunilits. On top of thb, S:ibnii w:u
,-,f...,J to the Dc,v3nship of Rolh:ipur despite thtir bitter oppo.
ro him an.d the :iJJeg:it.fon, .ag;:iinst hun.
i
CHAPTER 6
The Social Conflict

WITH the end of •the Pmson Case', the British bureaucrats

sullcd m their .seats for a while The suppression of the
Sh1vaJ1 Cluh angered the Drahmin }OUth and the Brahmins as
a community \\ere dissatisfied with the recruitment of non-
Dr.:thmin )outh into the administration in Kolhapur. The
sceptre g:ne, they thought, the Badward Classes equal rights
with the D1ahmins and was ousting them from jobs.
Professor V1japurlar's Samarth, which was a mouthpiece of
the .Brahmins, a1tmsing the recruiting policy of the Chhatr-a-
pall, said: "Already the Darbar has erred enough m this direc-
tion. There is deep displeasure and serious dlSquietitude
among Ra;aramlan graduates in thu matter." TI1e Samarll,
had no obJt::ction to the Rajaram1ans holding posts throughout
the Presidency and Clen outside Formerly the poorest Brahmin
had a status. and the back.ward class men wer-e alwap below him
The new deal was a challenge to his power and monopol),
Just at this time TiJak and his foends tried through their
friend B. N. Jami, Chief Judge 0£ Kolhapur, and Dr. Dhondo-
pant Dorl.er, Personal Phpician of the Maharap, to persuade
the Chhatrapau to buy the business of the Poona Sill. Manu-
factunng Company which was then penshing But Sabms dis-
suaded him from doing so. Then they rold the l'lfaharaja that
Sabrus ""as a se!f-seel.cr and a traitor to the Maharaja. 1 Shahu
demanded evidence to prme their alJeg;it1011s and the proof
was ne\Cr forthcommg. He therefore paid no heed to their
allegations and 1mponunit1es. On top of this. Sabms v,,1s
rafaed to the Dcwanslup of Kolhapur despite thctr bitter oppo-
sition to him and the allegations against him.
1'1
78 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTlONARY

Having failed in their attempt to dislodge Sabnis from his:

position, the Brahmins resorted to their usual weapon of pers~-
cution and tried to lower his social status. They refused Sabms.
and the members of his family admission to the sacred shrine
at Narsobawadi which is a place of pilgrimage in the Kolhapur
State.' Stubbornly Sabnis remained unmoved. Neither did he
yield an inch to social pressures.
But instead of Sabnis, the Chhatrapati himself soon became-
a target of Brahmin attack. The young Chhatrapati was a
strict observer of religious rites in several matters. He per-
formed his daily worship with regularity, especially of the·
S~aivic symbol which he had got tattooed on his left hand: This,
he continued to do till about the end of his life. It was also·
his practice to visit the holy plac~s in the neighbourhood of
Kolhapur and take a sacred bath on the stipulated days in the·
river Panchaganga.
One morning, in the yea_r 1899, the young Maharaja went to·
the river to take such a sacred bath in the month of Kartik
(usually October). His brother Bapusaheb Ghatge, Mamasaheb-
Khanolkar! R)ajaramshastri Bhagwat and others accompanied
him. to the river. A Brahmin priest used to attend the rny'.11
party to chant mantras and to bless them. It was observed on
such occasions that the priest usually came without having ·a
bath arid recited the holy hymns. It is ~ Hindu belief that the
priest should bathe before he begins his work. When on this
occasion the priest began to· chant religious hymns, Rajaram-
shastri, who was pundit, historian and linguist, asked the Maha-
raja why his priest was reciting Puranic hymns and not Vedic
hymns at the performance of the rites. • · ,. . .' ·
When the young Maharaja asked the priest to. explain the
~atter, he promptly replied _that it was not necessary for him
either to take a bath beforehand or to recite Vedic hymns as the
persons to. be bl~ssed were Shudras. Only Vedic recitals and
not Puramc recitals, he added indifferently, needed a. bath
beforehand on his part. ,·. · , ,
.Sue~ an insulting reply the Chhatrapati never expected from
his priest-servant. The insolent priest called the Chhatrapati
a Shudra; behaved with him rudely and stigmatised -his pre·
decessors as low-caste. •As was his wont, Shahu argued , with
 TUE SOCIAL CO/'.fUCT 79.
the priest calmly but sternJ,-. When Sha.hu and his brother
told the priest that they were Ksh:i.trips of noble blood, the
priest replied to his ruler and master that so long as the pm\er-
£ul Ilrahmm community did not accept his Kshatri)a status,
he would not consider him better than a Shudra.. '111e ruler
sarcastically replied that although in the priest's opinion he was
a Shudra, he tegarded the act of performing religious rites
without tal::Jng- a bath a$ unbecoming on the part of -l Drahmin.
No doubt the Chhatr:tpau was astounded at the disrespectful,
irrc, erent and dupa.raging attltude on the part of his sen•ant
pnest \\ho was k.nm~n to be dirty, immoral olnd impious. Shahu
left the matter at that stage as he was cautious about taLmg
any hasty steps m such &1.tuations. Yet, malice has it that the
poor aeatute \\as beaten up It was customary with the non-
llrahmins m those da)S not to mind such dirty. immoral and
drunk.en priests performing rehgtous rites m their houses m
order to prop1l1ate the gods and please then:- ancestors in hea\en;
for a JJr.:.ihmin of any descnptwn, v1le or nrwous, w:u regarded
as an earthly god.
A Bra.hmm was the god of gods in heaH:n, the emancipator
of God and Man. Ramdas, a Bra.hmm samt-poet, smgs the
glory of Brahmms rn hu Dasbodh as follows:
A Bra.hmm ts a preceptor to all although he may Le inactne
One should surrender to him with undmded de\ ot1on,
A Ilralumn is the Vedas persomfied,
A Ilrahmtn 1s himself God
One'-s. desires are fulfilled,
By the word of a Brahmm.
What of poor people, c,en gods bow before a Ilrahmin.,
Although a dunce, he is adorned by the world. ,
AbO\'e all the Ilrahmms took a pnde in smgmg the glory of
their caste:
Howe\er fallen a Brahmin is,
His gre,amf'ss 15 unsurpassed in the unnerse.~
This was not the first occas10n in history th.at Brahmms tne~
to fo\\er rhe soaal sratus of the K5hatrqas who da~h,d 1-uth
them On such occasions they declined to perform the thread
82 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A:,ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

nounced .. Pratapsinh stood sword in hand to control the crowd

and avoid any possible clash. The Brahmins were backed by
the Patwardhans of Sangali. In the debate the Brahmins were
defeated. The .existence of the Kshatriya was proved and ac-
cepted. It was confirmed that the Bhosle, Ahirrao, Ghatge,
Palkar, Khanvilkar, Jadhav, Shirke, Mohite, Gujar, Mane and
Mahadik families were Kshatriyas and had right to the Vcdokta
ceremonies. Accordingly Pratapsinh's coronation in 1837 was
performed in Vedokt.i: forms.
About sixty-five years after this incident, the Vedokta contro-
versy again cropped. up in Baroda in 1896. At the palace of
Sayajirao Gaikwad. in Baroda, all rites were performed in the
Pu,ranic forms. After .his tou~ -of. Europe the Maharaja of
Baroda. had to undergo an expiation as he had crossed the
seas. But all was not : qui<;t in Baroda. The lieutenants of
Mahatma Jotirao Phooley were agitating against social Toris~,
the caste system, and its, i;igi4 ~ustoms. The Barod<; .Vatsal
conducted by Damodarpant Yaride was propounding the princi-
ples of Satya-Shodhak Samaj._ Jotirao. Phooley, who hacl strug-
gled to abolish priesthood based on birth, had interviewed ,the
Ma.haraja in 1884 at Baroda and ,discussed with him the princi-
ples of Satya-Shodhak Samaj. .The. result was that his lieuten-
ants Awate and Dhamnaskar started 1 a class to train Maratha
priests.
At this time a Brahmin called Shivadatta Joshi from Jodhpur
visited the Maharaja and asked why he did not· get religious.
rites performed in .Vedic forms when this was done .:at .the
Royal.:Houses in Rajputana. The.·Maharaja of Baroda sent
historian Sardesai to Udaipur. and Jodhpur to collect docu-
ments and information regarding the rites performed at their
Royal Houses. After ,taking into 'consideration the evidences
based on, documents and history,:,the Maharaja .ordered Raja-
:amshastri, his royal ,priest, to· perform ,all rituals at his palace
m Vcdokta forms from October.; .15, I 896.7 The priest flatly
refus~d to do so. So with the help of his Gujarati priest,
Pandit Rewashankar. Sha5tri, Pandit Bholanth Shastri, and
Pandi~ _Shivadatta Joshi, the, Maharaja performed, in spite of
oppos1~1_on fro°:,the orthodox, .the Vedokta ceremony. :.
SayaJ1rao Ga1kwad also ·persuaded the Marathas. to. perform.
 THE SOCIAL CONFLICT 85
all ntes in Vedolta forms. Tilal.. had b<:en attacl..ing the re·
formers and enlightened leaders of the time and had opposed
tooth and nail the Age of Consent nm. True to his Bralunanic
traditwn, be opposed this refonn and cntkised the lfabaraja.
of Oaroda for introduang 11. Soon the Maharaja of Ilaroda
started Pathasbalas to train purohits (priests) from the Ilrahmut:
class so that trained pnesu might be available to officiate at al(
religious ceremonies. nut th,s ~form also was crit,ciSed by
T1lak's Kesan,• the stronghold of social no-changen. lt was
T1lak's contention that all religious and social reforms should
spnng from the con.sent and willing hearts of the people:. Sati
and nwal child murder, it is sad co note, l\uuld not b-i,-e been
abolished had men hl.e T1lak been the leaders of the Indian
society at that time .

Ill

Whtie the Vcdokta affair m Baroda was being cnt1ciscd by

the Brahmim m Kolhapur as well as in other parts of Maha-
rashtra, the Kolhapur Dnhmins 1tbo ttere diisam!icd with
Shahu's policy of recruiting non-Brahmms m the administra•
twn. seized the opportun1ty offered by the incident at Pan•
chaganga to criuare the MaharaJa se\erely ·nm brought up tI1e
quest,on ol Vtdokta in Ko1hapur. The Chhatr.zpati h1msc1l
had been watching the :utuation paticntlr. Just at that moment
m August 1900 ProfeSM1r Vishnu Govmd ViJapurL.ir ga,e ,cnt
to the feelmgs of the Brahmins in his month!)' Grantltamala by
referring to the \'edolt.a dJ.Spute that bad b«n bre¾ing for the
pre,1ous one }tat.
In an article entitled "the. c;n1c S)stem and the ruine<l glory
of tbe Marathas", V1ppurl..ar 5.;ud: "Sodet}' is not M.e a bbo•
ratory where a dcsm;:<l combination c,m Le obt;;uned h) mix•
ing t"'o different cl1em1c2ls.' The contrmcnr O\Cr the \'cdoLra
and Pur.anol..ta is of no ;:nail. \Vhy would th~e oc so muc.h
ado about it, ln tl1e past \'cdol.ta <crcmonics \\ere p<rformc-J
m our lo""· ~\ccordmg lo men of the older gcncn.uon.s, the-
\'nlol.ta form was abandoned. D11ri11,t; the n::ign oC l!.1ba~hd.>
Afahuaj insiead of Ga}atri mantra, sirniI.r ad\icc,in a,iuJlup.,
,e~t was begun. There i, a kg:crul th.it the pnc~ ~ho per·
:34 SHAHU CHHATIUPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

formed the coronation ceremony of Shivaji, the 'maker of 'an

era, describing him as an ornament of Kshatriyas, met his death
by falling into a privy. Whatever may be the root, Goel only
knows it. Originally it might be a genuine Kshatriya family
but God might have disliked the result of its association, and
connections by marriage."
In a sarcastic tone Vijapurkar further said that the Brahmins
:should not object to a Tanaji's reading of the Vedas or to his
. performing of yajna ,at his house when Europe had innumer-
:able saints. Advising the priests to give up their offices and
estates conferr~d upon them by the State and to regard, ,their
:viewpoint as indisput.able. rather than to give up their customs
•and tradition, Vijapurkar. thundered against the Maharaj a:
"Nobody would call him a wise king who expresses his desire
to deprive some of his subjects of their long-held hereditary
rights because they do not act up to his advice".
"When the holders of these rights felt helpless," Vijapurkar
proceeded; ·"under a despotic ruler· they should give up their
offices and earn their living by resorting to other means. 'If the
·ruler, inspired by good intentions, took decisions in consulta-
tion with wise and well intentioned men, his own mind would
not tonnent him." "It is important," he observed, "to foment
divisions in ' society •by ·connecting these reforms· with. the
national ·progress: The 'same· thirig can be said ·in two ways. It
is our belief that when it is said in a mild tone it has an effect.
Our people have forgotten· the advice of the· poet Bhavabhuti
who says that one's speech should be ahvays· truthful and· sweet.
As things are, everybody uses harsh words like ·a demon and
creates divisions in society." Vijapurkar concluded: •~The>caste
system is not responsible for our downfall but -want of truthful
and sweet speech is."~
The disd;iinful manner in which the learned· professor. refer-
red to Gaga Bhatta, Shivaji and the family· of the.Chhatrapati
-shows how Vijapu_rkar himself used h'arsh and. despicable' words
:and stoked the flames of hatred that were burning fo·. the hearts
.of the Kolhapur·Brahmins: Moreover, did he not bite, the hand
that fed him?• Surely an ungrateful act on his part! • .
In the month of Karlik i.e. November 1900, the non-Brahmins
set at naught the restrictions put by. the · Brahmin-ridden
 •: , t • I THE SOCL\L. COll.FLJCf , 1 I, , , 85,
Kolhapur Municipahty on the use of a Ghat, part of which
was pn:sened for the Brahmins, and had the sacred bath in
the Panchaganga. Needless to say the Kolhapur l\Junic1pahty in
those da} s was a prcsen-c of the Brahmins. , , ..
This incident no doubt added to the smouldering feelings
over the Vcdolta affair. The Samartl1J the polmcal mouthpiece
of VijapurLar, lodged a protest against the, "rcprchens1ble" 1 be-
hai.iolll' of the non-Brahmms. faery social J insult has its
a\enger. The non-Brahmins, \\-ho ,.,.ere aspiring for social
equality, now began to disregard the,Ilrahmins' speoaJ social
pnv1kges based, on religious i tradition which di~riminated
against them. , ! 1 , • ,
The SamarJh, V1Japur1.ar's political ·wice, ,ehemently
launched an attacl.. on the Maharap ,~hile hIS Grantbamala, the
other yoicc,, cnucised bun sl}ly and sp1tefuUr. , The Maharaja,
therd6rc, earl} in June 1!)01, stopped the aid he had been gh•ing
him for the preY1ous se\en }ears. At ,a sp::cial mten1ew 10,
"-htch the Mahar:aJa gave to V1ppurbr on June 25, 1901, the
0

latter, pleaded \v1th the' ruler to change his mind. But the
explanations he offered and his pleadings had had no effect up,
on Shahu. V1japurLar had to pay a high price for his sp1teful
and disdainful remarks about the d)nasty of Shivaj1 and Gaga
Bhatta VippurLar, therefore, free as he was now to organise.
oppmit1on to the Chhatrapati in the Vedokta dispute, vigorous-
ly started propaganda against the Maharaja. It was Shalm's
belief that V1ppurkar was one of the men responsible for wor•
senmg the s1tuat10n m Kolhapur. r '

IV , T
,,
l , l ,

At thu critical time T1lal, the outstanding poht1cal• leader of

Maharashtra, 1dol1zed and deified by Brahm1m for his defiant
attl tude to\\ ards llrit1sh raj. felt the need of \ is1ting Kol ha pur
in the month of August 1901. He ,~as a trustee along wuh G
s Khaparde and others, appomted by Vasudeo Hanhar Pandit
alias Baba Maharaj, a descendant of the Ro}al preceptor of the
l\Iaharaja of Koih:ipur. A first class sardar in the Deccan Baba:
1\.faharaJ held Inam villages both in British and in Kolhap,ur ter·
ntones. Jt. 1s said that he commuted suicide on August 7, 1S97,
86'; SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

as he was likely to be involved in the Rand Murder Case. 11 So

he was declared to have died of• cholera and was cremated in
hot haste.
Raosaheb Kirtikar, Huzur Chitnis to His Highness of
Kolhapur, too, was a trustee but :he refused to act. According
to the Will of Baba, Maharaj, the trustees gave a boy in adop-
tion to Tai Maharaj at Aurangabad on June 27, 1901. Jagan-
nath Maharaj, the adoptee, a boy of six, was a lineal descendant
of the brother- ·of Shri Siddheshwar Maharaj, the original· Royal
preceptor and he was taken in adoption with the approval 0£
:Saba Maharaja's wife Sakwarbai alias Tai Maharaj. She came
of an ordinary family in Poona and was pregnant at the time
of her husband's death. • On January 1.8, 1898, she gave -birth
to a son, but he died in March· 1898. •
Determined to flout the trustees and ·discard the Aurangabad
adoption of Jagannath Maharaj, Tai Maharaj, who was,.hardly,
twenty, decided to take in adoption Bala Maharaj, a young man
who came of the Kolhapur branch of the. family of Siddheshwar
Maharaj. Tilak \vas not in favour of. the boys from ,the Kolha,
pur branch of the family as according to him some of them had
gained notoriety. Also he had told Baba Maharaj not to tie
down the hands of the trustees by asking them to take ·a pay
in adoption from that family alone and thus limit their choice:
According to the condition governing the Jahagir, the··s·anction
of the Chhatrapati for the adoption of the boy was necessary.
For no guru could be foisted on the Royal famµy, nor could a
guru adopt a boy without the Chhafrapati's sanction.
As trustee, Tilak had formally written to the Dewan on
June :8, l!J0I, about the trustee's intention of giving a son in
adoption shortly. They therefore required the Maharaja's
sanction for which, Tilak added, Kumbhojkar was authorised
to apply and to carry out the necessary formalities. It seems
that Kumbhojkar failed to do so; for Shahu later said that
"Tilak never applied to the Darbar for sanctioning the
adoption."!:!
Ou Jul'.· ~O. 1901, Tai Maharaj applied to Shahu Chhatrapati
for ~nmss1on to adopt Bala Maharaj and the· Darbar gave
sanction. b_Y telegram on that very day. Bala Maharaj on his part,
before giving consent to-the adoption, consulted the Chhatrapati
 TIIE SOCIAL CONFLlCT 1 ,, 1 i ,
81
and the Political AgcnL ''If it is the Go,crnmcnt's \'tish,'' he
pfamlr l.'..lzd, "dien I am wilJfog to be adopted, not otlicrwuc."J'
Shahu promh.cd his spnpathy and rcaJy help and the Govern-
ment f:nt:0-Ur.lgru the )Oung man tc, bd 1 .1dopted. • The: next
morning T1lak. sent ;a telegram to the 'Dewan requesting him
to postpone pcnnusion to Taj Maharaj for adoption ,liJJ he
rccehcd lus detailed lcllcr as trustcer In the e\ening the
Dewan informed bun 1ckgraphicaJJy tJ1at• the s.;inctfon ba<l ;iJ.
ready ~n gr.mtcd and the concipotidente was sent to A~on,
the ~\gent lo 1}1c Sanfar of d!e 'Dcccin and Distnct Judge o{
l,oona l11inling rashly tha( it 1 was a nice opportunity to
humilfatc 1ifal. m th.is aff.1iT 'of .1' widow and to rerno,e 'd1-e
enemy of the Government from the field by l~"'ering hill'l in
the CJCS of the publ,~ '\ston tool. .mi ummzal' intereu in rh;
~ , t t" \

matter.
Tilal. rightl}' replied 'by tciegram Lad. on tM nig1it' of July
'
II, saying Ithat the trmteesq could not s.a.nction Bala Matiarap'st
.
l I I lo , •

adoption .-\not1,er boy, he added m his lcfogram, Jwd already

been adopted aml' any otb'~r adoption' would now be invalid
in law. So' he again pra}ed' for• rec'onsid~rat1on o! 'die' fiu.:if
order the Darbar had ghen to Tai Maharaj.' !' ., ':_
In his detailed letter of Julv' Jl, 1901. Ttlak stated thai
giving and acceptanc~ of a' son by Tai l\Iahar.ij had been com•
pleted by a registered deed at Aurangabad with the trustee5,'
consent and that Tai Maharaj had rno' power to adopt another
bo) In the end he pleaded for a calm hearing being granted
to the legallr appointed ttust.ees whose consent was- absolutely
neccss.iry On July 12•Tilak wroteirtqudtlng the' Maharap
to reconsider the q ue:.tion t a11d postpone- 1 the rorden, 1£ gh en,
their cxecutton might be put ofI uU His Highness heard the
, other side. Any other course by 'the Darbar, •T1IaL concluded,
1
11a as hl..cly to encourage unnc(e~sary and, wasteful' Ii tigatlbn
brtngmg rum upon the trust's estare' wbich the tru~tees bdu:icd
it must be the: chief object 0£ the Darbar to preserve •
Tilak l\rot~ to Dewan Sahnis again on July J 4, that, under
the influence of interested groups, 'ta1' l\iaharaJ was acting 111
defiance of the adVJCe of the duly constituted trustees It was,
he wntinucd,• a' matter of simple justice and, fairness !that the
Darbar should not even unwillmgly,encourage such efforts, and
88: SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:• A, ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

he confidently believed that His Highness would never:, be

pleased to sanction directly··or.dndirectly anything of the kind.
On July 15 the Maharaja,: in his endorsement. on the letter
of Tilak, asked the Dewan to state his opinion. The Dewan
remarked on .. Juiy 20 that as the matter involved a law point
requiring careful consideration, -it should be -considered in .full
Council. The Maharaja .ordered that the matter should• be
considered .in full .Council and, the opinion of the members be
submitted for. his information .. , .
As :directed .by hef evil advisers, Europeans and Indians, in-
cluding one of the: trustees,. B: N. :Nagpurkar, wµo on his o~n
part· had soug):i~ ,t;h.e adoptiqn of his:son, Tai Maharaj decid.ed
to ,take in .adf?ption Bala Maharaj, the brother, o~ Pa,l'.lq_it
Maharaj, in I;>oona, qn July l3, 1901,~ in spi~e1
of the ,opposition
of Tilak and' other tr~stees. A number of Kolhapur guests J;iad
come to :Poona to attend the adoption, ceremony, but Tilak,
who had. secur~d, an injunctior. to restrain her from adoptiq.g
Bala.Maharaj, drove· out her ;K.olpapu.r guests, bag and baggage
• • )' \' ' ,, ' J

from the place. H~, thus frustr~_~e~1, her plans., She tamely
~ave up her idea of the proposed adoption and, wrote on July
22 to the Maharaja that s~e had s_topped the ad~ption as it
• would give rise to a great displ!te. When she decided .~gai,n to
take someone in adoption, she added, she ,•muld. iet •hirri kl?.,t~w.
On. the same d~y, the ,trustees· also ,vrqte to the fyfah;raja that
they should be allowed to drop the ~atter. , 1
. Tai Maharaj, however, having been, backed up J;,y the
Maharaja and As~on, filed an application for the revocati.on of
the probate granted to the trustees.: Under these circumstances,
Tilak visited Kolhapur. on.August .15, 190,1 .. The next day he
was presented with an address at the meeting held in the
Sarvajanik Library under the • presidentship of Rashingkar, ,
All the .Brahmin dignitaries and other men of importance at-
tended the function. At the Shivaji Theatre,e'J'ilak addressed
a mc~ting on A~gust 16. In the course of his speech, he said
that 1t was their duty to keep. up• the spirit of nationalism.
~reat men who <;hanged the course of history did not rise often.
In about a penod of two centuries," he added, "such a man
rises and his memory keeps up the spirit of natio~alism for a
century or two." The state in which they lived was a living
 •THE SO~AL CONFUCf 89
memorial to the most worshipped Shl\aji. One of, the notable
events that had happened during the pre,ious t\\enty years, was
the happiness e:xper1enred by the people ol the State because of
SwaraJ· Under e\ery Kingdom or Gmernment there "'ere al-
wa)s some sort of grieunces. TI1at they also h;i.d been benefit~
ed from what was called modern educauon was a thing that
gladdened one's heart. To earn one's 1i,ehhooo was not the
end of life
Tilal then turned to the main business for which he had
come to XoJhapur. 1 He SDlJgbt an inuniew )flJt}i the M:iharaja
and ga\.e him a full and patient hearing on August 18. T1lak
made a final' appeal to the Maharaj a m the matter of the adop-
tfon of Jagaonath Maharaj. AdmmedJJ, S11ahu did riot com-
mit himself to any view, nor did he tell Ttlak that the adoption
was,going to tale place the next day. T1lak was thankful to
h1m1 for the interview, but the next dar, before leaving
Kolhapur, he learnt'( that Tai Maharaj ,1dopted late m the
afternoon on August 19 Bala MaharaJ 1 the )0unger brother,of
Guru ,Maharaj, m spite of the trustees' adHce to the contrary
and wuhout waiting tor the iinaJ reply froJU the Darhar, This
was practically, 1THal.. said, a second adopt1on .and therefor<:
invalid. in law. It was al.so illegal masmuc.h as 1t was made
,dthout lhe consent of the trus~es as provided 1n the Will of
the late Shrz Baba Ma.hara J, The Kolhapur Da.rba:r del1bcrate-
ly lept Mlent on this letter for some da)S

,v
: 'll
A. few da)5 after Tilal..'s. visit to Kolbapur, on August 29,
1001, the annual ceremony ot the renewal of sacred thread was
held. On, ibis day Nara,anshastri Bhatt, ,1 learned Ilrahmnt
servant-priest, Jperfonned the rene¼'al cerewon) at the houses
of Maratha )0ung men by, .reciting Vedic hpnns.
Some time eatlier, the fcarles.s pundit had im 1tcd the
Brahmms along \\-Uh the 1\[;i.rathas to "'11ncss the conclud111g
part of the Rig\ed rcatab. When a~lcd ,\h) he murcd du:
.\J..ir:;i1h». ~ho \\-ttc not cnt1tkd l1• bear the Vedic recitals, he
fearlessly rephcd that tht !\larathas bcmg K.sh.i.tri}as v.erc e•~·
titled to d() so Nothing. ho\'!c\'cr, "'as done about 1c ac tha
90 SHAHU CHHATRAl'ATl: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

stage: • He was perhaps let off as first offender. O~ his own

part, he thought that since they did not take exception or any
action, the Kshatriya status of the Marathas was an accepted
fact with the Brahrnins of Kolhapur. But this time the
Panchayat leaders of the Brahrnins of Kolhapur encouraged· by
Tilak's visit, now burst out with anger at the so-called breach
of conduct on the part of the priest. They excommunicated
him. And the battle was joined l
-Referring to the Vedokta dispute and this visit of Tilak to
Kolhapur, Lord· Northcote, the Governor of Bombay, wrote to
the Secretary of State for India on July 12, 1902: "The matler
was apparently passing off quietly when Mr. Bal Gangadhar
Tilak, who had gone to Kolha·pur in connection with an adop-
tion case in the family of the late Baba Maharaj which was
then before the District Judge of Poona and in connection with
which there are now charges of perjury and forgery against him,
finding the question of adoption settled in opposition to his
wishes in the matter, intervened ancl stiffened the agitators
against His Highness the Maharaja and gained advocates for
them in Poona, thus making the question a inore general and
a ·sort of trial obtained between Brahmins and Marathas;~'
In the month of. Bhadrapada, i.e: towards the end of Septem-
ber: and in early October 1901, the Royal' priest avoided visiting
the royal family at Panhala thinking- tht he might be required
to perform anniversary rites at the palace with Vcdokia hymns.
These religious rites are performed annually by the Hindus to
satisfy the souls of the deceased ancestors. So the Maharaja,
compelled as he was by circumstances, issued on October 7, a
noti~e to the Royal priest asking him.' riot to neglect his duties
and ordered him to adopt Vedic rituals at the palace. ' .
Shahu Chhatrapati now realised that the disobedience on the
part of the Royal priest would lead to a conflict with. the Brah-
mins who wer~ aiding and goading the Royal priest to fight.
Th~ Brahm1n leaders not only excommu.nicated Narayan·
shastn Bhatt but also took up the weapon of social pressure
and persecution against him. On October 13 about fourteen
Brahmins handed ov:r a memorandum to ~he Chhatrapati
throu~h the . Karbhan requesting him to prohibit Narayan-
shastri and his adherents from touching the image of the god~
 TUE SOCIAi; CONfUCf , 91
dcss Ambalui or from pcrlomtlug :my rcHgjous rues. in ihe
palace since he was an out-caste. TI1is had no effect upon the
Chh:i.trapa.Li. He allo"'cd the ,priest•sen·ant !to do hi, dut}
as usuaJ. ,. I l i
The llrahmms. therefor~ presented a memorandum m an
angry mood \\hen the Karbh:ui, and the Ropl priest \\ere. busy
engaging Brahmans to perform ccrtainl ri,tes at the tcmp1e of•
Ambab:u in connection "·ith ~he lJassar:i Fcsth.'.t,t , The Kar,
bhari asl..cd the Ro} al priest about the propriety of the step
the Brahmins had tal..en,. At tha't umc the Ro}al 'prie:it said
it was a most itrcgular and unauthorised' act on their part.
Ostensibly. the Ro,aJ priest ,uJ..cd him not to gi;e ~ny import•
1
-ancc to it ''" ' '
Thi, was a \Cf}' important religious question, and Sh:thu
Chh:'ltrapatt had to ghc serious; thought to it.' The Ilrahmins
\l. ere jropatien t .and were h .ii ting for an opportunity to I brfog
the matter LQ a 1 crisis. The next day they allowed Nar:ayan-
shastd to wol"$hip at the teiuple and then raised a hue and cry
in the Ctt)' that the goddeu was polluted. These were the
demigods on earth and their •hca\enly gods were polluted by
the worship of N:i.rapnshastrifl According to these Brahmins,
God Himself was pollu~d by the touch of a man ,~hom they
hated, bo¾eier p10us and devout be might be. Shahu's men
in charge of teligmus matters, refused to interfere m the matter.
So the Brahmins hurriedly went to Col. Sealy. the Pohtital
Agent, and complained about the intctference of the Mahara;a
m their rd1gious authon ty. The Agent advised them to Sc!nd a
written petition. \Vhcn, it was submitted,, h<: replied that he
could not mterfere in a religious matter and that the l\fabaraja
was the final aulhority on religious questions. '
And indeed 1t was the right 0£1a :ruler to decide a dupute
m religious matters. Durmg 'the time of the Muslim rulers of
Bijapur, 11 the Hindus in their Kingdom appealed lo him to
deode their religious d15pute.s. It was Shahu of Sata.Ta who
settled the dispute ans1ng out of the queuion of succession to
the g:idi of saint Ramdas. ·, ", ' : '•
Meanwhile, Shaftu's, Darbar could not' reply to Til.:.ik's leuer
of Augmt 21, as 1t was submmed to the Council for opinion
Ta.Iak and the other trustees were therefore forced to bring a
'
92' SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL :RF.VOLUTIONARY

suit on behalf of the minor, Jagannath Maharaj, for a declaration

of the factum ancl validity of his adoption and the consequent
invalidity of the adoption of Bala Maharaj. • •
Accordingly they filed a suit on September 23, 1901, in the
Court of the First Class Sub-judge of Poona. The Maharaja,
who had beeµ waiting for the development regarding the adop·
tion case and had kepr silent on Tilak's letter of August 21,
1901, ~~de· sure that' the Government was definitely' against
Tilak. • T·hcrcfore, "at the wish of the British Government,''
he gave sdnction on ,September 21, 1901 to enter in the Reven'uc
records Bala Maharaja's name for the property in Kolhapur
territory that was already entered in Tai Maharaj's name.
Two.months ,after this.,on November _25, 1901, the Dewan re•
plied toTilak that the Maharaja had decided to give the trustees
a hearing before passing any finql, order in the matter.
- Thus the friction between Tilak and Shahu began, and Tilak
openly came :out . to support the, K.olhapur Brahmins in, the '
Vedokta controversy. ,•He ':7igorously condemned the demand of
the Marathas for the _Vedokta rituals as a fad and a mania. 10
While· furiously opposing the demand, he said that Kolhapur
had caught the mania, from Baroda and the contagion of
Vedokta had spread,,to Kolhapur. The caste system. was, so
strongly rooted. in Hindu• bones that even after their conversion
to,Ghristianity,their caste ,p,ride ling_ered. ·,r,, .
Although it was desirable; Tilak observed, to create a_ m~_dlcy
of all castes by breaking_ traditional or blood-bred barriers,
everybody -would.:admit·. that this, was- not possible. for .. hund-
reds of years to· come. , Tilak then i put forward_ his favourite
argument which he always advanced while opposing Ranade
and· Telang,. namely,. those who wanted to·.effoct a: change in
social matters should do so gradually, moderately and :in. an
orderly manner. • •• , ,
As regards the coronation of Shivaji by Gaga -Bhatta • '.Til;k
said .in his first article that the ceremony was. perfor:Ued: as
ordat~ed by the S~astras, and in the second. article ·he ·opined
:h~t it "'.as done with Vedokta hymns.. But there was no proof,
.Filak said, to support the view that the religious rites at Shivaji's
palace were performed with Vedic hymns. Tradition •supported
 !)j

the , k\\" tl1ac J.C Satar.r. d1c n t<:s \.\ ere performed "ith Pur.mic
lnnuu, 11lJI,;. .:1Jdcd.
~l01co,cr, l ,l;iL. 11tm 011. Vic )f.1r.1ll1.1 [.unities of Sl1h-aji's
1111~. "Jucb ~r,e- mfrrwr 10 ShhJp'.s .BhruJc familr ill ,o1Jou,-,
ptoll.cs.t :md ;i.c.luc\cmcnts, "'etc not "·ortby ot high n.spcct.
Th:it these f.umhcs should complain and rc,olt \\as 1111ptoper
from Lhc \acwpoint of the law of umduct and ,u:lkipprmcd
cuuom1,, tht' c:utc sutem and 3mt1cc.
And 1.1r.mgclv enough T1bl.. the research scholar, supported
the lhrun 111,cnteJ ~,· the llrahmm sd1obr, or the Moghul
period d1.u d1cre ha<l been no J..'.~!1:itn)a.\ since tJ1e e.'i:tulctton of
the ~·ilnJ.i Jp1.lH), though 1t to,';l.s a bistoncal fact that thr
K~hatri}:ts ltle cl1c Gupt,u, l11e ChaJuL.)as, the P.um.m; aod the
Y.u.l.1\JS f1ouruhcJ m fater pt11oJ1.
H ·1 ,bl. .:ulu.scJ ihe non llr~.hmms to adhere to the ShastT~s.
he .,houM ba,c, in Jcfcrcncc to ~l:mu, ad,c:d the llrahmins not
to liu: in a State "luch, accortling to them, \\as rulctl by a
Shudr.a. .\cconling to the ,\fanu.smnl! no Uralunm llho Ines
lo the wo1h of the Vindhp<lri can rcma111 a Ilrahmin. So he
~hould h:nc .uLcd limn to ka,c ~uthcrn Ind,.- and go to 1~orth
India.
Tibl', tun pomt '\I.as that these Mar.alba families ,1crc of
in(criot ollkr anJ bis !o('cond "'as that the ~11atrt) as l\Crc e~-
trncr anJ ,f .;rt .1ll the .\I.1ra.tl1,15 prcncd lhcmschcs lo be
~harri,as, thct i.cre not tntjtJrd to the higlicr rc.\pect, than
the ShivaJi family corum,rndcd. Timdl), there "as ncJthcr
patriotism nor benefit in their demand from the view point nf
nation:i.lum. 1l1e1c ,..,a, nc11hcr crctht nor1 honour in 11; nor
\\as it cooncctcd "ith natwnal interests.. [t was wrong on the
p:1.rt of the Mara.th.is t.;, im.ist on Vcdu;: rteuals being performer.I
for them, .Fro111 1raditwu ;:ind from hinor)• and verdict fr was
('lidcnt, wrolc T,laL~ 1bat the M.atallia v1ew ot this sub;ect was
detnmcntal to the society ,.md thoughtless. E"cn' though the
l\(arathas pcrfonnccl their relig10us rites with, VcdoL.ta mantras
lhcy would not be orie with the llrahmms. They would re111a111
Marathas. So TilaL tncd praginatic:aUy to lmprcss on the
Marathas tha, their position m soa~ty was due to their pro¾ess
.rm/ (KJ( ta .'i p-tirl,'C.wJr .f.:N.w d ».l>n.'wp. ,
, 1 European.!- recited the Vedas but they never insisted on the
91 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: lo. "ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

performance of the -rituals in, their homes. • So it was wron~,.

Tilak continued, to deprive the Brahmins , of their !Inams _if
they refused to perform rites at the palace, •for the •Brahmtn
priests were following, the commands of their religion. The
British Empire would have to take note of it. If the Marathas-
wanted to perform their rituals with. Vedic hymns they should
do it; for there was nobody then to arrest their hands and hold
them in check.
'. It is evident that Tilak's views on the caste systems were con-
ventional, rigid and orthodox. He had opposed the, Age of
Consent Bill, •:had opposed the' social conference using the·
Congress panda! ·and had undergone expiation for having had
tea at a Christian Mission. He had read a paper at the Indus~
trial Conference in 1892 under the title "The Hindu caste from
the industrial p'oint' of view"; In this· he observed that· "caste-
must therefore be regarded as a secular and social ocganisation
·am6ngst the members of the Aryan race for the preservation of
hereditary occupation_s and for the purpose of mutual help and
co-operation".· ,Tilak, therefore, strongly recommended that the
Hindus should utl.lise the already existing institutions of caste
to improve the moral and material condition of the working-
dass. To support his stand Tilak often said that Ceylon •and
Burma did not observe the caste system, yet they were not free
countries., • ' •
And yet Tilak was the great· Hindu scholar who defined
Hinduism in one of his speeches :which he delivered' in- August
1900 in Poona during ihe Ganapati festival as '!faith in the
Vedas'. ;,ariety in the means and· infiniteness of the objects of
worship . It was very strange that· Tilak desired' every Hindu
to ha_ve faith i~ _the Vedas while_ he- denied to seventy per cent
of Hindus the nght to study and know the Vedas the autho-
rity of which they were expected to accept,· o'r 'to observe social
customs an~ laws ordained by' that authority. •
It •was unfortun·ate <that Tilak" -could not understand the
rising force of social and religious equality behind the Vedokta
contr~versy. • Was it patriotism and justice; wisdom and social
cohe~10n to deny equality of status to one's co-religionist? ·rm-
medrnt_ely after the publication of these' two ·editorials which,
accordmg to the evidence of his colleague Kelkar and his clerk
 TIIE SOCIAL CONFLICT 95
Kulhmi, Tdak ,himself wrote, S. K. Role, a prominent non-
Brahmin leader, met T1lak in Poona in connection with the
news C"<pressed in them Tilak. told him that the artide was
wmlcn m his absence by one of bis assistant editors. This
evashe stand was unlike the bold and bra,..e starid T!lak took
in law courts m respect of his pohtieal eonv1ctions. , ,
Tilak"s ungenerous, narrow view propagated through the
cdiumals of the Ke.ran fomented discontent among the non•
llrahmans. For }Cars it polluted the political and social atmos-
phere m Maharashtra. By launching an attack on Phoolcy and
Lokahitavad1 Deshmukh, Chiplunkar retarded the growth of
social coheswn and social progress in Maharashtra and dro1.e a
wedge between Brahmins and non-Bra.hmins whereas T1lal 's
policy di\ ided Maharashtra into two camps-Brahrnins and non•
Brahmins It must be franlly said thJ.t T1lak acted and "'rote
concerning this probkm as a Brahmin leader and not as a res•
ponsible Hmdu or natwnal leader.

VI
I - •
When the hon of M:.ihar;ishtra pounced upon the Chharrapad,
the village jackals and jackasses, too, laonched an attack. on him.
Professor Vijapurkar's Samarth threatened the Chhatr:ipati Mth
dire consequences and said 1f "he sticls to his obstinacy, 1t will
lead to bad resl11ts. The lkahmm p1.1ndits should decide the
problems and be should lmen to their advice through the
Royal priest and act accordmgly Otherwise there 1-1 ould ~ a
temb1e dash in Maharashtra." ' !
The Brahmms tried to, dmde the Marathai commumty,
spreading a .rumour that there \\-ere d1fforcnces o, er the1Vedokta
quesoon among' the members of the Royal faraily They
pleaded that the Maharap ~hould cons1de.r the problem from
the "1ewpomt of Hmdu sodety as a \\-hole. The Ilrahmins
1

further a.sled him to consider the effect of his policy on the

entire Brahmin world of Indi.:i. Yet the Mahataja stucl to his
guns On NoH:mber 8, .,JgOii he again reminded the, Ropl
priest to perform his duties at therpal.ice in Vcdokta form.
Though womed,. Sbahu Chhatrapau ,l:ept tbe Bnt,5h Gov-
ernment informed of the de,elopment of the l3rahillm opposi•
96 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

tion. 'On:October 27, 1901, C.H.· Hill; Private.Secretary to!the

Governor, appreciated his deterniined front against the ' Bra~-
·mins. He also advised him to stop any publication or remove
any person who disputed his authority. ' , -- '
At this· tiine Shahu -i.vas anxious· about the appointment of ·a
new Political Agent,"as Sealy was retiring. In this matter' he
had sought 'the 'advice· of Fraser who always gave him . sound
-advice and persistent-encouragement. He asked Fraser whether
he· should ask for a civilian. But' Fraser advised him not to
make ·any' special application •but trust the Governor, Lord
Northcote, to send .him a good· niail'. And Shahu waited: He
heaved a sigh of relief when Col. ,William Butler Ferris came as
Seafy's successor on November "30. Shah'u was glad, ·to ·,note
that Ferris had worked previously :for. about seven, years in
Kolhapur in different capacities. :and ·was for some years in
Sangli ·as.·an :Administrator. "So .he is viell acquainted," he
wrote "with our people here .. He·knew my father very well and
we have had many interviews since he came. We talked of
old days. He remembers me· arid my brother playing with his
.son and tells me what my father used to say to him."
Lord Harris and Abasaheb Ghatge had planned for Shahu a
trip to London:· Bu't ·he avoided undertaking thei journey· at
that stage:·:; He' was now to visit London· on the occasion of the
coronation of King-Emperor Edward VII and Ferris was, ready
to accompany him. :·shahu Chhatrapati felt-· honoured. at •the
invitation to attend the coronation of •the King-Emperor. He
accepted the invitation with the greatest pleasure and he was
happy that he would be able to meet his, friends and' well-
wishers like Lord Harris, Lord- Reay and others. .
The previous •monsoori was exceptionally ---favourable to
Kolhapu~ State, but there was a recurrence of plague in· some
parts _of 1t. The people were quite happy.: -"Shahu was 'a 'rulei:
of_ the peopl: and for the people and he always thought•of the
welfare of his people. Naturally in his letter to ;Lord Harris,
he noted t~at •the rainy season of ·late had become extremely
fitful and on~ n:ver knew what might come· the following year.
The ~oyal priest whose duty it ·was to preside at all religious
cer:momes to be performed at the palace,· refused; at 'the insti_.
gatton of the Kolhapur· Brahm'jns, to perform- -the religious
 111£ socnv co,rucr, ' ' 97
rituals in Vtdol..ra fonn. Consequently, Shah"U appofo1ed ,a
Committee to male inquiries and report in C()nnection with
the customs .tnd usages 0£ the Ropl family. The Roy;,il priest
was the guardian of the socio--rcligious rights and pnviieges of
l1is IIlil5ter's family and therefore was hound in bis dutiC!:s to
defend hi.I r,ghu; but 11e had failed to do so, , , 1
"I11e contention of tl1e I Kolh;ipur Brahmins was that the
Ksh;itriyas were extinct in that age and that neither Shi\<aji nor
Shahu l\35 a ~hatrl)3.. Shahll \\::I.S, therefore, not entitled to
the prh ilegcs a( a Kshatr1p. And if tlic M:i.harap thought
that he was entitled rn the rigllts a.ad privilege.sofa Kshatnp,
he mu.u ,S'Ct :t declaration to that c!Icct from the Deccan Ilr.1h.
mms gencrall)· and the Kolhapur Ilr.i.hmins in particular, ,~ho
claimed to be independent 0£ the Shanl..arachar;a Math wuhm
their city. Yet t11e Ropl priest asl..ed the Mahar.i.ja to get the
unction o[ the Shanl..aracharya of Sanl..cshwar, the higher Hindu
tdigious- .authority in Maharashtra
The members of the Vcdol..ta Committee appointed by the
Maharaja ucrc K. N. 1,,mdit, the Chief Judge, V. Il. Gok.hale,
the Joint Judge and the Ro)'al priest himself. Shahu also put
his ca.Sc before the Shanlaracharp. for his consideration "'ho
at that ume admitted the justice of hts case and promised to
issue the necessary ordt!rs.
Scemg that tl1c dupute over the Vedolta was rommg to .a
head, both sules began to strengthen their position by collect-
ing histoncal e,idcnce and documents and mustcnng men o[
their persuasion. The Maharaja sent Sawant and Ingle, his
emi~aries, to Udaipur to gather data M, G. Dongre was .sent
to Satar.a to secure Vcdol..ta records of P.ratapsmh Mahara1a's
time. The l\foharaja approached Sap111rao Gailwad, the
Maharaja of Baroda, for ~me e\idence. Sarajirao had intro-
ducal the Vedol.ta t1tes at his palace and c.autiously dealt w1th
the question in hzs State,
In his S}mpathet1c rcpl), Sayajirao Gaikwad said on December
5, 1901: "I shall write to the Satara gentleman and ask him to
help }OU with the paf)f!rS, 1£ he has any. I am sorry that you
cannot , hit us earlier, On what date you arc start.uig for
England? You must not miss while in .Europe to vmt the
interestrng places and .institutions on the oontment. Without
SC-7
98; SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

your· seeing, ·them, you will::not ;get comparative know~edge of

different civilisations as found).in ~e,Wes.t_. ~ have not ai:id will
nof forget the school .you so, nobly started. I still wait a bit
till we get intb better. times.. I compliment you for the interest
you take in our. :people. Let us ,write, to .each. other. Your wel-.
fare is always pleasing to me:'! ...
Professor Vijapurkar; describing these activities; .observed_ in
his ·Samarth: -~:Emissaries of b,oth the. parties are seen running
to. this or that· town, far and ne.ar; ,in search of historical anteced~
ents regarding the element of discord and dispute, we mean:
the Vedokta movem'ent that agitate the gentry and the priest-
hood of _the Hindu community.''.· • , ,
 CHAPTER 7
Education of Backward,
Classes

Sn.um now applied his romd to the main problem, the promo.
tion of educadon among the bad.ward classes Knol\oledge 1s.
the source of power and prosperity. In order to attain a high
le, el in administration, it v. as necessary for him to base it on
a secure foundation. He realised that this would not happen
without improving the moral and material conditions in rural
areas. ,, '
The Sat}a-Shodbak S3maJ was the firn msr11urion ro spread
education among the bad.ward and suppressed classes in rural
areas, of MaJ1.u·.::ubtra. It waJ' the lirst social moiement in
modem India to reach villages. Its leader and prophet Jotirao
Phooley st.1rted that work in 1848. England under her Education
Act of 1870 pro,idetl sthools and in 1880 made primary educa-
tion compulsory upto the age of ten. • Inspired by th1S progres--
s1ve change, Jotirao Phooley appealed to the British Go,emment
towards the dose of 1879 and early in 18B0 to introduce com-
pulsory pnmary' education into villages. ' For he knew that
equality as a force would operate slowly but definitely through
the means of education. Thus Poona Brahmins began with the
educat10n of the highest \1-hereas Phooley and Sliahu Chhatra-
pati with the humblest and the Ilaclward Classes. Phooley and
Shahu were not behe\crs m the filtration theory. ' '
The second institut10n that woi-1.ed for the spread of educa-
tion among the Marathas. was the Dettan' Maratha Education
Society founded by Gangarambhau l\:lhaske at Poona' in HISS.
The third workmg in lfomti:ly s,nce l\Uy ll!ll'Twas uie Alarattia
Aikyechhu Sabha.r lt'was estabhshed by N, l\:l. Lokhande, V.
1

99
100 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

K. Vandekar, K. R. Korgaonkar, D. S. Yande, Krishnaji Arjun

Keluskar, H. A. Talcherkar, H. V. Rajwadkar and was later led
by S. K. Bole. This institution helped the non-Brahmin students
including the Untouchables by giving them scholarships. They
also strove to reform the social customs of the lower classes.
The o~ganisers of this society had ~et. Shahti Chhatrapati on
August 22, 1896, at Boribunder Station and presented him
with an address. At that time Keluskar, an eminent Maratha
scholar, presented Shahu with a copy of his biography of
Tukaram.
In the Kolhapur State there were some 122 private village
:schools about the year 1844. The Government of Kolhapur
:started Governmen.t schools in ~~~-. year. 1848 ~t K,olhapur,
0

Panh~la,· Alte, -~~iro} ,an~, -i~.-J~4Q,: "a~. Kagal, Bawda, Gad~in-

:glaj, Malkapur and: Bhudargadh. ,More ~chools. were opened in
1851 and 1854 .at s~~~rai ~~b.~r'.places. A Training College -for
:men. wasstarted,.in 18q7 ~ns:J, ip. 1882 one for..w9men_ was started.
The Kqlhapµr High::School '\\J'.hic4 was later named_,after Raja-
ram Chhatrapati was started in 1_867. In 1887 a College Glass
and a Sardar Class ,were -attached· to it. ' : :·
At the. time of the accession of Shahu Chhatrapati, the per-
centage of the educated among the Brahmins was 79.1, Marathas
8.6,· Kunbis 1.5, Muslims 7.5 and Jains ·and Lingayats •10.6. Shahu
resolved to adopt strong, measures for:'the: moral -and material
improvement.of the.mass of the-people: By moral and:,material
progress he meant education,. sanitation .and_ agricultural deve,
lopment •.•. He wanted to give the backward classes a larger.share
in the ~dministration ofr lpcal affairs and: a:, voice in; the public
bodies.-. Naturally, he wanted them to awaken. to. their rights,
and he believed• he could achieve that by promoting ~ducation
among them. S_hahg.: therefore -began to remove the difficulties
in the path of Backward Classes by providing them with ·hostels
:and oth_er f~ci~ities, ·particularly for students from the- ·villages.
~o begm wit~ he ha~ kept_,$Ome students.at his- palace, pro-
-v1ded them with lodging ·and paid their fees. ,The boys, how-
ever, gre,y lazy and lethargic with rich food ·and. excellent faci-
lities and readily picked up. the _fashions of sardars. As their
progress wa~ u~satisfactory, Shahu was disappointed with ·them.
About th1S ume there·,'>'.as a hostel attached. to the College in
 "EDV<.ATWN OF llA(:11.WAlU> Cl'..r\SS.E5 ,' IOI
Kolhapur which was aided by the State. :Sut 1t was open to
none but Brahmin students, although in the beginning it v.as
professedly declared that it would be open to all irrespective
of caste or creed, Shahu wa; praised bf Professor V11apurkar
for th.is aid and lie added that Shahu was a:lwa}s ready to ghe
a hand to those who worled in the cause of educ.:it~on. In times
of famine Shahu, ,\ith a vif',~ to relieving the bo,s from the
mounting expenses, made good the defiat, bringing down their
monthly expenses. to R!t. 5 and appointed V. B Gokhale, Assist-
ant Judge, President of the hostel. The institution did not
survive long, not because of its strict rcstnct1ons., but because
Shahu closed 1t down m Apnl 1911 as he found that it had no
non•Drahmin students for nearly ten }'ears
, Just then P C Paul, who had passed lus Matriculation
Examination in 1899, saw the Chhatrapati at h1s request at
Panhaia_ Shahu inqut«d about his future plans and Patil, a
farmer's seU-respecting wn, said that he 11 ould prosecute his
higher studies on his own, But he rnealed to Sha}m the msults
and the bhter expenenccs the non-Bnhmin .students had to
suffer at the hands 0£ the Brahnun innlcepers. This convincc:d
the ?,,faharap that he was JUSU.fied in the step1 he was planning
to take. 1 ,

But before launching his S<.heme, tbe Maharaja ,consulted

Justice Ranade and G, K.. Golhaie who appreciated his ideas on
the subject. The .Maharaja ll.a\ President of the Decc.1n Educa-
tion Society, and these broad minded liberals, tJwugh ,them-
sehes unable to do much for the education of lhe ,,caler sec-
tions of society, supported the scheme framed by Shahu as it
l!.endited the society as. a "hole-. Shahu also consulted E. Giles:-,.
Director of Public lnstruc.tion, \\.ho appreoated his project of a
boarding for the Marat.has and replied to Shahu's Jetter on
.August 10, 1900: "I am e>..(:eedmgly {;"lad to tecehc a letter Crom
Your Highm·s.s and I need hmll} sa} that I shall be sla:d to
talk \\-Ith wu O\Cr the project for a lloardmg School for
Mar:athas I entirely agree that it is mon (!S.S.Cnti.il that wmc
special cffort ihould be, made to bong the Mara thas ro~ ard
educauona.ll)', Their own habiu. and sentiments are not in the
direction of higha education ,md OlllS(!quentJr they, as com-
paied tuth the Br.i.hmin communny, fall behind. l remember
102 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A' ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

when I· visited the Kolhapur'• College there ,I• found·. th.at' the
Marathas· did not stick to the course and go through with it, As
a result I very seldom get (from them) applications for emplot
ment in the Education.ii !Department and; in the other Depart-
ments, too, it is much- the:same:",, : •• • . • '
1
Thus· in consultation with Ranade, -Gokhale, the Director of
Instruction and· •Gangarambhau Mhaske and •giving proper
guidance: to three, graduates-Bhaskarrao Jadhav, Dajisaheb
Vichare and Jivajirao Sawant-Shahu 'inspired them to found a
hostel for •the Maratha. students. It was· called ·the, •Victoria
Maratlia ·Boarding House. It was declared open under' the pre•
sidentship of the ·Political 'Agent ·on April 18, 1901. Queen
Victoria had given an audience to his father ·and conferred ·up~
on- Shah·u the permanent· title. of. Maharaj a .• It was ·during her
regime that' ·the gates of knowledge were opened •to non°
Brahniins· in India. •So her riame was;giv.e_n: to the institution.
ffhe. first .batch of students included- some· stalwarts :·like
Shank:crrao .. •Indulkar, Balasaheb . Khanvilkar, . N anasaheb
Gaikwad, Bhausaheb,·Gaikwad, Hindurao Ghatge and Alvekar,
P. K Shinde of Satara was invited to join.- The buhgalow. which
housed: this ·hostel belonged to·the Forest Department.:;:The
Secretary of the Boarding was Mhaisalkar. To put the hostel
·on •a permanent basis; ·shahu donated land for ·a large, com-
pound, conferred on it a·substaritial endowment, 'sanctioned ·an
-annual grant of Rs. 550 and provided1: a ·1anded income·. of
Rs. 2,000 a year. ·Scholarships were also granted to the 'inmates
of the hostel.
• Congratulating the three graduates on their success in estab-
Iishhig the hostel, the Samarth said that Brahmin graduates
could nof do this \\'Ork.· The weekly blamed the Brahmins· who
spoke uncharitably about the institution .• It was sorry for ·the
unsym~athetic remarks and added that it was a sign· of their
decreasing power of appreciation. Although the name •of the
Boarding was Maratha, it shehered and supplied food to
students from other castes and communities ·such as Muslims,
Kolis, Malis and Gavalis. This was indeed a·' new bold and
liberal approach to an old social problem in India. .' . :
In launching this activity, Shahu •had two objectives.•. One
was to blunt the caste distinctions and feelings and the other
 J:DUCATlON OF BACXWARl> cus~.u 103
was to train social ,~orkers who would take the lead \ln their
communities in the establishment of such hostels and boarding
schools He called commumty leaders together, composed therr
dif!erenct"> and 1mpre~sed upon them the importance of educa-
tion, seeking their co-operat16n in pramotmg it a:mong the,r
awn castes He expected this lme of action ro accelerate the
proce$S of orgamsahon and the spread o( educat10n among lhe
non-Brahmins.
' At this stage Shahu wa! alwap, m, search of students and
51cial worJ...ers He wa<; su-ongly motivated by social 'cquaht)
as a Jlloral force. Yet he had not 'come to the i-adkal decision
aiming at annihilation of 'castes According' to the speech he
I
✓
made cin
r r
,
Apnl 15. 1920, it 'appears that l1~e other socidl
1

v.orL.ers
\ 11 t 1
he had 'obsened' caste rules in early }0Uth
~ t j l , 1
and thought
i~ improper to interfere in caste 'matters 'q , •

A Jittle later, Col. Sealy, i,h1le la}ing the foundation hone of

1
the' ~ew b uilding of th1s mstitutieln on September 25, 1!)01,
u,rged on the Committee not only to pro,1de the Maratha
students with' bo.uding and lodging at a che:ip rate but 1abo
to provide for their moral 1~ell-being. He thought t1i;:it mere
tr:iining of inteIIeci, unaccompanied by moral training, would
ne1ier turn out good subjects of the- State. "And m conclusion,"
Sealy s.aid v.1seiy. "do not forget,that the State of Kolh:ipur does
not consist of Marathas alone. lVhiJe doing all 1ou can to for•
'ward the interests of the l\laratha cornmumt). dr, not forget Jh:it
the body politic f hai other tnenibers, and that )Our· efforts
alw:i.ys 'be directed; ¢\en \\-hen· pursuing •Jour own' indh idu.11
aim~, to the common good, the common v.cal." 1 This indeed
reflected the \lews and vision ()f Sbah.u Chhatrapati.
On this occ.-i.sion the J\f.ihar.1ja g;ne Rs. 4,000 to the pcrru:m-
cnt fund of the Victoria Maratha..Boarwng Hou')e, promised an
annual <-ontnbuuon of Rs. 500 a11d donated property valued
at Rs. SOO for cxtwsions to the imtitutio1ia. For th,s gesture,
Tilak's Mahratta serioudy ctitidsed Shabu, and said: "A ruler
of a state' should be p.i.rticulady above caste or M:Clarian pre-
judtccs. Such was Shh.iji: and, the value o£ his c,mmplc hes m
the fact that he encouraged. mem \\herc,cr lt wat found and.
by his 1\0ndetful tact organued the different sccu into a
nation.""'"1 . , r, . ~ ,. . . ~ t t- ' I- i
104 SHAHU CI-IHA.TRAPATI: A«ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

The Jain Conference. at Nipani also .decided· at the,.suggestion

,of Shahu to open a hostel for its students, and, later ~pproache1
the Maharaja for .help.·

II

Meanwhile, the Maharaja was in correspondence with C. H.

Hill, Personal Secretary to the Governor, regarding •the com-
panion and guide he should have during his proposed visit to
England: Shahu pressed tlie Government to spare Fraser, but
Hill was 91osen..,- From. Mysore-, Fraser advised him to take
his own cooks and to have his food served in his cabin on board
ship. J\t that time Shahu 11eed~d a person for the post of the
Principal of Rajaram College. as Principal J. F. Adair 1yas
a
retiring. So he requested. H.iU ·to 'recommend person' for the
post. .. Laying down the qualifications_ for the post of _Principal,
he wrot~ to Hill that ,he required a man who would mind his
own busines;;, leave political n;iatters alone, rnaint;i,in sentiments
of. loyalty and respect for , authority; but_ his forte ~~st be
English.'·
Early iri. January 1.902, Shahu was unwell and he could:not
write a letter· which he ·typed with· tJ:ie-. left hand as -his right
was badly bitten by one,of his dogs. The wound was not quite
healed until Jariuary' 10, 1902:
•The dog had beeri kept under restraint for a long time, and
when he got loose he. bit at the first.objectithat presented itself
to him. When Fraser came to know, about. the. dog-bite,, he
wrote a consolatory letter, asking Shahu to maintain· a cheerful
state of mind and to have rio ·cause for whatever apprehension
of danger as, the dog ,vas probably angry and not mad. •• . ,
Devoted to the welfare of his people, Shahu Chhatrapati
app~inted in February 19_02 ,an 'officer to survey the water sup-
ply m ~he St_ate _and prepai:e·a scheme for mass irrigation. He
was t~ subm1~ his report ,~1th a project at an early date.· .
Whtie makmg preparat10ns for· his visit to, London Shahu
,vas all the while careful· in emphasising his position i~ regard
to th~ other Indian Princ~s. Shahu explained to Hill, who was
•appomted to look ,after the· arrangements concerning his visit
to London, that his special position should be considered since
 I:DUCATION OF BACMVAR.D C.U.S.SES 105
Kolbapur represented the direct line of the founder of the
Maratha Empire. He should be gi\en precedence over the
other i\!aratha Stales such as Gwalior, Indore and Baroda. His
rrfatfonship wnb them, l\JS m fact, that of master and sen.mt.
Lee-Warner, ,mting to him about English etiquette, said that
his chawrie and morchal insignia might be uselul at his ov.n
reception, but at the Enghsh court the, English etiquette pre-
vailed. A new c.uriage was built for Shahu Chhatrapati in
London and aU other proper arrangements i\·en:: made Lee-
Warner addal tll.,u they hoped to male him comfortable .and
happy. Hill arranged for t1cl.eu to- Derby· for Shabu and his
party. l'isits to Agntultural Shows and centres, a big house, a
carriage, sen-ants and other paraphernaha. J. P. Orr, I.CS,
Magistrate of Thana, was spared to accompany Shahu upto
J\faJ'S('m~s.
In his , letter from London, Hill ::i.~ked hun to insure his
jewels as he leJt there w.a& some risl.. of theft m London, Shahu
was prepared, to foe in England in an Engh.sh manner. Hill
wai glad to note that Shahu would refrain from beef and liquor
and 1\ ould not l.eep late hours. Shafrn wanted to lnC' m English
fashion' for some da}S to get used to the English Sl}le of food
and manners, hut he ga,·~ up the idea :15 he did not want to
gi \'e a bandie to' the Kolb a pur Brahmins to criticise him' when
the tl::lig\ous question wa$ being hotly 'di.scussed in Maharashtra.
' Eatiy in ~!arch 1902, Sf1ahu paid alff}fog ,wt to Bangalore
and s.:iw Fr.a.set his guru and guide. - Fraser w.as there as a tlftor
and Private Secretary to the Maharap of M}sore.' Immediately
after, Shahu yu,ited Mahan· in Ratnagin Dlstru:t at the inst-
ance of Afaharani Anand1ba1 to pay his obeisance to the image
of his great prcdeces.s.or Shi,aJ, in Fon Smdhudurga. Shm1ji
aud Tarabai "ere Shahu's heroes , It was the desire of his
adopth e mother, that, Shah u should vmt Smdhud Qrga before
he left for London, On hi§ way bac.k Shahu was given a uarm
rccept10n at Dharwar by the public .at the staqon Lacee, in
June }!)07, the Maharaja, as a marl. of his respect,arid in grati-
tude for his sate arrh al from London, presented a palanquin,
his msignta and other thmgs t? the Shiva.Ji temple at Sindhu-
durga, Mahan ~.,.; 1 , ' ,
SLr Alfred E, Pease, a distinguished Member of _Dril15h Patha-
•106 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

ment, visited Kolhapur •in March 1902.: He was than~ful·' to

tlie Maharaja for the cordial reception accorded to htm and
his wife. Ferris and Pease visited-the Victoria·Maratha·Board-
ing and gave a stimulus to its work. Ferris said that more than
thirty years earlier when he •had first come to Kolhapur the
Maratha community' was backward :and ignorant' one and "al-
though this is a iMaratha State; there was not a ministerial or
other -office held by the Marathas, save· in, menial capacity;'' • "If
the Marathas", he added, ."do not take advantage of the oppor-
tunities·· now· offered •to them, the- -fault will :be 1tlieirs and other
com~unitfos may be: excused· if they look upon. them as· a de-
·generate -race; •You should take· your 'education, in the fir~t
placJ, as a means towards the- moral elevation of the community
·and not s'olely for' the material: aggrandisement of the· Jndivi-
dual." 3 Ferris ardently advised them to strike out ne-iv lines,
and -emancipate themselves. from: servile adherence io conserva•
tive notioi:i's. • • : ,:
Pease, ,too, spoke· supporting the aims and; objects of -the
institution· and encouraged its workers .. • He ,was a goQQ'. judge
of race-horses. and Shahu asked him to-select in ~1,1glapd ~or hi_~
a team of roan mares, While ta_king _le?,ve of Shahu; ·the
Peases. asked :him __ to be their,.gu~st :for.,s~ipe ,,i;l,ays ir,r_Lo_nd.on.
_A_. supporter of female education_ and· a believe!' in women's
progre~s, r. Sllahu: sen_t !vliss )Crishnaba( K~la~kar a brilli~nt
studen_t, to Grant_,rvr~_di~~i. Coj_leg~,, wh~1:e shb'.\;assed. with
honours. In January .1902 )J.e'; appoint~d her :As;ist;'nt Do.ctor
in .tlie A.E: Hospital. On,.securing her a scholarship ,open to
native women, Shahu deputed her ,to England -to improve her
profossicinal: knowledge and obtain a diploma. in. midwifery at
Dublin. -There 'she was: successful- and- on. her return 'in
February· 1903,<1. she resumed her ,duties after an absence· of ten
months. • She was• a clever woman who, at the instance of Shahu,
as
had participated in the Congress session- a womari delegate at
Poona in 1895. This was an indication of his· patriotic mind.
She served· the State very faithfully until 1924 in·: 'the A.E.
Hospital.
Th_e. Vcdokta Co~mittee appointed: by the 'Maharaja made
enqmnes_ and exammed historical documents and. s·ubmitted ·a
report on'• April 16• • 1909.
-·
Ra"JO padhye-roya· 1 priest-sat
·· · · on
 EDLCA noN 0~ llACI..W'ARD Cr.ASSES t, t 107
the committee, but did not submit his statement or Slgn the
report, The committee fully investigated the history of
Vedolta customs m the royal• family. The Brahmins I v.ern
hopeful that t1ie- demion nould •go in' their famur, as aJl the
members of the cotmllittee were Dtahmins. '! , •
• In their joint report, the• comnmtee obsened that the ances-
tors of the l\Iabaraja ,\ere (>ntitled to the socio-religious rights
and privileges of the Kshatnp class In the time of Shiva11 III
alias Bab:.1s::i.heb l\laharaja' (l8Si•l8S6) his preceptor Raglmnath
Snastri Parvate in ,~horn he had great faith, had mad<? some
innovatrnns. but prior to that the reiigi'ous ceremonies of the
Rop.l fam1I} ttere performed accocdtng to the Vedokta rituall
Panatesh:1Stn was a ChJtpavan Brahmin and had once bun
jailed on account of misleadin~ the Civil Court to wh1cb he
was attached as a Shastri
1 , B~cked by this report, the I Chltatrapati insisted on the
recognition of his Kshatn}a status by the Brahmins and also
t ' T • lr,. ~ \
on... the performance
l t ,.
of the tneces,sarv
, 1l
ceremonies for hu family
~ 1 1 ,.. .. .. t

by the Ropl priest rn accordance with h u rights and pnoleges.

Ferris a~d Edgerly w~mit;d him lull suppOI't in the VedoJ.ta
cdntr~versy
.i: ~
l
agalnst( th~ i~'t'nguesl~r'
T .P ,
the' nr'ahmins:'
ll. ' r I
Placedr in•
a d1ffic1!-l~ situ,aHon, ~1J~~u 1\';0t to, Ma~,ahale~hwar, an4 met
Northcote
f
~o• ascertain
I t
"hether~ the tBomtiay GO\ernment would
l I -. t ,I. !
help him m his social conflict with. the Brahmim; for a Mse
'genera! .n.oids fighting ~~l tho Ir~:iis. 'Gmernor Northcote as-
1

sured him of help Hm~ ever; it' seehi ~ wh11e giving ::i 'colourful
'account of !us interview to' Lord H:tmilton, Northcote said:
"He (the Maharaja) lud..ily came'to Mahabaleshw;1r;•Jand '""'e
instilled a little 'plucL into him'', wf1en he was on the point af
gh'.ing m to the Brahmins. Northcote d.esa-lbi>d Shahu .u an
arrant coward.1 He wanted him 'to show a little d-etennmat/on
on his part and master' the Brahmins',l
-. The• history of the minonty rule mer' Kolhapur was fresh in
Shahu's mind Although the nntish 'called him· thetr frieud,
he was aware ot their watch oH!r him and s1.1spidons. • In a<".11-
fog whb British statesmen he could successfully his astute- ':°'e.r
ne,s, cautiousness and statecraft under the doal,, of shyn<""•
meel.ness and siruphaty and in that way always extricated him-
self from difficult ~1tuations'. How truly a contemporary jour-
108 SHAHU CHHA1Tu\PATI: A.ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY
nal had observed that Shahu's/,'shyness in the presence of for-
•eigners perhaps stands, in .the way of a correct estimate ,?£ hi_s
qualities at first sight". His meekness, cautiousness and s1mph-
city were construed as cowardice. It. was easy for a Northcote
backed by a mighty Empire to depict .Shahu as .a. coward but a
Northcote would have gone• down in the Poison Case when
Shahu came out successful with gr~at · courage, patience and
astuteness. •
The Governor's support enabled Shahu to take strong action
against the Royal priest. On May \, 1902, Shahu served the
Royal priest,'\v~th a _notice asking him.why he should not resume
his lnam lands. Shahu asked him to reply within a peri9d. of
four days.

III

. Rajopadhye· supported ·by. t,he }<.~sari,_ Vijapurkar, th~ :.chief

of Ichalkaranji and the Brahmin's of Maharashtra, re~~ained
stubborn and refused point-blank'. to' abide by the Co1'Umittee's
findings. He asked for time till ~fay 5, 1902. The Maharaja
was in a hurry to wind up the matter ~s he was to start on his
voyage to London to .attend the ~oronation of Ed~~rcl vir.
Yet the Maharaja and, Bal~salteb Gai~wad tried to persu'ade
,llajof>adhye _ta see reason bu\ to': n9_ :,iv.ail. . Th~ Royal, priest
thought that because the Mahar~ja_ qi,d ·not t~ke. an)'. action _in
spite of dire insults heaped" on him,. h~. was unnerved and irre-
solute. The Roya~ priest wa:s impudent enough to reply that
though Chhatrapati Shivaji. wa~. a Kshatriya, Shahu Maharaja
was not, as he was.born into the·Ghatge f_amily.,yhich, accord·
ing to him, was not Kshp.triya. ·: .i . , . . .
The Maharaja, therefore, dismissed the disobedient seryant·
priest on May 6, 1902, and resumed his. Ina~ lands and
villages and depr~ve~ him of his civil and magisterial· powers.
T~er:upon the d1sm1ssed Royal priest, Appasaheb. Rajopadhye,
said m a spurt of anger: ",Notwithstanding this ,con,fisc;ation of
the Inam lands and villages, I shall not perform: the Ncdokta
rituals at the Royal palace." . . . :· • .
, Shahu wrote to Ferris that he ~vas anxiot,1,s that he might 11ot
have to go back upon what he, had done. He. could well ima·
 niuCAnoN OF' JUCKWARD Cl'.ASSP.S 109
gine, Shahu added. what a triumph it would then be for the
Brahmin community. Shahu was not at that stage for conYert-
ing the fight on the Vedokta issue into a 'l'..lr for social equa-
lity He wrote to the Secretary of the Bombay GoH:mment
that "as regards my attempt to pull through other Maratha
families, I may say, I have no concern in the matter." • "0£
course," be added, "'the Maratha families are Kshatriyas. and I
do not know how they can be pre,ented from puttmg forth
their claim, but the present question is only concerning me,
and I never a5led RaJopadh1e or any other Brahmin tb per-
form Vedic rituals in any other Maratha famil)'."
Disappomted, frustrated }Ct dangerously scheming. the
Btahmim of Kolh:ipur" finally resorted to their trad1tional
v.eapon of curses and tried to frighten the l\faharaja v.ith the
ClJJS($ of God. 'Shahu forthrightly retorted that be would pre•
fer to go with their curses as t1ie one who t1-ent ll-zth their bleu-
ing3 neie.t returned. It was not a mere retort but a ca5tigation,
a d~va~t.1t1ng one, gi\'en in spite of the- opinion <!A.pressed bf
some good-natun:d Brahrnins that Sbahu ,mu.id find it rmp<ls-
s1ble' to run the-· administration as tbe office, \\ere Cu.II of
Brahmins. , He thus g.t'ie a shock to their aupcrstitious minds
and1 a(ceptcd their fearful challenge.. The dcdaration of t.he
confiscation of Inam land, of the Ro) al priest and• Shahu's
retort 10 the threat of Brabmin cones were acts of boldness
comparable to Luther's burning the papal Bull.
Shahu was afraid of the fire that l\-ould rage rouud him 1f
he ,\ere let down by the Britub as wd[ as defeated by the Bra.h-
mms. They, be1 said,, were l..iding up a row as tlu:y thought
his dcas1on in the matter of the adopuon•of Bala Mabar.ij by
Tai Mahar.i.j bad gone csscnu,Uy against Ttlal. , When Tai
i\faharaj's application for re\oling Che prollace c:ime up for
f1eacing before Aston, TiJak w::is widcdly teased, pro,oled, m-
sulced, and misrepresented on rcoord br intc-nupcmg and cwnt•
ing bis aruuus by Aston's Court. ' On J\pnl 3, 1902. 1>.bile
ginng his Judgment in the spmr of 3Jl inquuiuonist, ,\£ton
not only rcwlcd the prob.arc and hdcl tl1-e .\urang.tb.ld .:ulo{J-o
tion dJS.-ipprotcd but .also .conuniued Til.tk' the next daJ to the
Cit}' .Magiitrate to be d,e.1Jt with 'a:cconJmg ro lhe L.tw for Ju.1
.all~ 1.Hlhonci!f .and untrothfuJ <lctnl',mour. • Thz• u·nomous
108 SHAHU CHHATRAPAT!!· A ,ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

nal had observed that Shahu's.:''shyness in the presence of for-

•eigners perhaps stands in the way .of a corn~ct esti~ate •?f h~s
qualities at first sight". His meekness, cautiousness-and simpli-
city were construed as co'wardice, It was easy for a Northcote
backed by a mighty Empire to depict Shahu as .a coward but a
Northcote would have gone down in the Poison. Case when
Shahu came out successful with, great courage,. patience and
astuteness.
The Governor's support enabled Shahu to take strong action
~gainst the Royal priest. On May l,. 1902, Shahu served. the
Royal priest ~vJth_ a notice asking him.why he should not resume
his Inam lands. ShahD; asked him to reply within a peri9d of
_four days. .. •

III

Ra3opadhye • ~uppoi-ted by •the Kesarz, Vijapurkar, th~ ~qhief

·_9f Ichalkaranji. and the Brahm.ins of Maharashtra, remained
stubborn and refused point-blank. to. ;bide by the Coi;nmittee's
findings.· He asked for time till '.(\,fay 5, 1902. The. Maharaja
·was in a.hurry to wind up the matter as he was to start on his
voyage to London to .attend the ~oronation of Edward Vil.
,Yet the Maharaja and_ Bal~saheb Gaikwad. tried to. persuade
_Rajopadhye to see reason bµt_ t.o. _no avail. The Royai, pri_est
thought that' bec:ause the :rvr_ahar~ja q.i4 'i10t take a;,:y action in
spite of dire insults heaped' on Jiim, he, was unnerved and irre-
solute.. Tl).e Royal. pr~es~ was _impudent enough to reply that
though. Chhatrapati Shivaji. was. a Kshatriya, Shahu Maharaja
was no~, as he was. born into the: Ghatge f,~mily .,~hich, accord-
_ing to him, was not Ksh~triya. . . , .. , . . , .
• 1:'he lviaharaja, therefore, d~missed th~ diso~di~nt servant-
priest on May 6, 1902,_.and resumed. his Ina~ lands: and
villages and depr~ve~ • him of. his civil . and magis.teria,: powers.
T~er~upon the d1sm1ssed Royal priest, Appasahe!J. Rajopadhye,
said ma spurt of anger:.-.'.:Notwithstanding this 1 confisc;ation of
th~ •Inam lands and villages, L shall not perform- the Vedokta
rituals at the Royal palace." . . .. • '.'·_- .. •. .
Shahu wrote to F~p-is that he ~va~ am,:ioJJ;; that he ~ight no.t
have to go back upon what-,he had done.. ·He. could w:ell ima-
 EDUCATION OF MCK:WARD CLASSES 109
gine, Shahu added, what a. triumph 1t would then be for the
Brahmm community. Shahu was not at that $tage for comert.
ing the fight on the Vedokta mue into a war for soaal equa.
Iity He wrote to the Secretary of the Bombay GO\·ernment
that "as regards my attempt to pull through other l\faratha
fan11hes, I may say, I ha,,e no concern in the matter.'' • "Of
course," he added, "the Maratba famtlie:. are Kshathyas, and I
do not know how they can be prevented from putting forth
their claim, but the present question is only cone.em.mg me,
and• I ne,er asked RaJopadh)e or any other Brahmin to per•
form Vedic ntuals m any other Maratha f.amil)."
Disappointed, frustrated }et dangerously scheming, the
Brahmim, of Kolhapur' finally resorted to their traditional
~eapon of curses and tried to frightenf the Mahara1a with the
curses of God. •Shahu forthrightly retorted that he would pre•
fer to go with their curses as the one who went w1th their bless-
ings ne,er returned. 1It was not a mere retort but a castigation,
a de\oastat1ng one, gl\en in spite of the opinion expressed by
some good-natured Brahmms that ~hahu would find tt tmpos•
stble to run the'~ admm1strahon as 1 the offices 'l'ttrC full of
Brahmuu,, ,Hi: thus gave a shock to their mperstitwus minds
andiacc.epted their fearful challenge. ,J•The declaration of the
confiscation of Inam lands 0£ the Ro)al priest and Shahu's
retort to the threat of Brahmin curses were acts of boldness
comparable to Luther's burning the papal DuU
Shahu was afraid of the fire that would rage round him if
he ,vere let down by the Dntish as well as defeated by the Ilrah-
mins. They, he said, were liding up a row· as they thought
his decision in the matter of the -adoption,of Bala Mal1araj by
Tai• Maharaj had gone es.!.entially agamst Tilak. When Tai
Maharaj'$ application for revoL.ing the probate came up £or
hearing before Aston, T1Iak. was wicLcdly teased, pro,oked, in•
sulted, and miuepcescntcd on record by interrupting and twut•
ing his ansners by Ascan's Court. On .1\priJ 3, 1902, to.l11lc
gi.\oing his judgment in, the spint of an inquisiuonist, Aston
not only moled the probate .'.i:nd hdd the Aur.:mg;ib.:id .adop-
tion (ijs.rf!fh-.:n:txl wt .alw .a:immJur.tJ T.•W t.bc paJ .w}' lo .iht
City ?,la.gistrate 10 be dealt with 'ac.conhng to lhc: Law for hb
alleged d,wont'!sty and untruthtul demeanour. This \cnoruous'.
llQ SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOL!./TlONAR\"

verdict· naturally added an edge to the bitterness. of: the Kolha-

pur Brahmins. It was the darkest day -in Tilak.'s life.
As the day 0£ departure to London drew nearer, the Chhatra-
pati appointed a new Council. . Ferris advised him that it was.
the policy. observed in Government offices and. administration
not to allow any particular caste to predominate. He, there-
fore, suggested that the Acting Dewan and the two Councillcrs.
should not be of the same caste. 1 Yet Shahu had already form-
ed· the Council consisting of Chief Judge Pandit, Shirgaonkar
and Marathe. The first and the third were Brahmins, ,and Shir~
gaonkar, was a Saraswat; So he ·had to replace .Marathe by
Bhaskarrao Jadhav. .
Shahu was worried about how things .woulfi shape in his ab-
sence' ·especially when his relations with,' the Brahmins were
strained. • It· was, he: thought, unfortunate that the religious re-
action should have come in his time. In his father's time there
was· no such difficulty and his father had not undergone any
expiation even after his return from England. He was cheered
by Ferris and the Bombay. Governm.ent, They promised help
if he remained firm and re~µsed to yield to the .tyranny. of the
Brahmins, .be they Tilaks or Gokhales or any one else. : Thus
the Brahminscwere driving Shahu into the arms of. .the British
GoYernment. .

1y..-. J'.: ..

On Sunday;- May II, .1902, Shahu Chhatra;ati ·wa~ presented

,~ith an address. by, the Southern Maratha: Chiefs at Miraj sta-
tion as arranged :by. Balasaheb, Chief of. Kurundwad. , .
The day of dep~rture to London dawned. The Chhatrapati,
accomp_amed by.his Dewan Sabnis, brother Bapusaheb Ghatge,
~~e ChI1efl,of Kagal, Bapusaheb and Balasaheb Gaikwad,. Datta-
J1rao. ng e, ,Secretary, to •the Chief· of ·Kagal· and Dr. M. V.
Borker, 'Started on May 14 from Kolhap ur f or 'B om bay en rou le
to Lond on to attend the coronation which h d b . fi d· fo·r
June 26, 1902. .· . . . a -- een- xe
The people crowded in th .' h • ' • • • •
and spl • d'd d ff e1r. t ousands. to give a· colourful
en I sen -o to the M h •
Kolh apur was packed and • ta'darap. h
The Railway station of
• ' ou 61 e •t e station ·the• people pray-
 LllLC.\TJU~ Of BAO.WAll.D CU.i\l.J

cd for a &{1mpse 0£ the Chh;atr;ipJ.t1. Fe-rm. 1hc l1ol1tial ,\;<nt.

fouml lt difficult to re.1ch the orn.1 0e, J.nd be oruc1ctl
Pendh,ubr, the Ch,d or Police. to J.cep tt;e a1.,1111J1 u,l4kr
con trot. But Sh;a.l:11.1 ailed l'tmlh.1rur to k,1\C th( Cto1'11.h lO
lhtir 0M1 w:i.1s and not to intc1£ac '-&th tlicm. .\11 "'iwJ J1iin
;1, happ)' joumq. and a good tfo~.
O. It. P.1r.unu mtt the p.1uy at Homb.i) ;al'IU 'k.U ultn 1,;
Loudon ..1l the c:xpcn)C of the Su1e to wllc-ct impon.im lnuvti•
c.tl documents. Dr, Tcng!,he. "ho w;i1 then ht AnK:hC.l. Ol
;nl.cd to join them m w1<lon, ~,n. fr;i.Kr "'.11 \tilth the s;1uup.
111c ~bh;araj:1 :;i.nJ hi1 p.my kll &1111.lly for LonJm1 on ,-f.H
l7, lw:?, liv 1hc S-5. J'cn111ruf.Jr.
011 bouJ the !Jup ~l,1.h.1uj;i; l"r.i.l..lp Sm;tlJI o( l,1u n•
pbit1cd to :::,b.1hu Chh.11np.11i the p11ndplo c.t .\ru S.u:uj.
~!u.hu w.;u gbd 1h11 they w.pportcJ h~, (1,;i11 for socul .rnJ rel!•
giou, r11u::ilhr on the L.1,a o{ llt~ \'cJ.u
11'1 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: ·A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

was glad to see the old monuments associated with King Arthur
and King Alfred. The Head of the Winchester College held
a reception in honour of the Chhatrapati, the Maharaja of
Gwalior, the Aga Khan, Sir Jamshetji Jeejibhoy and others. On
behalf of the College, C. H. Malan made a welcome speech in
Latin to which Shahu replied in Marathi. 4 Shahu's speech was
translated into English by Sir William Lee-Warner.
On June 16, the Chhatrapati, along with the Indian Princes,
attended the great Parade of 30,000 troops at Aldershot, where
the Prince of Wales was present. The King was seriously taken
ill and could not be present at the Parade and his grave illness
led to the postponement of his Coronation. The Chhatrapati
was fortunate in visiting Edward VII before.,he was taken ill.
The Royal Asiatic Society gave a banquet in honour of the
Chhatrapati, the Maharaja. Sir Pratap Singhji and others. The
Maharaja 0£ Indore was seated on the right side of the Duke of
Connaught, while the Chhatrapati was seated on the left of Lord
George Hamilton. Pratap Singhji could not complete his speech
in English and so, to the accompaniment of sympathetic cheers.
completed it in Hindi. 5 Shahu then visited the London Homeo-
pathic Hospital· and eager as he was to know new methods and
paths in medicine· ,he gave a trial to Homeopathy when his
brother fell ill with an attack of dysentery. He had boundless
love for his brother and waited on him untiringly during his
illness. •• • :·
A few days later Shahu Chhatrapafr paid a call on Hamilton
who told him. to stand up -to .the Brahmins. Shahu acquiesced.
Hamilton had· derived his opinion from Northcote that Shahu
was "a ·weak vessel". 6 Hamilton even passed on his opinion·
about Shahu to Lord Curzon, -the then Governor-General of
India.
• A reception to Indian Chiefs and Princes was held on June
24, 1902, at the Imperial In:Stitute,:London. Their host was Lord
Northbrook, who ·was Viceroy and Governor General of India in
1~72. ~any high .dignitaries and officials who had been asso-
ciated w1th th~ Indian administration attended it. The beje-
welled · d h of. Gwalior, Kolhapur, Ja1pur,
B h MaharaJas • . B'k ·
1 aner,
coo ch
e a~ an •ot ers·with glittering line of ancient splendours and
magmficence, made their way through the western crowds.
 \'OYAGE AND THUNDER 115
The Chhatrapau was gnen a dmner on June 30, by the Peases
who had enjoyed his hosp1tahty :it Kolhapur only two months
earlier. Many of his old friends met the Maharaja and rene .... ed
their acquamtance. On July 2 the :Maharap had the honour of
dining with the Prince of Wales. Accompanied by the Maharaja
Scmdia and the Aga Khan he p:ud a ,mt to Windsor Castle.
The Royal Agricultural Society of England at its annual meet-
mg presented some Indian Princes with honorary members'
badges The l\faharaJa of Kolhapur was one of tl1em to rec.ene
Jt at the hands of the Pre,ident Prime Christian. Thh honour
was done to him as "a mark of personal respect to him and as a
compliment to the great terntory he so worthily represented".
The society marked llS apprec1auon of the keen interest the
Chhatrapati took in agnculture by making him an honor.i.ry
member.
On July 4 a significant e,ent tool. place. A Ro)al Darbar "as
.held ar the India Office for the decoration of v.hich about 800
workers and artists had worked £or 5everal da)s, The Indian
Prmce.s mduding the Chhatrapati, the 1\faharaJa of Indore,
Jaipur. Bd,aner and Girnlior ttere guests of His Majesty. In the
presence of about 3,000 Briush and foreign represenuu,·es these
Indian Pnnces, passing in procession before the Pnnce of Wales,
stood in a semmrcuJar posiuon and dJd him profound obei.5.anre.
Sayajirao Ga1kwad absented himself and saved h1mse1£ from the
humiliating gesture Following these unhappy Princes, Indian
Army Officers presented their sword to the Prince of Wales in
tol..cn of loplty As these colol>Sal expenses \\ere imposed on
Indra without its Viceror's consent, some statesmen in Ilntain
and India shed p1t1ful tears. on Uus callous attitude of George
Hamdton who defended tI1e act of spendfog Indian money so
callously. C\en The Times of India and Pioneer brandhhe<l
their pens without betra)tng the appearance of a sha.m fight. •
Thu grand spectacle declared to aJJ .Europe.an pol\cn that the
Bntish Empire '\'.as at the zenah of its glory and pol<.cr; and 1hat
by the complete surrender of tl1e lmhan Princes d1cy had become
its helpless ussals. Parliament in' 1864 d~lx:d the Indi.in
Princes as "Pnnces and States m alliance with His Majesty"/
but m 1889 they were described by 1Parhamcnt "as under the
suzeramtY of her Majesty".• The Indian Princes canicd o~
116 SHAllU CHl!ATRAPATl: A RO\',\L REVOLUTIONARY

their programme on this occasion as they were directed by the

British Imperialists.
The British people, though struck by the strange omainents,
dress and paraphc111alia of the Princes and the carrying of pots
full of Ganga water, described some of them with ridicule as
••raj ale ts" .0

II

On July ll the Chhatrapati attended the Empire Coronation

:nanq_uet which was held at the Royal Colonial Institute. States•
1nen from all parts of the British Empire were present. In the
-absence of the Secretary of State, Joseph Chamberlain, Lord On•
.slow presided and proposed the toast of the Empire. The
•Chhatrapati had the privilege of replying to 1he toast on behalf
IQf the Indian Princes. He proudly said that it was the first .
occasion on which the Colonial Statesmen and Princely Indian
had met together and at least the Indian Princes held that they
~11 stood together as one. Shahu was all praise for Chamberlain
and said that Chamberlain's name stood for ererything that
tended to promote the unity, interests and honour of the whole
Empire of which he was proud to form a part. 1 Q
. Sir ·william Lee-Warner, the author of the Protected Princes
of India (1894) gave a Garden Party to the Chhatrapati on July
16, 1902. A seasoned· imperialist, Lee-Warner was an admirer
,).lld supporter of Shahu, friend of his father ancl foimer Political
Agent of Kolhapur. The Chhatrapati paid a glowing tribute to
Sir William Lee-Warner for his guidance and friendship.
The tour had brought over the Chhatrapati a· profound and
significant dgmge., Jt gave a stimulus to his thoughts on the
ameli9.ration of. the poor classes and encouraged him tQ become
a ch~mpion of the uplift of the Backward Classes. So he decided
to give a practical shape to his thoughts and declared in his.State
Gazette of July 26, 1902, that in- pursuance -of his policy of re-
moving the backwar_clness. of the .. Backward Classes and with a
view tQ giving incentives to them to pursue higher education, he
•decided _to 1eserve a larger share of employment· in .the State
seryices. than. hitherto, had been the case .. He<was therefore
_please<:I: '.'to, direct. that from the date of his_ order fifty per cent
 \OYACR AND THU~DER 117
of the vacancies that may occur shall be filled by recruits from
among the Backward Classes."
"In all offices," the notification added. "in which the propor-
tion of officen of the Il;1ckward Classes 1s at present less than fifty
pi::r tent, the next appointment shall be ghen to a member of
these classes." According to the notification, the BacLward
Classes meant all classes other than the Bra.hmins, Prabhus,
Shenav1s, Pams and other ad, a need classes.
This w.is not a mere ordinary manifesto, it ·was the precursor
of a. new era not only in the Kolhapar State but also in British
Indfa dedanng the arriva:1 of the rights of the Backward Classes
11 was shoclfog to m:my and it enraged many lested mtezests.
Meanwlule, the members of the Jlo}a1 family in Rolhapur
'lliere happy to heat the news about tbe reciprocal banquets and
speeches made in Engl;md. 5akwarbai Ranisaheb was greatly
plea'led and the little Princes and the Pnncess ,u•re e,cr wonder•
mg what their father was going to bn11g for them from England.
The common folk and the Badward Classes were happy to hear
the nevt"s about their ?\foharaja. The Political Agent Ferns was.
glad to ·write to him that he had e\er)' reason to khOW that the
Viceroy w:15 aware o[ what had been going on in J(olhapur as.
regards the Vedokta contrO\eny, and he hoped thu the Maha-
raja would remain firm. 11
l\Ieant1me the Drahmin patty l'l.::ts holding secret meeting,,
consulting lawJers and orgamsmr; conferences to <lecide the
course of further actJOn ag.amst the unbending tuler,
On June 27, 1902, Shrrgaonlar, the Acting Chief Judge, in-
formed the l\.faharaJa that, "the Brahmins are as usual , ery
troublf'some and arrogant and it has become ,ery difficult for us.
to bear with them. I ,~ould therefore most earnestly tequest
Your Highness to return here as early as )ou can."
'Whtle in England, the 1',fahar.ija raised the salary of his Dewan
by two hundred rupees. Modest and moderate, the Dewan wtore-
to his ruler thac no one dtsltked promotJon, •but ••1 t.11..t: the-
1,berty of,respectfully suggesting that under tJie pre~nt drcuro~
.-itanres I 1\otlld remain quite content with a promonon of Rs 100
onl}', That brings my salary nearly on a leH:l',d~ that of the
uattmg pay of my predecessors in-office: and ,uth the he~n1y
expenditure in v1ew,-an<l espeoally i( '"e ha,e another bad )ear,
llS s11.,11u c1111xr1u1•.n1: A M>\'.\l. 1tnou:nos,\ll.\'

I would most rc.sp.:crfully r<:quc..,l a n:co1hidcrJtio11 of the order

to be passcd." 1·~
Jn 1hc thiul week of Julr l!lll~. the Chh;1trap,11i ;rntl hi., p:irtY
left London for the Cou1incn1. Si:cint! the £i1td To\~cr :mi\
N;1polca11's Tomb a1 Pali\, and p,1,\i111~ rlnou~lt ;\(jl;tn aucl
Vc11in.•, he rcachcc! Flor<:un: 011 July !!·l 11'!1,:g• lbi;11,1111 Chli.itra:
paci brcatht:(l his {;1\t. :\ ~lone hmt of Raj;ir;11n Chh.11.-;1p:ill
,tancls there on a lil;;h pcdc,tal, c1nc1l with 1k,i:~m. in ;t ~;11dcn
on the bank o( rhc River :\rno. The li/{IIIC bc.1h p<.·:irl ;uul
diamond neckla,c~ and ;i harlaad 0£ nn\·1k,. .\11 11111hidb
shchers rhc bu~t. lt i.s lookc;l aftcl' by 1hc F101t:nn: ;\lunicipaliiy.
The :-.Iahar.1j;1 and his p;u 1y Jid ol;ci\;111cc w rhc Ulbl hy pl_ac·
ini.: floral wreathes at its h:bc ;111d wc,1ihippcd il iu the lnd1;111
fashion hv bmnin~ in,.emc. The uuH irnp1c,,c.s one \1·i1h fmc
moustad1~.,, a head1:,car o( Koll1apur type :mcl piotrudin!{ chill
s11ggc.1th·c o( S<:l(-rcspcctin~ dc111cat11>ur. Io 111c111ory tif \he
great soul, Shah11 Chhatrap:1ti fctl tht: poor ;it Florcw:c wuh
great devotion.
A sincere bdicn:r ;1s he w;1s in thc rdiiious sacrw1cnc, hl'
worshipped, even during his stay in Lonl!ou :incl chcwherc in
Europc, the Shaivic symbol which hc h;u..l gol r;111u1>eil 011 hi.~ left
hand. He had a ccrrniu faith in devotional \~cmhip to the end
o( his life. E\'eryday he worshipped the dcilies in the morning
before resuming his office or domesdc \l'ork. Early in his life he
and his brother would pay their dc\'c>tions regularly ;u the Gaibi
Mosque or Darga at Kag:11, Amba at Kolhapur ;1ml in chc village
of Hupri.
On July 26 the Chhatrapati and his grnu1> visited Mount
Vesuvius at Naples and had a peep into the huge and huwing
craters on the top. At meal time, the Chh:nrapati, to his sur-
prise, was served a dish of ox•tongue. .McNeil scohlcd the hotel·
keeper who innocently replied that the dish had no beef but
ox-tongue and there was no harm in eating it. At this everyone
was convulsed with laughter.
Rome's great amphitheatre accommodating thousands or
spectators impressed Shahu greatly and the Vatic;m remindetl
him of the Papal Bulls at Kolhapur.
"The strain of the visit to Italy," observed a companion, "was
too much for every one of us, but His Highness during the whole
 VOYAGE AND THUNDE.R 119
time of the Ulp kept good he:tlth." His mqufaitiie mind enquir~
ed about every thing new t11at he came a.cross, and sometimes he
had to catch the train at the last moment.
Th~ Glass Factory at Venice, where Shahu bought some special
l)pe of glass plates for the Court, made htm cnqntre ab01,1,t the
de,efopment of the glass mduslry in India. Because of his multi.
farious duties, he could not apply his mind to starting the
industry m Kolhapur. From his visit to Scotland he derived the
idea. of vast parl.s to prerene game and from Rome the value of
large theatres. L:i:ter, at Rajpu1wad1, he reared bees for about
two }ears which industry he brought from Italy He 11-anted to
send some one to learn the methods of Italian agrkulture, but
he could not find a suuable candidate.
On Ins return tC> London on August I, the Chhatrapatt mvited
some lndfo..n students to a dinner when he discus~ed their pro-
blem~ and tried to find out how theu number could be increased
by arranging, boarding and lodging at lower rates alld 1et giving
the nght type of educauon S. B. Qhavale, Gadgil,and Kolaskar
we.re some of the students v.ho met him. The MaharaJa also met
Fatte~mha Gaikwad, the Prfoce of Baroda.. at' Oxford, where he
was Stud]'ing ~
,l
' ') ' ,
,J
~ ,.... , i

In England. the,,p~atrapati lfoz:.e, his,Jpdian drt;.ss, and a~e

1mnple 1ndran food. He v.,as, howe~er, carefoJ 1 in prowdmg hu
1 - I
group w1th Indian dishes which they liked most. El-ery day he
made inquiries about' the food served to rhem and about the,r
• , r { {
health , What ts, more interesting, he used to ,,talk Jiome {~om
Hyde Park, and his companions could not keep pace with hu
dow stride. Ha fine gait, with his majes~ic figure, attracted
admirers, and rnd~d statldwg sLX. foot fhe ~nd weighing ab,out
350 pound& he was .a remarl.able figure in ,crov.ds and at sodaI
gatherings. His personality msp1red resPfc~,and cotd1al1ty m hJS
'HS1tors and among tl}e speuators at conferences which he
attended J

, HI
' '
On Saturday. August 9, His Majesty Edward Vll, King
Emperor pf we greatest .Empire the worJ~ had cveT :;ecn, wa5
aowped by the Archbishops of Canterbury and YorL ~t West•
120 SHAlIU CHHATRAPATl: A ·ROYAL REVOLVTIONARY

minster Abbey.. Alt4ough the cerempny was shoi:n of something

of the .magnificence originally planned, the scene in the Abbey
was more georgeous. The Indian Princes were striking figures.
In the procession •which started after · the •coronation, several
Indian Chiefs and Princes were included as Aides-de-camp to the
Ring-Emperor and· the Prince · of ·wales; The King and the
Queen received the Maharajas of Gwalior and Kolhapur previ-
ous to the holding of the Privy Council meeting. The Maharaja
of Jodhpur, perhaps sick of his sword, which was worth
£10,000, presented the·Emperor with it. As for him, there.was
no• further question of banner and sword.
• While the· Indian Princes were meekly surrendering to the
whims of the imperialists, the Indian students at Oxford flatly
refused to give an address to the King and they were branded as
seditious by the Secretary of State for India. But it was surpris-
ing that Pradyotkuinar Tagore declared that India would have
been more honoured had one of the Indian Princes been given
the opportiini~y of holding the folds of the gown of the .British
Queen. Publishing this news, the· Kesari, trying to have a dig
at the Maharaja' of Kolhapui-; commented on it. • Had these
folds been held by the Queen of Gwalior or Kolhapur, men in
India with loyqlty but with Hindu spirit in· them 'would have
been pained. at the spectade.13 ' • ',-' • •
The Coronatio:'1 over, the. Chhatrapati decided not' to .exten~
his sojourn in England as the dread of scarcity and' p!ague· was
hC1vering over his. State. Besides, he was informed that the
Brahniins 'ivere busy intriguing and thinking: of' adding political
trouble to their divine wrath against him. · '· • · .' ' •
The Maharaja sincerely thanked Hill ~nd' ·bade farewell to
friends, admirers, and 'supporters with some of whom he develop-
ed a lifelong friendship. With Hill, 'too; he built a lifelong
friendship, useful, abiding and healthy. • ··.. · · •
The Chhatrapati was happy that he was introduced· to His
1!~jcsty the_ King-Emperor and the members of his family. The
vmt gave him an opportunity of cultivating acquaintance with
some Members of Parliament, Statesmen and Ministers at the
head of the Empire. , • ' .• •• ·, •
After a l1seful and· happy tour of three and a ·half n:iontlis,
Shahu Chhatrapati left ·Lon'don 'on August 14 and he returned
 VOYAGE AND TIIUSDER , 121
with his party to Bombay on August !SO, 1902. On landmg in
Bombay, the Maharaj a spent a few hours at the Ratnalar Palace
of Manilchand and reached Kolhapur on the Sunday morning
of August SI.
Bet\\een Kolhapur and Miraj the people held receptions for
Shalrn. The Hatlalangade l\fumcipahty was the first to congra.
tulate him on the Notification declanng 50% 1esenatmn for
Backward Classes in Gm,emment Services. On the amval of the
Maharaja in Kolhapur, the people-Marathas, Jams and Muslims
in spite of Brahmin indifkrence, spontaneously ga\e thetr be-
Ia,ed ruler and saviour a thundering welcome at the Statton.
The resolution on reservation of .fifty per cent posts for the
Backward Classes was a thunderbolt to the Brahinins. Of the
State, population of mne lakhs, the non-Brahmins formed· an
o,envhelming portion, the Brahroins and the other advanced
classes numbermg only about t,\enty-s1x thousand. Compara-
tively, Shahu was liberal to them. Yet his notificat10n was
COtidemned by the Kesari as an unjust and unwise step, 'It said
the resolution was a shocking surprise not only to the Brahm1m
but also ta the well-wishers of the State. Besides, the Kesrm added,
1
nobody had heard so far that the 1\faharaja h,i'd made any efforts
in pto\oiding £or the education of the Telis, 'Tambolis, Muslims
and Lingayau. ' ' •
The Mah~atta, another journal of Tilak, obsened that the
result was to make admission to the State sen ice a raaal question
an,d it amounted to placing caste considerations abo"e merit.1'- A
few days later the l\lahratta again said that it' did not object to
Maratha rule~ spending thousands of rupees to ensure that, their
castemen \\e;e educated It did, howe\er, obJect to the effort
"to make a hot-house growth of one caste "U
'The Kesari and l\fahratta seemed apparently ad,ancing ,the
principle of "merit-befJre caste" as they l\ere afraid ~hat' if the
British Government' foUowed that pol,1cy of re,cru1~mg non•
llrahmins in Bnthh India, it ·would ba,e to resene GO\,ernroen~
posts for the :Muslims, Anglo-Indians, l\!arathas; Te~1s, Tambohs,
Shimpis, Kunbis and native Christians. The R.cscm alfeged tbat
under the pretext of the uphft of the Bad.ward Classes, the ruler
• the mtercst
\\a.s advancmg ' ,o£ th e 'f
•• ara thas, 'The belief that .the
policy v.ould be beneficial to the State ·w:is not souocl au d ,~ue.
122 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL IU:VOLUTION,\RY

It was an indication of confusion or misjudgment of the issues,

it concluded.HI
Yet Tilak was described as a leader of the Telis and Tambolis.
The other Brahmin mouthpieces condemned the notification as
"nothing short of death and destruction of all responsible and
legitimate hopes of Brahmins in the Kolhapur State." All over
Maharashtra the Brahmins regarded this order of the Maharaja
as something like a sacrilege. The Veclokta demand was a chal-
lenge to their spiritual power, but this policy of the uplift o£
the Backward Classes was a blow to their temporal power. They
were shrewd enough to anticipate the danger. And they doubly
·concentrated their energy on the Vedokta controversy and treat·
ed it as a trial of strength.
Meanwhile, Rajopadhye had preferred an appeal LO the Coun·
dl in the absence of the Maharaja against the order of l\fay 6.
The Council, after a hearing, dismissed it on A\lguSt 3. This
decision naturally aroused the anger of the Brahmins and added
fuel to the flames that had been burning for days together.
Indignant at this decision, the Samarlh, defender of the Brah·
mins, condemned it outright. "The majesty of law,'' it said in a
shrill voice, "h.as been violated, prescriptive right has been dis-
:regarded, bonds of courtesy have been outstripped, consideration
of respect and reverence had been reduced to the vanishing point;
in:ont!.word, the credit of indigenous talent for administration
has been destroyed." This shrill cry shows how the tide of Brah·
min bitt!c!mess, was rising.
•There was no question of the Bralunins welcoming the Maha•
raj a. bac~ to Kolhapur at a special function. On the contrary,
the -disgruntled and the Tilakites fro~ Poona tried to set ~p an
opposition and mar the ~ec\'!p~ion;. but. they f~iled and failed
ignobly. . ... . , • . . . .
. }'he Cit,: ;F~thers of Kolhapur, Loo? did, their Maharaja honour
m a befittmg way .and presented him with an address. Iuune-
diately after his arrival and. the recept,ions, the M<!haraja paid
homa.ge to goddess Bhavani. at t.he old palace and to Ambabai
the c1ty.g<?qd_ess as it was customary for the Royal family to paY
homag: t9 .the gods and godd~sses. ~fter a long absence. The
~rahm111s wanted to. prevent the Maharaj a from visiting the
titular godd~s~es l!-~ they wanted. him firs~ to do penance• for
 VOYAGE AND nt\JNDER, I 123
h:wing crassed the seas, But he boldly refused to do so. The
Brahmins had some orthodox Marathas on their side. They
wanted the MaharaJa to obey the commands of the l3rahmms .
.But the majorfry of Mar.athas tbJe.atened to oppo:,e the Brahmms
if they persisted in their opposttion to the MaharaJa and pre-
vented him from visiting the temples. None came fonvard to
compel him to do so. It tnight be noted here that SavaJirao
Gaik.wad, the MaharaJa of Baroda, had to undergo an expiation
after tetunung from a foreign tour.
, A public meeting; organised by the Chief of Vishalgad, Aba-
sahe b Pantpratinidh1, who had d1sappr0\ed the attitude of the
Ro}al priest, held on behalI of the people a reception to the
Maharaja and presented him w1th the people's address In reply,
the Chhatrapati said that he valued most the compliments paid
t~ htm by the illustnous statesmen George Hamilton and was
pl~ased to note the Bntish rigid d1sdplme, their sterling honesty~
thorough bu5Iness-lil.,e habits, love of crut!t and 1mtice, and sdf-
sacnficing- public spiJiL ,'
On September 2 tbe Marathas presented their addre~s in a
golden casket bes1deJ hosting a dmner and displa}1~1g Jire,,orl.s
~n Shahu"s. honour._,The Jains and Muslims, wo, held n~ceptions
in honour o( theiri ruler. 1 , , ' ' 1 ' ' '
:', 'The Rap.ram Club presented the Maharaja with,an1 addms
purposely, emphasi:ungi on the non-communal charac.ter of,irs
dub. The J\.fahal'<!'Ja deftly replied that the d.istmctfon of caste
would not cease to exist unless education was more W1dely spread:
and, so Jong as thtre was •a •wide range of differences bet¥<een
,the educational le, els of, various cqmmunities. r all I superficial
measures adopted to eradicate these distincuons would be of no
avail. some Brahmins_ had joined in' the reception at' some
places as they could not do otherv,ise. , ' I !,
The Brahmins harped on the Ma.ha.ra;a':; new,recruiunent
policy °"'htch they clubbed ..caste before ment," because he i;-a,e
the no~-Btahmms a. share in.administration. The l\faha.raJJ w:-·
fully aware ot their h05tdity, anJ •said .later;, "l\ly pohcY <
bnnging forward tbe,llackward Classes u Hewed ~1th disfa,•o\l
1

by mQst of 1I1em.· 13-ut they h.:ne 1 to reronole them.sehet to th

new surroundings and the dzanr;e tlJ..ll ume bas brouglu abo111
The feudatones iWiU take time before tl1er &ee thi..m;$ in
124 SHAI-IU CHHATRAPATI: A! ROYAL sREVOLUTIONARY

new light that is being throwri on them." "With many difficulties

11
to face," he concluded, "I, have rather 'a hard •task::before me."
\ i•,
IV
',,·.
During Shahu's absence from Koihapur, Tilak's colleague, R.
P. Karandikar from Satara and M. R!. Bodas, one-time -Tilak's
assistant editor, had done their• utmost to help Rajopadhye who
was hoping against hopes. The force of social equality brought
all reactionaries like -Balasaheb- Natu, a notorious ultra-reaction-
ary from Poona, to the surface. According to Tilak,· Natu came
of a family that was responsible for the ruin of the Peshwa~.
Natu visited Satara and with his ribald tongue· threatened the
descendants of the Satara ruler to get an admission •in favour
of'·Rajopadhye. Natu was outdoing ·at Satara the black doirigs .of
his forefather. Th{ Satara Royal family' ,vas indifferent to •the
problem. One· of its· •members· is said to have remarked that
those who were in power were only Kshatriyas.' As' he hi'mself
was not in power, according to his rule, he was n·ot a Kshatriya
and he cared not a straw about it.
Just at this ,time, the Chhatrapati was overtaken by domestic
distress. His adoptive mother, Anandibai Ran1saheb breathed
her last ,on· September '14; 1902. ·During the three preceding
years she had· been •suffering frequently from acute pain: in
stomach and· the malady gradually sapped her health. Amiable
by disposition, she had a charming personality and ,used· much
of her ·energy· in promoting female education as much as •she
could. The ·whole .•afternoon· Shahu passed • in •performing
obsequies· according to· Vedic rituals at. considerable· cost. A
month later,· a big ·bell· ··worth ·Rs. 1,200. was ·donated to ·the
temple of Mahalaxmi as a mark of respect. for her memory, as
desired by the deceased. •
While he was thus· engaged in this :do'mestic work, the Brah·
mins, everi ·at that sad and solemn occasion at the· burning Ghat
warned him against ·his performing the obsequies 'in Vedic fonn'.
With despicable fro,vns;they·s'aid. ori·tlie bank.'of the river "Who
shall perform the obsequies' of a woman who -is a Shuclra?"
These cutting words pierced the heafr of Shahu·· Chhatrapati
and he later sadly observed, "How harassing,· ho,v ·cutting, hoW
 \OYA.GE MD THUNDER 125
' ! '

insulting, ho\\' mortJ[)ing must 1t have been to me then? But

1 gulped It down " TJie cllmax of Ilrahnun angel" Wa.$ reached
when some firebandJ uho hJd already marked houses with bloody
red finger-pruus, now set fire to the old Palace of the 1\Iahara1a
on that ,cry mght on September H and recorded their rising
discontent and hatred The Maharap was. suddenly awal..ened by
cnes of the people l\ho ,1ere shouting aloud that his palace
w.u on lh:e. In hot haste he ,,mted tl1e spoc and found that a
fire had broi..en out m the palace surrounded on one side b}
the old records an<l on the other by the granary a.nd the other
states of an infl.unmable nature.
Ferris addscd lhc Mahara1a to notify Pendharl..ar, the Chief
of Police :md the Fouzdar of Kolhapur, tl1at il witlun three
months the origm of tlie fire ;md the perpetrators of the blood-
stamcd finger-marls ,1ere not d1SC0\ered, their sen1ces ,1ould'be
dispensed with.
1'he lltahmins repeated their curses on the l\fabaraJa and
propounded their pet tl1eones that because Shwa11 and SambhaJi
aspired f-0 Vedokta rituals they met theu· death and Ga._ira
Bhatta also had niet the death he desened b; dying ma Ia,atory.
One day while dtscussmg these Brahm.in misdeeds, the Maha•
raJa said that he "as not afraid 0£ death or any other calamity
on 11imsell or on lus fnend. "Tl1e Brahmin comnwmty," lie
sadly obsencd, ~•»,naturally Jubilant over the double calamity
which they ascnbe to tlle anger o[ God." "But," he added, "m
case such a calamity befalls ;my,of us, I uould be wrr1 that it
wouI<l gne the Br.i.hmins.,an opportunity to boa~t, that their,
wrath w.1s eff~tne 3-nd then to explOJt the supei'iUrions of men,
Let us not meet with accidents until their influence is put dm~n,
lest tlley should tal.e advantage of the ~ccidents to put down
our cause:~~ ,.,. , J. q •
When such men ::is were cursed by, Br.thmms for1 lhek pro-
gressne, ,1ews d.ted, they ahta)S boasted that their ,cunes. '"ere
.. ery effectne. Balashastn •Jambhekar, a 1 man of grCJt learn-
ing and, progre~she .,je\\-S, died m '846., 1 he, BraI1mms said
that lie bad died prema:Wtely as their curses nere eJfectne, for
he had tned to v.elcome back to Hindu rel1g1on a )oung man
who had been comcrted to Chrhtiamty._ They ,may ba,e v.his-
pered the sanie thing when f the' 1reformer Agarkar d1rd a pre-
mature death.
126 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

As regards the calamities that befell the Chhatrapati, the

Brahmins were glad about them and attributed them to the
wrath of God, for the Maharaja had flouted the scriptural pre-
cepts of the Brahmins and attached their sanads. The Maharaja
wrote to Hill: "I was surprised to hear the version of the Brah-
min community regarding the origin of the fire. They say that we
wanted to do away with the sanads of the Brahmins and then
to deprive them of their Inams.. : . It is not improbable;
however, . that they might have purposely done this and to
destroy_ the evidence against them."18
Some Brahmin priests actually tried to impress upon Shahu's
mind that the finger-prints and the fire were ominous fore-
bodings;. so they must propitiate the gods to avert· the coming
tragedy. Shahu curtly replied that if after their propitiating the
gods, evil things happened, he would put them in prison. Upon
this there was silence. He therefore asked them. to ·quit the
Palace and stop the cheating business.19
The. Maharaja stuck to his guns tenaciously against all the
so-called spiritual forces which had been so far unchallenged
through the ages in India. This was the very mentality that
organised a funeral procession of Agarkar, the social reformer,
while he was alive. •
Undaunted by • these, threats; physical and spiritual, the
Chhatrapati ordered that those priests. who refused to perfonn
Vcdokta rites for the royal family should cease to -receive any
cash allowances from the State. Accordingly the grants and Inams
of a large number of Brahmins all over the State were confis-
cated. •They were enjoying these grants· from the State for their
religious duties but now refused to recognise the Kshatriya status
of the l\faharaja on principle for fear of excommunication.
They paid a high price for their bigoted practices and institu·
tions which were the centre of their life.
It is clear ·that the force of social eq·uality was operating
th~ough Sh~hu, and circumstances had more •effect than con-
scious purpose in moulding his life.- -He was driven into the
battle_ field in which Mahatma Phooley had fought to establish_
a society based on social justice and reason. By his courage;·
kai:~essness and progressive outlook, Shahu was developing into
a fearless leader of the new Maharashtra. , . •
 C/1.f PTER 9
De,nand for A New India

THE !\fahata.Ja "-as 111 111:1:d of a good l'nnc1pal for Ra1arani

C.Ollcgc and he appointed Arthur Sidney Lucy m place of F.
Adair from October 19, 1902. The Ko)hapur llrahmin college
students, on the occasion of bidding fare,,u:11 to Adair, the Prin.
cipal, ltaged the play Sliri Tukaram (1901) in \'ohid1 the Vedokta
scene aptJCarcd. In the actual pla}, the scene No. 4 was printed
as a Part 0£ Act ll I.mt at the end of the hook, that u. afrer
Act V. 1 l::\i!Jcntly u was an afterthought. The opp0nent of Saint
Tul-.aram, one Ramedt\'oar llhatt, tells Tlllaram in the pl::ty that
bdng a Shu<lra he hu no ught to Vctlolta. Olniously, Vasudeo
Rangnath Shmallar, t.hc pla)wnght, trieJ to hold up I.he action
o{ the :\fo.har.lJa in the Vetlolta affair to nd1cule. Shahu Chhatra•
pati left the matter alone, but the Marlthas protested again5t
the play and lhrca.tened to resort to force, It may be noted here
that the play 'l\as dedicated to NataFm Dabasaheb Ghorp.'lde
of lchallaranji \\ho J.l\\'ays sl}ly opposetl Shahu Chhatrapat.i.
Tfte Chhatrapat1 tool. these strong steps, but worked , cry
cautiously. In Hirte village, a ,tllagc officer o\er-enthusiastically,_
tea<l a proclamauon 155ued by the Ilrahntins excoill!nunicating
those Ilr.ihnuns ""ho sided Mth the l\laharaja m the Vedo'kta
affair. The zealot \'.as dtsmisscd unceremomously. He had be·,
come a hendunan of the orthodox Ilrahmins instead of actmg as
the headman of a, Hllase. Joshlfao, \\ho perfonned Vedakta
ntuab at the Palace, became a urget of Brahmin auad. 1
Meantune1 U1c Drahnuns had deputed Vijapurkar to the
Chhatrapat1 10 find out \l.hether the Dewan was m fact working
acconlmg to his orders. Dewan Sabms was away on lea, e for
sonic tm1c and the Chhatrapau wrote to hint about the blood'
JZ7
128 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUT!ONAR\"

finger marks on houses in Kolhapur and in the districts. He

also requested the Dewan to meet Claude Hill in Bombay and
also Hari Narayan Apte of whom many Europeans spoke well •.
Now the Brahmins feared that the Vedokta controversy had
spread through all over Maharashtra. Professor Vijapurkar,
therefore, suggested in September 1902, that a committee of six
members two from the following seven members Dr. Bhandarkar,
Professor Katwate, Professor V. K. Rajwade, Atre, Agashe, Pro-
fessor Bhadkamkar and Professor Pendse; two Shastries' nominees
and two Sanskrit-knowing Europeans should decide the question
of Vedokta and their decision should be put before the Shankar·
acharya for orders. 2 But this suggestion was ignored. About this
time the K.esari with apparent generosity observed that although
there was controversy over the. r~cital of the Vedas, there was
no objection to the Marathas ·being imparted secular education.
This indicated that Tilak had slightly modified his earlier rigid
position.
The Chhatrapati was in a hurry to go to Delhi to attend the
Delhi Darbar which was to commence on December 29, 1902.
For the previous five or six months preparations had been going
on in• Delhi, and his men had made all arrangements for his
stay in a special•cainp. The Maharaja, accompanied by the Poli-
tical Agent •Ferris, •his feudatories and some European guests,·
left by special trains for Delhi on December 23, HJ02. On their•
way the party visited the Ajmer- Mayo College, the. Annasagar
Tank,· the famous Darga Saheb and the· Jain temple,· reaching
Delhi on December 27, 1902 ..
The Darbar festivities commenced on December 29. The
Chhatrapati led the Bombay Chiefs in the procession. He him-·
self· mounted his elephant and· the Pantapratinidhi of Vishal- ·
~adh· and ·tlie Panta-amatya of Bavada occupied the back seats
m th~. Howdah where they exercised the privilege of performing
the -time-honoured duty of bearirig His Highness' morchals, the
royal: insignia.· Sayajirao Gaikwad; • to. Curzon's displeasure, did
not participate in the processio~. He··had flatly. refused to do so
if it was not compulsory as a duty. .
The main function took place on the first day of the year
1903._ The Chhatrapati •attended, a party hosted by the Viceroy,·
Lord Curzon, on January 9, 1903. ·on this occasiori the Chhatra-
 D.EM'.Ar,,o FOR A NEW, IN0L\ t, I! 129
pati was mve.sted by His Ro}al Highness the Duke of Connaught
Wi[h t:he Grand CroS$ of the Vn:tonan Order, lie wa:Mhe first
Indian, Prince to be thus hon9ured. 1, ,,, 1

The Chhatr?,paU an~ his, party left Delhi on January 11, 1903
and re~ched Kolhapur on January JS, 1903. On hit war back
h,e, met 1\faharaja Sa}aj1r.tq ,Gark.¼ad at Baroda, and as. 1t ·was
a private ,.isit there was no publicity about 1t. They mfght
have discussed the Vedokta issue. Accordtng to Shahu, the Delhi
Oarbar was a magnificent function, and mo:>t impresshe, Such
an' asse_rub~y of P..rinces, hf oq~ned~ under1, the prorecrw11 of
one lJOi<.C~ was an e\-ent unpr-sce~ented in the h.i.icory of,India,
After the adverse decision
1... l
of the
u~
Council on the appeal of
RaJopadhye, he appealed to the Political Agent against I the
decision of' the Counal In tlus he was bad.ed by Natu: Setlur:
Rodas, Karandikar and othe.r T1lakJtes. They h.ad dete~med
to c.·ury'on the.1r struggle ull they acbie,ed a resounding l'ictory.
The Chhatrapati was 'toid that they would take the matter to
the highest tnbunal,' that is, Parliament, and that if they did
~ot succeed 1\~1t.h 1 1b; 'e"1strng British 'Ministry, lhe/hoped to
wm their' 1pomt ~hen 'the Liberals came into po1;er. 3
During the l\faharaJa's a~sr!:nce from Kolhapur, the Brahmins
took concerted'action and excommunicated the prie~ts v.ho had
gone 0\'er to his side. Those Brahmins were' not even allowed
to draw water from the public tap in a Brahmin locahty. 11f any
rtlafr,.e of theJrs died, his obsequies were not to be performed
by the sunivon;. Some of the leaden m the opposite camp came
to the Chhatr.i.pau and said that the existing strained feelings
were not at all desirable: but he plainly told them that It could
not be helped so long as they wanted to rule hiro.iHe beile1ed,
he added; that he was fighting for a noble cause. , ,1
The appeal preferred by Rajopadh)e •agains,t the decision of
the Couna.J was considered by Col Ferris in all its' aspects
Gnmg bi.a deasfon on February 19, 1903, he observed that be
could find notliing in, the cin::amst.:i:nces of the case that would
11-arr.:i.nt bis interference w1th the legitimate authomy and power•
of the MaharaJa He then pointed to the various nouces sen-ed
upon Rajopadhye and remarked lhau :is Royal priest he bad
failed in bis duties "'hich be was 1bound to c.arT1 out under
the san.ad and be hunsdf had admitted this m 1897. Thi:
130 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A :ROYAL 'REVOLUTIONARY

resumption :of lands was justified ·as··these were given him on

condition- that he would perfonn the services as 'a priest:·
Ferris ruled that the contention of· Rajopadhye that . the
alienation-. was unconditional and that the property; held was
his private- family ..property and not a remuneration for the
services- to:be-rendered by him, 'was baseless. In a memorial the
Royal priest had himself submitted in 1889, he had said that
"these gifts were- given in· corisideratiori of high office which the
Memorialists' ancestors held iii 1 the Kolhapur State." From this
decision of the. Political Agent, Rajopadhye made an appeal to
tile Government 'of Bombay. His' admirers, 'supporters and the
instigators had made it a point of ho~our and prestige of the
Brahiniu commu~ity, and _they were 'not willing to withdraw
from· the struggle.
··' But what was the Shanka;acharya doing all the time~ Shankar•
achirya Vidyashankar _Bharati was ~njoying the property of his
Math with all his children, relatives and other shastris , and
pundits. Spendthrift that he was, he sold ;alu'able articles of
gold, silver and silk, mort·g~geq. the iands with Balasaheb Natu
of Poona and gave away m~ney t~- his sons, brothers and other
relatives who bore· different names at different times. Forgetting
that he ~as ,_the tr~su;e of the estate and property, he thought•
lessly ran, through the fortune and had contracted heavy debts
since his ~ccession to the gadi of Shankaracharya in 1895. The
Shankaracharya's original name was Vasudevshastri Bhilavadikar.
Most of· the Shankaracharyas were Telangi Brahmins, Dravid
and Malayalam Brahmins, but in the latter part of· nineteenth
century the .Bhilavadikars occupied the gadi. The condition of
the Math and the misappropriation of its funds· had been
brought to the notice of the Chhatrapati .
. :Under the ·saµad of August 1863, the Kolhapur Darbar had
ordered that 'the long-established custom of obtaining Maharaja's
previous sanction £or the selection of the succe·ssor-disciple to
the gadi.; ought to be scrupulously, observed by -all Maths
enjoying grants· from the State. The Head of the Math was a
trustee and had no right. to sell or. mortgage the ]ands. It was
also in the power of the· ruler to see that ·the successor was pro-
perly chosen, that the. Head of the Math discharged his duties
 DEMAND FOR, A NE\'/ JNl)IA UH
attached to the Math honestly and efficiently and to disapprove
of any disciple tf .an unfit person was chosen to succeed.
Not mmdmg these restrictions and realising that b.e must
move to Sankeshwar in British territory on account of his debts
and the m1sappropnauon in 1'olhapur, Shanl.atacharya Bhila-
vad1kar adopted KashinathblJ.wa Gosavi Brahm::malkar on
February 23, 190.5 Before his accession to the gad1 of Shankar-
ach.ary.a, Brahmanallar was known as- a Kirt.:mkar, .1 good
speal..er and a man of the world. Moreover, he was selected for
his opimon that tl1e Chbatrapati was not ent1tled to the Vedol.ta
rituals as he was not a Kshatriya For thh stand the whole
Brahmin wodd m Maharashtra praised Brahmanalbr to the
sl.1es. Naturally Brahmanalkar was a\erse to taking up the ques-
tion of Vedokta.
Bhtla\ad1l.ar Swami had done this in consultation with the
Brahmm Chief Patwardhan of Sangli and others Brah.manaU..ar
was a man who had won the good oprnion of Tilak. Clearly
and definitely, Bh1lavad1kar Swami had set aside the rules in
'not seeking the previous sanctton 0£ the Chhatrapati to the
selection of his disciple. So the Chliatrapati issued an order m
March 190$ att:u:hmg the property' of the Math and another
order in May 1903, depn\ing the Shatikaracharya's officer of bis
c11rtl powers Undoubtedly this was a severe blow to Balasaheb
NatuJ who was the, mortgagee of the villages belongmg to the
Math in I Kolhapur and a challenge to those Poona Bralunin
leaders who had indirectly cherished hopes of controlling the
eccles1asuca1 power m Ma:harashtta through the Kolhapur Math.

f t'-" I II
' I~
On June 17, 1903, the Government 0£ Bombay showed one
more mark of confidence in the Chh.atrapatJ's admmi.suatfon.
Bnt15h statesmen ·were tak.mg an actfre interest in his affairs as
they found hini an able, tactful and sincere admmv;trator. The
Bombay Gm·emment, therefore, as a mark of appreo.uion of
lus good .2dmimst.raLion restored to hirn the po"'ers or the High
Court over the feudatotles in respect of cruninal 1uris.wc1ion,
"'hich were so far \Csted in the Britt.sh GO\emment under article
g of the Treacy of 1862: The Cbid-1 were ime.sred with aimmaJ
13? SHAHU CHHATRAPf\Tl: _A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

powers to give imprisonml!nt µpto -seven y~ars. But he decided

to reserve to the. Darbar only such cases .as were exclusively
triable by the Court of. Sessions. As there was some difference in
the interpretati1:m of the Government orders, Shahu-Chhatrapati
sought a clarification, ai;id the discussion went on. for·a few: years.
Another ev~nt took place on July, 18, 1903. In a small Darba~
at t_he residency, rerris gave away, coronation Silver Medals to
the Chiefs: Sardars, aµd the Chhatrapati, and_ Sir Gangadharrao,
Chief .ot Miraj (Senior), . received Gold ,Medals.-
On Sep,tember ·13,. ,1903, tlgee ~:rahmins named· .Vishnubhatt
Deodhar;. Balambhat Pa:rga.c;>,nkar ·and Vasudeobhat_ Pore, sub•
mitted a represe~tation. to the Shankarac;:harya, Shri Vidyashan-
kar Bharati, appealjng to him .to; dec:;lare his decision on the
Vedokta dispute.4 They said they were in service of the. Maha-
raja ai;i.d that the ,am,bigu~:ms_ situation pl~ced th~m in a predi-
cament. If they disob_eyed the ruler, they would lose. their grants,
-and i£ •they dis~beyed .. the, Brahmins who opposed the ruler,
they would be excommunicated. So they appealed to the ~hankar:
acharya to declai:e: whether.or_,not ~he Maharaja was<!- Kshatriya
and whether ht; had a right to the Vedokta rituals. If the deci-
sion went against the Maharaja, they would further move to get
their grievances redressed.·• .
The Government of Bombay gave its decision on October-16,
1903, in the case' of Rajopaclhye, upholding, the ,Kolhapur Coun-
cil's decision. It was' a strong, clear and· ·closely. reasoned judg-
ment. It was a great. relief to Shahu Chhatrapati.who had been
curtly told by some officers that the.qu·estiori wouid·be decided
according to its legal merits. The reason was that men like Natu,
i\Ioropant Joshi of Amravati, Setlur, Bodas and Karandikar were
working against the Maharaja. All Brahmin newspapers were
indignant at this decision and they denounced it as a piece· of
dishonesty. • .,, , . ,
Shahu Chhatrapati had been in a state of nervous unrest for
days. He now· heaved a sigh of relief. He sincerely expressed
his gratitude to the Members of the Governor's Council, saying
.thal he would have looked small in the eyes of Brahmin public
had the decision gone against him. To his friends in England
he sent the news of his victory..
Upon this, the advice given by Lee-Warner was typical. He
 DU.f,\~lJ Jail A M....1/ l~lll.\ 133
s.tiJ: "In :i.U di1pu1ts it is"'™' lo male up one's mind hhcther
the fight is wo1th the trouble.." lmlrro llJe Jis:;Ja ,,.,s for socfaJ
j\J$lkc, for hum.in nglit.s ;md so it \\';lS 1'0rthr of the task and
•~ublc. Sh;mu's fricnili and Ferris 1aid that the VcJokb ques-
tion a.s .:a contn:n-eny ""ouJJ now gradually d1e out
ConkqucntJy, the ,\cting Goi-emor i\fonceate wil.s gi,cn a
WJnQ :i.mi hc,uty ,,ckome hflen he ,isited K()fhapur ll\O days
bter. All S:mfan and Chiefs \\ere prc~nt al the Hation and at
lhc D.1rwr .1c the time- ol lus arrh-aJ and Jcp;rrturc.
The Vc<lolt:a di11mt~ \\Ci&hcd upon the Chf1attapati's tmnd
and Ilnhnuna!Lu'.1 adoption pH: him :i. lot o( trouble. He
turned inw,ml re.> !«l. .:J: rcmcdr. Writmg to hi, friend f..d_;crh· on
1-'dm,a.rr 22, 190 t he s.J. 1d "An idea is a mon~t us that \H~ nught
have JJric1ts o( our cute~ JUU :u the D.1nadny.1s-Go!dsnuths
hale done. The &no)-s (Sht'mi.s) h:ne :iho n1.1de s.imibr arrange--
menu and chcy ha,c fated ,err "-CIJ "'ithout the Drahm1ns."
ulc: the Jaini and Llng:1)aU, he wanted to throw off tI1e Ilr:i.h•
m,n )ale. This tJ1ough1 contains the &etd.s of the grt>l'ttl1 of the
idea ol the Ku1,1u,1 J.igadguru. Perhaps he thouglu th:zt if a
pt1at \',;lJ or one's O\Ul taste, he might not [)e SO arrogant.
1mpcriot1' and dcmoralinng.
About tl,is time Shahu C11barup,ui u;u: prcucd b)' hh family
10 !.ettlc the rnartfage or ptinceiS Radftab;ii Alasahcb. 5hal1u
had to dioose the bridegroom Jroin the Royal Houses of n:i.roJa,
D!iar or tk".:u. His choke (dl on ·ruJ..Ojlr.'.10 1,01~ar, die Raja
or .Oc\\as (Senior}. for months tl1c marriage negotiations ~em
On between Tulojarao Powar and Shahu Mahataja through tlte
PoUticaJ .,\genu on both sidL-,, A dcpu1ation comMing of Dewan
Sabnis,' Jl.1pu.sa.l1cb Gl1atgc. AppaSilhcb G.iikwaJ and Ilapu_s:iheb
Caikwad went to Ocwas. '
On March IS, 190t tl1e C.hhatr.\pati, "'hife making a forvent
requt!st to Tukoj1rao Powar to l be moderate m lus demands.
obscncd: "My .s1au:, Your H,glmcs.s J..nows, u a ~mall one and
l J1a\c c\'Cr}' l1ope rJ,a.t Your Highness wi1J do JOur hcu to ma.le
things easy for me I need not write more. I trust \'our Highness:
will alwa,s Leep the same lindncss a.s' }ou ha\C beer,. hitherto
t.lomg". The marriage agrccmc::nJ. jndudcd a dowry 0£ one
fat.11 rupees, Shahu n.:J:VJhg :sni'e control 01 er K:uirr.rlf.l1· nil n're-
umc of 'consummatron. Tl1e, De«.is Sta.te w.is to spend four
134 SHAHU CHHATRAPATl: A ROYAL REVOLUTlONARY

thousand rupees Qn presents for the mother, father, brother and

grandmother of the bride. • . ,'
The marriage was .to take place in 1908. Chhatrapat1 Shahu s
friend Claude Hill, who was working in the Foreign Office at
Simla, happened to be at Indore on some business. It was he
who materi~lly h~lped the Kolhapur deputation in the matter.
The betrothal took place _in ,1\pril 1904-.
Tukojirao Po~a~ paid tw~ visits to Kolhapur and on the
second occasion he was presented with a_ motorcar and horses
which he liked most. By his polished.manners and amiable dis-
position, h~ pleased all, _the members of the Royal family. In
return Tukojirao gifted some turbans to the young princes of
Kolhapur.
About this time the administration of the Kolhapur Munici-
pality had deteriorated ;md there was mismanagement. The
Municipal Members, it turned .out, were not working properly.
So the Chhatrapati suspended the Municipality and appointed
Bhaskarrclo Jadhav its Superintendent and from April 1, 1904
gave him powers of the Managing Committee and the General
body. He was also authorised to inquire into the work the
Brahmin-dominated Municipality had done during the preced-
ing three·years, especially in respect of the expenditure and the
way they had conducted the business.

III.

Amidst the uproar and tension created by the Vedokta affair,

Shahu Chhatrapati found time to appreciate classical _music.
There was a Gayan Samaj in Kolhapur established in 1883 to
preserve and revive Indian classical music and to provide train-
ing in it, Shahu Chhatrapati donated_ Rs. 6,000 to the Samaj
and became its patron. The_ Dar bar paid an annual. grant of
Rs. 120 and allowed the Samaj to hold its classes in the evening
in Rajaram College. 5 Shahu Chhatrapati also gave it a free site
and the institution had later its own building on it in 1918.
Celebrated artists like Bhaskarrao Bakhale, Alladiya Khansaheb,
Abdul Karim Khan, Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze and Bal Gandharva
considered it a privilege to visit the Gayan Samaj, as a great
centre of music, and performed there gratis. The Kolhapur
 DEMAND FOR. A NEW lNDlA. 135
public had golden opportunities to lmen to the music of these
great ones in Indian music.
Shahu Chhatrapall made an imm~nse contribution to Indian
arts; music and theatre. He also supported and encouraged
wrestling He had gh en royal patronage to one of, the greatest
Indl;m musicians of all times, Alladiya Khan, .since 1895 A
do)en of Indian music, Alfad1ya Khan was famous for the treat•
ment of 1.hfferent ragas and delmeatwn of each note in lt$ v.iried
nuances. He v.as a devotee of the Chhatrapatt and sometimes
explained the meaning of his songs '¼1th great humour. He often
asked the ~lahara1a ta remme some gnevances or other of the
people immediately. '
Ilut Shahu's great gift to the Marathi stage prO\ed to be
Narap.nr:io Shripad Rajahansa Born m Poona on June 26,
1888, Narayanrao rece1\ed his traming under Mahehub Khan,
a mus1c1an from Jalgaon and became an accomplished singer
at the age o( ten when Lol..manya Tilak St}led him a Gandharva,
a celestial musician. As Narapnrao wa~ suffering from :i dog:
bite in 1904, he was brougbt to •Kolhapur: There his mmi~
attracted the attention of Shahu Chhatrap~ti. He was really
fascinated by one o[ his perfonn:i.nces •During that penod Shahu
sent him with Dr. Gadgil a~d hn Police Officer Mha1skar t~
Miraj and asked Dr. Vail to tr<;at him for his ear trouble and
rtquested the celebraml dramatist Govin<l Ballal Deval Q{
R.irlosl.ar Natal. Mandali, the leading Drama Comp~~Y• w l~ol
after tum carefully, Dr. Gadgil, told th,e men o! the_ c~mpany
that Narava'nrao's ,oice had 1ropro'1'ed much aud t~at S~ahu
Chhattapati was' his great aclmirer. Th7y gave him' a 'trial and
the one \\horn •they hrtd' reJected once, was 10w found'_to be
acceptable. 'And Narayanrao Rajahan~a ~ad;hh/i.u firstl a~pear•
ance 001 the stage at MiraJ as a herome in a wzta a m the
Pre•~ £ Shahu Chhatrapati, '"ho sat in th~ ,vings, and Nara-
_,nce 0 • h • .. became a Iegend as an actor-smger.' T'f k d
1 a an
Y anrao RaJa an 5.. , . ,
Sha h u b ot h ga," .... encouragement hto Narayanrao,
, , . ,the cdetual .
mu11c1an • So great w~• ""' the cliarm t 1s }0Ung rous1oan exercised ,
at' he surpassed almost all actor-singers m
over the au d1en ce th . . , ,.
,,.u a h arash tra, an d even the. simplest tompout1ons
. , acqmred
, . a new
,
1
. h'15 art By hu excellence m music and aumg and
meaning m ann •, he domin:1.te d ;F,,.. l\.hr.uh1• stai:re 1or ~ '
ahout
by personal ch •
1'3.6 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A :ROYAL !REVOLUTIONARY

forty years. His unrivalled and soul'.stirring mu~ic and sup~rb

acting was for years the talk of Maharashtra. '· •• •
,, Shahu had· a great liking ·£or wrestlers· and' body~buil<lers'. He
himself.was a, good wrestler and his 'strength; was proverbial. In
, 1898 he had iperformed the feat of drawing a mote which took
four strong •bullocks, to draw: ,His feats during shikars were well
known,.,· .•, .·. ,.. , .J 1 ,

, It was, ,therefore, quite natural for: Shahu to appreciate the

performance of an expert in this field. Having heard about the
f~e. of A. Lawrence, popularly .called Ladisaheb, the renowned
'Y'resper, [!.nd champion of the twenty-mile foot-race, he called
him to Kolhapur in September 1903. Lawrence taught cycling
to the Princes, Later, early;in 1905, the Chhatrapati challenged
I~diap, yo1,mg m,en .on behalt of Lawrence. :}I~· announced that
Lawrence.,,wa? going to retire from long-distance running by
Mari;h 1905,, 4nd, that anybody who wanted to challenge his
championshiii'shoul~i'come,fonvard to do so.,Lawrence won the
' ' ' ' t •~ •• •

twenttlf+ile fo()t-i:ace that .Wal! specially organised• and· Shahu

Ch,hatrap~ti ,gave him ilc: ~ilver_ rµedal.. In appreciation of this
feft J:ie.i!PPQ,inte4 Lawi,:e_nce bodyguard to t~e- M'aharani and his
motor cycle headed the ,Maharani's motor. car. Later Ladisaheb
ir.i~: also 111:ade' /j,i~ada~. in the ~y._6, . • ,, , •
,{; •• ' 1 1·.•, l' 1 ; l•

. ·, , , ,1•;•,l,t '. , .. ·: • • ,;)

.,.~hah1;1 Qhha,trapati by- ,his., tact, ,judglllent and .charming dis-

P~~i,t,ion,.'yRdr~~e ~e~its o.f
Bii,~~~,state~m~n- ,So:~~~cl,,La~ingt9n,
~he_ni;w.Gov~rn0~8£ Bombay,. P/lid,,a: vi* ,to; Kolhapqr on._the
mo~ing ofOctoper'2, 1904, by a special train, He drove to the
Albert ·Edward Hospital ~d presided· ov~r- the.Prize Distribution
ceremony of Rajaram , College. It ~~s the fi~st , tim; that
Lamingt)Jn had ~ttended a meeting i~ I~dia in ~onn~ction with
educat~onal establi~hmt:~f .. As a b~liever·. in' p~blic work done
outside. ~he Gov~rnment control,,. he made an .a.ppeal to · the
feudatories of K~~hapur to support Rajaralll College, which the
;Kolhapur ruler had .started with . their help, ., , ,
•,., Though. for. 011e reason , or another,.; Limington added, they
had stopped .h~lping the college·. for the, pr~yious two _years, it
~l}ould :be maintained with :the feudatories': ~a-operation .. At· the
 ' DtMANO rOR A :-.£w' I~DIA l' 137
banquet, 'paying a high tnbute to Shaliu -Chhatr.ipati, the
ec,,crnor Hid that the MaharaJa had done'all imprm-ement on
hh O\\n, He was greatly pleased with' the garden and the hos-
pital \\-hid1 were clean and \\ell' L.ept. The people had distinct
expressions of contentment, satisfaction and jo)ousness on their
Caccs'and "that I attribute earnestly to the benign rule of His
l-Iighncs.s". The go,emor was· glad to note that the Maharaja
took great interest in Doarclmg Schools and that the Maratha
Boarding had for iu object the education of the Backward Cb.s-
ses. ,"l llad the occa.uon, 'c' he concluded, ''to compliment His
Highness UPon the-I mat be allo"'cd to say lavish-care he
had Lcstov.ed upon education. He is ,1.lw,1,)s too generous and
one o( the things I ha,·e leamt 1n li£e is that people ne,er take
full adv.i.nr.age Q[ ,~hat is gnen to the(]l unless they make some
sacrifice on their own part."1
Lord Lamington noted wi1.h pnde that the l\.Iaharaja took
great interest in 1mpro\'ing the breed of c.ittle and horses and
in the fo1prp,emcnt of agriculture, I , •,
The Chhatrapati at this time Je, oted his time to the tea
plantation at, PanhaJa. In October 1904, he was- ,dehgbtedi to
find the tea'pta'.~tcd there in excelle~t condition. He thought his
0
ex.periment t
l\-~ould
1 J-
~~cceed ~ t
a ndl J
therefore
'Jj
thoughtj of aI big plan-
i... t

tation. ' ' ' , , 1 , ,,

1 I i 1 ~ ti ! , r ' ,} l { l
t .. ' f ' .. ~f •
, 1Jte difference of opuuon ,~n the m,terpretat10n of, th; res_1•
duary jur1sdict!o~ was at last r~o H'ci Shahu su':ceedcd m hi,5
0

efforts by,his adroitness, pleadings pitl, s!at~sm~n~h1p. S~ on J:n-

uary 2, 1905'.la' Darbar' was held declaring hts right to exe~1se
aU criminaJ pawen o£ a High_ C~u~ 3:~lol\ ed. by the Code, of
1
Critiiinal Procedure in respect of the feud:tones, . .
Shahu Chhatrapau ~as tising every }~ar m the est1mauon of
..,, • 11· st at ei,,..
th e .unt1s -en • 1-(e l\aS consulted'• on the problem •
of
• h •
securmg a 1g eb.,.._ h d · - of efficiency . in the Im penal service troops.
,
0 n Janua:ry l , 1905• the f\Jost Emment Order h
of Compamon of
b H' ,. • y'
the, Indian .Ernpire was conferred on 1m y 1s , .,!a Jest s
. DeWlUl was made a Rao Bahadur. In the same
GO\ emment. H is • d Rh a\nagar, hu £ri end'&
s children Vlsite
month Shah u w1 th I11 ' • • ,
S to a fnendly 1nvitat1on. A grand. cordiaI recep.
_late m resplodnse d BhaHinh11's ttcw pal.lee was named after
hon was be , an
Shahu.
13~ SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A •ROYAL ·REVOLUTIONARY

Despi,te the disapproval .of .his· installation by Shahu, Brah,

manalkar Swami, who assumed: t.he name of Shri Vidya Nara-
sinha Bharati, mad<! a ,tour of Maharashtra• delivering sermons
on religion and Vedanta and holding discussions on several I

scriptures. His .tact[ul. expositions, his interpretation of, a com•

plex problem, .his theological expopition and his ready wit
enthralled l~is audiences. Everywhere receptions, processions and
feet-worship .ceremonies marked his. .tour.8 . ,
Brahmanalkar's lectures at I-Iukkeri,· Brahmanal, Tasgaon and
Aunclh, his welcome by •the Nizam of Hyderabad in his territory,
his discourse at Rakshashbhuvan and Poona, all gave the impres-
sion of a conquering. hero. In Poona he was received as a
Brahmin hero by Shivrampant Pararijpe, Dhamdhere, Khasgi•
wale and Natu; and especially by Tilak, the leader of Maha-
rashtra. Collecting subscriptions from door to door, Tilak took
the leading· part in his procession at Poona and even put his
shoulcler for 'a while' to the palanquin in which the Shankar-
acharya was sitting/ Brahmanalkar was given a 'big 'purse. ill
Poona' at, lhe hand~ of Tilak. • • •1• •
'. Brahmanalkar then visited Satara, Phalton:· Mahad and other
pl~ccs. Everywhere he was ,give~ a tremendous welcome as·. a
Brahmin hero who clenied' the ~igli.ts of Vedokta· to' the Chhatra:
pati an<.l refused to believe in his Kshatriya status, Brahmah,~lka~
<lid riot stop at that. He declared that Shivaji w~~ other than
a Kshatriya; At Mahad he
'st~ted .that' because Shivaji had got
himself declared a Ksh.a~riya py bribing Gaga Bhatta, his family
was ruinecl,10 , , '. , , •
t ' • I ,,' ,'. :•, , • ' ' f , • ,.

It ww; very st,r!1~ge that Tilak on the one han.d was praising
Shivaji through the Shivaji Festivals as a national he~o, and on
the other, his favourite .hc.rq, Sl1ankaracharya B;ahmanalka;, was
degrading Shivaji. In their attacks on Shahu they degraded
Shivaji. Commenting on this Mahad speech of Shankaracharya
Brahmanalkar, the Subodh Patriha observed in its issue of Feb·
ruary 28, 190<1, that from his Mahad speech his obstinacy, intoler-
ance of other religious views, i1,'llorance a£ history and unpardon•
able ignorance of the existing religious movements were evident.
The Swami, it added, should not forget that he was the Guru
of all the Hindus and that he must have equal regard for all
 DEMAND FOR A !\EW INDIA 139
and be impartial. At Mahad the Kayastha Prabhus ~£used to
do him honour m Puranic form as the Shank.arachar}a had
atl.ed them to honour htm 'in Puramc style and not in the
Vedokta 11
This magn1fitent tour won Brahmanalkar nioney, fame and
presuge as a Shank.iracharya, and above all, he was acclaimed as
a hero by the Brahmms in Maharashtra. But the old Guru
Bhilavd1kar was not happy The dm.iple had grabbed all po\'.er,
pelf and gifts and did not ilia.re them with his Guru, l\ho was
in sore need a[ money. What the dimple offered his Guru was
-0nly a sacred bath wnh the holy water from Paitfum, worshipped
him and made a gift of R; 500 re,erentially.1z 1
On No,ember 5, 1903, the Guru had wntten to the conquering
hero that he ,~anted to settle the Vedolta dispute and therefore
he should usit Sankeshwar. The petiuon presented by the three
Bra~ms 0£ Kolhapur was l}mg before htm for his comu..lera-
Wm. But in the flush of victory, Brahmanalkar did not pay
attent10n to hu Guru's call. On his part the Guru had, in June
1904, tned almast successfully to male the necessary comptomue
with the- Chhatrapau at Kolambi, a village l\10 miles from
Kolhapur. At this meeting at Kolambi, Bh1la\'d1l.ar prei.cnted
tlie Chhatrapat1 with a dress of honour and blessed him
with Vedic mantras. But the Chhatrapati was not satir.fied
with the mere blessmgi and v.anted Rrahmanalkar's san,tian for
the proposed compromise as the old man had abdicated the
-sceptre in his £a,o'1r. , 1 ,
The d1sc1ple was not agreeable to thu arrangement and refus-
ed to endorse the compromise. There were acute d1!fcrences be·
tween the Guru and the d1sc1ple. It was rumoured tI1at Tifak
was going to bnng about a reconc11iation bet\\l:Cn them. But to
no purpose. Not kno\\-mg the real cause of <lisscnsion bct\,cen
the Guru a11 d the disciple, the Brahrniru of Kolhapur thought,
.and qmte wrongly, Lb.at the old man \\as inmung upon the 11::s10-
ration of all properties. to the Ilrahmms concerned an<l "as not
a-a,ing (or the reco,ery of lus O"'-n Jnams,
So, the day after the sacred hath, a, mcntiom:t.l ~bole, the old
s" mi ag:un told Brahmanall..ar lh.4.t he had m:rnro peuuons
r~: botlt sides of the Vcdokta dispute• .ippe;i_ling to him to
140 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

resolve 'it. He had inforrii'eci the petitioners that· on- the a~·ri'val
of his' disciple, it ,vould be·easffor them to take a decision. The
old Swami told his disciple that he had already passed over all
the seals and authority to him. He, therefore, handed over all
the papers concerning the Vedokta controversy to him and asked
him to decide the question according to the scriptural authority.
The disciple, ·the· Guru aclded; should keep in mind the attach~
ment of the property belonging to the Math in Kolhapur.13
But nothing came out of· this meeting till April 1905.
Meanwhile, • to,vards the middle of February 1905, ·the
Chha-trapati had an accident while he was at Chinchali •for the
annual fair. There was a pair of young horses for sale. "\•Vhile
he was trying them they bolted and when he pulled at them the
reins gave way and the carriage fell into a ditch full of cactus.
The carriage was broken and Shahu got out with great difficulty.
"Though," he cooUy:stated in a letter of February 28, 190!i;' to
his friend Hill, "I was not much hurt, the prickly thorns were
all over my body. They have gone deep into the flesh. They
are troubling me and i' cannot move about with ease.'': : ·••
The doctors took a· week to pluck out the· thorns, and, to their
utter surprise, Shahu patiently endured the pain, his 'face
pleasant with faint smiles as if it glowed with the universal truth
that every rose has its thorns.
The Chhatrapati i.vas anxiously awaiting the decision of the
Central Government in the case of Rajopadhye. At the end of
April 1905 he performed.the opening ceremony ~fa Cotton Mill
near Shirol Road' Station. He also declared 'open a ·dhanna-
shala at Narsobawa<li. ·
Shahu was an admirer of the classical music of Anjanibai
11alpekar, the celebrated classical singer: It was· he who gave
her encouragement in every possible way. Charmed with her
per[onn:mce, he arranged a programme for her in a special
panda! at his Palace. He was so pleased with her music that he
~omc1imes visited her Bombay residence and later presented her
with costly gifts, a parrot, a bitch and a valuable tambora. ,vhen
one day he was climbing the staircase of her house, he stumbled
and fell. A!>ked whether he got a fall, he replied with a smile:
"Great men never fall, they lose their balance!"H
 DEMAND :fOR A NEW thlllAr, 1

V
j

Juu at this ume Shahu Chhatrapati performed the openinr;

ceremony of the bu1ldmg of the Jain Boarchng ,,,\hich the
Southern l\laratha Jam Association had bmlt on the site donated
by the Chh.1tra~t1 lts Secretary was A B. Lathhe. Congra•
tulatmg the J.un As~oc1ation, Shahu said that one of the bene•
fiaent 1esults of Bnt1sh rule was the commencement of the
emanapat10n of the Dael.ward Classes from the mcellectual and
sonaJ thraJdom to which they h.ad been sub;ected from ume
unmemonal. "1 would c,ertamly," he added, "lay no~great claim
to any ucd1t for their c.reauon but I alwa}s made 1t a pomt to
hold out every encouragement to this <..lass anti it is a genome
pleasure to n1ark their progress and l trust I may be excmed 1£ I
am incltned to look upon the results, small as they are, with a
feeling bordenng on pride,"U
Shahu was tlad that the Bad..¼atd Class students had passed
the _public st1Y1ce examin.:won held during that year. Nearly
half the number of candidates were non.nrahroins and the hst
of, successful candidates was. headed , by, a non-Brahmin. He
hoped that they might leep up the1t.progress. ny now the num-
ber of non-B1ahmin clerI.s had risen from IO to 60 out of a total
of 600~ ,, , 1r 1
In l\Iay J90S the decmon on the final appeal by Rajopadh)e
to the Government of India was gh-en by Lord Curzon's Govern•
ient in fa.your, of the Kolhapur D:i.rbar. The Cou:mment
of Jnd1a re1ected ;-n.ajopadh>e's appeal, and ga\e a decent
burial to hjs(unjust demands. Hts supportets and imttg:Hors
were. all pnalysed , with disappofotment. , The Kesan 1,1,,u
indJWJ,1DI at t11e deem on and descn bed it as an unjust, shameless
act. It , 1 as sorry tba l, people had no, po\'. er to c.lepn, e a ruler
of his po\ier, and that the Ilnrnll pouer w.a paying no heed to
the grie\ances of the people. Tlie Kesan further obsened that
it would gladden Llic hearts oI i~ p,r:op1c nhcn 1hc State ttould
be annexed 10 Ilrithh terntory.111 , ,
p 10 fessor VJppurLtr bewa1le<l the crushing, defeat ,in hi•
Granthamala and s:aid tl1at the month of May J905 ¼as as dis-
a.ppointmg to the Ilrahroins as \\as October 1905. Consoling
RaJopadh)e, he .said that lie dwuJd Jae as God 1uJJcd 1tilh
1,M
,, '
SllAHU CUUATR.t\PATI: A ~OYA!.. REVOLUTIONARY

release all the at\a~hcd .properties of the: Brahmin priests anc\

seek the blessings ~f the subj_e~ts as i£ all the sqbjects were invol_v-
ed in, the forfcitmc of their propcrtie&, Professor Vijapurkar, 111
ma1~y other wa-ys, a modest, industrious and patriotic man, was
filled with agony. He was sorry for the crushing dcfea~ inflicted
upon the .Kestf!i and Kat and their debacle. The J(esari and
Kal, which had heaped glory on Brahmanalkar Swami and hatl
deified and idolised him, now condemned him as a self-seeker
the moment h~ ~urrendercd. Vijapurkar appreciated Shahu's
ceaseless struggle. By tactful and cautious handling, Shahu had
su~ceeded and proved his mettle and claims to leadership. Vija-
pu~kar said that. the Kesari and Kal were laid. low and were
speechless. 'It was ·difficult for thcn1 either ,.to,. tell· a· lie or
to state the facts, he conclude<l. 21 The admirers of Brahman·
alkar now condemned him as a self-seeker. :, . ,
• ,It was tl1e, ~rag~dy of the Maharashtra Brahmin leadcl'S•and
men of learning such as Tilak, historian Rajwade and Dr. Ket·
kar, not to spe~k of le~s!;!r fry, that they never considered the social
background .of Indian nationalism: ,md. the. social. consciousness
awakened in non-Brahmins for a better deal, for1 these men were
not cons~ious of the ·spirit of the time., Consequently, they
could not •realise the, spirit .behin<li the Vedokta controversy
which implied. the force 0£ .sociaLequality.
The statemen~ made ,by some, lukewarm sympathisers that
Sayajirao Gaikwad carried out the reform of Vedokta in the
Baroda State with great understanding and c,mtiousness, is not
wholly true. They indirectly suggested that Shahu Chhatmpati
wa~ J1w;tr. and hi~ .conduct. rough in. splving the problem. , On
the . c~mtrarY, .. siialm, .showed much, l,tct;, tenacity •and·• resource•
cuiness,, 11 Bes.i.des, ~afkwacl was .outsitle,Maltarashtra. A contr'o•
vcr~y !~ad arisen; in the I past_in Mahara;htra, between Brahmins
and SOIP-!l: castes oycr,,t)ic:; social :status; Moreover, the end of the
controv.crsy saw; ,Bi;;tJJmanalkar, ,Swami ,firmly placed on the gadi
of Shankarach~rya .. : T.hG ! ,Qkl, Swami:. nhilavadikar in May .1906
adopt<c<l anot)icr, tlis<;ip\<;.. ;,i,nd in No.ve1nqcr U, 1905, .issued a pro-
clamation,, cl~P!)~ing 1 ,Bqhamanalkar , and later issued another
proflam~~ion,.o_n :I;J:o,vember 30, J906,·,e.xcom~unicating him,
~lu.s s~~we.d to, •~lla,~:;ibysip.al depths ,the,:ponti[f of Hindu• reli-
gi~m, h~d. rca,chcd, (9r 1gr~~d of gold .. ~acrifice .and propagation
 0.EMANO fOll. A NEW lf;DL\ 145
of true religion was 1emotc from their IJlotives. As for the
llralunim' acceptance of the decision, it was evident that they
accepted it as an inevitable comproanse, more as an arrange-
ment than a settlement, It was obviously a thotn in their side.
Much lacer, 111 the m1dule of March 1907, Tilak visited Kolha,
pur in connecuon with the i;cttlement of the marn.ige of the step-
daughter of Tai MaharaJ wtth the ~on of the Chief of V1shalgad.
Thete Ttlak. made a speech .i.t the LaXml Theatre m 'K.olhapur
in i~hich he satd the MaharaJa had a right to the Vedic ntual.
Then he met the Chhatrapati Refernng to thn meetmg, Shab.u
wrote to Ferris- ou No,ember 12., 1901, that he had a comers:i.-
tion wuh Tilak. some days earlier v.nen 'T1la.\.. told Shah.u that as
a. Chhatrapati he ha.cl the nght to Vedic ritual but not ::s .1
Maratha. Sh:ihu asled Tilak 1f a MohaI11medan -were to be l
ruler and calleJ himseH a Chhatrapat1, could he ghe him lhe
ri11;bt of the Vedic wuaJ? 'filal replied 1t wa& for the Brahrnm~
of the time to dec.ide that point.~2 The dodge w:is that if. he
ceased to be a Chllatrapaci he was not enntled to Vedic ntuals,
and that thl" Ghatge family was a Shudra A return gih to
Abasal1eb Ghatge by Poona! In ~pite of this failure on the patt ,
of the Brahmins, Shahu, the wise ruler, said, "I a01 opposed to
continue and retatn their mjust and despicable: and mhuinan
hold and superiority over others fo reJigious and sooal mattets,
l arn not opposed to tho!.e who ate :ulvanced 1n education."
What Mahatma Phooley had predicted m Hl7~ came ttu.e to
a letter. Phooley had s.i.id in his book Slaui-ry: "We \.now
perfectly "iell that the Brahmm will not de~end from tht 50::lf.
raised high pedestal .:tnd meet Jiis Ktmbi :md Jow caste brethren
on an equal fooung wilhot1t a struggle. faen che educated
Drahmin ,1ho J.no\ls hfr. exact position and how he has co01e by
it, "'iU not condescend to atknowledge the errors ol his fore-
fathers and w1lh11gly forego the long cberi.Jied false notions of
his own st.1penonty. At Present, not one h:is J13 tl ihe 1eal
courage to do 1~hat only duty dem,mds, and 35 long as tho lta.te
0£ matur <.ont1nues, &eCt distrusting at1d degrading i,cct, tl1t
conditio11 ot the Shu<lras w-1J1 remain unaltered, and tndia w1Il
ne,er advance ~n &reatness and prosperity."
TI1e c0ndU.$1on was that Shahu Chh:ttrapati .ttprescmed the
demand 0£ a new lodfa for otg;inismg society on t.be ba.m of
:.C-10
116 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

social equality with rights of Vedic rituals to all Hindus. That

demand was not acceptable to the Brahmins in Maharashtra.
They discarded the offer made by Shahu Chhatrapati. With
great efforts Shahu was awakening the Backward Classes to their
human rights and asking the Maratha students to shelter even
Mahar or :Mohammedan students in their Boarding Houses. He
was removing their backwardness in his State and softening their
caste prejudices. Indeed the Chhatrapati was indirectly broad-
ening the base of nationalism and preparing India for a future
democracy.
The Brahmin attitude to social reforms barring the brilliant
exceptions of some 1::,rreat men, was hostile and rigid. That a
Brahmin by virtue of his privileges, inborn caste pride and
priesthood cannot be a social revolutionary is the verdict Jaya-
prakash Narayan has passed ·on them.
 CHAPTER JO
Political and Moral Pressure

IN July 1905, Lord Curzon announced the panu10n of Bengal

against strong and persistent public opinion On August 7,
1905, the Bengal nationalists began to voice their bitter opposi•
tion to the partition of their province and la1mched a ,Hde-
sptcad agitation, tlamounng for the re\etsal 0£ the proposed
parution. In doing thu, Lord Curz:on's real obJect ,tas to
cripple the solidarity 0£ the Beng.ilees and to Crush the nsmg
moHment in Bengal by d1V1dmg the Hindus anc1 Mu\hms into
two camps Ttlak tool up the cause and the Swadeshi and
bo}cott movement spread all mer the co1mtry The tide soon
re.i.ched the Kolhapur students Professor V1Japurkar, who
always upheld such questions patriotically and nghteously,
bacled the mm-ement. The result was that at the wne of the
preliminary- e:-.aminations early in September 1905, the students
of Rajaram College refused to wnte 011 forei.1pi p.ap<:r and
demanded swadeshi answer booL.s instead
, V1japurkar, who had served for fifteen }ears m R:.iptam
College. exerted cons1derable rnoral m£lue11ce ove,1- the students
and w;n their guide and guru, G, B Kulkarni, a high school
student, ,\as then a prominent agitator ,~ho led the students
out of the ex.amination,hall, :He had met Tila.k ar1d Armasahel>
Pa.twanlhan who expected him to develop into a spirited
patriot to fight for the country's cause The Collete authontie'>-
Lnew that V1ppurlar had a gre.tt hold o,er the COilege 5tudencs.
.1nd that he had addressed a meetmg of those stl.Jdents at the
Natne Gene.ta! Library· m Kolhapur only a formight earlier,
N.ztura}}f but. fcrrePl.}J; VippurJ..ir ff.ls rrquested by we Vice~
Prmcipa1 Dastur to persu:ide the st111Jent1 to gHe up their
' ' 111
1'18 SfL\IIU CIIIIATR,\PATI! A ROYAL REVOLUTION,\R\'

sta~d. He did so. But since he was known to be a strong

supporter of swadeshi, his advice did not have the desired effect
upon the students. He failed.
The Political Arrent described the students' action as a
o , . l
disloyal demonstration and a flouting of aulhority. Prmctpa
Lucy and the Darbar both thought that Vijapurkar's influence
over the students had not been in the right direction. Indeed,
the Darbar added, it would appear that in some instance it
had a positively mischievous effect. So his services were di~•
pensed with from September 22, l 905; a 1:,11·at11ity equal to l11s
pay for six months was granted to him. 1
The Political Agent was making every effort to keep Kolhapur
:away from the Swadeshi and boycott movement. Vijapurkar
,vas the unfortunate victim partly of British policy and partly
•of his discreditable role in the Vedokta controversy, Vijapurkar
·was a servant of the Chhatrapati and he should have resigned
the post and fought for his principles instead of putting his
master in an awkward position. Several such virtuous Hrahmin
men of learning were against the Vedokta demand not because
they were selfish and narrow-minded personallr but because
they really thought it was their religious and pious duty to
regard it so. The time spirit touched them nowhere; nor did
the war-cry of social equality and human dignity appeal to
them. Vijapurkar was one of such religious men. It was his
belief that Ramdas was superior to Christ!!!
Vijapurkar believed that national education had its roots in
two fundamental principles, namely, the Chaturvarnya and the
theory of rebirth, 3 He honestly held that the attempt at spread-
ing compulsory education at the cost of higher education and
at restricting the progress of higher classes like the Brahmins
in order to accelerate the education of the Depressed Classes
with a view to invoking their blessings had sprung from sclfisb
and mischievous motives. And Vijapurkar was the paragon of
national education, national and religious virtues! ,
It was natural that when later Vijapurkar started his national
school he made the students and teachers observe strictly cas_te
r~les.. Such_ was the condition in his school that his sympathe•
ttc biographer G. D. Khanolkar, who served in his· Nutan
:Samarth Vidyalaya as a teacher, condemned his narr~w attitude.
 rounCAt Al\D MORAL Pll£SSLRE 149
It wa.s, Kban0Jl.3r ob.scnc<l, not conducne but de,nmental to
nationalum and nattonal umcy 1( educational insmutions desir-
ing to impart national education observed the caste s}stem,
untouchab11ity and hurt one anotf1er's fedtngs 4 So he describ-
ed V1japurkar's sthoo[ as a Dra,id Brahmin School.
According to his hght and relig10us belief, Vtjapurlar
\\Or1..ed hard, but he contributed md,rectly to the strengthening
of a socially reactionary nationalism G. K. Gal.hale, his friend,
aho deprecated the traditional view of V1japurlar on Chatur-
\'am)a.~ Dinlan.ltastn Kanade remonstrated with his Guru
Vijapurl..ar for the caste1sm he obser\'ed and pracused m hts
school.~
The Kesari/ nrhing a note on V1japurl..ar's dismissal, observ-
ed that the Kolhapur administration was tal.mg en·ry precau-
tion to placate the PoJit,caJ Agent even before the Agent took
::uw notice of such acts. The punishment meted out w the
students and Vippurkar was rn a way 1nfhcted on a cluld of
the Chhatr:ipati; for the Chhatrapau himself was a partner
and patron of a P.tpcr-mill m Poona and "\lo as thus a promote;:r
of Swadeshi
It w:is ; fact, as the Kesari said, that the Mahara.ja used sw:i.-
deshi paper. It was also a fact that some days later Shahu pur-
chased a lot.of swadeshi articles and cloth at a shop conducted
by Gangadhar Deshpande and others m Bombay. No doubt his
suppon to swadeslu w,1s spontaneous and patnotic. Appare9tly,
howe,er, the action belied h1s professwns as his policy was
not to incur the displeasure of the Bnt1sh Gm•emmcnt and
endanger his own position So, the word of the Poht1cal Agent
prev~1led. , The Political Agept ,.,as, 1psisting that the news;
papers that spread disaffection openly or co,ertly would be-
banned. As' a conse:quence,' the Principal 0£ Rajaram College
over-zealously closed the readi11g room in the college.
The Chhatrapau, w1th all his 'reudatones and the Dc\\,lU,
patd a visit to Bombay ,ind accorded a cordrnl welcome to the
Pnnce and the Pru1cess of \Vales on their landing at Ilombay
on November 9, 1905 A number of Bomb:i.y leaders including
Sir Pherozeshah l\.fehta, too, an.onlcd tJirm a wann welcome.
And such a 1remendous influence Pheroze~hah e,.ercised upon
the , Britishers, that he was asl..ed 'by Her Ro},11 Highness lo
150 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

sign her autograph book. Sayajirao Gaikwad was out of India

during the visit of the Prince of Wales. Lord Curzon took a
serious view of Gaikwad's absence, but the King-Emperor
strongly held that Gaikwad's liberty should not be curtailed by
Viceregal action.
The next day, November 10, 1905, the Chhatrapati, accom-
panied by his subordinate Jahagirdars and the Dewan, drove up
to the accompaniment of a thunderous artillery salute, and
was received by a guard of honour. On his arrival the Chhatra•
pati was met by his Royal Highness at the Presence Chamber.
Together they walked to the scarlet-clothed dias, whereon_ stood
the guil<lcd chairs. They occupied the chairs. The Prince _of
Wales was in the simple white uniform of a rear-admiral, the
Maharaja, a tall and impressive figure in a brilliant costume of
shimmering silk.
The Maharaja had the special privilege of not presenting
any nazar or tribute. The Jahagirdars were presented in order
of precedence, each offering a nazar. The Prince having con-
versed with the Maharaja for a few minutes, the scarlet robed
retainers of Kolhapur advanced and offered attar and pan-sujJa.ri
in costly si_lver vessels. An official of the Political Department
rendered the same courtesy. The Prince of Wales then accom·
panic~ the Maharaja· to the door of 'the Presence Chamber;
where he bade the Chhatrapati farewell. 8
The Chhatrapati bade farewell also to Lord Curzon who left
India 011 November 18 with a sullen face. At the time of
embarking, Lord Curzon, whose haughtiness and a~rogance
caused his downfall, received a strange telegram from Shivajirao
Holkar: "I deposed. Greet you deposed."!> Shivajirao Holkar
had defied Curzon who had ordered him not to travel in ·a
famine.stricken part of the country. He had defied Curzon and
signcd hi~ abdication. On November 18, 1905, the Chhatrapati
was present at the Bombay Secretariat when Lord :Minto
;hsrn~ied charge of the Viceroy of India.

II

Earh.· in th"• ,._ •',·ear

' l "06
ci •>, .pl ague prev:11·1cd in Kolhapur, b ur
no ~1}0111:r 1.hd ll abate 111 Its virulence than another cabmity
 POU nCAt.. AND MORAL FRl:SSt.'RE 151
mertooL Koihapur. The State had to pass through many
an).ious days. Owing to ,;carcity of water~ cholera broJ.e- out in
March and Apnl 1906 and the mortality raee rose high. Shahu's
administration under his stimulus and guidance pulled the
state through that calamitr.
,\t tl1is time Sb.ahu C.hhatrapati dismissed District !fagutrafe
Gholbr \,ho was charged with malptac.uces and corruption
His prv~rty was coniisca tcd. On recommendation from others
Shahu wmetimcs appomted officers; but he often enquired of
his acquamtanccs about their conduct He had once talen a
friend to a high official's house in his State ar1d asl-.ed his friend
whcthel" men like that officer had amassed vast wealth on a
m~ntl1Jr salary alone Whene1-er he learnt rbat an officer nas-
corrupt. he made secret inquiries and dismissed him 1£ he found
him guilty. He sp:ired none, whether he was a Maratha or a
Brahtnin
In, August 1905 Shahu had issued orders that without
permission no Go1,ernment servant should carry on any husi-
ncs.s, or purchase propcnr or accept a mortgage- 1n his own
name or in the names of his relatives Corruption, hie dirt,
b e\.erywhere .and if men in polter,'perhaps prone to prodiga•
lity and pelf, are gwlty of corruption, the cffiaency of the State
admtnistration declines.
Shahu Chhatrapatl was a sport and attracted many sportsmen.
In May 1906 Genera), Sir A.rchrbald Hunter came to Dajipur
for a slukar. The climate and the spart gave him great pleasure,
and he left with happy memories.. The GoHimor also thanl..ed
the M,iharaja expressing his loveliest ucollection of his generr
ous hosp1t.1llty. , 1
,

The Bhosies of the S:uara branch were in financlaI trouble,

Annasaheb Maharaj had large debts. Some British offic1als,
who sympathised wllh h1m, wanted Shahu C'1hatrapati to help
him out and sate him from the dutc;hes of his creditors In
September 1905 he paid a large sum towards, the papnent af
6.1s debt, though some time earlier he had sa1d that he would
not be able to pay m case of famine. One of the cbief aed1-
tors, who pressed for repa)ll1<t'nt. was Ilalasal1eb Natu of Poon;z
This sad news moved Shahu Chhatrapati deeply. and be thought
that Annasaheb Maha.raj must be nd of this evil infiuence of
152 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Natu. Shahu sent his Dewan to meet Annasahcb and see

whether among the articles for sale at Satara there was any
thing of historical value. Shahu Chhatrapati knew that he
would have to spend a huge amount on the proposed wedding
of his daughter. Feeling pity for the Bhosles of Satara, he
thought of giving Annasaheb some money again by keeping the
Bhosle jewellery in his custody till the debt was paid off, so
that the money-lenders might not tamper with it. However,
the plan did not succeed.
, The result was that some of Annasaheb Maharaj's property
was sold by auction, and Purshottam Mavji from Bombay
purchased most of the articles put up for sale. Shahu Chhatra-
pati was surprised that Natu had put ~isleading ideas into the
head of the younger brother of ·Annasaheb Maharaj that they
would get help from Bengal. 10
Although Shahu Chhatrapati could not do much in the case
of Annasaheb Maharaj, he paid a sum oE Rs. 500 to N. R. Joshi,
the editor of Sudharak, a weekly started by Agarkar to cham·
pion social reform. Joshi profusely thanked the Darbar for
the princely gift. The Chhatrapati had always a soft corner
for the social reformers who were working for the removal of
social rigidity and barriers. He himself had not yet arrived at
the point of supporting the total abolition of the caste system.
At t~is stage such support was far from his thoughts.
Some young Marathi writers in Maharashtra including J. R.
Ajgaonkar approached Shahu for financial •help or a job. Be
could not provide them all with jobs. But he helped several
deserving men of letters. When K. A. K.eluskar, eminent
scholar, author .and social reformer, presented him with a
copy of his Marathi biography of Shivaji towards the end of
1906, he gave him a reward of Rs. 2,000 for his meritorious
work. •
. •An expert _taking an extraordinary •interest in paddock,
S~ahU: niade experiments with pups and foxhounds, wild mares
arid tigers, lions and wild bears. Although he had devised several
~e_a~?n~' to tame and_ control animals, he sincerely. believed
m •tammg them not with weapons but with love. With his
humane ge~tures he ~ou~d_ influ~nce them to change their habits,
but some times they mfhcted pain or injury on him. One thing
 POLlTICAL ANO MORAL FP.ESSUR:t 153
made an indclibtc impression on his mind. It was his obser•
, ation that in the paddocl the Western mt'thod of leaving the
old and "eal. horses wrth tl1e strong and the }0ung, free in the
compound with a heap of grass on one side and a tank of '\\oater
at the other had enabled the }0unger and the stronger animals
to eat most of the grass and dnnl.. the water The older and
the weal.er horses were licl..cd away by the rest from the com•
mon stod of food and the pond. Such .i method, Shahu said,
did not suit e,'en the beasts. TI1is was also true, he said, in
the Clse of the ,,eal..,r sections of the society. It was tht~ ana-
logy that rnspired his decision to support the wealer .sections
oE sacietyf
Likewise, a hostel open to aU classes did not necessarily bene-
fit the weal.er .sections of soaety. The stronger communities
reaped the benefits of the eduutional S}Stem and shut out the
Baclward Cla$WS from all the theoretically "open" avenues to
progress. The result was that the non-Brahmin.J 1gnorandr
thought it was predestinc.d that the education was a.wholly un-
natural pur.sUJt , for them. Shahu .thtrefore opened to , them
independent a\enues, of progress and, education. ,1
This. policy contributed~ ind1tectly to, the fight for social
tquahty. The Ilaclward Clas.r; youths, who were educated at
Kolhapur, earned the spmt, of, the new awakening and the
struggle,for social equality to their ,,1IJagcs. The Satp Shodhal.
Samaj worlers, who had been working at such places, were now
filled, \\.i:(h enthusia501. They had fought their battle(against
pnesthood based on birth at publu::. meetings and in Law
Courts. The. Maratha aristocracy, who had been watching the
Vedokt~ confilct,' began to respond to its call in other parts of
Maharashtra:, And thus a strong stimulus, was ghen to the
struggle for social equality on· all fronts.. . '
One effect of the v1ctoryl1n the, Vedolta controversy was that
the educated, Afar:ithas m other disu-ms of Maharashtra beg.an
to <:faim , Vedolta ntes ' The) Chham.pati haii said that the
claims of other:; could by no means be resisted or avoided. As
the mov!'ment began to grow outside Kolhapur. the Samarth of
Vijapurlar began to protest; "Besides, Cl'ery Maratha it now
f[)ing to perform Vedokta ceremomes. 7he Belg:aum Maratlias
performed the renewal of the thread ceremony :1.t the .handJ of
·154 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Brahmin priests invited from Thana. One docs not know

what will happen if one of the Swamis supports the revolt: If
Brahmanalkar consents to this, he will become the Swami of
the Kshatriyas. In this way there will be a confusion among
all castes and an obstacle will be created in the way of national
progress."
Vijapurkar, the nationalist, feared that if the non-Brahmins
were allowed to perform Vedokta ceremonies, there would be
obstacle iri the way of pro6rress of the nation. It was an odd
definition of nationalism and national progress! Considering
one's co-religionists and countrymen inferior to oneself was
regarded as nationalism and thinking of the interests of_ 'the
Brahmin community alone was patriotic.
With the settlement of the Vedokta dispute and the dis-
missal of Vijapurkar, the Brahmins of Kolhapur began to think
of another agitation to bend the Maharaja to their will. They
resorted to political' pressure; for they now had Vijapurkar at
their disposal. Gokhale,: who ·was in England at the time of
Vijtlpiirkar's dismissal, -h~d asked his boyhood friend not_ to
ta~e up any other work till they met. He ·wanted Vijapurkar
to join the Servants of India Society which he had established
on June 12, 1905. • ' •\
• At this ·moment, Tilak, ·who· was harassed :by two Courts in
the Tai Maharaj case, won the· case in the Court of the Sub-
judge.. Giving his judgment· in Poona on July 31, •1906, the
Judge Jhaverilal· L. Thakore· observed: "The minor Jagarinath
Vasudev Pandi_t Maharaj is: the adopted son of the deceased
Shri Vasudeo Harj.bliau Pandit alias Baba Maharaj." He
declared -the adoption of Bala Maharaj invalid and added that
Bala Maharaj had not got any interest in· the deceased. He
e~joi~ed the defendants to abstain from causing any obstruC-
t10n m any way to the possession· and .management of the estate,
mov~abl,e• and immoveable, in the possession of the plaintiffs.
T1lak s character was thus vindicated. by this judgment. The
High Court of Bombay had quashed , 011 • March 3, 1904, the
sentence pro~ounced. by Lucas, the Sessions Judge. Lucas had
sent~nced Tilak to six months' ·rigorous imprisonment, instead
of e1ghtee~i:_-months whic~ Clements the District Magistrate· had
expected him to spend in jail. • Tilak's spotless character and
 POUTIC,\L A.Nll AfORAL FRE.:.SSURE 155
unscHish life h:id ,\on ;i resounding ,ktory. It was a selere
blow to Shahu's advisers and an indirect castigation of the
British clique that was worJ..ing against TilaL.'s pohuc.i.I leader-
ship.
Tai Maharaj \\a, not alhe to hear the dwsion. She had
diro on September 50, 1903, making a fenent appeal on St:p•
tcmbc, 14, J903, to Shahu Chhatrapati co gue her a loan of
Its. 500 from the income of her property in Kolhapur or by
lending the money on the security of some ornaments. This
!I!Ohcy she wanted to g-i\e :u a tewatd to Nagporl-at ,\ho had
~~ ar her ;1nd, .xco:mlirtg- M lier, sened her IJ.ithfully.

lll

' Tilak's ,ictory in toe Court encoura~d his admirers and

follonen to renew th-ti.r acth-'it.ies ::igaimt Shahu Chharrapati.
The Vedokla affair htstl inlhctcd a crushing defeat on them
They had also been deprived of their c.ontrol over the Kolhapur
Munidpality which had' been suspended for mismanagement in
1901 by the l\fal1araja. They decided to call•.1 Representai:ne
Assembly in Kolh::ipur under 'rhe direction' of S, K Altel.ar
and Vijapurkar. • IndAp'ril 1906 Vijapurkar started a-·monthir,
Pr'shwavritta, and' on June I, 1906.' a 'national school called
• Sa:marth Vid)alap 'in Kolhapu.r 'under the auspices of the
Mah:mnhtra. Vu.lp P.ras.arak l\fandaJ. Vjjaputlar w:is helped
in this worl..' by ~minent men suth '4-s DaJi AbajCJ(bare, C. V
V.udp., Dr. AI. G. Ikshmukh and the great leader 'T1fak
1
•
h lm.se lf.. ' 1) ' ,' ' ' } ' ' ~, 1 I'- ., ' '

'' G. K. Golba le, who had received his ed ucatioa in Ra jaram

College, h ad giu:n a' filHp•to the .s9cfaJ worl.e.r.s in ho1hapur in
0

1904, exhorting ~em to o,ercome th~ slough• of dctpondency

and to devote themsd'l.es' to some goal oi- good ·work. Th-ey
now sought hu help and guidane.e, I ~ they requ~sted hi~ to
actept the presidentsh1p of thei~ propo~ed Repre..e~tati\~
As,;embly which chey had fixed for October 2, 1906. Gol:.h.1le
was in London from Apnl to October 2, 1906, d1scussing'the
l\foriey-Minto Reforms which were then in the offing. Ac:ooniing
to the ,ersion pubh.shed m a Jetter .hl the Samarth1 Goll.hale,
"had secured the ear of Mr. John l\foriey Let us only be troe
156 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

to ourselves and let us not be tempted to add falsehood to a

story in order to give a point to it and we are bound to
triumph." That was the attitude Gokhale advised them to
adopt. It was difficult for them to maintain it since they were
swearing vengeance on Shahu. This was not however the first
occasion on which an organization to represent the people oE
an Indian State had been established. In Travancore Dewan
V. P. Madhavrao had founded Shrimulam Lokasabha in 1904
11
and a similar organization had been set up in Mysore also.
But they were not prompted by caste motives.
While the older public workers were forging their political
weapons, the younger ones led by Damu Joshi started trouble
by committing house-breakings. They collected funds for their
political struggle, just as, they said, Shivaji had led forays upon
his enemy territories for the same purpose. In the trial of 1900
Damu had escaped unscathed. After a while Damu Joshi with
Damu Sonar tried to assassinate Lord Curzon at the time of
the Delhi Darbar in 1902 which ,yas held from December 26,
1902, to Janu_ary 9, 1903. Thereafter Damu went to Katmandu
and worked from the middle of January to March 1903 in the
tile factory started. in, Katmandu in 1902 by Tilak's two lieu•
tenants K. P. ~hadilkar and H. N. Kulkarni. The assistant
editor of the Ke.sari, K. P: Khadilkar, ~v~~ted to start a rifle
factory in Nepal so as t~. supply the In~li-an freedom fighters •
with ammunition., With the silent or secret consent oE Tilak
he then placed,t?rders ,for ~achinery with a German agent ~t
Calcutta. - • .
While Khadiikar was in Calc;utta hi_s, m~ney, wai stolen;. he
made a report_ to the police that he had lost a sum of Rs. 4,000.
Vasuk,aka Joshi secured the sum-for !{hadilkar from Kashinath·
pant Chhatre, proprietor .of, th,e famous Chh;tre ,Circus, and
paying the ~um to the Geiman agent, Khadilkar received the
first consignment of machin~ry; the second being on ,the way
to Katman~u: But realising the dangerou~ consequences, the
Nep;il G(?vernmen~, showed reluctance to allow ·the. machinery
~o be installed. •
.. Before,. the Ve9-o;k~a ,controversy Shahu 'had. helped ,,Tilak
when he :vas awake!).mg t~e people with the war-cry o,f Shivaji.
There might be truth Ill the ~tatementU made by Tilak's
 l'OLITICAL AND MORAL Pll.ESSURC J57
grandson that Shahu had gwen money to Til:ik at the tinie of
~adllkar's tisky enterptise m Nepal T1laJ.. might have used
It f?r KhadilJ..ar's plans, and perhaps Khaddk.u- was not aware
of it. There is evidence that between 1905 and 1901 Shahu
again helped Tilak secretly through T1lak's agents of 1\hom
Canpatrao Jambotkar was one.13 The money "'a' sent for
Tilal.'s nattonal worl., not fot assassination of British le.iders
as T1Iak, too, ne,er invoh·ed hunself in such dangerous designs.
l3ut K.hadill..ar's plan Jillsfired In Nepal, Khad1Il-ar 1\as
lnown as J<nshnarao or Tile-Bhatt The plan haHng mis-
6.red, he returned to Sangh towards the end of 1904, .i.fter three
tears of stay at ,Katmandu. With him there \\orl..ed Rangnath
Col-incl T1khe from Amtavau. He was G S Khapatde's man.
On his arrh:il at Kolhapur m Apnl 1903, via Bdapur in
J\.hmednagar District, Darou Joshi founded the Eelapur SWdffil
Ciuf, or Sam.aj at Kolhapur, ostensibly to spre.i.d the spiritual
~iss1on of Swami Vid)anand, but secretly to carry on ~e mi,s-
s
•on of the Shivaji Club which was suppressed m 190?· With his
tol!eagues Darou started committing house-breal..ing durmg the
time of the )ear when plague was raging. His co!Ieagues Datto-
Prasad and \Vaman Gulavane Mre arrested in 190.'.i. One
A.nant' Bhagwat absconded, but D~ttoprasad and Gula\·ane
"-ere comu::ted In the trial Dattoprasad disclosed the part
Pl:t.)ed by Damu Joshi; so Damu Joshi was arrested in July
llJOG and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment On appeal,
lt Was reduced to six months, and he was released in October
1907,
Damu Joshi was arrested in July 1906 ahd made a full con•
fession. It was, therefore, unpomble far Sbabu co 1now
K.hadilkat's Nepal plans, which ,\ere frustrated in 1904, Many
Iltabmin authors, writing on this subject, ha\e borro\\ed tbe
nation, one from the other, that Shahu was to blame for th e
disclosure of Khad1ll..ar's Nepal plan to the British Gme1nment
It is sheer malice' and ingratitude on their part to say ro
•
"the lQ\est1gations of the the f t cases and the tnal of dth<'
riacoits• nude their supporters funous • T,._ucst men lt ere e,
Votees ot Tilak and naturally '\\hen the Police fou nd 3 photo.
gT;iph in "'hich thn:.e of these offenders in the thc:t c;ues ,~~;
sea.ted on either s1de of Tital, the Kolhapur pahce suspect
158 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

that they had connections with Tilak. On October 4,_ I?0 6,

Shahu Chhatrapati informed S. W. Etlgerley that the prmct~al
culprits were all Brahmins and that they were connected. w_1_th
the Tilak party. On account of the establishment of V1Ja·
purkar's national school and the work of the Shivaji cult, he
said, dacoitics were being committed and young men were be-
ing rendered seditious and disloyal. As, he added, he was. not
falling in with the views of people like Gokhale and Til~k:
they would like "to increase my trouble and have sympathies
with them.''
In July, while he was directing the negotiations about the
marriage of his niece with the Chief of Akalkot, Shahu had
an opportunity to e:,,;.press his opinion on the education of girls
in Royal Houses. The minor Chief of Akalkot was being edu·
catcd on Western lines. Shahu said his aunt was the Rani of
i\1udhol. She spoke English fluently and was a mo~el of
native manners and customs. She managed her household effi·
cicntly, was an excellent cook and. knew well how to behave
towards her relatives and servants. The education of his niece
should be on these lines with the addition of riding and driv-
ing and such other outdoor exercises.
"Education," Shahu added, "solely under a Europea~ Gover·
ncss cannot give them an idea as to how they should behave
towards their relatives who may be their elders, equals or
juniors. Our rcl,igious concerns are left solely to the ladies of
the family.'' He proudly quoted the example of the wives of
?r· Bha11darkar, Justice R:matlc and Justice Chandavarkar,
fhey were educated, he observed, in accordance with "our old
ways". As regards the education of his daughter, he said a
few days later, "I wish her to be strictly native as is the will of
her husband and family.'.'u
In his pri\',1te life Shahu was of a somewhat conservative
tllrn of mind and wanted to stick to Indian wa·vs and customs.
In hi,; administrative directions dealing with 'the people,, he
approved more reforms than innovations. He had not yet
;i.-;mm:cl the role of a r:idical reformer. His own sons of eight
and 11111c were umk:r the tuition of native tutors especially ap·
poimctl for that purpmc. .
:\hout this time Shahu, well known for his cncour:igcm~nt to
 POUTICAL A.',D MORAL PRES.51'RE , 159
an appreciation 0£ the :Marathi theatre, was apptoached for
help by the propnetor of a Women"s Dramatic Companf called
Stree Sangit Manda.It which was started at Sawantwadi, It had
fourteen )0ung actresses. One Atma.ram PaJtes;tne appealed to
Shabu Chhatrapat1 for monetary help so lh;it he could procure
some beautiful actresses from Goa. They l\Cre as good singers,
he s.tid, as Vislmudas Bha,e, the famous actor, \\ ho staged
Marathi pla}s as early as 1843. This Dramatic Company the
proprietor said, was far superior to the one started by
Nandil..ar. 15
It is well J..nown that Bhosle's Ro)al House at Tanjore YIU
the cradle of Marathi drama. It was ,n 1690 th:u the T:mjore
Darbar ,utnessed the first l\laratl1i play unm1' Swa)amvar.
Marathi pl;l}s were staged at Tanjore until 1BS2, and Vishnud.u
Amtit Bha,e (1819,1902) staged Sita Su•ajatnvar at Sangli 10
1843 u
The first plaJ in Marathi t1.U "-Otten bf Shal1.;rj1 II "ho
came to the throne of Tanjorc after the death of VyanloJi, the
step-brother of Shh'aj1 the Great Thus 1t \loas gi\cll to a
:\(aratha prince of tlie same famil), Shabu Chhatr.tpati, to bring
up the Mar:uhi l11catm by hdping and encouraging men Jil.e
Narayantao Rajahansa alias Il.11 Gandbarva, Kesha\rao llhmle
and a good m.1.ny ocher actorS. Sbahu supplied the Draru.1tic
Companies "ith stage equipment, money and 1hcatres. Artd it
\\as an attnbute of Shahu Chh:itr.apati that he not only mixed
with the acton but also open!~· Jmecl ltith thern at a time 1tht"n
actors ,\ere regarded as scx::ia1 kpers!

IV

,\t this ume another plot \\as bein; ha1chcJ :ipinst Sh.ihu
Chliau::ip.1.ti .,\n .anonymous Jetter \lo:a senr to the Uomhi}
Gmtrnmcnt allcgu1g that Shahu .:\hhauja h:id foroLlr ~u~ro
thiee nomen. l'rcl iouslJ, oJJC. &:ii;a )f;at~r b,tl made um1Llr
ut no attcrlllon b;i.d l,cen p21'1 w them b~ tlic
ch arges. b , . J;
no b 3 Go\cnimcnt ;u it d1d not l«ut to 1h1n m1JcJJ about
m >D 1 the defeated party in the \'cJolu. dhpuu: h;id
t h cm. u { th • -r cL., •
la l en up this ,u:annn r-,- or e :l.!..u<.;.-.i.n:..uon u• ~u.ut<l,.

charactcr,
160' SHAHU CHHATRAPATI! A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

In July 1906 Shahu wrote to the Bombay Government asking

for an interview with the Viceroy of India. The Bombay
Government thought he was intending to have an interview
with the Viceroy to request him to grant Ferris an extension of
his term of office. However, revealing his mind to the Govern·
ment, Shahu said that he wanted to see the Viceroy with a
view to laying before him a personal matter. It was no other
than this charge levelled against him in the anonymous letter.
But before he left Kolhapur for Delhi on August 7, 1906, he
wrote to Ferris that "though the letter is anonymous, you should
kindly go to the bottom of the matter. It is of course beyond
doubt that it is the work. of my enemy." "I have, therefore,"
he went on, "to request .you kindly to make searching inquiry
into the matter. I am not one of those who think that such
inquiry will take away my (abru) reputation. You know Pro-
fessor Vijapurkar, Rashingkar, Tilak and other editors of the
native· newspapers who are my enemies and I do not mind if
ever they were allowed to help the inquiry. If you cfo not
want to have an inquiry, you might ask them privately about
the truth. •You can even privately or publicly ask the guar·
dians of the ladies."
"If my enemy," Shahu fearlessly proceeded, "Tilak and his
party whom I have mentioned above say that my absence from
here is necessary for the purpose, I should not mind going
away for some time for a trip. But my only request is that if
after all inquiries the· charges should prove quite unfounded,
the persons of the Tilak party: who made the charges should be
dealt for the charges according to deserts."
"I challenge any of the above mentioned people who are at
the bottom of it," Shahu declared, "to prove these charges not
in these three cases alone but in any case they choose from my
birth to this· day." "I would not mind," he added a footnote,·
"if you keep this letter on the file as I think that this letter
contains all that I have to say in the matter."
Accordingly, Shahu and his Dewan left Kolhapur for Simla
on August .27, 1906 and broke their journey at Indore passing
a few da~~ at Dewas where they enjoyed the princely hospitalitV
of Tukoprao Powar, the Rajcsaheb of Dewas. The Victoria
School at Dewas hailed Shahu Chhatrapati as "a mirror of the'
 POl.lTlCAl MD MORAL FRESSCJJU: 161
~faratha po,1cr, soon of the Great Shi-...aJi," On September I,
1906, the mcu1bers of the Tul..oJirao Club at Dewas accorded
Shahu a wann \\ekomc In reply Shahu Chhatrapati praised
the dub wh1cl1 promoled social iotercommunal sympathy and
(ellow foelmg and exerted a h1rely mfiuence on ~odety. The
da)s \\ere long gone by \\hen rulers could stand aloof from the
subjcc.ts, he concluded This ume, Shahu had nghtly and
del1berald) a\m<lcd mcctmg the Gmernor of Bombay on his
way to Snnla, Perhaps he was hurt by the thought that the Go,-
-crnment mould att.J.ch any im_portanc.e at all to the anonpnous
letter. \
Shahu Chbatrapat1 readied Simla and had a personal mter-
"icw with the Viceroy on September ..9, and be returned to
Kolhapur on September 16 without meeting the Bombay
GoH.:n10r and his Councillors on lus way bacl.. to Kolhapur.
The papers of the case entitled "Accusa.tions against the
Maharaj.a of J,,:oJhapur forobly seduang the women and a note
by the Mahaf3.ja on the clique of Kolhapur Brahmins," reached
Simla in September 1906 This pcut1on his adversaries had
mmaged to £om ard through the Brahmm women to Lady
Minto.
The Indu Office of the Secretary of State for India had a
report from Simla in ,vhich it was finally remarJ...ed: "Wh<n
Brahro.in ,\omen from Kolhapur petitioned to Lady Minto,
Col. ferris the Political Agent, ,~rote to the Gm·emrnent of
Bombay: '1 aru sure as 1t is possible to be, that Ilis Highness
leads a clran hfe. I bclie,e he had a mistress upto last )Car,
but she died, tie had m:,er been a promiscuous fornicator.' ••It
Comments oil this rewark are superfluous. \Vlrnte,er may be
the allegations of his 1Hwishers and calunmiators. Shahu had
only one wife even though he had the riglit to marry several
women- But he did not do so. When :isl..ed by his CMJ
Surgeon to many a 5econd time 35 his wife wa,5 weak and not
able to meet ha ph}sicaJ needs, he :replied jolingly that the
Doctor should find a suitable spouse for bun. The Doctor tool:.
thJS remarL !>enous.ly and produced before him a bc;iut1ful girl
Seem,.,. her beaut)', Shahµ said th.it it would be a .sin to spoil
her I~e. , He a)ked the Doctor to arrange a mamage for her
162 SHAHU CIIHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

with a suitable spouse and promised to spend a handsome

amount on the ceremony which in fact he did. .
Shahu's social and political antagonists and writers of their
persuasion have wilfully twisted the Jirge episode in order to
assassinate his character. It happened when he was in his late
twenties. Moreover Jirge was a voluptuous beauty in Kolha-
pur and had captivating manners. The Jirge family was on
familiar terms with the Royal House. The story told by a
dcvot{!e is that she was one day detained mischievously by one
of Shahu'$ confidants when Shahu was at Rajputwadi. On
hearing the news, Shahu ordered his man to escort her to her
house and. took the blame on himself. But a closer and more
balanced source once said that nobody knew all the facts of the
Jirge episode. But referring to the Jirge affair, the l\!aharaja
once said to this friend that, except for that episode for which
he was not mainly responsible, if it was proved that he had
destroyed Lhe happiness or honour of any family, he should be
whipped at a public square.
The Jirge episode was painted by Shahu's enemies the black-
est ever as if the Princes or Chiefs of the time whom they
adored were paragons of purity and as if all of them were
morally worthy to cast a stone at Shahu.
Admittedly, Shahu had two or three mistresses called Babli-
~ai,. Tarab;ii and Kolasebai. Possessing a massive body full of
energy and vitality, he thus found an outlet for his passion.
Nevertheless lJ.is enemies, few of whom had a good moral charac-
ter, exaggerated Shahu's fault in keeping th~ mistresses; they
ma1e a mountain of a molehill. Revenge assumes many forms
and sometimes resorts to character assassination against a man
who tries to change social values. Shahu often had to suffer
from these poisonous stings.
'!'he stories ~£ Shahu's passionate life, circulated by Brahmin
writers and propagandists are mostly· fabricated legends. It is
well known that Shahu corrected Lhc mischief of some near
and dear relatives whom he got beaten by their wives for being
unfaithful to them. • _- •
. On his arri:al ~rom· Si1:1Ia; Shahu Chhatrapati, who always
showed an active interest ·m fostering and promoting industries
and commerce in Kolhapur, laid the foundations of the Shahu
 t>OunCAL A.'1) MORAL PRruftlU: 165
Chhatrapat1 Spmnmg and Weaung Mill on September 27~
l90G. Originally 1t \\J.S a Joint Stoel.. concern and had been:
f?nthoni~g as su<l1 for nearly a }ear Its Secretary ¼as
Khanderao Appasaheb Cail.wad, hho \\J.S perhaps re<,pousible
for 1t.s bad management. Before this enterprise, such business
,entures managed by Ilrahmtm bad miscrabl} fat1cd m
Koih:ipur as they had no l..nmdcdge of the business.
Shahu's speech, ,\hich \\as read by ~wan Sabnis, congra-
tulated the people on showing :i spint of self-help and assured
thcnt that this bemg the first 1nm in his State, ll \~Oulu ah\a)s
ha,e his fullest help and S}mpatbr. "I quite spnpa.th1se wllh
}our dcternunal1on," he s:ud, "not to Jet this concern go mto
the hands of great null-owners ;ind milhon:iires." He then asked
the people to make the mtercst of the YJ.are-holders th<:ir direct
and permanent concern and to show the public at large by
then· suc«~s that mercantile talenu '"ere not a monopoly of
Bombay alone,
Shahu ad\-ised I.hem to [llal..e up their mmds to cross the
borders on Dassara in 5ea.rch of the glory of induttria.l de,elop-
mcnt. "lY'e must remember,'' he concluded in an insp,ring note,
"peace hath 1l!i Hctories more ren0\~t1ed than war. V1ctory m
. the!>e days has to be gained mer apJ.th), ignorance and
pmerty."
Vijaputl-ar's Granthanuila in an ironic tone said m its hsue
of September 1906 that thi, new enterprise did not suffer from
any contact with Brahmins and wished it all succes:;
After many v1c1ss1tudes. the mall was taL.en o\Cr by the Gov.
ernrnent of Kolhapur Shahu had generously subscribed to its
capital. He had supplied the ongmal management Mth the
land and v.ater-tank.
Sbahu bad already the Ginning FJ.ctory at Sh1rol Road and
a Handloom Industry Unit conducted by a Brahmm indus-
trialist at Ra1bag. With all the necessary capital he bad helped
this Ilrahmin induunahst and also deputed an expert chemist
to explore the poss1b1hty of a die-factory ;ll Raibag. The Gin-
ning Factory floumhed, but the Handloom industry pcnshed
after a hard struggle. ,,
i At t111s tune th.ere was some trouble over .an old, dilapidated
mosque wh1di stood m the compound of the Old Palace 0£
16't SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Kolhapur. The Muslims now were· thinking of using it again

for prayers. As this would have caused some inconvenience to
both sides, the Darbar, however, did not allow them to do so.
Instead, the Chhatrapati donated a substantial sum for the
construction of a new mosque in Shahupuri. A tolerant and
benevolent ruler that he was, the Chhatrapati wanted the
Muslims in his State to march with the times. He had appoint-
ed in a Government Department one Yusuf Abdulla and he
wanted to give a fillip to the cause of education among the
Muslims through him. So far the Marathas were giving bene-
fits of their educational institutions and boardings and hostels
to the Muslims. So through Shahu's efforts the Mohammedan
Education Society was established on November 15, 1906, in
Kolhapur and Shahu Chhatrapati became its first President.18
Yusuf Abdulla was young and inexperienced and so Vichare,
-a Maratha genLleman, was asked to manage the hostel which
they started on November 15, 1906. The hostel could not pro-
gress well for want of funds. So laLer, in June 1907, the
Chhatrapati sanctioned an annual grant of Rs. 250, donated
Rs. 5,000 towards the building fund of the hostel and also
granted a site for the building and a landed income of Rs. 67,045
to the institution.
A few days earlier, J. P. Graham of the American Presbyte-
rian Mission had made • a ·petition to the Government of
Bombay complaining about the action of certain feudatories
of Kolhapur. They had issued an order prohibiting the mort-
gage, sale and grant or lease of immoveable property by their
subjects tQ persons who were not subjects of . their States.
Shahu's relations •with the .. missionaries were cordial and he
appreciated their humanitarian work. This question came
befor<:! him for considera.tion and after some days he. decided
on a policy with regard to it.

The Chhatrapati found •that vigorous preparations for the

"Pratinidhi Sabha or the Representative Assembly had been
made by its Brahmin leaders. They had promised the farmers
a reduction of ta:i-:es. Some Brahmin youths had been arrested
 POLITICAL AND MORAL PRES.!,URF. 165'
on the charge of committing thefts. This infuriated the
Brahmins of Kolhapur. But the l\farathas and the' B;"Jckward
Classes opposed the idea of a Representati,e Assernbly; for they
had no faith m an organisation s.et up by Brahmins who ttied
to degrade them socially and alwa>s looled upon them WJth
disdam. Shahu ·was glad that the Back\\at<l Classes stood up
to cl1allcnge the moti,·es of Brahm111 leaders and ga,e strong
expression to their feclmgs at preliminary meeungs organised
by the Brahroin leaders.
The leaders ol tl1e propo~d Representathe Assembly were
all Brahroms, Rashmgl..ar. V G. Vijapurt..ar, S. K. Altelar, S. Y.
Abhyankar and Rambhau Got...hale. As scheduled, the Repre-
sentattve Ammbly, almost a Brahmin Sabha. met on October
2. 1906, m a godown at Shahupuri m Kolhapur. The attend-
ance was not onlv paor but also not as representative as they
claimed IlafaJi rrabhal.ar l\.fodak, an eminent man of learn-
mg in KoJh;,pur, was to h.·we p,esjded ,wa tbe Representa.tile
Assemhl), He, hm~·e,·er, declined to preside in deference to the
Mahu.ija's \\-ishes. So Dr. Waman BaJl Ru1J..ar alias s,-.ami
Lavananand pres.ided over jt at the instance of V1japud,ar.
One of the <;peak.en at the Assembly said that in the State
e\ery subject, man and woman. w.is filled with anxiety about
the safety of his Hfe, property or natural and acquired rights.
Anoth<>r spealer quoted Ilradlaugh, sa}ing, "tbat h no loyalty
which is below submission"
The Assembly wished a long life to the Chhatrapatt and the
members of the Ropl family Their second resolution asL.ed
for state a1d and encouragement to agriculture The thtrcf
pra)Cd for the enlargement of p<>pular educatwn. The fourth
demanded faahhe$ £or civil cl.nms of the state subjectl against
the Darbar. Tie (ifch pnt:}«l for the annulment of thl" s1Jper-
vmon of the Municipality. By the sixth resolut10n, the Assem-
bly decided I on, the appointment of a Standing Committee
for th-c representatwn of the gnevances of the ~ubjects before
1
the authotit1es.'"
The Brahmm controlled newspapers repeated the dogan
"'every man and woman was filled with anx:1ety'' If an allcga•
tion was to be made at all, it sfioufd fia,e been that 'every
nrahmm man and ¾oman was .fiJied "»Jth :inxiet)' although
166 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

to say that women were facing such a danger in Kolhapur was

a wicked lie. The non-Brahmin classes had virtually kept away
from the agitation. Obviously, this was •a Brahmin agitation
which had Kolhapur and Kagal as its targets and not any of
the Maharaja's Brahmin feudatories. Predominantly, it was a
Brahmin Sabha. To defend its colour and composition, the
Kesari, lowering its tone bashfully, came out to declare that
out of 132 delegates, 66 were Brahmins and of these 66, only
18 were Kokanasthas.
Expressing his reaction on October 9, 1906; Shahu Chhatra-
pati said: ."I should have not minded if it was an honest move-
ment fairly representing the people at large, but the very fact
that the leaders have confined their work to Kagal and Kolha-
pur and not a single one of the feudatories or the Southern
Maratha Chiefs is included, is enough to show their real object.
Evidently they do not like our efforts to bring forward the
Backward Classes and their intrigues about the Shivaji Cult
thefts are exposed and that is why they do not like and
naturally they hate us."
The role played by the Maharaja in applying Indian Standard
Time to Kolhapur and Southern Maratha Countries was a
fresh cause for their anger: In the Brahmin-ruled feudatories
the discontent had been so great as to compel some non-
Brahmins to leave their States and go out; but not a word
was said about them. This simple fact showed_ what had
prompted the movement. Above all, the Chhatrapati was
surprised that men like Gokhale. should help the agitation
without making any inquiries. Some of Gokhale's relatives,
Shahu, added, both at Ka gal and Kolhapur had to be pensioned
off, but '.'I ·do not think Gokhale. is likely to be influenced by
such things."
On October 12, 1906, the Dewan issued an order in the
Gazette prohibiting all Government officers from taking any
cognisance· of their applications and from maintaining any
relations with the Representative Assembly directly or indirect-
ly. In 1.892 a similar institution called Rayat Agency had been
establishcd. 20 And like the Rayat Agency, this Representative
Assembly, too, never met again.
Harassed -as he was, Shahu naturally wished that Jath and
 roUTic.tL ..t11oo MORAL ru:ssu~ 167
AkaJLot h.1d joined m dre scroggle ag:.iirut the Brahmin
tballcnf;e,
Immcdi;itdy :iftcr the meeting of this Rcprcscnuthc
.\ucml>l)'. V1ppuri...u, Rasl1ingbr and G.1ngadham10 Deshpande
froru llclg:wm, held a m«ting :at Nauoh;u~.idj and m.adc-
spantcJ •pttchcs 011 S\\ a<lc~hi. They said that imported sugar
1,hould not be used a, it contained blood and hone, of co\\s
anJ pig,. At Jcscnbcd by SJi.1:lw. Dcshp.u1dc w,u tlic m.1n who
applauded Tila.l. at lklg:rnm b) lilcmng him to Shh·aji and
c:illrng- 1nm Rap<lhiraJ Chhatrapati Tilak Mahar.ij.lt
At uiu ume Vi1a1mrlar. "110 was a thorough-bred sociaJ Tory,
raised an al:mn that the non-Ilrahmins l\Crc coming forwatd
:and challenging the kadcrship of the Drahmins. So he suggested
thac ,he Rrahmins ~hould .crugglc hard co rttain d1cir po,\er
and influence
There v.as some trouble in the case of ViJapurlar, but the
District ;\fagistratc Ilh:ul.arr:rn Jadhav relic,ed him white
some faw,cr po}jtiti.ms 'hcrc a.sled to lc.al-c Xolhapur Whl}C
the Hrahmins \\ere ag.iin engaged in obtaining signatures of
the Urahmms in '\illages to a memorial agarnst the Maharaja,
Fcni$, Politrc.d .Agent, umc,lcd a. portrait of Shahu Chhatr.J.
pati on l\lontlay, No,embcr 20, 190G, in the Jain Students Insti-
tution. On that occasion Ferris said he was umeilmf;' the
Maharaja's portrait not on account of his long friendship with
Jiim, bur bcousc he fully belieH·d that the M.ah.ar.aja 'haJ one
of the Princes ·who never lost a single opportunity to better the
condition of their subjects. The 1\1:lharaja's attempt had ne,er
been to le1.d down but rat}ic:-r to le\el up Sh.mu Mah.ar;ij.a
had been, Fenis concluded, encouraging the less adv:mced
among the subjects, and he:: wa,$ glad that the .Maharaja's efforts
1tcrc .dottly bcarmg frmt.
The c,·cnts in Kolhapur provoked Tilat..'s Kesa.n. It \cnted
its wrath upon Ikwan Sabnis who had become an C}e-sore to
ic. The KeJari harped on the attachment of the properties of
the Ilrahmms, adding that it wa, unfortunate the advisers of
the Kolhapur Darbar \'.ere selfish. The Kesari, rcpl)ing to A. B.
Lauhe, who had auacl.e<l jn an article the .Br.1hmin rule in
Kolhapur in Ilarvc's time, said that it was not the creed of the
Kesan to pounce on the Kolhapur 1Jarbar on account of if~
168 SHAHU CHHATRAPATJ: A ROYAL REVOLUT10NAR\'

pride in the Chitpavan administration or the Vedokta. The

Kesari 22 revealed its real object in the end. It said that a State
should have a Dewan with his own independent reputation as
an administrator. And there was the rub. That a Kayastha -
should be the Dc,..,.an of the State was the real impediment,
and Shahu was impertinent to raise him Lo that high position!
The Maharaja helped several Marathas to get higher pos:s
in the Government of Bombay. P. C. Patil, who was well quali-
fied and eminently suitable for the post of a professor at the
Agricultural College, sought his help in the matter. If Patil
got the post, Shahu said, he would be of great help to the
students from Kolhapur. For securing his promotion, Shahu
and Dewan Sabnis did put in a word for him and Patil got the
post. Similarly Shahu tried to give a lift to B. M. Vaidya whom
he recommended to Sayajirao Gaikwad.
'At this time Professor Bhanu of Fergusson College fervently
pleaded to Shahu for securing the help of his friend Lamingtori
for, the Deccan Education Society and to help the upgrading
of Principal Paranjpye. Shahu had his own problems and it
seems he could not do much at this time for Fergusson
College. ?e was hard pressed. Later, on March 1, 1907, the
Maharaja, however, issued a circular letter appealing to a
number of_ Indian Princes and others for funds, impressing up·
on their minds the sacrifice of Gokhale, Principal Paranjpye
~pd Professo~ Bhanu in the cause o_f education.
,During the whole of 1906, the Chhatrapati had been conduct·
ing negotiations through Ferris and the Government of
Bombay to arrange the marriage of Laxmibai Akasaheb;
Bapusaheb Ghatge's daughter, with Fatehsinha Bhosle, the
minor Chief of J\kalkot. In December 1906, A. R. Bonus,
Collector and Political Agent of Satara, took a ,leading part in
the marriage negotiations and settled on February I, 1907, the
marriage for a dowry of Rs. 20,000, as desired by Shahu. The
Indian Princ~s or the Chiefs were not free to .negotiate with
one another independently even in the case of the marriages
of their sons .and daughters. Th~y had· to pr~ceed through the
Pol_itic~I Agent with the approval of the Government. Ferris,
who informed Shahu about the decision, said that there were
no _more girls· at_ that time whose fut~re could cause Shahu
~~~ . . .
 CllrtPTEll ] j

Religious Terrorists

SIIAllU C1111.nR...u•.\n, while in EnglanJ m 1902, had r;:onc.dH:d

an idea of building a in1ge tanJ. to fa.c1litatc imgation and
m.ale the fand frnilc. He had dcrhcd thh idc.1 from sim,far
irri~1ion \\orls he had seen in England and Europe during
that visit Since No,cmbcr 1905 he had been in correspondence
o,cr tf1a ambuious proJect and he ,,as also ready wllh t.he
groJogic.al suney. Vfa.cn;ir::ip, the Superintcmknt Engmeer,
was di?puted by the Go\cmment 0£ Bombay to inspect the
K:il:imba Tank and the Darn and advise the Datbar. V1n•es-
vara}a 1,as a friend of Dewan Sabnis wben both v.cre in GO\crn•
ment sen1c.c at Dhulia. On September 5, 1!)06, the l\Iamlatd;u
ob.scned in Im report: "The Darb,1r with comparatl\ ely Hty
&lender finanaa.l means at its dispoul could hardly undertal.e
,cry large 1rrigation project, but the recurrence of draughts
;ind the consequent Jg,icuJtural depression ~ould sooner or
l.:i.tcr ha,e forc-ed the hand of the Datbar to undertaLe Hty
larg~ irrigation pro1ec.t." '
In Fdnuary 1907 Shaliu decided to gfre adl\'C cons,deration
to the pro1ect., ½hich he st}led h.h1 4fc worl... •·My hfe's work.''
he said, "will ha,e b«n done when I complete this project.''
On Febru:u-y l9, 1907, he wrote to Lord Lamington requesting
him to us1t Kolhapur and he im·1tc<l hun under the pretext
of haling 1 a slukar. He gave c,cry Governor an idea of his
plans, d1fficult1es and d1Icmmas and sought the Governor's help
to resohe them and to r.omplcte bis project, "This time.'' he ob--
~n cd rn his letter, "'I wish to show Your Excellency the Slte
of the big plan I ha\e under contenplation It is a very large
project v.-h1ch is be)ond my reach, but I am undertal..mg it as
it wiil remove all fears of famme in my State a:nd- therefore
!69
170 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

I am so anxious that Your .Excellency should have a look at

the site. Your Excellency's visit to the place will be itself a
great encouragement."
Educational activities in the State had by now gained a
momentum. So far the Lingayats had not made any progress.
In February 1907 Shahu therefore enqouraged the Lingayat
leaders to hold a conference. They met in conference in that
month at a hill shrine called Siddhagiri, eight miles from
Kolhapur. Shahu addressed the conference and gave a fillip
to their social and educational work. After this preliminary
step, he invited the Karnatak leaders of the Lir,gayats to
Kolhapur to discuss plans of starting a hostel. The result of
their, _vis,it was the starting of Veerashaiva (Lingayat) hostel on
the ,vest~rn bank of Rankala Tank, providing accommodation
for more than fifty student:;. Thus he provided the backward
communities with funds, ideas and inspiration and helped. to
raise· their· social and cultural _level.
About this time A. B. Latthe, who had come into contact
with Shahu Chhatrapati, was appointed lecturer in Rajaram
College: Shahu wanted men of high education and attainment
at the college. Latthe was an M.A. with English as his principal
subject,· and there were no professors in Rajaram College with
that qualification.
In the second week .of March 1.907, Tilak visited Kolhapur
and addressed a meeting at the Shivaji ,Theatre under the
auspices of the Kolhapur Native Library under the president-
ship of Waman Ruikar.
In the course of his speech Tilak safd that the people of the
Native States were the grandchildren of the British paramount
power. After some years the National Congress would have to
take into its· hands the affairs of the administration of the
Native States. Owing to English education, he added, the
minds of new generation had begun to undergo a change and
they had begun to think that they should look after their own
affairs. The subjects of the Kolhapur State had a special claim
upon its ruler in that the ruler and the subjects belonged to
one race. In the end Tilak referred to the opposition offered
by the small meetings of the Marathas, Jains and Muslims
to the People's Representative Assembly and, said: "Our
 RELIGIOLS Tt:Rll.ORlSTs 171
teacher and that of the rule:rs is one and the sarne. namely,
history. Its lnowled~ teaches them to offer such obstructions,
but the 1,ery lnowk:dge- has al.so, given u.s- our power and so
we rely upon the future hope. These kinds of results which
have once tal...en place m history cannot but recur.'' 1
Afo:r his vts1t to .i\fahaba.leshwar m l\.fay 1907. where Shahu
met all the leading Government officers, he returned to Kolha,
pur and went to Dappur for a ihoot. There he fell from his
mule, and his right leg was injured. Ferns, was thml..mg of
sendmg for the lklgaum Cml Surgeon, but Shahu d1d not
consent as hts progress was qmte satisfactory under the ti-eat•
ment of his own doctors They knew, he said, his constitution
weU as they had earned him thro1,1gh more serious ailments.
"Moreover," Shahu th;mlfolly 1~rme to Fer.ri.s, "if necessary
I would rather send for Dr. ·wanless who u, my fnend and in
whom t ha,e confidence."' But his wound did not heal as ex-
pected, Shahu could not sit comfortably. An operation was,
therefore. performed on .ha leg on June 16, and agam a part
of the wound was. opened in July. Yet with a painful leg he
went to Poona in the third week of July 1907. There he dis.-
cussed the designation "Chief" which the Go~crnmcnt wanted
to use for h1s feuda.tories. The feudatories, specially the
Jahagirdar of IchalL.aranj1, thought ll disrespectful not to be
addressed in that fash10n. Shahu said he had no objettion to
their bemg stJled so purely as a m;:itte.r of courtesy for their
hfet1me only He then returned to Kolhapur as' he was, com•
pelled by h1i. doctors to do so For about six. months he had been
in bed, He expressed his heartfelt regret at Lotti lamingr.on's
resignation before the exptry of his term It 1was time that he
had a llose touch ,~ ith him, and Lord Lammgton had petsonall}
expressed sympathie~ to him. Lord Lamington left India at
the t'nd of July 1907.
The two Princes Rajaram :ind Shiva1i were under tuition of
nati~e tutors specially apprO\•ed for the purpose. The Chhatra•
pati appointed at this t.ime one Mn.. Jrwfo, a Scotswoman, w~o
was an experienced teacher and knew well the language and wa)S
o! the Ro}al family. Besides, she knew about midwifery and
was J..nown for her literary attainments Although he supplied
Lord Lammgton with this mfonnat1on of his son'5 educat1on 1
172 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL 1 :REVOLUT!ONARY
Edgerley advised hirn"to send Prince Rajaram to the Rajku~ar
College at Rajkot. •Replying to this, the loving and dutiful
father said on August 9; 1907 :·• "My eldest son, owing to illness
during infancy,· has been 'rather of delica·te health. He was
hardly able to stand straight till he was seven. I had therefore
to pay very special attention to his health. Therefore special
arrangement is made' for· his education. • It is' only good and
personal supervision ·that is' improvin·g him and I had to con-
tinue it. Therefore I am sorry I cannot avail myself of your
kind advice to send him to Rajkot." Later, the Princes were
put under the charge of Dr. J. W. Irwin.
When the dacoities were' unearthed in Kolhapur and the
political agitation grew louder Shahu; ,vho £eared that Kolhapur
had developed' into a centre of the terrorists, issued a notifica-
tion on June 11, 1907, declaring that thenceforward no meet-
ing, public or private, having for'its 'objects, solely or in part,
directly or indirectly, the •consideration of political questions
connected with the British Gover'nmcnt or the Darbar, should
be held in the State without the express permission of the·
District Magistrate. "The District Magistrate will have full
discretion," the ordinance added, "to stop such a meeting alto-
gether or allow it to be held under such condition as it might
deem expedient to impose." • • •
Certain irresponsible and mischievous ~gitators, the notifica-
tion observed, had· been systematically misrepresenting the acts
of the British Government· and also of the Darbar. Thereby
they had been spreading disaffection and discontent among. the
ignorant oi illiterate people that formed the bulk of His High-
ness' subjects and sowing .the seeds of sedition. His Highness
considered that such extremists were really the enemies of the
country.
The Kesari, naturally defending the extremists and terr'orist·s,
said in its editorial note of June 18, 1907, that although the
British Government had issued such orders banning meetings
in the Punjab and Bengal,· it was unbecoming on the part of
the descendant of Shivaji to outdo· the British Government. The
ordinance, the Kesari continued, was unwarranted· and unjusti-
fied as no such situation had arisen in Kolhapiir. · Time woutd
decide whe_ther the Maharaja was an enemy •of the agitators or
 u • RLUC!Ol!.s TERRORI~T.5 1 , , ... 173
they wen: the enemies of the Maharaja. AU in that part of the
country were aware of th.e heinous acts perpetrated by the
Darbar, and when the redonmg came. 1t \'.OUld open their e}es
to their follr.
TJie Kesari, describing the Mah..i.rap as a flatterer and his
Dewan a man who had advanced from a teacher's post under
the British Ga,ernment, uid that it did not befit a teacher
to dance lile a peatocl... The hmces v.ould ha,e to pay the
pnce £or such foolish .icts Instead of protectmg its subjects
from the pohtICal agitation, the Kesari retorted; the Darbat
should protect their property, honour and hfe more effectively,
"That the Maharaja of Kolhapur," the Ke.sari concluded, "u
one of our good rulers is a fact. If, however, the foetus falls
athwart, there is no other way but to cut it off. Necessity know$
no bw; one must get over the difficuJcy."
Accordwg to an official note, "the Extremists wing .of pollti-
cfans in Jf..:zfo:zrash1:r.1 .and dpec1:dJ y in PDon:i fooled for support
from the Maharaja of Kolhapur." He, hov.ever, remained
st~bbom. This was the d1f6.c.ulty 1n the way of the ex.trenusts,
The Kesan contemptuously referred to Dewan Sabnis a, a
former teacher, forgetting that Gokhale, Tdak and Ranade
were also teachers at one time.
:,,-,The rules were that the Indian hmces were not free to deal
with poh ttcal agrtatwn Shahu Chh.rtrapati wouid not h,n'C
mmded their rising m D1111sll dist.nets, but Jf Kolbapur de,:e.
loped, 'Mth his consent or conmvance, as it was de\eloping into
a terrorist stronghold. 1t would have endangered his position.
The Btibsh would ha"e deposed .him, Why the Brahm.in
terronsts chose Kolhapur and not Sangh, Ichall,aranJi or
Miraj as a centre, l~as not difficult to understand. In cboo~mg
Kolhapur as. their centre they thought that their acts would
JeopMdise the position 0£ the, Mabaraj.1., which they sincerd}
desm:cl. , Shahu wa~ at1 admirer of R::m.:lrle and GoJ..halc :ind,
lile them, he was not m fa1:our, of daco1t1es and , iolence al•
though be sometimes helped Tilak m bis political work.
In spite of tlus. attad, the Kolhapur Darbar stucL to its guns,
and in September Dhaskerrao Jadhav, the District l\fagistrate.
refused permission to the leaden of the Representat1'ye Assemb-
ly to hoI~ Jts session. , Upon tlus cbe Kesari :ul:ed the Repre•
174 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

seritative Assembly to continue its struggle in the States for

Swaraj and advised its members to hold such conferences or
meetings at places like Belgaum or at other nearby places on
the border of Kolhapur. It was shameful, the Kesari concluded,
on the part of the States, particularly the State governed by
the descendant of Shivaji, to allow such things to happen.
The Representative Assembly lost one of its staunchest
leaders, V. K. Rashingkar, in November 1.907. He died of
plague. During his illness the Chhatrapati visited his sick-bed,
helped and cheered him up forgetting his opposition and the
bitterness created by his agitation. It reflected the goodness
and public spirit of Rashingkar as well as on the tolerant and
generous attitude of the Chhatrapati.

II

Even though the Maharaja's wounds had not healed, he got

himself inoculated against plague in September 1907, in orde~
to set a good example to his officials,. admirers and his people.
Thereafter towards the middle of October 1907, he met Lord
Minto at Simla and requested him to give another extension to
Col. Ferris till after the marriage of his daughter. Lord Minto
cabled to the Secretary of State for ·India, recommending the
extension which he sanctioned. Since October 1907 the Chha-
trapati had begun giving the information to the Princes about
his daughter's marriage which was to take place in March 1908.
He wrote to high dignitaries that he would deem it a great
favour if they ,vould make it convenient to grace the occasion
by their presence. •
As Shahu pressed for the extension of the term of Ferris,
there was some misunderstanding about it among Government
circles. They thought he was opposed to Major Wodehouse
being appointed to succeed Col. Ferris. Because Kolhapur
had now become the headquarters of the Poona cult, next only
to Poona, and since the Kolhapur police had unearthed three
clubs which were collecting arms and ammunition by ill-means
and by committing dacoities, Shahu wanted Ferris who knew
the situation well. There was hardly any other native State
in which such serious and dangerous situations prevailed.
 IU:UCIOUS T.ERRORJST'S 175
Shahu therefore stated that he had nothing against Major
\Vodcb()use who was .i.lso acquainted with Kolhapur politics.
In times of difficulty and dt.sorder, Bapusaheb Ghatge was
posted to deal with difficult problems and situations. Shahu
appointed Bapusaheb Ghatge to manage the Spinning and
Weaving Manufacturing Company which had suffered a great
loss. The ease-lo"ing Khanderao Gailnad had to resign as the
affairs of the Mill were in disorder '
Shahu, owner of a big paddock, had de..elopcd a keen inter•
est in the cattle fa.rm and in the cattle breedmg centre It ,-ras
two miles and a half to the south-east of Kolhapur , The pad-
dock had loose boxes for brood-mares There were quarters
for the servant<, and a small dispensary. In one section animals
were kt loose, there being plenty of good grass and water for
them. There were also a few grass sheds to shelter the animals,
and they \\ere fitted with water-tubes. Animals were taught
to run to the stable at the ringi.ng of the bell. There were
brood-1na.res, i:olts, lilI.ies, a teaser, one Australian stallwn, a
Persian donkey. The paddock bred m a penod of five years
about 33 fillies Shahu Chhatrapat1 lol'ed his animals and they
also were fascinated by him. An expert nder, he was also a
good Judge of animals His guests were charmed by the site
of his paddock and the- interest he took in the welfare of the
ammah as well as in his expenments. He bought animals
from foreign animal experts, made sct-eral c,penmencs, sold
the animals and often presented them to hts friends '
Shahu's familiarity with the animals was proverbial. His
gte)hounds and hfa lions or tigers were found about bis chairs
or on hii bed. They '"'ent up to his master and ate from his
hand. His visitors tool fright when he mtschievously_ \\C~t
inside leaving them alone with his animals One day when
a corrupt official was c..illed to confess hjs guilt, he "oulu
not do so, Shahu left, him alone with' a ferocious tJger The
official ~-as almost de.id with fright Terror-stricken, he called
ouc to Shahu and confessed his gmJt,
Towards the end of' October 1907, the' Chhatrapati sent
some (amels as a present to Knshnaraj Wad1yar, the Mahataja
of MJsore A chance remark of, Maharaja Krisimar.ij had
resulted in the sending of this present, Krisbnar.ij was going
176 SHA.HU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

to use them for purposes of show in the State. Profusely he

2
than~ed Shahu Chhatrapati for the kindly thought and act.
Replying to him, Shahu Chhatrapati said that the camels did
not require much care and the conveyance drawn by them was
swifter and accommodated a larger number of persons. For a
herd of 25.0 camels, he observed, only few men were enough to
look aft~r. The herd would graze in his jungles, which the
Chhatrapati learnt from his men, were abundant in lVfysore. The
camels would be useful ,for carting and could be sold. There
was a large demand for them. Shahu added: "Personally I am
3
very fond of animals and everywhere 1 sell them at a profit."
On account of his prodigious memory and uncommon fami-
liarity with the animals, Shahu could easily recognise every ani-
mal in his. paddock. Once while he was riding home, he saw a
young bull:which resembled one 9£ his own. He at once stopped
the cart to which the bull was harnessed and asked the cartman
how he· had come by the particular animal. The enquiry over,
he called the man who had sold the bull to the cartman and
was astonished to hear that the bull was from the breed of his
own bull in the paddock! • •
At this time Shahu Chhatrapati wrote. to Frazer .that he was
trying to utilise the small waterfalls which were in the jungles
and was experimenting upon sericulture! ,silkworm breeding.
As Shahu held a peculiar . position in Princely India,_. he
received calls for help from many Chiefs and P.rinces such as the
Tanjore fam.ily, Rangitsing and the Pannas. ,The deposed
Shivajirao Holkar sought an invitation to stay with him for
some time. On his dethronement, Shivajirao Holkar was feeling
lonely and coul_d not visit any place ,unless invited. J;ysingrao
Jadhav, a Tanjore relation, needed help and so Shahu wrote to
the Maharaja of, Mysore in February 1908 requesting him to
give Ja~av a suitable job. In March 1908, Shivaji Raje of
Tanjore wrote to Shahu about the. dilapidated condition of the
Royal palace and observed sorrowfully that they were witnessing
its last days. Shivaji Raje expected· that Shahu would "extend
the -right hand of help and favour with a ray of hope." -
Sayajirao Gaikwad wrote two letters to the Chhatrapati in
February and March 1908. In one which he wrote on February
21, 1908, he tendered an apology for the improper· way an invi~
 , RELlGIOUS TI:RRORJSTS 177
talion was sent to Shahu and obsened that "nothing will cause
me greater pam than to show distespect to you as a rule1 and
also as a friend and relathe." In the second which he wrote
on :O.Iard1 14, 1908. he promised Shahu Chhatrapatx that be
\\Ouid huny up to betroth his granddaughter' to Shahu's son 1f
he could not n ;ut.
A prac:tk.a.J and .shrewd m.m, SJJ.:J]w .did not spend mud1
money on his <lomesttc affairs or princely busrness, but g;ae
a\\ay lo tho~e l\ho really <lesened u. For the encouragement of
Arts, Dr:tma, Music. 5culpture .ancl folL sonE,.>s and on wrestling,
no contemporary spent as much as he did. In lnd1a Kolhapur
became lnm-.n now as a centre of culture; Sbahu's fame spread
far and nlde. De,•endcanath Sen, wnnc- -l poem on him, appre-
cuung Jus cathohCJty, uphft oI tile untouc:hahles and h.1s urge
for soc1al equahty '
"O King! nd1, mighty heart, that feels al1le
For rich an<l poor, tor lugh caste lords of men,
Aml for the low caste Shudras, born in fen
OE ~oaal tegregation; there's no cl)le
To check the sea of mercy, than dost stnke
Terror mto tl1e l\OlC comention's den!
T11ou seen dungs be}ond dim aide's ken,
True hero, so]d1er, proof against custom's pike.
Toe Hmdus and non-Hmdus, Jams and alt,
Do find a pb.cc m halls of thy big soul.
Ev'n as a rner in its scawardroll,
Doth hold the sun, and night's cefesuaI baII,
Reflected on 1ts clear :md crystal, breast;
Yet there the uny st;tTS do sweetly rest.

III
'
The extremist Ilrahmtn leaders of Kolhapur did n~t tale tlie
Ve<lokta defeat J}mg do1fl1,1They uere smanfog under it. Feel-
ings. of resentment bet1..:een the Marn thas and Ilrafonins ran
high. Early m January 1908, the cnm wai:i capped by, the ejec•
tion of the Managing Committee of the Nathe General L1 l>rary
at K(!lhapur. Thetl\farathM wished to h.ne a ma1onty of the1r
178 SHAHU CHHA1Tu\P,\TI! A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

caste on the Managing Committee. Naturally, it being a chal-

lenge to their monopoly, the Brahmins resented it.
But this was not all that happened to lead to the real con-
spiracy. Col. Ferris had supported the Maharaja in the Vedokta
controversy. The hostility of the Brahmins was not only to Col.
FetTis, but also to the Maharaja and his two officials, Dewan
Sabnis and the District Magistrate Bhaskerrao Jadhav. Towards
the end of the year 1907, Jadhav was once beaten up in the
street. Dissatisfied with the situation, Darnu Joshi and Narayan
Vishnu Fadnis went to consult Ganapatrao Moclak, :i well-
known public figure in Kolhapur. At this private meeting Damn
said that Jadhav should be beaten again. But Moclak suggested
that as Col. Ferris was at the bottom of all the troubles in
Kolhapur he should not be allowed to leave India alive.
"I said," Damu Joshi later revealed in Court, "I would take
his life. Modak gave me thirty rupees for expenses." It was
agreed among them that Ferris should be killed with a revolver.
Modak suggeste·d that a bomb should be thrown at the wedding
of the Maharaja's daughter. Damu Joshi replied that he did
not like to do it "against our Raja". Modak then took Damn
to A. D. Kulkarni who also was anxious to have Col. Ferris
killed. In Modak's house Damu Joshi had seen Kaka Patil.
the leader and lawyer, who was a supporter of Tilak in Thana.
Actuated by this.ill feeling, Damu.went to Poona in February
1908. He obtained, through R. B. Gaclre, an introduction to
G. P. Bapat and requested Bapat to make and give him a bomb.
When asked about its purpose, Damu answered that he wishi~d
to kill Col. Ferris and other tyrannical officers iri. Kolhapur.
Bapat agreed. To demonstrate the capacity of the bomb, Bapat
exploded two sample bombs in a guava garden at Bhamburda,
now called Shivajinagar near Poona. The first bomb was not a
success. The second exploded with such violence that the brass
jug which held it was blown up and its pieces entered into the
trunk of a builyan· tree close by. Damu was· satisfied with the
performance and returned to Kolhapur requesting Bapat to
send the third bomb to him at Kolhapur. He wanted to fling
it into the pandal at the time of the marriage ceremony of
the Maharaja's daughter·'6n March 21, 1908. . • . ••
• Though this 'Kolhapur ·group of terrorists had ideas inspired
 RtLlCIOt:S nAAORlSTS 179
b)' pauiotiun. their actions \1erc mothatc<l more by llrabminism.
d1.:1n hr p.1rrioti.11n. 11ii.s w,:u not t11e Qsc witll the N,;mJ., gioup
or rC\ohuionarie.s lcJ by Sa,.,nl.ar. Their action~ were mothatcd
by patriotism alone.
~fc.1i1t1mc, .l tcm:ral mcciiug n.u caJieJ (0 elect the flf:maging-
Co111mlttcc or the Kolhapur Nathe L1Lrary v.hen the '.\farathas.
JhturLcd tJ,e meeting 1,y 1hto,\ing cm\dung anti eggs at Mo<lak
aml oilier llnluniu kadeu £:Jch p.trty 1,as embittered as-auut
the other. TI1e tectonsts wt-re awaitmg the anh al of the boinlJ
from Poona,
On Fcbru.ary 21, J!IOS, Sh:ihu ,'.UtenJed in ~ hot luJIT)' t11c
DJ1lur held at Dcwas to pmclaim the mumption of pov.er by
TukoJ•rao 1•owar, RaJ3sahcb of Dew:u, "ho \\as soon to be Jm
son-rn•l.rn• Shahu wa.J JiCS-Jt.aling to go lo Dcw:u ,as he w:i.s m.11.-
ing preparations to ,\elcome the :i.rahara;a of C"ahor. But on
1c(ci,.fog a letter from Tul.011rao 111 "hith he said that as
5h.1hu·s rel.:ltnc Jie- had a cJ.·u.rJ1 on SJ1aJ1u·s tune am) mo1e-
ments, Shahu cl1anged Im mmd anc.l 1~ent to Dewas.
On rctuming from Dewas, Shalm recehcd the l\faha.raja of
Gwahor on March 5, 190~ 1\faharaja MadJiauao Sdndia, a
noble figUre, \1.-:U gi\ en a. grand welcome. 1le had c0me ta Kolha•
pur wuh the relaLhcs of the bri<le~m for the prclimfnary
ceremony of the marriage, During that ,\eek, the tlucad cere-
mony of the t\\o prmccs was. perfonned Mahar.ija Scindia 5Cnt
them t\\0 riffes and belts.
The mamag:c ceremony of Radhabai Al..asaheb tame off on
Mardi 21, 1908, in a panda.I v.hich \\as pcnnanently erected in
the compound of the Old Palace at Kolhaf>Ur Another ternpo-
r.rn· p:111dal w.is erected in the corupouml of the Bal\<leL.ir's
,vada, ,d1t1e the bridegroom and his puty l\ere acc:ommod:!.tcd
Ferris and his wile anendcd to ·the' comfort of the Eti.rope:m
guests, George S}dcn11am 1 Clarl.e, the Go\eruor of Bomba}~
Mm Clarke. General Sir Arcluhald, Muir Macl.cnzie, Bhnsinhji
Thal.are, tl1e 1\faharaj;i of'Dha,11ag3r, and his Dewan Prabha
Shankar Pattani we're the main g\lcscs. Mudholkar, lchalkaranji~
kir and Patwartlhan did the ,tori.. entrusted to· them in the
• H'
I ,l •
celebrations.
' The panda( wa& fit' fly an inde}lendent electric m.1chfrre; fr
was J..ept cool by electric fans The bndegroolll ~ned m' grand
1:80 SHAHU CHHATRAPi\TI:. A ROYAL ~VOLUTIONARY

procession. People enjoyed the spectacle and swarmed to ·witness

it in their thousands. Sumptuous feasts were given and a grand
state banquet was hosted. There was display of firew.or½ and
dinners for the Brahmins, the sardars and officers. The proces-
sion was taken on Sunday, March 29, 1908.
J3havsinhji invested a large .sum of money in the Kolhapur
:state treasury £or giving scholarships to girls in honour of this
wedding. A p~esent arrived ~ram Bengal. The son, of fy!aharaja
Bahatlur Sir J. M. Tagore sent it as a symbol of his best wishes.
The g~ests were presented ·with s·uitable gifts and everybody
was honoured according to his status. All the guests thanked
Shahu Chhatrapati profusely for the honour done to ·them. The
tall, sturdy, imposing figure of the Maharaja, dignified in bear-
ing and attractive in his characteristic Maratha dress, greeted
,every_body high and low .. They watched him with admiration
.and love. The Governor wished the couple every happiness
:and gave donation to four educational institutions in commemo-
ration 0£ the. wedding.
Sir Ge9rge Sydenham. Clarke. drove round the interesting city
and had a frank discussion with Shahu Chhatrapati on many
current problems. Shahu was not satisfied with the measures
adopted, by the B~·itish, Government. to put down lawles.~ness.
According to him, these were mild;: so. he said to the Governor:
"Your measures are,a red rag 'to the, sparrow/' The Governor
coul<l not understand it ar;d replied correcting Shahu's English
idiom, _"You mean a red ~ag to the bull .." "No," said the
Chhatrapati, "I mean the sparrow. Our farmers tie a red rag
to a pole_ which they set up to frighten and. scare away the
birds which eat the grain on the. standing crops. This •red rag
succeeds for a while and then tµe sparrows find out that it is
a pole and use it as a resting place., That is h~w your measures
~vork., Your precaution_s I>Ut 'down',. the agitatprs or anarchists
for a while."· • •••
On the d.i.y .of the marriage,· ~he G~vemor. unveiled the bust
of Queen Victoria and gave expression, to his views. regarding
the Maharaja's loyalty and the effi~iency of his administration.
The Chhatrapati gratefully enumerated the !is~ of instit~tions
started in the name Qf Queen-Victoria. to better the he~lth <!,nd
. . death, . he
e<lucat~on, of ti}~ people. After: .her . ,
-ad~led;
.
a . fund was
'
 RELIGIOUS TERRORISTS ISi
raised ·with a yjew tC> helpfog the indebted farmers of his State.
and many were benefited by it. He concluded his mtroductory
speeth by graceful refen:nce to the great i.enices of Col. Ferns.
v.hose name, he said, was permanently associated with the Ferris
Martet in Kolhapur. The Go\ernor um e1Ied the Chhalri and
the bust and made a passing remark "on the great example to
}DUT people by being }ourself inoculated" ·whkh the Chhatra•
pau had set against the puerile political agitation then bemg
carried on by a secuon of the Deccan Press against the plague-
preventhe inaculation suggested by Profes~or H:i!Ikine "Your
people'', the Governor continued, "ha"e made noble progress
m many directions I know that }our Highness has at heart a
great scheme 0£ irngauon which will remO\e from a large por-
tion of this State all danger from the draughts which brmg so
much loss and suffcrmg~ upon the cultivators. I hope tomorrow
to see the site of this proposed reseno1r and to form an idea of
the nature of tl1e work invohed " 4
The imgation work had been st:med early m 1907 at FeJi-
wade near DaJipur on the Rh-er Bhoga..,ati and was named
Maharani La-xmibai Tank. Shahu Chhatrapati's effotts in per-
suading the GO\emor to pay a visit to Da1ipur were succe,sful.
A~ 1>romised, he ,isited it and saw the irrigation \\Olk himself.

IV
In memory of the marriage ceremony, Shahu founded a new
town called Radhanagari at DaJlpur near the Laxmi Tank and
located the Talul..a offices there for the comemence of the peo-
ple in the neighbo~rhoc'.id , '
Some more deta1Js rega.rding the m3rria:&c £e5lil'ities nould
shed a hght' on some of .its Iea'tuit.s. On the occasion about
eighteen' Maratha couples were 'roamed during the fest1\it1es
and the next day numerous couples were s1mila1ly marrird there
being some Muslim' couples am'ong them. These couples v.ere
1
granted a dally aUowa:nce dudg.g their lil~tmie, Cmtom had
1 t that such m.irriages were performed to imoke blessin~ on
' I 1
the ro}al bride and bndcg-room.
Se\eral dramatic: c~mpanies entertained the guests during the
l\eddmg Oattopant H:1f}a!Kar, emmen( actor of lr~ d,rf, {11.T-
fonned ,\[rzchhakalie wirh brilliant .acting :md mum: at the
182 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

New Palace. Some scenes were so pathetic that the women sob-
bingly entreated Haly,alkar to st~p the play.. Dattopant was ,the
first actor to ride a horse on the Mara):.hi stage. Th.e Chhatrapati
had great admirati(?n, for the handsome actqr with a ,res<;mant
voice and made several presents to him.
Another great actor, Keshavrao Bhosle, rivalled the splendour
of Bal Ganclharva. Bhosle dominated the Marathi stage for a
long time: Shahu honoured him and arranged for a performance
by him in an open air theatre for the benefit of. twenty-five
thousand people. It was a great feast of music and acting for
the people. K~shavrao Bhosl,e i~ his own way honoured the
Chhatrapati at a Garden Party. ,
Another feature of the marriage. was thatfrom Kashi and other
places eminent pundit,s. like Krishnanan9-a, Saraswati, Laxman
Shastri Dravid, Padmauabh Shastri and Venkaiyya Shastri, were
invited to the marriage c~remony which was performed. ,~·ith
Vedic rites. Shankarachar;a Brahman~lkar Swami was present.
They had recitals from the Vedas ·and held discourses o,n ,the
Shastras. But the rival of Brahmanalkar Swami and the majo-
rity of Kolhap~r Brahmins did their utmost· to frigh.ten .a:way
the assembled Brahmin pundits from the place, to prevent _the
Vedokta ceremonies from. being performed. ·while the whole
city was rejoicing, the Brahmins were restive. They tried to
cause the tide of reaction to spread to Benares. They tried to
get the Benares Brahmins who had participated in the marriage
ceremony 'at Kolhapur excommunicated.Ii • , ,
The bomb ~vhich Damu Joshi ~vanted to throw at the marri-
age pand;l did not reach Kolhapur till ,~larch 23. The Maharaja,
the Governor and Ferris were fortunate. Thus th~ fir~t attempt
of the Kolhapur terrorists ori their lives cam(, to notl~ing. Bapat
had prepared the bomb for the special occasion and handed
it over to R. B. Gadre.' He packed it ,in a trunk with other
articles and handed it over to Ga~gadhar Vishwanath' ·Gokha1e.
The latter took it from Poona to Kolhapur· and hand~d it over
to Fadnis with letters from Nagpurkar. Gokhal~ ancl Fadnis
gave the trunk to Damu Joshi. But they had missed the oppor-
tunity. Later Damu handed over the bomb and ~ther materials
to Gangadharrao Deshpande and Govindrao Yalgi at 13elgaum.
These two handed over a revolver, a pistol and a Iota (jug) full
 RELlClOIJS TERRORISTS )83
of bomb po"' dcr to Han umant Desbpandc, their friend, for lct'p-
mg them m sa£c custod)' at Mazgaon in the Kurundwad State.
Sul>M!-qucncly, m July 190!1, Hanumantrao was ,comicted by the
District Magistrate of Kurundwad for being in illeg.1] pos~ssfon
o( the brass Iota \\l11cl1 he had asled one Nagesh to destroy,
but tlie poor 01an kept It for hiDUcff and later all the witnesses
concerned m this case \\CfC \\hfaLed off.
As :Modal and Damu had decided that Ferris, the enemy
o( the Dral1mins, !hould not be allowed to lea,e India alhe,
D;imu dcodcd to :tss.:issm.ate liim in a tr.iin uith a rewher.
With tbat resolution D:i.mu Joshi "'cnt to Ilelgaum on Apnl 14,
1908. aml told Gangadl1arrao Deshpande his plans regarding
die proposed murder ol Fem!l. He asked Desl1pande to gi\e
him t,\o re,ohcrs through someone of his confidence as he
himself \\a5 being l\:ttched by the pohce. He also asked
Can~dh.urao Desl1panJe w instruct his man to go Mtl1 him
as far as he ncnt in the tram and to hand mer the re,ohen
to him ,\hen he tcqui1cJ them. After the shooting, Desbpande's
man was to ral..e the re,ohets with him to BeJgaum.
Damu also made preparations for an ahbi. He purcha5ed a
stamp paper from a ,·emlor staying in Khade Razaar. Be1gaum.
He also told Go,·indrao Yalgi to maJ..e entties in his account
bool..s or that of his friend t<> show that Damu was in Belgaum
on Apnl 15, 16 and 17. Deshpande and Yalgi selected Gopal
P-achfag to accompany Damu. Pachlag \\-3.$ emplo)ed in the
Vetermary Hospuat at Delgaum. He left the city on ca.mal Ieaye
from April 15 for three days. ' ,
Accordingly, Yalgi's man, Gopal Pachlag, went to l\1.iraj from
Belgaum. From Miraj, Darou_. Vasudeo Padh)e and Gopal
Pachlag tra,elled by, the train in \\hich Ferris was going on
April 16, 1908. They went upto Saswad, got down on the track
and r.m along the line towards Gorakhpuri station. The train
came tov.-ards them. Damu tried to fire at Ferris but the re . . olver
did not go off. Immediately they took. a train and "\I- ent bad, to
Muaj and then mo'red on to Belgaum. Once, again Damu
returned the re, oh er and pistol to, Govindrao Yalgi at Ilel~ttn:L.
Damu bad purchased the rernhcr at Indon: m 1905. Fems. the
enemr al rhe 1Jl'3hmms, wlw- ,rupportca .the Chha.trapati in the
Vedokta contro'rersy, had escaped the wrath, the curses and the
mantras of the orthodox Braluninf a second tune.
'
CHAPTER ]2

Repressive Trials

PLAGUE broke out in Kolhapur early in 1907, and Vijapurkar

remov~d his Samarth Vidyalaya to Miraj. After about four
m~nths, in November .1907, it was shifted to Talegaon where
new buildings were being erected for the school. ·The Kolhapur
atmosphere was found uncongenial to the growth of the school,
and Vijapurkar, who was styled a modem Ramdas by his
followers although not accepted as a preceptor in Kolhapur,
went to live at Talegaon along with his editor colleague
Vamanrao Joshi.
In April 1907, Vijapurkar had entrusted the management of
the press and the Samarlh and the monthly magazine Vislzwav-
ritta to the printer Vinayakrao Joshirao and the editorship to
Professor Vamanrao Joshi, so that he might find time to fook after
the Vidyalaya and do propaganda, the Granthamala being
defunct in April 1906. But he had not declared these changes
in the Samarth and Vishwavritta. He had published a note in
the Vishwavritta, saying that all correspondence relating to the
magazine sboulci' be addressed to Joshi. However, he wrote for
it occasionally. In August 1907 he had informed the District
Magistrate of Kolhapur accordingly. The magazine, Vishwa-
vritta, published its Mar~h number in June 1908 in which it
was announced that Vijapurkar had given up charge of the
magazine. •
The March issue contained an article by S. D. Satavalekar,
the Vedic scholar. It was entitled, "powerfulness of the Vedic
prayers" and it observed: "What is the u~e of the Kshatriyahood
of the Chhatrapati and Samshcr Bahadur to the nation if these
K.shittriyas clo not _destroy t~c army of the enemy and slavery
18·1
 • REPRESnVE '110.ALS 185
m the world?" Ilut Pundit Satavalekar, in a suggesti,e way, wrote
that \\-hen a Kshatn}:I. or :i Vaishya was not ready to kill a
felonious man ",\ho tills by fire, poison, weapon, or robs wealth,
depri\CS the country of independence, l.idnaps women or utters
slanders to the J..ing, the Brahmin should tale up ihe weapon
and defend t11e religion." ,
Indeed the Brahmins bad resorted to bombs and re\'Olve:rs in
Kolbapur and were fulfilling tl1e message, The Samsher Bahadur
mcnt10m:J in the .artide was no other than the .Mahara1a: of
Ilaro<la.
V11apurkar, though at Talegaon, contnbuted articles to the
Vufiwavntta. In its previous i.ssue he had wi-itten a note on the
bombs that llere being expJoded in lm.lza aunbut.ing tlte causes
lo the repre$she methods adopted by the British GO\ernment.
Just at this time there was an unprecedented stir in Bengal
as on April 30, 1908, K.hudiram nose had thrown a bomb at a
carnage irt the behel t11at Douglas Kin~ford, Sessions Judge .it
Muzaffarpur, was in 1t The bomb killed two mnocent .Engllsh.
women.
On J\.Iay 2, 1908, the leader of Bengali }OUlh, Aurobmdo
Ghose, Wa!> arrested and taken mto custody as an on.hoary cnmi•
nal. In June there w.:is ,;;in appeal by .Mrs. Saro1mi Ghose, .mtcr
of Aurobindo, for contnbuuons to the defence fund of Auro-
b1 ndo Chose 1 When Aurobmdo was in Batoda he had been a
great friend of the Jadhav brothers and it was through Khaserno
Jadhav, who was suspected by the Bntisb Go\-emment all' hii
life, that Shahu Chhatrapati sent a handsome donation of
Rs. 5,000 towards the defence fund. 2 Although Shahu was engag-
ed m a struggle agamst terronsts m Jus own St.J.te, his patriotic
mind was moved by the plight and sufferings of .Aurobindo
Ghos,c •ThJS fact sheds a ,rc1-e.1ling light on the mmd and
character of the Cbhatrapati. r '
To help leaders like Ttlak and Aurobmdo was quite a differ-
ent dung from helping t11e terronsu. A terrorist is decennmed to
ldl tlie men '\,\,hom he cons1cle.rs t)"nlnts or as enemies. In taking
revenge upOn him, he lo:,es bu own hfe for the cause He does
not stop to thinl 01-er the consequences of the act. A re\OlU•
tionary patriot, on tlre other hand, zs detennmed to r:fkct pol1 ti•
cal or social changes. :Sut' he studies the strength and weal.ness
186 SHAHU CHIIATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

of the. opponent, makes plans and preparations, takes the help

of the people and waits for a favourable time to strike. Savarkar,
Tilak and Aurobindo belonged to this class of patriots. So Shahu
helped Tilak and Aurobindo Ghose.
In June 1908 the British Government opened its claws of
repression and arrested S. M. Paranjpe, a notable leader of
Maharashtra, and anested also the great leader Tilak on June
21, 1908. Paranjpe was sentenced to nineteen months' rigorous
imprisonment on July 8, l!JOS, and Tilak was sentenced to six
years' transportation on July 22, 1908. Having heard the news
of Tilak's sentence, the merchants spontaneously closed their
shops in Kolhapur as did the merchants in Bombay and other
parts of Maharashtra .
. On July 21, 1908, the Kolhapur terrorists Shenolikar, Ambap-
kar and Gokhale broke into the building of a school in Kolhapur
and removed bottles of nitric, sulphuric• and other adds which
were· subsequently used in bomb experiments by Damu Joshi
and• others. Damu Joshi had been released in October 1907.
Except Damu Joshi all these young men were below 21 years.
On July 25, 1908, some bomb placards were stuck. on the
walls of a. school, a house, the Native. General Library and
several other places in Kolhapur. These placards provided
instructions on how to prepare bombs: Damu Joshi was arrested
on July 30, 1908, and others were arrested in,_the same week.
Shcnolikar and Ambapkar were arrested ori September .8, 190!!,
and Gokhale on September 11, •1908 .. Du:ring the police enquiry
it, transpired that they had hatched a plot to throw a bomb at
the wedding ceremony of·Akasaheb Maharaj ·on·March 21, 1908,
and to assassinate Ferris.
Major F. W. Wodehouse took' charge of his office from April
15, 1908, although he was appointed· to the post: from February
25, 1908. He was fond of tennis, swimming and shikar and had
known Shahu from his boyhood., • · •
• That the terrorists should develop Kolhapur as one of the
centres along with Poona, Satara, Belgaum, Baroda and Nasik
caused Shahu endless anxiety. Consequently,• he' requested the
British Government to lend him a company of British soldiers
to scare away the terrorists. He was short of .funds and could not
spend money on the guards as he had, spent a huge amount on
 JlE.l'RU)I\E TlU.ALS 187
tl1c- wedding or ha daughrcr and au equ:tlJy big amount on the
Jmgauou scheme. Tilc urromu tlire.ltcned Sb.11,u u.itli death.
In tlu:1r anomwous Jcucn lliey gjiJ 1hat lie houlu be die liclmi
of a bomb \HU11n a month :n he h:i.d insulted T1l-1l'.s. Jagadguru.
Mou~o\et. 1he tctrocists c.hallengcd him to s.1.,e hill life by
tal.ing llrtt1~h Go\C:tmncnt's help. On July 6, 1908, they actwlly
amu:alcd ::t bomb <m the road nhich &oci to the Palace ham
1be Ra1h,ay st.inon. On Jus. .:mhal f1om Poona, Shalm Ghbatca-
pau ,,.u to go by that toad to the Palace, but he came Ly U1e
next uam a:J he haJ. a 11;111ent to brmg wuh Jum. The result
w,u tl1at the bomb cxplo<lcu unJer the foot of a tonga-pon},
<lamagmg its leg. "I \\as glad," Shabu Cl1hatr.1.pati said, "for
my J1m"!.eS that I did not a::nne by tl1e Mad as no traffic goes on
bc(ace l Je.1\e the station ..,
n:Jule inqmrics uerc gomg on about the four c:ucs mentioned
.ibo•t-, D. C. Fcm.:.i.ncles w;is emplo)ecl as a Pk1Jer c:,f die Stare.
For a )ear or w, Shahu's son-m-Iaw. TuLoJ1r.to Pm\ar, was
on sooJ. tenns ,~ith Sbahu, but later tbere wa~ ~ome sort of
m1sundeawni..hng bctv.cen tbem. Sbahu v.a.s angry with him
and rebuLed hm1 se\erdy sa)ing that "men ,\ho cannot tale
c:ue of their whcs should ne\cr marry. I ha,e ffi}!.Clf to 1ool
after not only my Mfe and daughter, but also my brother's w1[e
and mece as }OU l..now all about tt. I tlunk you are not a
gentleman. I told }OU to scold my brother, but }OU du.I not do
so ls 1t that Jou and my brother ha,'e taJ,en inQmat,on for
teasing mer" 1

Jn the conduct of homehold affam such problemi- aris-e from

umc to uroe, and Shahu perhaps wrongly blamed his dutiful,
loyal and amiable: brother. Was the blame thrown tin !um JUSt
ta paory tl1e son-in-law? Shahu allded that he would talc his
daughter to De was and hoped, that TuJ..01 irao \\ ould not tum
lum out at that time. ,
It nas charac.tenstic of Shahu that he often mhchie,ously
corrected or e,posed the foibfc& of fus tefati\es, ollic.iais or ser•
vants by pol.mg fun at them or lightly playing one agamtt the
otl1er. He seriously plaJed Wray :ig:.umt G-indy ,and Dewan
l\Jeher;1bb.1i. and got rid of' them all. WJ1en he \\anted his
sou-fo-Jaw to scold his brother,' lier ped1aps "anted him to be
corrected by !us brothe,;. Once it,so happened that one of his
 188
0

SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A' ROYAL REVOLUflONARY

high officials neglected his wife and passed his •days and nights
in the company of a woman singer. The wife made a complaint
to Shahu again'st her husband. As a result Shahu egged her on
to beat both he·r husband and the woman singer in· the presence
of the audience while the programme of music was going· on.
, The woman took courage in both hands and thrashed the
singer as well as her own husband, Dumbfounded and disgraced,
the husband became nervous and speechless. After a moment
he quickly recovered from the shock and said to his agitated
wife, "It is not your courage that has done this mischief. The
prompter and the mischief-monger who· instigated you to do
it 'must be somewhere nearby. Otherwise you could not have
dared to come forward." 4 And indeed Shahu, the mischief-
monger, was standing in the street a't tlie· dead of night to see
the fun and to protect the woman if necessary. •
There. was •another headache. Shahu's uncle, Chief of Kagal
(Junior), ·had been raking up an old dispute for years over the •
claim on six villages. Shahu was worried.-The case wa'l decided
against Kagal (Junior) b·y three· successive Governors; yet he wM
not tired of reopening the case.
The Chhatrapati recommended V. M. Samarth to the British
officers in- India and in London for a suitable post. Samarth had
to leave Baroda service, Shahu • observed, because he was in
favour of ·the Bombay Government. A Kaiser-i-Hind Medalist,
he was a man of great experience and ability· and "the proper
sort of man we want".

II

·shah1,1 liked to help needy and 'deserving men . .But there .was
a bad return for his good help to D: B. Parasnis. About this time
Shahu Chhatrapati wanted a history of •the Marathas to be
written from a new· point' of view, giving the public a true
account of • what had been done by them. • He considered
Ranade's account (Rise of the. Maratha' Power) one-sided.· Ac-
cording to him; historians had not given the right view and
even "Ran·ade's history is not only not' free from that fault but
it is qu1te ·partial to the. Brahmins.":i Parasnis had. promised
Shalm that he would write a history·of the Marathas with·a,new
 • REPRESSl\'E TRIALS , ' I T l' 189
viewpQmt. Shahu had tberdore spent a good deal in .England
and in Europe on hJS lr.l\els and on the collection of ma.nus-
mpts.
Shahu later found Parasnli, Iltahmm at heart. ProII1I$ing
Sbahu that lie would publish solT__le documents to support his
case m the Vedolta contro1,ersy, he h.ad obtamed money bom
Shahu but ne,er supported hun. He 1ecehed Rs. 4,000 £or pub-
lishing certain documents which were secured wllh Shahu's help
and money, but lie failed to do so. On enquiry Shahu Chhatra•
pad discovered that Pa.rasnis was not e1-en a m.imcufate or a
bright student
, Parasnis said that 1£ he publrshed a hrstory based on the new
material, he would make himself unpopular and it would ruin
hls repuratJOn. "He had cheated, "6 s;ud SJiahu, "Dr. llh.an<larkar
and the Vernacular Translation Society. He tool shelter with
Puroshottamdas 1fa\Ji because the latter is a maniac and wishesc
to 5how th.a( lie does eierytlung for Shlu1i and paJs money
for Shiva11 histona.m." Gnmg up Para.mu as an unrekzble man,
Sh.i.hu now inttoduced 1\1. G. Dongre to lugl1 officials .u1d
requested them to furnish him with materials Oil l\far.itha. his,
tory.
By thu urue Shahu had made up his mind to prosecute VJ,a•
purl.ar for the atticle "Po\\-erfulness of the Vedic pra}en". Doth
Shahu and Sir George Clarl..e thought that his arrest would
create a. sensauon and would ha,e a salutary effect on the people
uho worl..ed agamst the l\.fahar.iiJa, The COlcrnor pn,mhcd to
liUpport ~hahu m all the proccedmgs proHded his State officers
<lid not 0\en;tep the bounds 0£ la"-, There. was the question of
extradiuon in case of V11apurlar and Joshi. Shahu had predicted
as ea.tly as October 1906 that the Brahmin attilude and agita•
tion "\\-ould end in some homble acts of violence, but now tbr
Bnttsben, who considered µim liOmething JiL.e an alarmi)t,
thought that Sbal1u's infarmatwn li-as premature m I.heir antic1•
pauon. , , ! r , ,, ,
i, Vijapurkar and Jmhi, howe,er, v.ent from Takgaon to Nolha•
pur on August 20, 1908.,Tbere d1ey recei,ed llu: summoru and
1+ere arre.sted on the .s.une day, ,TI1eu residence at Talegaon
was searched and some documents and V13apurLat;s diam:s "ere
£.tized. Joshirao, the pnnter of Vishwavr,tta, l\3$ already arrested..
190 SHAIIU CIHIATR,\l'A'fl: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

The Samarth was suppressed. Judge Gokhalc, while letting off

Vijapurkar on bail, had left a Jlaw in his order, so that Vijapur-
kar's security might take advantage of it. Vijapurkar, a pious
man, was aclually planning to run away antl the police prm·ctl
it from the evidence of his bail.7 The friends of Vijapurkar
confessed this before Shahu and begged for pardon. Consequent•
ly, Shahu cancelled the judge's order.
The other cases against the terrorists were also bcini; framed.
In all the cases the Brahmins were the accused :tll(l the Judges
were Brahmins. Some of the accusccl were their relatives or
friends of their relatives, and the Brahmin Chiefs of the fcucla-
LOrics were interested in these cases. Judge K. V. Pandit declined
to take up the 'trial of Vijapurkar.· He was his friend, something
like a brother to him, and Pandit looked on Vijapurkar's mother
with filial a[ection. Judge N. G. Gokhale appealed to Shahu
on personal grounds that he be relieved of the obligation to
take up the cases against Vijapurkar and others. Naturally, the
Chhatmpati had to approach the Government for lending him
the services of a Sessions Judge, and be was given C. A. Kincaid
to conduct the trial. Just at this time the Darbar gave a shock
to the agitators by cancelling unwarrantedly the licence of two
lawyers, S. K. Altekar and R. N. Gokhale.
Shahu gave a fillip to the running of boarding schools and
he had a hostel fqr boys of the Depressed Classes opened by the
Society for the Promotion of Education of non-Brahmins. This
was a society established· by non-Brahmins. Even Jain Swami,
the religious leader,· took· a great interest in· this institution. The
Boarding was named after the late Miss Violet Clarke, a
daughter of the Governor, for the keen interest she took 'in the
,vdfare of the Depressed Classes. Shahu granted the society a
well-ventilated building and with a large compound near the
Mahar· tan,k. A monthly grant of Rs. 25 for scholarships ancl
other purposes was also sanctioned.
~~he new year, 1909, witnessed Shahu Maharaja's rise in the
estimation of the British rulers. The salute of guns was raised
from 19 to 21 as a personal honour· to mark his loyalty to the
British' Gover~ment. For the high honour conferred upon him,
his sense of· deepest gratitude 'Was conveyed to Lord Minto.
Co116i-ratulating him on this new honour, Fraser said that ''.Kolha.:
 IU.l'R.USl\'E TR:IAU 191
pur has l"C,ulml umkr rour rule a pos11ion of fame unequalled
m ill lmtor, ·• M M. llho\\n:ag:i;al"C'C pr:ust<l Jum for his efficient
and c:nh.;fuc:neJ rule.
\~ Jule Ille UlJ1.a1r.;iJJ.tti ltJS bmy nuking prep.:midotu !or the
th.1u o[ lhc i:<l11on :i.ml tenurhu, his 1trp-mod1er Radl1Jb:iisahe:-b
t.hcd :>.l the .i~ o[ '15 on jJ.nuuy IG, HIO!I. Since Abasaheb
Ckact,-e·, ck.atl1 to JStlli, du: l,.x{! kd a n:cuw liCt and l1ad ne,er
been m goo<l he.11th. lier uurnell dauJ,!hter 100 Jml :ilready
d1t<l. ·n1c [unct;J.1 ".lS he:ulro by Shahu ,,ho W,U follm1cJ Ly
the nobles. lui.h flnt1ih oUidJls :ind the S1:11e ollicfals aml [)y
U1c lucmh of :he J.;itc Rt'gr:nl. AU rouns. s1wpJ ant! sdwoh 11erc
dO!i('J :u ::a m:irL o( mpect to the memory 0£ the <le.,d.
1 lie tri.il o[ V1JaputLar :inJ !us colleagues on cl1J.rgcs of
incJfemeor ta ruurcler kg-J.c1 on J.u1u.1ry l l, J!X)!}. llra:nwn and
llinnin~. u,o cmmcnt harruten from Uombay, and Ilallrishna•
,~nt De1hmulh \lllh D. C. Fcrnamlcs rcprcscntnl tl1e Kolhapur
tltatc, D. A. Khare. Aptc and U;ipat defended. the accused. As
lJ. C. rcn,anJe& h.id been 'loCJY u,1,C/ul m tJ1c m,cn~-at1on 0£
thc1e c:a1es, he \\-as appointed SJ>eeial Public Prosecutor by the
OJ.tLar. A. B La.uhe, Proks.sor of Englhh m R:ijaram Collegr,
1.:ud m bu c1:.ammauo11 tliat the ClJhatrap.:iti mc-ntiom:-d in 1he
ilrucle ,~a, nobody but Shahu Chhatr.tJ>Jti ,tho alone bore that
title m lmha Talmg ullo conuder:itton the surroundmg circum-
uan,cs, the u:ue of t.hc country and ViJapurLat's diary, Kincaid
dclncred Im Jt1d.i;mcnt on Januarv 19, 1909, and convicted a.II
the ~ccu~-d of abet«'mctlt of mtmlcr and sedition Joshirao was
1entencetl to one anJ a ha![ }Car's rigorous imprisonment and
V1p1pml:ir on .:ia:ount oI his .:igc, and wd:d posiuon tluce
}can.' umplc impris.omncnt and a fine 0£ R.s. l,OflO; iii default
o{ pa)meni, ux. momhs' ,ample impmomnent. The third accused,
\'am.-mr.w ]01111, Ii.JS sentenced to three Jean' rigoro1H impnS,(m,
ment. ' I

C. A. Kincaid then dealt in Januarr and February 1909 ¼ith

tl1e ocher duce cases ¾hich i+ere committed to the Court of
Sessions Ilinmng and Dcshm.ulh represented the Kolh:tpur State
.ind the defence counsel consisted of Kala Baptista and K;il:i
Patil. In dti: .;idJ the((- GJ.,e; S.rnou.rm Shenal1br. N:m,y:m
Aml.iapkar and Gangadhar Gokhale were sentenced to six )ears
and three months' ugorous imprisonment. In the Bomb-placard
192 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

case, the accused were Shenolikar, Ambapkar, Gokhale, •Sesu

Padalkar, Parsu Sutar, Ganesh Wadangekar, Narayan Padhye
and Damu Joshi. In this case Darou Joshi and Shenolikar were
acquitted; Damu Joshi brought to the· notice of the court that
he was arrested on July 31, 1908,· and the Explosive' Act was
applied to K.olhapur from August 1. Besides Kincaid gave him
the benefit of the definition 'Attempt'. Others were sentenced
to comparatively light punishment; Padhye and Sutar to nine
months' rigorous imprisonment, Padalkar and Wadangekar to
one year's rigorous imprisonment .
. In the murder trial, Darnu Joshi was acquitted of the charge
of conspiracy to murder Col. Ferris, but Bapat was sentenced
to seven years' rigorous imprisonment and Gokhale to two years'
rigorous imprisonment in addition to a fine. Shahu later wrote
to Kincaid that his judgment was important and unbiased; yet
he was unhappy that the main culprit, Damu Joshi, had got off.
While Kincaid was conducting the trials, he received anony•
mous letter threatening him with death. 8 So the Maharaja
thought it better to post the infantry in the streets through
which Kincaid drove .
.There is a lighter side to this deadly scene. After this trial
Shahu paid a courtesy call on the Kincaids. When Dennis,
Kincaid's son, sa~v- him, he thought that a giant from the t~e
Jack the. Giant Killer had called at his house. He ran to his
mother and. said, "Please, Mummy, the Giant man has come!" 9
It was the confirmed belief of Shahu· Chhatrapati that the
Belgaum extremists were encouraging the Kolhapur terrorists.
Indeed,, Gangadharrao Deshpande was involved in the happen-
ings. After the trials, the Chhatrapati· took charge of the inqui-
ries about the Belgaurn men wncerned with it, and his .police
officers,, Fernandes and others, struggled hard to plant some sort
of evidence to implicate Deshpande in the trial through one
Shaligram and another, Gadgil., This step, ·!though fair in a
provoked conflict, which threatened . the .-Maharaja's life, was
rather Ma,chiavellian ..
. The four:. trfa!s over, Shahu Chhatrapati felt much relieved.
Just then, in the first• week of May 1909; Sayajirao Gaikwad
visited Kolhapur• on his way to the Nilgiri Hills .. A benefactor
of his subje'cts, ,the Maharaja. of Baroda would-be. often on tour
 REI'RLSSIVE TIUALS 193
in foreign countries or resting at hill resorts m India. Shabu
took him to D.1jipur and showed him his huge irrigation sche1nc,
Meetings V.'Ue held in honour of the Royal guest at the Mai-atha.
and Jain boarding houses.
For unearthing the terrorists' movement and stamping out
anarchism in Kolhapur all British officials from the Viceroy to
the Governor, from Lord Hamilton ro Claude Hill. applauded
Shahu l\laharaja All through the hard strugi;tle and crusade,
Shahu's brother Bapusaheb Ghatge and his Del\•an Sabnu stood
unfimchingiy by him, though his brother wa, someuroes found
vaoHa.trng during the trials. The Pohce officers concemed were
rewarded and Fernandes was presented with a st~on:?. The
British officers and the Governor asked Shabu to tale care of
himself, and aho .manged guards !or his safety, They said
Shahu's mfluence £or good was great. For his practical, de\·oted
and unsunted loyalty he was praised. But overzealously Shahu
cast a slur on G. K. Gokhale .1Dd the Baroda .;ind Gwa:Jior
GO\ermnents. n\oerjo}ed at the victory o\er the terronsts he
O\erstepped the limits not merely to placate tl1e British impe--
tialists but perhaps; to sllow tllat h1,; own conduct was aJways
above s11Spicion_, even though he had rendered help to patnots
like T1fak and Aurobindo Chose.
Shahu said that for some days he had tried to feed these
prisoners lawshly in order to pllmp them and get some clues
from them But he soon found that they were spoiling the: gaol
disciplme. He wanted to J..eep these pnsoners at Viilialgad but
changed his mind and M:nt them to Bridsb prisoru. His referenc..e
to Gol..hale in his letter to ue-Warner created a misunderstand•
fog. Golhale sa1d that he was abused by the Cbhatrapati. What
Shahu said was, according to Lee-Warner, that Lord MorJey
ought not to listen Qnly to Cokhale but also should he:i.r what
the Chiefs had to say.

111

The Shanl-aracharya, Shtee Swami V1d).mar.uinha Dhar.ati,

died of typhoid on June 8, 1909. and hb disople •.\1maram
Shastri Jo.mi c:.mze :o the g;idi as Shr~r Vjdp Shank.er Bhau.ti.
Shahu 1\ithdrew his recognition ;t! Joshi w;is made duopk b7
SC-13
194 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

the Shankaracharya without his permission. He therefore

resumed his Inam lands. However, on an appeal from the new
Shankaracharya, he reconsidered the case and allowed his office
to register10 the lands in the name of the new Shankaracharya
from June 26, 1909. A few days later, on August 28, 1909, the
Chhatrapati issued orders that no institution enjoying Inam
lands should adopt a disciple without the previous sanction of
the State.
The popularity of Brahmanalkar Swami had dwindled with
the Tilak group and other Brahm.ins in Maharashtra. Tilak
had denounced Brahmanalkar in the Kesari as he was not agree-
able to a compromise which Tilak wanted to bring about
between Brahmanalkar Swami and the other disciple of Bhilav-
dikar Swami.
In July 1909 Pandit Satavlekar was prosecuted in Kolhapur
for the article "Pqwerfulness of the Verdie Prayers." It had
transpired in the preceding trial that the article had undergone
a change and that' the words 'Chhatrapati' and 'Shamsher Baha-
dur' were introduced into it at the time of editing. The Chief
Judge, K. V. Pandit, said that the printer had taken upon him-
self all the responsibility of all the passages and he rightly
acquitted Pandit Satavlekar on July 17, 1909. The Judge, how·
ever, indiscreetly criticised Kincaid for his judgment in the
c9urse of his own judgment .. This unfair attitude on his part
resulted in his removal from office.
But this was not all. It seems from a letter from Shahu's
friend Claude Hill, Member of the Governor's Council. that
he expected Shahu to win over Sayajirao to the British side.
In his letter of September 23, 1909, Hill wrote that he expected
Sayajira.o Gaikwad to take Shahu Maharaja's advice and to use
his influence like Shahu to a loyal end. It was well known that
the patriot in Sayajirao Gaikwad was stubborn and unyielding
although be sometimes shrewdly pacified the Britishers and
assuaged their suspicions. All knew that Sayajirao was a harder
nut to crack.; Shahu was not a man to do this job for the
British either. For both were essentially patriots.
Though Shahu preferred the human and social values of
equality and dignity to vague patriotism, he often helped the
patriots secretly whereas Gaikwad sheltered the patriots and
 lll'JI.USl\'E nuu J95
llC'\cr {or~"()t the sl:i\try o( the w.utherJ.md to "°bich du: llriti-
t.hcn h:ad 1nluccd her. S:ipjir:io .mJ SJ1:ihu ht~ bot1i sat1.tl
tdonncn. 111c former ha.J c.o.utioUJ \\bile tl1c biter w;a bold
aw.I com.i;;t"OUs. While the: one \\anted to huroJuce rod.al tc•
(onns 110\\l)', the oilier wmtcd 10 introdure diem boldly. Dmh
\o.-cte scnctous. nut the gc-nt'r~ily of G:aiJ..wad -»,'lf coJd and
GJkub.ung \\httc:it, 1hc scncrruhy of Shlhu was h·.ann and
mipiring, Uo1.h promoted cJucufon in uicit Sr,:ua. nut Sb.:uui
'°
J11.l openly :anJ outn;rnJ.ingJy 'kM1 .spcd.:il 1cfrrcnce to t1ic
ll;ack"\\,nJ and Dcprc»tll CJ~. S.1)-ajJr.lo n:u :m aincr.mt
rnkr ,..Jic1c.;i.s S!J.:iJiu ncicr left llis kmgdom for pleasure tnpJ
.anJ ncH.·r $-pc,u money on luropc;in or Amcrfom tours cxa-pt
for the inp J1c matlc 10 aucntl tJic coronation fo 1902.
111c Cl1J1alr.lp;iti vpcnctl ~ new iru-lJltJtfon ailed the Yul.1nj
Sd100J, for die wuc.itum o! las 1wo ~n.s umltr the direct super•
uiion oI UJC Dcu•:u1. 111c uhool consi.s,ctl of dirce cJ:u.s~. Of
the sc~cn IO}Jl 1mtknu in die school, tlncc »ere in the lfar.uh,
Jt.:uul.mJ JU :md !o11r ,n 11.uid,ud lV. Th.e oilier .studcnu n•cre
from the bniihcs of l.lrtl:in Jnd jaligirwn:, The JbjlumJrS
tJ.;uJy lH:-nt ou1 n<ling m die ruommg. They u.malJy took .sw1.m•
rmug .1:nd ,nmu.uuc cu:cclSI:$. I:1cry pos.uble ,step 11•,u t.u.tn
for their ph)1it.1I .2nd culturnl dcidopmcnL They eomplelt:d
Euslub sw1dard II .1nd III. Dr. Jrnm, a Ph.D., 1~.as to be
m dla.rsc oI the R.11lum.1r's Schoel. Dut he died at D.:i1iput
ubcrc he h.id o1ccomp.,n1c<l the Ra1l.t1mJrs:,
Durms the )c..1r J909 Sl,.ihu lfaliaraj and S,1y.ajfr.1.o C.aib;iJ
,,ere bemg drawn nc;ircr to cacli oilier. After his Ma" \istt..
G.:uhad "'01e to Sh.11iu, Hbo replied OJI August 12, 1909, in
a 1ouclung ,1•ay. "Your Higlmess," he said, "n my elder relation
.2nd J Jool.. to Your JJigJmc-s.s in lhe pl.:ice of my late grandmother
H H. Ahaltab.:ii Ranu.iheb and J hope )OU ,ull pardon my
faults and ;ifo•a>• lc:cp .L.md to me." He sent Panhal:1 tea to
1hc .'ifahar.i.ni 0£ BaToda and tcquetted Sayajirao Gail.wad to
iCnd iome satlm1ars (elephant-. for fight)', Tbe reply $ent by
the practical and m.itter•oI-fact ruler was character1suc oE his
<l.hpos1tion He asked Shahu to state how m3ny sathmars he
wantcJ ::md 1\hcn he \\anted thc:m and. "for y,hat period." For
Mi owu part, Sbahu lrequently made pre.senu oI animals to
other, and he had mat.le a present of several c.uneb to the Maha-
196 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

raja ·of Mysore. That Gaikwad unemotionally wrote about the

lending of animals was the contrast between them.
The Chhatrapati was always grateful to his advisers and
friends. He appreciated the work done by the two doctors W.
J. Wanless and Vail, of the American "Mission at Miraj. They
were reputed to be experts not only in relieving human suffer-
ing but also doing their work in the fields, educational and
evangelical. Shahu developed a friendship with them, and they
became his medical advisers and friends. With the intention of
·giving the benefit of their knowledge to his subjects in Kolhapur,
.Shahu induced them to start a branch of their hospital at Kolha•
pur where special arrangements were made for the treatment of
women and children. He handed over to the American Mission
•of Presbyterian Church, the Kavla Bungalow and the old Mili-
tary Hospital with their out-houses and a sum of about Rs. 5,000
was given to the hospital as State grant. This branch of the
Mission did good work in relieving the sufferings of his people.
Shahu's happy relation with Resident Ferris drew a grateful
remark· from him. On December 9, 1909, he wrote to Ferris:
"After vVray's disastrous career it was you who met me." He
gave a present to Inspector Kamate as a mark of appreciation
for his services. Kamate was charmed by the personality of the
Chhatrapati and sought his blessings and his glimpses with
great devotion. His kindness flowed not only towards Police
Officers and his admirers, but also towards poor sportsmen whose
company he solicited at .dinner. He freely and £rankly talked
with the poor hunters and they were struck dumb by the genero-
sity of their ruler. Think of a despised Burud, a leperlike Mang,
having dinner by the side of a ruler, a thing unheaTd of in
lndia for ages.
Shahu's sense of gratitude took him to Nasik ostensibly to
have a look at the irrigation works there but actually to pay a
visit to A. M. T. Jackson, the Collector of Nasik, who was a
friend of his. When Jackson was mur_dered at Nasik on Decem•
ber 21, 1909, in the Vijayanand Theatre by Anant Laxman
Kanhere with the help of his comrades K. G. Karve and V. N.
Deshpande, Shahu, on hearing the sad news, shed tears. Just
before this terrible event, a bomb was thrown at Lord Minto
in Ahmedabad by a Gujarati youth named Mohanlal Pandya
 Ii.YU.Siu c nu.us 197
on No,embcr 13. 1909. But no charge w:as laul against Pandn
:u lhe police did not &mpc<t him. Shahu was mo,ed .at 1he
gn1C::some tragcJy a, N':u,1k and wuglu f)C:rmwion of the Gmcr-
nor to help ]ad.son's "'He \\bo "'·;u chHdlrs.,...
Sh:abu made a mo,mg svccch in KolhJpur on the death of
J.:iri.wn. n,e mrc1ing w.u .::iucndctJ only by a few Marath.1 and
J:iin studcou ;ind no Drahmin attended h. In Jacl.son's death
Sh,2,bu ~1J he ha<l Jost a sood friend a.nd obsened in a Jeucr:
"l really fed ncrvouJ .tltct this co"anlly and tlcachcrous mur-
der." lk aJso wrote on January 3, J9JO, to Muir-Madcniie.
die Councillor, asling hun to request the Go,emor that "my
Jetten, v.hicb I :i.m wming ,•ery mdy, m.:iy not reach the hand~
0£ the natha or their friends. Otherwise I may ha,e to share
the (.uc of poor ~tr jacl.!.011 " 11
Jad.son '4.aJ a part of the oppresshe machinery of the llmish
Empil'I!, :mu he h=t.S responsible for deporting Daharao Sa\arl..ar,
1he N:mL patriot, to the Andamans. All Im.lian statesmen con-
tknmed the Naul tr:i.g;cdy thoush some o( them did it out-
" an.Uy. Much later the ShanLar.ich,U)a o( Kolhapur, too,
considered the murder o{ Jacuon a disgrace to llrahrnins as
well al to religion: for, according to him, it \I.as a murder o!
a great Oricntaltst and Vcdantist.
As decided both by the Go\cmmcnt and Shahu, the first thing
be did in the new }car 1910 \\;is to withdraw lhe po"en ,~hich
nt-TC conferred upcn tht Jahgirdars of Visha.lgad and Ichal-
L1ranji undtt the notHic.iuM d,11ed September 26, 1903. This
wa, more due to SJ1J}1u's Julil.c o( 1.hem lli.1n 10 tl1eir connec-
tions with the extremists. He took ad\.t11l.age o( the political
snuauon to put down JiiJ c..cr rebellious f eudatories. He also
thought of t:.21icelling the liccnca of the l.aW}tn who were 5U$-
pected of diJloplty or 1~cre connected whb sed1tious move1nent
in one lmm or ol11cr. l..:Jter. lie did so and was aitidsed by tbr
Rr.ilunin-cum n.1rion3list nCk$p3pcrs
Oa ]anu.uy 22, 1910. Sl1ahu wa.s aJ1.ed by SJ}.:tjir30 G.uJ..liad
"plairtly khctlier }OU 3rc pr<Cparcd to marry one of my grand-
dauglHert tc, }our eJden son." 1E S11a1w 11'.'lS going to do so he
wanted to baH: the ~hole matter li,,,:ed 1,p by .a betro1hal cere•
mony if nc«uary. Shaltu replied that he h::id had a talk in the
matter with fatte.smhacao before his death. He would talk over
198 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

the matter when they met, but he added that he might be

allowed to have an opportunity of seeing Gaikwad's grand-
daughter before they could finally settle it.
The British Government was uneasy over the extremist agita-
tion in India, and great anxiety was caused to them by the
activities of the Indian revolutionists. Valentine Chiral was
coming to India as a representative of The Times, London.
W. Lee-Warner sent Shahu a letter introducing Chirol and asked
him "to speak his mind as frankly as you do to me". Chirol
would profit, Lee-Warner added, by Shahu's society and the
Maharaja would equally derive profit from exchanging his views
with Chirol.
Among the Indian Princes Shahu's position was unique
inasmuch as his State alone had become a centre of the bomb-
throwers and extremists. Chirol fully exploited the dues for his
articles which he later collected in book-form under the title
Indian Unrest.

IV

In February 1910 one Ganpat Bhimrao Gadhis, a distant

relative of the Bavda Jahagirdar, wrote to Shahu threatening
him and the Viceroy with death. Early in his boyhood this
Gadhis had been arrested on a charge of theft, was con~icted
of an offence committed in British India and was sentenced to
six months' rigorous imprisonment. The case against Modak
and S. D. Nagpurkar had been pending for a long ti~e and
the Political Agent had to remol).strate with the Darbar. Nagpur-
kar had been arrested in May 1909 and was in custody for
police inquiry. With the help of other undertrial prisoners
Damu Joshi, who_ was arrested after !_tis acquittal in the bomb
.case, set fire ·to the office of D. C. Fernandes towards· the end
of May 1910. With the conniva~ce. of the Police guard Joshi
then ·ran to his house and concealed three of the stolen pistols
in his house and two pistols he kept in a spot adjoining the
,bungalow. Damu returned to the prison and got himself locked
up as before. The stolen pistols .were ·later recovered.
Shahu Chhatrapati's,generous, hospitality was well known and
his personality and hospitality attracted many Royal guests. The
 REPRESS!\£ n.r.us 199'
Pant Sachiv o! llhor stayed as 3 Royal gue.st for some da}.t, m
Xolhapur in February 1910. 11ie Viscount D. Pedne Pr.wt, Goa,
was treated :u a disunguished Sta.te guest in May 1910. A Darbar
was held in the New Palace on May 19JO and he was presented
with an elephant, a hotse and a palanquin. He left on May 8,
for Amboli by motor-car. In tum he too made some gifts and
donations to se\eral institutions in Kolhapur and £o1mded
schofarships. As a result of tha visa a.nd his own personnl te1a-
uons wJth Atmar:am Vasudco Desbapt:1bhu, Viscount of Pedne
from Goa, Decshaprahbu was given the title Raornje by Sliahu
on August 6, IOlO.
The appeal made by the Police authonties against tfte acquit-
tal of Damu was pending before the Chhatrapati, On June 29,
1910, Damu Joshi ,~as sentenced to se1,en 1ce;us' ngorous
imprisonment and a fine of Rs 500 and £or semng fire to the
police office he was afterwards sentenced to nme months' impn-
sonmcnt.
On June 10. 1910, the Indian Govetmnent dedared the
Samanlt Vidrala1a an unlawful assooation. Thts sanacani scho-oJ
for pa.tn'ot; was an eyesore to the Bombay Government. At this
time Vijapurkar V."llS in jail and he was later released from
Sabannat1 Jail on December 18, 1911. While m Kolhapur 1ail,
he would not touch food brought by any non-Brahmin servant.
He ptotesled agaJnst I.hi$ ad of 1mpolue pollut1onl
Dunng the mJddle of the }ear, Shahu was Jard up with mala-
ria. Since the }ear 1909 his excellent and robu.st health had
been showmg signs of an uneasy heart and digestne trouble. He
was a.Iso womed by the obesity which weighed on his mfoJ.
For the purpose of taling a course 0£ mineral baths he wanted
to go to Getmany in April 1910. But he gave up the idea as
he was not i;o much particular about his health. Yet he tried
in his own way to lessen the troubles without the aid a! any
medical advice, He made many health experiments on himself.
Having read at that time in new'Spapers that the Mah:uaja of
Darbhanga was undergoing treatment for obesuy, he h1msel£
underwent stanration for four days, methodicaJly. llut since he
d,d not lnow how to begm the experiment, he asked the l\taha-
raja of Darbhanr;a tQ permu his Medical 0$c,:r 10 give tbe
necessary instructions to hrs doctor in Kolhapur. Although he
200 SHAHU CHHATR.APATJ: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

had no personal acquaintance with the Maharaja of Darbhanga,

he wrote that letter out of curiosity. Enthusiastically he had
written about this experiment to Sir John Muir-Mackenzie on
May 22, 1910, "that I fasted for six days for my obesity and l
have broken the fast today and I am feeling quite fresh and I
shall after a month or so resume it again." It was his ·practice
to carry on such experiments, and he continued them to the
end of his life.
While the court trials were going on and much anxiety was
felt about the safety of his life, Shahu had time to rejoice at
the birth of a grandson. Radhabhai Akasaheb gave birth to a
son on April 4, 1910, and he was congratulated by his friends
and admirers on the birth of the grandson. Shahu Chhatrapati
was quite hilarious over the event. He said that the grandson
was the joy of his life and the light of his life and described to
his young son-in-law, Tukojirao Powar, how Maharani Laxmibai
was herself nursing, feeding and taking care of the grandson;
she hardly slept at night. In this world, he observed, he loved
nobody else so dearly as he loved his grandson. But his daughter
was ill with frequent fits.
With great joy Shahu even sent his wife for some days to
Dewas to look after the grandson; a Maharani, lighting the
hearth, heating the milk and doing everything herself so that
neither smoke nor ashes might spoil the milk. Shalm fen•ently
requested his son-in-law to send the child and the daughter with
the Maharani if he was unable to take care of the child.
"Young men," he wrote to his son-in-law, "are not very parti-
cular about children, but are so of their wives." He enthusiasti-
cally assumed the duties and responsibilities of a •grandfather.
Shahu transferred Professor A. B. Latthe from Rajaram Col-
lege to the administrative side of the Government, appointing
him from September 14, 1910, to the post of Mamlatdar. .Latthe
was also given the powers of a IInd Class Magistrate. Shahu was
constantly strengthening his administrative departments with the
best available talent.
King Edward VII died in May 1910 and as resolved at a
public meeting on November 1910 under the presidentship of
Major Wodehouse, Shahu Chhatrapati established, as a mark of
respect to the King's memory, a lectureship for the spread of
 RU.R.ESSlV.E TRJAIS 201
agricultural knowledge among the peasants 0£ Kolhapur. The
State pro\.idcd faohties for agricultural experiments :.ind demon-
strations. More01er, at the imtam.e of the Coi·etnor and the
Co,emor-General, the Chhatrapati made a handsome donation
o[ Rs. 5,000 to the Bombay Ptcs1dency King Edwanl Memorial
Fund and accepted the vice-patronship of the AU.India Memo-
rlal Fimd by another dona1.ion of Rs. .5,000.
Sb:dm Clihatrapau had to ta:J..e up rlie m,magement of the
Jahagirs of Kaps1 and Torgal on account of the death of the
Jahag1rdar in July and October 1910 respectnely. The Jahagir-
dars came under the Jomt super.1s1on of the t'ohtica.l Agent.
The Himatbahadur Jahagirdar wanted to form a ~eparate polfre
force, but his proposal was re1ccted b} the British Go~ernmenc
in consultat10n wtth the Kolhapur Darbar. Shahu Chhatrapat1
had already wllhd.rawn the administratne powers of his Jaha-
girdar, Sir I.ashlar Bahadur He took o, er the :idmmistratlon
as 1t was found that Sfr l..'lSbl.ar's prolonged absence, in spite
of repeated warnings, had a b.1d effect on his ]Jhag1r and the
Treasury.
The new Viceroy, Lord Hanhnge, resumed char~e of his office
on No,ember 23, 1910, and on December 13, 1910, he wrote to
Shahu 1h.1t "Your H1gbness may rest assured that I \hall tal.e a
deep interest in an matters which concern }our H1ghness and
)our State In reply &hahu said, "I trust anJ prat God that
Your Excellency's regime may prove prosperous and happy to
Lhe many mtlliom entrusted to your c.are and male still finner
the bonds of union between the Natne States and the Para·
mount' Power."
That year, a.mang the \fotors W.l.5 Shrimant Annasaheb Maha-
ra1a of Satara who came to Kolhapur on December Jo, 1910,
to ·witness rathmari' (elephant fight) at Radhanagar. After a
week of sojourn, he left for Satara. The Satara branch of the
Bhosle family was m financial d1fficult1es and Shahu shm\ed
great S)mpathy for 1L
CHAPTER ]3

Factions and Reforms

TOWARDS the end of 1910, Shahu Chhatrapati went to Delhi.

There he had an accident and his best motor-car was burnt to
ashes. His body, strong and superior to that of any gymnast or
wrestler, was of late giving him much trouble. On his return to
Kolhapur from Delhi, he wrote to Fatehsinha Bhosle of Akalkot
on January I, 1911, that a boil had pinned him to bed.
Shahu was making suitable changes in h·is administration as
he wanted his young and ·energetic officials to gain varied expe-
rience. A. B. Latthe was M~latdar of the city of Kolhapur.
Shahu made him Educational Inspector of the State in January
1911.
Shahu had so far riot taken any active interest in the propa-
gation of the Satya S~odhak Samaj whose work had languished
after the death of Narayanrao Lokhande in 1897. However, the
major obstacle in the work of the_Satya Shodhak Samaj was the
yearly .outbreak of plague and the increasing interest of its
leaders in the election of the District Local B~ards and Munici~
palities all over· Maharashtra. Despite these facts, the Vedokta
controversy stirred the Satya Shodhak Samaj. workers to action.
Vasudeo Lingoji Birje, author of Kshatriya Ani Tyanche Astitwa>
suggested in Dinabandhu1 of June 9, 1906, that just as Brahmins
adopted Lhe weapon of boycott against the Britishers, so al5o
the non-Brahmins should adopt the weapon of boycott against
the Brahmins for their social and religious rights.
The Vedokta controversy drove Shahu to the ideology of the
Satya Shodhak Samaj, its ideal of social equality and the uplift
of villagers. At this time the Satya Sho<lhak Samaj workers were
doing social work in Bombay, Poona, Baroda, Kolhapur, Nasik,
202
 l'.li.Cl'IONS AND kllORMS 203
Sat.ara, :\farathw.ufa and Khandesh, and struggling againu social
rigidity and pticsthood based on birth, T11e Vedokta controve1sy
re\i\ed u11ercn in the Sat}a Sho<lhaI.. Samaj. A branch of the
Sat):t. Sbo<lhak. Samaj was estabfohed .igain 1n Bombay at a
meeting held under the presidentship o[ Ranna, eer V. R.. Shmde
in 19IO
Shahu, l\ho Jud so far not shown any mter~t m 1ts worl,
now thought of re\lung the S:i.ty:i. Shodhak SamaJ Under his
direction Shree Shahu Sat)<\ Shodhak SamaJ was estabhshed on
January 11, 19ll, at a meeting heltl under the presidentslup of
Pan ha.ram Ghosar'\'adk.ar. llh.:iskarrao J :adhav \\ as elected Presi-
dent, Latthe V1ce-Presulent, M. G. Dongrc, Ch1ef Office.r, H.u-i-
bhau Q1a\an, Sccreiary VhJ1al Biraji Dhone, a teacher from
DJ1,;wgar wmmumty, was a .sen;mt at tlie Palace His scn·ices
llcrc Jent to tlie SamaJ, and lie iecened Jus safary from the
.St.1ic. Shahu <lonatc<l a piece of land to the Sa.mdJ for 1ts bwld-
ing..:i .And t\lrm liiglc Slate offra.11s beame oflice-beacecs of tl1e
.S.1maj, 1t proudeJ a clue to the sp,rit and mmage behind the
SamaJ,
The impetus ghen to the revival of the Satia Sl1odhal.. SamaJ
was so strong that aU o,er .Maharashtra its workers "ere filled
with er{tlrnsfas1u. They met thereafter m annual conlen::nces
And )ear after )ear tf1e president of the Sat}a Shodhal Samaj
and lls annual conferences ad:.nowlcJged their deep debt of
gratitude to Sbahu ChhalraJXlti for his 6'1"eat help and mrenche
In tl1c Diamond Jubilee Volume v. hich was edited by .i\fadl1a,,-
rao Bag.ii anti was published in l9S0, Sha.bu was profusely
tlian'-.ed for the arrangement& he had made to ensure a perma-
nent income for tI1e Satya Shodhak. SamaJ, Shahu l'!aS descnbed
in it as Sa~}J. ~hodhak Shahu although be ne\er became a mem-
ber officially.
Shahu l1ad undertaken the Imge wort of 1mgat1on, and day
and night be tbougllt of tl1e great irrigation scheme. Tllc under•
taking demanded ,vast finance and perse,erance, enell!f and
patience. r...'ow and then Shahu anxiously cons1i1'cJ tlie Go1er-
nor s £xccud\ e Councillors and en:n tlie Co, ernor, He tool. the
ad, ice of Go~emment engmeers anJ m.ide d1aht;es m his pfan
accordmgly. lt was bis desire rhat ,the canal )mes .would be
sune}e<l, one m the Bhogava.ti region and the other m the
204 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

:Dudhganga valley. Haneke! was his consulting Engineer. Realis-

ing the vastness of the task, he even told the Governor of
Bombay that the irrigation •scheme could not be carried out
without Government help. Impressed by the advice Haneke!
gave him, Shahu gratefully acknowledged that he could not have
planned the project without Hanckel.
The irrigation scheme, which Shahu styled his life-work, had
become a great bother to him; for he could not get a suitable
engineer to execute the work. He was nervous because he had
seen the failure of such irrigation schemes in other States. Dalal,
A. Hill, Wright, Haneke!, all these experts advised him from
different points of view. "As a layman," Shahu wrote on March
22, 1911, "I wish to use common sense and brains and make
efforts not to have such failures." The work was partly done by
piece-work· and partly by departmental agencies under the super-
vision of his most trusted brother Bapusaheb Ghatge who was
working as the Director of the irrigation work at Fejiwada.
A. Hill, Executive Engineer and Secretary to the Bombay
Government Public Works Department, approved of the mate-
rial and certified that the masonry work was satisfactory. Dalal
found fault with the work, and Shahu, confused and nervous,
said that, like two doctors, two engineers also never agreed. This
disagreement among the- engineers caused him endless anxiety.
"I repent ever starting this work," he sighed to a friend. Till
the end of March 1910, the State had spent Rs. 66,000 and the
next year the report observed: "About 200,000 cubic feet of
masonry work was done upto the end of the year, the total
construction frorn the commencement of work being about
423,200 cubic feet. The expenditure on the tank works upto the
end of the year amounted to Rs. 68,299. About 3,000 masons
and labourers were working on all the various branches of the
works." ·when the irrigation works at Fejiwada were complete,
the total expenditure amounted to Rs. 20 lakhs.
The Darbar was in need of money for this huge irrigation
scheme; so it applied to the Bombay Government for a loan of
Rs. 25 lakhs. Shahu was shrewdly utilising his influence with the
British Government for the material welfare of his people,
restricting expenses on other items of work, private or public.
On March 4, 1911, Sayajirao Gaikwad again wrote to Shahu
 FACTION& MD REFORMS 205
Chhatrap.lti to tell lum "plamly" '¾hether l1e was prepared to
scel.. tlte hand 0£ !us grand-daughter Indumati, the eldest
daughter of Im son, £or his (Shahu's) rldc$l son, Though he
did not penonaliy behe\e in ar.troiogy, he said, he ~cnt her
horoscope and her phot~Taph as they were generally reqmred
by "our people" on such occasions. But the meticulous and stem
tealist that he was, G:ul..v.ad asl..e<l Shahu to bring his ph}s1cian
with the heailh-d1ary of Im sons, He tf1ought tI1at these steps
\'.OulJ. enable hun to r.cttle the matter quid..Iy.
This was an imt.able ,~ay for Sa.)aJiraO to stan the negotia•
tions. Shahu calmly replied on l\Iarch 28, 1911, that v.hen his
son would be e1gl1teen, Ga1lwad s granddaughter v.ould be JO
)ears old. So he was rnclined to thinl. the difference of 8 ,ears
too great. Yet he promi.secl Gailwad th;it he nould talk about
it when they met. As regards the health-diary of lm sons, he
curtly said: "We leep no d1anes of the health of children and
the personal doctor is dead" But he would bring Dr. Tengme
who had taken up the po.st. 'Ihe two rulers then met early m
Apnl 1911 in Bombay and discussed the matter.
Referring to this dIStussion, Shahu said to Momson, Pnvate
Secretary to the Bombay Co, ernor: "But I do not think that
there is any chance of nurnagc coming off as he (Sayaj1rao
Ca.i.k.v. ad) docs not accept any of my terms, nor do I lile his
tenus He is one 0£ those who thml. that e,eT}thtng should be
done as they wish."S

II

Meantime> the car.c ag:imst G. B, Modak and S. D Nagpurkar

was heard by E. Clements, Special SeSS1ons Judp;e, lent by the
Bombay Co,emment 'Ihe accused ,~ere d1arged v.1th abeltmg
an auempt to murder Col. Ferris, Dewan Sabnis and Distnct
Magistrate BhasJ..arrao Jadhav, D B. B1nnmg, llar-at-Law, help-
ed by Varnanl..ar, Go,emment pleader, and the Police Supenn·
tendent D. C. Fernandes uood fol' the prosecution v.lule S. ll.
Dalhle defended the accmed. The mal commenced on l\la.rd1
2D, 1911, m KQlhapur at the Town HalJ, l~Jnch was aowded.
During the trial Damu Joshi v.as produced as Mtue5~ and he
said that l\Io<lak was not lnO\nt to him. Ju was his nature, he
206· SHAHU CHHA"TRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

turned hostile and told wicked falsehooc.ls in the Court. Damu

had cheated Deshpande into believing that he had a tremendous
inHuence on Shahu, but it dawned upon Deshpande later that
if Damu was Shahu's man why he was begging him for money!
It was revealed in the Court by witness Limaye that :Modak
had firec.l the pistol at Gangadhar Deshpande's house to test
the correctness of Damu's statement that the pistol had misfired.
In the Court Damu said that he was quite a stay-at-home man
and did not know that there was friction between the Brahmins
and the Marathas in Kolhapur. He denied having mac.le a state-
ment before any Magistrate and asserted that he had nothing
to do with bombs or pistols.
In his judgment delivered on March 31, 1911, Clements said:
"Damu Joshi who although physically strong, appears to be
mentally and morally a degenerate man devoid of character in
the sense that fixity of purpose is foreign to his nature." Reck-
less and irresponsible though Damu was, Clements added, his
capacity for mischief was only restrained by want of courage.
·wallinger, Fernandes and Page had investigated the case.
On an appeal from Binning, Clements granted sanction to
prosecute Damu Joshi and Fadnis for giving false evidence. In
the opinion of the judge, Damu and Fadnis had fal~ely impli-
cated Nagarkar, and though the assessors found Nagarkar guilty,
Clements acquitted him. Because of his wrongful implication in
the case, Nagarkar had to spend twenty-three months in custody.
Accordingly Fadnis was later tried and sentenced to two years'
rigorous imprisonment in August 1912 for perjury. DaIIJ.U Joshi
was serving two terms in jail: he was again sentenced in January
1913 to t\vo years' rigorous imprisonment for perjury.
Shahu had given up the idea of dealing with the Belgaum
leaders associated with Darou Joshi and K. D. Kulkarni, as he
learnt from the statement made by Dhangar Mally that there
were factions and squabbles in Shahu's own camp: This was a
slur on Shahu's administration. •
"Although I had troubles from the Brahmins," Shahu Chhatra-
p_ati sadly wrote in May 1911, "my brother and my wife always
consoled me. _If you believe ours is the most happy faLUily in
the whole of India . • • that is a very difficult position for me
that I cannot tell you all that I want to tell, because both the
 FACTIONS AND RI.FOiU.fS 207
parties are che trees of my own plancation. This dtflicuity is
indeed , ery g;reat."
Shahu expressed his agony again on August 18, 19IJ, to C A.
Kine.aid· "I h:ne been sailing my ship,'' he ,vrote, "so long qmte
straight anudst the shoals and rocks and :Brahmm mtngues, hut
fatterly intngues brought about a dl\'1s1on amongst my own
crew and the consequence was that my ship has dnfLed along
without any control. The Kolbapur mtng-ues on both sjdes will
expose eacb other's mmluevous ;]1Jd w1d.ed domgs. m open
Cotirt."
Shahu was in a dilemma and could blame nobody as it was
difficult to get recruits of his own caste for the ship "Rum of
one party or other," he obsened gravely, "is a boon to the
Brahmins, because they lnow that these are the only people
JU Bombay Presidency v.ho ha,e been successfully mal.mg a
struggle m e1glueen }ears, religious, political and sooal"
Shahu's crew v.ere divided mto t\\O factions. one led by
K.hanclerao alias Balasaheb Ga1J,:v,ad and the other led by Bhas-
larrao Jadha,-. J3alas.aheb Ga1lw..id was the cause of the dissen•
.$ion or n,alry. Ga1lwad was supported by the landed gentry,
Pundits and Pauls, and by wealthy Jain meuhants liJ..e NJhe
and Latlar 'i\ho felt that their 1mportanc.c WM dwindlmg in
Kolhapur. Jadhav l1as bad..ed bt Latthe, Dongre and others ,,ho
supported refotm. They had emerged from the 1o-« er muldle
classes. Now they were gammg pohucal pov.er and comluctrug
the affairs of the State. Shahu remained silent, perP,aps belie,ini;
in his theory that when two pacJ..s of dogs fought, one should
not interfore in it as they must Lnow· once for aU the strength
of ead1 other and ~ttle the quatte] among tbem.sehes. '
At this time another community c.ame foru•ard to st.an a hostcf
for its stu(lents. It was t11e Sh1mp1 community that started Sbrce
Namade,· Boo.rdmg on April 2, 1911, at Kolhapur. Under its
leaders B. S. Ilartal...ke and R. B .Bodhe many l'torl..ers of the
community came to Kolhapur for- the purpose from Sangli,
!\liraJ, Satara, Bombay, Belgaum, N1pan1, Mallapur and kh.tl•
i..aranji. The opening tercmony W.1$ performed by Prtnce R:iJa•
ram Maharaj. Shal1u hau. encouraged the Ieadt!n lo hol<l a
conference of the 6i1impf .sodaf '\\orJ.ers in 191.Jtf at ~01'flapur
and the boardmg "a, us rault. This ~.is the "ay Sbal1u organ·
208· SHAIIU CHHATilAl'A'fl: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

ised the small communities and gave them help and encourage•
ment for social advance. In July 1910 Shahu Maharaj donated
Rs. 2,000 towards the purchase of a lmilding- for the boarding
and sanctioned an annu.il 1:,1-rant of Rs. 50 and also frceships for
its students. This was done through B. M. Konkanc, an expert
tailor, who had won a gold meclal from the Maharaj:L for his
skill.
About this time Shahu was thinking seriously of inducing the
missionaries to open a European-style school in Kol11apur with
his help as according to him and the sardars, there w:is fear of
sedition in every school. He said he had become unpopular as
he had sent the sardars' children to a Mission School in
Panchgani.
Shahu wanted to give the bcnef11: of European training and
discipline to his sons when they were too young for bad habits.
For achieving this goal it was necessary for him either to send
his sons to a public school in England for some years, and hrfog
them home before any vices had a chance to take root in them,
or to have a European school nearer home, where they would
have the benefit of the salutary influence of their home life. So
he wrote to his friend Dr. Wanless to inquire of the principal
of the Missionary School at Panchgani whether he would open
a school in Kolhapur. It was his desire that they should admit
to such a school mostly European and sardars' children, and that
the school should be managed by English teachers only. This
proposal did not materialise. Shahu then turned his attention
to sending his' sons to a public school in England.
The leaders of the Satya Shodhak Samaj met in conference
at Poona on April 17, 1911, under the presidentship of Ramayya
Ayyavaru, friend and colleague of .Mahatma Phooley. Dr. Santuji
Lad, G,angadharrao Bagde, Marutirao Navle and Birje took a
leading part in it and they formulated the principles and policy
of the Samaj. They passed a resolution at the conference declar-
ing their principles: (1) All men are the children of one God,
who i~ thus their parent. (2) As there is no necessity of an
intermediary to approach the mother or to please the father,
there is no need of an intermediary (or broker) such as a priest
or a P,recepto,r to enable the devotee to offer his prayer to God.
 FACTJO:'1:S MD REFOIU-IS I ' 209
(3) Anyone a.ccept10g this principle is qualified to he a member
of the Sat}a Shodhal.. SamaJ "
The third re:.olution insttucted the members to tale~ solemn
\OW, "that I ~hall not requue ~erv1ces of an mtennediaty at the
adonng, \\OThhipping or JJ1ed1taung upon God and also at the
time of ~rfonnmg a religious ceremony ..
Valentine Ch1rol, the author of Indian Un.rest, met Shahu in
Apnl 191 l. Shahu bou3ht about 500 copies of lns book wh1eh
was '"'htten against Indian patnot.s and revolut1on:mes with a
view to st1fferung the attitude of Bnt1sh statesmen agamst Indian
aspirations. In his bool, Chirol portrayed T1lak, who had been
transported to Mandalay, as the Father of lnd1:in Unrest, inter-
preting T1lal.'s actions and wntmgs as a direct or mdirect
incitement to deeds of v1oknce, The l\Iahar:ip offered Rs. 1,100
to M G. Dongre for the translation of Chirol's book mto
Marathi.
Chirol met Shahu agam m June 1911, and when the Marathi
,ers10n of his bool. by M G Dongre , .. a~ published in l\\O parts
m July 19ll, e,ery British bure:n.icrat or offioal from Curtis to
\Vatson, from I{mca1d to the Governor, praised Dongre and
5hahu, The Go\ ernor was so much pler,sed w1th Dongre that
Ill 1912 he ga,e Dongre the worl.. of publishing his speeches,
and Shahu paid Dongre Rs 2,000 towards the publication of
the speeches of the GoHmor His efforts in safeguarding his
State's interest agaimt the terrorists M:re 1ustifiable, but by
<lomg tlus extra wo1k Shahu needle.¼ly increased the tension
m his life and incunetl the displeasure of the nationalists.
In response to the Kolh.ipur Sangit Natal.. Mapdab, Shahu
allowe<l the use of his Bombay bungalow to hold the se\enlh
se~sion of the Bharat Nat)a Samaj an May 23, 191 I 5 But in
iesponse to the demand made by the Pohtical Agent, he pros•
cnbed m the same month the play Swadeslii CFwlvalG wnuen
by a l\!arath1 playwright of Kolhapur, Ismail Yusuf B~ald.ir.
Shahu's apprecia110n of the stage was sp0nt;ineou 5, but his SUp-
Press10n of the play was under c.ompuls1onl ~bout 1,'2 boo~
and pamphlets \\ere proscribed as laid do\'on in tbe lut_ of th
British Go\'emment. Baroda also had to accede to the wishes of
the llntish Go\enunent in this matter.
On June 22, 1911, George V was crowned in London Shafrn
SC-1(
210 S1-IAHU CHHATR.APATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTION,\RY

could not attend the coronation ceremony as his visit would

have put a great pressure on his purse. But he duly sent a
congratulatory address on velum paper enclosed in a beautiful
silver casket through the Government of Bombay. It was appre-
ciated by their Majesties. On June 22 Shahu held a Darbar
declaring his loyalty to the King-Emperor and enlarging the
powers of Dattajirao Ghatge, Jahgirdar of Kngal (Junior), in
matters of revenue and in criminal cnsc.s.
On the <lay of the Dnrbar, 'Wodehouse gave an evening party.
The Jagadguru Shankaracharya offered prayers and distrib'.1tc~
prizes, stressing·loyalty to the King-Emperor. Sweets were d1str1·
bute<l in schools; and sardars and fcudatories, who were present
at the Darbar, were given grants of sanads 9£ land :incl gold
medals in appreciation of their devotion and services. As Shahu
did not go to London for the coronntion ceremony, George
Hamilton said in his letter of July 6, 1911, that be had missed
Shahu among the Chiefs who were present at the coronation.
"You will have an opportunity", he added, "when the King
visits India, o[ personally coming into contact with him and
paying your homage to him." Dewan Raobahadur Sabnis was
presented with a gold medal and a grant of Patil-watan. D. C.
Fernandes, Superintendent of Police, C.1.D., was awarded a golcl
medal.
Shahu's brother Bapusaheb Ghatge was honoured by the
Governor, Sir George Clarke, at a Darbar held at Poona. The
title of the Companion of the Star of India was announced on
new year day, but it was conferred on him on June 27, 19il,
for his untiring endeavours to promote the industries of Kolha-
pur and for the great assistance he had been rendering to the
Chhatrapati in the construction of the irrigation work at
Dajipur.
Shahu, the descendant of Shivaji the Great, wanted to claim
the property of the Tanjore Bhosles, the descendants of Vyankoji.
There was some liligation going on between the fifteen defend-
ants and the Receiver. Early in September 1911, Shahu met the
Governor of Bombay in Poona and told him that he might
succeed to the Tanjore family-property and asked him whether
the Bombay Government would consult the Madras Government
in the matter. To explain the situation to the Governor, Shahu
 FACllONS AND RF.FOB.MS 2ll
sent Dewan Sabnis. This was not an easy affair. Later. Shahu
Cbhatrapati became a party to the court business, and it v. ent.
on for a Jong time
In September 1911 Shahu Chhatrapati issued an importanr
order instcuamg his Gmemmcnt to le,y re,enue tax on the-
land which had been tramierred to the names of Mahars. A
J;,iw w.15 p.assed under nh1ch a Hmdu could adopt his own
daughter's son.
Shahu was glad that the status of the Pobucal Agent was raised
to that of Restdent. On September I. 1911, he wrote to Sir
George Clarle expressing bis gratitude for the great honour
done to him and to his !)tate in r.ming the status of the Political
Agent Ma1or Wodehouse had thus the honour of bemg the
first Res1dent of Kolhapur.
The Delhi Darb;ir in honour of George V was to be held on
December 12, 191 I The King-Emperor ,md Queen-Empress
ani\ed m Bombay on No\ember 16, 1911, '\I.hen Maharani
Laxmibai was pi-esent. Shahu left Kolhapur on No,ember
27 for Dellu by a speual train. He \\as accompamed by llis.
Jahagirdars, sardars and officials o{ the Stace, and the party,
haJ(ing at Poona and Uhopal, reached Delhi on No\ember 30.
The Ilegwnsa.heb of Bhop.11 h.i:d made special arrangement for
5-haJm's reception at Bhopal.
At Delhi, Shahu :md his party were comfortably auommod.H·
ed m tents. At the msrance of Shahu, one of his oiliars, 10
the ;mnopncc of other Princes, J.ept a signboa.td near the tents
l\hidt meant that Shahu's retinue .spread 1t5ell Oler aU the 1.1,t
area v.hich included. the tents of wme otlier Chiefs aho. The
Chhatrapall attended the variouJ functions arr.mged in connev
tion \\-ith the Imperial Darbar. He had the honot1r and grahfi•
cation of pa)mg his homage to the King Emperor after the
Nil.am and Sayaju-ao had done so. On tl1c occasion of his grand
Darbar, Kmg George was gradowly pleased to coaler upoa
Shahu Chhatr.i:p.1t1 t11e most cminen1 tide ol G C.1 E.
Jt ¾a.s che suspidon ol MJJI1e Briti:~h J1gmtane, that S.apJir.to.
Gaik:wad. »hose loyalty \I.as alwa)'t ,wpectecl. did not do the
obl:hanCC! m the proper roa.nncr and that he did not appear in
State d,ros. The nonn mer tha aba.1ru in lt-5 fury after allega-
ll0ns :uid cxplanauons li;,.J appeared in the newspapers. During:
212 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYA~ REVOLUTIONARY

bis stay in Delhi, Gaikwad sent a hurried· note to Shahu saying

that he was coming to see him in _his tent; but Shahu sent a
message that he was busy and would see him in the Baroda tent.
Another feature of the visit was that Shahu tried to attract
the attention of the august assembly at the time of the Darbar
in a strange manner, In the Hindu manner,· he hacl his arrival
announced by his bhaldar as Hindu Padpadashah and especiall}
.the word Padashah in a shrill drawn-out voice, making the
august assembly silent and attentive as if by the sound of a
.bellF
· The folds of the King-Emperor's gown were held by some
.north Indian. Princes including the Maharaja of Jodhpur,
.Himmatsingh 0£ ldar, the grandson of the Begum of Bhopal,
.and Maharajkumar of Bikaner. The folds of the gown of the
.Empress were held by other vassals. ·This was a humiliating
:,Picture.

III .

Shah u left Delhi on December 8, 1911. Reaching Sanchi the

next day, he reached Poona on December l I and then stayed
for a few days in Bombay. While in Bombay, he, accompanied
by Balasaheb Gaikwacl, enjoyed a musical performance of
Kesarbai Kerkar. She was studious, aspiring and diligent and
hacl received her lessons in music from Abdul Karim Khan,
Ramkrishna Vaze, Barkatulla Khan and Bhaskarrao Bakhale.
By now she had attained some status as a classical musician.
But she was anxious to continue her training under Alladia
Khan, the great classical musician of his clay. She seized the
opportunity of Shahu's visit and made a fervent appeal to him
to advise Allaclia Khan to accept her for further training.
Shahu had seen Kesarbai in 1902 when she had made her
debut at the age of nine as a singer at the P:ilace through the
good offices 0£ Halasaheb Gaikwad. Shahu remembered that her
rustic, simple and innocent manner evoked peals of laughter
when she gn:eted the ruler with "Ram Ram" at the time of
doing obeisance to the ruler. This time Shahu was plea.~ed with
her progress in music. She would not leave his feet unless he
gave her a promise that Allaclia Khan would be her mtor.
 FAC110NS AM> JU:fORJ.ts 213
Mme<l by her appeal, Shahu promised 1h,1t he would asl.. the
great musician to gi.,·e her some lessons But amidst ,·anow
actiuttes, Shahu forgot the promise for a \\h1le When Vithaldas
\vired to Shahu about It, he sent Allad1a Khan to Bombay and
the lessons began 8 Br Jong patient industry and rntensc practJCe,
Kesarbai com mwl her guru Allac.ha Khan that she could play
a great tole in the field o[ music Aften,·art.ls, by pa)mq hirn
heavy fees she became his regular student. An untmng student,
gifted ,iith a ,,onderful ,01ce, she e,entually became the do}en
of Indian musicians To Shiliu, Ke~arba, ,~3-s e\.er grateful for
• the help and enco11ragement he ga,e her at the nght time No
other ruler strme as much as Shahu did to advance the glory
and the greatne.,;s of Indian music.
On h1s 1eturn to Kolhapur, Shahu v.as glad to find that the
long-pendmg question between his Darbar and Kagal (Junior}
regarding the re,enue tenure of the latter's estate was finally
settled to his satisfaction by the Secretary of State for India. The
Joint Court and the Counnl of Administrators e,en dunng the
minority of Shahu had tre:ited Kagal· (Jumor) as Deshmulh
Vat.an, The matter was now settled once for all.
Shahu was present at the Runder in Bombay "'hen their
Ma1esties left Bombay. Their Maiesues shooL hands w:ith Shahu
Chhatrapati \\ho felt honoured and flattered :Fonnerly the
Br1ttsh emissaries had felt honoured and Jlattered when Shahu's
predecessors g.ne them audience, Thu was the change time had
wrought!
At the beginning of 1912, the Chhatrapat1 tool an 11nportant
dt>ci.smn of sendmg hti sons and the sons of some of hh 1al1ag1r-'
<la.rs to England ,uth Mrs. flelen McIntosh Jrwm.
Shahu was taken ill in January 1912. He was confined to
bed and could not sit up properly or write. In the opm10n of
his physicians he was suffering from h1ood-po1soni'ng About this
tune the enemies of Ferns tool- their Ye,enge upon him in
another way. Thev set fire to the Fems J\farlet m Kolhapur
on February 9, 1912, although Fems had e\caped theJt bulle~.
The Chhatrapati pr.used Captain Gordon for the v.01k of Jus
men ,~ho e"<uni;uished the fire, and he sent Rs .'.l00 :is .'I present
to Cordon. On April 24, 1912, Shahu celebrated ,1ith great
eclat the m.unage of his niece Lax1111bai Alasaheb Kagaik;ir
214 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

with Fatehsinharao Bhosle, the Rajasaheb of Akalkot. To look

after all the arrangements, Shahu had appointed a committee
which did the work excellently. He was as enthusiastic about
this wedding as he was about his daughter's.
V. B. Gokhale, the acting Chief Judge, had worked sincerely
and efficiently. Shahu, therefore, confirmed his appointment as
the Chief Judge of his State from May 1, 1912.
The patriotic mind of Shahu was ever ready to support
a swadeshi enterprise. In March 1912 he issued a notification to
the public to the effect that it was his desire that his ryots and
merchants should use matches manufactured by the Deccan ,
Match Manufacturing Company of Karad. With a view to pro-
moting industry in the new town Shahupuri, Shahu granted a
licence to R. R. Shirgaonkar promising him that no licence for a
similar industry would be granted to any other person for five
years.
The impetus given to the education of the Depressed Classes
by Shahu proved effective and the hostel made good progress.
The Society for the Promotion of Education among the :Back-
ward Classes said in its report in April 1912 that its object was
to create a batch of educated, liberal leaders· among the De-
pressed Classes. The report further appealed to the people to
do useful work by guiding the boys' parents in the direction of
education. They should encourage the boys, evoke the sympa-
thies of the teachers to treat them with affection and tender-
ness, and report to the authority whenever they found defects
and difficulties in the methods used for the education of the
'Depressed Classes, Resident ·wodehouse took much interest in
promoting education among the Depressed Classes and appealed
to the educated public of Kolhapur to accord hearty support to
the Society. Needless to· say, the Brahmin community remained
aloof from this activity.
The Satya Shoclhak Samaj inspired into action by Shahu's
·vigorous personality began to preach against the religious and
.spiritual domination of· the Brahm.ins. They threw away the
keys to heaven offered by llrahmin priests. They began to per-
form the religious rites themselves and the annual renewal of
tl1e thread ceremony of the Marathas was also performed by
themselves. This was the logical coro1lary of the Vedokta contro-
 li'ACTIONS AND llFORJIJ:S 215
-.e~sy, It wa~ not a new thing. They had been fighting Brahmin
pnestcru.ft smce the establishment of the Sat}a Shodhak S:un,j
m 1874. The Satya Shodhak S.unaJ now gathered momentum,
and the leaders held their annual conference at Nasik in Apnl
191!! under the presidency of Dr. SantUJl Lad, a leader of the
Dhangar commumty,
The Chhatrapati had the power and the means to bend the
Brahmins to his will, and he performed Vedokta mes at Im
Palace, but the ordinary non•Brahnuns had no right to numster
to their own spintual rcqu1rement5, The Marathas and other
alhed castes had neither t11e power to enforce their wishes nor
the money to tempt Brahmm );lr!ests. mto performing religious
rites in Vedokta. forms, So the Satya Shodhak SamaJ was the insti•
tution to which they turned for help. Thus the new phase of
the struggle began t<> capture their attentlOn m Kolhapur State.
Baburao Yadav, Shahu's devoted lieutenant, performed the
renewal of the thread ceremony on August 21, 1912, at the
hands of the Satya-Shodhal.1tes m VeJolta forms. These were not
Pl'ofessional nor hereditary priest$. The idea took root and at
once spread among the Marathas and others, and they got their
renev-ral of the thread ceremony performed by the Sat}a•
Shodhakites, The culmination of the rnQ'\,ement was reached
when they openly celebrated the anmversary of Mahatma Jotirao
Phooley, the founder of the Satya Shodhdk. SamaJ, in 1912,
The Chhatrapau's grandmother Sakwarbai Ranisaheb died an
May 25, 1912. She was the Mfe 0£ RaJatam Chhatrapati. A MU·
educated and responsible woman m the Royal household, she
pla}'ed a very useful part m 1t. Shahu performed the obsequies
in Vedokta forrns at the hands of Brahm.ins and not at rhe hands
of Sat}a-Shodhilites. He still Ca,oured the Brahmin pnests with
fat fees and recehed their blessmgs.

IV
About this time Shahu refonned the Hindu law sn the matter
of adoption, allo,...ing Hindus to adopt tb.e sons al a niw~. He
also declared that v,.hen an income was annexed or became
hefrless u did not pau to the personal purse of the MaharaJa,
but became the property of the State, '
216 SHAHU CHl-IATRAPATl: A ROYAL R£VOLUT10NARY

Although Shahu was not in favour of much innovation in his

domestic life, he was ever ready to introduce reform in the
conduct of his State. He had declared on February 2, 1912, that
he would start in commemoration of the Imperial Coronation
-Darbar at Delhi, a special school called the Delhi Darbar Memo-
rial Patil School, to train Patils' sons for the duties of village
officers and to improve the quality of their work. The names of
candidates were called till May 15, 1912, on which date the school
was started. The students were not charged fees for the first
year. The school was sometimes mentioned as the Patil School
or the Delhi Darbar Patil School.
The Patil is an ancient institution. The Patils formed an
important class of hereditary village officers. They were mostly
illiterate, ignorant and unable to do their duties properly. To
make the Patil independent of the Kulkarni, who always took
advantage of his illiteracy and used him as a tool, special sub-
jects were taught in the school: (1) revenue, (2) criminal work,
•(3) village accounts, and (4) s·anitation. The school seems to
have run for about seven years.·
• • As instruded by Shahu, Mrs. Irwin made all the arrangements
for the education of his sons in England. He then sent them to
England along with four other boys, Balasaheb Pannekar, Bala·
saheb Ingle, Appasaheb Ghatgc and Shankarrao Nesrikar on
May 11, 1912. Dewan Sabnis and Bapusaheb Ghatge accoin•
panied them.· Shahu made arrangements for keeping his nien
in turns to look after the Princes and the other boys.
There they joined a preparatory school called Burnham
House at Hendon in Middlesex, about twenty miles from Lon·
don. Mrs. Irwin, Scotch by birth and American by marriage,
was the guardian 0£ the boys. Shahu urged her to take :ipedal
care o[ his elder son who was extremely nervous and could
not be left to himself. Although he had inherited the flabbiness
of his father, Prince Rajaram was not as nervous as the loving
father thought him to be. In January 1912 he had bagged a
tiger in the Tumjai Jungles.
Resident Wodehouse left foi: England on leave for six months,
and a special Darbar was held on June· 17, 1912, to welcome
·the Acting Resident, J. W. B. Merewcther. He worked in that
capacity till January 3, 1913. •
 :fACflON$ Ar.n IU'.FORMS 217
With great foresight Shahu sanct10ncd the 1ntroduct1on g
mutatis mutandu, oE the Co operath.e Credit Sooet1es Act (A;t
X of 1904) with subsequent amendments, into the Kolhapur
principality (including feudatorY jahag1rs) from July 15, 1912.
Actually, the fitst Co-operatne Society v.as started under the
leaderslup of Bhaskarrao Jadhav at who~e instance the Reg-istrar
\vas appointed irt 1913 although Raosaheb Daftardar was ap-
pointed Accoun1::1nt from August 8, 1913. Bhaskarrao Jadhav
established the first C0-0petatl\e Society m 19U, called the
Koll1apur Urban Co-operative Society L11nited. This ga,e 111uch
relief to the poor farmers aJid the munici~l workers ,,ho paid
fabulous interest to the Pathan c:red1tots m Kolhapur. By now
Shahu had started to build another ,ast dam at Rallh:inagari
Under his brother's supervision The C0-0perathe Mm-ement
and the 1mgat1on works at Fe1iwade and Radh:magari helped
to change the face of l{olhapur, which later he<:ame known as
the centre of the green revolution in India.
The health of the Chhatrapati did riot 1mpro\'e, The Rn)al
family stayed at Raibag m July 1912. l\lall:arani Laxnnbai w:is
en~d in perfonmng the duties of a grandmother, and she
"Went to Dewas along with her grandson. The death' of the Ja$t
Itani of Taniore in May 1912 brought the matterS of the T.m·
Jore property to a cnsis 1he Chhatrap:iti inquired of the
Government officer about hb claims to the Tanjorc propertY,
and he was told that the Go,crnor v.oufd discuss the topic ,dtlt
the-Go,emor-General. It was at this time that Shahu's Irientl,
Claude Hill, the Executhe Councillor, paid a rourtcsr c:i.11 on
him at Koll1apur. •
It was found now that Sh::ihu wa~ suffermg from tonsillti'i.
and on October 7, 1912, he w;1s operated on by Pr. Wanless.
l"he oper::ition had 10 be petfonne<l ,~hen he was fully ron~ous
as it 'l'.as not felt ad\isable to ghe lum d1lorolo111L ?aticntl.y
he bore the pam, and t11e tonsils \\ere remo,cd. for ne:u-1> ,,,a
Wtel he was unable to speal:, eat or dnnL. On October 21, 191 ...
"!
he wrote to Hi11 about the operation, and !.3.IU' an1 sull m~Jtf
the effects oE my operation. It w.1s not an oper.auon, but a piere
of butchery a, they could not ghe l:11C chloroform. I was fa~len•
ed to a chafr ,;ind held fast by about t\\enty ~non: 1. )dku
and shrcited in ,.un. An)how I am Ccelmg qui!c ii!.
218 SIL\HU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

In spite of this torture and pain, Shahu with Maharani Laxmi•

bai and Bapusahcb left Kolhapur on November 28, 1912, and
reached Bhavnagar on December I, 1912. His friend Bhavsinhji,
the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, had arrived in Kolhapur on October
9, 1912, and personally handed over an invitation to Shahu to
attend the wedding of his daughter Kunvari. During his stay
at Kolhapur, Bhavsinhji distributed clothes, hrrain and money
among the poor, invoking God's blessings on his friend and
prayed for his speedy recovery from the operation. Shahu was
given a warm welcome at Bhavnagar, The wedding over, he
returned to Kolhapur on December 10, 1912.
On December 23; 1912, Delhi became the capital of India
and when the Vice~·oy Lord Hardinge made his State entry into
the Capital in oriental splendour, he was greeted with a terrific
bomb at the Chandni Chowk. Lord Hardinge was wounded
while riding in a silver Howdah upon an Elephant. The man
behind Hardinge, who held the State umbrella, was killed.
Hardinge fainted from loss of blood. The chief man in the
act was Raj Biharidas Bose, who fled to Japan.
Shahu congratulated Lord Hardinge on the most auspicious
occasion of his State entry into Delhi and earnestly requested
him to :convey to His Majesty respectful and loyal appreciation
of the act which had restored the ancient city of Delhi to its
former glory. On hearing the news of the bomb attack, Shahu
with his £eudatories and sardars expressed his abhorrence and
indignation. and thanked God for Hardinge's providential
escape.
To express his joy at Lord Hardinge's escape, Shahu's State
celebrated the birthday of the Governor-General, holding wrest·
ling matches and performing other items of festivity. The fame
of Kolhapur as a centre of wrestling in India had spread far
and wide. Great wrestlers found competitors in Kolhapur. Him-
self a wrestler of no mean order, Shahu made wrestling a feature
of Kolhapur life. Famous Indian champions of wrestling such
as Gama, Gulam Kadar, Imam Buksh and Venkatappa Burud
found real appreciation of their feats in Kolhapur. Later, along
with such festivities Shahu introduced horse-races, bull-races,
bull-fights, elephant-fights and goat-fights not only with a view
to creating intere.st in these sports but also to make the farmer&
 FACTIONS AM> REFORMS 219
rear the animals carefully, so that they might be useful in 1he
farms.
Shahu was e:,,,tremely pleased with the work of Actmg Resident
l\ferewether. He therefore decided to perpetuate his name. As
a token of regard for him and in dpprec1at1on of hu keen interest
in all manly games and sports, he built a new C.ncket Pa\ llion
and named it after Merev.ether before he left K.olhapur At the
opening ceremony of the Pav1hon, Shahu1 requestmg l\lere,1ethcr
to dec:Iare open the pav1hon, made a speech at the funcuon
denouncing the attempt on the life o[ the Viceroy at Delhi He
also exhorted the people not only to unearth 1he miscreant but
also tC> put down and crush the spirit that was at the bottom of
the villainous act. }.fe1ewether was overwhelmed wifh the kind•
ness of Shahu and declared the Cricket Paulion open.
 'l

_, New Schemes: New Priests

DURING the year 1913 four problems worried the Chhatrapati

greatly. The first was health, the second was worry about the
education of his sons who were studying at Hendon in England!
the third the irrigation scheme and the fourth the Tai Maharaj
Case.
Lt.-Col. F. W. Wodehouse resumed duty on January 10, 1913,
and he was welcomed back at a special Darbar on the same day.
The Chhatrapati expressed jubilation over the complete reco-
very of the Viceroy at a special meeting held on January 20,
1913, at Victoria Maratha :Boarding. Maharani Laxmibai also
held a meeting of women to express appreciation of Lady
Hardinge's noble and heroic conduct at the time of the bomb
explosion.
The Chhatrapati was thinking of appointing D. C. Fernandes
to the post of the Chief of Police in consultation with Claude
Hill. After some time he desired to take up Shaligram in his
service although the British police had suspicions about him.
In his over-enthusiasm Shahu suggested to Hill that K. D.
Kulkarni must have a hand in the Delhi bomb affair as, in his
opinion, he was "of the type of Savarkar, a great organizer and
intriguer and wicked man". If the culprit, who threw the bort1b
at the Viceroy, was found, Shahu said, "his property should be
confiscated and his family deported and he should not be hanged
but trampled down to death by an elephant and his body should
neither be burnt nor buried as was done in olden times" .1 This
reaction is understandable when one remembers that Shahu
himself was threatened with death. Nearly two years earlier,
Shahu's friend Sir William Lee-"Warner, Member of the India
220
 N.EW SCHEMES, NEW l'JUESTS , 22{

Offit.e, had wntten to Shahu on No\'ember 15, l9J0, about his

reaction to the demand for Savarkar's restomtfon to France after
Saiarkar's epic escape at ]l.l,u:mlles. 1n tl1e letter Lee-Warner
had said that Sa\<l.rkar \\ould not be restored to France. Sa,ar-
t.ar's claim to the nght of asylum and lus return to France was
supported by the Emopean Press But the H::tgue Tribunal
handed Savarkar mer to England, and lie was sentenceJ to fifty
}ears' trampona11on for hte. The opinion expressed b, Shal1u
on Savarkar's re, olutionary role was the re~ult of llis doser
cOntact with the British impenalms and the dread he had had
o[ the Kolhapur terronsts
Shahu's heaJth now began to cause Jns friends and rdatncs
am.ietr. At tl1e age of thirty-nine he had drabetcs On Febntary
21, 1913, he was ad¥ised by Dr C E Vail of Mtr.tj to restrict
his diet so as to lessen the amount of :mgar in his blood as also
the amount his kidneys had to secrete, He w-as advised to eat
those ,egetables which grow abO\e the ground as. tho'ie which
grow under ground, Vazl s.:iid, .u a nile rontam more sugar
He \\.lS also asked to a,oicl sMet fnuts and starcli which ha:,e
a Iat of sugar. Anima.I products and jowar bread lie wa~ ad\ised
to eat.
Illness, hke nusfortune, comes in battalions. Sbahu's brother,
his sheet-anchor m hfe, was overworked, and he now f>Ulft-red
from a heart ailment. J\Ial1aram LaxnlJbJi suffered from d}st:n·
tery. At this ume the..e wonies uere multiplied by the e,h1ence
g-nen by Dew;.1.n Sabnis before the Public Senice C,0mmis5ion
It stitred the Brafunins, and De,\,1n Sabnis beCJmc fod,guanc ar
the treatment metctl out to Imn by tlmn
As Shahu was likely to de,elop a catbunde and lr\as confined
to bed, he could not go to Bombay to wish bu:, voynge 10 Lord
S)denham. from his SJCk bed he thanled h1m (or the gtt:lt
kindness he bad iho~n him. Dut he did not fa.11 10 remind hun
of his irrii:;;iuon sclien:rn for ,,hnJt re\1seJ e~dmates \,ere ,uh-
tnl(ted 10 the Go,emment of Bombay, Sha.bu requested S,den•
h.un to assist hrm m gc:ttmf; the Jo.an. TJ1e Go~ernme,~t officl.us
made spced1es, sent consulting cngmccrs but s.i1d nothmg .:iboul
the loan. •
'l1le airbuJ1cle on Shahu's n~t t!u~h "'as o~ncJ on '!arcl1
2G, JgU, and he had to lie in the lf1~1on llosp1l.lJ at M1r.tJ Ile:
222 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

was· expecting Government help for the irrigation works. Lord

Sydenham, writing in a sweet tone about the irrigation scheme,
said that it was a very fine scheme which would confer great
prosperity on his State and ,~ould be a noble monument to his
rule. And without committing himself or his Government to the
proposal about the loan, Lord Sydenham said he would conti-
nue to take a waim interest in its progress even from England.
Shahu was short of funds. Sydenham had lcf t his moto.r-cars
behind. The military secretary wrote to Shahu asking him
whether he would buy them. Shahu replied that he was not in
need of any carriage. And for months he waited for the loan
from the Government with the patience of a fishennan who
sits patiently angling. Sayajirao Gaikwad donated Rs. 20,000
to the memorial of Lord Sydenham, but Shahu's contribution is
not known.
Although greatly indisposed, the Chhatrapati wrote on April
8, 1913, to B. L. Gupta, the Dewan of Baroda, to allow his
brother-in-law Bapusaheb Khanvilkar to remain with him dur-
ing his illness. He requested Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar
through Talcherkar to employ his brother-in-law in a suitable
post, which Holkar did. During his own illness he was writing
letters to men of importance about the marriage of the daughter
of his uncle, Appasaheb Surve, with Herekar Kumar. Though
ill, he was always in search of new animals. He wrote to Col.
Fe>rbes to supply him with six pairs of harriers.
It was Shahu's practice to send mango parcels to his British
friends, and for years they were gratified with these presents.
Lord Harris, Lord Reay, Lord Hamilton, Sir William Lee-
Wamer, Sir S. W. Edgerley, Lord Lamington and now Lord
Sydenham were the recipients. He never failed to send mangoes
to Hill and Fraser who were in India. The sweet fruit revived
their interest in the welfare of his State, and they reflected his
gratitude to them for the help and encouragement they gave
him in times of difficulties. One of them wrote: "We appreciate
no less than the delicious fruits your kind thought which never
forgets old friends."
V. P. Gupte, who was Karbhari in Sawantwadi State, had
done Shahu a great tum at the time of the marriage of his
brother. As he was ruined in Sawantwacli, Shahu wrote to friends
 l'oEW scnv.u:s: Ntw PRIESTS 223
Ille Hill and othets earnestly requesting them to g:i\e him a
suitabfc JOtJ, About this time Shahu also \\Tote to Professor D. K
K:u-.,c to ::admit one Radhabai Kolasa as a boarder to his ashram.
He .1!so wrote to Vi.!lC$\-3ra)a, Dc"'an of I\Cysore, requesting
him to !ool.. into the matter o[ the Jain Swami Jagatguru and
restore his Jionour and prC$tige.
l11 May 19U Shahu u:nposcd stnct rcunctions on the p::artition
o( lnams. The new ol"ller comidered loam to be indaisibfo,
According 10 llus new order, the jahagudars v.cre proh1bued
from _partitioning tl1e Inam land, the eldest son of the jahag1t-
d.i.r I.icing entitled to the c&tate; other relatiom had no nght 10
dhi<le the propmy among tbemsehes. Sub-dmsions rendered
the Jnam uneconomic and unprofitable, the I1older of the un-
economic shares became lazy and ,am and did not dewte thcJr
1hes to indctx:ndcnt, useful and amliioous enterprises L1t.e the
CJ.Ste 5)stem and priestcr.i.h, Lhc small insigmficant valans and
Inams Jt.td been tile bane of Htndu waety.
The Chhamipati made strict rules regarding lhe dtSpo~at of
mortgaged lnams. Now the creditors could not dupo:.e of the
mongages concemmg Inams or jahag1rs. Shahu afao made some
changes in the procedure of the UudgcL .According to the new
procedure, no itein o( expcndill\te ,~as to be included in the
budget ,~1thout the sanction of the Maharap. At this stage he
introduced .a major rdonn. Act JI oI 1912 passed by the G<J,ern·
tncnt of India relating to the co-operative societies which pre•
\atlctl in Ilombay Pn.sidcncy ,~as apphed wnh all lts rules to
tl1e State am.I aU its foudatories Crom June l, 1913. On Septem•
her 30, 1913, the Kolhapur Urban Co-opera1fre Society Ltd.
was registered. lt was the first regmered eo-0perathe society in
Kolhapur.
Another Jaw passed at this time laid down that 1f a ,dJow
Crom a lugh caste family- of the Marath.u havmg no CU\tom of
,emamJge , 1ent m for an inferior type of man1age, bet cluldn:a
would not be C11tJtled to inheritance of the Inam or Ifie pro.
petty. ForciGfler& or outs1den desmng to buy land m the Ko~a•
pur territory could not to do so •Mthout prevwus penmss,on
of (be D.ubar. F!oweH't, D. C. Fernandes was exempted from
this rule.
4.2'.f'. SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYf\L .RJ;::V9f.UTIONARY

II

That year a new hostel for Kaystha Prabhus was started and
Shahu donated Rs. 2,000 towards its maintenance. Despite this
support to and, keen interest in education by the Mahara.ia,
education among the Backward Classes did not make headway.
In the Rajaram High School in 1911, that is, after a decade
of effort, out of 507 boys 156 were Marathas (including allied
castes), 35 ·were Jains, 14 Lingayats, 26 Mahars, 10 Muslims and
3 Christians and others. So Shahu desired to renew his efforts
in spreading education among the Backward and Depressed
Classes. A very important reform Shahu introduced in the year
1913 was in the field of education. On May 28, 1913, he issued
a notification which was published in the State Gazette on June
28, 1913, for information and guidance of the subjects. It
observed: "Notwithstanding efforts· that are being made for the
spread of primary education among the Backward Classes the
progress hitherto made has not been satisfactory." "\Vith a view,"
it added, "therefore to accelerating the pace, His Highness the
Chhatrapati Maharajasaheb has been pleased to order that every
village in the State should have a school conducted by a person
of the caste to which the majority of the villagers belong."
In order to induce suitable persons to do the work, Shahu
thought it necessary to have the schoolmaster in the list of here-
ditary servants holding alienated land for the performance of
their duties. He also app·ointed a committee under the chairman-
ship of his brother Bapusaheb Ghatge. Jadhav, Dongre, Latthe,
Dilwar, H. N. Ghatge, the members of the committee, were to
,vork under Bapusaheb Ghatge in areas allotted to them.
Sheri lands were to be selected by Bapusaheb Ghatge for
being given to the schoolmaster. The Chhatrapati authorised
Bapusaheb Ghatge to acquire the lands for the purpose and
instruct the revenue officers accordingly. Latthe was removed
from the committee as he did not honestly hold that the heredi-
tary rule would succeed. Pupils were to receive instruction in
reading, writing, and arithmetic (reckoning only). The scheme
did not make any progress; the plan of alienating lands to
teachers had to be given up a~ lat~r a new programme on the
basis of compulsory education was drawn up. Shahu ,vas in
 NI.W SCHEMES: NEW l'RJIDS 225
.financ1,ll stringency on account of the vast irrigation scheme he
had undertaken, and so he had helplessly thought of this feudal
s)stem of educacion.
Sh;:ihu Chhatrapall now openly but cautiously came out to
escablish the Sat}a Shodhal School in K.olbapur m July 1913
under the Dhangar leader, V1thal Done, who was a well educated
roan. Raribhau Chavan, tramed under the guidance of Bhaskai:-
rao Jadhav, who was a Sansl..nt scholar, prepared a text book.
Gharcha Purolul,'J on religious rites and variow other forrm of
Worship. In short, 1t prescribed the duties of the priest. Under
Jadhav's duection some leJ.f!ets were prepared to instn1ct the
students in performing the marriage ceremony, the thread cere-
mony, the annual revival of the thread ceremony, the annfrer-
sary rites and other rites. The students were from the non-
Brahmin classes. Shahu also paid monthly salaries to Hanbhau
Chavan, Vithal Done :md Shnpatrao Chavan who were on the
staff o( the school Shahu a1..o pa11.I the rent of the building
and made a handsome grant to the school
In Baroda the Sat}a•Shodhakites had been doing such religious
rites for many }ears. In May 1913, the Baroda authorities had
Passed a Btll declarmg that no pnest would Lie allo,\ed to offi,
cfate without obtaining a certificate from the recognised priests'
school. Acconhng to the Bill, no unqualified p-ne~t wa1 to per•
forni. the duues of a priest, and if an unquahfied priest was
found, he was ro be fined Rs. 25, A priest should be well pa1d;
so the Bill s:ire,.;nbed rates of fees for \.arious rehgious ntes
Some non.Brahmin youths front different parts of Mah~mh~a
iomed the S l Shodh.lk school. The new pries~ tr-;uued m
a }:t
th e scbaol beiran • Sh~u was
to displace the Brah.nun pne5ls, ,
Consciously m~v1ng in the matter. Tue sight ~r \he ne\'/ rnests
roW;ed th • Of the J3rahJIUn priests. Their monopO r wa,
e ire ity was
dlallenged with renewed vig0ur. The Braiunm conunun
bound to take the side of the nramnin pnests, consequen:,
there wew agam much tension in Rolhapu.r. In 1913 the fl~ ~
of tel'1 • , • Kolhapur city alone, where re tgio
g1ous ceremonies in tahmin riests, was 1,513
terernomes '\\-ere performed w1tho\lt R P
uut of l'-h1ch 266 v.ere marruges. . . ts and other relrgiouf
ti Hindu marriages M-'lLhout Brahm:::~ by Jo1irao Phooler
tes "Without them, had been int u
SC-1s
226 SHAHU CHHATR.APATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTION,\ltY

from December 25, 1873, and the question had been £ought by
Brahmins since 1878 in the Court. M. C. Ranade, the first-class
Subordinate Judge, had decided the case in favour of the :Brah•
min priests. According to Ranade's verdict, the plaintiffs
(Brahmin priests) were entitled to perform the ceremony
3
irrespective of the host's ·wishes, as well as to receive fees.
Therea£tcr, the District •Judge, Poona, ruled that Brahmin
priest5 should receive a fee equal to that paid by the defendants
to the person or persons employed by them to officiate as priests.
Before Ranade's decision the Calcutta High Court had denied
these rights to. the Ilrahmins. It held that this was a "simple
matter of conscience and not an obligation that a court of law
can enforce." Even in the Madras High Court the Brahmin
Judges gave a verdict in favour of non-Brahmins declaring that
"a monopoly to officiate as purohit (or priest) should not be
recOf,'llised by court and it is against public policy to allow such
a claim". Ranade's judgment was cited in the Madras :High
Court by the P.riests' advocates, but it was set aside by the Judges.
At that time Ranade had not attafoed the status or a progressive
think.er or a great man.
Jotirao's point was that the Brahmin priest had no right to
a fee if he was not called to perform the duty. On January 8,
1890, the Bombay High Court decided Balaji Patil's case in his
favour. The Chief Judge Charles Sargent and Justice Telang
ruled that no Brahmin priest had any right to officiate at the
ceremony and no fees were to be paid to him if he was not
called upon to act. This was a signal victory for the movement
of the Satya Shodhak Samaj. Thereafter the Nagpur High Court
decided such cases in favour of non-Brahmins.
As the Brahmin priests could not go to court now·, they and
·the opponents of the Vedokta were resentful. The Shankara•
charya 0£ Kolhapur, while presiding over the Dassara function
organised by the Kshatriya l\Iaratha Dnyati Samaj in Bombay
on October 9, 1913, said that disciples, coming as they did from
the Chaturvamya, should not hate anybody but help one
another, and one Purushottam Joshi, a spc.-aker at the meeting,
said it was in the Purana that the god of strife was to take up
an incarnation at Kolbapur. The religious teachers of the Satya
Sho<lhak Samaj, he added, by launching a campaign against the
 NEW SCHEMES: NEW PRlESTS 227
Brahm.ins, had prepared the ground for the appearance of
Kalk,, the incarnat10n of stnfe.'
. Mukundarao Patti, a non-Brahnun editor and leader, pu&-
hshed hi-;. long poem, Kulkarni Leelamnt m July 1913, The
book lS a masterpiece. It describes v1v1dly the doings of Kulkarni ..
a vtllage officer It 1s m a poetical metre c.alled ovz and rc,eals
how when the Brahmiu Kulkarni comes to the surface with his
guiles and wile1, Justice gets drowned. The book was published
by, Shahu's man Vnhal Done, was mtroduced by Bh;u;karrao
Jadhav and wa.s dedicated to Dewan Sabnu. Its publication was
financed by Shahu Chhatrapatt.
N. C. Kelkar wrote two editonals in the Kesari appreciati'ng
th~ diction, style and ,erve of Kulkarni Lcelamnt In his
masterly st}le, Kelk.ar cntimed the book and said that \d1en
the names of Jadhav, Sabms and Shahu came together 1t was
not necessary to state its aim and effect. The Kcsan 5 descnbed
it as poison in the form of nectar created to fulfil some deulish
and destructive obJeCL It was a special wine manufactured m
a distillery, a wine ,ery tasteful but full of Ilrahmin hatred,
available only for three annas through the generosity of Shabu
Maharaja.
The book preached the message that vJllage hfe could not
lIUpto\e unless the KulL.aml vatan.s were abohshed. It depicted
the Kullam1 as a source of vices and frauds and as the real
villain m ,illage polity.
The bool. appeared at a time when the quesuon of aboliuon
of the Kulla.mi , atan was bemg hotly discussed in J\Cahar:ishtra.
From the pomt of Yiew of literature, it was a good. harmonious
poem. But the book was, the Kesari continued, as slanderous
and spiteful as Samuel Butler's Hud1bras or Pope', Dunwui
The Kesan also criticised Shahu for financmg the publication.
It said that when the time came to abolish tbe Paul ut:ms,
Shahu with all his might l\ould not be able to U\e them. He
was assisting the British Go\enullent \1-hich was ready to do
a.l\ay "'ith, the Kulkarru utans. Bee.a use Sbahu donated a sum
o[ about Rs. 200 he could not be praised as a supporter of
lea.med men. The Kesan was happy that the Kull.a.mu l,ere not
Chitpawan Bralunins and that Kulkarni LeeLlmtd was the finr
£nm ,\\h1ch Phooley's Salll4j bore afLer its reappearance. It
228 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

should not be proscribed, the Kesari suavely concluded, although

it came under section 153A of the Press Act, but it pressed the
Government to suggest to Shahu that it was improper on hi!
part lo sp,read the fire of caste hatred.

III

Shahu's sons were receiving a useful education under the

,guidance of Mrs. lnvin. In his letter of April 17, 1913, the first
.thing Shahu insisted on was that they should write and speak
c9rrect English; if their mistakes were not cor,rected at that
stage, the boys would never improve and continue to make the
same mistakes. He said he knew that some persons even after
spending seven or eight years in England were unable to write
correct English. The education of the Pirinces, he added, should
be thoroughly practical and they should have high ideals of
their duty. The boys attended a Carpentry Class, Prince Rajaram
was sent to Agricultural Class. All the boys were given the
option of studying Chemistry, Engineering or Agriculture.
Shahu said he considered himself fortunate in having secured
a kind-hearted, conscientious woman like Mrs. Irwin as their
teacher. His friends, Sir Robert William Morrison, Maharaja
Sayajirao Gaikwad, Lord Lamington and others, made enquiries
about the boys and cheered them up. Prince Rajaram lost his
flabbiness and looked smart and strong. There was no more
trouble of tremors on his fingers. He was the most· amiable of
the boys. Dr. R. V. Khedkar, who· was then in London, made a
mischievous report against Mrs. Irwin• to Shahu. He sent a copy
of that report to M,rs. Irwin and remarked that one should
have a slanderer's house close by:
Dr. Khedkar's letter reflected the work of his mind. Khedkar
later turned out to be a man who held out threats to Shahu
and his Darbar. Shahu was then thinking of a visit to England
to see his sons there, but there· was no improvement in his
health. As his wound had not healed, he went to Bombay to
consult some doctors and also to see a site for a house, but J1e
could not get one. The doctors advised him to go at once to
Miraj, for his health problem had assumed a serious tum. Some
advised him to go to Europe for a change of air. But on August
 NEW SCHU.n.s: NEW FRIE.SU 229

28, 1913, Shalrn wrote to his friend HJU: "l am feeJing quite
fresh and fee) angry with the doctqrs for their threats. I thint
I shall feel l'oeJl here and $houid not waste money on expensiu~
trips."
Shahu's wound had not healed in the p.ut fhe month.t lt was
therefore reopened early in September by the doctors in M,raj.
Writin~ to Hill, on September II, 1913, after the operation,
Shabu said sadly: "I was thinking of coming to see )Ou but l
am \t;r}' sorry I cannot do lo now, I ha\ e again been operated
on and I ha\'e now begun to £eel like a burden to me. 111e
haemorrhage was awful. It w.u somethmg 11ke three or four pmu
and I fainted I {eel 1,ery v.eak. I do not know ,~hen I shall be
cured."
Meantime, Shahu, "ho was fascinated by the v.od. of Dr. C.
E. Vail, asked hirn for notes on lei.ions m ambulance work. He
not only did this, but also a.sled the Mission to spare Dr. Vail
for the service of the Kolhapur Stare. Wnw1g to Dr. Wl1ite,
the Head <>f the Mi5sion, Shahu said on October 18, 1915: "By
sparing the set1'1ces of Dr. Vail, you Mll not only be obliging
me but conferring a great boon on hundreds and thousands of
my subjects. You wdl be instrumental .in directly helping to
alle,iate human misery and my subjects \\-iU Mess for )OU, help
in •this matter." In reply to this Jeuer, Dr. Vail, true to bts
Jife•s mission, said he v.ould not be lrUe to hts noble purpose
1[ he (Dr. V.uJ) took such a :;rep. 1n the end Dr. Vail requen•
ed Shahu Chhatrapati to take bad. the mocor.(.lr ,~hich he haJ
sent him as a guL
Shahu was on cordial terms ~ich ShhJ.Jir.lo Holkar. dze tle-
posed l\faharaja 0£ Indore. Shiva;irao Holla.r"s son Tu'lojirao
Holk.u- uho "as the new Maharaia o[ Indore, '».mkd ha J}JU•
pa.thy and suppon for his second marriage, "I l>eJie,e," 1uloji•
rao .u,d, "JOU know about my proposed ser.ond n~rri~e. 1 cxpcrt
from 'four J-ligbneu stmparhy and support. ~tay l a~k JOU ra
lcep the matter entirely conlident.ialr' Repl}u1g to Ms Jeun
Ort Ociober 31, J9J.5, Shahu s.l1u: "1 111.111 be onJr too dthghtcJ.
lo do ~hat f can to help )OU. J &halt ~ oofiged 1£ f mar now
,md wen get 2 hint from Your Ilishncu as to tM ~y I Jil,ly Le
lle:lpfuL" Shaltu ,·u!doo imt Ho11.:it J11ould count 11pot1 bit
mnpathY,
230. SHAIIU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

· Shahu in~ited the new GovernQr Lord Willingdon to pay a

visit to Kolhapur, and he agreed t~ do so on November 23, 1913.
Shahu felt proud that like his predecessors, His Excellency also
had done him the honour of dt~ciding to visit his State. At once
he wrote to his feudatories and Balasaheb, the Chief of Miraj
(Junior), and to Sampathrao Gaikwa<l, Senapati of Baroda,
making a request for a loan of good motor-cars for apout a
week on the occasion of the Governor's visit.
Lord· Willingdon, accompanied by his military and private
secretary, visited Kolhapur on November 23, 1913, by a special
train. The State gave him a hearty welcome. The Govemot
visited the A.E. Hospital, the Technical School, the Arnbabai
Chowk, the Old Palace, Elephants' Nagarkhana and othe:r places
and inspected various old arms in the armoury with great
interest. He entered the Ambabai Temple by the main gate
and saw the image from a dais erected at the Garud Mandap;
the temple having been brightly lit up. The Governor also
visited Panhala. On November 25, 1913, Lord Willingdon un-
veiled the busts of King George V and Queen Mary and other
members of the Royal family, erected near the bust of Queen
Victoria.
In his welcome speech Shahu said that he was grateful £or
the Govem~r's visit and felt proud that his State should be the
first to receive that honour. He heartily thanked Resident Col.
Wodehouse for his support to Shahu's educational policy and
to the irrigation scheme. He hoped that the co-operation between
England and India would make for the peace and happiness
of both the countries.
The Governor exwessed his warm appreciation of Shahu's
constant and unswerving support to British rule and authority.
It was a matter of pride that he and his family stood firm in
support of the sovereign and his rule during periods of political
unrest. The Governor said he was glad to praise Shahu for his
devotion to the British throne. The Governor was glal to note
that Shahu was assisted in his work by the wqrthy Dewan' Sabnis
and his brother Bapusaheb Ghatge. Paying a tribute to Shahu
for his interest in education and for the promotion of a new·
method in agriculture, the Governor observed: "The great
scheme 0£ irrigation which you propose to undertake testifies
 ?.tW SCHEMES: NEW l'IUEStS 211
to yo~r sound desire to impro,e the producthity of the wil
.-ind give greacer prosperity to the peopfe." Lord Willingdon
then paid a Yisit to DaJipur to see the progress of the imgation
l\otl.s. A few da}s later, m the new )ear's honours, Dewan
Sabnis was made a C.I E. It was a further recognition 0£ hu
great ability and steadfast deyotton.
After the Go,ernor's \JSit. Sir Richard Lamb, l\feII1ber of the
.u..ccuti\e Council of the Go,cmor, a!so paid a visit to the
Kolhapur State on No\ernber 29, 1913, and Shahu was happy
that he ,isited the 1mgation \\OrJ..s at DaJipur. Shahu wanted
money from the Go\emment o( Bombay for exped1tmg hi:;
irrigation scheme. Tiiat was the IllOU\e behind all bis invitations
to G°' emment d11,n1itanes.
As d1recti;:<l by the Go,emment of Bombay, Shahu again
subrnmed a report on the progri>ss of the migat1on work and
then suLm1ued an application £or a loan of Rs 25 lakhs for
the pm pose of completing it Shahu placed engmcer R. P, Jagtap
under Hankel of I.he Bombay P.W.D. to get the necmary insight
into the practical work.
TI1cte was some request from J. N. Fraser for help in publish-
ing the pocnis of Tukaram. Wah the pem11ss1on of the G°'em-
ment, Fraser approached Shahu and SayaJltaO Ga1k,~ad for help
in U1e project. Both were fa.mow for promoting Marathi
literature and thought.
In December 1913 Shahu took. up his lodgings in Sardar Griha
in.Bombay. lt ,,;as his wish that there should be Indi.an lodging
houses run on modem lines, decent 3Ild well equipped. The
new bm1cling of the Sardar Gnha was built in 19ll and Shal1u,
,,ho had no building in Bombay of his own, took up lodgmi;;s
in Sardar Griha. Dunng his ,isitS, to Bombay s.mce 1902 T1fak
too had sta,ed ar the Sardar Gnh.t, and in 1908 he was arrested
the.re. Shahu gave its proprietor, n. K. Sahcl..ar, encouragement
to ttm the Jodgings on proper liMs. 0 Sha.hu's associat.ion wnh
the San.far Grilia attracted the ow.er Mamtha Chie£s to iL
Shahu's collecuon of anunals bad been growing a,; before.
KrishnataJ Wadipr, Mah;ar.1ja of Mysore, sent bun some ele-
but they died soon after. So he v,a., S<:ndmg a second
Phan tsof elephants Later, Shahu •sent h'~s men (o Nairo
batch • b'1 to
catch cheetas (leopards) ..in Kema • •- n~ m,r thev returned
232 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

without a cheeta. He also sent his men to Bunna, but they also
returned without a cheeta. However, his men brought him six
cheetas from Bellary.
Sir Jamshetjee Jijibhoy requested Shahu to con~ibute to the
South African Fund started to support Gandhi's struggle for
the rights of Indians in South Africa. Shahu asked Robertson
what he should do in the matter. On December 12, 1913,
Robertson said that the Indians in South Africa wetre in some
respects subjected to unmerited hardship. There was no harm,
he added, in subscribing to the fund if Shahu felt inclined to
do so. The African struggle led by Gandhi was neither against
the British Government nor against the Indian Government.
The fact was that Shahu was not ready to incur the displeasure
of the Government and create misunderstanding. Shahu had
concentrated his energy and mind on the construction of the
irrigation p,roject. Yet he had to spend a lot of money on his
visitors and .Darbars. That year, his friend Bhavsinhji and
Sampatrao Gaikwad, Senapati of Baroda, were among the visi-
tors to Kolhapur.

IV
Shalm was proud of the Maratha Chiefs. He had once to
arbitrate on behalf of the Rani of Sawantwadi who had been
in_ trouble since December 1913. Having a talk with her, Shahu
found her very obedient and repentant, and willing to take
his advjce. In his report of January 8, 1914, to Robertson, Shahu
observed that it was his opinion that she should not be treated
as a minor; otherwise she would stealthily spend her jewellery
and money and would come to grief. She should therefore be
treated like a major, so that she might feel the responsibility.
In a month or two it would be possible for the advisers to say
whether she had turned over a new leaf. Shahu thanked Robe;rt-
son on behalf of all the Marathas and especially so for his
decision.
The Rani of Sawantwadi was moved out of the Presidency.
On January 18, 191-1, Shahu wrote to her that she would not
have been treated more kindly even by her husband or parents
than she was by the Government. He asked her to be very
 NEW 5CHEMES, NEW l'kU:STs, 25J

cartful and warned her that as she was an unguided widow,

everyone would try to cheat and nun her This, he concluded,
was his last lett'.!r oi advice to her.
A. \ery sincere fnend, Shahu. ga"e p:resents to the daughter
of Claude HiJJ. Among the i,resents there was a pearl nedJacc,
an wory hox and a painting of a m;thological sub1ect from the
Mahabharata Shahu said he would be obllged if Hill a!Jowed
her to keep these as gifts It is ilifficult to say whtther Ihll
a~ted the t,resenti. Hill wrote m February 1915 that as per
instructions o! the Secretarv of State for India he could not
recehe any gifts
Shahu intf()duced Marathi in Balbodh scnpt as the State-
mrdium of correspondence (rom Januat)' I, 19H AH COtte$-
PGndente was to be in the Balbodh scrir;tt. The mothe in intro-
ducing the form was to help the common man to do his \I.Ork
independently with the State and public depattroents.
Tue l1rinces, who were studying m England, had tnade rnuch
}tr()gress. In Janu:i.ry 1914 Pnnce Rajarnm joined St, Ed\\an:4
.a.t Oxford and Prince ShlvaJi was admitted to 1{_1n,g Edward',
Sch~!, Brmnsgrme. Rajaram was hked by all in the school.
Wh1le Shahu was busy with the ungation scheme and with
Procuring new animals for the paddock, he raised statncs to
lhe members of the RQyal family of England Those bho hated
thit idea tarred the faces of Edward VII and Queen Ale:Undr:l.
11us happened on the midnight of febniary 11, 1914, \\hen
th e police guard were asleep Tar was driv:ling dOll11 their faces
till eight the next m.oming.1 The offendera \\Cre not {oui1d.
Tlte fact was. that the more Shdhu sho,\ed de,otJOn ro the
th rone of England the more he mvJttd uuuble for hi~?· t.
The B4mbay Go,ernment was indignant at the tar rnoJrn
The Bttthh PatH,nn.ent was aho stmed. Lord W1lln1gdon. th e
C<hernor of Bomba~ 53 id m his letter of March 27, 1914•
'll4t be was much dis;ressed to hear of th<! outrage ~rpetr.1~eJ
in Kothal)ur lately in desecrating the statue!,, of the late king
.ml] Q.lieen. He hopl!u that the 011stteantJ niisht be btought to
iustke. Sir J. D. Recd asked a quts1fo11 m Parlmnent c.m Marth
3, 1914, about this matter.
23'i SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Shahu's fame as an expert rider and sportsman had spread

far and wide. A lover of sports from Austria, by name Count
Hoyas, had requested him through a British friend Col. Ferris
and Sir Alfred Pease from London to -introduce him to Shahu.
For his paddock Hoyas wanted an Indian bison. On February
27, 1914, Count Hoyas visited Kolhapur, saw the irrigation work
at Dajipur and went for shikar in the Vakighol forest. There
he shot some animals and left for Bombay on March 7, 1914,
after visiting some historic places in the city.
On April 8, 1914, an Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition
was opened by Robertson, Political Secretary to Government
of Bombay, and it re·mained open till Ap1il 16, 1914. The prac-
tice of holding the Annual Hqrse and Cattle Show at Chinchali
was given up as it was not a central place. It was decided to
revive the old institution for the benefit of the ryots and hold
an exhibition at the time of •the Jotiba Fair which attracted
many people from the surrounding districts. The exhibition wa~
so arranged that it combined instruction with amusement. The
farmers exhibited the ~roduce, all kinds of livestock, new and
old implements of husbandry and the modes of using them.
Dr. Mann, the then Principal of the Agricultural College, Poona,
was present.
In Shahu's. welcome speech which was read. by the Dewan
Sabnis, Shahu said that the miscreants, who had defaced the
busl.s of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, had caused him
deep sorrow and no efforts would be ~pared •to unearth the
. culprits.'
L. Robertson hoped that the agricultural classes would avail
themselves of the lessons that were to be learnt from the exhibits
and the demonstrations that were attached to the show. He
further said that the efforts that were being made to introduce
new methods into the agriculture of the country would. bear
good fruit. •Referring to the disfiguring of the busts, he said
that the people were ashamed of .this miscreant, whoever he
might be, and they detested and disowned his motives. He paid
a tribute to Shahu who was so upright in action and thought
 NEW SCllUIES: NEW PR.u:srs 235
:and so sincerely de\Oted to the promotion of the .,.,ell-being or
his subjects. •
MahataJa Tukojirao Holl.ar ,isited Kolhapur with }o.fahanmi
Indirabai on Apnl 12, 1914. On his annal, he was given a
watm -welcome. Shahu's distinguished guesu marched m grand
Ji.rocession on elephants through the streets to the station
bungalow. The people sho"ered flowers on the Ro)al couple.
Tuko11rao took a lneJy mterest in the exh101tion, 1he Holkars
had retained the a!Iettion ,~h1ch was due to the House of
.Shivaj1 TukoJirao Holkar would not occupy a chair by the
:Side of Sbahu and took a pride in occupying an ordmary seat.
llut Shahu enu-eate<l him to occupy a dmr close uy his scat
lie did so. At the request of Shahu, Tukoji.rao had brought
hfa ancient State {fag wnh him
Tukoj1rao e,inced great interest m the histon of Kolhapur,
1U arts and agriculture, and the e-xlubiuon The stnling features.
of the functions. heJd in his honour, the elephant-fights and
,1rreuling matches, pleased him greatly
Shahu held a Darbar on Apnl 17, at the New ratace in
honour of the Royal guests. Hollar said he was proud, as e, ery
Matatha was, whatever his position m life might be, to look
Upon the representative of the House of Shna3i '\Hut affechonate
regard :tnd re,erence He said he had accepted the muratmn in
that sp1m and come there hke a man on a pil~mage. He was
graufied with the arrangements made for hl.S comfort and
entertainment. On Apnl 13, l!Jl4, Hollar presided o,er the
prize-giving funcuon and ga,e awJ.y the prizes to the successful
exhibiton It m:iy be noted here that BapUS3heb, the silent,
strong man and P. C Patil, the agriculture e11:pen, were rcspon•
s1ble for the success of the exlubiuon. '
lYhile these fesu.11ies and functions were gomg on, an e,ent
of rome importance toOl.. place. The Chhatr3,pa.ti declared open
the temple v.hich he had budt in memory of the 1,;,.o great
heroes Sht\aji and Tarabai His de,otion to the$e t\\o great
hhtonc personages was pro\erbial.
• In April 1914 Shahu confened the title of Pant Sad1iv on
the Clue£ of l<.haflaranji. fern; from London ~note to Shalw
that nabasaheb of kha.llatanJi had been mfaundentood. He
had talked well 0£ Shahu \',hen Babasaheb met Ilim in London.
236. SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

This hereditary title, the Chief's forefathers had tried to win

from the Kolhapur Darbar, but they had failed. In order to
make Babasaheb friendly towards the Government and to win
him over to his side, Shahu conferred the title on him. This
encouraged the Pant Sachiv to appeal to Shahu on May 25, 1914,
to restore his power in criminal matters which had been with·
drawn in 1910. In his appeal, the Pant Sachiv said: "The present
humiliating situation is causing great administrative inconYC•
nience and my own health has suffered much by the sense of
my mortification. Mr. Deshpande and myself have repeatedly
made requests in this behalf to Your Highness. J shall oow feel
very grateful if Your Highness would see your way to remove
the stigma upon me as soon as possible, for which favour I
shall feel ever grateful to Your Highness."· Shahu did not yield
to these pleadings, and the Chief again renewed his application
in 1917. Vishalgad faced the same situation.
In May 1914 Shahu laid the foundation stone of a theatre
in the Khasebag. A great admirer and supporter of the Marathi
stage, Shahu helped it in various ways; 'providing the actors with
necessary material, inducing able actors to join certain dramatic
companies, or helping the companies with money. Govindrao
Tembe, who was ·a peerless harmonium player in India, received
encouragement from Shahu. The theatre was completed and
was named the Palace Theatre. Years after it was renamed after
the great actor-singer, Keshavrao Bhosle, in whom drama, music
and acting mellowed into a unified whole.
The talks of the Princes aroused Shahu's fltide in his prede·
cessors and he decided to raise a memorial to Chimasaheb who
had pined away in Karachi in 1869 as a British prisoner. Shahu
was very proud of this hero of 1857 and whenever he ·remember•
ed him he talked of the Britishers in a disdainful manner.
Through Col. Wodehouse Shahu could now buy a plot of land
at Karachi. Subsequently a memorial was raised to the memory
of this great patriot. As the offenders in the taning of the busts
were not found, Shahu offered, on May 30, 1914, Rs. 5,000 to
any person who would help the Darbar to catch the offender
or would catch him.8
Immediately after the tarring of the busts, the two factions
in the Kolhapur Darbar were stirred. The one that was against
 NEW SCHEMES: NEW PRIESTS 237
l3haskarrao Jadhav and A, B. Latthe took it into its head to
hnng La.tthe m<o trouble. Kallap.1, Nrt\e, a Jain leader, tele•
gr.:ipl1ically called Bhaurao Patil to Ko1hapur, set fire to his
ov.n press after his arrnal and pre,i.Sed him either co implicate
L:itthe or prepare to go to face Jad. Niae thought Bbaurao Patil
\'.mild give evidence implicating Latthe, as Litthe had drhen
Bhaurao Patil out of the Jam Hostel m 1908 But Latthe had
done this more for Bhaurao·s ind1sciphned and riotous beha-
viour in the hostd than for his disbelief in untoucl1ab1lity or
for 1us progressne uews.
A rebel from lm borhood, Bhaurao Patil lnew Sha!m well
as he had stayed at the Palace durmg his student d.1ys. Bhaurao
angrily and fearlessly rephed to N111-e Lhat he would not uue1
a he agamst Latthe e,en though his hfe wa, at itake. He v.ould
not tale re,enge upon LattJ1e for the dJSdphnary act1on he had
taken against him m his student days. Consequently Dhaurao
was arrested on a charge of tamng the busts and was penecuted
in custody. uhere lie attempted to commit sufr1de by JUmp:ing
into a well :u-id drinking lerosene. The case would not come up
be:fme the court for a long time. In a de\perate mood, Bha.urao's
mother, bold ,md straightfonvaru. one day stood on the road
and stopped Shdhu's carnage. She 1mplored .Shahu to gne her
.son a fair tnal in the Cou.rt. She s.iml llhe was conlidem that
her son wa:. truthful and would not thsgrare hJS f,imily by such
an e.vJl acL Jf he was untrut1ifn1 aml found guilty 10 the coun,
she would herself put an end to his hfe. Shahu at onre ordered
his Police Chief to open the trial. The Resident, too, ~~as con--
'Vm£ed that Bhautao was not concerned with the wrrmg busi•
ness.
At lasl. the tnal opened in May 1914. On the da.)' of Judg-
ment, t.h~ judge, to hi.s surpnse. heard the sound 0£ moring.
On inquiry he Jearnt that the accused wa,1: snoring in the dod:.
He .asled his peon 10 a11,ake bun. On aw,,il..ing, Bbaurao told
the judge that he was asleep because he was not conc.emed wir.Ii
the misdeed: he v.as quile innocent. Bue. he ,vas read,- to sulic.t
punishment U the JUdge found it othcrur.ire. The judge .icquii•
ted h.im, and .be w.as taken away by his parents immediately. A
great hfe was &aHd, That ca.st a Jund light on the 1\0rling 0£
the Kalha:pur Police Department hhich t11en sulteted from a
238 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

rift.• The Satya Shodhak Samaj workers were suspected in this

affair. So the first effect of the tar-in~ident upon the Satya Sho-
dhak Samaj was that its leaders Latthe, Bhaskarrao Jadhav and
M. G. Dongre resigned from the Satya-Shodhak Samaj. They
declared that they would not associate with the work of the
Samaj. For a time there was a lull in their activities. Latthe
was perhaps suspected by the Bombay Government authoritie&
in the tar business. At this time he had incurred the displeasure
of Shahu, and besides, he had criticised Fernandes through his
weekly Pragati for his misconduct. One Dada Balgowda Patil
filed a suit against Latthe and his brother. It was concerning the
management of some Sugar Plantation and Manufacturing
Company Ltd. in which Latthe and his brother were involved.
The Darbar appointed a committee of three officers on Novem-
ber 1, 1914, to inquire into the matter and to give a decision.
Meanwhile, Latthe learnt that an attempt was being made
with the help of the Brahmin police officers of Kolhapur to
connect the inmates of the Jain hostel with the tarring of the
busts. Having sensed the danger, Latthe immediately escaped to
Sangli. For several months he was harassed. At last the Kolha-
pur police inspector Mhaiskar tried to arrest him at Sangli
under the pretext of some charges against him in the suit. But
Latthe fled to Miraj without a railway ticket. They pursued him
and arrested him ·at Miraj early in December 1914 and took
him to Belgaum.9 There he was released on bail by the Deputy
Collector of Belgaum at the instance of Belvi. Thereupon Latthe
demanded that his trial should take place in l{ritish territory
and his removal to any State should not be done without the
sanction of the Political Agent. Latthe never entered the Kolha-
pur State during the lifetime of Shahu Chhatrapati although
he met him about six or seven years later in Bombay or Poona.
Afte'r this persecution Latthe obtained the LL.B. Degree and
practised as' a lawyer at Belgaum.
Latthe's persecution at the hands of the Kolhapur police and
the intervention of Belvi in his arrest, his· conversations with
Gangaclharrno Deshpande and later his inclusion in the first
Congress Ministry of the Bombay Province in 1937, indicated
that he• had had a hand in the tarring business. Much later,
Latthe observed about the tar case in his biography of Shalm
 NEW SCHD,ll.S: NEW l'JUESTS 239
ChhatraPah that "the subsequent story oE 191'! must al'.ait publi-
cation Ior many }ears to rome.''10 About 1en years aftcr tfos
incident, Latthe came to Kolhapur as the Dewan' of the State
Later, the Bombay Co,eniment fo its DO. Jetter of January
7. 1915, mforroed the Go\emment of India "that the outrage
is <lone by the persons lwing in Jain Boarding House. ]fa High-
ness is requested to caU up0n the Jain leadecs and to ask them
to clear the $t1gma or bnng the offender to book No useful
purpose 'ltould be i.ened to pursue the mattet at present,"
CHAPTER ]5

Seeking Help to Defeat

Tilak

AT this juncture, an important event took place in the history

of India. Tilak, the great leader of India, was released from
Mandalay and was brought to Poona on June IG, 191'1. In a
short while crowds flocked to his house and paid their homage
to the great man. On June 26, 191'1, Government issued a
circular proclaiming a boycott of Tilak, declaring that until
Tilak. showed by overt acts that he had altered his views and
intended to modify his propaganda, he must be looked upon
as the enemy of the British Government.
The Government of Bombay installed two police chowkies in
the neighbourhood of Tilak's house and kept close surveillance
on him, prohibiting Government servants of all grades, vntandars,
title holders, pensioners and teachers from visiting him.
On Tilak's release, .Shahu perhaps feared that the terrorists
would again take up their weapons in Kolhapur. In order to
be on his guard he thought he should take strong measures
against them. But the Kolhapur Darbar had no business to issue
a circular upholding the orders of the British Government.
against Tilak. Yet, on July 22, 1914, it helplessly echoed its
British master's voice. The Dewan's circular prohibited the
inamdars, the vatandars, the title-holders, servants of the Darbar,
pensioners and teachers in State-recognised schools from having
any contact or connection with Tilak. The circular added that
proper punishment would be inflicted on those who acted
against the order.
Shahu's health was a bit imP,l'oved. Dr. Vail reported in June
1914 that no sugar was found in the blood examination. Engros·
210
 SUKL.-..G HE.LP 'JO DUI:A.T' 'r1Ul. 241'
sed as he w:ii in the execuuon of the inigatron projec:t, and
anxious for aid from the l3omba.y Government, he entreated
the Goi.emment to treat his sdieme as a. work of pubhc
utd1ty. He therefore inv1ted Lord Wdlmgdon to Rolliapur to
open the Agncultural ~how and to en;oy pJg-sticking and a
s1wot Willi great earnestness Shahu wrote to Willingdon on
July 25, 1914, ~l-.ing him to loan the senlces of engineer
Chogari. He said lie touid not complete mch work without hi.s
help anti. addt:d that His .Excellency ought to encourage- smh
\\Ork.
Just at tl:1is moment World War I brol.e out on August 4,
1914, and the Goveniment of Bombay had to look after its. own
.interests. When the war broJ..e out Sh:ihu was held up at Lola-
pur on .iccount of fioou~ There he read about the declaration
of war. He stopped thinking o[ the imgation scheme and on
August 6, 1911, lie wrote to htS Dewan· ''We do not know what
England is going to do. The obJigat10n of the trlple alliance
will compel England also 10 join the war and 1t will be a
lrightlul thing if England joins tl1e war. How to brmg the
OO}S. b.-itk fa, a question wllich I cannot .solve." As wa.s natural
with him to consult Ilapwaheb in tunes of ddliculty, he a;ked
the Dewan and Dapusaheb l\hat should be done about the
sakty o[ bis sons.
W11Jle Shahu w.1:s thinkmg or imgation and the safety 0£ his
sons, he sent a telegram to the Governor of Bomba~. offermg
support to the Co,·emment and placing at 1t.s disposal the ,~hole
resources of his State and hi.i personal services 1£ need aru;e.
ShaJrn offered his sons in En.,.Jand for ,oJunteer work or for
service as Volunteer Bov Scouu~ Jf the Government v.anted his
Si"nices and that of his brother, they were ready to do any work.
If his. sons, he added, could not be uulised in any wa} for war,
he should ha.,e to call them hack. The Government expressed
1ts smcere apprea.auon of bu spirit and devotion. On Aug\JSt
12, 1914, the Polwc.al Secretaty said in repJy ta Shahu thar
victory would come to the Alhes as Gennany cot1Id not stand
up ag:unst the united forces of practJraJly the whole oE FuroJle.
The Govenror ~«esced Slt&hu <a help clre War Ftmd.
It was about thh time that Kh.aserao Jadhav and Dr. Annie
Besant visited Kolhapur. Shahu bad great admuauon for Dr.
SC-111
242· SHAHU CHHATRAPA1'I: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Annie Besant. Whenever he found liberal Hindu leaders inter-

ested in changing the rigidity of the society, he was attracted
to them. Besant was such a leader.
On account of Shahu's inordinate love for cheetas, he tried to
obtain them from several hunters. He wrote to the Ni1am in
May and August 1914, requesting him to supply him with a
cheeta. In September 1914 Shahu took up lodgings at Sardar
Griha, met Lord Willingdon and discussed the War Relief Fund
Scheme. In this meeting he gently appealed to the Governor to
uphold his decision in the lchalkaranji affair.
The Government gave sanction to a continuation for a further
period of five years of the agreement for the reciprocal extra·
dition cases between Kolhapur and the Southern Maratha
Country. Shahu was preparing himself for any emergency, think-
ing that Tilak might rouse the terrorists to activity after their
release. But a. few days later Shahu met Tilak at Gaikwad
"\,Vada and borrowed the manuscript of the Gita-RahaS)•a from
Tilak as it was needed by the Government for a review. Tilak
had respect for the word of Shahu who had heiped him patrioti-
cally and so he honoured his word. When done with, the
Government returned the manuscript to Shalm and he safely
returned it to Tilak. Theirs was a love-hate relation. Their
admiration for each other was intermingled with suspicion and
hatred .
. On his return to Kolhapur from Bombay, Shahu called a
meeting of leading merchants in the State at the Palace on
September 14, 1914, and himself presided over it. There he
expressed his belief that the British Army would come out
victorious. Dewan Sabnis said that they must not give credence
to false rumours and that they should collect War Relief Fund.
Thereon Shahu kept himself busy with the ·war Relief Fund.
He did his utmost to promote the cause of recruiting and to
supply the British Government with men and money. With
great zeal he offered the Government gratis horses selected by
the military officers in November 1914. The Government of
India conveyed to the Bombay Government its warm apprecia-
tion of the offer. To attract recruits Shahu organised wrestling·
matches. The Resident, however, reported on December 2, 1!)14,
that Shabu ·tried to enlist men but to no avail.
 SEEKING HELP TO DEFEAT TILA.K 24$
The Kolhapur Darbar made inquiries with the Bomba}•
Co,ernment about the use of the decoratioru:, tbe stars and'
badges of the Orders with wh1d1 Sl1ahu was mvested, The Dar•
bar wanted to know \'ihether Shah.u could use them on the-
occasion of Darbars held on great Indian fest1v1ties such as
Dassara. and at Darbars held in honour of Indian Cluefs \'1sit-
ing: his capital. Shahu had been 1mested with so many badtres;
perhaps no Ind.Jan Pnnce had as- many as he. In publJc bfe,
the 1dea of grandeur often appealed to him.
The end of the )ear 1914 brought the news th.J.t Shnaji's
image m the temple at 1\faivan Fort was in need of repam.
Sha.Im at once sent the Superintendent of the Technical School
to Mah an to do the needful.
The new )ear 1915 v.1tnes~ed Shahu's appomtmcnt as an
Honorary Colonel of the 103rd Maratha Light Infantry. He
was now Colonel ~l1abu, }rn1,mg been created G.C,S.I. in 1893,
Mahara1a in 1900, L.L.l). m 1902, GC.V.O m 1903 .Jnd G,Cl E.
m l!Hl. Some months earlier the Darbat had m..1de flus sugges•
tfon aboht tlie honorary designation as: they thought such an
honorary rank would be useful to him for- recruitment and
military propaganda. Lord W1llmgdon spoke to tl1e Vicero1,
Lord 1-lardinger about this grant of an honorary rank lo Sbahu
MaharaJa. At the outset Lord Hardinge was not agreeable to
the proposal as he &aw the least or no reason for conferring
such an honorary ranl.. on the l\faharaJa. In his , 1ew Shabu had
not done or was domg not.lung for the Anny. According to the
memo.r.:mdum by the Secretary oI Staie Ior India dcspatdicd
in 1883, no penan who w.u not cormected, with the army was
to oe imested with a mlltfarr tide..
Despite this, ic, ""as impressed• on tl1e Goiemmenc of lndla
that Shab.u claimed chc first ranJ... among the Indian C11iefs m
Bombay Presidency. In 1001 he oll'ered to m:untain a unit of
the Imperial Seo1ce Troops. but because of political and otflet
cons1ueratiom, the matter v.as droppc<l. The Uombay GO\enir
ment said that the Maharaja, ,\ho v.as the last dc~cendant ol
Shha11, rcpre5ented the bat blood and dcsencd the honoJ;:J.ry'
rank. Lord Hartlinge then changed hu: mind.
0..7 D.."'CC,'mX'.r .'J.J, J!)J .J, 1...~ Sea.et.U]' w JJM' .w>Jr.mxru-JJJ. .of
India, foreign and Polnical Department. ~nt a telegram to-
244 SHAHU CHHA'fRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Shahu Maharaja congratulating him on his appointment as

Honorary Colonel of the 103rd Maratha Light Infantry. With
great joy Shahu replied on January 1, 1915, to the Viceroy that
he was profoundly grateful for the honour and requested him
to convey his respectful feelings of loyalty to the King. Several
messages came to Shahu, congratulating him on the honorary
appointment. After his elevation to the rank of Colonel, Shahu
made an offer to the Government to establish a Convalescent
Home at Panhala for soldiers, sick or wounded. The Govern-
ment' of India, while appreciating the offer of Shahu Maharaja,
informed him that they were doubtful about the advantages of
,such a Home and Panhala was far away from the main railway
1ine. In case, he added, the Maharaja so desired, he would sug-
:gest an alternative.
Shahu again fell ill in February 1915 and moved to Shedbal
\for some time. The Collector of Belgaum directed his officer to
:give him all the necessary assistance. He said: "They will, I am
sure, be only. too delighted to help as Your Highness has the
name of being the essence of kindness to all faithful subordi•
nates."
Prince Rajaram, affectionately called Jayasingrao, was in
England, and in the capacity of the Yuvaraj of Kolhapur he
visited the wounded Indian soldiers at the Royal Pavilion and
Dome. This he did at the instance of his guide Mrs. Irwin, who
-wanted to impress upon him the importance of self-reliance and
composure; Prince Shivaji- also accompanied him. The Maratha
patients were delighted to speak with the Yuvaraj and kept him
there a long time, especially the ones from the neighbourhood
of Kagal and Kolhapur. Rajaram distributed sweets to them
:and gave five pounds to the Major for the extra comfort of the
·lvounded. He also distributed tilgul among the Maratha soldiers.

II

Just at this time the Privy Council in England decided on

March 26, 1915, the Tai Maharaj Case in favour of Jagannath
Maharaj on whose behalf Tilak had appealed froin the decision
•of the Bombay High Court. It reversed the judgment given in
,the High Court of Bombay by Justice Chandavarkar and Justice
 SE.EKINC. IttLI' TO DU.EAT TIL\K 245
He<1.ten. The Pnvy Counol quashed the dectee of the Bombay
High Court and restored the Judgment of the Sub-jlldge of
Po0na. Referring to the statement made m Justice Chanda,ar-
kar's Judgment that Tilak. and others had conspired together
to ghe false evidence, thetr Lonl~h1ps said that they did not
think that one word of it was JUStdied by the eHdence in the-
case.
'rilak was happv that he had at last won the case a£ter a
long-drawn-Ota struggle v.h1cl1 had taxed his purse and btatn$
fot over founeen years. It was a ~buke to the Bombay Judge$
and a vmditatwn of Tilak's d1aracter, a final blow to the Bom-
bay Co,•emment which had been cherishing an e,·11 desire to
damage the teputation of Ttlak.
lbe crushing defeat mfiicted on him by the Pnvy C'.ounc1l
made ShaltU anxious and restless Robertson, whom Bala Maharaj
met, in Bombay, wrote to Shalm on March 26, 1915, rather
o\er-confidently that many of the points seemed to go in Bala
Maharaj's fa,our, but added m an intnguing tone. "I am tool-
ing into the s\lgges.tlom made by \'our Higbne:.s about the pro-
perty in Bntish India We Mlall do what is possible to presen·e-
it from the clutches of Ttlak and !us friends. And it will not
~ surrendered except at the last extremity."
, 5hahu went to Bombay, and wming a letter to 1(ill from
Sardar Gnha on Apnl 8, 1915, obr.ened: "If Pri,y Council's
decision was in our fayour e,erything 1~as all tight. Now I :un
goJng to take the,lead on my o"n account and male reprcsenta•
tion, It should not look I ha,e mome o[ self-inlc1est in it e.._cepl
to Jlre,ent the cs.tate,£rom getting into,the hands of ll\) friend
Ti}ql:.'' ,
'Ihe next <lay Shahu wrote to Sheppard, another C.Ounc1llor,
that "my object is that my frieml Tdat t.bould not get the
estate. I haH: ~pent a lat of money on the C;1.Se. J do not mind
~pending C\en more on the litigation as long as T1lal does not
get at the propeny, Unfortunately tl1e Pri•,y Council has drddcJ'
the case againH our child.." He was only l.een, he adder!, th:i.t
T1lak should not get any ))art of lt, 1
Shahu ,ucce:t.5(ully preu1lcd on Lord '\\'11lingdon to 'ilir
Kolhapur for a ,hikar, and he did so on Mar 2. J!i15. l.orJ
W11Un~on. was. plcaJCd "'itb the ~hc~::,ung camp ,mtl at the
24.6 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

sight of a picturesque valley near the Western Ghats. Lord

Willingdon and Lady Willing<lon visited the dam and water-
-works at Radhanagar. It ,vas a successful trip, for Willingdon
shot a big tiger, a panther and two bears. He also witnessed an
elephant-fight before leaving Kolhapur on May 8, 1915.
Greatly interested in the conduct of the war, Shahu issued a
notification protecting the interests of Indian soldiers froni
litigation in the Kolhapur State. He ordered that their court
cases should be suspended till the termination of the War. The
Government of India appreciated these steps and also the Maha-
raja's gift of four horses.
In May 1915 the Saraswatibai Saraswat Hostel was opened.
A generous Saraswat woman named Saraswatibai Latkar had
given a donation towards •the building of a hostel. Shahu had
already donated a site worth Rs. 5,000 for the hostel, in addition
to a small' maintenance' grant for· the institution. Shahn supple-
mented the building fund too and the building was soon com-
pleted.
The visits of the· Governor were favourable opportunities
which Shahu utilised for the solutions to his own problems. At
this 'time Shahu demanded some villages from the British terri.•
tory as a compensation for· the submerged villages in his State
on account· of the Gokak Canal Scheme. The Darbar wanted to
retain its hold on the submerged villages as ·well. The Secretary
of State found it difficult to agree to the demand made by the
Darbar. Shahu renewed his demands for a review: of the Tai
Maharaj Case and the Governor promised him in July that he
would look most carefully into it wheh the papers reached him.
Meanwhile, Shahu consulted_ some lawyers through Dewan Sab-
nis •to find out loopholes in the judgment of the Privy Council.
The question oE Shab.u's claim to the Tanjore property was
being considered, and Govemmerit was helping· him to prepa~e
the case. On August 9? _1.915, Shahu was to appear as a witness
before the Resident, an~ pleaders from Tanjore were to examine
him. "The pleaders," he said, "frightened all his life ·out ·of
him by saying that if he failed in his examination the case ,voulcl
be ·spoiled." Shahu was at Raibag. His health was poor· though
there W<).S neither albumin nor sugar in his blood. He wrote to
Hill on August 5, 1915, that it was a pleasant native phce for
 SEEKING UELP TO DEFEAT TILA!t 247
sh1kar. "But as the crops h::ne gnnm, there is no shilar now
and in a. village like this I feel \'ery lonely;~ he added This
shows l1ow Sha.bu strialy obsent:d the roles of shiJ...:1r lth1ch he
had framed himself. A law-maler, he was not a law-breaker.
As directed by the GO\emor, Shahu represented the Ta1
l\!aharaJ case to the Go\emment. On August 8, 191/i, Sh.ahn
wrote to Robertson enumeratmg all the points of the case. They
were:- "Jagannath J\.fabaraj was adopted without the S.Jnction of
the Darbar; so TJlak defied the Darbar". TiJak l,ould tram
J.:igannath m his own pnncipie~ and "Mtys of thought, and his
estate he would be able to administer for a long ume Shahu
::idded, rather unfairly, that it w:is s.-ud a hean debt of ::i bl.h
of rupees was incurred in spite of tl1e fact that tltere was an
annual m,ome of rupees 30,0-00 and the [amdy consisted of
only one widow. Accordmg to Shahu, the most import:int point
was that Jagannat.!1 ,~ould be a Io1al TdJLite and that he w.lS
not a lineal descendant 0£ the Cam1ly As Shahu thought Justice
iu:s on his side, bot11 from a practical and political point of
, iew, and also under the treaty ouliga.tions, he said his actions
desened the support of tl1e Government. \Vhat i-va:s rhe ocher
pomt jm.tuia.ble in his fa,our Shahu wondered? He said: "A[ter
passing lus whole h£e m sed1don, Tdak. may now puc on t1ie
garb of lovalty but at heart he would ever remain what he has
been." I\Ioreo\er, Shahu suggested that because Ilab.:l Afahata:J
was imohed in the Rand Murder Case,1 he had come under the
clutches 0£ Ttlak. '
Besides, Shahu tonduded, the Pnvy Counol had only deter-
mined ¾-l1ose adoption was ,·.:did, but it could not aay 1vho
should succ..eed to the estate. The next week be again wrote to
Robertsoni and a.sled, "Why lihould Tdal. be allowed to set a
victory O\er me especially when my cause is Just?" 'Idak, Shahu
added, was a man of the nbid pubhc where:u he was proud
10 say that he was a man of• the Government and aiso of the
sen.s1ble and loyal sec110n of the publk. Shahu said it was des1ra-
ble that all religious heads should be "on our side." ll"! cited
the e3se of Professor J.llianu \I.ho \!-'all appo.inted m No,cmber
1914 by the Slrankara<.harya as a Chief Officer to manage the
estate, but tinafl.u fiad' iuin :remo,ed and' pre,enreci Poona from
ha,ing a religious centre in hn Srate.
248 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Almost all the points Shahu raised in the matter were per•
sonal and political and had nothing to do with justice. On
September 10, 1915, he wrote to Sheppard that his "prestige as
well as Government's prestige is at stake. . . . Why allow an
undesirable man to be jubilant when he is not in the right?"
0£ the points that Shahu raised only one was worth considering.
That was whether or not Tilak had clearly sought Shahu's
permission £or the adoption. Tilak had informed the Darbar
in his letter of June 18, 1901, to the Dewan that "as we propose
to give a son in adoption shortly we want the sanction at our
hands." Dewan Sabnis never said in his correspondence with
Tilak that Kumbhojkar had never applied £or the permission
as Tilak had expected him to do.
According to Shahu's own admission, he had opposed Tilak
in this case at the instance of British officials. On September 9,
1915, he went to Poona and saw the Governor's Councillors
and the next clay wrote to the Governor on September 11, 1915,
that Dewan Sabnis would explain to him how the Tai Maharaj
Case vitally affected his prestige. Hill' informed Shahu from
Simla on September 24- that the representation the Darbar had
made in the Tai Maharaj Case was put very well, and wishing
him success in. it, he observed: "0£ course, it is an important
and ciif!icult case but you have represented it in a very proper
way."
The fact was that Shahu had made this a prestige issue, although
he had legally backed the wrong horse. His adversary Tilak
was not only the greatest leader of India of his day, but also a
•teacher of advocates. Admittedly, the truth was on Tilak's side
while the Councillors and Shahu wanted to wrest law to suit
themselves and take truth on their side. Though the Councillors
used all their intellectual resources, they could not interfere in
the case with judicial authority. What they could . do wa~ to
postpone the possession of the estate by Jagannath Maharaj.

III

In September 1915 the Prabhu Hostel was named after Rao

Ilahadur Raghunath Vyankaji Sabnis by the organizers as a
mark of the great contribution Sabnis had made towards the
 SUK!NG HE.LP TO DEFEAT TILAK 21!)
:~cu ~l the hostel. Sabnis was prai&ed £or his loyalty, ability
h tlpngntness not only by tbe people of Kolhapur and by
t~g~ Gove?nment ofikial.i but also by a student of economics.
1
.. / ti.n.g from Codhra. tile student of econom1cs:2 ofoerved
~u are perhaps the only Dewan 1,1ho had the fortune of
en1o_ring the De1~·anship for the longest penod m one State and
11
will not ~e too much to e"'pect )our name to be perounently
il55Q •
. ciated with the cconom1c progress of the State" Sabms was
l.ndeed the man behind Shaliu and his pohoes. Donatmg an
ilmount of six thousand rupees and a bmldmg with the land.
thaliu said that whatever success he had achieved, he ov.ed to
ewan Sabnh.' Jndeed, Dewan Sabnu stood loJally and irte'l·o-
cabfy hy his ruler in e\ ery delicate or dangerom sl!IJ.1tion :ind
hanc:l.led it patiently, diligently and m statesmanly wa;, bei:ides
dterish(ng the same .:um as his master, the elevauo~ of the
Backward and Deptes8ed C}as\es,
In the la~t week of October l915, Sara11rao GarkMd wrote
to Shahu requesting hirn to ;end to Baroda two cheetas, buc
aqded that the pme would be paid when the animals were
delivered in Baroda
The Princes, Raja.ram and Shi\aJi, left England on July 10,
1915, and reached Kolhapur on October 10, I91S, via America,
Japan, China, Colombo ;md Madras. The people of Kolhapur
save them a warm recep11on :u the station and took them in
PTocessiou in the 5tate elephant-ca.I', The city was decorated
With bunting and flags. It was a holiday 1n the St,de. As the
Princes \\ere back after three years, naturally the x,eople shaiied
8Ieat cnthusill!lm m the1r welcome. Keshavrao Bhosle, the great
a(tor, staged a play to the great JOY of 23,000 spectators in lhe
vast amphitheatre behind the Pal,1ce Theatre, This ms perhaps
the first open-a.ir performance in Maharashtta done with petro-
inax lights. Shahu gne the great actor& Kesha.~rao Ilhode,
.Baburao Painter an4 Dattopant Bhosle handsome i::1ft.s.
Sbalm wanted 10 send the Pnnc.es ba.ck. to r:nglaud \'Ia
:;menca hi February or I\farch 19l6. Meanurne he wanied I.hem.
to leam more of their religion, customs and t:zanners ~nd abo\C
aII to thQQse friend! and companions, for thr.:P15t'hes 'II-hen th e!
c-ome here as tnen and not learn to hate c.heir own wuntry
So he advised bis brother Bapusaheb to talk co <hem about
2'18 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI! A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Almost all the points Shahu raised in the matter were per-
sonal and political and had nothing to do with justice. On
September 10, 1915, he wrote to Sheppard that his "prestige as
well as Government's prestige is at stake. . . . Why allow an
undesirable man to be jubilant when he is not in the right?"
Of the points that Shahu raised only one was worth considering.
That was whether or not Tilak had clearly sought Shahu's
permission for the adoption. Tilak had informed the Darbar
in his letter of June 18, 1901, to the Dewan that "as we propose
to give a son in adoption shortly we want the sanction at our
hands." Dewan Sabnis never said in his correspondence with
Tilak that Kumbhojkar had never applied for the permission
as Tilak had expected him to do.
. According to Shahu's own admission, he had opposed Tilak
in this case at the instance of British officials. On September 9,
1915, he went to Poona and saw the Governor's Councillors
and the next day wrote to the Governor on September 11, 1915,
that Dewan Sabnis would explain to him how the Tai Maharaj
Case vitally affected his prestige. Hill informed Shahu from
Simla on September 24 that the representation the Darbar had
made in the Tai Maharaj Case was put very well, and wishing
him success in it, he observed: "Of course, it is an important
and- difficult case but you have represented it in a very proper
way."
The fact was that Shahu had made this,a prestige issue, although
he had legally backed the wrong horse. His - adversary Tilak
was not only the greatest leader of India of his day, but also a
,teacher of advocates. Admittedly, the truth was on Tilak's side
while the Councillors and Shahu wanted to wrest law to suit
themselves and take truth on their side. Though the Councillors .
used all their• intellectual resources, they could not interfere in
.the case. with judicial authority. What they could -do was to
postpone the possession of the- estate by Jagannath Maharaj.

III

In September 1915 the Prabhu Hostel was named after Rao

13ahadur Raghunath Vyankaji Sabnis by the organizers as a
mark of the great contribution Sabnis had made towards the
 S.EUU-,C HELi" TO DEFEAT Tit.AK. .249
success o{ the hostel. Sabnis was praised for his loyalty, ability
and uprightness not only by the people of Kolhapur and by
high G01oemment officials but also by a student of economia.
'Writing from Godhra, the student of economics2 ob&erved:
"You are perhaps the only Dewan who had the fortune of
enJoying the Dewanship for the longest period m one State and
it ,Hll not be too much to expect }Our name to be permanently
associated w1tl1 the economic progress of the State.•• Sabms was
mdeed the man behind Shahu and his policies. bonating an
amount of six thousand rupees .and a bmlding with the land,
Sha.Im said that wllate\'er success he had achieved, he owed to
Dewan Sabnis.3 Indeed, Dewan Sabnis stood lo}ally and irrevo-
cably by his ruler in e,ery delicate or, dangerous situation and
hand.Jed it patiently, diligently and m state~manly way, besides
chenshmg the same aim as his master, the, efev:uion of lhe
Bad.ward and Depressed Classes.
In the fast ueek of October 1915, Sara:;irao Ga:ikwa.d wrote
to Shahu requestmg him to send to Baroda two cheetas, but
added that the price would be paid when the d-0.imals were
delnered in Baroda. L

The l'rinw;, RaJaram and Shivaj1, left England on July IO,

1915, and reached Kolhapur on October IO, 1915, via America.
Japan, China, Colombo and Madras. The people of Kolhapur
g:ne them a wa.rm reception at the 51..a.twn and tool. them in
procession m the State elephant-c~ The CJty wa.,; decorated
with bunting and flags. It ;was a holiday m the State. As the
Princes ,.,ere back after three years, naturally the people showed
great enthusiasm in their v.elcome. Kesha,..rao llhosle, the great
actor, staged a play' to the great joy of 25,000 spectators m the
'\-:Jst amphitheatre behind the Palace Theatre. 'I1us was perhaps
the first open-air petform:mce in 1\fahar.ashtra done with petro-
max. llghts. Shahu g:ne the great actors Kesha\l'ao Bhosle,
Baburao Painter anq Datto pant Bhosle handsome gifts.
Shahu wanted to I send the Princes back• to England ~
America in February or l\farch l!H6. Meanume hf wanted them
"ta learn more of tl1e1T religion, ctistoms and manners .and aboi-e
.aJJ to .choose fnends and companions for themsehes ¼tien they
come here as men and nor-, leam to hate their, own country."
So he advised bis brother Bapusaheb to talk to them about
250 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

religious and social matters while they were at home for a couple
of months. They should know what their position was and how
they would have to behave towards the imperial Government,
and so on.
Well known as an expert and a lucky man on the turf, Bapu-
saheb Ghatge visited even Calcutta· to attend races. He was a
good ·organizer' and sportsman. A· balanced, broad-minded and
genial man, he exercised a moral influence on his brother in
times· of trouble and stress. He was· a devoted and experienced
councillor and whenever a difficult situation arose, it was he
who settled matters smoothly and successfully. Requesting his
brother to make'•perfect arrangements for Mrs. Invin's stay at
Mahabaleshwar and Panhala, Shahu ·wrote to his brother: "I am
so much disgusted that I cannot do or settle anything in these
matters. You are ill, my Dewan is away from me, I am seedy. I
can get no chance to go near the Government and so everything
is hopelessly disgusting: • On my way home back I shall settle
things at Pooria and wire· you.",
The Princes -,vent to Mahabaleshwar and called on the Gover-
nor on November 2, 1915. The Governor wrote to Shahu that
he was delighted to meet the boys and glad to make the acquaint-
ance of Mrs. Invin. The boys dined -with the Governor. He
hoped that in future they would prove to be a great help to
Shahu in every way. He was very happy that :Mrs. Irwin was
bringing up the boys 'in such a· thoroughly satisfactory manner.
After a while Lord· vVillingdon ·asked Shahu to send the boys
to the Rajkumar College; Rajkot, if he had not·made any-other
arrangements for thein; But- Shahu sent his sons to Allahabad
on December 9; 1915/to join the Ewing Christian College, where
they studied Agriculture and allied subjects for a year.
• By now the·wresiling ground at Raibag was ready .. Shahu had
provided for about a· hundred wrestlers. The opening ceremony
of the ground· was done with a wrestling match between Imam
Bux and·Gularri Mohiddin. With great'zeal and ambition, Shahu
had supported'·Devappa Dhangar and· Shivappa Berad and the
lattet beat one· of 'the Punjabi wrestlers whom Shahu bad
brought· to train· the Deccan wrestlers ..
In important 'wrestling m·atches Shahu's -verdict was final. He
once"beat up the umpires;· because they had; not given justice
 ' , t SEE.IUZ..G IIELP TO DEFEAT TJWK 251
to a wrestler who had bea1en Bapusaheb Ghatge's Kagal wrestler.
Once a poor wrestler by name Gavali came to Kolhapur to
wrestle v.1th B1re of Kolhapur. The fight besan and the Poona
v.-rcstler seemed o-.erpo,vered, The fight was not decisive, Shahu
came forward and presented Gavali with a pheta (headgear)
and patted him on the ha.ck. His son RaJaram then presented
B1rc w1.th a pheta. Upon thn Shahu satd it was improper on
Raja.ram's part to do so as the palace wrestler was nurtured on
ndier food and had supermr guidance v.hereas Gavali foed on
·whate,er food he could get but practised hard and made great
efforts. In his State, he said, such an aspiring wrestler must get
maximum encouragement.
After the wrestling match, people went home, appreciating
.and applauding the great kmdness and the 1ust atmude of
.Shahu lt was his practice to express his JOY at the victory of
a wrestler by throwing his I1eadgear at the victor and dance n1th
wild joy.
Enthusiastically Shahu was promoting the war efforts Wlth
-equal zeal he helped the nauonal industries. The K1rloskar
Factory at Kirlosl.arwad1 was in need of iron ore. It learnt that
Kolhapur State had hundreds of old guns l}ing idle in many of
1u castles. Shahu had once lis1ted the Kir1oskar Factory when
he was on Jiis w:iy to Palus to pay his devotion to the sam:idhi
of saint Dhond1buva Shahu always showed great interest in
business enterpnses, Laxmanr.io KirlosJ.ar, one of the farsighted
and patnouc pioneers of mdustry in India, perSu.aded Sh3hu
through Dalasaheb Gail..wad to hand over those' old guns to his
factory • Shahu did so and the vast compound of the factory
was littered with wagon loads of old guns. With goodv.ill and
great apprec1auon, 5hahu Ghhatrapati met the pressing need
of the factory. Later, he sent his Princes to pay a ,im to the
hlr loslar Factory. 1 , ,
Shahu sometimes took qukk decisions on the advice of men
close to him, and at times had to apologise to his friends for
wrong decis10ns. One day Balasaheb Ga1l"·ad m2de a false re•
port to bun about the behaviour of a derk and other _servants
Sha6.u, wimoul'. maling mquioes- moo- clrt!" m,rtta; d.'Ii','l#K"d tJu-
clerk and caused great im:onl'enience to a guest who had come
for shikar. Then he inquired into the matter and found that
, 252 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: 'A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Balasaheb Gaikwad had lied to him. "I again request you,"

he wrote sadly in January 1916 to his guest, Captain 1,Yightvick,
"to excuse me for the ungentlemanly and rude behaviour. But
I should feel .very much obliged if you could help me, and my
reputation with other guests would be saved. I shall always
feel obliged and ashamed for thus intruding on your kindness."
Shahu fully exploited the enthusiasm generated by the war
propaganda. He declared the birth and death anniversaries of
Shivaji as holidays in the Kolhapur State. The Kesari suggested
that the Government of Bombay, too, should likewise declare
these holidays. 0
The efforts in recruiting men were not satisfactory. The Bri-
tish Recruiting Officers worked arrogantly in the Kolhapur State.
The long spells of peace had dulled the spirit of fighting, and
the new recruiting campaign failed, partly because of fear and
partly because of the arrogance of the recruiters, who were a
terror to the villagers. Even when a man joined as a volunteer,
people believed that he had been forcibly recruited. Consequent-
ly, attempts to rescue such men followed, and these resulted in
clashes with the recruiting officers. Once such a clash took place
at Chinchali early in March 1916. The offenders were punished,
but Shahu wrote to Robertson that recruiting was voluntary and
there was no compulsion in it. He could not see why such con-
flict took place at all.
Willingdon asked Shahu to clear the matter and to prove that
the recruiting party had been getting money by evil measures.
In September 1916 Shahu reported that the behaviour of the
recruiting officer was impartial. The infantry men had the auda-
city to state that the Magistrate did not record their statements
correctly. On this report there was a discussion, and there the
matter ended. Shahu's strong· defence ,nullified the allegation
against the Inamdar of Chinchali who was his relation. Shahu
saved him• from their wrath.

IV

Shahu, now a confirmed diabetic, had a wound in his leg and

was resting in his Kagal camp. Yet he earnestly desil"ed to. go
to Mesopotamia by air as the. Maratha troops. were. besieged
 SUK.llloG RE.LP TO DEFEA.T TU.AK 253
there by the 1'ur1Jsh Anny at Kut-el-Amara. They were shon:
of food supplies and refused to touch horse-flesh even though
they \\ere on the \erge of starvation. They said eating horse-
flesh was against their tehgion ancl 1£ they should touch it, I.bey
l\Ould lose their caste. And yet the Marathas fought valiantly.
The Bombay Co,ernment was not prepared to take the risl.
of sending the Maharaja to the fronL So 1t was <leaded that he
should send a message to persuade the Marathas to eat horse-
flesh if necessary. On .March 20, 1916, Shahu wrote ag:un to
Robertson that his presence at Kut-el-Amara lvould do much
good, otherw1se they would not follow the message. ''Neither
Gwalior nor Baroda," he said, "can be o[ any use at this time
because they do not rule the Marathas, as their dommions are
m Malv.a and Gujarat." Explaining thus further. he said that
besides they were not considered to be teal Marathas, especially
Baroda. He then ga,e a list of good fam1hes such as the Ghatges
of Kagal, the Mohttes, Chavans, and Powars of D11ar and Dewas,
the Nimbalkars, Ranes and Bhosles. The real l\!arathas, he said,
l\.ere Panchakul, or descendants of fae supenor families. Only
persons below the panchaLuh. the descendants of these fh e
supenor £am1hes or the 96 l\fantha fam1!tes would be of any
use m the matter. He insisted that being the descendant of
ShivaJ i, he should be allowed to go with some of the men from
these fam1hes, and talk to them and eat v.ith them. He wa.s
sure that no written order from pundits quoung the Shastras
or e1.en from the Jagadguru or e, en from himself would be 0£
any use,
It must be noted here that Shahu v.as connected with Gaikwad
of Baroda by marriage through the Khanvilkars ll-ho wete rela-
tions of Ga1kwad. Shahu was about to marry his elder son to
the grand-daughter of Sa}ajirao Gaikwad Yet he was stating
the opinion held by the common man and the Maratha gentry.
It would have been better 1£ he had not said this e\en for sup-
porting his argument.
Accordingly, Shaliu sent a message to the l\laratha soldiers
trusting that jc v,ouJd sene Hs purpose and the ra.ste d,fficultieJ
about eating horse-flesh v.ould no longer be felt. The Gm.em-
ment regarded the message as a splendid contr1buuon and
heartily congratulated Shabu on it, To enforce upon Hindu,
254 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

the eating of horse-flesh was .as horrible as to advise the Hindus:

to eat beef even in a national emergency. Circumstances and
expediency were driving Shahu to the role of a social revolu-
tionary. This was a terrible blow t() the orthodox, tradition-
mongers and sanatani reformers. In his message Shahu praised
the soldiers for achieving deeds of great valour and courage in
spite of ~he greatest hardships and regardless of the risks to their
lives. He further observed: "I learn that my Maratha brethren,
while discharging their sacred duty with boundless devotion to
the cause, have come to great trouble and that a question has
arisen as to what according to the rules of caste may be used as
food and what not. Supplies of food are running short everyday
owing to their being beseiged by the enemy. The Imperial
Government is doing their utmost to supply provisions. Neverthe-
less it has become more difficult 'to send provisions to the be•
seiged forces. At such a· time to save life, it is necessary to live
on whatever food is available.
"In Mahabharat," Shahu continued, "where the duties of men
in times of difficulties are mentioned, this very principle is pro-
pounded. Even from our Shastras it is clear that there is no
objection whatever to the use of horse-flesh. Every one of you
is familiar with the account of the great horse-sacrifices per-
formed in the ancient times when horse-flesh was eaten. There
could not therefore be the slightest objection to its use, when,
one finds oneself hard pressed by the enemy.·•
Observing that it was impossible for him to jqin them, Shahu
made an ardent and sincere appeal to them th::tL "on this occa-
sion with an undaunted heart, :remembering the duty enjoined
by the Shastras in times of the difficulty, you should live on the.
food available and performing your duty, maintain· unsul-
lied the reputation of your forefathers."
"You are already aware," Shahu concluded in a touching tone,
"how my great and revered ancestor Shivaji, the founder of the
l\Iaratha Empire, when he was with his followers a prisoner at
Delhi, (how the great warrior) faced the difficult situation. I
guarantee that you will not be blamed in the least for trans•
gressing caste rules, owing to your partaking of horse-flesh. You.
may put the most implicit faith in my words. l consider that
I am, and not you, placed in this difficult position. I fully realise
 SEEJi.0.G HELP TO DEFEAT TIL.\K, 25,'.i
the difficulties and ghe }OU my solemn word that )Ou will he
put to no incomenience '\\hatsoe,er in )OUr mamage and other
rel1g1ous a:remomes after )our return. In v.itness ,thereof I put
my hands and seal to tl1is appeal. I feel confident that my \\orw
wdl not ha\'e fallen on deaf ears and that }OU wiH sa\e }our
fr,es and not allow the fair name of our ancestors to be tar~
nished by neglectmg )our sacred duty, CotlJurfog up caste dd}i.
culties that do not exist."
After issumg tlm statement, Sh:ihu again appealed to the
Go, emment to send him to the front to encouraze the bt:se1ged
Marathas and set an example to them when they came out. He
sa1d he 11ould e1'en cook Ior them and look after their comforts
Lord Hardmge, who l\as one of the ablest and most bene\o.
lent of V1cero}S, before leaving India in Apnl 1916, expressed
warm appreciation of Shahu's wod.. On March 11, 191G, he
,~rote: "l desire on the occasion to express my high appreciation
ot the 1o1alty 11hich Your H1ghness had aJwaJs shown to the
King-I:mperor and to ad.nm\ledge the assistance }OU ha,e gnen
to the Empire in the present cnsis " Shahu replted to this on
March 31, 1916, that his predecessors and his family had alwa}'i
endea\Outed to maint:un the most harmonious relations with
the Dnrish Goiemment and 1t had been his constant :um ta
follow in their footsteps. He earnestly hoped that the noble
sacrifices the allies nere making might bear fruit and the
\Var v.ould soon end, crushing for e,er the spint of teutonic
militarism
Among the Indian Pnnres, Sliahu l1ad now ac.hie,ed such an
eminence and prominence that the new Viceroy Lord Chelms-
ford, ¾ho assumed chJ.rge of his office on April i, Ell6, felt
the necessity of establishing. contact \\1th him. On April 11, 1916.
he, therefore, wrote to Shahu. ''I shall take a permanent interest
in all Jour matters uhich concern Your Highness .and )OUf
State." Shahu ,\as glad to reaprocate this lJnd a:s5urance and
hoped His Excellency would ta1.e the same interest 10 the aJiaus
of Im ill us1rious ancestors
ny now TJ.lak had consohdated his party and on April 28,
1916 he established the Home Rule League at Belgaum, accept-
ing the creed of the Congress, In Apnl l!JI6 the foi!o,\ets of dte
Sat}a Shodhak SamaJ met m conference at N1pani and Latthe,
256' SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Jadhav and ·nongre; their• leaders, were present. Karmaveer

Shinde attended it and Vaze of the Servants of India Society
attended it as an observer. •Valchand Kothari was elected to
propagate the· philosophy of the Satya Shodhak. Samaj.
· During the tension of the War, Shahu had not forgotten the
poor· classes of his State. His work towards the amelioration of
their conditions continued. In May 1916 Shahu exempted the
Mahars from local funds as they had to labour hard under com-
pulsion. The Darbar said if they relaxed in their duties, they
would have to pay the cess of the local fund.
 GHAPI'ER 10

Worries and Clashes

SHA1m wa:s now sua:essful m his public career, but his home life
was disturbed by the unhappiness m the married life of his
daughter. Alasaheb had some diffcrcntcs with her husband,
the Rajesaheb of Dewas, and for the previous three }ear, Shahu
had been trpng to solve the problem Suppl}ing his friends
Sir Claude Hill and Fraser with detailed accounts of the affair,
he sought their advice. As he considered Mrs Irwin one of the
members of his family, he supplied her wuh the details, request-
ing her to be reauy to fight_ on his behalf. He also stated that
his daughter was sorrowing o\er the mtsforuine and be could
not bear the sight. 1 ' ' ' ' '
Shahu's fnend, C. H. Hill, was now in Simla as Member for
Rc\enue and Agriculture in the Viceroy's Executive Council.
Through tum Shahu tried to contact J. D Wood, Member of
the Viceroy's Ex<>cutive Council, who was in charge 'of the
State and Foreign Department. On July I, 1916, Shahu \\Tote
to Robertson that the Dewas affair ,~as sidenmg,' He wanted
the Bombar Government to fa\our him ,~ith an introduction
to the Viceroy and to \Vood so that he might request them to
express their opin10ns on the dispute in their private capacity.
He wanted to go to Delhi as he hoped that Go\cmment would
help his cause. A few da)S earhcr. bis friend, guru and guide,
Fraser. lud opmed that he bad ne,·er known a cue of such
wicked ghamelesmess and ..it m2us one's heart bleed to think
bow a marrfage wbkh opened so happily for }our poor daughter
has prmed a sh1pwred: of her happiness and }Ollrs."
Fr.1.st:r expressed his deep sympathy with Shahu and added
that happiness ~nee .sh:mered could tle\Cr be completely
restored. In a dugusted ::md despcntc mood, Shabu sent biJ
257
SC-17
258 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

brother, and Dewan Sabnis, whom he regarded as his brother in

domestic matters, to Delhi with a request to Hill to exercise
his influence in the matter. He also requested Wood to help
in the matter concerning the Tai Maharaj Case. Hill, Wood,
Bapusahcb and Dewan . Sabnis had a . conference. Sabnis
sounded the . authorities in Simla, regarding the Tai Maharaj
Case. He was told that because Tilak was involved in, nobody
knew what political view the Government would take of the
case.
At this time Shahu suffered from pain in the kidneys and
developed a fev_er. He could. not move. Yet, in that condition,
he wanted 'to 'visit Indore to see o. V. Bosanquet, the Po.litical
Agent, ·who' had helped Shahu ip 1911 to easen the Dewas.
a~air. With that .object in ·view he sought the help of Woo,d~
teging him th~t the state ~f .his daughter's mind ~ad _become
lamentable 1, On July 18, 1916, Shahu wrote ·to Hill that he
owed his success in· life_ to Hill and Fraser, . and he wanted to
meet Wood and Bosanquet at Indore and. the.Viceroy at,Delhi ..
It was desired tha.t some .arrangemcn,ts should be. made for an
annual grant to her. ,
With painful kidneys and fever, Shahu, a<;companied l:>y his
brotl}er, and De~van Sabnis, rcache4 Indore. on· August 2; 1916.
I~ turned out. that Bosanquet did not agree. with' _Shahu as he
µisapp'"o.\'.e_d of the _action ta,ken by Shahu. • It was, Bosanquet
feJt, a personal qµcstion between His Highness the Rajcsahcb of
Dewas and the Ra_nisaheb., It was outside Shahu's sphere, of
actioµ. Shahu, to}d Bosanquet that some day he would explain
to him he!.'. pitiable conditiC>n and how the father had become
helpless.. From the attitude of Bosanquet .it appears that
.Shahu as a dutiful and loving father, tender heartcd to a .fault,
0

ran anxiously here and there, d~scribing the story, ,but it sec_ms.
_that, ,the o.th~r §idc, .o( ,the shiel9._ was known only: to. -Bos~nquer ..
On.August 4, 1916,.Shahu informed.Wood"whc:> WfiS present
_at: ~!ldorc, .of, tp._c.. .r~sult:.of his in_ter~iew with l3osanquct ancr
.µµdcd, ','I, am sure, howcvcr,,,when my daughter's fate _takes a
better turn., ~c, will, kriow: i:~r t,ruth, agree, wit4: ·and sympathise·
with.the sad fate of·my,daughter. ··My.only:_interest is to sec
my son-in-la,v; daughter: and. grandson: happy. I. have no other
,9bjc;ct.'.'. , His:,sol<!raim was to brim,· abont-~ ·c-omnromise.: as,he-
 'WORRIES Ml> CU.SHES , !?59
keenly desired that his daughter should stay with her husband
m splte of all the difficulties. Shahu e,en snubbed his relatives
who ga,e wrong advice to her.
Shahu's nnbappmess was capped by the illness of Prince
Rajaram who had been tal..en seriously 1U with typhoid at
Allahabad. He cancelled all his appointments and rushed to
Allahabad.
Meanwhile, to,~ards the end of August, 1916, Latthe was
acqmtted of the charges le\elled against him. With great
sausfactton Latthc expressed his sincere thanks to the J\faharap
for the 1ust1ce done to him l..atthe heartily thanlcd Dewan
Sabms for his great lindness 10 securing 1ust1ce for him e, en-
tuall}. He wrote to the Chhatrapat1 on September 2, 1916,
"Clouds somcttmes nse up m the sly, but they are. not for all
the time. TI1at 1s how Your Highness has been pleased to Sll
the light behind the darl. clouds May the sun shine for e,er."
The atmosphere m Kolhapur remained gloomy all the same
Soine soldiers in the Anny threatened the Maharaja Mth a
revolt. Prices, v.ere soaring and they found it difficult to sub-
sist on their meagre salary. The officers,. Indian and Ilruish,
were united in their resohe to, enjoy themseh~ at all costs.
There was a danger of the officers who were whhout families
misbehavmg with soldiers' wives. These soldiers did not know
how to protect their Ines and reputation. They did not wuh
to create trouble for the Maharaja. They had arms, and they
declared that 1£ their honour was not protected the}' l\ould
revolt.
: Shahu was naturally unhappy about this In an .:ict of utter
helplessness he wrote to his De~an from Sonthali Camp on
September 13, 1916, that he had talen a stem step m l11e
conduct of his domestic affairs. So far be had folly <:nJO)ed
the pleasures of worldly hfe, but the steps he had lJl.en might
disturb his uanqml11ty and h~ppincss. lkhC"ting that liis.
ha.nlcrmg after happiness might pre,ent him from doing his
dut), lie hat!, decided to prefer Jut) to happiness. Smee the
De"'an had left the Sont11ah Cimp, Shahu had ,dopted a ~tern
attitude to doruesuc probkm and ~as l'lai1ing for ,u effect up-
on the family. - , , , , ;
While Shahu's domntic problcJllS \\ere gening c:ompllcatcd~
260 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

he sought solace in the company of birds, innocent and charm•

ing. To the Dewan of Indore Major R. Dubey, he wrote on
September 19, 1916, requesting him to help two hunters and
the Pardhis who were sent there to catch Saras, Karare arid
Kuling birds.
Shahu's fondness for and kindness to birds and animals was
once tainted by an incident which occurred towards the middle
of September 1916. A Sathmari (elephant-fight) had been
arranged, and with the previous permission of Shahu a film of
it was shot ·by a Cinema Company named Messrs Vernon and
Company. Among the items in the programme was a fight
between a tiger and an elephant. It also included a scene in
which a blind pony was attacked by an elephant. Resident
Wodehouse considered the'last scene utterly brutal. He, there-
fore, severely blamed Shahu for the brutality. Realising, the
-.wickedness 0£ the incident, Shahu pl~aded for pardon and
.requested. Wodehouse not to spoil his reputation by reporting
the matter to the Government'. • ' •
Wodehouse's reply was that if the film was shown in foreign
countries it would create· sensation. On his arrival from Poona,
Shahu, ·in his humble way, tried to impress upon the Resident
how he bought, treated kindly and fed 1vith his 01m
hands a tonga-pony or a cart-bullock which had been ill-treated.
He had maintained a paddock of such· helpless animals. He
fed those animals though they- were useless. In spite of his
defence the matter was· reported to .the Governor,· who -ad-
monished Shahu.
Shahu admitted that the incident•• involved cruelty.' Still
Wodehouse said that the· Governor refused'· to believe that
Shahu had consented to that cruel performance and the
Governor •trusted that he would not· allow such barbarities to
be perpetrated again in -Kolhapur State. A personal friend and
sincere well-wisher of Shahu, Lord •Willingdon wrote on
October 8, 1916, a personal letter to Shahu, saying that he was
sorry that the principal Ruling Prince in his presidency should
have been a party to such a cruel' exhibition. "It is a very
deep disappointment to me,". he sharply concluded, "to say I
cannot possibly have so much confidence in your judgment and
good rule as heretofore."· • • ••
 WORRtcs A.,D CLASIIES ,' 261
Undoubtedly it was a cruel act. But no sensible man l'.ould
bcliC\e that it de~ncd sttch a harsh rcbule. It was from a
poliuaan and not from a humanitarian. The real cause was
the Cbind:ta:li affair-
and the Kolhapur nots which were rank•
ling in the GO\ernor's mind. Only a few d:t)S earlwr, Shahu
and the Governor had hotly discussed these; t~ports, .and the
buer was not satisfied with Shahu's explan,ltion of the riots.
Latthe in his biography of Shahu, referring to this riot incident,
said: "This 1s another of the incidents of his life, which 1t is
not pomble to discuss in all their details for )ears to come." 1
This was perhaps the first occasion on nbich the Government
had sounded a note of displeasure against Sha.bu.
In a repenta.nt mood, Sh.ihu said that he had acted foohshly
in }iddmg to the entreaties of the film producer. "What I fed
most," he said, "fa that I should ha,e caused annoyance and
distress to so sincere a friend as His Excellency." The issue of
the film made Shahu feel depressed, The Darbar paid a sum of
Rs. 4,000 lo the Cinema Company, took possession of all photo-
graph$ and film relating to the fights of ammals, and absolved
themsehes of the cliarge. 'fhe deal was comr,le1cd on Nmem-
ber 3, 1916, at Panhala •Lodge, Khet,~adi,, Dombay, to wluch
Shahu had moyed recmtly. The letter sent to Shahu on
October 27, 1916, to the address of Sardar Gnha \tas re-directed
to th1s Panhafa. Lodge. Sh.ahu ha<l .1 smiibr house olled
Panhala Lodge at Poona. S:m:lar Gnha' was the, Bombay
residence oE Ttlal and other national Icade.rs In order to
a1,oid Go\ernment's susp1cion, Shahu may ha,e shifted to a new
house of his own.
, On October 17, 1916, Shahu ,~rote to Chirol that not a soul
from among the in tell1gen ts,a v. as read L to. come forward to
de-pose .:ag.;unst TifaJ..:
They controJJedthe pre~ and were e\en
ready to per1ure themsehes £or him Shahu said T1laL. would
sllcl.. to the last. He was. Shahu added, a Ia,\ }er and lne,v best
how to male: the most of legal technicalit1es He v,ould take
the fulle~t advantages of the least flaw m the c"idence. Shahu
offaed Chirol the help c of his police officers Fernandes and
TcmmiJl..u· m additiva tv DQl'g.rC ~».d Il.ha.d..1.JT;J.o Jadha1• As
Sbahu was helping Ch1rol, he felt n:spons1ble for,his case He
was doingrthu m consultation with Robertson •
262 SHAI-IU CHIIATR,\PATI: A ROYAL REVOLlJTlONARY

About this time Maharani Laxmibai wrote a lett<:t· Lo Indira,

Maharani of Cooch Behar. She was related to her from the
Kolhapur as well as from the Barne.la side of the family.
Maharani Laxmibai said that all eyes were upon the coming of
rains and to their great joy rain had been pouring down for
four days. This letter shows the anxict}' all sensible rulers felt
in those <lays about the welfare 0£ their subjects. That is why
Shahu had wisely taken up the construction of a huge reservoir
at Ra<lhanagari in 191.2, but it was still incornplcte.

II

On October 26, 1916, Shahu left for the Princes' Conference

which met at Delhi on October 30 and 31,- to think over the
formation of the Chamber of Princes. He wok a leading part
in the Conference. Ganga Singh, the Maharaja of Bikancr,
was the guiding light of the conference, an- unofficial secretary,
so to say. It was he who had. induced Shahu to attend the Delhi
conference.
Addressing the Chiefs' Conference, the Viceroy said that he
was glad that the Chiefs and Princes had stood forth as true
pillars of the. Empire, both by personal service in the field and
lavish contributions in men, money and materials. On behalf
of the Princes, Sayajirao Gaikwad made a renewed expression
of loyalty to the British throne and Empire. He also made a
suggestion for the formation of an Imperial Advisory Council,
which idea dated from Lord Lytton's time. Speaking at the
conference, Shahu said: "This is no time to -wrangle or to refer
to what might have been done by Government or to· try to
bring h01nc to them the result of their past policy. Let the
dead past bury its dead. Let us now ralliround the standard
of truth, _justice and liberty which the Allies are fighting for."
The conference over, Shahu went to Agra and from there on
November 5, 1916, he wrote· to J. B. Wood, Member of the
Viceroy's Executive Council: '"In our talk yesterday about the
Bombay Princes' request to have· direct relations with the
Government_ of India, I told you the pros ancr cons of the ques-
tion. In doing so; perhaps I might' be· misunderstood. •-So I
write to you to let you know that I stick· to what ·I -have said
 ' WORRIES AND CLASHES • I }

to the Viceroy along with my brother Pnnces, 1 e. ,~c wish to

have direct relations with the Viceroy. It is but' in' keeping
with our orient ideas and scntunents... , Shahu further said that
he would look forward to the Princes• meeting the' folJowmg
Jear and added that the credit for the success of the conference
was due to ,Vood's sympathetic guidance and smcere interest
m the Princes' \\elf.are. Shahu returned to Kolhapur on Novem-
ber 6, 1916. ' '1 , '' , ' , !
On reachmg Kolhapur, Shahu spent a day there and left for
Secunderabad to attend the wedding of the daughtei- of his
Guru Fraser Fraser had asJ..ed him not to ghre any present to
his daughter as rules did not pcrm.Jt even her to rec:cne it.
Shahu had wntten to Fraser regreumg his'inab1hty to attend
the ma.ma~, but at 10 o'clock on the night before the "eddmg,
a telegram from Shahu reached Fraser to sa.y that he was arnV•
ing .by special train at half-past six, the followmg mommg
Fraser ,~elromedJJum on the platfonn. Greetmg his Guru,
Shahu sai'd, "Pardon me for turning up hke this withou, gmng
JOU I proper noun: and £or all the trouble l am causmg you.
I can easily' ltve in my railway carriage, if there ss any dlfficulty
about putting me up, but at the last moment I felt I simply
could not let }Our daughter, whom 1 l.ncw as a httk girl in
Kolhapur, be married without my being there. So I ordered
a train and here I am with my two sons. In the orcumnancc
His Ex.ailed Highness the Niz.am, will, I am sure, forgive my
lack of ceremony in thus entcnng his State:·i Shahu was
present in the Church at the ceremony that afternoon, and not
mindmg the hastily prepared accommodation, he sta}ed on for
u1oo da)S before returning to Kolh:ipur.
It was the !tnccre desire of Faucsmhrao C:ul..wad that bu
daughter should' be bcuothed to Pnncc Rajaram. He had
made the proposal earneuly m 190S :at the ume of the marnage
of Al3sahcb, but nothing had come out of iL On bu unfortu-
nate death on September It 1903, the matter was tak.en up by
Maharaja S.tpJ1r.10 \\ho paid a ,hit to Kolhapur in the CoUo"'-
mg )Car, perhaps to ha,e a look. .at Prince Rajaram. Sa)aj1rao
h2d p;11d :i. ,isit to Rajar:im in October 1913 "-hen be was
5.tUd)ing in Engl.:md. '
G:uk.'l\ad then opena:J. the topic in March 1911 and sent ~
264 SllAHU CHlIATll.\.l'A'l'I: A llOV,\J. Rl::VOLUTION,\lt'i

photograph with Indurnati's horoscope, although he 5aid he

had no faith in astrology. As Gaihiad vigorously renewed the
marriage proposal, on November 19, 19lG, Shahu replied from
Panhala Lodge, Bombay, that he and his wife were in favour
of the marriage, but his son had dilfcrcnt ideas. He therefore
expressed a desire that Gaikwacl should show the girl Indumati
to his son at Chowpati, Bombay, during the Sale arranged by
Lady Willingdon in support of the ·war. Acc'?rdingly, Indumati
was shown to Prince Rajaram 'on December 1-1, 1916. The
terms of the marriage were discussed. According to, the terms
proposed, Sayajirao Gaikwad was to spend about six lakhs, of
which one lakh would be on dowry, ornaments and other things.
, The prime mover in this settlement of marriage was Maharani
Laxmibai and the other side was rcprescr1ted by Maharani
Padmavati of Baroda, the Mafi.arajas of both sides kept aloof.
Maharani Laxmibai hailed from Baroda and was glad that she
was fulfilling a promise made to Fattcsinhrao Gaikwad by Shahu.
The talks on the terms oE Rajaram's marriage went on for
nearly a year, and a half. Prince Rajaram had cominucd his
education at Allahabad for a year. but returned .to Kolhapur as
the climate did not suit his health. He had begun to help his
father in the administrative, work of the State, and more than
half' of. Shahu's work ,was entrusted to him. Shahu confidently
expressed his belief to Robertson, that his, elder son ,would turn
out much better than he had expected.
The •influence of religion, its practices and institutions pre-
vailed though the Vedokta issue and questions of social equa-
lity disturbed, the society. The Princes and the priests ,were
still at the centre of the life of the Hindus in the early decades
of the· twentieth century. Not long before a statue was raised
to the Shankaracharya of Shringeri in Mysore. Maharaja
Wadiyar of. Mysore showed great interest in, it and Maharaja
Sayajirao of Baroda presented the new Shankaracharya with a
seven-diamond ring and also with a dress of honour through
his emissary. At that time ten thousand Brahmins had .their
meals daily for about eight days duri~g the religious function.
The Kesari expressed happiness over· the act of generosity by
Sayajirao Gaikwad and hoped that Gaikwad would show
greater respect for· religion.
 WORJUE.$ Ml> CLASHES , 265
In July 1916 another event took place. It was a new appoint-
ment for Appasaheb RaJopadhy<'. The Vedokta conttmersy
was over. Rajopadh}e came now on bended knees to Shahu for
help. The generous and forgmng ruler that he was, Shahu
appointed him in July 1916 to ac.t as his pnest on a monthly
salary This was done, at a ps}thological moment when on
account of the riots of March 1916 the upper classes were dis-
appointed v.ith the Darbar. The Ilrahmms were paafa:d for
a while
On No\ember 19, 1916, Shtee\idp Shankarbharati, the
Shanlaracharra of Kolhapur (Atmaram Shastri Joshi) d,cd,
and as l\Iahabhagawat Dr. Kurtaloti Shanlaracha11a-dest••-n:i.te
A I i:,
did not eome in time-, Atmaram Pitre as Shrcev1d)a Narsinh-
hharat1 became Shanlaracharya It is said that Dr. Kurtakot1
had upheld Shahu's statement on the eating of horse flesh by
pointing out the Shastra~• suppo;t 'to it~ So Dr. Kurtaloti, a
linguist and scholar, author of S,ddhantasar and a student of
Sansltit,' was installed on the gadt of Shanl..aracharya, and
Shahu' felt safe in his. position so far as, religious issues 1\efC
I
concerned. ' It was Dr. Kurto1loti who had ,ponsorcd the i'.dea
J -t 1 j "' r ' iii l
I ... I
Qf starting the Bhandarkar Researcu Institute. \\Then Dr.
i .. l I "' n i f I fi(- 1

Kurtal..oti came to Kolhapur," P1trcswami voluntanly resigned

and Dr. Kurtaloti beca~e the Sha~l..aracharya of thet Kaneer
j l I ~

Math on July 3, 1917. '"

~ I '1 .Jl 1

III
,,
''
While engaged in multifarious milit:.uy activities, Sh~u ~ad
not gl\en up the Bala Maharaj case 1 • He also doggedly persist•
<:d in his opposition to the adoption of a boy by the Chief of
JchallaranJi and ceaselessly endeavoured to put off the decision
by the Go\ernment. Thi$ tune, m explaining, the reasons for
the delay in repl)ing to the GO\ernment ktter, Shahu said,
"My pride is not that I am~ clel-er or smart"'; he had been
meeting the wishes of the Gou~rnment in all other matters '
As regards rhc Bafa., Uahar;;,.j ca!iC, 5h;ihu ment;oned the; fact
that Pandu, Maharaj wa$ dead. On December 6, 1916, he m·
formed the GoHirnment that he, left that "'bY mr adlcnt {.til.m
m consultation with Gm{'rnment, Ilab.,.Maharaj had suffered
~(16 Sl!AHU CIIIIATR..\l'Al"l: • A llOY,\l. llr.YOI.\JflO:-iARY

a, lot, so iE Pan<lit ~fah,1raj's \\'ifo doc;; uot get a son 01· if tlw
boy died young, I !ihould like to select ll:ila ~fahar;ij and his
heir to succeed to the properly." \Vith this object he was mak•
ing an appeal to the C:ovcrn111e11t of India, althou~h the Privy
Council had decided the case against him. Shahu m:rnagcd
through Claude Hill to get Wood to tdcgraph the Bombay
Govcri1111c11t to stay the :1ctio11, pending a,. tkcision _on the
appeal he was preferring. Pandit Maharaj had died early in
September lDlG, and Shahu had wired to Robertson that
Pandit !\faharaj was his friend and hereditary religious prcccp·
tor "who absolved me and mv family of sins after death." So
Shahu had t; be present at {he place of his death ,yhcre the
obsequies were being performed.
• At this stage there was a small change in the administration
of Kolhapur. Dewan Sabnis w;1s ill and 13ha*arrao Jadhav
had expressed. his willingness to work for some days as Sarsubhe.
Shahu therefore asked Dewan Sabnis uot to take over Dewan-
ship for some time. He wi~hed Shirgaonkar to act as Dewan,
and he asked the Dewan, to help him in his_ work as he
wanted, to get some relief froni his· kidney trouble.
In 1_916 the farmers and labourers we.re happy. There, w,is
a good crop, the, farmers ob~aincd good prices for their produce
and the labourers good w~ges. The condition of the. agricul-
tural stock. was good. The artisans and weavers were busy.
There was a decrease in the number of crimes registered, but
the number of civil suits had increased. The number of
school-going children was on the increase. "·
Shahu was now uneasy o:ver the results of the Bala Maharaj's
case. He feverishly wrote to his .friend and benefactor Claude
Hill, J. B. Wood and to Lowndes, all Executive Councillors, to
influence the Central Governmcnti in. the case. He wanted the
Government to· regard the case as' a political case· and not a
legal one, because according to Shahu "there is no man in the
whole of India who would not, perjure himself for Tilak."~
In 'January ·1917 Shahu- wrote to· Robertson that at the ,vish
of. the Government '.'we· have been fighting the' case for. the
last· fifteen .,years and .we· think., legally and I politically our case
is right. ',We have gone'.into,,the' case· for •the: last' fifteen years
 1
WORRIES A!I.D CL.\511:ES ! ' 267
.and spent b.Lhs on 1t". By their (oIIy Bala' Maharaj \\as
penniless. he added. :i ,
The Go\crmnent of Bombay had passed orders.' as per the
<lcctees o{ the Pnvy Council; so Shahu with all the forces at
!us command ha<l been appealing to the Co'tcrnmcnt 'of
nombay to forn·ard the case to the Gmernment of India with
fa,ourablc remarks. He wanted to end the case early as h;
feared that the \udo\\S of Pandit Maharaj might play into the
h:tnds of bis enemy hle T1lak and 5tart a new case similar t~
t.he old one. One of the wp,es of Panda Mah~raj. brother of
Bal,1 Maharaj. \\as pregnantr
and if she failed to get a male
I J ..

issue, he should re-gr.ant tlic estate to llila Maharaj and lcef

1
the most important and religious jahagir und~r his inJlu~n'ce.
Sb.ahu was now attainmg m;stery 01-er the 'dunm1ons fo the
Princes• Conference and coming to the front as a lead1.ng
debater ..imong the Princes. He wrote to Hill that since the
Pririccs• 'eonfcrencc' he had become \ery bold and had over:
come Jih Ml}UCss. 'He requested H1ll to see th.at be was gi\.cn
a chance of explaining the Bala MaharaJ case to Lo\,ndes and
the- Viceroy's full Council. 1 The c.ire- "»JS referred to the Gov-
~rnnient of India, and Hill wrote that 1t was rcce1\ing the con-
siderauon that its 1mport:mce desened, As he was fighting the
case, Hall added, not for any personal g.tm ot for gam to his
Stat~, there was no degradauon involved in fighting lt.
The ca.se w:u examined by ,vood and a1 copy was sent in
advance to Hill in Delhi, wht:re Dewan Sabnis was discussing
it with 1 Hill, Lowndes and Wood. Wood told Sahni, that the
Leg.ii Remembrancer's 1emarks were against them and so the
Political Department wa.s hdplcss Sir Claude'. Hill opined
that Shahu would be justtfied m refusing T1lak pcrmimon to
set foot on Kolhapur territof'),' - Th,s w.1s m reference to the
c:,,.erase o[ the right to the property of Bala. Maharaj in Kolha•
pur. Shahu, therefore, supported hts case, by subm1ttmg opi•
mons of eminent bw)ers like ChaubaI, Dim.haw, Setalwad, S1r
Rash Dehan Bose, Norton,, Gibbon (Ad\ocate-GeneraJ of
Ca.l<utta), and Chandnarl.ar. Yet the Advocate-General of the
Government rof India adhered to his previous view, and the
Gou:marent, hat.etc, it m,;;M desire t.o incet Sh.aJ1 1J'-' "ishCSr
was debarred from taking" the action which chc Maharaja pro-
268 SHAHU CHHATRAPA1,'I: A ,ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

posed. Legally, it was impossible for the Government to take

any other view. This was a sore disappointment to Shahu, but
he persisted in trying to persuade the Government to accept
his view.
In the Vedokta controversy Shahu was on the side of justice;
in the Tai Maharaj Case he wanted justice on his side; but the
key of his loyalty was not effective enough to open its doors to
him! Shahu had sent Sabnis's son Rambhau and his son-in-law
Deshpande . to Calcutta to obtain the opir~ioi;i, of the legal
luminaries there. •
While Shahu was sending appeal _,J-fter appeal to. the Govern-
ment to take a decision' in the, Tai Maharaj Case, he wrote to
Lord Willingdon that he was improving in'his health and us_ing
'the drug which had cured Tilak of diabetes.• With great joy
he wrote to Hill ,that he was fighting hard with diabetes and
taking plenty of cxei:cise in the dry climate. "I am now using,"
he added, "the drug which has given relief to Mr. Til~k.''0, Both
·wmingdon and Hill must hav~ made a wry face at the mention
of Tilak!
A few days earlier, Shahu had visited. the famous G.aikwad
Wada of Tilak and asked Tilak about :the medicines.which he
was taking for diabetes. \Vhile Tilak was writing down the
names of the medicines, Shahu took, off .his headgear -and kept
it on a chair nearby. After taking the paper in his hand. from
Tilak, he left, forgetting the headgear in Tilak's •room.
Tilak's attendant brought it to the notice of Tilak and-handed
it over to Tibk. Tilak offered the headgear to ·Shahu; but
Shahu said with a smile that it would be no use wearing the
headgear if Tilak went on writing against ,him. Tilak promis-
ed him that he would not write against him in future. So
Shahu asked Tilak to put the headgear on his head, and un-
comciously Tilak performed, .1s it were, the coronation cere-
mony of Shahu in the Vcdokta form!·

IV

At this time Shahu had a report pn:parcd by an old te:ichcr

of the Chic:f of Ichaltaranji who was demanding his criminal
p-0wers b:ick. It w::is the contention of Shahu that the Chief
 WORRIES AND CU..SIU:S' 269
was connected \~ith the politics of extremists. The report said
that while the Chief in his minority was Iivmg in Bombay for
some da}S, he had consented to preside over a meeting concern-
ing the Age of Consent Bill at the 1nst:mce of T1lak. But the
teacher threatened him with bad consequences and so the
Chief gave up the idea. Shahu was d1ggmg for e\idence against
the Chief of Ichalkaranj1 and fanning the fire of hatred. But
it seems that the Go-.emment of Bombay ignored tlus report.
On hu part Balasaheb Ichallaranj1lar, in order to "\\-lpe out
the charge of sedition, granted special £aolit1es to the Konl.ani
and ~ccan Brahmrns who formed a company which was to
be tagged on to the IO.3rd Mahra.ua batallion, I3hausaheb
P.atwardhan of Sangli and the Chief of Aundh had also declared
such facilities for the recruits But these facihdes and other
encouragement did not have any effect upon the Brahmm
}0uths as Brahmins had broken with the nuhtary trad1t1on
long before. The Kesan, disappointed by Brahmin }Ouths in
this matter, expressed its regret that they did not seize the
opportunity' of learning the A.BC. of sen mg their nation.~
I t ' t f
Some had joined, but they return<:d home as they could not put
up ·with the hard hfe. 'The Kesan's propaganda and tl1e Cluefs
attempts' t~ please the Bntish Go,emment pro,ed meffecthe.
In January 1917 Shahu was- advised by the Go,ernment of
Bombay to restore the pm\ers of Ichall.aranji and V1shalgad.
Shahu had conferred on the Chief o£ lchallaranJ• the title of
Pant Sachiv and did many friendly acts be could to ,un him
o,er to h,s side. On the one hand. the Chief did his utmost to
influence the Bombay Go,ernment and bnng pressure on
Shahu, and on the other hand, he lept appea.bng in a humble
way to Shahu When the Go,emment fin:i.Hy desired ,Shahu
to :restore their pouers, he reiterated that the Chief of Ichal•
karanJi was not w1limg to sad Jog' v.ho was a friend of the
terronsts, "bile Vishalgad had obe)ed him and dumisscd
Jawadelar, uho \\oas a friend of Jog. J-!ol'oeu:r, Shabu had
C\entually to yield to the Go,emmcnt, and agreed t~ do "'bat
he w..u rold bv the Gmemment. Lord Wdbngdon said be was
glad that Shahu' was restoring their pouen and added th3t he
felt sure that Shahu"s achon \\-Ould confirm their regards for
270 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

and loyalty to him. Shahu restored their powers on the

birthday of Prince. Rajaram.
While these insults _were being heaped _on Shahu, he was
involved in another clash with the Government. The. p~op~e
had not taken kindly t~ the recruitme~t policy 9~- _the Govern~
ment. The. _tide of _opposition to the recruit01:ent. (?f foµians
rea_ched
'
Kolhapur
' , ,
a , second
' J
time
• '
early in Fcbr-~ary 1917.
• ,
At
the instigation of the Darbar's oppoµep.ts, a placard was put
up at the Ambabai Tern.pl<;! in K~lhapu~, asking the people. to
rescue the recruits who had been enrolled by £orce 1 The ,police
prepared themselves 't:o m~et the situation c~cated by· the
hooligans. A mob of 500 people attacked the centre of the
recruiting officers where a recruit was believed to b_e detained.
They beat the two recruiting men, who wc~e ccioki~g a meal.
The police dispcr~d the mob and kept guard at tha~ 'place.
The next day _the police declared unlawN1 .all street _assem-
blies of five or more persons armed ,vith sticks. •As a result
they arrested one Gavandi supposed t·o be one of the ring
leaders_ of th~ mob. On the evening of February ,18, . a niob
assembled before the Police Office :incl'' demanded 'his release.
At this moment Shahu, who had beexi._to Sawantwadi_ to attend
the marriage of the eldest so'n'of tJ:ie Chief of Kagal Qunio~)with
the younger sister of the Chief of s.a,van_tviadi, returned •to
Kolhapur and appeared on the scene. ~ith 'electric rapidity
he took a decision to quieten the mob; ordered the arrest of
some men and cle,ared the road. Tri a desperate mood Shahu
imposed a punitive police force on the city and punished the
police who were found to have neglected: their duty. The
Kolhapm· Infantry harassed students, sardars •and shopkeepers
and even the police officers of the State. The remedy proved
more dangerous than the disease.
The Kolhapur- Infantry committed some excesses that .were
unjustified. So Shahu asked the Resident to withdraw the
Kolhapur Infantry picket and avoid further bloodshed. But
the Resident kept it for a day· longer.. Mischievous· elements
suggested that Tilak should .be brought :to K9lhapu_r to address
a recruitment meeting, insinuating that Shahu was not able to
control the Kolhapur mobs. The resiilt was. that ,a grave .mis-
understanding was created in Government . quart{'.rs. Shahu
 l WORRU:S A."li'D CLASHES , , ,
I ' • 271
was unduly anxious that the Gmernment v.oulcI tale him to
task in regard to the e,cnts connected wnh the Kolhapur
Infantry. • "
Dcspue this trouble :md tcnst0n; Shahu, m orcler to preYcnt
a,misunderst:mdmg-, acted imiftly He ga,e a fiIHp 10 the War
Loan Fund. He ordered quid economy in the State He did
not stop at this. On March 14, 1917, he called a meeting· at
the Palace Theatre under the pres14entship of Col. Condon,
the Resident of Kolhapur. The theatre 1\-as pad.ed to capa•
city. All lugh officials and feudatory chiefs attended it. It
was impressed upon the minds of the people the significance of
imesting their money in the War Loan Fund, At this meetmg
the Mah.iraja added to the enthusiasm o£ the people by an-
nouncing Im intentton of imestmg five lakhs of tu~s in the
l\l'ar Loan Fund. This had a salutary effect, and e\e1J1there
in the State there was tremendous response which resulted in a
total ime;tmcnt of Rs. l9,:J4,617 in the Ind,an Wal' Loan Fund
'This ga,e Shahu great pleasure to ,~nte to Lord W1Ilingdon
about his success' with the lVar Loan Fund. Tf1e work was
done under the supervismn 'of Bap~saheb Ghatge and Prince
Rajaram. The Gmernor', was pleased \~it~ Baaus~hcb Ghatge
and ,vrote'to Shahu that napusahcb was h1i mo;t lo}al and
de~otcd brother, and Shahu should trust h1s judgment in all
matters. Sbahu enoouraged the worl.. by decla1ing tha~ a
recruit v.ho secured not less than twenty.fhe recrmts would be
1 ' '
rewarded "ith a S\\ord of honour, a shield to the Patti and a
~ l ~ ' "'

silver medal to the Kullarni. 1 1 , , •

Shahu ~•as not alone in 1!dpmg the Goyemm_ent With recruits.

Tilak. Gandhi. and SavarLar from the Andamans, supported
the m1htansat1on pohcv of the GO\ernment. Ilut 1n domg so,
they had different ob1ects at p.eart. The Ke1arl, the mouth-
piece of TilaL, in its 1ssue of December 26, 1916. encouraged
the Deccan Brahmms to JOin, the Anny and form ..t company.
The way was open, to them to learn modern warfare-, to cam a
ln'E!hhood and to gain honour.1, It e.xhorted the; Brahmm ,ouths
,Jo learn the A.B C, of, serving, the nauon, but, it., cxpectat1om
,pr{ll-ed to be baseless,! Six months aften the annoum ement' was
made t~ form a company, which ,,as ta.be joined to ihe 103rd
272 SHAHU CllllATJt,\PATI: A ROYAL llliVOLUTIONARY

division of the Mahratta Light Infantry, it was found that

little progress had been made.
To refute the charge of sedition and favouritism to the
extremist party, Babasaheb Ichalkaranjikar, Bhausahcb Patwar-
dhan of Sangli and the Chief of Aundh had offered special pri-
vileges, in addition to their regular salaries, to the Brahmin
recruits. 8
Disappointed at this miserable failure of the movement, the
Kesari published an editorial on February 20, 1917, and
observc4: "Be now soldiers!" On February 27 Tilak wrote
another editorial and observed: "This is the time to enter the
Army." In it he appealed to youth to join the army and to
serve the nation. The youth who wanted Swaraj must defend
the country. But his appeal soon ended in the ,slogan
"England's difficulty.is our opportunity!"
Supporting the inilitarisation policy of the Government,
Savarkar said from the Andamans .that he was happy the
Indian troops had fought against the best military power in the
world. He was glad to know that they acquitted themselves
with such splendour and were ,covered with military glory.
(
"Thank God," he exclaimed, "manliness after all is not dead
• I ' • ' '

yet in the land! " 9 , Gandhi had made a loyalty speec_h recently
and toured the country recruiting young men to figh,t the war
to end war and observed: "The easiest and straightest way to
win S,varajya is to participate in the defenc~ of the eIJ?pire. I£
·you' want to win the Swaraj, it is your duty to defend the
empire.;' 10 Thus Shahu,' as a loyal friend of the British, helped
them in their time of need. Savarkar and Tilak helped it from
the viewpoint 01:··nationalism, and Gandhi· loyally and un-
conditionally.

Sayajirao was keen on settling the terms of the marriage of

Indumati with Rajaram, and Shahu after nearly five years in-
formed him inJanuar.y·l917 that he had decided to do so. He,
therefore, requested Sayajirao to depute Khaserao Jadhav ·to
settle the details of the marriage with his brother Bapusaheb
who always settled things for . him. His wife was •very •old-
 I ,•, •' l I H•\VORRIES'ANI) CLA.SllES 'IIW) J 1' I' !?7j

fashioned, Shahu added, and, did ,hot· wish 'to ·write to Her
H1ghnes.s Padmavat1bai 'in the month of Pawh. Having no
such prejudice, he said, he was writing to him at once, so that
G;:ukwad might be at ease on the question. Shahu •sa,d he %3.S
happy tl1at he had done his duty to Fattensinharao to ¾horn he
had promised tlus umon. His State, Sbahu ;idded, was small
and he would take time to prepare for the marrfage. The first
;rusp,cious day after Dassara would swt him best.
The Baroda deputatwn Jed by Anandr.ao G.:u.kw·.1d, brmher
of Sapj1Iao Gail.wad, met Shahu in Bombay and then at
Kolhapur. But the details could not be settled. In .Apnl 1917
Shahu wrote to Sapjirao that he need not be anxious about
the man1age as his was the word of a gentleman, There was
some d1!.Cussion on the pomt ,~hcther the dowry and the gifts
to the bride ¼ere to be gt\en in cash or by ,~ar of the rc\cnue
of a ·1o1llage. The question of the expenses of the Journey from
Kolhapur to Baroda remained undec11:kd, Nc:x.t month Sha.bu
ga\C the Baroda deputatmn a definite idea of the terms for
settlement of the marnage.
Shahu \\anted Ga1L1\ad to state nhcthcr or not the terms
,\ere acceptable to him. Khaserao Jadhav acted as a go-
betv. cen. Ga1L wad stated that I.he value of the ornaments
l\Ould be rupees one I.alb, and he mcreascd the \'aluc of the
Inam \ tllages to be gnen to the bride and 10 the bndegrooru.
He hoped that this offer ,\oul<l meet 1\ 1th Shahu's \\-ishes.
Khaserao Jadhav informed Sbahu in June l!Jl7 that Gail.wad
did not get angry at his Jetter and his personal regard for Shahu
remained high, Jadhav, bo1\C\ct, requested Shahu ,o keep his
mind at rcit. "I am a great fatalist,•' Jadhav concluded, "and
I am convmccJ by cxpcnence that marriages are made m
hemen and I ha,e no doubt that the 1l1wtrious l\laratha llOU$CS
of Koll1apur .and Baroda arc .so destmcd to be jomcJ once
more."
Yet some dct;uls of the m.1nfag:c rc:mamc:d incowplctc~ but.
in the barg.,1in Sbahu put bc:fore G:uk"'.id ;1 propouJ for the
mamage of his niece, <laughter o( his uncle Dauajir.ao, Chid
of Ka~ Uunior), ,tilh G:uk.11,ad's young:cn .on Dha1r).lbdrao.
He aha c:xprc!>!.Cd his desire to pe-rform InJ.u.raau's l1la cere-
mony in Januuy 1918,
SC-UI
274: SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Shahu, meanwhile, got his second son Shivaji married •to

Jamnabai on June 6, 1917. She was the daughter of Shaokar-
rao Jagtap of Saswad, Poona District. She was renamed
Indumati. In July 191.7 Shahu wrote to Khaserao Jadhav ask-
ing him whether Gaikwad would settle the terms of the marri-
age for eight lakhs. It was less by three lakhs than the figures
already supplied to him by Sayajirao. It seems, however, that
the marriage was concluded in July 1917, though Shahu was
full of worries. On December 6, 1917, Shahu requested Gaik-
wad not to postpone the marriage; to postpone it was to give
time to the busybodies to sow the seeds of dissension b~tween
them. With great difficulty he had induced, he said, his son
and his relatives to accept the marriage. There were persons
who might still like to put obstacles in their way.. Lord Willing-
<lon, Shahu said, was his friend and well-wisher, and it was
his earnest desire that the marriage should be celebrated during
his term of office.
Since the day of t.he riots, Resident Wodehouse's relations
with Shahu had been strained. Wodehouse had written to the
Government that the account of recruitment submitted by the
Kolhapur Darbar was exaggerated. The Acting· Dewan Shir-
gaonkar was arrogant; the recruiters were not protected. It
was feared• that• the disturbances from the leading State of
Kolhapur were likely to spread to other parts of the Bombay
Presidency. Government therefore asked Shahu to relax his
orders. Shahu met the Governor on March 22, 1917. But the
Governor was not entirely satisfied with his explanations.
Shahu promised to look after the cases of the people who were
involved in the riots. He had fined some policemen as well as
Inspector Mhaiskar. . What caused him greater anxiety was
Wodehouse's. antagonism. • \Vodehousc told Shahu •in effect:•
"I am no longer your ·friend, I am .a representative of. the
British Government. I have done everything for you, but you
did not behave properly."
The Resident expressed his displeasure to high ranking
Kolhapur officers. Shahu. wrote to Hill that he thought· Col.
,vodehousc would never forgive him, his brother or his Dewan
as he did not get an appointment at Kathiawad. "Wodehouse
thought that the Darbar had told stories against- him to ·Hill
 , WORRJES A~'b CLASill:S , 275'
:and to the GO\ernor-General. Sha.bu requested Hill not to
re\ eat an) thing a bout the situation to his colleagues, othcnnse.
lil..e Dongre, he l'.ou!d be ruined
Kolhapur, Shahu wrote to Fraser on Ma} 8, 1917, was in :r
worse state than what it was in Col. \Vray's time. In order to
ease the situation, Shahu made a proposal in June 1917 to the
Bomba)' Gmernment about the Kolhapur Infantry He wanted
to send 1t to the front and so he proposed that its place should
be tal..en by men \~ho had returned to India for rest, At this
time Shahu was successful e\en in r<"crmting the Linga}ats to
the Amir, Shabu Chhatrapati had now become quite friendly
wtth Lord \Vlihngdon, although the latter sometimes took deci-
sions as ad\lsed by his colleagues. Shalm was tll for a time.·
People 1\ere g11,en an assurance that there would be no coer-
cion in recruitment. It seems that John ,villiam Campbell.'
the Councillor, made a tour of Kolhapur in June 1917, and he
mooted the idea of' agttat10n for an extension of the term of
the Go1 cmor, Lord W11lmgdon According ta Shahu, Lord
W'illmgdon had won the people's hearts 5o Shahu promised
Campbell that he 11 ould go to Poona as soon as he felt better.
And once Shahu tool. up a cause he alwa}S championed it with
heart and soul.
Shabu met the GO\ernor at Poona and immediately issued a
arcular letter on June 28, 1917, to the Chiefs and Ruling
Princes, appealing to them either to authorise him to plead 1Hth
the Viceroy for tbe extension of the Gmcmor's tenu o, to do
1t ~para.tel}'. Formerly, Lord Cunon, Lord Mmto and Lord
S}dcnham, the GO\crnor of Bombay, ,,ere granted such exten-
s10ns Shahu wrote also to lhe Viceroy impressing upon him
the important role Lord W1llingdon had plajcd m se,eral
respects and pra)ed for the extension of lus term It ,~as the
impremon of the Bnt1sh statesmen and the Princes that
Vv11lmgdon was a Go,ernor of grca( personal mfluence. '\Vnt-
mg about Shahu's attempts to secure an eJ..tenswn of '\V111mg-
don's term, Fraser, Resident of H}derabad, ,uou~ to Shahu that.
he also felt as he did about the 1mportance of extendu1g the
services of the Gmernor.
~71.1fiu n;i.a' frani.1)" expressed nzs neni,, Fr~ Cu)ffi1a,ddi,
about the Home Rule demand He felt that Shahu's 11ews
27Q: SHAIIU CilllATRAl'ATl: ~\. ROYAL RE.\'OLUTIO:-l'ARY

were shared by the majority of the Ruling Chids a:S well as

by thousands of Moderates in British India. But the .British
Guru of Shahu, uttering a mild but firm note of caution,
observed, "Extension of· self-government is a principle upon
which we all agree, but Home Rule as expounded by Mrs.
Besant is a very difficult thing, involving the administration of
the country by !\Iinisters chosen by election and I doubt whe-
ther any Chief is prepared to advocate such a resolution."
The appointment .of l\Iontagu in July 1917 gladdened Shahu,
and he thought that he would succeed in his appeal. On July
14, 1917, Shahu was appointed a Member of the Provincial
R.ecruiting Board, for His Majesty's combatant and non-
.combatant forces. He was authorised to take all lawful actions,
to assist in the work of recruiting in conjunction with the
,civil and the military officers of the Government. In a way
,this was Shahu's victory over 'Wodehouse who was not on good
terms with him. Later, the Viceroy Lord Chelmsford thanked
him warmly on September 20, 191.7, for his loyal and patriotic
assurance in obtaining recruits.
 CHAPTER 17 1

Co11i~11unal "R.epresentatio,i\~
I ,, ' ' I lqfl
,,
I
ll ,1' ,, ,, ' '
' ' ,,
•,1 ,,, I) ) I ,I (/
' I

~ '
1
} \ r 1 I l ~ ,I r1 J.f j I l' ,.. ' r f
I 1 t 1 7 1 j ,~ ... t, .r l_ f ., , , t f

Winr all his '1\0tne$ about,health and about tccruit~ent pro-

blems. Shahu ltas building up ,,an ,efficient admmmration
oriented tottarw the common man. At that time discussions
were gomg on whether the Modi script sb0t1ld be given up in
official correspondence. Shah u decided in, l\f:m:h, 19 I 7, to give
the go-by to the .soipt JJJ 1be 1111eres~ of th~ '"ommon nun .amJ
saved them from the I clutch~s of the llraJunin derl.s and
Kulkamis. 0£ c.ourse, _11 ptot- oked. ctitJcism in the prmleged
classes, and the Kesan 1 , ga, e expression to It. Shah u ordered
that,ihence!orth al! state oorrespondepce and people's appbcations
should be l'.ntten in the Nagan script., 1 , He not only did this
but also, re,o,mmended tht; Det-nagan smpt for prhate use
;The old legal documents were- m the Mod, script. To the
European officers, Modirwas a red rag, It was not therefore a
judicious .step to boycott Jt m pnt-ate correspondence ,
Shahu "'anted the lower classes to throw off the }oke of mental
slal-ery. He was spreading education :i.mong them through
se,era,I agencies. \Vith that aim in uew he had introduced
primary free' educacian m J912 appointmg read;ers who worked
on the basis of Inam' fands; but the scheme did not take root and
'¼as not makmg satisfactory progress So it was gnen up.
Shahu deoded to' accelerate the progress of education of the
1
lower classes' by' introducmg compulsory prim.i-ry education in
his State H:e h,1d succeeded to a large el.tf'nt jn awakening
their leaders and social workers to the importance of education
and of their duty tr/ the State Now he was broadening the basi$
of the education.al' system. The Darb3r resohcd 'on July 25,
i 917, •to introduce free' and· compulsory primary education in
277
278 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

his State and made an announcement on September 8, 1917, that

it would be introduced from the first day of the Ganesh Festival
of that year, i.e. September 30, 1917. The announcement was
made under the orders of the Acting Chief Revenue Officer,
Bhaskerrao Jadhav. Shah.u appointed a committee of Rao
'Bahadur Hari Kannarkar, Krishnaji D~ontlo Marathe, Profo:.':'>or
Panditrao and Vishnupant Kale to work out the details of the
scheme. The report was to be submitted by Rao Bahadur
Dongre, Educational Inspector. The Department was to be
treated as a part of the Revenue Department.
On Septemboc 21 and 29, 1917, it was announced that com-
pulsory education was not applicab~e ~o _girls, ·and the scheme
was to come in force in Kolhapur city and in the chief places
of Talukas, Pethas and Mahals. Though in the last decade of
the nineteenth century Shahu had· appointed Dr. Mrs. Kelavkar
·and other women in the State Education· and Medical Depart~
ments, and was a promoter of female:education, he could not
include girls 'iri ·the scheme of compulsory education for want of
funds, The irrigation scheme had ·exhausted· his treasury.
Whatever the cause of their exclusion, this is where Shahu lagg-
·ed behind Jotirao Phooley in whose scheme of things emphasis
was laid on the' education of girls. •
• Sl!ahu sanctioned· rupees one lakh from the Revenue for the
scheme: A.'- village having. a population of 500'• to 1,000 was to
have· a· school at a convenient place. ··He increased the salary of
the teachers, decided to start a· Training School and resolved i:o
utilise the services of the candidates under the age of twerity-five
for teaching: in schools. · •,: .
This educational reform Shahu introduced as a conscientious
ruler, ,but he impressed upon the Government that the introduc-
_tioµ of free and compulsory edu~ation _in his State ,would: _also
pacify t~e people who were.. dissatisfied. with'. the re_cr:uiting ,riots
~nd wip_e,out th~ effects of the .infantry men's b~haviom. Bapu-
~aheb·Ghatge followed suit·and in celebration of the birth of his
son introduced free ~nd prim_azy educat;ion in ~v~ry vill~ge in hi~
Jahgir. • •
;-; The-Kesari congratulated the Kolhapur D.arbar on introduc-
2

~n_g thei scheme

. ' , .and
.. said that the. ~£fairs
. of- Indian Princes .~ere
" '
nf>t1 .c~nd,~<;~d on the b<J.Sis. o~.r~presentation. ,. The: people _and
 CO\l3rUN,u:. 1Ul"R£Sl:NTA TION' ' 279
the Prince of the State being of the same blood they had several
.:i.1.kantagcs. It was to be seen. the Kcsari added, whether the
progt"CSS made by cl1e Kolhapur S(ate inspired the British Gov-
ernment to thinJ.. about taking a similar step in Butish India..
The proceedings of the CJurol case in "'hich Shahu took an
actne interest began on July II, 1917, in the High C.Oun bcfOie
Kbandal¾ala. Benning was Counsel for Chirol; Ka:xandikar and
B:ikhale appeared for 'fifal. During the examination," Dhaskar-
rao Jadha.v said that he had helped Chm:>l in translating some
arttcles and that he had brought some imponant documents
Irom Kolhapur.
At Chirol's request Jadhav helped him and recen·ed hts regular
pay <1J1d allowances from the Koll1aJ)ur State during his stay.
bongre said be had published the translation of Chirol's Indzan
Unrest, that 300 copies of the bool ·were purch,ued bt the
Darb.tr an<l that he ,~as helped by Laube and Jadhav. Dongre
added that since l\farch 1916 he had been helping Chirol for
about eight months and had recehed fos regular pay from the
Dacbar. Dongre was pulled up and ridiculed when rhe said he
l1ad compared CJ1irol to Dhi!ihm.a in the prellce to the booL
Dongre, the l..eeper 0£ the important documents of Shahu
Chhau-.pati, "'as a.sled whether the Mahara1a, had received a
letter from Lee-,varncr. On his denial, to his uucr surpri,e, the
lctterv.as shov..n to him. Lawrence Robertson, Secretary to the
Pohtlcal Department, was asked ll-hether he had issued any
confidential order to all departments to furnish Clurol Wllh
(;OnJi<lential documents. For a wh1le Robertson was taken .1bac.k.
He mm ously replied in the negatne. Thereupon he was sho\\'D
the arcufar issued under his; signarnre and he was struck dumb.=
Instantly he pulled himself together and admitted the fact.
The fact wa.s that Shahu had supplied Tilak secretly with the
circular letter and the Robertson order. Shahu had used the
master-1.ey and discomfited Dongre and Robertson. When
Dongre l\oas a.sked by PrabodhanJ.ar TI1ackeiay to explain the
m}stery, he sa1d that the MaharaJa had himself done the mis.-
duel and sent secretly Lee,'Wamer's letter .and Robertson's order
to Tdak. • As regards Robonson's order,' Shahu himself much
later admitted to Thad..eray that he had done n to hdp TJla.k
v.ho was fighting with the Bnush Government and &uffering for
,28() SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:.-1•.A: ROYAL :REVOLUTIONARY

;the nation.~ ,r(~At• such a time;"i Shahu added, "we should not
:take revenge upon, Tilak for. his. mistak.es,in the Vedokca contro-
.versy.." ·But ·Shahu's,_associates, more', often rthan riot,· lost• therr
balance and .sense . 0£,. proportion:·· They flattered· Chiro1 'as a
,Mahatma and hated·ffilak as an 1 enemy! '·
But •the .most ·important· :reve1ation was made during •the
.examirfation:of John! William Campbell .. This Secretary of the
Mission Press; Bombay,· admitted that the confidential letters,cif
·Shahu Chhatrapati •were · printed 'in their. press· at KoUiapur.
.From· the accounts ,and .order -liooks of the Mission it was proved
that the publication was done by Dongre. Campbell revealed
·tlie· secret~ • '' ~ ! '

.. The.proceedings in the Court were completed in August 1917,

and Chiral returned to London towards. the end of August 1917.
An impuderit ! and impenitent imperialist· .and·. journalist; he
realized what,dt 'was ·.to: fight a lion' even ,vith the weapon's
supplied. by a: powerful Govtmiment~• .; .. • •
Shahu took 1 •a· very .important decision at•; this, stage. in his
career-befitting·a 'progressive ruler. i He decided to utilise·money
stored: a,vay in the· name .of God.' 'Although, all devasthan's in
Kolliapur State. were endowed, •lands were dedicated and an-
miity' was paia to them ·.by '.the, State· Government,' 'the viliage
officers . or; those; iri .charge of them utilised the property and
-.income as their private properties,· appropriated them for family
purposes or'even- mortgaged· them. Now it was held that these
village, officers and Vahivatdars were mere Vahivatdars -in the
capacity as officers of Government and not in-· their personal
capacity. Devasthan lands were taken over by Government under
its direct management. An order of July 9, 1917, which was gazet-
ted by the Sarsubha, on July 27, and published on August 4, laid
down the fundamental principle that the State Government was
the trustee of all devasthanas and sacred places and that it had
the inherent.right to- regularise ·their managements and' control
their expenditure. • • •
In cases where·, the Vahivatdars of devastharr lands were
private individuals, it was held that they bad no absolute :right
to the property and •that they were mere agents of .the- Govern-
ment entrusted with· the management of the specific devasthans.
The Darbar : then instructed 'the management to exercise eco-
 ! 1 ,t\ll 1 ! C0\1'tuNAL REPRESE.'ffATION l di'• 281
nomy, to keep aside~ certain amount o! their income for repairs
and to resenre some place for the khool on the nght 5Jde of the
temple and on the left for a shed so that at the time of domg arati
·and; worship, men, v,romen'and children coldd participate' in''the
ceremony. Under tl1e new Devasthan charter' the gods '~ould
yield a sum ofoupees twenty thousand annually. Shahu utilised
-this 'sum for~ the enli&htenmen t of the people-1 • • ' • '1 '
r- In ,August 1917, t,he Educational Inspector of the Kolhapur
Sb te , issued! a circular ,prolu bidng students 'and teachers' from
attending pohtic.hl meetings- The Sande:;/i and other nm5pape~
ctit1d.sed the Darbar for thb circular and said'it had 01·cn.1kcn
the British Government in rnatten of primary education~ apathy
to newspapers, collecting war loans,'securing,recruits and abolish-
ing the use of the Mbdi1 script! ,r 'l ·' :n.J , ' ' 1 "· , r,
p-At this, tune,1·because 0£ 1 his 1poor 1 health; Shahu's· doctors
advi5ed him not \o stay indoors for Jong penods, e"<cept for offire
work.. Even sleeping and eatmg he wd in the open air. Dressed
in a lungz' or 'pyJam:u:, be generally slept under a tree 1 or on a
raised platform or in a smalf bed and had mfonnal talLs with
.the poor and hi.$ sem1nts, en1orlng m.my a qutp with them. He
welcomed his dQctor$' stl~tiorr'and ga,e his mind to'pigstick•
ing and cheeta•huntmg which he had developed into a science.
j t ,1 I f t~ $ I 11

11
I s '' ' '
At this juncture the British Go\emment wa., facing a gt:a\e
crisis because of re1..erses in the Wat'. le was clepressed by the
war re\er..es, hard pressed by the Indian Home Rule Movement
and oppressed by the lnd1an rel'O.lutfona.ries. In order to pacify
the opposnion, and' to strengthen the -Government' TCSOUrteS.
.Edwin S. l\fontagu, the new Secretary o( State for India, made
on Auguu 20, 1917. the famous declaration m the House o(
Common5 of Britain's "pohcy or gradual dc,dopment of self•
go\cming institutions with ;a ,icw to progressive te3.liS3.tian of
responsible gmernment, in' India as an' integral part 0£ the
nritish LIDpfre,'- •' ' ' l , I
Thu declaration \\as a result or the Uome Rule l\-fon~ment
conducted by T1Jak•and Besant and the prt:Uure of the Indian
rttoluuonary forces. It l'l"3.5 a turning point m rl1e Indian
282 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIO!'lARY

political movement, for the British Government accepted the

principle of self-government (Swaraj) and acceded to the
. principle of :responsible government ..
Shahu on his. pare was taking a keen interest in organising
the Princes' Conference. In September 1917, he wrote to the
Maharaja of Jamnagar, congratulating the Maharaja of Bikaner
on doing excellent·. work at the Imperial Conference and the
Imperial ·war Cabinet. Shahu could not participate openly in
political movements and he felt that his State ,vas too small £or
his fabulous energy and· for the aspirations of political leader-
ship that vibrated in his veins. Shahu tried to persuade the
Central Government tq extend the membership of the proposed
Princes' Chamber to Mudhol and.Jamkhindi States. With great
enthusiasm he had corresponded. _with almost all the leading
Indian Princes and solicited their opinion on the proposed con-
stitution .of. the Princes' Chamber. Sayajirao Gaikwad' and the
Maharaja of .Bikaner, Ranjitsinh of Navanagar, the Maharaja
of Jamnagar and the Rao of Cutch gave Shahu their views. In
reply S~yajirao observed: "Your Highness's suggestion about a
politicaj tribunal is sound and I agree with your opinion in
.~e~an~ing such courts for all political questions.. I should how-
ever st1ggest.that th,e personnel_ compo,sing the tribunal and how
they are nominated are matters which require mature con-
sideration." 5
Ranjitsinh of Navanagar, persuading Shahu to attend the
Princes' C2n.ference in November 1917, stated that Shahu's pre~
sence w~mld lenq. dignity and weight to the. deliberations and-he
hoped. that he would have. Shahu's valued c~opt!ration, counsel
a{!.d full sy.pport tq_ tQe movement. 0 This speaks volumes for
.Shahu's. ~bility and influence among the Princes.
Shahu's interest i11 securing an extension of \Villingdon's· term
of qffice pa4 not- flagged. • His campaign continued as if he were
it.s honorary secretary,_ and he, carried it on, till the visit -0£
Montagu _to lndia in November 1917, and aftey. •,
The non-Brahmin leaders in Maharashtra,-Valchand Kothari,
S. K. Bole, A. B. Latthe, Harishchandra Talcherkar-and Bhaskar-
r~o Jaclhav were very active. , On. FeJ:>rua,ry 26, 1917,.the Bombay
Police. Commissioner. Vincent. wrote. to Shahq ~th,at Bole_ and
J;'alch!c!rkar interested themselves. in _the welfare. of the -Mahrattas
 C:O'4MVNAL REFRESENTAnoN ' 28.3
generally, and the mHJ-hands particularly. , "They run", he said,
"the K.amga.r Hitvardhak Sabha and under its aUspia::s arrange
lectures, soaal mO\emenU of different kinds and to popularise
the1r assembJjes they also prevail upon dilferent Taliml.hanas to
provide wrestlmg matches.," Bole and Talcherkar had planned
wrestling matches at a theatre in Bombay. In the first week of
February 1917, Dole had requested the l\lah~Ja. to send mo
wrestlen; The proceeds of the match were to be given to the
,var Fund. 1
Dunng the li.rst decad~ of the nn:ntieth century, Bole was an
eminent labour leader. After the death of Lolhande in February
1897, the first labour leader o{ Indta, the labour movement had
lost its \igour. Bok, by establishing the Kamgar Hiturdhal
Sabha in 1909, gave an impetus to the labour mo,ement. For
)ears together Bole was the voice of labour in Bombay,
Th<! non-nrahmin movement staned by the South Indian
Peoples' Associauon m No~ember 1916, had Ly now made some
progress. Its leaders were Dr. T. N. Nair and Sir P. Theagaraya
Chetty. The main object of this Dravidian Mmement was to
check Ll~e inttease m the political powQ' of the Brahmin caste.
The non-llrahmins of Madras Presidency, exdudmg the Schedul-
ed Castes, outnumbered the Brafunins 22 to 1. The Untouch-
ables alone outnumbered them 5 to I. Because of education,
religious authority, economic power, political influence and
sooal prestige, the Brahmins functioned as the elite in Madr.u
Presidency.- They gave inhuman ueatment to non-Brahmms
and v.ere atrooously inhuman to tl1e Untouchables. The mouth-
piece of the Draudi,:m l\lo,ement was Ju.shce which was stMJ:ed
on February ~6, 1917. A Tamd dally, Dmvidan, soon followed
and later a. Telugu paper, AndhraprakruHa 1 A pious man m.c
Venkatr.itna Na1du, who was a Iltahmo from Cocanada, JOined
its fold.8 The Associatioo,,though fa,ouring the polincal de\.C•
lopmcnt of a• well-defined policy, firmly opposed the transfer of
pohtic:al po¥.er to the Ilrahmin commuruty. , • ' , ' ••
It was in July 1917 that S11ahu passed the Jaw allowing widow•
marriage. The- law was called the Rem.ar,nase Re~tration l...a111"
o(,July rnrr. ,'Unrfer tfiu fa\1-' S!iaftu uoeramed dr.r!"'aw:.al
customs of the Hmdu commun1tY, lt introduced a $}'Stem of
regutT.ation , whkb placed .such marriages be) ond • the pale of
28 ! 1
SHAHU CHHAT!lAPATI:' ,\: ROYALi 'REVOLUTIONARY

_doubt ·and ,suspicion. , 'Shahu. ·introduced i•these reforms when

,_Tilak!s colleagues. and:: associates; ·excepf •N; c: Kelkar, were
1
opposing the idea of. re-marriage. •., • • :' .. ,: • :
, , It was now announced ·that lviontagu' ~vas. coming to India 'to
interview all the ldciers of various institiitions and parties. This
approaching visit' of Montagu stirred a~1 ~nd,iari''institutio'ns and
parties, and they· bega'n io prepare' thei~ 'mJhioranda. In. order
to' gain tlih' support of the' League to the demand for Muslim
Swaraj, the Congress made a P~ct, conceding many\~;h,ileges
fo the Muslims. In 'Maharashtr~ the ncm-n'raiuhin leaders were
1
outside the Congr~ss. ' The , Madr~s·'
!, , ,,,., ,
non-Br~hmins
,l), , .,, • '.,'
co~f~~e~ce
' L

which met· at Coimbatore in· August ·1917 had resolved that

although the country" was no(iipe' for the ;ights of.S~~araj, the
'people must' get op_p6ru:inlties' to' ~on.duct "their o~~n affairs.
'l,,, 'i:' • ' ' '',
,. ,, " I' , l

Now Tilak •felt the need for a compromise

• • , ' 'f: _: i ,
, , , ' ,'f :
with
,, •
the' non-
, ' ' ~ ' • 1 , l' ,

Brahmins· of Maharashtra and wiri •them over to the Congress-J

, ' : • ' • ~ ' ' ! ' ' '

Swaraj Scheme.. ,With· that aim, Tilak wrote. an article in the

' • I i ' ' , ) \ • ' • I ' ' ~ 1 1
' ' ' ' ' ' '
1
' ,, ' 1 I

J{~saii of September 18, 19lt entitled,"Sw:araj; Bi:ahmins and nori-

,B~·ahmins".
' , ,,
In it,h~
:!,
cited the speech7 he: h~d made-~t· the Luck- 'r :, ,, , • l L , '

now Congress _in Decemb~r 191,6. _ta, the effect that he would not
~in<l'if th~ C~~n~il;/had ~niy.non-Bra~in 'Memb~~~. but.in,a~iy
~as~ the C~uncil. shouid;. hav~ a m~Jori~y '~£, ele~ted Hindus;
,
1
, \.., , , • , ; ,- , _, < • , , J • I I , J ~

fpreigners or, 1:10?11inate~ :tv,I,em,b~rs .,sho·q\d ljaye,po pre~lomina~ce

there. ., .. ! , , .. ,.· .:,., •;,i,.·,: '.,- :,
It_ could not be,, denied, . Tilak said, • that if 1:in practice . the
Brahmins• had seats in ·the· Council outi -of proportion. to their
numbers,, it was not the fruit of their- communal demand but of
their education. To deny· this· was to feign ignorance. Edu-
cated men. were. required· in Government service, and 'Brahm.ins
were given the jobs. disproportionately· by Government, because
of·their education and that·too,even when the Government hated
them. The Government was helpless and· so·viere the Brahmins.
If the non-Brahmins said· that· they could get. rep,resentation' .in
proportion to ,their' numbers, even though they1".vere illiterate,
such a demand benefited their caste, pride, but.it .was sure]y not
practical. The •Brahmins- would •not: demand· communal repre-
sentation· C\r accept it even if granted, Tilak ·added; , . r -, :
: Tilak hoped:that the educated non,.Brahmins !woul<l,neither
 f,,, 1 CO\l:JilUNAL • Rel'R.ESENTATION .J ,J ,, ' ' 285
remain feeble and stunted persons m their own land nor like
foreigners to rule mer them without their consenl He, there--
fore, urged the non-Brahm.ms to state fearlessly \\hat kind o!
representation they needed and the number of representati\.es
they demanded. Brahmins ,~ould not oppose their demand.
It did not occur tc, TilaI.. tl1at the awaJ..ening m the new age
had mspued the non-Brahmms to struggle for self-respect and
soaal equality. This had no effect on him. ComniunaI repre.ent:i.-
t.wn was harmful to tl1e Br:i:hmms and na.mrall)' it t~as not
acceptable to them. But their preponderance in Golemment
:.cn"1ce and Councils he Justified on the ground of edu'catlon.
Shahu had correctly assessed the mmd of T1Jal. He bad au.1c\ed
Ttlal.'s vie,\S, encouraged the non-Brahmms to. ta\..e to educa-
tion and promoted 1t VIfs:orously among them. 1\Iany ct1tics h~vc
blamed T1l.ak for this attitude which was unbecoming on the
part of so great a national leader.
• Tdal.. faded to· see the non-Brahmin problem from the angle
of social Justice and equality, its basic urge for a so□al order ma
changing age. and the needs ~f the changing social and economic
bfe in India. And his' tails to the non-Brahmins which '"''ere 0£
a patromsmg rather than a democrat.Jc nature arnpl} pro,ed
that he could 1:lot outgrow, as sometimes great men do, the social
bamers under which he ;,,as born. Tilak.'s attitude 'Was like that
of Wmston Churchill who fought m World II for democracy
and human freedom but mmed down India's demand for free&
dom, equality and JUSUte.
Latthe replied to T1lak and asked hrm v.hy he lHl.S :i.ctive in
j •

respec.t of Muslim demands and why he sa,id that the Brahm.ins

would positl\lely Leep silent on the non-llrabmin demands. If
the non-B,rahmms "'ere not fit for franduse or elect10n owing to
lad. of education, that case would be apphcable also lo the
nation. as a 1~hole. If the non-Brahm.ins aspire to take their
share in the Government, what \\-as wrong v.1th that? In the
past. leaders from the non-Brahm.ins rose ·without E.ng,lish ed_u•
canon and 50 it was mearungless to say that there \I.ere no swt-
able ~en among them 10 sit in the legislature. ~ctbe added
that Tdak bad put forward these v1e¥."S as a Brahmm leader and
not .u a leader of r..Iah:irashtra!•
286 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

III

Shahu at this time was watching the political situation and

the activities of the different political organizations. In his
letter of October,21, 1917, which he addressed to leading Princes
and Chiefs, he said: "I find that various institutions of all castes,
creeds and views are sending deputations to the Rt. Honourable
Mr. Montagu. I should like to suggest that the deputation of
the Princes may also be sent to him on behalf of us all." If his
suggestion met with their approval, he added, they woulcl decide
what matters should be placed before Montagu when they met in
Delhi .. V. R. Kothari and Latthe had established the Deccan
Rayat Asso'ciation at Poona to champion the cause of the Back-
,vard. and Depressed Classes. With this object, Kothari had
started· a Marathi weekly Jagaruk ~n July 19, 1917, and was
fighting for the cause of the Backward and Depressed Classes ..
BQm on September 13, 1892, and edu_cated at Pandharpur, Bom-
bay and Poona, Kothari was· a brilliant scholar and came sixth
in . the B. •A. Examination of .Bombay University in December
,

1912, winning prizes in History and Economics. 10

Kothari wanted· Shahu's assistance in organi~ing a conference
of the Depressed Classes for •forming a, deputation to represent
the~r interests 'to the Secretary of State for India. He, therefore,
wrote to Sabnis on Octobe~· 11, 1917: ~equesting, him to spare
Rao Bahaclur·Dongre, who was, according to him, a capable and
sincere man to assist him in his ·arduous task'. And ·as Shahu's
lifelong policy, he added, had been directed to _the :uplifting of
these unfortunate people, he would be conferring a great boon
upon him by sending Dongre to his aid.' • •
Montagu's declaration thus made the non-Brahmin agitation
assume a political character, both ,in 'Madras and Maharashtra.
So Shahu lent Dongre's services to Kothariin October 1917 and
Dongre \vent to Poona 'to take up the work. Wodehouse also
suggested. soine persons who would' make common cause with
Kothari, Latthe and Dongre. • '•
·, Shahu left Kolhapur towards the end of October. to attend
the Princes' Conference which was. to be held at Delhi on
November 6,·1917. On his way to Delhi, he discussed-the step's
he was taking for recruitment for the success~of-which:he -had
 • CO!>NUNAL REPRESENTATION 287
incurred a debt of mare than two lakbs of rupees and a debt of
.tUIX-'t'.S flu: Jal.Ju for the War Loon Fund. He recefred a letter
from Khascrao J:ulhav o[ Baroda requc:~ting him to preside Oler
the Maratha Educational Conference \\-liic:h was to b~ held
:u. Klm:ngaon. TI1e ob1cct of Khaserao in holding the annual
wnference in l3erar "Vias to create a bond of s)mpathv between
tl1e ~iarath:u of the Bombay l>rounce and Berar.
TuL.oJ1rao Hollar, Maharaja of Indore, was to attend the'
l".rinccs• Conference at Delhi Shalm was afraid that Tul..0J1rao's
speed1 nught not be m tune »ith the pohcy of Drillsh st,'llesmen.
5o he V.TOIC to Tul.oj1rao caut1omng him agamst the danger.
"I am'", Shahu said, "quite confident about }Ollr Highness'
.:lbll1ty, straighc(orn•ardness and self-saa-1fice and am quite proud
0£ them, But ,1rtue 1s not ahva)S admired in tbis world. Now
,1e are in ,ery bad limes and Yot~r Highness.' outspokenness and
stra1ghtfornartlness may be 1.he cause of )OUr ruin. Your Hig:h•
ness, I ha\e greater expenence of many Chiefa and also that of
tbt last conference. No one JS half so out.5poJ.en .as Yo:ir Hjgh-
ness. Tlus may lead people to belie\e that \'our H1ghncs~ is
mdtfferent and unl.lndly to the ,Bntish officials/' ~ '':'.\hy I sug-
gest," Shahu condude<l, "that i'our Highness w1Jl' not he so
.ery outspol.en at the Conference and g:nc an opportunity to
others to misrepresent }Our good intent1ons?" 11
Shahu Chhatrapat1's helping nature w,1s a prop to man}', This
time he had a talk wuh the Governor about the 1..ondit1on of
Pnnce .1\Jv- Ah Nawaz Khan of Khairpur. He l':tnted to bring-
about conoliat1on between father and son, Mir' Ali's father
bemg: a friend of Sha.Im. Allhough no usi>ful purpOSf' would he
sened, the Gmemment safrl, they had no ob1ect10n to ~1;:w11's
meetmg: Ali's father. And theie "a.5· another quesuon tl1:1t
engaged his att(ntion' Because of ~ultry dim:ite, her stay in the
Central Provmces liad made tl1e Rani of S,ci°K.intwadi nuscrablc,
She was m great dmre,s. Shahu was pressed by her b1other-m•
Jaw, the Chief of Jath, to persuade the Gmernor to :illow lier- to.
Jne in Bombay Presidency. ' ,?T ' -
Shahu and his party reached Delhi on No,embe.r 3, 1917, to
auend the Prmces' Conference, ~. At t11is time he resided at' 12
Alipore Road. He ha'd a pain m the l.1dney and soon contr.:1cted
a ~vere·cold.- The l..idn~y trouble• he .said,' had made him qu1te
288 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:, :A J_lOY'}L- REVOLUTIONARY

an old,man. So he.could not:mGet d1,e:Maharaja of Bikaner,-the

leading light of the :co~ference,• at the informal gathering at· the'
bungalow of the, fyJaharaja ()f Patiala.. , Shahu's f.riend Claude
Hill paid a call on. him at_his residence.· On November ·4, the:
day of the, infoµn~t meeting· 0£1 the conference, Shahu was given.
a lot .of papers _to read. (, He took Chimanla1, Chief Revenue
Officer of Bhavnagar, Prince_ Rajaram and'Dewan Sabnis to the
conference. He, w.as urging -wood to consider his ·suggestion
about the formation of a tiribunal. He had printed a leaflet on
the subject and circulated it among. the members of the con-
ference. On November· 6 Wood· informed· him that Montagn
was expected. to arrive in Delhi on the morning of Sunday,
November 17, 1917, and the Viceroy suggested that Shahu
should stay on in Delhi over the 12th for an interview which
Shahu would probably wish to have with Montagu. Shahu,
theyefore, decided to prolong his stay in Delhi till after the 12th
November.
AJ; Shahu was . suffering from an acute cold, he desired the
Maharaja of Bikaner to read his note on agriculture at the
conference. Shahu was afraid he would not be able to see the
writing in the dim light of the Council Chamber. So if he broke
down or could not see the writing he said he would at once sit
clown. Shahu attended the Viceroy's party where he met several
important officials. It was during this stay in Delhi that he
requested Hill to allow him to name after Hill the sanatorium
which he was building for consumptive patients a:. it was the
desire of all that "your name shall ever b~ rememb~red ju
Kolhapur as that of a disinterested and sincere friend". He
thus expressed his feelings "for all your kindness not only to
myself but to my whole family". 1!!
Shahu read his note on the Development of Agriculture on
November 8, at the Princes' Conference. He said he was happy
to note that the interest of the Government was not going to be
ccntrccl on the supply of raw products for the manufacturing
centres of .England, but it was going to be extended to the general
development of agriculture and improvement in the condition
of Indian agriculturists. 1Iore than eighty per cent of the popu-
lation of India. was dependent on agriculture.
The Indian cultivator knew, Shahu observed, that his methods
 COMMUNAL REPRESENTATION' • 289
\\oere crude but these methods. suited his economic tonc1Jtions.
The disab1ht1es under '\\hich he worked were illiteracy, want of
cheap capital, smallness o( holdings and want of organisation in
tbe disposal o( hts produce. TQ get over the fi;rst di..ffi.culty Shahn
had just introduced compulsory primary education in Kolhapur.
But he had taken the precaution to limit the education of the
sons of \-dlagers to the tluee 'R's and to the practice of agri.
culture The education 0£ the villagers, Shalrn opmed, should
creace a pnde m tl1eir ancestral oo:upation and not disdain. "A
village school'', Shahu said, "will generally be provided w1th a
.sma.U farm to create- pride in pl1rsical fabour. Our boys shnuJd
undcntand the d1gmty of labou.r." 'To remove the difficulty in
obtammg cap1r.al, Shahu suggested that co-operatfre societie,
should be established. The law of inhentance came in the way.
"We c;lfl only limit", he added, "farther fragmentation of the
suney numbers. Tlus is a malesh1£t but 1t 1s worth attempting,''
In conclusion, Sh.mu appealed to the Government to keep all
departments open to the students from the Srntes ami to gl\•e
facilities to the State officers These v1ev.s on agm:ulture and
co-operathe soaeties show th.at Shahu was a progressne ruler m
his <lay.
As a part of the note on agriculture, Shahu wrole to Maior
H F. Gordon of Babag:arh to supply him with some infonnation
on the mules and I1orses that Gm,emment could purchase, to
state their Sile, girth bone, height and prices for ariimals of
different ages and to name tl1e depot to i'l'l1ich they sbould be
senL Shahu further said, "My experiences in mule breedmg
ha\.e had a f,:ur success and after getting the details from }OU 1
shall try to rear a breed that may be of use to the GO\ernment,"

JV

lJunng Shahu's stay in Delhi, Bhaskarrao Jadhav wrote on

No,embcr 9, 1917, a. letter to Deltan Sabms. In it he ga\C an
account of Laxmanrao K1.dosl.ar's Hnt to Kolhapur in the fint
v,eel... of November 1917. "Mr. L:i.xm.anrao KitlosLar'', he
obse;ned, ..of the Iron-Plough-fame came here about thJee d3)S
ago. H:e 't."3.m\Ct <y:.t nw and. cast iron and the necess~ty o(
closing down hi:s ,~ ork is staring him in the face He JS trymg to
SC-19
29Q. SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

start iron smelting, if iron ore can be worked profitably."

Active,• clever;: industrious and adventurous, Lax.manrao
K~rloskar was full of patriotic and progressive ideas and showed
great industrial foresight. From the industrial survey of the
Kolhapur State he had come •to know that good ore was found
at Sonurle and Talgaon. Kirloskar took a maund or two of ore
for an anal'yser's testing. If 50 per cent and more of iron could
be smelted, there was possibility of his starting the work.
Jadhav proposed that Laxmanrao Kirloskar should be given
substantial concessions and allowed to work at a nominal
royalty. Later, on May 11, 1918, the agent of Kirloskar
approached the Darbar again for iron ore and Bhaskerrao
Jadhav requested the Darbar to help the Kirloskars in their dire
need and pull them through. They wanted to find out
whether iron could be melted at commercial prices. They need-
ed about 30 wagon loads of iron free of charge from the Besapur
jungle. Bhaskarrao Jadhav requested the Dewan to persuade
the Maharaja to issue ord~rs before May 15, 1918, so that they
might be able to remove the material.
This letter of Bhaskarrao Jadhav· also shed much light on the
stimulus Shahu gave to the work of the Satya Shodhak Sama_j.
"The seed", Bbaskerrao observed, "sown by His Highness ever
since he took up the reins of the Government is bearing fruit.
The Satya Shodhak Samaj's work is flourishing outside and the
non-Brahmins are picking up courage to assen themselves.
Something should be done to make the agitation permanent."
And stating with enthusiasm that he was to visit Karkol and
Karjat concerning the work of the Satya Shodhak Samaj, he
concluded: "The success of the Satya Shodhakas so far is due
to the efforts of His Highness and they are all anxiously looking
to him for help." The fact was that Latthe, Jadhav and Dongre
spent their leisure time in propagating the cause of Satya
Shodhak Samaj until the arrival of Kothari on the scene and
later of Shripati-ao Shinde who devoted himself to the work.
The triumvtrate's leisurely activities could not give the proper
stimulus to the work of the Satya Shodhak Samaj. Thereafter
the work and mission of the Satya Shodhak Samaj grew, though
it am1mcd a political character.
The leaders of the Samaj had some support from Bh1gwant
 CO\l.\fUN \t, RLl'RESL'fl'AllON

ll. P,lebr \\ho h:i.d slatted Jagnit, on Octo~ ~. 1017, at

Baroda. His policy was independent :md he helped the sociai
re, olut10n as "'ell as ll1e poht1cal one. P:i.lelar was a self-mad<!"
man. He had risen from compositor to editor and was a chant•
pion in the cause of the non-Brahmins.
Shahu ,1as deeply interested m placmg the \'iews of the Princes
before ~fontagu. He drew the~r attention b) a confidentiJl
letter ,~hich he nrote on No,ember IO, 1917, awakening them
to the importance of l\Ion1agu·s lJSit. "There can be no hann
in an exd1ange of ideas among us as to the legitimate dainu of
the Prmccs m the constitutional reorganization, Complete
aloo£ncss and qmcsccnce on the part of the Prmces :.u this junc•
turc, 1t seems to me, l'tould defeat m some measure the ,ery pur-
pose for "'hidi L11e Rt. Honourable Mr, l\Contagu bas under~
tal..en this arduous tnp to India." Sta.ling that the Pnnces were
ent1tle<l to claim reprcsent.J.tion 1n 1he Councils of the Empire
concernmg matters "'bid1 affected them, the',f Gmetnment aml
tl1eir people, Sftalrn ga,e an outlme of 11is scheme m "'hkh he
indicated the esta bhshmen t of Princes' reptesentam es to meet
surultaneou.dy with the lmperfa.l Legulathe Assembly having
po\\er to Ieg1slate m co.operation with the ImperJal Leg1slat1vc
Assembly on matters affectmg the country including the States,
Another proposal Shahu made £ram Delhi on No,ember
IO; 1917, was about the memonal in Poona he wanted to ctert
to Chhatrapat1 ShivaJi, It w.i.s to consist of a central hall with
Sbfra1i's life size i.tatue and a hostel to accommodate a hunJred
Maratba students. The insututwn was to act as a rall)ing centre
for l\faratha activities all O\et India gnmg a ron1,.'lete shape and
1mpems to the diverse endca.'i'OIITT for the ad,ancewent of the
Maratha community. Shahu wrote this letter to Ra1esaheb of
Dhar and Dewat and said that it was a p~}·chological mo\ement
to do the worl.. Demandmg a hberal and prompt support froni
all the l\faratha rulers, Shahu added that the matter s1ood very
nea.r his heart. To enlist their support lie ~nt Pawar and Jadh:w
to them, The tost of the memorial Shahu estimated at mpces.
'
three Ial.hs ,1
, A few days earlier Shahu had been implored by Kh1serao
Jadha\.· to preside o\er the 1\Iaratha Educational Confercnce-
"'hich was to be held at K.bamgaon. The Rajesaheb of MudhoJ,
2.92 SIIAUU Cllll.\TRAl',Hl! .\ ROYAL IU'.\'OLIJTIQ:0-.\R'l

who had promised to preside over it, was unable to do so 011

account of his illnc!:>s. So Shahu w;1s pn:~sc<l to 1~n:sidc over it.
Khascrao took an acti\'c interest in the education of the
i\Iarathas and was entrusted with the execution of the scheme
about the Shivaji Memorial. At the cud of No\'cmhcr 1917,
Khascrao visited Poona and ~em an c~timate to Shalrn about the
building, lands and other things. Shahu's :n1g11St p1cscncc at
the conference, Khaserao Jadhav hoped, would bring together
the scattered unil:i of the historic Mamtha community.
On November II, 1917, Wood wrow to Shahu askin•.~ him to
meet i\fontagu at 12.'!0 hours on No\·embcr 12. \Voocl politely
infom1c<l him that the interview with Momagu was m:tinly for
the purpose 0£ making His Highness' acquaintance. Should
Montagu ask his opinion on Home Ruic or any other quc:stion,
'Wood added, "You will, I have no doubt, speak out your mind
quite freely. That is the proper cot~rse and I am confident that
your opinion will carry great weight." After his interview with
Montagu, Shahu was to meet ·wood and the i\faha!·aja of
Bikaner.
. Accordingly, Shahu Chhatrapati met :\Iontagu on November
i2, 1917, at noon. After the usual fo.m1ality, they discussed the
extension of Lord vVillingdon's term, the position o[ the Indian
Princes, the .unsympathetic treatment they 1·cccivcd and the
demand for an independent tribunal on the lines o( the Hague
Tribunal. Montagu then asked Shalrn whether Home Rule
would a[ect the Native States. Shahu said it :woukl and added
that the Princes should be able to cope with it. As Home Rule
would be in territories sur,rounding Indian States, it might be
necessary for the Princes to give more rights to their own people.
13ut in Qrder that the people should understand the rights given
to them, it :was absolutely necessary to introduce com{Julsory
primary education in India. For Home Rule to be successful,
it was necessary that the caste system should disappear and iJ1ter-
marriages should take place; othenvise, Shahu said, there was
the fear of the development of oligarchy.
Dt~ring the interview Shahu referred to a note from the l\:faha-
raja Sayajirao Gaikwad who, Shahu said, was supposed to be
very clever and had more experience than the other Indian
Princes. Montagu desired to see the note, but Shahu did not
 C()m,IL:\'AL REPREStNfA.TION" 293
gne it as it uas marle<l prhate and confidenual, In his note
SayaJirao fonl cxprencd SJntllar 1-ich.J, .and the Maliaraja of
Nabha aha had ,upponed Shahu. Shahu said tb~t the Princes
did not uant any powers as Congressmen did, but their heart-
burning would be stopped 1£ Momagu ga\e efI~t tc, the demands
li.ned m his brOchure on the mbunal. He said th~ Go'rernn1,ent
should talc ad\':tnt.1~ ot I.he uul1tary ttadmons of the !ifarathas
£or recruitment. The l\fa.rathas wanted not money but lan<l.
German colonies in Afru..a. Shahu said, should ne\'er be retnmed
ro die Germ.ms, but tl1e Janda in German ~Urica should be
gncn to the: Marathas and other .soldiers who had fought loyally
for the King.
Shahu kit DeUJi on NoH·mber )3, 1917, Je;ning behmcl De»an
Sabms to sound the lugh offia.als 0£ the G<nemment of India on
the Bala Maharaj case. To his sore disappointment, Sa,bnis
found that the,r opimon was ad,erse to the Darbar, G. R.
Lowndes in£onncd the Dewan that the Advocate General had
gi..-en .m opinion unfa,ourabk to UlC Darbar and it was not easy
!or them to go c:ounter to his advice m such impottant matters.
Still1 Shahu pursued the matter with unlbggmg derennmation
and l1oping against llope. On hrs it.3f to .Uombat, !lhahu attend·
ed the hla ceremony 0£1 his would. be daug:hter-in-law at Baroda
and .set lus seal upon tbe ,engagement. 1-rom Baroda, Shahu
·wrote to S1r Sankaran Nair req uesung h1m to pay a vistt to
Kolhapur. He $atd he was sorry he roul<l not ~ce Nair at Delhi.
,Or.JAmbedbr had returned front London in August 1917,.
aban<lonmg lus studies !or v,ant 0£ funds. A«Qrtlins; to the
agreement, he bad made with the Baroda authoritie-;, he began
to senc m Bamda; but a.Iler .suflering humilrnt,ng u-eatment at
the hands o( the caste-Hinuu officers, derl..s and peons, Ambcdl..ar
returned to Bombay.', The Indian National ContP"Cu, v.hose rcJ.I
ch.ttnp1on was T1laL, had, conuJered U1e problem~ of the
Depressed Cla55es beyond its dehberauons. Many Congress
1e.ukrs, who ne, er :uJ..ed them.sch es whether tJ1e Depres~d
Classes got \l.ater to dnnk, food to eat, clothes to v.ear o:r hberty
to rccehe educatfon in the fand, $Uddeniy began to show a. lo,e
for the Depressed Classes. The Home Rule leaders in Maha•
rashtra bemg almost all Bra11mms "ere apatheuc to this problem.
A~ .(ew da}s ea.rl~er. Profes.!'0[1 S. .M., Paranjpe had ridiculed
294 SHAHU CHHATRAPATX: 'A ROYAL ,REVOLUTIONARY

V:isvesvaraya, Dewan of Mysore; for trying to remove untouch-

ability. -• ' • ••
The Congress wanted the support of the Depressed. Classes
for the Congress~League Scheme in which a premium was pt.it
on the separate identity .of the ,Muslims, but no notice was taken
of the existence of the Untouchables. Two Depressed Classes'
Conferences metin ·Bombay; .·The one inspired by•Sir Narayan
Chandavarkar. was held, atd'vladanpura, Bombay, on NoYember
11, 1917,• agreed to support the Congress, whereas the other
opposed the.transfer oLpoweir to-the caste-Hindus and appealed
to the Government to··gram.:them the right to choose their own
representatives. At that time Arobedkar's step-mother had died
and so he could. not participate· in .the ~econd- conference with
whose opjects he. was not:in: agreement..
, •.At tl,Iis . s_tage. Tilak addressed. ·on November 8, 1917, · a
trell).end91..1_s; meeting -at Shanwar. Wada in• Poona under--the
auspices of the:Maratha-Rashtriya Sangh to support the Congress:
League: Scheme .. , Karmaveer Shinde presided over the· meeting as
leader of -the Samaj. - It was: attended predominently, by non-
Brahmins of. diffetenticastes, and also by a number;of Urahmins.
One -leader of every community spoke. Tilak; who· ·wanted to
win the support of the non~Brahrnins for the' Congress-League
Scheme, agreed to speak' OU· behalf: of· the Brahmin community
and shrewdly made a speech ·appropriate to ·the' occasion.- Iri
the course of his speech Tilak said ·that Indi'a· did not want' die
old system· oI Swaraj. She ·wanted to est.ablish her S,iaraj' on
the westerri pattern. The caste system' had resulted in· brfoging
about British rule over India, and if past dissensions continued,
they would· be ruined under Swaraj;
Under. the pressure of circumstances, politicians sometimes
speak what they do not mean. Tilak ·coitld not parry that ·ques-
tion at this meeting, and he played to· the gallery. • But Tilak
took the precaution," as he always· did in such matters, not- to
publish this speech in the Kesari. • People thought that there
was a departure from Tilak's social and political philosophy and
that it was a victory for Shahu's untiring struggle to raise the •
status of the non-Brahmins in •Hindu society· and in· the
administration. •
Tilak's later speeches on this question, however, proved that
 COMMUNAL, REPRESENTATION , 295
tl1e r.peech he had made before the Mara1ha Ras.luri}a Sangh was
a. p3.rt of his strategical mo,e, As a consequence ot the meeting,
Kothari, who had been demanding spc:cial representation for
the .B,1ckward Classes and w.e1 Untouchable!$,' launched a bitter
attack on Kanna,cer Shinde, the prime mo.. er of the meeJmg,
and fanaucally suggested to Co,enunent that Shmde i;hould be
remo,.ed from the Depressed Classes Mission.1,3 Yet Kothari was
the man -»-ho was displeased, with lhe workct1 of the Sat).l
Shodhak Sa!ll3J fot msulting Shinde at the Nipani Conference in
Ap1:1l 19161 "

V
I IJ'

Shahu was glad that Prince Shivaji was pauently smdymg the
pnndples of adminiscracion. Shnaji made sume suggestions
about the tr.msfer of the clerl..s and the officers eYecy fourth }ear,
Princes Ra1aram and, Shtvaji were also tiling an mterest in
' .
busmess emerpnses, and Shahu said to one of his fnend~, ''My
sons. ha,e got tasle for: bu~mess and mt Jounger ~on had already
started business here." ,
In December 1917 Sbahu was pleased to circulate a few oopies
of the book Native State and Post.war R.e/otms v."tltten by
G. R.. Ahh}'arikar, a pleader of Sansli. R. G. Pradhan, a nntaole
leader, sent Shahu his memorandum on political reforms ll-hich
favoured communal representation \Vlth great ieal Sha.bu was
dtscussing the reorgams:uion of India and wanted to meer
.Montagu in Bombay. He had called an informal confcrence on
December 24, 1917. at Bombay and wanted the Princes of Baroda,
Indore, and Jrunnagar to atten,d the deliberatiom m the matter.
Eamestly cequestmg the Mah:.irap of Ilhal-nagar to attend,
Shahu said, "Beheve me, I shall ne, er lead you into .a ditch."
Lord W11lingdon informed hnn that the Viceroy found it im-
possible to n:cei, e tl1e deputatwn of the Pnw:es a.s 1\foniagu was
desperately busy. , ' ,
On behalf of the Deccan Rayat Ass~tfon, the chief leaders
, of the non-Bra.hmm party Kothari, L.uche, Bole and Dhas1..arrao
Jadhav submitted their representations to l\fontagu and
denund~d communal representation for the Untoue;hahles and
Backward Classes. ' •
296 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

It •was Bole, the labour leader of Bombay; who had taken

MacDonald, the labour leader of England, around the mill-area
in January 1914 and showed him the dreadful Jiving conditions
of the workers. The rickety stairs in their houses, the air foul
with stale slop, and the dirty, stuffy, tiny squalor-like rooms,
shocked the labour leader of England.
Meantime, on December 27,. Shrum, on a pressing demand
from Khaserao Jadhav, presided over the 11th session of the
Maratha Educational Conference at K.hamgaon. Born in 1864-,
at Rahimatpur in Satara District, K.haserao Jadhav was a good
organiser and an able, patriotic official. He was Revenue Com-
missioner in Baroda. His hear't always thrilled with patriotism.
A friend of Aurobindo Ghose, he wore Khadi dress and was out· •
and-out anti-British. In fact, it was he who had organised the
Maratha Educational Conference.
Delivering his speech at the Educational Co~fereni:e, Shahu
said he accepted the invitation in deference to Khaserao Pawar
and Khaserao •j adhav. He paid gldwing tributes to Khaserao
Pawar for his ability and enthusiasm as alscno Khaserao Jadhav
and said that education was the real remedy for the ills of the
people and that no country made proiess ·without education.
He, therefore, emphasised the need £or free and compulsory edu·
cation in India. He then referred to the demand for Home Rule
and observed: "At present the great cry is abouf Home Rule.
The question is whether we are fit for it. , We do 'really wish to
have Home Rule. It will give us what we call iife-blood. The
British Imperial Government had sown the seeds of the idea of
Home Rule in our mind. My reasoned opinion is that a time
will come when we will have 'to break down the shackles of the
present caste system. I look fonvard to this result in the interest
of the general moral and material progress. So long as we have
caste dissensions and jealousies among us, we will keep fighting
among ourselves and injure our interests. In order to make us
worthy of Swaraj. it is very necessary to do away with the evil
of the caste system which has been ruinous."
"If castes remain as they are," Shahu asserted, "Home Rule •
in the sense in which it is meant will result in nothinr.- hut a
kind of oligarchy. This of course does not mean, I may tell once
more, that I am against Home Rule. Surely we want it. Under
 COMMUNAL RU'RESENTA110N 29i
the present circumstances, bowt\•er, l\-e mwt ha,e the protection
and guidance of the Bntish Government until the evil of caste
S}.stem becomes meflcctfre To prc'tent Home Rule from culmi-
nating mto oligarchy, \\C mwt ha"e communal repi:esentauon at
least for ten }ears. It will teach us 11,hat our rights are. Once
we lnow them, communal representation can be dispensed with."
In bLS fervent appeal Shahu further said that "the c;JSte
jealousies should be abolished once for alI. High birth or ,,arans
ga,e some prestige 1n society and that \.\-aS in all countries, and
it was not as bad as the caste system. The higher classes should,
like the Samurai in Japan, take the lead in abohshing the caste
S}stem. The revJV.al of the .Mm:1.ms.1 system only would lead to
the revhal 0£ Puramc outmoded ideas. It wolild be heuet if the
leaders gave thought to the present-day ideals: The ideal 0£
integration envisaged by Sh1vaj1 and Akbar was C'll..emplary, and
that is why 1 am aga1nst the system 0£ Chatunarnya £or avoid-
ing dissensions in society. I don't desire to associate myself with
the Sat)'a Shodhak Samaj, Brahmo SamaJ or any Samaj that
"ltauld be the cause of dissensions." Concluding the preudentJaI
address, Shah u said r it was' not enough ' that they sh~uld be
I.inners and soldiers, they should also tal~ part in the develo~
ment o[ trade and industry. He oted the example of his s~ns
who were doing busmess, .Out in all fields, the prehrnin'ary thing
must be education. The !armers should be able to re:id' books
:1 • .. ◄ 1I ~1 j
on agntulture, they should help lhe !}f!-t1sh m the war.
In his day Shahu was not alone in 'advocating tl1e anmhifatioa
o[ caste Dr. P. C Ray was sorry to note that the Indi:m poll•
rkaJ JeJders, who claimed equal rights with Bnt1sh subjects,
were unv,1.Iling to gne equal rig!i_ts to the lo~·er das!es !le too
cited the example ~et by the Samurai, "'ho ga,e the lo'"'er classes,
Ita and Hirime comlll uni ti es, equal' status with themselves and
thus abohshing inequality and graded untoucbab11ity on O1;:t~ber
12, 1871, they took: a strp that led to the' rise of Japan in the
modem world.1'
The Jndu Prakasha v.elcomed Shahu's speech and s;iid tha~ his
remarls about Swa1aj v.ere noteworthy, Shahu had einphatkally
declared, It added, that he -w:u, not against the mo\emcnt for
Swaraj. Commenting on tlus speech of Shahu, the Stmdesh said
in 1lS issue of December 30, 1917, that Sbahu approved 0£ the
298 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

de~and for Swaraj but desired that caste distinctions should dis-
:.appear, prior to its attainment. This condition, it added, well-
.nigh nullified his support for Swaraj.
, . Shahu left Khamgaon the very ,day for Bombay and the next
.day attended the party at the Governor's House given in honour
·-of the Viceroy and Montagu;· After the dinner, Shahu met the
Viceroy and Montagu. On December 28 Lord Willingdon
sincerely .t.hankcd Shahu for •expressing his feelings for him to
Montagu and said it was further evidence of his true friendship.
,$hahu left Bombay. on December 29 for Indore to invite Maha-
..raja, Tukoji:rao Holkar to the marriage ceremony of his son.
,But before leaving for Indore, Shahu wrote to Lord ·willingdon:
';In my interview I wanted· to touch upon the question, in which
1 have been taking· very keen interest, viz., 'the· uplifting of the
~ackward Classes and .especially. ,the Untouchables. • I think the
_:qiatter is_ ()f joint interest to Indian .Princes as well as the British
Goyemment., -:J am strongly of opinion that these classes roust
~11. be properly represented in the reformed constitution of the
Government of India that is under contemplation. In other
-,;ords, I favour communal representation down to the Untouch-
{ t ! •, ,, '

:ables imd esp_ecially for them. Your Excellency already knows

what I have been doing for, them." , . • , . •. -
• • ;ro drive the Government to do his bidding, Shahu offered a
bait to the G:ovemment by assuring it that "so far as I say, that
in 'the Bombay Presidency at le~t I feel th.at I shall have. the
support of' _all Ba~kward Communities and with their help and
,~ith G~~ernment at my back all n:iovements for passiv~ resistance
·could, without difficulty, be made ineffective" .. As he was. not
all_owed an interv,ie-iv, he r~quested the Gove~or to. place his
letter before Chelmsford and Montagu for consideration. •
Thus. from his po)itical demands and the content of the Swaraj
·which Shahu visualised, one can see how he aimed at broaden-
.i~g the base of democracy in India.
 I '

CHAPTER ]8

The Arya Sa111aj

Kulkarni Vatqns

lN the bn;t week of January l9JS. Shalm was in l)e]hi to meet

Lord Chelmsford, but on January 1, his illness pre,emeJ. him
hom fulfillmg the appointment. He met him the ntx.t day, and
!fie)' started discussing the dem,md {or communaJ representa-
tion for the Baclward Classes and Untourhables In Delhi,
.Shahll recehed a telegram from his Chief Polke Officer 1hat a
poster stucl... on a v.-aIJ m a Drahmm locality in Kofhapur pro-
dauned I.hat Shahu \\ ould be, murdered I before february ,'.!O,
Charles CJe,eland, Home Member, at once l.cpt a few police in
plain. dress to guard the place v.hcre Shahu was staying in Delhi,
Shahu was u,mg to persuade Jhe Delhi ;iUJboritin lo recon.slder
or re,1ew the Bala MaharaJ ca~
On January 11 Shahu wrote from Raibai, J{olhapur, th.it
the Nu.am 11,u sawlied w1Lh the e¥.imng .state of thin,i:,s .zml
saw no neo:ssity of the t>nnces' Ch.imbcr. Tho~ l\ho agrted,
he adJed, 1Hth the N1w.m, "may thi:rdore be allo,~cd io
remain oucside the ~pbcre of ,he new uhcmc, bm tliore ,d10
desm: to mo\e 'Y.1tl1 the urnes and wuh to itrcngthen the po,,i-
llon of thclll5ehcs and of their le~ fa,ourcr.l broihers s.hould
conunue and 1..hus u; to 1mp10,e d1cn· hie··. lie ho_pN tl1.1c
the Princes l\Ould see tl1e l\1M.loro of fallmg U\ line hJth the
olhcrs. and c,cnu.u!Jy tlu:: Rajamandal (Pt111cn' Ch::imbcr)
would cxpccss. tht:. ,icws nf all of 1f1cm
. .Sluhu had appointed R. \\'. Glapte 10 meet :and klunr.l the
Phnccs on ibis point. Aaonlm~ly. J1c got in toudi ~uh t11e
~lahar,1j;i. of l'atJ.:i.ti. .iml other Prmces,. anJ la: infonn~ 511:ahu
lh.11 die .MahataJa, ol P:atub.. had K:ad the Nua111·, no1c.2 In
m
300 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

this work Gupte had utilised the services of Khaserao Jadhav,

who visited the Princes of Gwalior, Baroda and Patiala among
others and discussed the issue with them: . lG1aserao Jadhav
said that the Nizam required to be educated to accept the new
ideas3 and endorsed Shahu's view that there should be a
Supreme Judicial Court for India to deal with cases arising
between the Government of India and the Provincial Govern-
ments. Gaikwad arid Shahu wanted a little freedom to get
rid of the Residents and of Provincial Governments' interfer-
ence in their rights.
The marriage of Prince Rajaram was fixed for April I, 1918,
and was to be celebrated at Baroda. Shahu wrote to Gaikwad
to come to Kolhapu'r for a short time for a change and to ;reside
at Sontali Camp. It was a quiet place four miles from the city~
and its climate was delightful.·
The political' atmosphere' in Kolhapur was getting dusty and·
tense.' Owing 'to the arbitration system which Shahu had intro-
duced for obtaining recruits, the Brahmins, landlords and money-
lenders were creating dis'iurbances in many villages. Tney
threatened a boycott of agrii:'ulturists by refusing to advance
them loans for marriages or eveff for agricultural purposes.
Bhaskarrao Jadhav, Chief Revenue Officer, was encouraging
people to start· credit co:operative societies, especially for helping
farmers, and Shahu expected hirri to tackle the problems created
by the Brahmins and landlords. -
On January 18, 1918, Shalrn ,vrote to R9bertson that liis
brothei· had. helped him in the Imperial work of collecting
money for the War Loan Fund and· in recruiting and so he
should be given some perm.anent status by putting him above
Vishalgad and Bavda. • Shalm was happy that by educating uon-
Brahmins he could take them Up in his administrative services
and tbe Brahmins had lost their· hold on tbe State machinery.
The non-Brahmin leaders were now. asserting themselves in
society. In order to break dowii the Bral1min supr'emacy, he said~
he had also encouraged the Christian missionaries and their work'..
Revealing his mind to Robertson, Shahu further said' that he
had bi.ken a vital decision: "'For a similar purpose now I :i.m'
taking up the Satya Shodhak Samaj and the Arya Samaj. I my-
self am 'an Arya Samajist at heart and an admirer or its principles
 DIE ARYA SAl!AJ: A.VU,I.RM VA.TAfll.S !OJ

though I neH:r said so openly. The Brahmins treated roe \ery

badly and espeaall) the treaunent they I1a\e meted out to me
after my speech at Khamg:.wn at the Marntha Educational {..\in-
ference ·was the immediate cause for my openly ,nowing zny
admiratmn for the pnnciples of A.r)a Sam.aj. lt taught us 10
suck to the Vedas and not Puranas ''"h1ch au: the later growth
created by the Btahnuns l\Iyself and Sir Pratap SmghJi, Maha-
raja of Idar, had many discussions about these prmaples anti ,\e
are of (he same opm1on "
"As the creation of the Doanling 1nstituccs," Sliahu ooncluded,
"had d~tro}ed the .Br.ahmin Jeadenhip in social and other mauen,
so the two Samaj mo,ements are calculated to do al\ay l\1th lhdr
relig1.ous leadership. Sir Pra.tap Smgh was hated by the Brahmins
became he \\as an admuer of the Arya Samaj pnndples ,\h1ch
t~ach the equality of man and does away ,uth the religious
monoPQIY of the Dralunins. l\Iy Ana Samaj v.ouIJ be on I-he
Imes of tl1:\t o( Sir Pratap SinghJi and lam sare I ~hall be able to
l.ccp it on l.11<: right ·track."
In Sb;ihu',_ JJfe the }ear J9J8 prou:d to be a iuming pofot.
At this Juncture he \\as inwardly J.isplcased witlt Lhe Sat}a ,
Shodhak SamaJ for its inefficiency .and openly e,:pres.sed h4 di.r
satisfacuon \\.1th tts \\ork at the Mar.uha. F.ducational Conference
in K11amgaon.
Shabu's chief object in sponsoring the .\I)a: SaillilJ in KoJ11a•
pur 11a.s to breal down Lhe llrahmm imp1cruacy ,ducl1 the
5at)a Shodhal SamaJ had failed to do He "'ante1l the A11.a
SamaJ to help the Sat)a Shodhak SamaJ.
:Mahatma Phooley's Sana1amk. 1Sal)a Dharm.a-Pustalr. l1ad
pre~be<l some reasonable .rcJ1g1.0us rites. Jloy,c:1,cr. tl,ough
500ally Pltoolcy's m<m:menc was iu ~ y rupcc.u .i nToh.iuon.uy
one, it wo pla)ccl a somci.~bat reformist role in reli~ous riluals.
lt did not £eel the neccs.s1ty for propaga1ing a new religmn or a
new religious S)!ilClll dc:signc:J. 10 sc~c the needs o( cite lltmlu
society, It \\35 a. r.uion:d att.3d:. on die p1c1uJic:cs and supcr-
stitfow faith sanctified by sc:lfuh Br.ahmiru in tlmr Krip1ur.1J
dogmas.
Jn h.iJ Akbarian zeal, Sb.1hu h.ld :ilre.ady tried 10 t-!.U.blh.h
cont.act \\id1 the TI1cosophial Society through h11 fnend
W. D. TophkJunc and b.ad Ul,ited Or. s\Jlnie Jkunt anJ. ollic:.r
302 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI! A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

leaders to Kolhapur in 1915. But Theosophy could ·not satisfy

Shahu's needs. So he gave up his enthusiasm for it. although
he had a soft comer for its leaders, Annie Besant and George
Arundale. Tophkhane, a Theosophist, was his friend and his
adviser, and was in charge of the Vidyapeeth in Kolhapur. Shahu
did not support the gentle and pious Prarthana S:imaj or
Brahmo Samaj as he observed, it had no authoritative religious
book. The sweet spiritual essence which it derived from all the
religions had no appeal to the masses.
- The Satya Shodhak Samaj organisation lacked the depth and
intensity of its founder. Its leaders were spreading the ideas of
the Samaj as best they could. They· fought ignorance and caste
prejudices. To some extent they were successful in promoting
social equality and in bringing down the pride and an-ogance
0£ the Brahmins. Shahu, being a· ruler, had his limitations, and
it was not possible for him to shoulder the responsibility £or
their attacks on and bitter criticism o[ Brahminism in Maha-
rashtra outside Kolhapur. So he thought that an outside agency
for ·whose action he would not be held 'directly responsible would
be a better instrument to serve his purpose.
The next day Shahu wrote to Wodehouse that the Satya
Shodhak Samaj had no solid foundation while the Arya Samaj
had a foundation_ in the Vedas. According to his faith, Shahu
seems to have regarded the Vedic· religion as some sort of a
national religion. Moreover, the Satya Shodhak. Samaj had not,
like the Arya Samaj, established large and effective educational
institutions to spread education among the masses, • although
they were doing that work in the villages on a moderate scale
in Maharashtra.
So far Shahu had been a believer in the worship of
images of the· gods and he could not, he said, dispense with
it. The Satya Shodhak Samaj believed in theism, b;t the god
of its founder's conception was limitless and unknowable. Dewan
Sabnis, a great admirer of Dayanand Saraswati; must have sup-
ported Shahu in choosing the Arya Samaj at this psycholog.ical
moment. Though not prepared to give up his faith in idol
worship, Shahu decided to provide an opportunity to the Arya
Samaj to play its role in Kolhapur.
In those days the Arya Samaj was a religious and social instil
 71Q: A.Rl'A SAMA]: E.UU4RNl \',ff.-\.'1,'S $Q$
tution, ~nd :he Ga.eminent helped i[, became t11e Ana
S.tmaJist's co-operated l1ith the Go,emrnent and did not dabble
in J>Olitics. The Arya. Sama, aUoned the Vedokta ritual! to all
IHndus l\hidt '"ere: denied to Sbahu by the B1ahmins of the
Deccan. So it also upheld hu pncl1ologicaI and moral pnde. In
addition 10 this, JJle the S,U}a Sliodhal SJm:1.j, lhe Ana Samaj
bclie\ed in abolishing untouchability, ,1hich object 1\as near
Shahu's 111:att.
Compared witlt I.he Ana Samaj 1deolo1n, tI1e Sat)a Shodh:iJ,
Meology ,,.u more Jiber.d, tolerant .and ratlon.:J.l. The Arr.2
Samaj had a much narrower but more militant o-eed, dc,•ised as.
it was tc, fight \\i.tl1 great ,mlity tl1e aggre~sion and inroads of
1sl.rm .and Clm.manuy. But the Atla SamaJ lacked Mahatma
Phooley's emphasis on the welfare or farmers and ,~orkers, and
espcually his gre!ll rehg1ous tolerance and unnersal Jove. Be-
sidc1, the Sat)a ShoJhak Samaj behe,e<l tn modem knowledge
and SCJencc, l\liezt"a; the At}a SaJruj beJie1ed th,:it there was no
l..nov.Iedge be)ond the Vedas ,
Shahu remembered that his olfer to nrahmms for the recon-
stntction of Hmdu society on the basis o{ the Vedas and of soctal
and rcl1g1ous equality had been totally rejected by the Brahm1ns
in the early decade$ or the century. 1--ot a wlule Shalrn, there-
fore, seemed to shift his emphasis from the removal of poverty
and from tl1c material .md moral progresS of Ms .subjects to tJic
final liquidation of Brahntimsm. .
Shahu was not a thinker or theologian. He was a pn.ct,cal
reformer who arrned at his decmons abm.lt refonns through the
ddficulties he had to face m bettering the lot of the Depressed
and Suppressed classes. Their uplift and the winning for them
of tf1e1r rigfHfoI p<mnon in society he regarded as 1us mara)
respons1bihty. This was the gu1dmg and motm: force behmd
lm acuons He, therefore, effected his refonns l'.ith all the
re~ourcefuiness at his command. It is Ob\ious how tlnougn that
process he came to the belie£ step by step m the abolition of
the caste s}stem. Alter hberaung his administration from
r.uropean dom111ation he had resolved to £tee the Bad,itard and
Depte.sseJ cbsses from BC3hminism which had bred aisteism.
To [n::e his administration from Ilrahmm dommat1on, Shahu
ele\ated the B.ick1tard Classes, and to elevate the Backwartl
304 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI; A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Classes he fought Brahminism which had kept the non-Brahmins

for ages -in ignorance, poverty and mental slavery.
Thus the Arya Samaj· was sta,rted in Kolhapur towards the
end of January 1918, as .stated by Shahu in his letter mentioned
above. He diµ ~is ·with. the help of Pandit Atmaram from
Baroda. The Arya Samaj sent Swami Parmanand of Agra to
teach the Vedas and help the Satya Shodhak Samaj and also to
tea~h the Untouchables. Shahu had made a declaration against
the caste system at Khamgaon and, in conformity with it, he
informed Khaserao Jadhav in his letter of February 3, 1918, that
he had started a branch of the Vedic Dharma, i.e. the Arya
Samaj, as it retained its Vedism and at the same time was a
means of decreasing caste prejudice and obscurantism. So he
desired different Princes of different castes to marry according to
the principles of Arya Samaj and the Vedokta form and establish
blood relationship. In. doing so, they would not only preserve
their Hindutva but also their Vedic religion and it would pros-
per. In conclusion, Shahu said that free and compulsory edu-
cation was required to dispel ignorance and caste prejudice and
to bring about national unity. The ·Arya Samaj was a means to
abolish the caste system. The Arya Samaj was to do reconversion
work, and do away with caste while ·.the ifindu Missionary
Society (Bombay) reconverted. many people to Hinduism but
the caste problem remai;,_ed. as the converted people were with-
out caste.. No institution in the country,. Shahu obsen·ed, ·not
even a Municipality or a Village Panchayat could function
smoothly if it was not free from caste influence.
After all said and done, Shahu did not hate the Brahmins as a
class, he hated Brahminism which treated non-Brahmins with
disdain. Had he hated Brahmins as individuals he would not
have kept them in his service.,. His policy was to give representa-
tion to various elements of the population in proper proportion.
He was giving effect to the principle slowly and thoughtfully not
ruthlessly. In 1894, of the 71 officers in the Government Depart-
ments of the State, 60 were Brahmins whereas in 1922, of the 95
officers in the same departments, 36 were Brahmins and 59 were
non-Brahmins. In the private departments, of the 53 servants,
·16 were Brahmins and 7 were non-Brahmins in 1894, whereas i?,
 TIIE ARY.\. SAMA]: 1>.V.LKARNJ VATANS SO!i
1922 the Brahmins v.ere 43 and the non•Drahmins were 109 m
addmon w i11hlch rl1ere ~-1-ere sen ants from the Depressed Classes.
The dissensions in Shahu's own camp between 1915 and 1918
led to .the reest.1bll$hment of Drab.min inlluenc.e in Scace affairs.
Tophl..hane, ,~ho became a close fnend of Shalm in those da)s,
obsenecl in his Memoirs that Shahu often sadly s.a1d he 11.~d few
men whom he trusted Most of them were sycophants; and
they rarely supplied him with accurate data or gale him sound
ad\lce
The editor of Vishva-Bandhu, a Maratha gentleman, ~s~crted
on Nm•ember 2], 1915, that whatever efforts Bapusaheb Chatge
ancl others had made m extending the mflue~ce of the rifarathas
and the Bad.ward Classes, there was relaxation m their efforts
on account of the ''Brahmins being the MaharaJasaheb's object
of confidence" Statmg that the appointment of a J\faratha clerk.
wa; becoming a rarer occurrence, the Vi.shva-Bandhu observed
I.hat the officer wl10 explamed matters to I-fo Highness was a
Brahmin, tl1e Chief Judge, the Dutrict Magistrate, the Khasgi
Katbhan, the l'ub]Jc Prose~utor, tlie C1ty Polu:e Ofliccn, the
Superin;endents of Tecb~ical Schools, the 'Assistant Judge, the
Jailor and tne Darbar Surgeons l'.e~ all Brahmms!
\\'1th the amstance of the Arya SamaJ, Shalrn began to lower
the presuge, po"er and preponderance of the Br.tlunins in the
admimstratfon of his State \V1th outstanding ability and energy
he discussed the Arya Samaj mo"ement, 1ts principles and its
sooal and legal aspects with the Oenan of Baroda in Bombay.
He· also requested lnm to supply him Mth copies of the lm\S that
I.hey had made for Baroda State lo a.bo11sh cenam socia.l abuses
in matters of mamage and m a number of degrndmg caste
customs. It v.as hts sincere desire to m::iJ.e laws concerning social
matters.
The Brahmin opposit10n ,~as indignant wuh him for many
reasons On the morning o[ January 30, 1918, :igain a p~ter v.as
found stuck on a house in the Upadh}ay Bowa's lane near the
road Jeadmg to the Ambaba.i: temple. lt declared 1h.at tbe
Darbar bad run riot, and if the State was not annexed by the
Bntish, the Maharaja v.ould be murdered before Febru.uy
20, 1918.
se-.zo
30.6 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI; A ROYAIL REVOLUTIONARY

,.II
, >: : ~

On January 30, 1918, Shah:u had left Bombay for Delhi to

attend the Princes' Conference and was in Delhi when he was
info1med ab~ut the p~ster and asked to take precautions. As
Shahu's life was threatened, ~he Home Member of tµe Govern-
ment ' ,of India,' C. R. !,Cleveland,
'
engaged Mir Badshah as a
I'• ' ' ' >, ' '

personal escort .to guard Sha}:iu till he reached Kolhapur. Shahu

had taken his daughter-in-law, Prince Shivaji's wife, to see Delhi
and the Golden Temple at, Amritsar..
At the Princes' Conference Shahu impressed upon the Princes
the necessity of the Tribunal. On February ,1, 1918, some Jndiat;i
Princes including Sh~hu met Montagu· and Chelmsford. They
accepted the "Chambe~· of Princes and their advisory committee,
;md agreed to redraft the paragraphs asking for a Commission
o[ Inquiry and a. Hague tribunal.'' 4 Montagu staggered the
Princes by ask,ing them to prove their stories about the broke~
treaties and they hedged.
On February 5, 1918,. Shahu made a. fresh attempt to secure
representation for the smaller Chiefs whom the Patiala draft had
<lecickd to drop. "I differ from the P~tiala draft scheme about
the composition of the Chamber," Shahu observed, "and enter
my strong prntcst against it. It is decidedly a set-back on the
Hibner note. The scheme gives the eligibility for admission to
the Chamber to those Princes only who had unrestricted civil
and crimin,tl jurisdiction over their own subjects and the power
lO make their own laws." Just as the British Parliament, Shahu
added, did not make any difference between Lords and Dukes,
~o they ~houl<l not make any distinction hetwecn any Chiefs ancl
Princes or "we might give votes to group5 of States on the basis
0£ salutes, extent of population, powers, etc., if a body all the
Prinu:s h considered unwicl<ty."
Thc :\foha,aj;t of Gwalior maclc a \'Cry thoughtful speech
before tht.: conkl'cncc. That afternoon, ).[ont,1:.;u finished
the Prinn::.' Conft:rcncc with votes of th.mks.
Ou February 7, l!Jl8, Sli:1hu wrow from Delhi to one Reuben
to f:.<.:l for him from .\frka four fcmah: and two male c~trichcs
.md t,,·o full-giown female du:cta:; for his wo al Kolha[)llr, On
 THE A.R\'.\ SAM.\J; J..ULK.UtNI YATANS 307
bis way back, Sbahu left his. daughter.in-law at Gwahor as the
l\fal2aro1a of Gwalior 1iad lme .we.I affection foi the Kolhaput
Ro)al f:umly Shahu ,\as much pleased w1th the l\faharaJa ot
Gwalior for shoi\1flg a regard for !us fanuly He planned to "isit
Ilha,n:t,o"'al" to imite the Maharaj;i to the weddmg o[ his son at
Baroda. 1

Shalm returned to Kolhapur on February 10, 1918. As a ruler.

tl1e influence of his catholicity spread to all sections o{ soctety.
His connections wnh the nussionary authoriues of :'.\firaJ "'ere
weU l.nown, He was called by the .l\firaj .l\f1ssion stutlents to
:address them. SbaJJU gfadJy .accepted their m,'1tation and t1Tote
to Jatlhav that he felt really proud that they should consider him
one 0£ I.hem. "I should ne,er forget." he said, "this honour
done to me and I "alue 1t most.'' .But he mstructed Jadhav that
at <lmner ne,rher beef nor- porl. should be sened to him and
Bala.saheb.
The Clue( of Ichallaranji ne,er forgot h1s feud w1lh Shahu
and was u-ymg to find out through h1s agent how the {cudatorie.s
of Baroda Ii.ad thrown off tfie o, erlord)hip of Sa}JJirao On
February 12, 1918, Shahu ,vrote to the Dewan of .Baroda not to
entertain the Chiefs inqumes as he himse1£ was trymg 10 set at
naught Shahu's s0\ereign nghts Idialkaran1i's offi<:en should
not be given access to any offidaJ or p1wate records relating to
the rights of the feud.a tones of Baroda. This, Shahu demanded
of the Barcxla State, in his capae1ty as a relatl\e of the l\JaharaJa.
So far Ferris had not lost contact with Shahu Chhatrapati, hu
faithful and s1:ic:ere friend. In February 1918, Terris 1nme to
Sh~hu that his ltHe had died on January 24,' 1918, 1n a London
Nuning Home. Stnclen with the temble blow, Ferris obsened.
"l\ly dear wife alwa}s spol.e so affectionately of Your Highness
and imanabl} said chat the l,appiest J~an'of her life 11.ere spent
in Kolhapur where we ,\ere mamed and In ed m our }Outh and
\\here ,~e ended our Indian career." Sending his sinre1e con•
<lolences in Ferris's berea,emenc, Shahu said: "I need hardly say
that I 11 as e~tremely sorry to IC"am about her death. She \\3-S a
\fry courteous, kindly and obliging Jady. She tool. motherly
mtere5t in m)~elf and ~ll the 'members of our (amuy and ~ feel
her l<»s deeply:; , •~•,
308 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: 'A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

III
At this time the Darbar received a complaint from the Born•
bay Government that some vague arguments were made before
the Shankaracharya, Dr. Kurtakoti, against the British Go\'em-1
ment and Dr. Kurtakoti did not refute them. Sabnis sent the
letter to Dr. Kurtakoti care of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya,
Allahabad, where Dr. Kurtakoti had gone to attend a conference.
Mahabhagawat Dr. Kurtakoti had impressed Shalrn by his
declaration of progressive views. A tactful and ambitious man,
Dr. Kurtakoti had attained eminence for his scholarship and for
his profession to progressive views. But his business in life was
to hobnob with politics ·and he gave advice freely to Home Rule
workers as. well to the Government. The weekly, which was
being conducted under· the auspices of his Math, had declared
that the word Untouchable must be expunged5 from India's
vocabulary, but his actions did not match his words. On
heai:ing this clecla;ration, some untouchable leaders tried to
pay him a visit, but they were .dusted off: The boldness of his
liberal views, his sympathy and his broad-mindedness were soon
found to be, rather hollow.
The boys of the Miss Clarke Hostel wished in September 1917
to attend a lecture in the compound of the Math, where D,r.
Kurtakoti was to deliver a lecture on· the Vedanta. But they
were not admitted· even into •the extensive ~uter yani of the
large building. Europeans and Christians .converted from th~
untouchable classes could enter Dr. Kurtakoti's Darbar hall, but
not the Depressed Classes.. When asked to explain his conduct
in this matter, he said he. would .not consent to what society
was not prepared to imitate from him.
After addressing the Hindu Conference at Allahabad on
February 12, 1918, Dr. Ku~takoti asked the Home Rule workea-s
to base their agitation on the foundation of religion. The fact
was that social reform was anathema to most of the Home Rule
workers in Maharashtra. Tilak's associate Dadasaheb ,Karandikar
twitted Dr. Kurtakoti by calling him a "reformer" and Dr.
Kurtakoti was hurt by the appellation. And now he declared· at
Delhi that those who we;re Vedics should as a rnle preserve un-
touchability while the others might not do so~ Almost all
 THE ARY.A SA~«J: J..ULKARNI VATA.NS 30!J
Brahntin saints £tom Chaitanya to Dnyaneshwar had a similar
lulewann outlool on untouchabd1ty. They preached equality
in the v:orlu of the splfit, but not in the social world
Dr. Kurtaloti was soon discO\ered to be one o[ the Jeaders
'\\ho opposed '\\idow-remaniage. This slippery path was lead.mg
Dr. Kurtaloti to his downfall from the gadi of Shanl.ara.charya.
He was always incurring the displeasure of the Bombay Go\ern-
menL Shahu was now thoroughly d1S1llusioned with him. In a
fit of depression, Shahu said on February 22, 1918: "You may
gi,•e them (the Bralururu) any good treatment but one thing
aga.inst their wish upsets e,erythmg. It is a most uncomprom1s--
1ng and ungrateful caste." 1
,

On February 19, 1918, Shahu wrote to Robertson that he was

introducing the Talati S}Stem on the British lines, 1rutead of the
prevailmg hereduary Kullam1s The order of l'elJruary 23,
1918, was pllbhshed m the Gazette of l\farch 6, 1918, noufymg to
the people t11at the Kulkarni s}stem was to be abolished &nd the
Talat1 s}stem introduced. Thoi;e who v,,shed to sene as Talatis
~hould apply by the end of April 1918.
'The immediate causes that prec1p1tated t11e abohuon o{ the
Kulk.am1 vatans were found to be in the Re,enue Inquiry Bench
which had sprung from the arbitration courts. appointed in J!Jl7
to,,deude matters, of a Judicial nature regardmg land. The
lnquuy Benell 1mestisated the cases m v.hicb it •Nas found that
lands were passed into the hands of KuH,am1s through tlteir
fraudulent actions. These frauds t1.ete brou6l1t to the narke of
Shahu. D~ides: smce tlie ppb1u::u..ion cf the Kulkarm Lnlomnl,
the demand for the ,1bo!JUon of Kulkamj }'.aLJlns had been m:ule
by' lhe .actne agh.auon c.irtte}L on for mom.Ju b}' the S;u,a-
Shodhak. ,\orlers who v.ere inspired by 1L By its lucid and luud
exposmon, the book_had created a. sensation among the masses.
Meeting after meeting held, by the nacl,~ard Classes had demancl-
ed the abolmon of the Kulkanu s}stem an<l appealed to the
Oatbar 10 get nd of the mtrigues of !.he Kullnmis wJ10 had
emasculated the population. The British Go\etnment hail m-
tro<luced the Talati S}~tem in some of the Brithh districts, but
it commmed die mistake by appomtmg Talaus froin among (hose
,\J1o had v.orkC"d as Kulkamis.., , 'J , , 1
' Sbabu's ambiuo'n to don· -- • - • - • r:- _,.., - -- ·._ t - - -
l ,
310· SHAHU CHHATRAPATr:·A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY
1
fulfill~tl. • At. this juricti.1:f~ he lea~i: • that 'lhe .British Kini~
Emperor ha'cl deddecl ·to c~ll: i \var· Cab_inet' arid Conference 'of
the Empire including thi Doinihic:m of India. If they were likely
to scle~t somelndiari Princes; ·shahu expressed his desire to attend
tn; conference as a repre'sentative: On'Febrnary 18, 1918', Shaliu
therefore a;ked Bapusaheb to writ~.to Claude Hill and meet Lor~
Willing<lon' \c/ cornmu'nicate his' desire' to; attend the' ,CO!}ference;
If necess'city} Bapilsah~b wa's. ordered:, to: go to Delhi:' to ,do' the'
needful i~· the·matter. • On February'28, 1918, Wood replied that
it i.v~s riot' decided as yet whether a' Ruling Priiice ,~\'as 'to be one·
of the :representatives on that 'occasion.
I • ' •
The next day Shahu wrote to Montagu,· thanking him for his
statement tha't the British'Government was anxio'us to respect the
Treaty '.rights' of the States and to· keep :up the dignity and P,ie~
rogative of. tlie Rulers:, ·, , ·• • ,. :·:. :: .. :,:· 11 ;
·, Shahu :sent notes of his views· ori the· proposed·· Ghamber of
Princes and ·the Tribunal, expressing. his opinion that all the
Princes and Chiefs should have representation ,on the Chamber
of Princes. The Seqretary' of the· Chamber, lie saicl, sh01ila be
elected; as-a: selected one would be unpopular, and the presence
of such a Secretary might 'perhaps create a feeling, of dislike -in'
the Chamber itself. "I- am afraid," he, wrote, "the· position'. of
!-I.E. the Viceroy as the head of the Indian Government and' the'
President of the Chamber may on a few occasions· be irre~onci-
lable and anomalous." •
On March 2'1, 1918; an All-India Depressed Classes Conference'
convened 'by Kannaveer Shinde met in Bombay' und~r t.he Presi-
clen tship of Sayajirao Gaikwad.; He made a· fe1~enr ~ppeal,· an~l
his speech breathed a' lofty spirit ~£ real feeling for the d~wn-
trod<lcn. chantlavarkar, Tilak and B. C. Pal also'made speeche;.'
Tilak said that if Gochvere to tolerate untouchability, he would
not recognise Him as God at all. But he added that it ·was not
his role to do active work on 'that behalf as he was ndt c~pable of
leading so many movements.fl Immediately after this speech
Tilak refused to sign the manifesto which declared that its sig:1
uatories would not observe untouchability in their day-to-day
life. , . •
Tilak's opponent, R. P. Paranjpye/said that Tiiak~s was :i st:unt
to please the labour gathering in London, ·and. indeed ·Col.
 TH£ A.Rt"~ S..UttJ: 5-l/UU,IUH VATANS' 3 JI
Wedg« ood, the British labour leader, asked 'Tilak 10 pay more
attention to the ,1elfare of the Untoud1abJes and tbe- JJackt~ard
Classes lt hen he farer met Tdak Ht London TI1e fotegoing
speech o[ 11IaJ... "Aas not. as ,1as Im wont, published in' the
Kesnn. Tilal.. l1ad as1.eJ D.t. Kuttal.ott not to accept the- pJ"esi•
<lentship of' this con£e1cnte because according to Tilak it was
Hllp.ropec for a. rel,gfom head to do so until tl1e people' were
themselves prepared to ,,·elcome me.It a change in society. The
Shanlaucharya. was to follow the' people, not to guide t11-em!
The tole of Shankarachaf}a imder the domination of Tti:& was
quite distenuble to Shahu, • ' ' 1 1 ' " J, 1
lt ,~ ..11 f I I f .... , I '1, 1l 4 ~,.. ~ I 11

l '
To,1 ards the end o[ February, Shahu, who was bmy making
arr.mgements for thelm:irriage ceremony,' 11'":is' 5}1ocJ..ed to hear
that his brothers son-in-law Fatehsinha Bhosle was about to
marry a second time.!/ Shahu's niece TarabaJ, the first \U.fe of
FatehsmI1a had I borne him, two sons and· a daughter, 1' One son
had died. Sh.ahu .a.sl.ed 1\.llss 1\.Ioxon. -»ho was Fatehsmha's for-
mer GO\emess,' to! teII the· Rajesa.heb that he ·would ne\'er be
happy Wlth two whes, both J1aving riuldren. The Jealousv would
be intolerable for the ~aJesa.h.eb. 1 Shaht.1 sa.id hew-ould be failmg
in !us duty if he did not tr)' to jnduce him in hfs own interest 3.S
well as that of hzs Wlle.' He'rrom.i~d ,l\Jm .Mo..-:on th.:U ]1e woula
correct the faults of his mec.e 1£ there were any.' Expfaining-
hfa willingntss to visit Al.alkoc; he fenently imp1ore(1 her to' tell
the Ra1esaheb not to puni$h bis u t.fe lD' ~v-en;Iy, • He said his
'\'lew l\as: social and fncndly. As Sbahu pres~d 1lhe' GO\embr to
use his. influence m this mat1er, ,v1Umg<lon' also· tned to pet,.
.suade'the )Otu1g•Ra1es.t1teb not to marrr again, but'tO no pur-
pose.,-' TI1e• GO\•emment' deplored U1e• anangemcnt, but could
nOf lnferff'J"C,•,f' : , ( f! "' ' / 't ; ' '' 1 'fr fl ll P[

• fine ,demand for corurnunal representation had angeud rh·e

Brahm.ms, for it would lead to the loss of the~r supremacy in· tl1e
political field. 1 Another cause •of rhe.ir anger.,,,•as the support
Shahu Jent to the l'itlu,a-Bandhu l'.hid1 merdies,dy au.,u:led the
T{>'3J:.ite,1 ll.d't'n.wn 'llpJ.-..'-'d" t.11:.u ~ $.'ta.~w ~se-.d J..be ronfu].
e-m:e 'and loyalty Q( the mus of ha subjects, l.t ,roulcl carry him
312 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

safely through his troubles, and Birahmin intrigue would not do

him any harm.
The Maharaja of Indore anived at Kolhapur on March 21, _
1918, to spend part of the hot season at Panhala. vVith great
pleasure Shahu w_rote to his Royal guest that he should keep his
flag with him as long as he was in his territory so that it would
be unfurled wherever he might stay in his territory. It was
Shahu'; earnest desire .to keep those things as mementoes of his
visit to Kolhapur. Lord Willingdon had met with an accident
and had been ill. for some days. Having expressed joy over his
speedy recovery, Shahu informed the Governor of Tukojira_o
Holkar's visit to Kolhapur and said he considered it a very great
honour. Lord Willingdon was. not in a position to attend the
,vedding of Prince Raja,ram, but he asked Robertson to be
present.
Arrangements had been .made for- the happy stay of Shahu's
guests who had come to attend the wedding. Some feudatories,
and his friends such as the Maharaja of Indore, Bhavnagar and
others had sent ,a number. of motor-cars to him for the con-
venience of his guests.
• Shahu and his party rea·ched Baroda on March 29,. 1918, and
the party was received with ceremony and enthusiasm. ~he
bridegroom arrived: the next day and was received '.·with great
pomp. A grand procession followed. Shahu officially ;invited
L,: -Russel, the Resident of Baroda, to. attend the· wedding., Dr.
Kurtakoti was also present.
On April 1 Shahu had .a clash with· the Dewan of. Baroda:
SayaHrao .was to pay the dm.vry- in cash, but on, the ·day of the
wedding Shahu learnt that·Sayajirao'had decided not to pay it
in cash, but to make a grant of .a few villages to Prince Rajaram
under a sanad and a document h_ad .been prepared, accordingly.
In that document -Prince. Rajaram was addressed as ."Bhosle".
In an angry mood Shahu w.rote to Dewan i\fanubhai Mehta
that his family• was not addressed as Bhosle. and returned the
document along with the letter, insisting that the agreement
must be carried out in its original spirit. Shahu further inform~
ed him that he learnt there were difficulties -in receiving the
grant, as one Indian Prince could not under the existing policy
acquire land in another's territory without the sanction of the
 TIIE AR.YA SA.\UJ: K.lJLKA.Mf VATA..-.s SIS
Untish Gm-emment. lt was lherelore advisable, be added. to
pay the dowry in cash. ,
On the day 0£ the marriage. Shahu wrote from Nazarbag
Palace, Baroda, to S.i}aJJr:aO G.a1J.. 1tad and musted that die dowry
be pa.id in at5h and that 1t was cu~rom.uy to pay tlie dowry
before the day of the \\e<lding. He deplored the use of ihe word
asami in the document and also pointedly rellllnded him of a
Pre\.iously broken agreement under which Kolhapur 11as <lcpr.i,-
ed of s1m1far grams made to 1ts Cotmer ruler m 51m1Jar ttrcum-
Slanccs.
\'ct the marriage ceremony was performed on the e,enmg o[
April l uitl1 due pomp and cerernon) at the Indumari Hall m
Daroda in the presenc.e of Tukojirao UoU.ar, the Ra.Jesaheb of
i\~udhol, L. Robenson and other eminent guests. The next day
~hahu bTOte another letter to Sa)aJJt.ao and said, ''1 have to say
with greater reluctance that u 1s not pombfo for me to contmue
furt11er maniage ceremonies and I should be kindly allowed to
to back to Kolbapur today or as eatly as possible wit11 all my
tttmue and_ d:wghter m-fall" Indumati. To my Jr.nowledge I
think I ha,e fully earned out my promise to }ou;r deservmq- son,
the late Yuvaraj Fatte-;inhar.ao Ma.haraJ though l had :i. good
deal of trouble about it". Condudmg, Shahu ~id. "J hope to
be able to $C::e Your Highness before 1 leaie, but m case I do uot
get the opportunity, J say good-b}'e;'
NeHrtheless, Shahu, sta}ed on in B.1ro<la SayaJ1rao, replied
immediately that he was really son}' to be m1sundersw9d and
had e1 ety desire w show respect .:m<l con.sidet.1tw11 for the fed•
fogs of Shahu. 1f the wording of the letter addresi.ed ro the bride-
gtoom suggested, any dJsres~ct, he was really, sotry,,and the
language would be duly.corrected 1£ desired. "Let me assure
Your HJghne.5s," Sayajirao concluded, "that I am wo,;t anxwus
to cherish lour Inend.sMp. , Your abrupt departure js likely to
be mfaundentooJ. I would, tl1e.reforc. rcque~t Your Hishnes.1
to obhge me by seeing all the ceremonies through and Jea,•foi;-
with the best 0£ feelings.'" , 'J ,1 , 1 1

The next day, Ga1l..wad g:ae a banquet m celebration n{ Lhe

1tedtlmg. '\\.'Jule ast.mg Jus guests to dtmJ.. to the health o( his
honoqred fneruf !>'hanu, Jle f SalQ' ui:u ms d¼UngmsJiM" gucsr,
Shahu Chhatra:p,ui, desl'endmg: from S1ma;i the Great, pro1ccl
~IJ.! !ill.\lW CIIII.HIUl'.\TI: ,\ HO\',\(. m:voi.vnu~.\I(\"
himself entirely worth)' of his high plate h)' the cllorh h1• made
for the imprnvcmcm of hi:, pr:opk.
" Sayajir:10 p.raisetl :;hahu':. arhicvi.•mcnh conLcrni11'.--: the pro-
mo1ion of education :11no11).( chc li:u:l.w,ir<l Cla~~c~ and amo11;;
the l)cprc~:.cd Cla!>.,C:i hy opcnin~ ho~td:, Cot· thcm.i Jn 11u11y of
the :1ctidtics. he condmlc<l. Shahtt Chhatrapa<i had llhmrn ;t
:,ta1e~111:1nlike at1iuulc full of promi,c and tlner\'incr of the
highest praise.'· Gaikwad ~aid thi~ wa~ the :,cwnd occ:ision on
which 111:frriagc had connected the two State,, Baroda aml
Kolhapur, the lirsl occasiott bdn~ that of cou~in Shrimati
Kashibai, d:mghtcr of :\Iah:traja Ganpatrao, 10 C:hhatr:1p:iti
Shivaji 11. He hopc<l that the years to co111e \\'ot1ld be full of
h:1p1>incss for the new couple, and the union would be a bk.<-siug-,
not only to, thcm.:,clvt.:s bm also to the Stale o\'cr which His
Higlmc$s Sli'ahu Chhat\'apati ruled.
The' marriage party· returned Lo Kol ha i,ur 011· April S, I!H S,
and wa:itakc1i'to lhe Palace iii ,i. grand procession in an elephant
car, the· people lmvini,(crowdcd the street to havc·a ~limpse 'of
the Royal couple and to showci- their ;1ffections and greetings on
them. '· The· whole city was illuminatctl. lmlum;1ti w:1s
renamed' Ti1rabai Ranisaheb. Born on June 2·1, HIO I, she was
well-edt1cate<l, simple· and dignified and had acquired all the
accomplishments she needed for he1· position. Sht: was in every
way a suitable partner for Prince Rajaram.
The question of tlow.ry' took 1 many months to settle. Shahu
was determined to squeeze Gaik wad as much as 'he coi1Jd, :md hi
hisl'private conversation he used to S,ty that he 'IUUSt make the
miser yield :is much as possible! Thereafter some concs11ondcncc
on' the <lowry ·took place bet,veen' the two Maharaj as. Gaikwau
was tryitfg Shlthu's' patience i11 •his cold,' ci1Iculating way. As' :i
consequence;· Shahu wrote 'to Cannichael about "the ungentle-
manly treatment' that was given to' me by 'Baroda' 'in one or' two
fostandes' arid' also"·unjust 'tenacity 'for :money shown by the
1v1aharaj~'!,. ,.. :<•:!''. :. I ' '•' '

Two months after the marriage, Prince Rajaram was invested

wi'th: 'independent powei·s 'b1/1 Shahu in the Khasgi department
arid :with: 'full po,vers' in' certain departments:· Prince Rajarani
also' became': a'' partner in thC:, R:.B:N. and CompanY: Prince
Shivajirao• •also was' •entni'.sted• i\vith 'the ·ac.lministi·a ti ve: ,vork ·of
 UfE f.llYA's\mJ: KULkARNI 1 \'Al'ANS' 1 315
~ dep~rtments, :it1<l in May 1918' he tOok the 1eJd' fo rhe
perative Mr,)\enl.ent in the Stale and presided'over a meelinf:
on i.\fay 5. ; ' :, 1, • , , •
f, Shd]iu haJ pcoonally 1alcn up tl1e question' of retntitment
1

or the Indian Atmy. Early m Apul 1918, Wodehouse mforrue<I

Uic Darliar that the Co,emment of India .itcepted the 1Iaha,
mp·~ proposal about the Kolhapur infantry being utilised as a
med,qm for trafoing the rectuits recruit~d in the State. ,
' < I
J ~ f 'I

,, ' ' .,
' '
.,_ J • 1 I 'l , ,. i J j r i t~ '

I tnC.in,irritated,mood
, , Sha.bu took ua hasty step concerning
, Ra1'a,
a1;1 olkge. On Jo.fartil 29, JtHS, the,.Darbar JSSued ~. noti6ca-
tio'J, s?}ing that r..he Darbar was SJ)<!nding about1 slx :pe/ cent of
th R ~ ' II 'J) I ' •J ;
, e e\enu~ on educatwn a& a recurring expend,turt. ffaving
rc_ganl to the ex;~·t.~~ 'tipanc.e~ '~'r
it •l ., '1 J rt • l!l IP
J
1
St~te-, ~he' notifi~t1on st ated,
• i 1 :1 •
the
1

Was not possible to meet the new demand, and aII round
ft I J • J~ t (, Jt ?U' 'I,
~tr • }H l ! 1

, trencl1ment as ,~ell as taxa1,on had to be resorted to The

1
~9, ifi~tion ~~id tl~a.t' i~ ,rds th¥,~~ramo~nl ~~· fr,Fsh~f~i a41r.,?f'
ed State: to' pro\'ltle' primary education for ilS subJcfo,, leaving
11
nhersi1y educit1oa' to k al'i'n'.~t'e1'clusi~ery"paid for by tho1e
'+'ho r t
1
1 1' 1 ~ 1~1 1
T i ... , ,~· ~ i , ~t ,. i , ... 1 ....

"'anted 1t. 1
l
1
1 J , ,

_. The State tould ·not' bear thd heavy expen4itU1<! of !IJaintJi~;

Ing e,en the 5e~o~tl 1gr:i'de'Ra1ar:1~ College, as' ittre,enue' was
1
small. The aU~nd:i~ce' of students in the college was rapidly
falling as new colleges had been started at Dharwar and Poona~
T'-ll!: heavy expenditure
, on'its niaintenance , ' d th e 'pnnury
stane • r
edticatio11;' lt'\\'3S therefore' found neces$ary, in the intt'fe'its of
tlie
~
education Qf tlte mas~es to dose down Rajaram ~ ~ .t
CoHqe' ' 1
'th" State ther~foce 01 deml that 11lie college be auohshc-d from
rUne l, 19J8, and thesenues ' of the'staff ' be ut1li!.etl ,,..ER or aJaram
High-School, The sa,ing thus effected1be (redtted to the free
and compulsory pnmdry education fu~d. TI1e not1riCJ1ton at!dcrr
lhat no Ncannes should be fi[Ied up euher'm Rajar.un College
0 r • l t1 ,,. " 1
l'lti Ra1ar.un High School. 1 ' ' " ' '
• 1 ~1
1
, ' ' ; .. ,

The opi,oshion, .ilwais alert i11 finding' some fault nr the otllCl'
l.Yith f the Datbar,' e"tpressed $1.trprke that the1 State 'should' ~nd
It dlfLCult 1 to spend a sum of nmf'tten thousand rupee!l out or a
tocal revenue of Rs. 27,00,000, ,l'fhc Datbar•s' reply ¾at t11;it It
318 SHAHU .CHHATR,:\J;>ATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

wrong i~_ matters social in Kolh,apur under Your Highness' domi-

nating personality."

VI
In June Lord. :Willingdon,, the Governor of Bombay, conven~
ed a War Co_nference in· pursuance of the message of the '\Var
Confe:p::;nce :,.~hich was held at Delhi on April 28, 1918. Shahu
had attended the Delhi War Conference, but, as Tilak was
goi~g to. be present at the Bombay ·war Conference, Shahu in-
forn::ied the Governor that he disliked to be in the same build-
ing, with Tilak. , Lord :Willingdon urged him to be 11resent as
he wanted to get all extremists there ancj. "give them a straight
talking to". So the Governor wanted all his most loyal and
influential friends to support him on that day. He hoped that
his pri~cipal Ruling Prince ~v~~ld move the main resolution
I
9n, the loyalties of the ·nation:; and as Shahu was the leader 0£
the IV!arathas, •he .thought, his absence would create a bad
,, ' - ,. ,l • I '

impression.s .
Government hoped that Tilak. would seize the opportunity
to work "
loyally in
'
the 1 crisis.
'.
It • would be, they said, a great
blow to tl~e success of the, conference if .Shahu were to stay
away. Accepting therefore the invitation, Shahu said: "I shall
not mind if men are eitremists .. But 'I'.ilak is the w~rst." Being
persuaded, Shahu attended. the Bombay Provincial War Con-
ference on June. 10, 1918, at the Bombay Town.Hall. The re-
solutions were a fulfilment of the recommendation of the Delhi
Conference;
: Shahu proposed the first resolution on loya~ty and made a
stirring speech which was punctuated by loud cheers and
general applause. He said: "I have not co~e down here to ·re-
peat }Yhat is already published in the papers; nor to make a
poetical speech. I· am proud to say that speech-maki~g ~ not
in my line. I have come here to say what we ought to do and
what Government should do for us at this critical time.
""We know that our enemy, the Germa'n', has no conscience,
no sentiment and - I may even say~ no hl~manity.• Keeping
this .in mind, we must make every effort that is in huma~ power
t,o, conquer him. Vve mu.st raise both men and ;money for. this.
 !!IE ARYA SAMAJ: lt.Uu.AR.~l VAT.ANS 319
-:r;pe chief thing that 1s wanted, howe"er, is mutual lo\e and
mutual trust between us and Government, \Ve must love and
' , '
trust
.I
Gmernment and our lo"e and trust, I am sure• will be
1
rewarded.
, Ii '
"Tfus is not a time for us to wrangle and to make demands
for lugher
1
military poots or political nghts or lay down condi~
.. t I,._ F
hons on ""h1ch our whole-hearted help will he ghen. ,ve
should da,m the priuleges by our deeds and Mn them by
force of loi·e-.
1
·'The time has, no doubt, come 11'11en ,,e must compel
GoYemment Jo open a Sandhurst in this Presidency', .But this
shoul<l be done by the heroic deeds of fighting races ,,,ho have
spilt and are spilling their hfe-blood on the field of battle and
are winning IDJlitary honours \Ve beg for such thing when \\'e
ha,•e now got an opportunity C>f comJ,ellmg Go\emment by
deeds of lo}alty and valour in the field to give them to us.
"I for one would not ask £or a commission before I am
qualified for it.' I would be more a nmsance than of real use.
lt1would be littmg if coIIllD.lss1ons are given to natiye officers Ht
the anny "Ito have made tliefr mark on the field,
"Questiom like raismg a national army ha.d better be po:.l~
paned uU after the war. It is our duty at th.is iun,wre- to help
Go,.enunent he.art and souJ fo wllecting and orwmising man~
power and in del-eloping ' 1 and econouusing , our m:itenal
tesources. It 1s not a ume to .spend our monc.y mer pa.laces
and theatres and I may even :say o,cr bmldinh,s and ro:1ds, but
e"ery ·p1e· that can be spared must be devoted t01"-ar. fa-en
the buildings and hospital.s \\C pos,ess should be handed o,er
to the M1htary authonties. 11us w1U no doubt enta:d some in-
coq\ewence and, pethaps, harilih1ps on die dul population;
but '"e 11;n:e to be.ar m mind "'Jiar the people of l:.nglanJ are
s~Henng and 1,hat sacnfice, they arc malmg. Ours ,:ire
notlung compared to then~. ,,\'hy "'e need i.;o ')O far \\hen ,~c:
ba, e Lefore us in our midst noble example 0£ .set£ ~c;nfice and.
urela$ worl... I refer to ,1ohat our President, Lon.I ·n•,Umgdon,
.and hIS energeuc_ consort I1a,c ~uffere<l 1 .and 11,ne done. l\"e
11:ne.btU w follow in thc,r foo,utcps. 1 . , w J' , r
t , "Nor J~ Jt the ome to JlJ~ke Jmpo'o51blc tlu1Fm~,, Somc-,wa.nt<;J
10 rai5e a battahon of their caste to, render .sqruc help to Go\cm•
320 SHAHU CHllATRAI•ATI: A ROYAL ru:voLUTlONARY

ment.· The object was certainly laudable, but they wo11lcl hardly
make up even a company. And now they are talking of. a
national army. There is ample Lime a( ter the war to think.
of this and, perhaps, even of more important things. Bnt at
present let us not allow our attention to be diverted by anything
from the main purpose, viz., to win the war. I would, therefore,
seize this opportunity of appeaHng with all the earnestness I can
command to the fighting races of India. They should remember
that on them mainly depends the future of th.is country. It is
for them to uphold her past military traditions and glory and
preserve untarnished her hon.our by deeds of ralour and I feel
confident they will not fail to do their part and am equally con•
fident_ that we are all agreed on one point that we must win the
war and for -that purpose every one of us is ready to make any
sacrifices. I have, therefore, great pleasure in moving the rezolu-
tion which, I am sure, you will accept whole-heartedly."
Speaking- on the resolution, Tilak. expressed his deep loyalty
to the· Government and said in the course of his speech that
Indians would lay down their lives for defending India, but
defence and· Swaraj were interlinked. He further said that he
shared the loyal sentiments expressed in the resolution, but
considered that the resolution was imperfect in one way, and that
it :required to be amended; The President 0£ the meeting, Lord
Willingdon, ruled him out twice and said he could not allow a
discussion' on· the resol~tion. So Tilak, • Kelkar, Homiman,
Jamnadas Dwarkadas and Bomanji silently walked out.
Mohamed Ali Jinnah said tlie Home Rule leaders did not
approve of'the methods of the Government.
The next day Shahu wrote a letter to P. R. Cadell justifying
his own stand in respect of Tilak and disparaging Tilak and his
party. He, indeed, overstressed his loyalty· and political stage-
craft when he said: "Tilak was too unclean and pollnted with
heinous crimes to be touched and the invitation given to him to
attend the conference washed off all his past crimes. A man like
that would have been shot straight in Germany." ·whatever
intent or device the letter might imply, the outburst was un-
becoming an opponent especially in the case of the Father of
India's Freedom Struggle. This was a black mark 011 the life
 nu; AAY,\ S.\\l.lJ; &UZ.XAAAr Vd.TA.\'s 321
0£ Sha.bu. although in rum he himsell was a blind spot for the
Tilal.ue Drahmins and thell' Pren.
Outside the Bruish Gou:rnment offices and at conferences.
Shahu supp0rtcd the demand for SwarnJ and v.dLomcd :it.
Inside, he att:1.dcd Tllal. pethaps reactmg to the ,i!e propa~
g:md.l ag:urut him in the matter of tl1e abolition of lhe Kulkarni
,atam. He may also ha,e wanted to dhcrt I.lie Drhiili Go~trn•
ment'$ attention £tom the propaganda he made through the
agencies 0£ the Sat}J. Shodhak. SamaJ and t11e Arp S3maj, so
that the Government might not oppose his measures.
Sh.'.lllu i,al in Bombay from June 7, J9J8. On the night of
June 12, he recehe<l a telegram infonnmg him that llis wn
Shhaji had roet ,~uh an aa:1dent v.lule hunting and \\as seriously
ill. He had fallen bC3.uly on hL!i head and was lUIIering from
concussion of the brain.
TJ1e llombay Gou·rnwent pro~idcd ~ pohce olBcrr to accom•
pany Shahu and asl..ed him to dme with exu-cme c:.i,uion in the
prohibited ghats. The ~ly was O\CrCUL Sadness \'i";U in the .:air.
When Sh;tltu had left Kolhapur for Bomb;ay on June
6, 1918, I1e ,.,.as rest!~ and had a premomuon of sowe ouunous
.and unJi;zppy c,em, Befon: lealing Xo1h.:11wt, he- h.iJ r.illrd
Prince Shn3J1, and tlunl..ing that he also l't:lS 1ad, ;ul.cd J1im
\\hether he wished to oun a mtll or 111.ut')' a Ktoml umc .u
his fi~t ·wife wa, s11il J-atbc.r }oung. The Priore sanfy u.id he
\iantc<l ndll1er. If l1is lint Mk .should J1appcn w tl1c, be 1tuulJ
remain a Mdo\\cr all lus Me. llo\\c,cr, he cOOlpbined to his
father. Ab.uaheb, that he trcatetl them as spidtles.-s 1.lili.'° he
rcqucit.e<l his father lO rcrnm to Kolh.;ipur on June I:! 10 KC
Jww- he: hunted a pi&" in cl1e hills o{ K.umbJ101., Sb.t11u ptVWixil
to do 50.
Father did not return ;u pnnnhcJ to $CC' the r.on pi~ •lid.mg.
Accompanied by his motJu:r md uncle, ~hh.iJi Jcfl {or the
Kumbhoj hiU1 ,mJ b.:1.ltcd in .i m.ani;Q groH' at Xet. fllr .a ,:ic.J&
\ihuc no pig \i,U s«:n. TircJ. ,he p.iny ~as ::iLJJ.uc 10 til Jo,,.n
for a lllldd.iy m.c'1 "'hm ;a pig W-" .a:o p.a,.fol{ by, Shau.Ji.
njccting lht- ;appc~I of hi, motfkr amJ wicr, $Ji.ar:u,cJ tl,c rn.;
on bu bpnc. Jn dJC JiT.:l.)C' liJ;;hs. ht' ...nr .a duu).1 of bu ,pc.u
into lhc anh~I. ltu1 he (ell from ha Jwn<,. hc.-J. Jo"1l...,.~riu.
~tiJ unfl)ftun~ttlr 1hc- hone !tU Qfl it• Ln.rn .a.nJ k.11 ""a .bia
$C-,l'
322. SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Shi:vaji•was at once taken in a car to Dr. \Vanles!> at Miraj, b_ut

his life could not be saved.
, Thunder roared in the sky; the darkness quivered with
lightning. The icy hand of death fell on Shivaji at 8A5 p.m.
He left , his girl wife behind. All people in the State were
plunged into great sorrow. The Royal family sa11k into endless
grief. The best flower of the family tree was plucked cruelly by
death. A devoted son, a,loyal brother and a _P,romising adminis-
trator, Shivaji had endeared himself to all by his simple living,
noble bearing and sincere conduct. In his administrative work
his power 0£ judgment was sound and independent, and his
approach to discipline strict and fearless.
Shahu reached Miraj station. In the train he was -restlesi; and
speechless with breathless anxiety. Seeing his officials and
servants with their heads down, Shahu tittered a cry chat chilled
everybody. He• cried sorrowfully, "Oh Bapsab, the lad has
depc1irted this world!" In his agony Shahu was silent for a
moment and then began to tear· the cloth of the berth to pieces,·
looking with ·vacant eyes at the world outside!
The loss of his son· in the prime of youth was a heavy blow to
Shahu. No heavier calamity, he grieved, could befall him. "It
has pleased heaven," he said in great anguish, ·"to visit me with
one of the heaviest calamities that can· befall a man. His will
be done.".,,'
Deepest sympathy and condolences poured into his Palace.
To Sayajirao Gaikwad, Shivaji·was :{promising and kind young
man. The Viceroy and his Councillors sent their ·sincere· condo-
lences. Tukojirao Holk.lir praised Shivaji's quality of head and
heart and said,· "The· only' balm for, his father's son-ow is a firm
faith in the omniscience and omnipotence of the Almighty to
whose will; mortals high anci low must all go alike" .•• • ·
The Satya Shodhak Samaj and the Arya Samaj mourned the
death of Shivaji at several meeting·s. •Some said Shivaji had the'
dash, intelligence, and the cou'rage of a prince, and they were·
impressed with his gait. ·-The Kesari, in announcing his death·
said that the Maharaj a• received I the- greatest shock of his life in·
the loss of his son. The· Maharaja,-iti'added, should bear the
misfortune with' equanimity;, "God's ways are unfathomable and'
human beings must submit to the will of God," it conduded.:
 TIIE ARY,\ SAUAJ: J.Cl.XAR.'\f VATA.'I.S

The \oid created m Shabu·, hfe by the death of hi, wn \las

neicr fi!Jcd. He grew more .-:u«tu;, g31e up ,1lmmt all the
,ehet and the luxury of a ruler .and ,kpt in the open u u,UJ.I
but with a saffron shm and a Jungi
Shahu m his bcre;nement h:1.J no mt. The qUCltion or aboli-
tion of the KulL:1.mi utan, "'a.s roming to tl1c front. In ,\r,rd
a deputation of Kulbnm had \\·:uu:d upon Sh.llrn 01n;:itQp.lli
and appealed to him lO ronunue their ~I"\ ices aml J:)tc.iocnc
their old nghu The Kulka.mis "ere boiling with r.igc:. :-luhu
!.:J:id he '"oulil comidc:r their appeal ./ucc:u2ininl{ the He,..s or
the llombay Cmcrnment, he urned. c;uly in the s«oml wr-ck or
June 1918, anot11cr onlcr postponing the prC'\1ou:1, ,k:d~wn m
the JI1J,lter. lie had promuls;atctl :an order :abolahing tJic \lllibe
llaluta &)"1tem but asain ,uuetl onkrs postponing th.i.t iuuc .ho.
TI1e f..'esan• was extrcmeiy glJ.d J.t tl1e ,tcp 1'1hirn Ilic !ih.h.1.-
r:1;1a had 13.lcn :i.nd congr.itub.1ctl him on ~niung ;:at 3 b,r <lcd-
sion. Sh.thu, lioliC'H'li k.1i(ed far $CtUC cime .mJ ,;.11c cnkn or,
June :?j, 1918, .:iboluhing the: Kulk.ami 1)Uetn ;i.1lll confirmin;:
the fotroductfon of T.1bu J}'ltcm lulh cJkn horn Juh 21.
tlJt'
1918 Thereupon ll1e J.:~san 1• i.;aiJ. th.it w,ue ol the: un14.rupuJ,
01.a offiu:ti must ha,e 1::1lcrs .11.h:rnt..1t,>e of the ~bb.:ir,1j.1"s mc-n1.1l
Jcpco.i,ion c-.uu.cJ by the lou of ha ~n.

Sh.u1u now .;llpJX)tntcJ' non-Hr.i.hnun Tilita inuc.uJ Qf Wa$C

\\ho hJ.t.l \'o-011.cJ .u Kull.anus• .-\ccordmg LU 1bc .11r.m,.-nunm,
.:iJihousli UJC l:ulLtru.t Jo,1 tlll"jr ptntJ0 C' .in t1i.: ului~ 1Ji.::u
umh \o~,n: ll,1,blc to I.IC ruumnl br the St.).h::" lot Ute f lrt'tt' rw
loni;;rr in KOK-C-, Uu, ~h.1J~u w~ l.ioJ nwu,;b tu o:..kt llul
r.J1c:\C Ltn,J.r, J,oulJ rc:1u.iu1 "' nh tLc ,r ,,n,rncn ou um.!J u< >(1 tll-1 f
thcr l,u-.unc ~t.KJ. bo?.hn,..,. _.uh full ~.oJ ,1l-.lu1c- o,.!iu. v(
u~11cnl11p Ul\t'l;tJ 1.u tlinr fu.,IJ(n. ·11.1(' 1.:u!.urn~ •nt ur!nc-•l
the ;1dun1,1i:t:- «J u.uulc::rru.i,; the tcnulC' mio .in .t.cruWc ~µc..J
ot n;p u-.iniJ.r.ubJ.c-' one. ·lha Jtu 1k A'-!1..&.na• u•.:-•...,!o,ti:,.J .:l
i!1e ro)O!Ul<nt v{ tl,c- bn.!, nt duar 1")1-~»"11, ~i...r(<! ••J.l.
tl1e IJ,,.'J. ,.id1 ,u lht' •l1<n,hun n,1!o, ol D.i-r""4. 1b.1) Lu.- ._:.,,1 ~ ..,
J.tn.~ hu,ur '-'ii d.-e ):.uU..i.rn.u.. Oi ,~,)('- l.hic k.I...c~ ~ t.?x-
321 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:, A ROYAL iu;voLUTIONARY

Kulkarnis was considerably reduced and their power to do mis-

chief was ,undermined. ,
. Shahu explained the causes that led to the abolition of the
time-worn Kulkarni vatans in a vivid and graphic manner. In
his official note he said: "The conduct of Kulkarnis was for
many years found to be extremely disloyal and in every respect
most, unsatisfactory. They used every means in their power to
influence the poor ryots against me and indeed against the
British Government and by virtue of their influential position as
village officers, they had exceptional opportunities of doing so.
They read the newspaper /(.esari to the villagers in the village
chavdi and they did their utmost to suppo,rt the propaganda put
forward by the extremists in British ten-itory. They instigated
unscrupulous and bitter attacks against me in the newspapers--<
the Lok Sangraha, Lollshahi, . Rajlwran, J<.esari and other
extremist papers. The funds started in the British territory for
the furtherance of seditious ends were, I found,, collected from
poor ignorant ryots of my villages. This was done ~olely by the
Kulkarnis at the instigation of the extremist leader~ in British
territory.
"As was i:o' be expected under the circumstances mentioned
above, these Kulkarriis grossly neglected their legitimate duties
and I was so thoroughly dissatisfi~d with their work that I at last
decided to remove them from their posts of village officers and
appointed paid talatis to do the ·work and that system is now
working very satisfactorily.
"They had in their· possession Government records, and, they
hacl a special knowledge of the· rights' and titles of private
proprietors of lands. They hacl'abused their powers as Kulkarnis
and had taken undue advantage of their special knowledge. So
many instances 6£ fraud and dishonesty played by Kulkarnis were
coming before me that I had to appoint a Special Court for try•
ing the cases of their fraud."
In another place Shahu clescribecl the evils of the Kulkarni'
system more pointedly. In a letter to Robertson on June 9, 1918,
Shahu said: "You know what influence the Kulkarni had in the
village and why he is satisfied with the paltry amount of hal:dari
he receives as his remunera,tion. His intrigues bring him a large
amount and he has also other illicit ways of making money. He
 TIit. AR\'\ s. unJ: LUU..\a.,1 V.UA',S $!?5

i.110\oll lbat the ,iU:igen being ignor;ant are solely at Jiu mercy.
But 1f the) uc Uugbt to rc;i,d ;i.nd wn1e. all his inUucncc ll'lll be
1,,-une. So my rtccnt cduc.ation:i.l mc:mue to promote education
o( the m;uso is n.:atunlly Joolcd ou hith ,hsf,nour by him. Ile
also knows how I h;u-c bctn fe.ulculy helping Gcnemment in
puU111g dmm Br.1hmfn inmgues."
S1m1l-1id>, SlJaJm »role Jo Lout StclcnhJm in June 1918 th3.t
the Co,cmor fully u1ew the uid.s or the KulL-tmis, 1he ,masc
aocount~nu.. TI1e Kulbrni W3J the !oundauon on \\hich the
power o( "Td.:zk :i:wJ Comp.my" was b.:zsecl. lC Ilic KuJL.ami
,,-ittm \\-.1, .iLohu1cJ. llr.1hnuu infiuenct" \\ould be substantially
n:Jtm:J. T1lal;. lm:w tlm, Shahu alldcd, a.n<l the Home Rule
"'orLcn \\Crc c.ning their lx\1 to perpetuate die s)slcm. There-
fore. the umacul;n preu ,chcmcmly auad.c<l Sh.thu .tnd his
measure! 3l,.'311Ul the KuU..irm s)-stcm.
,.Uut ap.i.rt from tJu.s," Sh.ihu, \\nting to Cannicl1acf a.bout Jus
new mc.;uurc:s on June 12. 1918. sa,nl. "the intelhgent class of
K.ull.i.mi \\tll, I 1l11nl. dcrhc benefits from the mcauire!l in the
long nlQ. Tf1eir l,rain amt energies \\if( be thrccted in the fong
nm in tile proper '-hanncl and 1mtca<l of l..le,011ng their intcl~
li~cncc :mJ :1biH1iCJ to muchie[-m.i.ling :ind mtri'{Ueo; m the
n:i.now circles to "'h id1 their , at.ms ue diem do"' n, tl1ey ,,.,1I1
~h1rt to the town., and their outJooL \\OUlJ ht: broauchcd Their
d1ildn:I\ u1II be cJucateJ and on the \\hole they ,-.,11 become
useful members of tl1e ~1et1."'
The abolition of the Kullami ,at::ms \\as indhput:'t.hly a gic:i.t
wcial ac,t \\hich c:fkttcd a radical dw1ge m sooct). In .i.dopllng
tl1is mcasm:e, Shahu l1ad lx:(oi e lum ll1e gtcacesc good of tl1e
greatest number. He had ren10,etl tl1e Ley stone on ,1hid1 the
art.It of Urahmm sup1cmacy \1.u built. Hy 1emovmg the
Kullami, d1e ,/e facto ruler of t1,c ullase, ShaJm l1ber:JIC1J
ull.i.sc hre and n Legan to mO\ e freely.
As a sequel to the aboht10n of the Kull...3rni ,atans, Shahu
formed a Committee o[ hi! De1lam, Balas:iJ,eu Ga1I wad and
nhailarrao JaJhav to draw up the clcta1h of a ~<heme 0£ vJ!lage
pancha}ats. This "-:ts necessary as a prcluninary to tfie introduc-
tion of ,JJJ.age pancl1a~ats m the State. "l11e Vatandar
KuU.ami, ..... Sha!tu sai'd, "is an obstacle! ia th<: war. The Ku}l:iml
,atan may I1ue been necessary m the 1gn01.wt COlld1tion of
326 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI; A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

society, but that time· does not:now exist. • 1£ the' panchayat is

introduced with a Vatandar Kulkarni in .a village all power will
be· passed into the hands of the said Kulkarni and a few people
of his caste, and the interest of the large .population will suffer.
The Vatandar Patil being orie of the agriculturists' is not likely
to endanger the work of the panchayat."
This major reform in the form of liquidation of'the Kulkarni
vatans and introduction of the Talati system put the Brahmins
·all over Maharashtra 'to consternation. The hatred for and
·curses on Shahu in the Brahmin Press grew the loudest ever for.
the·rest of his life.
 CHAPTER ]9

Visualises Labour
Governnzent liz ,ln'dia

IN his bereavement and bewilderment, Shahu adYised Cadell

that the Go\'ernment should remain strong and show no leniency
towards the Home Rule workers. In bis letter of June 26, HHS,
Shahu advised him to test them by offenng them Home Ruic
provided they ra1se'd an army o( 40 Iak.hs. "I am w1llmg,'' he
< challenged, "to give them Howe Rule jf they WJll give me one
laJ..h of recn.uts ~or the Imperial Anny out of my own dominion
only,"
Tlus letter, which Shalw urot~ on iune 11, 1918, cntia:smg
the' conduct of the Home Rule worJ.ers- leaJ..ed out ro their
camp. So there was an anuna.ted discussion among them on how
to bring him to his knees. "So:me proposed," Shahu concluded,
,"'a campa.Ign against rne through newspapers, and to criuose
only the blad.. side of my administration and character and to
lower and degrade me. The death of my son had made th.em
beha\e humanely I am glad that they ha\'e got some Immanuy.
I may request that a.II my letters should be tom and 1£ wamed,
they should be m }our confidential box. My lette1-i should ha\e
nolhmg to do wit11 the offi{e ,. 0

, It was Shahu's confirmed opinion that the Home, Rule Party

was neither m touch MUI the tu.uses nor w s)mpachy wit/1 them.
All they wanted' was pmspcnty lar themsehes. He, therefore,
wroce to Lord S}denham ~horn he regarded ,:u hu Guru: 1 "The
non-Brahmms are only 1mt no1\f .aw.al.ening to their deg-railed
condition and to the se1-enty of ihe .sacfaJ and rcligio0$- fa~s ol
Brahm.Im', 11 hid1 had Jdlheno put them down~ Naturally they
~ "

J27
328 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

are suspicious of these so-called Brahmin leaders and are afraid

that if power again went into their hands, attempts would be
made to bring back to life the old Brahrninical regime."
Shahu felt sorry that there was none to represent the cause of
the masses in India. "It.is no doubt," he concluded, "a thankless
duty to work in the interests of the d~rnb millions. They are
too ignorant to be able to express d1efr gratitude for it or even
to appreciate· it. But the duty has to be performed at consider•
able self-sacrifice, only in a spirit of chivalry, with the sole object
of helping the helpless, weak, ignorant, down-trodden hulk of
our 'people here."
Social and political awareness was growing among the Back·
,ward:Cl,asst:;~ .. 1, 1}, deputation of.the Backward Classes in Mysore
·:wai.ted u.p,0~ 1,,~1~. 1Mah~raja,9f Myspre., it i-equestedJ1im to
!lppoi_i;it_ ~~~w~i.-d Class mt:;n to higl1 posts,. and ,i~ s~1itafllc.,men
:,~er~ .n!Jt available in rv~ysore1 ,h added, ,Backward Class. men
should :be brought from other States, but Brahmins• should not
~o~·ts
0

•-~le appoin't ecl :to hjgh ·~ut ~f prop;rtion to their n~mbers,2

·,.t'in July 1918 the fi~st' org~~ised effort to aboli~h.th~ J(ulk~mi
,•·,1tti(•J\.", ,!.' /1 , It\, • '' •' I ! 'f,' ••, (t •

·vatans was made by the Kolhapur Darbar. Although in soll1,e

of the :British.Districts the Kulkarni vatans were already abolish-
_':---, ',i' , '.,11,/ ,l f \1\ I , I 1 'j' I ,•1:, ,
1
J ,
1

_e<l, ,<;tnd, th~ Tfla~i sysJeni had been .i~OJ;>ted,, the.. Bra,hmins were
en~aged W:f th, S11~~-u. , _'I:'l}ey. held, a. r:1:eetipg in Kqlhapur un~e.r
the presidentship of Dr. Kurtakoti at his Math. Addressing the
fueeting, Dr'. Kurtaka'd ·said th;t it was a difficult. pr~-blem to
' ' '~ i ' [ '
' 1 '' ' ' \ : ' '' ' • r ' ' \ ' • '

solye.' He suggested that the defects and merits of both the .old
Kulkarni syJtem 'and .th~ riew system should be s'tudie~i'and' a
'decision should bi(arrived at. He; however, hoped that if th,e
Kulkarni struggle ·was carried ori untiringly and with good inten·
·tions, they' would succeed.3 • • •• •
I •
, ' •
• •
,
• ' ' •

'·on July 8:Dr. Kurtakoti wrote to Shahu that it was a great

blow to the Kulkamis and Joshis without wµom .he himself
could not· do. Three weeks later, Dr. Kurlakoti, described the
•questi6n •·as. one of the prestige issues· for the Brahmins as 'a
coinmunity. Upon this the Kesari said that the old system w~s
better, and reminding the Darbar' of the strike launched qy the
Talatis in Gujarat; said that the Kulkarni system· was decidedly
,
better. This agitation later resui'ted in the formation: 'of th,e
.,- , ', , ! , , , f : . ,,,, I•,)

organisation· called the Vatand~~ Kulkarni Association. •

'·'·
 \'lSUAlJSts L\ll,QUfl C0\'1:11,MIE.,, IS J:O,.DIA 329
• :?1e D.td.wud Classes v.c:komed the' measure with great
Jchght am! with a. fr::cling of '3tisfatuon and relief. Meetings
l1eJJ. in a number o( ullages tcqucste<l Shahu not to men to
the old sy1tcm. Their teJOJdng was c:ipped by their ob'lenfog
a l1ol1day on tI1c <lay of the ttmo,al of the Kulkarni vatam,
' Snabu Cb.fmrapiti had not so far rcco\ercd from bis great
&tic(. TI1e ~fahar..ia or Bhan1agar, P.1nt Sachiv o( Bhor, the
R.ini~heb or Aullot. the CJtief of MiraJ, Jal1ginlars, Sardars
~nd ~\Cral tleput:uions from IlaroJa, Dewas and Indore paid
oondolcncc \is1ts to Kolhapur and personally tried to (.()n\ole
tI~eJx:rc:ned Catl1er. , The Mal1a~1a, 0£ Baroda paid a torido.
knee ,i1it t~ Kolh.:ipur in July l9_18 ~nu S,ha.hu felt.i,,reatly cogi•
f_ot;i~d. Speaking o[ his Baroda tlaugbter•m·law, Sh:i.hu said, to
"i'
SayaJi~o. am a !,'TC:ll bel1e\er in l1ome education. .-\ti gr~at
,an.~ 1.~\aridly, men!i~~ Napoleon, J\facaulay and, our ShfraJl,
R..an:uie, Tctang ;ind others "ere brought up and eduottd m
t!,eir C>wn family under the lm·ing care o[ their pa~nts, ,uth :r.
1
<lcep lo\C for their 'r:im1)y and country."' ' ,

:, Lont \V1llingd~n, ~he'Co,emo~ ~£ Bombay, \is1tetl Kolhapur

on July rn;'J918, to ~reside O\C't a l~crmtment meetin!{ held in
the'Palacc TI1eat~c. 'lt '"as' a great siiccess. 'During' rhis rnit.
Loni \V1lli~gdon personally expressed his cond~len~s to the
tnembers o( the Roral family at the de.i.th of ShhaJi.
' The situation m the State in regard. to foo<lgrains wa~ becom-
ing critical. With a ,iew to check.mg prof1tcehng, the '>)'Stem of
1uuing licences under tl1e si&'tlature of tJ1e Controller oE Prices
to wholesale and retail dealers of grain was 1ntro<luced m the
State on the lines adopted in Dnt1sh I tenitories., N meeting of
IUetchants was held in the Town Uall onl September 4, l!llS,
Under the presidentship of ac:tmg Dewan Shugaan\..ar. They
Were asked to purchase foodgraini ancl leep a.s large stoc.ls of
grain as they tould, the Datbar undertalmg to help them ai _far
as possible I by procttring priority of certificates, by secunng
Wagons and by ,mung I to tlte M>sore State to aJJm~ tl1e
K.olhapur merchants to send some wagon loads of foodv-ams to
1
li:olhapur,.., , 1 ' r, • ·, . '
, Not satisfied with these attangements, Shahu also established
tl\e Kolhapur Food Supply Asroaa11on ,1hich met daily undt'r
the vic:e-presidentship of Bapusaheb Ghatge. ffe opened clleap
,.330 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

._grain shbps in central localities, so that grains might be available

. to· the poor without any hardship. In his:.anxiety to procure
.foodgrains Shahu once sat on: a bench at a merchant's ·shop in
.Bombay while his emissary was dealing with the :merchant
upstairs. So simple· and.. unassuming was his behaviour that the
merchant was surprised· that a ruler should behave so humbly
for the sake of ·his people. But the point in behaving as Sha~u
did was thit' .the' merchant should not'increase the rates of food·
grains! He '_told this story to a ·'friend .-and laughed over it
heartily. •• ''
To meet the famine-stricken· 'situation, Shahu suggested to the
Government that it should t~k~ charge of all stocks of foodstuffs
in British India, and give a certain quantity of food to every
man. It should provide eve;y region with its staple 'food~ ti:an;-
f_er_ring grain and jowar from the Delhi region, ·bajri to Guja~at
and wheat to Delhi. • • _·•·· _.
'Shahu gave encouragement and support to artists, dramc_1_tists
.and film producers._ Anand Mistri's wo,;k he keenly appreciated,
.and. h_is disciples also received help from hi~ AnantLMistri
taught Maharashtra the elements of making silent movies. Tabla-
.player Prasad, , pakhvaj-player Sadhle Buwa, Shahir Haide_ry,
Anandrao Painter, all who labou_red to make Kolhapur a city of
.artists were assisted. An eminent sculptor, V. V. vYagh, from
Bombay, sought his patronage.
In August Shahu appointed Talatis, made them part of the
Revenue Department and kept promotion open to them. They
could opt for pension or for provident fund. They were requir-
ed to study Swami Dayanand's Satyarlh Pralwsh.r.
Political changes were now in the air. As Shahu was a cham-
pion of the rights of the Backward and Depre:.sed Classes,
he thought that it was proper time to quickly introduce social
changes befitting the call of a new world. On Fehruary
22, 1918, Shahu announced that the- payment of bnl1tla to
-vatan<lars--village servants including J oshis--was unnecessary
aud that if any service was required from them, the State would
pay them in cash. The Mahn.rs were excluded from this order
.as he wanted to give them special protection. So under the order
of June 26, 1918, ShallU declared that the. ryots had no right to
 \ill'Oll\l:O. LOO!,~ '4l\U.,\O.:\r l'f I.WU ,SI
in:,anc:- lh( 1 ,
, r M:n1tn ,a, 1ht ,111.i"-c tc1un1.1. MIJ tkit 1.hdr b.ndf
~~,l\lr.t l,,c Hc.1.1,,J ,H.I,~ l.1m!J.
i ~'l~ti,, '""" h•.ol Jr,u-lic mr.nurrt i.1 l1l,cr;uc the c,:1oudi,1bJcs
;u:n (!,cir .li,.""C' fun,: ,b,t1) ,11hl h> i:.m: llinu 1J11: rutrHi.1.h of
, llcun fu:ru •.,n1. On July Z'1. l1IK. Mu.Im l~u;cJ an otJrr brc.11-
m<\ die '1u,L~ uf tht' •Lurry .,.hid1 li,1J h11m1h.a1tJ t!1t111 for
~ ~t" t•-
t, '--tuu, ,.utn "'<11:' tuo1k;nncJ for ~J uma ,u cnmin.:ih.
~nJ th(oy h.il h> 1r1iutt '11,tn\Chn to ull.1.~'t' poliu! offia:n t'ot'IY
. ). M~hu JuJ -1hr.hJ1 oc·m1.>1nl •omc bl.Jill 1J1i, umiptJhfon.
~Qw he .1W1J1cJ tht m1npulikct pctnunrmly {rrcw;; the
ll~lutJ, :\bnp. lb.m1~,.'UJ viJ lkr.u.b frool die J~r.1.uing rof(..
,.au, Only tht).)(' .,.,w b.ail l,c(,11 comic,i:J o[ nima were not
&1 1cn thi, t:1C1t1l>(tou, .U1rr d111~ n.[)lrr ol 1be lcnn o( m1pri)Qfl-
JAtiu, it they imJl(lntJ lhtir touJui;t in a period o[ !i\e }c.m.,
lhtr too \litre 1auniU(J tJ.(fllpUofl, ,
!ih,1hu .ilw munJ 1-.0 onkn 011.-\UKUU 8 .ind IO, 1,1a. Un<lcr
d1e li111 he: gnJnctl 1h,1t. \llh1lc m;ilinic :i11poin1menu of T;i.l:iti,,
t,4dcm,ic •hou4l lie: 1,h(n to the on,lill,110 front ll,e Untoud1-
llile Cl.i.~ All the JJcJunmcnu in h~ State, 1ut.h ai lht"
ll~n,ur, JmJ,cu1 J)oU<c )..mJ Ccnml "cte now 1hro"n oJicn 10
U1c~ tb\.M:'1 .and ,t un<liJ.ito hum the)(' cb.~ were found
(~U.d11itJ ,UJU .mit.tbk. thtr l\t'1C to he protii0tci1 lO the hcaJs of
the Dc1~rtmcn1~ In Sutc ltnice no objrttion ,uwtrl be rahed
lo Jht,r r1rom01i011 or, iJ,r uro11JJJ1 o[ untouch.ibility, Under
the t>1hcr on.kr, Sh,1hu .ai;:ain Jecl.irctl 1.h2t sudi of the T.il.uis ;u
Weft' trcrn,1cJ from tl1c Uniouc.b:i.Llc C1a~, "oulJ be promoted
to r:,o,11, 1}( uc1h or aaal.lar41m1 i! tl1ey \I-ere found intc!Hgcn1.
aruJ cili.t ic11t.
fo Ohler to .ilioh~h the: ~fab.ar u1.an<l:i.rf "hich had tied dov.n
the .Mah;in, 10 u1cir 1fo)' \';i.t,rns for aAn. Sha.liu tOQJ.. :i.notl1er step
011 Sc111cmtcr ltl, l!llS. He tr.uuft~f tlle l::mJ1 of the Mahn
vat.imfo.ri 10 thcnl .i• ~ d bnds and abolhhed du::ir sla,cl'}'.
Aoolblun;; Mahar utand;i.ri \~;is a great rtlolu110nary sodal
<l1annc ,\Judi the Uoml.Jay State dfoi:tc:J as late as l!li!l in free
lndi.t.. le ,iJS a g.ic.as jod.u rdo1m ,1hicl1 no 01..hcr ruler 1n
lm.lian t111 wry had ilarcJ 10 make: Sbahu pro\ed to be a great
)jlx:ra1or, a, lie had in the GI~ of the ll;,,ckwan..l Classes. ,
In ottler 10 gae protec.tion to the crops, Shahu is~ued an o.rder
th;ii 1he .,J)I;ige officcl'1 \bould kill with l11e help of the, 11!:u;ers
332 SHAl-lU CHHATRAPATI: A' ROYAL.REVOLUTIONARY

the pigs that destroyed the crops. They would receive revolvers
from the Darbar, and the Patils should be held responsiole for
the weapons·.

Il

On August 17, 1918, Shahu expressed his opinion to Montagu

on the Montagu-Chelmsford Report. In his opinion the reforms
it envisaged were conceived in a noble spirit with due regard,to
the peculiar conditions of Indian society. The Indian Princes
got all they asked for in Delhi. ·All the points· in their repre•
sentation had received · careful consideration. But • Shahu
expressed his displeasure over the exclusion of the smaller States
from the Princes' Chamber and he· did not like· the Viceroy' t&
preside over the Princes' Chamber.· He welcomed the appoint·
rricnt of an Enquiry Commission that would make an exhaustive
and judicial enquiry into the· questions submitted for "its
opinions; but he made a suggestion that it should not be· left
to the discretion of the Viceroy to appoint the Commission or
the Tribunal.· The Princes, he said, wanted the right:to demand
justice at the hands of an independent Tribunal:
As regards communal representation, Shahu observed: "You
know I am a Maratha and naturally interested in the welfare of
that community and also others that have been, like it, suffering
for ages from the greater drawback of illiteracy. Till they are
brought nearly on a level with the advanced classes, it will, I
humbly think, be inequitable to mete equal treatment to all.
"The :\farathas had a distinct case. They should be treated
on par with the Sikhs and :Mohammedans. As an all-round
soldier, a willing worker, the i\!aratha is loyal to the core and
true to the salt. The :i\faratha had been under politi~al domi-
nation of the Br:ihmins for the last two centuries, a sla,•c of the
gods 011 earth, in social and religious matters." "Under fca.r of
divine displeasure," Shahu added, "and by all craft he has been
kept in forced ignorance. One century of British rule has not
been enough to shake off the effects of this all-per\'adin~ bondage.
It is only since recently that some feeble attempts arc hcing made
to throw off the shackles."
Thoug!i Shahu was in full !..ympathy with Montagu's views
 \ ISL \IJ\~ UIIOCM CO\'U.\'llC.\T L'I' L\DH 3$3
.i~inll lt)IUUSU11,1l fC(HbtlllJlfon. )Cl in the foltJtjtJ of the
qu;i.Uties or citin:nshi~
:flr.u}J:,. l0Uirlilflll(y "lJh C:ll.lt;I.Oll.linary
le J.JJJ he kQuld rcqunt ~fon1~u 10 rtc0tui<ltr lus JcciJfrm.;
ic tdoitcJ lO die ,\br,ul1.1s ;a ;i._ m,cu.uy t\d uU lhcy kamt ti>
u~uJ ou d1e-1r O\\fl fret.
A J.t'lfoh mmouty, 5lt.ahu 00111inuc<l, ll;JS hltly to get pol\cr
tJ~r Wa$ 1-urt- lo be: tucd iu holJing t.he m.1;on1y in pcrpcJu.1J
\~u.il;i.~-c. 1lc qt10,rJ die e:um1,le of tI1e Il1fo1r l.egislathe
Council. ,\ lhfl \\,l,S brou&ht IQ for Lhe introullttion of Irre :md
tornpufwry 1,rimarr c<luulJon. '111h ~,J..$ ol eour..c in tl1e
inlcteiti of the Uoi1J.wanl Cb~a. llut the ;\[al11r:ij1 of
lJArh11,111g.a, a llr:;i.hmin member of the n1J1ar Lcs~l:itj,e Council,
lt/io k-as <loi11a; iii, utm~t to pr($C"ne the c.i~le nstem 11hich
Incant tlo01iua1ion or Brahmim OH:r ouu:r canes, Pmtlllcd a
tJCtitiun d_gucd by f0,000 pcrwiu protcmng agamst compulsory
Priuury cthu:.-tiou. One "oukl not be iu!J)riscd if similar ac:uon
l<.u t.lcn, Sl1ahu alldc-J, by other Couric:ib, Lo 1h11 art 3lJ attempts
to educate the IJ.lcbarJ rommunitiCJ, This ~;u not impossible:,
he c.ontinucd, "fim lbey h:lll no rcprncnt3.tiH:s of their o,m to
.afci::und thetr in1ertsts.
Sl1.1hu uid fie "as agairut nomfoation and that it ll"OU[d be
no proper ,ut»mute for comnlunal representation. The fact
th;u ~ no,11m.:itcd mCJDticr "as .a GO\ernment nontinte tool.
a\\;iy the ,.aluc of hii a<l\oc:icy, ho"e,er dhinten:steJ he might
be.
In the end, llhile u,-ing to persuade Monl3gU to continue
Lont Wdlingdon .:J.$ Go,cntor of Bombay, Sha~1u gave a
l;Tap11ic docnp1for1 of tlic inllucnce of the r:..1remrst party m
tf1e Bombay PresidcnC), 5hahu ob$entd: i"'iou. \..nnw the
nombay Pmiucncy is Ilic swrm ccn1re of India.. It u here _that
the Iltahnun hun:J.utr.icy ii \Cry powerful. Uombay,has ~um
to Intlia her greatest Congre!oS leaders and some of 1hen1 ·wete
tottncctcd "'ith my State. Borob,ly has- tal.en the ~eaJ m the
l-Iorue Rule proJ)agamla. The cx~mists. element in Bombay
has ClptureJ tl1e CoDgres$ and JS goidmg t11e pohuc,l mo\ c•
tnents o( the ~l1olc of Jntlia." . th ed
Shahu med the- opposition of the- Biliaf Bralunms to e th u-
tation of the nackwanl CJ.wes Md exprcs?>Cd lhe view at
ainulat tactics would be used in olher prodnces too, It MIS 3
334 SHAHU CHHAntAPATI: A ROY.AL'REVOLUTIONARY

fact that Sydenham·had said many things' against India, but be

made a notable point when he said in one of his letters to Shahu
that "there is·· no, country in the world where elementary edu-
cation has been so sadly starved in order to provide cheap
higher education". Indeed Shahu's prophecy came true when
R. P. 'Paranjpye, as Education· Minister of the Bombay Presi-
dency, declared in 1923 that free and compulsory primary edu-
cation was practically, impossible and for this statement he was
criticised by Professor Kale and Professor Kanitkar who belonged
to his ·party. Paranjpye, could not face criticism and he later.
formed a committee under the chairmanship of Sir Narayanrao
Chantlavarkar io prepare a·n educational' scheme, which was
another way to postpone the issue. , •
: In the third week of August 19i8, Shahu fell ill again. Lord
Willingdon hoped to hear of his complete recovery soon. Bidd-
ing farewell to Shahu, Willingdon said, whatever his duties
might be in future years and wherever they might take him, he
trusted that their friendship ·would always remain. During his
illness Shahu wrote on August 27, 1918, to Sir Sankaran Nair
that he wanted to meet Dr. Nair in Bombay after his arrival
from London as Shahu had not the pleasure of knowing. him
personally. , Ari. admirer of Dr. Nair; Shahu appreciated the
good work Dr. Nair was doing and wanted to show him his
appreciation and to express his· gratitude in a tangible form for•
his services to the country. Dr. Nair had done and was doing,
Shaliu added, "what ·1 had not been able to• achieve though I
have been ,vorking on the same lines as he" ..
Tilak lc£t for London on September 24, 1918, ostensibly in.
connection with the Chirol case. Before leaving for London,
he voiced his opposition on September 17, 1918, to Vithalbhai
Patel's Bill which Patel-had introduced in the Central Legisla-
tive Counci!, !his Hindu Marriage {Validity) Bill sou.ght to
make inter-caste marriages among the Hindus valid. Patel was
not. ~l believer in- caste and wanted the abolition of the caste
S~:.tem. It \~·as his £inn conviction that there was ,·cry little pro-:
spcct of Hindus ad\'ancing in the -present-day civilization and,
of their occupying an cxaltecl position among the nations of the
world i[ tl1cy did not abolish the caste £}'stem.
• Tibk, true to his convictions, which had been consistent
 VISUALISES LABOUR GOVERNMENT IN IJNbIA 335-
smc.e 1891; opposed8 the Patel Bill stating that the duldten of
slld1 rnamages should not he allowed to mhenr properties,
badward lineally, or wllaterally through the father. This wa.s-
fargely the view of the nat1on3.lJSt Bralunms and the 1-fmdu
Home Rule workers genera.Uy. Like all progressh e leaders.
Sir TeJ Bahadur, Srini\as, Sastri and LaJpatra1 supported the-
Il1ll. Sh:lhu also welcomed the Bill, saying that Jts opponent:,.
were poor champions of Hmdu religion LaJPatrai said from
America: "Political democracy fa a mytli unles.s it u b.ut:d on
social and economic Justice." Tilak said that though a
Brah.mm maming a Shudra woman lost his BrahminhooJ, he-
remained a Hmdu. , ,
Shahu, a believer m the abolition of the caste system, had
already passed a law legalising marnages between Hindus and
Jams. He soon passed laws legalmng all inter-caste marriage!).
among limdus and remO\·ed the maJor dlfficulty m the way ot
social unit}'.
This was tl1e difference bet,~een the nationahst Brahmms and
the communal non-Brahmms Surely these Iegislatwn<; liberat-
ing the woman and abohshmg caste ga,e proof that .Shahu's.
movement, though he demanded communal, representation in
pohucs for the Backward Cla$Ses and the Untouchables for a
certain penod, was not separatist and disrupt1\'e as the nahona-
lm Brahmms claimed. Shahu stood for buf)mg rommunal
Jealousies and antagomsm. Definitely he stood for the social
unity and sohda.nty of the nation.
By asl..ing on behalf of the Backward and Depressed Classes
a share in the admimstration of their own country, Shahu was
ele\atmg them, that IS, he was ele\'atmg the national majority
and m fa.er broadening tbe narrow base of Indian t1auonahsm.
However patnotic the Brahmin nauonalists of Tilak's petsua•
s1on may have been, their outlook on sooal reconstwcuon
was narrow, sellisl1 and self-cencered ivhsle Shahu's 1ie11s and
legislation on sooal reconstruction, and the hberauon he
earned out of the Untouchables, an unheard-of thing !or cen-
tunes m India; showed that his mterpretation and ad\O.:acy of
nationah~m l'.'aS progressne; broadbased and enbghtened.
i~t may ik!" IMW iM'C" l1hr(. Jwl' .~~ ,nm•..!\i:ahmto,.i\J.o,one.uts.
in 1\fadras and Maharashtra struggled for I.he ele\ation, aud
336.. SHAfiU•CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL'REVOLUTIONARY

liberation • of, the 'Backward and Depressed Classes. • Both

fought against social inequality, caste ·stigmas·. and mental
slavery. Both. hated and attacked .Brahminism which gave
superiority, prestige· and privileges: to the Brahmins and bred
inequality, injustice and poverty ainong the masses. But there
was a difference between the two non-Brahmin Movements in:
India. Besides their · common grievances against Brahminism,
the Dravidian Movement had one more count to resent.· The
Brahmin arrogance.and scriptural. falsehoods in the Ramayana
depicting a1;1d degrading Rama's helpers; Hanuman, J ambuwant
and Wali as monkeys had. given an edge to the Dravidian
Movement. It later assumed racialism as its predominant
doctrine which described Brahmins as Aryans and non-Brahniins
as Dravidians. But the non-Brahmin, Movement in Maharashtra
remained a reformist niovemerit which did not oppose national
integrity and integration, as, Mahatma Phooley had-given it a
humanist foundation. And Shahu never gave up the ideal: of
welfare and unity of the nation; •
Prince Rajaram was working- enthusiastically under the·
guidance • of Dewan Sabnis. · After· much experience and
encouragement, ·Prince Rajaram, in September 1918, praised him
as the ablest Minister, a friend of the Royal family and one to
whom his father gave fatherly respect.

Ill'

By now Dr. Kurtakoti, a subtle and tactful leader, by his

advocating the retention of the Kulkarni vatans had clashed with
the administration of the State. His profession of affection for
the non-Brahmin communities and Untouchables was found to
be unreal. His semi-orthodox approach to the problem of
Untouchables remained as narrow as it was in 1912 when he
presided over a conference held to consider the remo,•al of un-
toucha bility. He had bluntly told Karmaveer Shinde ·that he
would preside over the conference but would not touch the Un-
touchables! He had run through all the savings of the Math in
one year and contracted a debt of rupees si.xty thousand, and the
salaries of his servants were in arrears. A very critical situation
had arisen in the Math.
 VlSUALIS£S J..AllOUR. , C.OYERNMml", IN INDIA 337
TI1e KuU.atms of Dr. KurtakOb's inan1 villages ,tt~re replaced
by Talatis in accordance wuJ1, the new Jaw .as he had opposed
the abolition of the Kull.amt vatans. J Dr. K.urtalott protested 10
\',Un. agamsc this accwn; sq he ttas now out'of favour mth Shahu
Dr. Kurtakoti addressed a letter to the Mahara1a on September
6, 1918. In it he said that it was not proper to put forth objec.
lions in respect of such a. worldly matter (the abolition of
Kulb.anu vatan). "We have resolved to se,er that wry connec.
uon and live in peace,'1' 'fThis itself," he contmued. "may1 be
treated as resignation of the UJ.comeJn_ Kaneer Jla!..ha and
further arrangements may be m;;i.de by, the ,Maharap.,'; As he
mtended going on fl itou~ a!te:t I the ,ne,tt full moon day, he
requested the Mahara.Ja to pay a psit to tp~ 1\~a~ b;fore ~is
departure.
...
,I ,
r ,
1i .,.. 1 'II i

Shahu was at that time in Poona Being 'L

the Chief Re\'enue
Officer, Bhaskar Jadhav wrote to the De-v:an, on September I I,
;u-;r~rming him that ' 1the Swarm Jagadguru has wntten to His
t I I" I i

Highness that he has gl\en up all the rights mer the Inam
villages bylonging to the Math. 1 He is probably' :1iming 'at
J '
1 , ,. ~ f i ' , Ij 1'" J
cowing down the l\.faharajasa.heb- and thus winnmg fa1'0UT with
the Brahmm community he.re and outside. He is negotiating
1 j i. , n I
.. 1 r '
l , ► L
with the nvaJ •SwaJD\ for a compromise and from one of the
' "'Tt ~ j th'
I • j

conditions in that compromise one can' easily perceive at his

sole object lS to quarrel with the narbar. One condition therein
e"-pressly stipulates that Dr. Kurtal.od sliould enjoy and shar~ ~n
the SanJ..eshwar property in the' event of' his' losmg Kolhapur
property. The decision in the "fanjore' case, Rajwade's utttrance
and this JilO\C of tl1e 'two S,vJmis' at aril amicable settlement
ll-'hlch is n1lfully' s1Jent on the Kshat.nya' status' of His Highness
appear to be an org:uused thmg." ' • ' '' , ' f
'JTbe-Subordmare,'Judge of we Tanjore Court decided the case
ag:amst the l\£ahara1a as the Maratha.s were considered Shudras
by hull.. r l t l ..,. 1 "" J tI u,l l ~ I '

, In Madras, Justice• was conducting a campatgn against the

Home Rule mO\emcnt. , The non-Brahmim there ttere org.2ni,t-,
mg their fol"CC$. Shahu wanted to organise the non-arahmin
forces m Maharashtra. He o.pected neilber suppott,n°r, en-
couragement from Go,emment, but he said that he should not
be :llllSundentood. Was. it not a strange thing that when he
338 SHAIIU CUH,\.'nt,\l'ATl: ,\ R0\'.\1. Rl::'..\'OLL'TIO!-:i\RY

was wholc-hcartt.'tlly supporling the Government in rccruiuncnt

policy the)' should misunderstand him? The fact w:is that his
hcac.l was with the lll'iti~h Gon:rnment but hi:; heart w:,s nor. In
pl"ivntc conversation he: cautiously cxprcf>-~cd his h:llrc<l for the
British rulers whom he called "T0Ju1dc". Tl1t.: Brahmin opposi-
tion to his efforts in clcvalini,; the Backward Cl;1~es and the
Untouchables an<l givinr; them social status on the basis of
equality, had app:m.:ntly driven him into the Government fold.
: It was at thi:; junctui·c that V. R. Kothari and Vora ~tarlcd on
October 3, 1918, the Dc:ccau Ra)'at~ an Eugli:ih weekly from
Poona, with the ohicct a( advancing the interests of the mas~cs.
A. B. Latthc, who was practisin~ law at llelgaum, was hclping-
Kothari. Latthe was likely to give up his praclicc and to clc\'otc
his lifo to the cause 0£ the down-trodden classes. It was of conP.ic
no wonder that Shahu :1ho11lcl gct his ideas spread through the
Deccan R<1yat in Lhe mamH!r Justice dicl those o( the non•
llrahmin leaders in Madras. S~ Shahu supported the D1:cc1m
,Ra~•at,, pui-chascd many copies ?£ it, an<l sent them to persons in
authority and to his friends who \Vere interested ,in the c~iusc of
the down-trocldcn. •
Meantime, Nago[)ant Topkar, the new admi~1istrator of the
Shankaracharya's Math, rc[uscd' to givc Dr. Kurtakoli the key
o.f a ,,l.ockcr
., . to , take out diamond necklaces, a gold crown and
\ '

,o,ther'_valuable ornaments 9£ the deity and to offel· them for sale.

·Tl1e··c:1ealer in gold, who hncl come to the Math to purchase the
articles of gold; went back as he thought it was a dangerous deal
to handle. Nagopnnt asked Dr. Kurtakoti to give in writing his
request for, the key. Dr. Kunakoti refused to do so as he felt
insulted by the demand.
Placed as he was in an unhappy posiLion, Dr. Kurtakoti clecicl•
ed' to leave the Math and left it on October I 5, I !118, in spit~ of
the fact that Pandit Narhar Shastri Marulkar implored him not
to, leave the ·Math.,, Dr. Kurtakoti replied that he had qiven up
-the Math, .and ·asked Marulkar to inform Guruswami Pitre to
look a[ter the Math. •:Pandit Marulkar followed him for about
-two· furlongs, but' Dr: :l(urtakoti; furious and fulminating, walked
,ahead:· ·Later a servant of Dr. Kurtakoti. came to the Math to
demand Dr: Kurfakoti's staff and,the,water-pot,which were: kept
 VISUAUSI:S LI.BOUR. COVERNMENT IN INDIA 339
in a room locked after his departure. At the instance 0£ the
Resident. these art1cle:s were gi'i.'en,ta the servant.'
& arranged 1ue\iowly, the Shanl..aracharra 0£ Sankeshwar
and Dr. Kunakoti met at Audumbar and settled their dispute~
Dr. Kurtaloti securing an annual income 0£ Rupees 'eight.
thousand m t12e bargain. AccorrlmgJy, tl1e compromise was
produced by them in the Court of Belgaum, ,.,here the property
lay in dispute for )ears But Guruswami Pitre, who again
became Shankaracharya. of Kolhapur with the appro,al of
Shahu, lodged a protest against the compromise ·nhich had
been brought about between Dr.' Kurtal.oti and the Sh.inkara-
1
charya of Sanl.eshv.ar by Dr. Nanasaheb Deshmukh and
D.1ttop:un lleJvJ at Audurubar.
Shahu had, meantime, sent Kalappa Anna N1t,e and Amrit-
rao DaJ1 V1chare to Dr. Kurtaloci requescmg him to return to
'iolhapur. But having JUSt r.ecured a guaranteed )early income,
'nr. Kurtaloti wrote to Shahu on November J, 1Ql8· "1
t .. j!

receu·ed )Our telegwm here JUst now. Seeing that you ga\e
my address
, as 'Swami Kunakoti' m the telegram, I too ceased
to use the honorific adJective Kshatnya Kulavatansa (i e. oma-
~ l i i ,L. t
ment of the Kshatn)as) to you. Day before yestetday I
h,ne sent ll-ith K.:il.app.1 Anna Nitve :all 'the pardcul.ar.s Now
j •

at Virar I saw DaJ1saheb. I gave all the patticula~ to him.

Now I do not see that there is any need 0£ Jour sending any
man to me. You need not tale any trouble. , There will be
no e\1[ intention in my mind about you. To control one's
mmd 15 one's duty. 1 do n~t require e,en a ,>.awn or a dasod,
from )ou.- ~ am avowedly,~ sanyasin (an ascetic). The whole
world 1s open to me, 1 can go on begging somethmg .if )ou
want.. You may manage the Math as you hle. , You need not
spend anything to M"Cl the advice o[ the pleader or banmer in
that ~atter. For I sha11 1 not_ put forth any ob1ection. , I left
without cherishing any desire for anything. My dismterested•
ness will ne\er be changed,"
Thereafter much,water Hawed down the Panchaganga. Two
~onths later Dr. Kurtakoti compiamed to the Resident of dl
treatment and n=quested him to mtenene. On January 27.
' .
1919 Resident Wodehouse wrote to Shahu Chhatrapati asking
3'10 SJ:IAHO CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

him to settle the inatter as .soon as possible, although he added,

it was entirely· under Shahu's. jurisdiction. · Shahu, therefore,.
·on February 5, 1919, issued an order declaring the removal of
Dr. Kurtakoti from the gadi of. Shankaracharya of Karveer
Peeth. The order said that Dr.. Kurtakoti did not conduct the
affairs .of his In.am lands ancl .tl].o$e of the Math properly. He
contracted debts, and _left saying that he was not in need of a
gadi, flouting the request of G11:i;uswami Pitre. Mo1;eover, in
league with Waikar Swami of. Sankeshwar and with an eye on
its accumulated wealth, he relin.quished his claim to the gadi
of Shankaracharya· in Maharashtra, and ·by his misdeeds he
,made_ hims~lf unfit fo~ that post. He was. not an occupant of
now
the gadi and had no power· to exercise .its name ever sinc:e
he left Kolhapur. After his departure.· Guruswami Pitre 'jvas
declared Shank:ira~harya ~£ Kolhapur.7 • • •
Dr. Kurtakoti ,vas advised by the' Kesari to give himself tip
to the task of.' awak~ning' the ~asses. At Bombay when
Brahmins hacl' held ·a warm •reception in. his honour in
February 1919 Dr;· Kurtakoti advised them to establish a
Brahiniij Dhanna Sanrakshini • Sabha and a f~w days later he
himself founded an institution' called Brahrilashree Vidyapith
wl1ich was a fttting end for a man glorified by the /(esari as· a
man of the Ramdas cult.B Afterwards he resided at Nasik and
from there he published attacks on the· Chhatrapati and the
members of his family.
During this period Shahu brought to the notice of the
Bombay Government four newspapers,· the -]agarult 'and Samaj
Scvak of Poona, the Vislzva-Ban,llui'of Kolhapur and the Dina
Mitra of Somath:ma in Nag-.ir District suggesting that the
Covernme11t should show sympathy with iheir editors. The
Dina Mitra fo its issue ·or September 4 criticised the Jagadguru
and the latter gave the editor notice to withdraw certain aUega-
tions he had m:1de against him. r.I~ktindrao Patil, editor o.13
the Dina .i\Jitra, was given by Shahu a gift of •ntpecs Jive
hundred.
Sh:1hu wrote to .. Cadell from Poona on September 16, 1918,
to introduce Koth.iri ancl Vora to the Government a,; they
whhed to start an Eni;lish newspaper like the Justice. He
slated that both • tht: gentlemen were worthy, self-sacrificing
 \'lSUAUSES lABOUk CO\"EllMJE.'IT IN l1'DIA. 341'
and Jo)ill ilnd th.:it tlic llombay Presidency was in need of such'
a ne11"!p.:zpcr. Dut Kothari. ~110 ,us a m.1.n of independent
views, had criticised the Br.thmins for their opposition to 50Cial
reform but !eukssJy decl.ued that the Sat)n-Sho<lhaJ..ites were
not the itoot;ts of the GO\ctnment. \\.'hen Kothari met Caden
he lculcs:sly told l1im mat he had no intention of meeting the
Go, cmor and the Mahar3ja'1 letter' m that connectton should
not be Eat.en &eriowly, He c.. en returned Shahu's cheque for
rupees three thouhl.nd l'.hid1 w-:u gncn to him for visitmg
England :ind conducting propasanda £or communal represen-
talion to the Backhanl Classes and the Untouchables. Shahu
\\'aS also thinking o( sending one G. S. Sohoni to counteract
Tilal.'s activities in England. So he requested Curtis to secure
Sohoni a pas.sporL Who 1..hh Sohoni was is not known,, but it
sccnu that he ·was a Saraswat from Bombay. Shabu tJi;pccted
tlili mouse o( a Soboni to face Tilak the Hon He wanted to
~d Sohom to England :.at hii own 1expense, but Government
did not, acc:e<le to his request. The other obJCtt 0£ sending
him to London was 10 bclp CJ1irol against Tilak m the Chitol
case. Shahu'1 intention o[ doing propaganda in England £or
j

communal repwenr.a1fon was groltfog lccn.r:r. He wanted to

ut1bse tlrn scnices of Dr. Nair also to do this.
On September, JO, 1918, Sir S:mlatan. N.air aTotc to lu.s
brother Dr. Madha\an Nair, sa)mg that the MaharaJa of
Kolhapur w.u a great admirer ol Jus and an ardent non.Br.iJ1min
and greatly interested in the "\\-elfare 0£ the non-Brahm.ins.. He
d1crc:!orc rcqucsicd Dt", .M.;ulhavan Nafr to m:iJ,.e Sbahu's
acquaintance, ' 1
.SJ1al1u's friend Lord WilJingdon mformed Jiim on Octoncr
11, 1918. tliat he and his colleagucl could not .support his po1nt
of ,,ieu• In the Idialk.::u·an;J adopuon t.1.se.. Accordmg to the
Go~emment, it was a fair decmon v.hich they had an-i,ed at
after the mrut careful cous1dcratio11 vi _the m;i1ter. This was
a bnter pill for Shahu to swallow,

• , IV.
} '
Montagu replied on October 16, 1918, ·to Shahu's letter of
August l 7 th.at J1e was glad to note the suggestions he had made.
342 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: :A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

He would bear in mind .the comments when the final scheme

would be formulated. As· regards: ·communal representation.
for the Marathas,- ·he said that the, Maratha community 'would
have the fullest' opportunity· ·of: representing.- its .views· on the
subject wheri the Franchise Committee'..reviewed the, situation 1
in· India. . Referring to the: question i of Lord Willingdon·s·
extension, .,Montagu. said· that;· Willingdon •was transferred to
Madras ·arid India :,vould 1continue to enjoy: his wise counsel' and
ripe experience. However, Willingdon: said·· ·that ,he- would.
never forget· the. generous. feeling which, .prompted the sugges-
tion of Shahu. Still, Shahu· persisted in securing an ·extension
to Lord Willingdon: -
At the ·instance· of Shahu, De,\Tan. ·sabnis, 'therefore, approach-
ed RaO Bahadur Wandekar. arid Raosaheb Bole, leaders of the
Backward Classes of. -Bombay, who agreed with• Sabnis on the·
question of securing·an·extension ·to the· Governor. They had
appreciated the . kindness .Lord Willingdon had shown to the
Backward Classes. Bole called .a· meeting- on November IQ,;
1918, • and desired Shahu· to -preside over it.- .Shahu deeply
appreciated: the honour,, and ·wrote to Raosaheb Bole ·on.
October 30, 1918, that he felt very grateful to him· for it. On·
the same day Shahti wrote to Lord Willingdon asking his advice
on whether he· should preside over the meeting which would
be attended· by •about twenty thousand people. ''My only
difficulty," he added, "is that' it should not look as though I
alone were engineering every movement." The Governor re-
plied that it was a question which he must· decide for himself.
"It is not a matter," he concluded, "that either I or my govern-
ment can advise you upon."
This shows •how Lord Willingdon, too, had fallen a· victim
to the glamour of popularity and was allowing Sha.bu to move
among .the masses which the Government would not have done
in ordinary course. - At this· time, the regiment Shahu had
raised in Kolhapur was removed to Belgaum ·on October ·30,
and Shahu said, "it shows distrust in me."
Shahu was expecting a great social change in the post-war
world. His insight into the problems of his country in the per-
spective of the world situation -showed how his mind was
working; He had said in 1916: "It must be borne in mind
 VISUALISES LABOUR COV.ER.NMENT I l~} INDU.1..- 343
that the conditions1 o[ the country are rapidlt I ch:mging :md
a(te.r the Great War will change still more• qu1dly1'as, a ury
large number of Indians will have sened or are now: servmg;n
the army abrQad will return with the mind open as they h.ne
~eve,r be.en opened before and, tl1eir demands. w1H •. therefore,
be greater than be(ore." 11 , , 1 ,! ', , ,1 , , ,,
rShahu was watching and studying the labour movements in
Europe. f That study had broadened his vision, .and hfa, thouqht
waS moving tQwards- the soaal :n,well as;the labour movements.
He now had an opportumty of expressing his thoughts on the
labour mo"ement, & decided by Bole. the m~tin_~ WJ.$ held
on November IO, 19l8, at Parel in Bombay, 1 Ahoutr 10,000
mill-hands and Bad.¥..zrd Clas.'l people wimeued. thefarrhaJ of
a. ruler among them, the descendant ·of, Shh-aji1,the Great.
They were thnlled. • They gave him I a0 rousing ovatlOn;
Addressing the meeting at Parel on Noumber 1D;i 1913, Shahll
• said he was one of them. It gave him great joy. to become a:
guide o{ the Backward Classes and struggle to raise their social
level, Shabu praised the work of Lord; Wilhngdon, who h.i.d
v.orked sincerely for the ,uplift of the Batkward Classes He
said they had gathered there to express their lQw ,1nd"show::
that they had respec~ 1for, the G01remor.,, He also praised, the
humanitarian work which Lady Wdlmgdon had don; in hospi•
1

ta.ls.. "
J ~ 1 l 1.,
,

1And then, corrung to the important'theme- of hi\ speech, he

said that Bombay ,was famous for trade. and industry.; It i was
the, belief, in India that trade and industr}' dependeq, {or their
.success on capital and sWI m managemenL , Ilut in ,'Westem
countnes there l-!-ere two main classes--caphaluls and worlcni.
Formerly, the capitahsts had unhm1ted pov,rer o\er, labour.
The workers then Conned uoions 1 of their own., A blade of
grass was weak by itseli, but se-..eral of them,if,woven into a
rope were strong enough, to I tte down. el en an elephant. , The
labour, unions had attained c.on.tiderabli: importance in .Enl{land;
t11e1r; reptesentati,·es entered P,1rliament and \\ere even includ~
ed m ,Ministries.., There they defended their right~1 as there
was no obstacle based on birth to their rise to PQl'ler-. ' , ,,
, In India the higher classes could not protect tlie intcrelits .0£
labour.. So, labour in India, Sba1rn said. mus.c mg;tllJU them--
344 SHAHU CI-IHATRAPATI:. A ROYAL, REVOLUTIONARY

selves· to .defend 1. 'its. rights· and: for doing that it should· resort
tp self-help: and demand, special representation or communal
representation.. ,. :·' '
. The next· day.. Shahu informed Lord Willingdon that the
meeting was. successful and i:he speakers were full of enthu.;
siasm. Every word they spoke was from their hearts. Lord
Willingdon said;··"! am.' very· much touched with all you say
about the'. working classes 'and their· feelings· towards· me."·, •
,, Just at this time the Maharani of Bhavnagar cl.ied and Shahu left
that very night:by the.Gujarat Mail on:a visit of condolence .to
his friend, Bhavsinhji of Bhavnagar. After consoling hfa friend;
Shahli returned to. Bombay.'on, November' 16,. 1918. •
·:, 1Moved. by: the ·tragedy, Shahu wrote to Indrasinh of Bansacla
State; whci:Wa~•:a,relative of the Maharaja,oLBhavnagar, to offer
l;i.is. s~~ter's· hand, _to -him,· but'.,he and his mother. flatly· declined·
the.:.off~r.,::Sl.\ahu. then offered his ·wife's services .to look. after.
the ,young children of his:friend.· Shahu was to meet Sir Claude
Hill on'·November,!2O, -1918, at Colaba railway station in Bom-
bay~ but was\ unable 1 to -do so as, he returned to Kolhapur for
some-Anny celebration. But he was in Bombay till' ti1e end of
November 1918. :i· • ·' ·' • ' ' -'.. ·
.''ln 1antappealing'letter; Shahu said to his friend the MaHaraja
of: ·Bhavnagar, !!r.'have- 'a5ked my wife, to take· care of• your
Kumars and she has most gladly given her consent to look after
them, she'. says} ':'ts I have· lost my son I ·shall bring up· the' Kumars
of Your Highnessias my own.' ·she might live-at Bhavnagar for sbc
months. and·•bririg 1Kuniars here for six' months I so that ,a: 'couple
of:-yeais'wiil soon pass•off'and the:Kumais will be· grown up."10
• In-the s~e:week·V:.--R. Kothari- lost·nis'son• and--Shahu was
particular , about ·sending· him: his condolences. Kothari was
grateful,:and in,·tetu:rn··congratulafed· Shahu on the signal suc-
cess Qf the, labour• meeting.•. • ' '
• Lord:Wiilingdon ,vas now about-to'telinquish his post, and
S?ahu •wanted• him_: to; decide .the Ichaikaranji :adoption case
before· -he left; ··,in the Ichalkatanji case, Shahu supported the
case ·of· Vinayak Narayan ·Ghorpade and said justice :was' on'.the
side of the· boy. •
'· Lord Chelmsford finally informed Shahu'. •that 'it ·would be
impossible to' cancel the appointment of' Lord Willingdon as
 VtSU.\USC.S- LAILOL"R covu..,1,n:,"'1' IN l~DIA. St,
CO\cmor of M.11.Jr.is. He added Jie h.'.ld ne> doubt that in Sir
George Llo)d Shahu would find a. friend to \\hom he could
,2fo-:111 go tor help .ind J<hicc m hit d.tfficuhics."

As .:i. con~uc:ncc of Sh:i.hu's fcnent apptal, a People's Union

w;u cstabluhal in Bombl.y m the same 'hct"~ .and Dole, \\ho bad
been conduc.ung tlte K.2.mg:ir Hitv.u-dhak. Sabha. smcc 1909, bc-
amc .:a J.e~ckr of lhe P~ple"1 Union too. Sl1.1hu Chha:trap;:ui,
a. niter, hccunc the firn p.itron 0£ lhe Labour Union.
R. n. Wa.ndcJ..:i.r, ll. A. TaJdicrlar, Sakharam V1shram Keer
and Man.iji Kalew.ar v.<'rc 1.he other leaden. The object ot this
Uuion was to niw: the religious, c:ultut:Jl, social and economic
lc1.'c:I of ll1e B~ck"'.1.nl amt l..3bour Cb~. to cstabh.ui J,Ocial and
n:ligious cq1.13Juy and to <lcm:i.nd a. sep.:ir.a.tc electorate for the
ll.ulw,m.J CJ.aues. The Union al.so promoted' libraries in the
b.bour .a~s. i
After the fomu1ion of the Pcopfe·, Union or Lok. .S.ingh, Shaho
:u.JdrcMC<l another meeting o[ l11e Labour and Backward Cl~
on Nou:mbcr 21, 1918. lie congr.:uul.itcd them on cstabfohing
the Umon and s:i.ic..l, "In England capital and labour were two
classes ;imt thc1t mtercsts cla.shc<l. It would be a golden day in
luuim l1luory ~ hen ihe iupprcl.!oCd and expfoued classes nouJd
get an opportunity to raise tbc1r bead,. Uccausc tl1e Indian
c.ipnalnu l1,nc {oUoweJ the Western cap1taUsts' pwmplcs of
cxploitat1on, l11e condition of bbour m the- country had beLome
prec.motu. To 1mpr0\e their lot Jabour must organise themselves
and nuke great efforts and 53.crlficc."
"Properly .spcaling,''i Shahu added, "it isi the duty oC the
etlucatcd and responsible claSi to set, by mixmg with all, an
example of unity and Io,c; but they do not do so at present. It
is the Arya S:muj nh1Ch had talcn up the l'!orl. I am follower
of bra,c Sir, Pratap Singh MaharaJ. l ba,e also seen books
ckpoundwg di~ prinap1ci. lt JJ not Dayan.and Sara~wa:u that
imcnted the prmople of Ana Saroaj. It i.s the ancient pnnc1-
pks of the Vedas themsehes t11at s~-ami D.irm.and Sar.uwatl and
Nit}anaml and my friend Atmaram and Swailll Paramanand
have been expOundmg," He tI1en told die mecung that while
3~6 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUnONARY

he was sailing .for London. it was,:Maharaja: Eratap Singh of

Jodhpur (ldar) who ,had taught him on,; board the ship. the
principles of the _Arya Samaj and many..rears: after Pandit Atma,
ram met him. From that time he had become Arya Samajist.
According to Shahu the object of founding the Arya Samaj, the
Brahmo Samaj and the Prarthana Samaj was to destroy the
oppressive ·attitude: of the community· that ·had monopolised the
priestly. profession.. ··Getting rid .of the· oppressive religious
yoke of the priests was more necessary than liberation from the
yoke·of the capitalists. ,. ,. . ,, ··: ·;: ', • ,. •
·"Unity, mutual· love; faith •and perseverance," Shahu: •said;
''.must be our weapons. I have already told that in •"Western
countries a struggle between Capital and Labour had been· going
on. The War has almost thrown ,the whole political power into
the hands 0£:the Labour Party.;, Russia.and Germany were twc:i
great ,nations,· with unlimited ,monarchies.· ~ Now '.in I their ,place
is ·being established Democratic Government under the leader:
ship of their party. In England also the Labour Party- is grow~
ing .powerful. Even neutral countries like Holland will . not
remain unaffe.cted by these wav~s; Every, person who had attain--
ed ll1aj~rity _ll1USt have the right to vote, that· _is to say, the
Government must be conducted according to_ their wish and the
power. of the minority of the ·privileged, classes·. will decrease.
Indian labour: should get such rights, and for achieving them
they must strive endlessly and enthusiastically.'
"You are uneducated and illiterate. You mu..s;t form the habit
of working in an orderly way. For that you must start estab--
lishing co-operative societies in ·your chawls and· factories which
would be your tools." He asked them to develop the principle of
the co-operative credit societies so that. they would acquire the
strength to win their rights.
"As in England," he concluded, "trade unions must be estab·
lished here and all must. know their own rights. The capitalist
class consists chiefly of Brahmins and Vaishyas. Unless they are
kept under control, the conditions of labour will hardly improve.
The word labour is not disrespectful. Although I am on the
throne of Kolhapur, I feel proud to call myself a soldier, farmer
or labourer."
Thus Sbahu was almost the first Indian leader or for that
 VlSUd.USES UBOUR GOV.ERNMENT IN , J!',DIA 347
matter tuler to 1uualisc the cormng of a democratic labour
gQ\.cmmcnt in lndi.al He wanted to encourage co-operauve
societtcs to free the labourers from the clutches of usurers and
money-lenden and lb tram them in self-respect and ' sell~
gmcniment. Shahu g;ne an impetus to the labour mcnement al
a ume lthen Jcadca J1ke S. A •. D,wge had 1not appeared on the
Indian pobtical scene.
lV1tll the rn:mendou.1 success of the fabour meetings m Bom-
bay. Shahu wanted to address a meeting of the dock worl.ets on
Nolrmber 26. He sent D. V. JadJ1av, hfa Chief Re1-e1we Officer,
to Crerar to sec whether he could do so and w know the limits of
hlS activities as presaibcd by the Go,emment. Cautiously he
added~ "'Allow me to emphasise that I shall interest m)self in
such work only 1£ Govenunent apprO\e of it and look upon it
as useful for the public." ' i
•Shahu , wanted' lo spread his mission m Mahara&htra, and
gradually he was ime1gling the Go"emment into conceding to
hi$ wishes under the' cloak of loyalty. The British Government
thought that the gt~t influence he exercised on the masses he
would use for supportmg- the Government, and he thought that
he would enthuse the 111a5ses to stand up for their nghts and
5ecure their share in the GO\·emment of their countt}. '
Shahu returned to' Kolhapur at' the end of November and
again·wcnt to Bomoay to discuss the lchalkaranJ1 adopuon case.'
He left Kolhapur for Bombay on December 10, 191ft, to be able
to attend the Arya Samaj Conference at Navsar1, Gujarat. on 1
December 14, 1918. ,During !tis stay in Bombay, Sh.ahu wrote to
Wodehouse about the meeting that' was held on December l0,-
at the Town Han in Bombay.,ro ,ote a atfrens' address to Lord
W1Ilingdon, the retiring Cmemor of Bombay. The n,1.tionalists
led by Mohamed A1i Jinnah were to oppose the meeting .and s.o
on the midnight of December 9, Jinnah's folloll.ers went to the•
Town Hall and were the first to be admitted to the Town Hall
at 8 o'clock. on the mommg of Derember IO, I918. Hundreds
of people crowded the street and -the steps of the Town Hall,
and ultimately at 8 pm.' the I Polite 'brole up the meeting.
Jmnah won the dav.12 The address to '\Vilhn_gdon was not voted,
for which act Willingdon never forgave Jinnah. 'Jamnadu
Dwarkadas and Hornhnan were pre~nt at•the meeting. As an'
318. SHAHU: CHHATRAPATI:.A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY'

appreciation of· Jinnah's. brave. and patriotic .act, people of

Bombay later built a Jinnah Memorial Hall in the city.
'• As stated above, Shahu wrote to ·wodehouse that Jamnadas
Dwarkadas had--had· a bad beating and Mr. Jinnah a-worse one.
Out of curiosity he had·seen George Arundale, who according to
Shahu, professed to be an. educationist. Anyhow Shahu said,
Arundale seemed to him to be a man who had. made great
sacrifices in- the field of· education ..
Shahu Chhatrapati left Bomba}'. on the morning of December
13, 1918, for Navsari to inaugurate .the Arya Samaj- Conference.
At Navsari .he was given a rousing reception:--. In his inaugural
address, Shahu said: • '.'Of ,the 'torch of· knowledge -lit up by
Swami Dayanand and ·his Master, the more one is convinced 0£
the: hand of Providence . in· t),lis affair. . The : religion , of the
country had completely -degenerated at that·, time. . The real
nature of ·th~ .\Tedie religion· ,was: not,,clearly manifest owing to
i_ts being thicklr, encrusted .. ,Ancient .truths could .not ·be, clearlY·
pe;rce_ived as. the works of th_e: rishis were studied with the· help
of·, the commentaries. and expositions of the. cunning and, hypo-
critical -priests· (Bhatjis) ; false idolatry which th;grades humanity
increased_ to a great extent.'.'.: . . , . ,. : · . •,
"The worshippers of: idols,"; he: continued, '.'styled themselves
holy. • Brahminhood. which: used to. depend on :deeds· and merits
qecame. dependent 1,1pon. birth. Undue importance was given
to -sacred places. .The local and, nominal Brahmins could ther~
by. secure . plenty . of. rich food, and plenty of money. • Con-,
sequently they became idle and vicious and neglected education.
In ·order. to.-sque.eze money in a! number of ways; from the birth
of a man. until his. death, they prepared books expounding-vows.
(vratas); and donations; nay, they. prepared false books •Jike
Garud Puran prescribing ceremonies like shradha,-mahalaya, dan,.
etc., to secure. money even,,after.death· for unjust ·and· -luxurious
maintenance of the·so-called ·Brahmins upon the labour of the
illiterate.". -,( ! . . ... : ..
.. "Learning in Brahmins,';, ,Shahu proceeded, :"began to dis-_
appear; .and to keep up· this source of profit for themselv~s and·
for their children, non-Brahmins • also :were kept: back •. from
learning.. By-:incre~sing the science of astrology, and creating.
the fear of stars, new. methods o! obtaining money were invented.
 \'tSUAUSts LADOl)lt cou:ru-,in,N t UJ _, u-. DI-.. 349
Many supersutious ideas ·were forced upon socieryl by setting
::,.side good d3.ys from bad and by app0inting days (muhurtas)
for rr.ncllmg, m.1mage, thre:id ceremony and so on. The l'l"Ord
of the pnest (BhatJI) becallle law, and hence the non-Urahmins
'"ho were taught to beheie that religion .-ind the ,iay of se~nng
the fa,our of God and general v.elfare lay in obeying the'priest
(Ilhar11), ~ere reduced s,mph to the stare of nandi' bail (buUocJ.s
1 1
nodding lo the will of his fll;J. s'ter) ' j '

' Tracing in this v.ray cl1e buses of the decl1ne'8r true religion
in
t
lnJia. Shahu e'l:plained hmv I
the onginal four • divisiom
'(vamas) based on principles' of
.t f
WVlSion of Iabou;, turned into
f 11 l j

four tlwusand castes, because Brahminhood t c;U11.e to be

H II; JI _j , ,

recogrused on the basis of birth ' Shahu described I •

the advent
o( Bnush rule as a hlessmg, a rule v.ludl considered men equ~l
before the law and recogmsed the duty of educating its subJects..
Shahu then referred to the te!onn movement ot I>ayanand,
Kesbubdtandra a,nd ,J}otiraq Phooky, the movements, which
according to him had sprung from the impact of the, new
emblern o! European ctHhzat10n, ,.,estern knowledge and evan•
gehcal attempts of the misyonanes, and observed: '"There 1s
a gteat simdar1ty between' them in many respects though' it 1s
clear that-tl1e1r thoughts and 1methods ha,e assumed d1'ferent
aspects according to their education and arcumstan<es of Lhe
ume. Da}anand attempted to plant the tree of his SamaJ in the
Deccan, but lie' faded because" of' the influence of the pnestly
~ t ,1 I
bureaucracy " ' ,
Then Shahu refened to Jourao Phooley ,\ho struck a mortal
blow to Brahmin rdigiou; supremacy by denying the authont}'
of the pnests and refusmg to ha,e an agent between god and
man "Jourao Phooley and his followers," Shahu said, "saw
that the Brahnuns must be paid rn their own c-om and hence
plac.ing the motto 'tit for tat' before their eyes, began to preach
duectly agamst them In order to mrroduce true rd:gious
education and religion mto the Deccan, the Sat}a Shodhal.s
muse prep.ace the ground well. The seed of the Aiia Dharma.
will sprout and grow m such a ground tnade free from weeds
and rocks Hrahmo SamaJ reco;gnises n o ~ lMu.. l{ Ir.rs
pided op hke a bee only good pnnciples from all rehgiow
.350 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

-systems. The generality qf_men are not convinced of it as a very

fe""'.-,have this knowledge__of .~electing good from bad. . Hence the
Hrahmo Samaj ,does not seem to spread ~n,a large scale."
Refer,r:ing to. Patel's Hindu, .Marriage (Val~dity) Bill which
Patel had introduced into the Central Assembly, Shahu e'xpress-
ed· joy as th&Arya Samafi~ts were ready t~ ;up~ort the Bill whI~h
~ought •t~. make inter-caste marriages. valid among the Hindus.
ii: 'was hi~. ~pini~~; sh~hu s~1c1:. that ·in:ter-caste marriag~s were
the .only solution to. reduce 'tlie ·se~erity of. the caste system.
Brahmin~ c~m~'·to~m-d to opp~~r tb.'e P~tel'.Bill.'as th~y h~~
done. in the case ·of ~ similar. Bili br~~ght i~' by Bhuperidrana'th
Basu.. At' that time the Brahmins' hied' '.~ut that \heir 'religion
was in danger.. There. was nQ •sigr(uof an. ti pr.oar in Indore,
Baroda, and K.olh;pur •when· similar. law~ were passed i:heri.
That the -r~al -~iiemy was endogamy. was 'the conclusion Shahu
arrived ·at. •'; ' • ' • ';
; On December· -15,.1918, Shahu Chhatrapati returned to Bom-
bay· to bid .farewell:.-to Lord Willirigdoniwho-:was to leave the
city on December 16.: With joy and gratitude he garlanded the
Governor and his wife on board the ship as his genuine feelings
of ,gratitude demanded it. He also presented a ring to Vincent
Smith, the Police Commissioner of Bombay, for his' act of kind-
ness at the time. of the death ,of his son,: At this time Fraser,
.who was to. ret_ire ip. ~eptember 1919, .wrote to-,him appreciating
.the role Shahu had played in helping his fellowmen in Britisl:J.
India to obtain their. share in .the :<;;overnment ,of the country
under the new scheme.
 CHAPTER 20
Life's Mission

SHAnu CtlHATR.Al'An was in Poona in the first wee\. of January

1919. He was eager to meet Dr. T. M. Nair, a champion of the
non-Brahmm cause. v.ho had returned from London in that
v.-eek to Bombay. On January 2, 1919. Shaliu wrote to Dr. Nair
expressing his admirati,on for his work. and said, "0£ course,
though 1gnorant, in my, own nude way I ha,e got a. great regard
and admiratio~ for all that
, '
)Ou ha\'e b~en doing for us. But l
doubt , ery much 1£ I am in a pos..iti?n to understand and appre•
oate the true,, alue of your noble work. I,11.'.ne n:quested :Afr.
Kothari to let me know your programme."
The new tear i9l9 began with a new order accelerating die
pace 0£ social revolution in Kolhapur. Shahu passed an order
on January I, 19!9,· drrecting the l\fewcal Departlbent to treat
the Untouchables on the basis of social equality, ChantaLlc:
msututions. the order obsened. were meant for the poor, and
the Untouchables "ho l\Cre the poorest of the poor,• should be
ghen treatment on the principle of equality. Prior to this order
an untoudtable patient \\as not allov.ed to enter e\en the com.
pound of the State dispensary. 1
1
The new order directed that an untouchable patient should
be treated as a gentleman. ihould be led into the me<l1cal hall
and examined. He should not be dn,en off'.u 1( he were an
animal. 1£ any 5-en.ant m the Medical Department had an
obJection to do so. he \\U to resign v.ithm sisc v.eeu from tl1e
date of the onler. sud1 a sen;;mt ,,oulc.1 get no ,IXmion. Thu
order applied to the highest medical autl1onties,. the drcsscfl. an
the nurscs.1 Copies of the order 1<.ere to be gnen to all' the
5t:nanu in the lic<llcal Department, and a copy ol the order l\-.U
Sll
352 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

to be hung up in every office £or permanent guidance. But

strangely enough, the Secretariat somehow failed in its duty and
to Shahu's annoyance, did not publish this order i_n the_ Stat~
Gazette. So Shalm ordered that it should be printed in the next
month's Karveer Gazette. This is an example of how the
Secretariat with its reactionary elements can obstruct the policies
and progress of society.
Another significant order Shahu Chhatrapati issued on Janu-
ary 15, 1919, directing that the untouchable boys in the college,
high schools and the primary schools should no·t be treated
differently from the other boys but should be treated on the basis
of equality. The educational institutions, private or public,
which received· grants in the forili.'of buildings and playgrounds,
should treat· the· Untouchables more"' kindly and respectfully
than · the others: • Those 'unwilling to' obey this· order were
expected •to ~esigri. within. six months from the passing of. the
order. -This' order, too, was lost in • the Secretariat. Shahu
•regretted this negligence·'a:rid said 'h'e ·would sever~ly deal with
·disobedien~e on the part of s·tate servan't:s. ' •!
·The third important· and· historic· order Shahu issued was
about the treatment he expected his officers to give' to the
Depressed Class sei--vanls •in his -various· Departments-Revenue,
Judicial; Education, Health· and .Municipal. • Under this· order
the· heads of: these dep·artments were• instructed to· treat. with
kindness and equality those Untouchables who had entered the
:various services. Officers not falling in-, .with the . order were
ordered ·to resign within six.month;· from- ·the date of the pro-
·mulgation of the· order and were. not to be. paid their pensions.
-The untouchable servants should. be treated as human heings·as
was the rule followed by Missionaries, Arya Samajists,, Railway
and Govemment •officials in British India. These , orders , are
worth recording in gold letters. Shahu's. Govemment wa5 unique
in India in breaking the shackles of the Untouchables, a deed
the like of which had not taken place in India· for centuries.
Shahu worked with· boundless energy and sincerity for the
abolition of untouchability. During his tours, whenev:er villagers
lodged complaints against pollution caused to their well by ·the
Untouchables, he would go to the village and drink· water of
that well. The villagers felt ashamed of their acts and proud of
 f ,l'I I I.J.FLs MISSION f 1 I ~ 353
I 'f l

the1t ruler. But the Brahmins, who were ghen 'on occas.ion
swnpwous feasts by Shahu, felt polluted by his presence at the
J..itchenii£,he v.ent to see the arrangements. Once he was pre-
vented from entering the kitchen by a Brahmin "'ho held a. cat
under his arms. Shahu let the r.Ieepmg dogs Itel ,
For the las.t quarter of the }ear 1918, Dewan Sabnis had be;n
ill wuh lumbago, and ShiI1;<1onkar was Acting Dewan. Dr.
Teng;be wa; eie,·ated. Attributing his ele,-ation to Sabnis,
Sbirgaonkar said,..''You wdl be alwa}s my ideal; so calm and so
loving With always the good of f{is Highness and the public
before )ou." ,' , 1' 1 , , 1 •~
The leaden of the 1 People's Union. S. R. Bole, D. S. Yande
and H. A. Talcherkar contemplated starting a ne·wsp.aper, to
counteract the prop.,iga.nda of Jinnah, Homiman and Jamnadas
D1-1rarbd:u. ~They met Shabu Chbatr.apa1j 1tho had been to
Bombay to consult a dentist, ;1I1d they asLed £or a clona11on to
the People's JUnion., Shahu told them· that he hat.I :tlready
expressed a desire to donate a sum of live thousand ru~. Ilut
actually he ga,e,• in June 191.9, a sum of one thous.ind rupees
\\hich, was imested by Bole, in Government securiuc~ Some
years later :Mana11 Raju;i, President of the Union, belie\ing that
Shahu bad donated Rs. 5,000, brought a suit in the Court aga.inu
Bole,. the Secretary of the Union. Bole produced De'ltao Sabnis's
letter of June IO, 1919, and the minute book.· Consequrntly,
l\fana1i Rajuji tendered an unconditional apology in 19!12 to
BoJe. ' , • ' 1

Shahu wrote to Crerar on January 8, 1919, recommending to

hw1 tbe leaders of the People's Union and requested him to hcJp
those loyalist leaders. Shahu was a p1Jfar of the educ;i,tional
mo,ement sporuored by the )[3.rathas. 'from Baroda lUlat.erao
Jadhav wrote to him on JanuarY•l9 th:it Shahu's interest in the
mo,ement ·was as keen as e,er. Rhaserao .added: "l may alw,1.}'I
look up to Your Highness for assistance and ad~;ce uhenncr I
am in difficulty." 1n Bombay Shahu (n::c:Ir mixcJ wtth the
Jabour classes llabich. be said, ,cry feW' prind!S did. There wuc
a few food riots in other paru 0£ lndi.a. but Sbahu wn sud ,o
note th.it there "ere none m Bombay.
:Early in January 1919, Shahu met Dr. Nair "'ho fud juu
returned from Engl.t.nd, Dr. :-."air" told J1im m Bombay tJ~t Lord
~
354 SHAHU CHHATR.APATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Curzon and Lord Lamington shared the views of Lord Syrlcnham

on communal representation being included in the reform
scheme. Dr. Nair told Shahu that he was coming on his way
back to Belgaum and Dhanvar to carivass support for communal
representation as advised by his friencls in England. He was to
visit Kolhapur·for a day.
During his first interview, Sir George Lloyd, Governor in suc-
cession to Lord Willingdon, asked Shahu a pertinent question
as to who would succeed the Jahgir of Ichalkaranji if the
Jahgirdai, died without any adoption. Lord lVillingdon did
not agree with Shahu about this, and the question of adoption
of L. V. Joshi by Narayanrao Babasaheb, Chief of Ichalkaranji,
had been undecided for several years. 'With long manocuver-
ings Shahu had been successful in postponing the issue, hut the
Governor informed him of his inability to meet Shahu's latest
request. Yet·: Shahu asked the Governor to refer· the case to
some legal experts as the :Bombay Government had referred the
Bala Maharaj's case to M. B. Chaubal and the Government of
India to G. A. R. Lowndes. Even at this last stage Shahu
succeeded in persuading the Governor to refer the case to the·
Government of India, but th-e Government requested him to
submit a detailed report for being passed on to the Government
of India. The Chief .decided to adopt the boy notwithstanding
the instructions of the Kolhapur Darbar and Shahu opposed the
move;
Shahu's point of dissent was that so long as there were male
li~eal descendants of the original grantee fit to succeed to the State
properties no outsider should be allowed to come in by adop-
tion, selection ·or othenvise. According to the sanad, it was a
violation of that principle. Shahu soon sent Vasudeorao Gupte,
pleader, to.consult·experts in London on this adoption case as_
well as in the matter of Tanjore case, although he had already-
consulted' the eminent Indian advocates. Gupte met in Paris the
Maharaj a of Bikaner and referred to· him casually the Ichal:-
karanji case. He' promised Gupte that he would speak to Montagu
about• it. Later,"on July--10, 1919, Shahu -wrote to ,Montagu
about the Ichalkaranji case and requested him to give a hearing-
to. Gupte. , ,, . , · :, ,
Shahu returned to his . Capital and again· left f~r Delhi on
 LIFE'S MISSION, l '> 355
January 12, 1919, for the Princes' Conference, where he was.
fightmg for the nghts of the smaller States to representation m
the conference and the Council. Some of them appreciated
the work wluch he liad done ut their bebal£ Sli.ahu cautiousiy-
mforme<l the Government that he had depended on G. IL
Abhyankar for his note, as Abh}ankar- bad studied the case;
but he .should not be misunderstood m CJ.Se Abhyanlar was an
extremist. He took Abh}ankar as his Clue£ Secretary for the
work in the Prmces' Conference and V. R. Gupte as his Prhate
Secretary.
Shahu continued tra,ellmg around although his health was
poor. In the second week of January his eyes began to g1,e him
pam He had a pain m one of his ears; his teeth to() J1ad
become shaLy, He had lost some teeth. His doctors said that
all this was the result of the suffenng caused by the death of
his son. On January 15 Shahu reached Delhi from where he
\-\-rote to Crerar, Pn,·ate Secretary to the Go,emment of Bombay,
that he wanted to help Cadell, Ch1ef Srcretary to the Ga,ern-
ment of Bombay, to rneet the '51tuat1on created by the labour
unrest m Bombay. "1\!y presence there," Shahu asserted.
"may perhaps work as a Illlracle or po;s1bly it may be 0£ no
use. At any rate I may try to do my best." 1£ the Gol--emor.
he added, ga\e him a call to do his duty, he would be in
Bombay as soon as the conference was o\er, although doctors
had ad,1sed lum complete rest for about six mont.lu. Shahu
was very depressed. Dr. Hanshanker, Go\'ernment Doctor in
Delhi, examinrd his e}es, but under the rules he could not v1Sit
him at his residence. Shahu therefore had to ·wnte to the
Government requestmg 1t to allow the Doctor to visit him at
his residence. ' ,.
Shahu had talen his ,~idO\\ed daughter-in-law "'ith bun to
Delhi and as he wanted to show her some goo<l sights, be spent
some ume ,isiting places hLe Agra. As she \\as, he said, soon
going mto pucca pardu.h, he v.anted to i.how her the aerodrome
and the 1'.Ias1icL He \\as depressed and hoped lo regain his-
spmts by mcetmg lus old fncml Hill v.ho was now a Member
o{ the Viceroy's Council in charge of Re\enue and Agriculture.
On January 19 he informed Sir, John Wood. ~!ember of the
Vuxray's Council m charge of the Foreign and Home Dcp.a.n-
at tl;.~ P.cin~7., O-,Jr.1~rer-~:; G-r J:.e]p :-~:m ii hr: co:tld nm: It~
r.,_,,.-1-; ~.,~~ 1 A tr.. !..<.:I r;:-;,r! f.>Ul b.:s DTO!X;531 hir""s.,,1r 2t
-..,,
l:"*-~;,-_.,.,..,; ..._ -,··r,rs
.J:..l..- 1-,r, ,-u~ .; .. -

tl!: wnf~er.u:.1::-, He V.Jp:::<J tli..at 1£,~d (-,,,_,~~::on:1 7;01tld a:cuse

J}jrn. 1f lie ili.d. 1"Jt.1t attend an.7 ui b15 S0ci.a1 .f-!!nctioTI5 as he had
nr.,t. aU-.'·ru.!.::.-:1 :;,ur.11 foru.tfor.5 Em.ce ti:!:' C"""~" oi hls son.
£·;,::er 1£::ad7 to 1::dr., :h15 relari,·es, S".-,;:;hu --;,:rme to his uncle
fw.m. Delhi inir.mnfog him 0i a :,oun;; man named Ph2!ke who
'i,a,., an Jnarrclar ui 1-'ztili n~r Sajjan;;ad and :had a good
fowme, -n1i,; -,,,-a,, tJJ,ical 0£ :Sfuiliu, a tr.nt --;•:hlch enf-r.ared hlm
tD JJ;.;; refathe, aml frienili,
• Sur1:iJ; PrinceJ; obj!;Ctf;d to the pre:;enc.e of Abhyan._1-2.r as a
,v.::t.:.tatf.J! in the G--all~--r/ and Gv·.-erm:nen!: 25ked Shahu to stop
i;rfo 6in 6 Abh:;anhr 1,., the (l)nference. Sbahu 1•,a.s penurbed
and on Januar/ '.B, 1919, ·mote to Char1es C!eYeland that he
was wrr.,rival w .Y~ that the ,;ery PrinCt:S ·who made friends
with ~,fadan :\foh.m ).fala-;iya, Sastri, Chintamani and Samartha
.:,hwld have an <.>hjt::ction to his bringing Abhyankar to the con-
fr:rc--nce, Prina:s, like the ).faharaja of Indore, did not partici-
J,.J!f.; in the l'rincc.'>' C<Jnference. Shahu, who felt that the
c,.mforcm:.e ~hould n0t be the monopoly of a few· Princes and
lu::ld that it ::,hould have a representative character, persuaded
th!! ,\Iaharaja of Indore to participate in it; otherwise.
fa: aclded, it would be, a source of mischl;f_ In the formal
conference he had tried to support Sayajirao, but he found that
the: Barvda point of view had no backing in the conference.
Slrahu left Delhi 011 Janua1-y 26, 1919, as he had to meet the
?.-1aharaja of Gwalior who ·was on his- death-bed and was
waiting .for him. Shahu broke journey at Gwalior and;
though himself ill, he cheered up the ~faharani He reached
Bombay on January 30, 1919. At this Princes' Conference
Shahu had made efforts to get the door of the Princes' Chamber
opened LO minor Chiefs throughout India and espec.ially the
Chief,. in .Maharashtra. Although he felt somewhat lonely at
the conference, he championed the cause of the Chiefs very
earnestly. . ,
'fhe keen interest and the great enthusiasm Shahu showed in
<lcvelor,ing the constitution of the Princes' Chamber not only
evoked warm appreciation among its members and minor Chiefs
 , ,, , , .U.f.E's MIS.SlO.'i ,, ' 357
all over Indla .and among Ja.hgirdan like nhausaheb Patwardhan
but also elmted praise from lus Guru, Fraser. Congratulating
Sha.bu Cltl1auapa.ti oo bis• 1-.ork, v.liich. lie did with his
characteruuc energy and ab1hty, Fraser wrote on June 5, 1919:
"1 ha\e JUU been reading, the proceedings of the last Confer•
ence of Princes, and was much interested in the l-ery abJe and
impottant speeches v.hich )OU delivered in the course of the
pnncipa1 deb;ues. The occasion ,was a historical one m \ iew
of many great questions wluch came up for consideration out
of lhe l\1ontagu-Chelms£ord Report and for the first time the
debates seem, 10 ,h;ne ~nsulted in the vanety 0£ outspoken
opinions \-lohu:h. the Princes really entertained. 1

"A certain section of the Upper Indian States," Fraser condud-

ed., "-chd not as usual ha,e eve11thing: their o'"'n way and I
should like to congratulate you on the ab1hty v.1th which )'OU
put,forward pomt.s of. ,iew too often overlool.ed. I was proud
to see you thus takmg the lead."
I ~! I J 1 I ' J fj 1.

~JL, \ ' ,JI ) j

1
~ 1} i f I 1 t• • l r..-f i, J J 'I.- { J 1

Rajaram C<Jlle~ was being conducted. by a ,Committee con,.

sisting, ot Dr. Kurtakoti, Jmsen SwaII!l and Professor R. N.
Apte, but it could not manage 1t properl)' and the members
informed the Darbar of their inab1lny to '"'ork for the college.
Dr.: Kurtaloti had left Kolhapur for good. Shahu,, therefore,
11aJ to tap other sources for help m the matter. On mquiry~
the American l\fos1on said that 1£ handed mer to them 11
would run the college on purely tru.mona11 Imes,
In the ,second week of fcbruary, 1919, Shahu disctmed the
new scheme he had drawn up wuh the Secretary of the Arya
5.unaJ of J\fatJmu,, with the ('d1tor of, the Arya Gazette of
Lahore, and Pandit, Atmaram, the Arya SamaJ Jea,-ter from
.Baroda, ¾ho was E<lucatfonal Inspector in that .,tale for ele\en
years. Shahu proposed to hand O\tr the management of the
collete to Lhe Arya Pratimdhi Sabha, Board, and he offered
support to the society, moral and financial.
,Tµere were inquiries from the Bombay Go\emment about the
.:ictivities of,some Ana, Samaj workers,1 and Shahu wrote to
}Vodehouse: on February. 19,, 1919,;-i sanng that the Sat).1; O
•360 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: :A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

.to misrepresent them; Valchand:• Kothari 'had; to'' vacate •the

pla·ce where the offices of Jagaruk:, and , Deccan JR.ayat · were
:housed. The : owner' of that house· was ·:a Brahmin. • Shahu
:wrote to the ·Rajesaheb of Akalkot •tO' let his -house in ·Pooru'No
•Kothari, Shahu assured Wodehouse. that •·he •would at all
hazards; ·remain· a· ·British loyalist •·and would• ·never care for: a
Satya-Shodhak ·or an Arya Samajist' ,or even i for' an angel if he
• i
~

was a•suspecti•" >. '!• : '',·•;

·. ,About this time·-George Arundale •asked ,for ''-'the ashes1 of

Shivaji and •the holy. powder· of· Tarabaisaheba".:•·, Resident
:woclehousei :a:dvised · Shahu u·ot, to give: :i:hem•: td him>' At•: this
:time: Shahu- was' in··correspondence -with, Lord, Lamington 1and
,wanted, him ·to be the. Governor-General of India: ·r:He wanted
.him : io' •support communal representation. He also· wrote tb
Chirol. ·that 'he-•:was keen I on getting communal representation,
:and ;if 1India •did not· get it, the. Backward Classes would.· be
orowned under 1the:'slavery · of 1Brahmins.; Shahu wrote on
-February 18, 1918, in'·the'same vein· to:l\.fontagu,· saying that
'tne Arya Samajists alone, who· based· their religious activities on
the Vedas ancf preached equality, ·were in ·a,·posidon to 'cope
with: the· Brah min •tyranny and, only: the spread of their· t'eriets
would· make·. India fit for representative: political institutions;· •
••• 'During the famine · and food riot days, Shahu bought. more
than 500 animals. Of· them a he-buffalo was 'ill, with· high
temperature ·and had become yellow. Shahu requested Prem-
·chand'. a speciaiist, to have ·a look at the animal and to supply
a a
him with number of she-buffaloes arid he-buffalo for breed-
ing purposes. He also requested him· to buy some Gujarat
·cows from Pimjrapols. •
, The Kurmi Kshatriya community leaders, Shivaprasad •and
Trilokchand Katiyar, appealed to ·shahu to preside over their
annual conference. Shahu consented, but hesitated to confirm
the arrangement. S. N. Pawar from Gwalior made a strong
appeal to him to make it convenient to preside at their meet-
ing at least· for a day. Shahu, desirous of breaking down the
13rahmin supremacy and tyranny everY'vhere, yielded to the
request and accepted the invitation with the ·approval of the
Governor:
• During the second .week of February· 1919, Shahu went· to
 ' '
'I r, LlFt.'s MISSION ,J ! ' ! u, J !!I} l 361
witness the races while, he was I in Bombay,; He went! to the
,stand wearing sandals. George Llo)d, the Go\'ernor,, was pre-.
sent, and Shahu took off his sandals when he 11rcnt to meet the
GO\,emor. The Go,emor wrote to hjm expre.ss.ing fos displea-
~ur~ at I this. Shahu bad to .apologise to the Co, ernor' for what
might ha,e appeared.rude and discourteous to Hv; .£:\cellency,
The Ttlak-Chirol case ended in ,London on February' 21,
J919, 1m lavour 0£ Ch1rol. Flushed wu.h victory~ Chiral wrote
to Shahu expressmg his heartfelt gratitude for all the sympathy
and heip£u!ness Shahm had shown him during this Iong-dra"-n•
QUt fight. ,Jtineeded no imag:mat1on to sarthatfShahu chuckled
over the defeat of, Tilak. fa·en 'f1Iak's 1sworn' enemy Lord
Sydenham WrQte, to ~haliu tha~ Sit Valen une Ch1tol's case- was
not U\ any doubt, but he supposed thatiit would be said, that
lhe tna, v.as pre1udi<;ec.l)! !, , , ,1 I ..1J : r • ,.,, l
I!, J ' )
!,~ _...r11 ,,J' ~.,, ]L l 1.i,1' 1 1
1Jq ) 11~,.1 ' J ;rpJJ , (Ii f{! 11l1 j • 'I;

, \ I ,, [ , I 1 , ,! ,I • ~ , i' l • ! , , 'l !J J ! <f I\ I~ ' I'

,1 .ffauqg1snapped rhe <;hams of ,the,;Unwuchab1~ and, given

,thew,it~eii /J,uman nghts, Shah,u.,was _qow,d~tennint!d,to punt.sh

those I whq opposed , theu:: 1 rights 11 overtly, )and , oovertly. 1 He
issued an order dedanng a fine ofiRsnI00 on I.he person' who
would be guilty of attempting to outcaste,a man,emplo)ing
servants from- among- the defunct balutedars. , , • , , ' r , l
"In the State Departments •and at the Palace, motor-drners,
eleph.mt-dn,•crs, post-carnersr and al the Rul..hdi-c:amp'e,en a
'pnest,' were all so-called 'Untouchables. E,en ,Shahu's body•
guards were Untouchables, , 5hahu's love for sooal equality and
for the Untouchables was boundless:i About, this' ume, one
Gangaram 1 Kamble, .cfre1v water from a,<1+eJJ 'med by the
Marathas. Ganga.ram was an· Untouchable of progresme lean-
ings and used to eat with men ol different caslet' .EmboJdcned
by the "iews of Shahu Chhattapau,' he drew 11:atet from the
well used by the Marathas,11 The .Af.:tratha~ were ind1gnant and
in order t() tale re\'enge upor:i' Gangaram. charged him with
committing a lhefc. i J r , , ( ; •1 J
\\'ilh the ohJect of drawing out a conression from Gan1J,1rnm,
che Marathas beat htm up, He w.:lS left to wnthe :mJ wn.r:gle,
but he denied the false chargcJ1 ,The police officen; also wickedly
.362 SHAHU CHHATRAFATI:: 'A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

.advised .. him •to confess and: free himself;. but· soon·· the real
.q1lprit -was. caught hi a, theft red-handed: ·and he: :confessed-'to
-having committed. the, theft in ·which Garigaram· w'as mischiev-
.ously, implicated:,,;.:: ,. • • ,, :"1:·:•;r.,,.- ·•:· , •I';·,,··;
, ,Just at,-this •time ,Shahu· returned,,to hisi,capital..· -The poor
man: showed Shahu. his: bare back .with, signs I of. the- beating -he
had received. Shahm:was very angry.• He· senti for the .Marathas
-who,hacl clone ,the .flogging and whipped their backs ,mercilessly: 3
He· did_ not; let. them off· although· the offenders ·were· Marathas .
.Such,was.Shahu's.sense of justicerand equality. ., • ·.· : ' 1 <
., .. Shahu offered, Gangaram help :to: rgo, info·, busine'ss. YKamble
·started a ,hotel:dn ·Kolhapur and the. cus·toh1ers did· no't, know
.who •he was.•. People soon complained· to~ Shahu of this 1;sinflil
.act of Gangaram ·when :they -•came to know' .that he· was '·an
Untouchable. Upon this Shahu himself wenf to· the h~tel ahd
had tea in the presence of people who had crowded the front
of the shop to see how Gangarain would be punished. Instead,
they were surprised to see their ruler taking tea from his hands.
, • K.: S. Thackeray:met· Shahu Chhat::rapati in' l\ifarch··1919_ ,:''the
:celebrated: writer- gratefully ·thank.ed' Shahu; for• having;1 giveii'.liis
-literary':and historical• writings 1 fan: impetus'. He. hoped that· it
would- ·enable him to. continue •£discharging· his· duties towai;ds
_the Chhatrapati to the best of his:ability. ;!

The liberation of· the-ryots from.•the ,Kulkarnis'. clutches sent

.a wave of rejoicing. over: -Kolhapur Stale. as they were free from
the .chronic, wasting disease :of. intrigue, injustice and: fraud.
The Kulkarnis, the enemies of • the ·poor ryots, ·:who., had
fraudulently increased•. the rent on . their lands, ' abused their
power and bamboozled them ,into •giving up: their lands for the
never-ending interest,. were,cleprived of all power. A, coterie'·of
Brahmin la,_vyers, .:Mamlatdars and. even judges ..in those. days
actively or passively helped· the Kulkarnis. - . . . .,: ;
. The wheel had turned· full circle; it was the whirligig of time.
The Kulkarnis egged by the Brahmin newspapers ancl hY' the
leaders· of Poona indulged in spreading false reports agaimt the
Darbar to create the impression that the Darbar, had ,reduced
the Kulkarnis to poverty.. , •,; .
The· Kulkarnis. formed· an.• association- called the Vatandar
Kulkarni Association and conven_ed ,a meeting. under the. presi-
 un:'s MISSION/ r, ,,,, 1 ,1, 36:S
dentship of N. C Kel!..ar,. the cha.mp1on of lost privileges and
,ested interests. Jt was :rurprising that' N. C. !K.clkar should
come fon•rard to defend the rights which "'ere 1 already abohsh-
ed m some parts of the Bt~dsJi DJStncts of l\faharashtra. • T11e
Ku!L.arnis had ruherttsed the names of Mohamed Ali Jinnah
.and D. V. JJefrJ as the speal.er; at their conference-,,, Buctl,ey
did not turn up. On April !i,.1919, tl1e .Brahmin Kull..anm and
.their castemen from Poona numbenng_ about l\\O hundred, as-
sembled m haste at Nipam, a safe' place fol"! them oumde the
borden of Kolhapur, to raise a hue and O)'iagamst the Maha-
J"aJa of Kolhapur. 1/ lJ ,,
In h1s presidential address, Kellar1 , saying that Kolhapur
Darbar 1mttated only the,had things m the Bntish adrnimslrti.-
t.ton leaving out the good ones, obsened md1gn,mtly that the
"vatans of Kulk.amu are m the grinding ra1lL whereas the
Kolhapur RaJ u m the I sct,1ttle awaiting 1ts, tum". "When
India,", KeH.ar .added lUt.h • umrsual force and warmth, "«-ouJd
secure the principle of Responsible GO\ernment, we would be-
come counc1Ilors and the weU-bemg or otherw1se,of the" Nati,e
State~ '"ould restnn our hands, and -,...e ~hall not allow them
lO play such mad pranks::,, , lq ~J •,i , , , ,, >
J K.elkar used th1s threat ,because Shahu had ghen a tlecent

bunal to the Kulkarni ,·atans which •\\ere pre1udicial to the

interests of thousa.mh of ryots, benefioal to two per cent aml
rnmous to 98,per cenuof the populatton. It was the:: swan-song
of the ,ested mterests and the end of parasites m a State that
championed the cause of the poor. '
. ,J{ell..ar d1scm,ered a ,mote Jn the, eye, of the Darb.1r, but
igtiored the beam, m tlw, e)es of. the KulL.amts, ·the, Brahmin
hJerarch}.. a J petnlied, deca}eu and unjust S}SleUl. Sounrlin~ a
wanung to the. Kulkarnis, Kelk.ar, no\H'.tfr. said that q-emng
ba.cl. tlie latans ~cemed w be an 1mpvss1b1Jity .ind he :1ddedi
"Dut you must Jea"e no stone unturm:d to get }our \atans bad..
from the Kolhapur Dai-bar, If ,au be <lm1ppofoted tOU must,
in a body, run to 1hc: Dnmh Go,cmmen1 'i: Shortly after 1h1S,
BI1opatlar adwiued die !a.c.t drnt the KuJL.imi 1at.1n~ »ere 111
the fire. But be asked wtth pecu)iar resenunent why1Paul!Jup
Mid d.e ,.V.w.u.',VI 5'.2..t.e.; .t.~W ~w;,,t lit- bJ.r.r:9110 .15}ie!l :iJonfl 11-itb
the KuU..ami vatans.~,!1 "> e1 ' I' ' '
361 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:li\': ROYAL REVOLVTIONARY

' ·,After ihe .:Nipani Conference- was over', Shahu went ·to Bom-
bay, and stayed a week or so from' 1April 1 6. He saw the hartal
and prayers and ,fasts observed in Bombay at the national call
of Mahatma Gandhi., Shahu sympatfiised with the Government
for the trouble' created by the satyagraha in ·Bombay. He told
the Executive Councillors ,that he was· in, favour of the R'owiatt
Act and the leaders-of Bomba:Y:should' be removed to Elephania
Islands or such other near place while Gandhi should be allow-
ed to live with;his:family· but-·prevented-from doing mischief.
On his ·return to· Kolhapur;'Shahu wrote-to Crerar on April
15, 1919, that the women leaders Sarojini, Aml5aya and Avantika
should ,be safely: interned 'on'. aw·island 'near- Bombay, giving
them the,freedoni of :citizens· with ·due,restrictions, -for it would
be very, difficult -to -,deal with' women in this- country. ,'
Shahu 'inaugurated;_, the ;Annual,, Conference of Kumii
Kshatriyas··at· Kanpur on April 19, 1919:• He :was ill with fever
in Bombay, yet he went to 'Kanpur. and addressed the conference.
He said he had:studiec1·Hindi:for,three days and so his speech
would be read:o·ut:by the most venerable Swami Paramanandji
The presence -of '. Khaserao J adhav,· whom he considered -his
Guru and relative in the place of his father, gladdened his heart.
They might take him' to'be a· labourer or a farmer.· His fore-
fathers, he- said, were doing the same work. He was glad that
he was allowed to preside over their meetings and he was ovei-
whelmed with their good feelings about him as he-was the des-
cendant of, Shivaji the Great who belonged· to the race of
Sisodiyas. •
"Day-by-day," Shahu continued, "the caste and religious insti-
tutions are growing in number and it is my sincere wish that
they should flourish; because of •them educational, social and
religious reforms and many other things have taken place. These
have sprung from three sources--the first is the British Govern-
ment, the second is education and the third is mission of
Dayanand."
They should be, he proceeded, all- loyal to- the British Govern-
ment for its just rule and they should be ever grateful to
Dayanand Saraswati, for they owed their religious· freedom, to
him. Shahu then explained how the Varna Vyavastha (Caste
system) which started on the basis of the division of l;bour
 , ,, ,, , i,,,,, r.u-£'s MISSJON; ,,i 'JH.; 265
ultimately turned into the caste s}stem. based on birth and not
on 11,orth or, ment. He exhorted them ,to promote• Vedol.ta
and Vt:d1c ntuals ahd virtue, in societ} r'The real reform
would come," he contmued, "when )Ou remove ·tnrdal:, pro,.
mote widow re-mamage and interdming.r Agnculmre and
rearing of farm anunals. must gor hand 1n hand, so that milk
and ghee nugh t be lil plenty.
"O God.I" Shah u concluded, "inspire out wuntrymen, with
good thoughts, kindle light in their hearts, we children should
be virtuous and love to 11\'e in brotherhood. It should be out ,
endeavoun to regani the sorrow of others: as our 0'\\'11 and theU:
happiness :is our own h.appfoess.., We all should stnve for our
physical, social and spiritual progress. and, comert, dus world
into heaven."" ,,, ,_, , , 1 ,,, i ,, ,

Shahu's speech had a good effect upon, the, conference. , He

was the first ruler to preside O\er their, conference. i They paid
glowing mbutes, to hlm for his great Io\e1 of humanity, his
.:icuve help .:ind worl:. in the· cause of• soctaL equahcy and his
w1sdom and passed a resolution conlemng, upon hun the' utle
of Ra1arslu. i Alter deln,enng h1s' speech., Shahu returned to
Bombay, on the e,ening of Apr1l 21, 1919., , ,
1 I • I 1 •j

'I lV , ,, 'JI
,. ~1 / 'I I 1 I ' ~ f

The reaction of the ,ryots' to the Kulkarnis', dnloyal and

slanderous uproar was very senous,,, At that time Cand11i had
gnen a call, to the country for hartal against the Bnt1sh raJ
mer the Rowlatt Bill wh1cli was passed 1on March ,IS,' 1919,
Patriotic newspapers were ardently encouraging the people to
respond to the call o[ Gandhi i Hartal lt'aS obsened m all lead-
ing oties all over India on April 6,, ilTo adopt hartal • on
their part was wns1dered legal by the nationalists, but l>.hen
the non-Brahmin As.soci.itwn, 1+hith ».as. establul1ed irume-
dtately after the Kulkarni Conference, began to counter;Jct the
propaganda of the Kulkarni Assoaauon and n.:.wrtecl to
pas:me resi:;tance refusing to cultivate the lands of the
Kulkamis in the Kolhapur State, the Brahmin newspapers .ind
leaders v.-ere ,·ecy angry. "• '
In the first week. of Mar 1919, Shahu had informed the Bri#
366 SHAHU CHHATRAPATl: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

tish Government that,the:ryots in Koll:iapur State·were preach-

ing passive resistance· againsv. the disloyal elements·· and, it
seemed, were fighting against .them with their own weapons of
boycott and hartal. , •
George Lloyd wanted to visit Kolhapur for :shikar in the first
week of May, but he, could not do so, as, acts of political ven-
geance on account of the passing of the· Rowla ti: Act and the
Amritsar massacres .·on· April 13, were mounting. On his
arrival from •Kanpur to :Bombay, Shahu voluntarily offered
, some suggestions to Government saying that the Moderates and
Extremists were mostly Brahmins, and chips of• the old block.
In his intervie\v· with the .Governor pn April 24, Shahu had
told the Governor that the Deccan Brahmins wanted to sup-
port passive resistance, but they did not want it to be launched
under the leadership of Gandhi who was a Gujarati. They
wanted to keep •their hold on it,· The Government, he added,
should· support the• loyalist newspapers,· ·and officers in educa-·
tional institutipns. should• be . rid of native control. Officers
should be posted. to provinces to which they did not belong.
The Government· should follow the same rule in the case of
education officers as they did in the case. of civil servants.
There was one more point discussed in the interview. The
All-India Maratha Conference was held at Wardha under the
presi<lentship of Vinayakrao Pawar. Nationalist-minded as its
leaders were, they declared that they ,would co-operate with the
Congress and deinanded:a place for India in the comity of pro-
gressive nations. Shahu told the Governor . that the Wardha
Maratha Conference had -no tinge of disloyalty, but "now such
ideas werf trying to peep in". Pawar's opinions were not shar.:
ed by all Marathas, Shahu asserted.
During Shahu Chhatrapati's stay in Bombay,_ Keshavrao
Thackeray had a glimpse of the Maharaja: He could not meet
Shahu as he was in the grip of his bleeding piles and could
not wait. Willing as Thackeray was to join the State service
of Kolhapur by resignirig his job, he wanted to know from
Dewan Sabnis about his prospects. But the Dewan replied on
April 2i, 1919, that the Maharaja did not want Thackeray
to resign his pe1mancnt post in Bombay; if he· undertook a
certain project as desired by Shahu, the -materials would be
 LIFE'S MISSION., -1 i 367
supplied to him, so that he might utilise his spare time for the
work.
The Nipani Conference and KelJ..ar's remarks against- the
Darbar l.indled the spark of hatred of the ryots who had been
embittered ag:unst the Kulkam,~. The aguauon spread e,ery-
"'here and they declared a bo)COtt of the KuH,amts Trouble
occurred at Tardal on May 11 ,There were two fact10ns.
among the- Brahmms and one took advant.i~e of the trouble
and set the non-Brahmms agamst the other. But both
shrewdly ~1sed a hue and cry agamst the non Brahmm pas-
she res1sten who had done some loot1n'g 'Ihe Btahm1n ne~-
papers hke Ra1karana, Rqshtra H,tavardhini, Vidya-V1las head•
ed by the Kesan', pubhshed fabricated ~nd exaggerated rep~rts.
of the dmt.ubances and said that the local Brahmms had left
for Sangli_
TJ!ak was at this time in London, but his role was played
by Kelkar. The Dma-M:tra, ]agruk, the lndu Prak.a.th, the-
Dnyansagar, the' Deccan Ra~at and the Vuhwa-Bandlm ga\e-
the other sjde of the pkture and s;ud dia! the opponents had
made a crow out of a feather. The Kulkam1s, \ ocal secuon
1hat it was, sent memorials' IO the Resident, the V1ceroy and
the Secretary of State for India without maL.mg a report or-
com:plamt to the Darbar.
Just at that tune Shahu had retumed- to Shedbal from Poona
after a VISlt to the Ranisaheb of Akalkot He motored to
Tardal wllh his Brahmm Police officers, Joshi, Kull-arni and:
other offi.cen hle Pendse, l\Ihahkar, Tophkhane, Na,amhalL.ar,
the Secretary 0£ the Kulkarni Association, and one Dbarmadhi•
kari v.ho Wa5 appomled Special Clue£ Police Officer provision-
ally. Banne, the Mamlatdar of Hathkan:ms:zle Peta,' a i•ery
straightforward and Just officer, had left his headquarters !or
Vadgaon, Bhunki and Kum bhoJ, where be had ably ched,ed the
outbreak of disturbances. Mhafakar, Pohce Sub-Inspector, had
similarly suppressed the Tania! disturbances. '
On his am val at• Tarwl. Shahu, to his surprhe, found that
no Rrahmm had left for Sangh as was reported m the Br;:ihmin
Press. Yet tJ1e Kesan had said that, the- Kullamis l1ad lied to
sa,.e their lhes and sa,e their ·womenfoIL from humihatfon.
Bue, Shalm, perhaps to pacify the .Brahmin.s for Lhe momcnr;
368.. SHI\HU CHHATRAPA'fl:.,,V ROYAI: REVOLUTIONARY

allowed -the· Brahmin Police ·officers· 'to. dismiss the 1Patils ·of
three villages on a summary inquiry, although it was later
found that the Patil of .Kondigare -had not· entered· the village
for the previous two years;• yet he was dismissed for: the allegecl.
misconduct during the disturbances! •• • •
After Shahu's visit to Tardal, the Darbar issued'a notification
in the Gazette1 "that· hi~ 'Highness had not at' ail app~ovcd of
the movement' of passive·'resisfance started by the· non-Brahrnins
in some· villages-:' His I-Iigiiness' was very soii:y 'to ledrn b( s~me
excesses'';· Nervo'us ~ 'anc(. s'ad, Shahu' asked the'' ·~~ff~rers • to
, ,• (, '. '. ,, l(J r ,1 , • 1 • • .,

appe~l to the'.Inquiry' B't:!nch for relie~. , ....

A , few days earlier: , c:/.• R. • ,
Lowndes·, Me'niber
', / , • r•.• 1 ,,
•'o( Vicero?s r , ' r\ '•' , •:, ,

Exec~tive Cotiricil, 'wrcii~ 1:if Shahu describing_.h.o,v 'Jinnah met_

'I,'•',' i•l j, "): ''•11 • ·•, /1,. • • • , I,., , ,

with a summary reception when he attempted to ·, rajs~, an,

agit~tion _tn ~Iytleratw-4, . , fl~ ,h9~tl that .Shahu W?,uld . d~al
with JinJ?,ah. and Kel)(ar elTectively. 8 . . , , : ,_ ,;
•It seems Shahu, was inwardiy happy over tl1is .reaction shown
by his'. poor peopl~r , ,l'~~.uR4 h~ took ;~.r~'ti_~_ ~~;s\.1res to :quell
the disturbances, he ;wrote to. the Resident after a fortnight that
b~cau_se 'of high p~ic~/·~~d pin~h of hung~r, ,the IV!aha~s
' r • ' ' r• , ~ ,' ) I ' • ' , ' • I ' • • ' ' • ' ,
~~cl
shoegia~ers artd-. o,ther: i~o,o~ ma~ses :looted, r,,rr~naries. .'f{e how:-,
ever further s~id: ''The Brahmins themselves had seen through
that I a,;n helping them .hc,artily
• ' 1 ,) ), '•, :ii ,,
and ~ha·t withoU:t-,a •Go~ern-
, :·,
' ' ii., i , 1 ', I > ,
1
, , ;

lllent ~ehiA,d them \h,ey __wpulf,I,•q~ ,no~h!!te; .s~ they ha'-;e chang-
ed their attitude e;wn)!}-_t.qe ~ress,:' '_'Nor;wilJ :t4e.re. b_e,!',.he
said with, _ov~rcop~d_en_ce,. ('aJ?,y ·pas~ive resis~ance .for ,fifty. years
in the Deccan.. ,The. breaking. of the passive, resistance ·was
much more difficult,: than at Ahme<labad or in the·, Punjab;''.°-.
Shahu . had promjsed,: thei Government., .that.· he., :would . do
nothing ,~hat would• bring discredit to the Government· and its
prestige,. and that he ,would . never. misuse the kindness and
confidence shown by, Government to him. In another letter he
said that if the . Backward· communities in . British •India
received education, they would challenge the leadership of the
Brahmins and the Brahmins would have to change their ideas
of leadership. Referring, to the. weapon of passive resistance,
Shahu wrote on June 3,, 1919,, to Sir Claude Hill that "Mr.
Gandhi's experience has. proved that the weapon is - very
 , ' • U:rx's J.IIS.SJO'f' ",: t" 369
dangerous and it degenerates into ;i,cthc resistance :a.nJ.
uoknce." ~
After tl1e Tanlal mCJJent1 Prince Rajar::nn. "ho ,r.u an
.::idm1rer of die Dr:ihminl, .won ame round Hhea he lmnsdf
s:m· their tnd.s m thOl.C not da)-s;. -1 r
'Tl1,e 1\rra Sama.J1r.ts tool o,er Raj:iram College and the R.aja-
ram 111gb Sd10Ql and began to run them. 'l he Ilrahruin mem-
bers of the r.enate or Bombay Unners.iLy, wnh the help~ of
Kolhapur Uraluuins, \\"Cl"C now attempting to <leprne Ra1ar.:un
College of 11..S affiliation "'th the Unnenuy as a Fun Grade
College. Sbabu, was Jr) mg his best to defea 1 them ,
Thacler.iy \\-rote to Shahu again on June 18,' 1919, that his
new book would be- publisJml fo July 1919/ and he e..,:pected
subltanual help from Shahu. It seems, at t.llis time,' that
111ack.eray succcccl'ed through Shabu m 'gi,ing a warning co
the Bharat I11has Saruhodhan .Mandal for an article bf Ra}
\\ aue a1-,,ainst tl1e I Chandrascnira Ka,astha Prabh us, Shahu
replied on'June' 19, J9l9, that he wanted to read the article on
Kulkanu lulamnt v.hicl1 Thadern.y had wtitten in reply to
the Kesan. Shah u ~aid Thad..eray was cenainly domg useful
"-Otk. He hoped the- persons in' v.hose mtewt his book was
11 1
'\\Tltten v.oulu appreciate his '¾-ork.t 1 ' I
The- top-mo~t Ilnush officers hle ' Resident , Harold were
uneasy at Gandhi's· attempts to bring about Hindu-Mushm
unity "'luch they thought would be definitely h05lile to U1e Bri-
1ub Gmemment.1° Leaden M.c Shtaddh.:inand addressed meet•
ings at Mosque$ m Dellu. ln June Gandhi had decfared that
11e would .start ::t .sa:fagraha from July I, 1919, .:ind Ji.amid want-
ed pamphlets and po~ters issued regard.mg the sat}agtaha pro-
posed by tile Congres:. M,d..crs.. , Shahu informed I-larold, "Kho
wa~ having a 1alk \\-1U1 the Go,emor at Poona;' that/the pam.-
pl1lets ~ho~eJ tl1at lt was 1a l\el'}' .rnm:hieious m~ement and
they declared that 11 the Hm<lus and l\lusluru \\-ere united the
day ' o( fodia 's independence, bad, cotne nearer.u 'Shahu
therefore ·warned the Co~ernment in ·the <:apaoty of an un-
official, ad, iser that the passn e resistance• of' Gandhi and the
atrocmes in' the Punpb and. Tilal's mO\•etnent in England
should be taken 5eriously.
From SJmla C. R) Cie,eJand wrote to Shahu that the Amir
37Q SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

of. Afghanistan was playing for time and was watching whether
the Germans were signing the treaty. Cleveland hoped that
Gandhi would not, be 'so foolish as to start another campaign,'
the following ,month. But if he did, Cleveland thought that it
would be a failure. It might seem weak, he concluded, to lock
him up, but who did not dislike locking up a man in such
rotten health't12
Shahu wrote ,a letter to the Governor on June 23, 1919, ex-
plaining his life's mission. · In it he observed: "Especially since
my son's death .I have an irresistible feeling that I should lose
no time in.,taking measures to help _the poor classes and I am
trying to do so. I am taking every possible measure that I
can in my small State. I feel it is a sort of spiritual sentiment
that is guiding ~e on and if I but succeed,. however partially,
I shall consider my life~wor~ fulfillyd/' .. "Your E~cellency," he
continued, "can well imagine if l had but tded, to curry favour
, l: , . , •,, , , t.

with, the artkµlate classes, of ~hom,. I may be, excused for say-
ing,. even the Goverpment is afraid, I should h~ve had ,a very
happY, ~r?onal-:li,fe.; But my, C()nscience says if I did so 1
should fail in, 11).Y duty." 1

Stating that the preaching of Brahmins had r.educed the masses:

to a miserable condition by increasing their ignorance, and super-
stitions, Shahu, concluded; "I really consider it a holy work and
sacred duty to the Back.ward Classes, nay. to:humanity, to take
them out of the mire .. That is also .the reason why I .have stood
out so boldly; strongly and firmly for communal representation.
If it is denied and the new reform puts power again solely into
the hands, of the Brahmins, then woe. to the Backward Classesl
Heaven alone can help them!" ,1.
. ·At this juncture there was talk of an invasion of India by the
Amir of Afghanistan. Shahu, the friend of the British, wrote o~
June 29, 1919, to the Government that.unless the·Afghans were
supported by an Asian or .European power, their behaviour
would be suicidal. lf the present disturbances assumed the £~rm
of war, a staunch and loyal friend of.His Majesty as he was, he
would stand by hiin through thick, an<l •thin. , He offered all
resources of his State and his personal services at the Majesty's
disposal. .
: On June 30, 1919, Lord Chelmsford, Governor•General ·of
 ,, LIFE'S JJlS.SlON 371
India \\-TOte to Shahu, his esteemed friend; informing him th.at
the treaty of Peace had been signed at Versailles on June 28, 1919,.
and the greatest War ever known to History had thus been
brought to a close. So he appreciated gratefully Sh::i.hu's help in
the ,~ar and obsened: "On behalf of His l\faJesty the King-
Emperor and myself, I thank Your Highnw most wannly for
the strong support offered by the Kolhapur State dunng the
whole period of the war. Excellent results have been obtamed
from recnutmg throughout the State stimulated by Your High•
ness's personal mterest and assista.nce."
Praismg then Shahu for hu steadfast loyalty and dcvouon to
the Bntrsh Ernpire, Lord Chehm£ord added that Shahu had
shared m the great struggle for justice and freedotn in which
India had so nobly home her pan.
Shahu was proud of the noble part Great Britain had played
in bringing the War to a successful end which, he hoped, barn.sh-
ed all fears of war for all times He obsened on July .30, 1919.
in ha reply to Chelmsford: "Justice and truth at last triumphed
and barbarous Jllllitamrn is crushed for e, er. ' The highest ~dtt
is due to the staunch detenninat10n and spirit of self-sacnfice of
Bnlaln whose sons ha, e fought and won the most glorious
victory e,er recorded in Histoiy."
"I have," Shahu concluded. "only done my duty and l trust my
House and my Jutle State may fore:,er remain loyal and de\otecl
to the Bntisb throne.'' '

The ag1tat10n started by the Kulkami.i effected an important

change m the attitude of the Darbar. It declared in iu Gautte
on July 12, 1919, that the lands of the Kullarni vatandan Y.Cre
declared as assesed lands from December ll, wzg_ There ,v.u
gieat relief felt among the Kulkamis It was a gencroiJ.S gesture
and it fulfilled the promise Shahu had made at the beginning or
the reform.
Tha.ckeray'6 book Cramanya 'h-3! pubJi.shoo on July 9. 1919.
About this time Bodas. ,,ho bad cnticised Sbahu dunng tl1e
VedoJ.ta contro\etsy, .agam att.ad..ed him m the Kull..ami matter.
Ho,\e,er :ut .article appreciating the work of Sb.thu came lr-om
372 SHAHU CHHATRAPATJ:: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

the pen'of-a non-Maharashtrian; K.,S.-K. Iyengar, who wrote in

his· ;United India and Indian, Sta·tes' appreciating Shahu's pro-
gressive rule and uplift 0£ • the Backward Classes. Personally
Iyengar was grateful to Shahti for his unbounded kindness and
generosity. -·Iri the beginning of July, 1919, Col. Harold wrote
with pleasure to Shahu that he had put an end to the passive
-resistance movement against Brahmins in -his State in almost all
villages. Shaikh.' Abdullah, Heid of the Revenue Inquiry' Bench,
who was, Shahu1s • able and trusted officer, ably did his· work.
The Kulkamis had nothing to say against Shaikh Abdullah .
. . Bhavsinhji, :the: Maharaja,of Bhavnagar and Shahu's boyhood
friend,· had lost his: ,vife' earlier -and 'he himself had· been con'.
fined to. bed with fever for about a week in June and ·also in July
1919. He wanted to live long tq take care of his,young children.
;'.Still," 1 he~ wrote on July, 5,- 1919, .froi:n'.his :sick-bed; ~•nobody
:knows wll.at, will_ happen to Kumars. I,- ,therefore; as ,a,:friend
!llus~ ,have. them. up_der,uYour .Highness'. care.• I wish· Your
I-Iighll«;!p~, to _bear. in,,IllincLthaU. have ,a mind. t9 send.after-one
year: t~~ .~~v~ big_· K:t!xµars to. J~ngland. _I ha:ve, no· trust in; the
f1;1diJ1n. peop_le. ,, ,Thi:y, :i;night. really kill their spirit here.': '.He
added· a noJ~. :saying,. that '.'I know Your Highness especially
takes care of my children." ... , , •.
. , On-July: HtShahu-replied t_hat he would go, to.Bhavnagar im-
mediately:atter the, Governor had.left Kolhapur. .-If he ·went to
Bhavnagar before the Governor's visit, he. would ric:it: get. more
than a couple of days to stay. He hoped Bhavsinhji would be
all right by that time and they would have cheeta-hunting.
Everything would be done according to his wishes and he need
~ot be_ aipdous about it. He should·not have the slightest hesita-
tion in. writing him ·to .come. j f :he .was urgently,;needed:
Finally, S.hahu requested Bhavsinhji to make arrangements, keep-
ing in view the resolution of the Government of India No.· I 894-
A, dated Sim).a., 17 August 1917. •
Unfortunately Bhavsinhji:•. breathed his• last ori the early
morning of July 13, 1919. He left behind his tlu-ee young
princes and a daughter. Since his wife's, .death. in .1918,
Bhavsinhji had been keeping indifferent health; He was so
much devoted to her that when she died, it was predicted he
would not survive long., .Coming to the gadi in 1896; he had
 'l ·~· 'I LlFE'S MJSSION'i•JJ );•-, l!/ 1 373
taken a diligent and personal' interest ID the administration of
his State. '1 ', ,. ,,,

A progressi\e ruler, BhavsinhJi ,pursued a policy, of wide

hberality ii\ public w-ork and educauon. He pro.,ed himself to
be pm.ses.sed of a high standard o[ honour- and liberality and
hn work was distinguished by, his personal sacrifices and un-
remitting care for the distressed.! Abo,e all, he was an accom-
plished Pnnce being a patron of poeu and musicians, and him~
self a poet known as B.T.u , , ,,
Before Shahu "ent1 to Bhavnagar he informed the Co,em-
ni.ent that he was going there to see the cluldren of his friend;
but pc:ople might say that he was gomg there to mtngue. "'I
have got a reputation of being misunderstood," he said, "as I
:im the enemy of the articulate community.", •'Today," he said
in his letter of July 20, 1919, to Harold. "at Kagal 1 heard
that l have passed a law_ in.at anybody can sell his faithless.
,,,:1fe by ,pubhc auction .whereas I ha,e made quite contrary
rules!, This_ts how people spread stories about me and hence.
I like to keep friends informed about my dealings.'' 1

, Jn a . letter, of condolence 'J to , Shahu "on, ,.,the , death of

Ilhavsinbji, Fraser, the ,Gur:u, and,A:1ude, ,0£ 6 both Shahu and
Ilha\SinhJi, said that Bha\sinhJi,had ,a I hean"of gold1 and a
chtery, good d1spositton. l-{15 kmdlu;iess to, man and beast and
his'simplkuy o[ character whichr he:, never lost had endeared
him to all, He was a fair horseman, and a capital ~hot. 1The
Gmemor tendered to Shahu lus deepest sympathy in the lo!5
of his fr1encL f r
I
t ., r,, Jc,, ) 1 r r"'
'J , 'J ~ I~ J

, Although, unwell, Shahµ wenl 11 to Bhavnagar to do 1us best

for_., 1the children. He wrote, r.o Prabhashant.er Pattani 1h:it 1t
(ould ha\~ been a ,gTeat hc::lp,to him 1£ P,auani \\ere at Bhav-
nagar, for he was Bha.,·smhJ1's Guru and(Dewan for V)me time-
The death of his beloved son !ancl I the death or, Jm _therisl)ed.
fnend,had ca~t a·melancholy feeling O\er Shahu., " <" " 1
On August• 9, 1919, Shahu wrote, a s:id letter, to,hi.s:Guru
Fraser, -v,ho was going to retire soon. "The thought you w1U,
be lea" mg India is most, pamful to_ me. F, en, ~for~ lour re-
tirement our 1 Bha,~mh11c has dored his earthly career and ~"';
tired.lfor,good from]this 1v.orld. 1 How it pains,m~ when t.lus,
thought _comes Jtnto 1,ny mmdl I Suj Sia ude, l:111 too will , nol,
374 SHAHU CHHATiv\PATl: • A.· ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

be long with me. You have both been to me as a :European'

friend of mine remarked 'Friend, Philosopher and Guide'."
'Shahu returned to Kolhapur- 'to welcome the Governor· to his
State. On his way back; he suffered- from diarrhoea and often
felt very sleepy;. He· hoped ,a 1rest at Raibag would improve:
his health. On July 30,. 1919, Sir 'George Lloyd, the Governor·
of Bombay, accompanied• by Her··Excellency and staff, patd a·
visit 'to Kolhaptir. · At the· Darbar held in honour of the guests',[
Shahu made an eloquent welcome speech in which he·explain-·
ed that,his principle had been to take caret·of the weak among
his subjects more tha'n the strong.. "Their'. condition," he add-
ed, "has from ·-the first appealed to me personally; and' it has·
been one aim of my administration to do my level· best to cure·
the evil. With this end in view, I have been,,labouring hard
for. the last 25 years:and· I have- been offering· them facilities
to learn. When I assumed· my power's ·r found that they had
no leaders. Thaf was a ·great want. - The evil of India is that
each caste looks after its: owri· people and· they· are indifferent·
i •
to others." ••
ShahU: referred to the death of Bhavsinhji in his 'speech and
said: "It. is just a· year since the loss. of my younger ·son. It-
was a. heavy shock to me,· but •the present shock is ·greater;
·what I feel most is that I did not go to see him during his last·
moments though I was called by him. No one thought that
his end was so close. But it had pleased Heaven to· take him
away almost in the prime of his youth."
"The Marathas," Shahu continued, "would like to have a
Santlhurst College, while the literary-classes ,vill desire to have
an Arts College, but ,·ery few would care to: go in for technical
or industrial institutions. At present the money collected for
the college goes to support the institutions for the benefit only
of the intellectual classes. • But I am for encouraging first such
institutions as will be useful to all and with this object I have
recently introduced the measures o[ free arid compulsorY
education."
Shahu then told the audience how he had started hostels and
pro\·idecl training for village officers ancl their sons for the <lu-
tic~ of Patil:; and ,Ta1atis. He then referred to the introduction
o! free and compulsory primary education and proudly men-
 un:'s MilllON 375
tioned how he had employed qualified men from thr Depress-
ed Classes in different branches of the State. It was a difficult
task, he added, to 1mpro"e the pitiable lot 1of those communi~
ties; and he was trying to make them feel Lhac they were
human beings and not beasts
' l'>f' ,/ ,.-..,
He also paid• tribute'i- to the
good work1 the missionaries nad,done in' his State. As regards
the Refonns Scheme, Shahu ,said that it was' ,;ure to influence
the Indian States, but he would hesitate 't~' male any consti-
tutional changes m1 his State ,in the direc.tro'd1. of the Refonns
until the general level among the m:i.sses had nsen and was at
least partially equalised w1th that of the higher cla~ses
The Gm,ernor than.led the MaharaJa for the help he had
ghen dunng the ·war to the forces of the crown. He referred
to the sad death of Shahu's fnend BhavsinhJi and offered
Shahu his sincere sympathy in the death 1of Prince Shiva1i.'• He
expressed satisfaction over the able administration in regard to
food controliand was 1pleased to note the progress of education
Kolhapur had, made.' ,"I believe;• he concluded, "that , Your
Highness' energy for the good of the people has won, and v.111
increasingly win,, the affections of the people' o,,er l\hom you
rule." The Gon~·mor was,pleased with the enthusiast1c,warm
welcome he had- received ,durmg, his tl\-o-day visit and thank•
ed the MaharaJa, for 1t, espeoally appreciating lus generous
hospitahty and kmd preparations. 11. '! ' , 'I
A few.months later, the. Kesana asked the Kolhapur people
to, carry on a vigorous agitation m Kolhapur as ,Shahu was
opposed to granting immediate refonns and openly declared
his intentions in; the I presence of the Governor. ,
 .i, ;r

' , . ,l.

CHAPTER'. 21· ., :1

,_Two ·,Forces· of·, So:cial •

·.. ;;
•. : D<;!Y(lOCraqy -~·" 'i. , : i ; :,· ,.· i.
. •''
-·Dr.· Nair and ·Shahu· ·' ;: ,p:;
. I

As· the! date for· the Joint Parliamentary· Committee-; to· meet
was". approaching, all. the leaders · of the Backward , Classes :in
India .were struggling to put forward before it< the -views and
grievances of.the- p·oor, the'.depressed' and the' suppressed;· There
were •two great· champions of the batj(ward, .the depressed• and
the suppressed· in· the-whole of. India and they,.,vere Dr. T: M;
Nair in, Madras· and' Shahu Chhatrapati in'· Maharashtra.· .• .,r:
- '.Dr: N'air' had-visited England· in March 1918: on the grounds
of health,, but'- on .the recomniendatioris of eminent members
of the British Parliament restrictions on·_ his propaganda were
withdrawn. Ori.August I, ·1918, he addressecl' a-meeting of the
Membe·rs of Parliament explaining· Lhe condition of• the non.:
Brahmins in Southern India. They heard him- -as· the· leader
oE the Back.ward. ·Classes- and •the working classes. · Dr. Nair
returned to India at the end of 1918 and again led a deputa-
tion of Reddi, Naidu and Ramaswami Mudaliar towards the
end of April 1919.
During his first visit Dr. Nair was treated there as the cham-
pion of the working classes and of those who could not arti-
culate their grievances. Born in Tirur, in February 1868, and
educated at Palghat Government High School, Presidency
College, Madras, and the Madras Medical College, Taravath
Madhavan Nair with his precocious intellect rose to become
an eminent physician, a brilliant lecturer, a. formidable leader,
a cour:igcous social reformer and a fearless politician. By his
376
 , , , , TWO FOIi.ca; • OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY 1 ' 1, 377
industl)', cheerfulness and high inte1Iectual vigoul" he captivat.
cd the people; hb sympathy and work for the poor and Back•
ward Classes won him their leadership , ,, ,
Or. Nair's father was a Munn£. hu brother Sankaran Nair
l'l'a!i, a famous lawyer and eminent statesman and his' sister
Taravath Ammalu Amma was a S<.holar in Sanskrit and
Malayalam. In bis student daH at !dinborough, Dr Nair had
been an enthusiastic propagandut of the ,iews of Dadabhai
Na.oro;i. Oct his rerntn to India., he threw himself heart and
soul into the Congress movement and the work. o(r the Madras
Mumopal Corporation. ,1 • 1 o1 1, , r"

, & a Municipal Counailor of the Madras Municipal Corpora.

tion, Dr~ Nair soon became a power and an influence., He was
a l\lember of the Council of the 1\fadrai. Presidency where he
ligorously fought against the 1tested interests and official indifkr•
ence whl.C.h retarded the gTowth of local Self-Gmemment The
/((TQ/ Patr,"a/ and the Madras Standard echoed with hJS Hews.
Ile, editc;:d a medical JOtlmal calkdA11t1-5cpt1c in which he l\ofOte
an' art1ck: /P$)Chopathia sexualias in a :Mahatma',, for whkh
Annie, Besant brought a suit against him for defamation, and the
Q.SC!,was decided in his fa\'Our e,entuaUy by the Privy, Counal.
I..ondon. 1 . . 1
f , ~ ' , z , , Jl
j ji

,Dr~ Nair was a Member of the Factory Comnumon appointed

by the Go, emment of India m 1906; there he fought for recluc-,
mg 1he 1enns of ll-Orl. in factones, • He not only chswmed from
his colleagues, British and Indian, but went te> London at his
own expense and explained 1 the condition of labour in India to
the Seccet4ry ol Stace,•i 1; I, , , ,if ,''l / r ~,, , 1 ,, ' '
In Dr. Nair's ume many of the- Ilrahm1m \erbally deplored the
ev1Js of ca$te and said they, would be &lad to ahohsh them, but
Dr.. Nair had no faith,in the Brahmins1d1shke of the eHls of the
caste system, It was his confirmed behet that "t{ the BraJ:imin&
wlule still themh111g theu sense of caste superiority obtain power
which the· Mootagu..Cheltnsfordr Repott \\OUld place m their<
hands, the, chances are that the code of, Manu, _revised' and
brought UI)-to-date, will come mto full opetation once again'',1
Th.e result o( the non-llrahmm mm ement in .1\iadras ¼-as that
ti1e sight o( a Brahmm was regarded aJ an di omen and se,eraI
non-Brahmin cominumties obsened polhmon from, the Hsit' of
378, SHAHU CHHATRAPAT[:• A ROYAL,"REV.OLtl'TIONARY

a; Brahmin, to their village; and Parpane Nambakoodatu·_ (Trust

not the Brahmin), became a saying in the villages of Tamil Nadu: 2
Dr. Nair's opinions were not different froin those of such emi•
nent Indian leaders· as· P; C. 'Roy, -Deshbandhu C. ·R. Das ,and
Dr, P. Varadrajalu, Naidu;r, All desperatelY' <lenounred Brah•
minism which had, enslaved the non-Brahmin soul, and had
destroyed the spirit, self-respect and yearning ,£or freedom amorig
the Indian masses. • •" -
A deputation 10£ -the!Deccan Rayat :led by Latthe met the
Governor,oniJulyr-15, 1919, but the Governor was not in' favour
of communal representation. He said the backward communities
should devote-, their , attention, to agricultural ·improvements,
trade,, commerce, and industries;: Curtis· also told Bhaskarrao
Jadhav ,that ,the, Marathas being•in: the majority ·did not 'require
communal, representation:, :so Jadhav came to 'the : conclusion
that "we have to organise a strong party. The Marathas cannot
stand alone: A non-Brahmin, majority will have to be organised".
'Montagu, in his diary, expressing- his views on, communal
representation for the non-Brahmins, observed:·, "What· strikes
me as so astounding about these non-Brahmins is that·although
they are vigorous enobgh to object to the influence of Brahmins,
they lie on their stomachs and appeal to the Government instead
of fighting; and although there is the beginning of the most pro-
ntlsing party system here, they want to spoil it by the horrible
extension of communal representation." 3 Though an ardent
rdonncr, i\fontagu was a superficial observer of the condition of
Indian society and naturally was oblivious of the cravings of the
non-Brahmins for social equality and justice.
Shahu was persuading and pressing his brilliant' associates to
go to London to fight for the cause of the Backward Classes_ He
had deputed llhaskarrao J adhav to London to support the Back•
ward and DcpreS!>cd Classes.
Shahu was pressing Kothari to go to London to lead evidence
before the Joint Selection Committee. In reply, he said he would
be able to spend l\\'O thousand rupees out of the sum sent by
Sh;thu for the maintenance 0£ the DecCtm Rayat. As he needed
~ix thom;1n<l rupees in ~1cldition to that sum, he demanded help
from Sh:ihu.
At this juncture the news 0£ the death of Dr. :-;air burst like
 lWO FORCI.s OF SOCIAL DDIOCRA.CY 1 .379
.a bombshell Oil tl1e Indiam scene. While in I..ondon, Dr. Nair,
who wai a diabetic, was taken seriously m in July 1919 and WJS
admitted to a Nursing Home.1 It ll.as announced on July 16 that
the Joint Selen Committee would take his evidence m the
Nursing Home. But m tl1e early momfog of July l,, Dr. N:m·
.suddenly died of pneumonia A diabetic, he was himself an
.authonty on diabetes. ,• "
Dr. Nair's death was a stunning blow to the BackwaTd and
Depressed Classes. Incleed. 'l?e1was a martyr t-0 the cause. For
(..he previous three }ears he had strenuously and unmingly \\Otl-
,ed for presenting the cause of the Untouchables, workmtt classes
and tl1e Bad.ward Classes.., In him, India Iost a champion of
-social equality and soaaJ Justice, a champion 0£ the Bad.ward
.and Depressed Classes. It was he "'ho created an awakening
among the Bacl:ward Classes in southern India and g,ne a rnde
.shock to Brahm1nism which prevailed tn Madras in Its most ugly
.and bigotted form, Bfa vigorous and vital, independent and
-..inle' personality gave a p&}chological, mtellectual and 1 moral
impetus to the non-Brahmins and sened as a drastic corrert1ve
to Drahmin social conduct. ', 1 , 1
In his death, as The Times of India dispassionately obscned,
~•Ind1a'lost a leader of outstanding capacity and character.I His'
.sen1ces to· the cause of the intellectual av.akening of the Back;
ward Classes l\ere unparalleled and his mission was a positne
corttnbuuon lo lhe Indian nauon-buildmg as a whole." 4 ' , '
Kothan said that ''Nair's death has cast a gloomy shadow
.across the path of movement. Nothing can make up the se,ere
loss cause<l by hJS death." He said some capable persons were
needed to go to England to fight the cause. "For when Dr. Nair
was alne," he contmued, "\\e could rely to a great extent on'hu
advocacy of our cause, But now'it is absolutely necessary that
we should stand on our own feet." 6 , t 1 ' ' , l ,,

,Shahu was already '\\-orried O\er the Bhavnagar affair and he

now recel\'ed another shock on the death of Dr Nair.•' He wrote
to Kothari, "I .'llll much• gne,,ed' to hear the sad ne,u of the
death of Dr. Nair.. 'Really we had m Dr Nair a staunch advocate
of the Backward Classes and as )OU said it JS ,ery difficult to
maleupthelossc.ausedbyhisdeath,"6,11, ', 1 ' 11 ,.
Shalm urgently sent a cheque •for three thousand rupees to
380 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: :A:· ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Kothari· and persuaded· ,nim to·, go,• to London to advocate the

~ause ,of the Backward Classes· and to push forward the work
taken up by Dr. Nair.,. But Kothari underwent an operation-for
piles; he returned-the money·and said that the existing Govern-
ment of: England was in a- tottering ·condition and might, break
down at any moment. He said-he would go when a more favour~
able opportunity would present itself in a few months. • • ' - •••
, Sir Sankaran Nair was: a, frierid:of' Shahu's, but Shahu sent his
condolences to 1Dr. Nair's·sister,,T.·'.Ammalu Aroma through tlie
editor 0£ Justice. Thanking.Shahu for his message of condolence;
she replied that her• loss; was' great, and irreparable: but "it was
however. a source of_ consolation to me that he was, vihile alive,
able to win the friend;ship: of:persons: 0£ your exalted position." 1
,. The Chhatrapati was persuading George Lloyd to agree to colll-'
nm11al_ r,epi:esentation.J ,Seeing -that- Shahu;was moving heaven
and. ~art_~. to, ,~in comm_un.al; representation for the Backward
Cl~sses, ;µid_ tlle, ,Un~oµch~ples,. f!~~-r: _appreciated his efforts, and
~~id, '.'It _is a: fortmiat~ thing tqaqhis point of view, with which
personally I _h~ve the fµl_l~st. syll).pathy, had fcmnd so weighty,,a
spokesman as yourself in western India."8·
_; ,After, prolonged, deliberatioll' -and. consideration , of evidence,
the Joint,_ Committee, provided,_, the - non-Brahmins in• Madras
Presidency with :separate :representation by- means oL reservation
of seats; 28 seats resenred out of 98 elected seats in .Madras: ,In
Maharashtra,, 6 .seats _were; reserved. ,This ,was the success Dr.-
Nair. and. Shaliu's,movement achieved. i •

II,::

. : rWhile. the Chhatrapati was struggling. hard· to•uplift the Back-

ward and· Depressed Classes, he· considered also it his duty ·to
uplift the Mohammedan community. in his State. About 1910;
he had spent a considerable amount on the translation of the
Koran-into Marathi, but·the work.was left incomplete as some
other agency had independently done it. The Chhatrapati now
presided oYer a- meeting of l\luslims at the Palace Theatre and
created great- enthusiasm in their 'minds. He gave a fillip to
their activities in the educational field:· ' - ,.' ,.,
, Shahu declared.that all:l\fuslim sacred places in his State were
 TWO .FORCES OF SOCIAL DEl\.fOCRAC\" ll I I 381
waq[ and handed them to the Mohammedan Education Sooety
m order to enable them to help the poor Muslnn students. At
the time of handmg o,er these sacred'places to the Mohammedan
.Education: Soaety he requested the Commzttee to perfom1 • a
certam bene,olent and ,rehg1ous duty, The Muslims v.ere· to
spend through the income of Pir RaJebalswar some money on
the lighting of the lamps before the image of Ambabai at RuJ.di,
This was not a fusion 'of twq religion5; it was an I attempt at
bnnging the hearts of the two communities together in the true
relig10us; sense. 1, 1
While Shahu was engaged in tl}e fight for communal repre-
sentauon, he published on July,~~. 1~19, in ~is Gazette, Maniagc
Laws which ,,ere of a radical nature. On August 2, 1919, came
in force the Divorce Act and another Act ll-h1ch p{otcctetl'wo~en
from auel treatment jJ
by
(
rheit husbands, their refatnesJ or orhdr
1 I
men. ,vhoever was g1.11lty of 1t was to be sentenced to s1,
months' imprisonment 'or' to be fined t\llo hundred rupees or
both. That no cow was to pe ~old, t~ the b~~ch~r,,~as, another
Jaw passed towards the end 9{ August 1919.
' I I f ! '
" On August I, 1919, Shahu wrote to George Lloyd 1hat "there
is a belief that German 'motley is backing Bolshedk ideas id
l 1 I ,;I' j~1 _,. +
~ndfa. Wha~e"er the truth ffaY bef I lhinkr ~ere_ 1t is f1ot the
capitalist that 1s hated by the men of Bolshevik Hews ,o much
,1 - f F 'r ,
as Gmernment and the Indian Pnnces who are loyal surportets
of the Government. And I think
,I
we ha,e' all to strain C\ICry
I '
nene to get at die root or the mo~emenr." ' ' ' • •
1
, Gandhi, , Dr. Nair and Shahu all expressed the fear of
I

Bolshelism in those da}s. ,' Gandhi said •self-indulgence was the

Bolshevik creed. T1lak said that Bolshe·dsm, as it was preached
m 1l1e \Vest, would not succeed in 'India. 'India•~ regmeration
w.as pomble through Vedant alone,:T1lak added.' 'Shahu also
informed George Llo}d-in his letter of August 2, 1919, saymg
that Tdal. had said that he had met President',voodrow Wdson,
some leading pohtic1ans as well as statesmen there and they had
promised him that lnd1a '"'ould have the nght of self-determina•
lion. ' fa.en th,s stuff, Shahu added, was ·accepted by Tilak's
followers and '"°as c.irculated as gospel truth. That 11Iak had
met some politicians and statesmen in England was true. l-le
had sent a memonal' to Clemenceau, Premier ot France and
3~2 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI~ A ·ROYAL REVOLUrION,\RY

President of the Peace • Conference, and •letters to President

Woodrow Wilson and Clemenceaui: ,;,
, It was good that Shahu did not hear. the news that Tilak had
told an English audience that he refused to justify caste as it
existed in his days,-_however;rouclt·it. might have been necessary
at one time.-. On the contrary, he would admit that the· institu-
tion had outgrown its usefulness.-• •But to the surprisi> •of his
audience, the- speech Tilak had circulated for the occasion,
defended caste\ 9 • This was Tilak's usual practice when ·address-
ing such meetings. No report of these speeches 'of liis: ever
appeared in his 'Kesari and Mahratta. ' • ·' •
At thi~ time the Darbar: 'of K~ll~apur 'was put into' a' }lifficul~
positio~ when :b'amu Joshi, the i:erroi:Jst~ and four other'.ci·iminals
escaped on July 26, 1919, from''the'.Hill' Sanat:01'.iufu..' 'Shah~
. • • • • .. ...... 1 ••

wrote to tlie British officials in Bombay, Simla· and 1.ondon and

s~dly "sdid th~t ••his' administra.tion could_ not c~pe. ~vith -~µ~h
danger~us ~-rimi~als .• 'Shahu announced ~ reward ~r' Rs: 7,000
fo~ th~ ·ar~est ·o{ the .cri~in~is ~ho, h~d escaped. .. • ••
Col_. C. F. Harold, the a·cting_ Resident o[ Kolhapur, w~~ a good
friend .0£ Shahu, and th~re ,vas never any ill f~eling betwee~
them. It was a wicked lie that Shahu
' , • ' l • ~ • ~
demanded his swift
' \ I '. ' , ' . '

removal by Damu Joshi, as _Damu 1

wickedly said in his statement
to the police afte; his a~1:est at Mansur, Pir on April ii,.1927. It
was the accusation_ of Darou· Jo~l:ii that Page, the C.I}> .. Officer,
had let him loose on condition. that Damu would kill.the Resi-:
dent. Shahu had mi!>givings about his Rrahmin bureaucracy and
suspect<:!d it was at the bottom of Damu's escape. '.'Besides," he
added,, "my polic~ are in. the hands of a Christian .Officer a~d.I
have no fear of sedition." .. Yet, in the Nipani case -in .which a
woman was_ ki_dnapP,ed, Shahu wrote to Col. Harold. "My Police
Officer is, a Christian and all the mischief to the lady, such
kidnapping, . etc., has been done by Christians." These two-
incidents throw much light on how he handled diffe1·ent adminis-.
trative problems diplomatically. . ,
At this time there was .an explosion :which caused much worry
to Shahu.. The explosion occurred at Laksha Tirtha where the
State magazine wa,s_ blown up. No one knew,-the ·cause.. Dam1.1:
Joshi ·was suspected, but the report sent to the. Government 0£
 ; I~ ·two FORCES OF' SOCIAL DEMOCRACY r ,s,
India, said that there was no reason to belie,e ir was due to any
pohtical causes. . • . , ,' ,,
Sunultaneously. Shahu Chhatrapat1 bad been espousing the
cause of the smaller Chiefs and demanding representation for
them in the Princes' Chambers. The Chiefs rnet formally, at
l\!iraJ on August, 3. 1919, to consider the ,,ev.'i. of the Chhatra-
pau. They decided to meet again at Kolhapur-on August 22, 1919,
under the pres1dentsb1p of Shahu Chhatrapati \\ho had obta1m:d
the sanction of the Government for holding the conference and
for taking the Chair.~ , ,, .. 1, ,,,, , ,'

Shrewdly Shahu had also planned a recepuon to Ganga SmhJJ,

the Maharaja of B1kaner, who had played an important role
m the Princes' Conference. But the l\faharaja of lhl.aner decim-
ed the offer. The conference of the Satara Jahgirdars and S.M.C.
Cluefs was held at Kolhapur on August 22. Chiefs of all castes
and creeds came together A few Chiefs like .\J...alkot, Sawant·
wadi and Phaltan, who '\\anted to paruapate but could uot
attend tl1e confetence, expressed their agreement with the objects
of the conferencr:. , Presidmg at the conference, 1Shahu Chhatra-
pati, the leader of the Maratha Pnnces and C.Juefs, observed: "l
ha,e been always urgmg that all the Jmhan Rajas should be
included m the Counol of Prmces. The word 'Chief' does not
sound well in my ears,'' Shahu had a personal objection to th.at
word as the word chief suggested tnbal leadership l\ohereas the
Chiefs were RaJas of the- people. The I inclusion of Rajas or
Chiefs as he wouJd call them would "gne strength to our cause
and will enable us to put forth ,·igorously our ddliculties before
the Govemment." ,i '
ln order to gain co-operation and strengtI1 Crom the Chiefs all
o\er India, Shahu earnestly appealed to different Chiefs and
Pnnces of Mah1l.anta, Rewa and the Palanpur Agencies to hold
s1m1lar conferences and suppor.t his stand. These conferences
were successful m secunng a place for the Chiefs in the Princes'
Chamber through an electhe s1stem .adopted for I.he purpose,
.and they were gJ"ateful to Shahu for Ins strenuous efforts for
this d1recuon . , ,, 1, ',, ·''
Sbahu agam ga,e a. fillip to the,removal of un1ot1chab1!1ty by
1ssumg on September 6, a proclamation \\-bich '"as publi5hed tn
the Gazette on October 8~ declaring .di public \\cJJs: bmldmgs,
384 SHAHU GHHATRAPATI: 'A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Dharmashalas, State houses, Government Free Bbardings, water

courses etc., open to the Untouchables. "Nobody should observe
untouchability," the proclam;ition said, "at' these places. They
should follow. the example: of the American Mission and treat
all men with equality. • Those village officers who would contra•
.vene these' orders., would be held responsible for such mis-
conduct." , Immediately after; Shahu ordered the closure ,of
special schools for the Untouchables in his State and 'issued a
proclamation ,asking all schools 'in the State to admit untouch•
able children along with the children of other' castes. All sang
the praise of Shahu. • Several meetings were held' in Kolhapur
State, at Nagar and: at other places,' in praise of this great deci-
sion and action.

During, the latter.'part- of the.,·year Keshavrao Thackeray was

drawn, much; closer,: to ,Shahm, !Thackeray was suffering from
bleeding piles, and his Doctor, advised him to leave Bombay, ;for
he was <'reduced to' skin, and, bones~:· Thackeray .wanted a job at
C-walior, 'as Superintendent of' Boarding. Khaserao Paw:ir was
Home ,Member of, Gwalior at, the time, and he had1 decided, to
take up Thackeray as He_ad Clerk in the Dewa-,1English Darbar
Office. , But ,Thackeray, could' not, accept the: post owing ,to a
death in the family.,. He now asked Sabnis to, use his. olfices to
secure the ,job, for him.· ·., , ! r • , , ., ,,
. After publishing on July. 9,. 1919, the, Gramanyacha Siid)•anta
Itihas, (The Gramanya History), Thackeray ,vanted to take up
similar work if Shahu.Chhatrapati desired to,entrust it to him.
But he, required financial assistance in ,the ,work and it was• his
wish, he. added, that. he, should write an exhaustive history of
Shivaji before he died. He wanted also, .to write a history, of
Kolhapur and a history of the last, unfortunate Chhatrapati of
Satara.
· Shahu' took• a deep interest in making arrangements for the
wrestling matches which the Governor was holding· at Poona:
In the third week of September' 1919 he inspected· the place. for
the, arena; but he disapproved of.it, as)t:was not satisfactory.from
the point'of sanitation. The wrestling arena was to be associated
 , TWO FORClS OF SOCIAL DfM\fOCRACY , 385'
\\Ith the name of the Go,ernor, The "-TC1tling niatchei were to
be held in No,anber 1919 and it was found that in the arena
the ideas of highness and lov.Tiess, that is, of castes. prevailed.
The non-llh.ils £ought shy of meeting the llhil wrestlers on the
ground of social status. Shahu had to abolish these caste restnc•
uons m the arena of \\Tcstling,
Aller :sta)ing at tl1e Kolhapur lodge in Poona, Shahu went
to Bombay in the last \\eek of September 1919, V. R, Gupte
returned to Dombay from London in t11e middle of October
1919 and ga\e Sha.bu the opinions of S1r George Simon,
Gmgtl1er, Dube and Lowndes m the IcbaJwanji adoplfon
case as \\ell as Hl the TanJore case. Gupte had approached
Asquith, former Pnme l\Iinister of England, and Edward Carson;
but the fonnc:r was not .i.vailable and the latter's fee was too
high. Fr.ml.. C O. Beaman a!i.o had given his opinion in the
'I anjore case and so had Ras llehan Ghose
Shahu \\ent to Poona on October 23. in connection with the
wi-e.stling events there and then left for Delhi. Reaching Delhi
on October 29, 1919, he discussed the draft scheme of the Cham-
ber of Pnnc~ w1rh the Mabaraja of Nabha. The nexc day he
wrote to George Llo}d, the Go-.emor of Bombar1 that he had
sent hu representation w the Gmernmenc of lnd1.t m the lcha.I-
LaranJi adoption case through his Resident. Barnsters in
.England and 1ndia, he added, bad opined that his case was
strong and unassailable
Gmemment was ~uspiaous about G, R. Abhyanlar who
accompanied Shaht.1 Accordmg to Shahu, he was a lo}ahst and
a Moderate; but Sha.bu asled Holland to let him 1.now if the
Gmemment hatl an}thing- against Abh)anl..ar,
The Prmces' Conference commenced from November .3.
Shahu's illness preH!nted him from attending it that day. The
Viceroy, Chelmsford, made an 1mpressne ~peech and Shahu was
pleased with it, He v.as glad that most of the views ad,ocated •
by hun from die begmmng had His E-.::cellency's support. Many
of his brother Pnnces had pooh-poohed them, but now they had
to accept them. FrOm Delhl Shahu sent a ltst of the proa:edmgs
to the Co\emor of Bombay in his letter of No,ember i, W19.
His address w.is :.Jt 'R:.JmcfundrA Lam:. TJu: Viceror. he added,
agreed with h1m though he ne,er claimed that he was a man of
386 SHAHU\CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

learning., He had worked harcl and consulted and discussed' 'the

matter:with-:men;who liad studied the question. • - • • .: ~- •
a
.: Sliahu wanted to·attencl formal meeting of the Princes called
by.the Maharaja ·of .Bikaner.· However, he could not attend 'it.'
On his arrival :at· Delhi;· he wrote to the -Maharaja of Bikaner:
"I have most unfortunately to undergo an operation which made
a wound t,vo inches deep·and rendered it quite impossible' for me
to attend the fo.formal'.meetings." • Yet Shahu promised him
that he: ,vould' continue to interest himself in the cause of the
Princely .Order. ·:'As you all know," he· ·added, "I have been
taking the 1jveliest interest in the conference work and doing all
I can to advance the· cause with Government according to ·my
ability."
,_ From Delhi Shahu:,vrote on November 7, to the Maharaja of
Indore to·, have.:Damu Joshi, ,vho was hiding in· his State;
captured. Shahu said that Damu had taken a vow to kill him
arid while he was. at large, he- could have no rest. At Delhi he
had a hearty talk with Claude: Hill:·
• - On his .way back to Kolhapur, Shahu Chhatrapati broke· his
journey at Baroda, .where· he had to stay for two days or so to
console the• Royal family on the death of Princess Padmavati
Ranisaheb :who had died on November 10, 1919. He then went
to. Poona and attended for a day. informally the wrestling tourna-
ment held -under the auspices of the Governor. K. S. Thackeray
met him in Bombay and discussed the Chaturvarnya. Shahu
• directed him ·10· .compile a volume on Chaturvarnya Vya-ua,;tha,
Chaturvarnya :Adhunik Nakasha. Thackeray was a voracious.
reader, but,' to 'his: astonishment, Shahu gave him a long list of
books of references on priests and priest-craft, quoting several
passages on the .subject from different books. Thackeray ,vas
given some help and the work Bhikshukshahiche Banda began.
The book was completed and published later.

IV

Leaving Bombay, Shahu reached Miraj where he had to under-

go another· operation for a developing carbuncle that confined
him to bed for a couple of weeks.. He was under the treatment
of Dr. Vail at Miraj.; About this time_ Khaserao Jadhav:seri.t·him
 0

TWO 1' 0RCES OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY l ', 387

his fint book; Wake up Prmcrs.•, lf, the Nizam was decfarc<l to
be ;m ally, nJ1.3t were the other Prince.si' Khaserao Jadba1· asked.
Jt was t.hasetao's opinion that the Chhatrapati could not be put
on the same le\el as Jaml.hindi or the Th;i.l..ore of Sceta-?i.fahoo~
Ue tliffcrc<l £rom Shahu in tins matter. Shahu was more hbcral
am! dcmocra tic-minded.
- The question of do,,..Ty m the marriage o( Prince RaJaram was-
sbll being discussed and the draft of the deed was revised se,eral
times. Shahu sent a ,cry S}Illpathetic letter to the Maharani of
Baroda. exprr.:ssing his sorrow o,cr the death o( Pnnce 5hhajirao
l't/10 had died on N'on:mber 24,
On Na,ember 21, Shahu v.rote from Miraj to De,~an Manu-
bhai Mehta. uherc he 11'aJ conva.lcscmg after lus n:a:nt operation.
He sincerely desired that Pnnccss Kamladcv1 and her children
should come to Kolh:ipur and stay \Hth Princess Lall.mideu and
Pnnce Pratapsmha.
• , J\$ Shahu \'oas deeply interested m the TanJore case, he wrote
on No\embcr 28 to Polak, one•time collc.ague. of Mahatma
Gandhi, to enb-aSC tbe lead.mg Counsels, Sn Edward Carson and
s,r L. 0. Luther for the TanJore case by p.1ymg them retamers.
He requested him also to pay tetainets to Sir Fdward Carson for
Ll1e IchaIL:iranji case, so that dte other side might not be abfe to
gel: hu opinion.
, Smee die abolition of Kulkarni utan$, rhe JJrahmin neu 4

papers, tl1e rcpresentame o( vested mterests in .Maharashtra.

l!-TOie Hnomously against .shaJrn, mmg foul and filthy language
about his family. 0£ course. the non-Rrahmm newspapers
vmced the gT1eunces of the Bac-lwanl and the Depressed Classes
and replied to their cnticism of Shahu. He, therefore, felt the
necessity of ha,mg nev...sp.apers in different parts of Maharashtra
to prmide the people w1th the other side of tiie picture
• A few da}s later Rambhau Sabnis ll.TOte to D. V. Guptf', l'.ho
«as about to start a. neel:1y at Th:ma, and offered him help. But
1t 1was Shahu's worry that such papers died before thev were-
e~tabhshed. The amount 'll':15 to be pa1d to Gupte on good
security but v.Ithout any tnterest; and the money would be con•
uJ.ered as a tlona.tion if the weekly Gupte conducted lasted fi\'e
}cars, oi- 1£ 1t was a da.1ly, for two }ears But the proposal did not
ma.tenalise. 1
388 SHAHU CHHATRAPATl: A ROYAL. REVOLUIJONARY

While Shahu was anxious to encourage democratic journalism~

his old student Shripatrao Shinde, resolved to give up his job of
Police Inspector and to start a weekly. When Shahu heard the
news, he discouraged Shinde, saying that he would not spend a
pie on that venture. A matriculate and a clever student, Shripat·
rao had completed his training in tanning at Madras at the
expense of the Kolhapur Darbar. But he gave up the idea 0£
starting a Tanning factory and became a Police Inspector in
1908 in a British District and served about twelve years. As
Shripatrao was profoundly influenced by Shahu's ideas of social
equality and the welfare of the Backward and Depressed Classes,
he decided to give up the job. In his early youth he had worked
along with Bhaurao Patil, had taught in the Miss Clarke Depress-
ed Classes Mission School at Kolhapur in 1908 and taken a keen
interest in promoting co-operative societies, himself being the
founder of the Shree Balbheem Co-operative Society in 1915
which relieved many farmers of their heavy debts. In HJIS
Shinde had worked as Secretary of the Maratha League.
In spite of Shahu's discouragement, Shripatrao Shinde resigned
his post and started the weekly Vijayi Maratha with the help
of _his friends on December 1, 1919, at Poona in the camp of
Shahu's enemies; the opponents of social revolution.. Fearless,
selfless and sincere as he was, Shripatrao proved to be a· great
champion of Shahu's movement and• surpassed Kothari's Jagaruk,
and Bhagwantrao Palekar's Jagruti which were published. from
Poona and Baroda respectively. A man of character and ability,
Shripatrao became· the vanguard of Shahu's movement. His
independent spirit and his fearless championship of the philo•
sophy of Satya Shodhak Samaj, •inspired the social workers to
fight the cause of the Backward, the .Depressed and the Under-
dog.
Shripatrao's Press and his house· in Poona became a power-
house of the non-Brah.min . movement as did Keshavrao and
Baburao Jedhe's. house afterwards, a stronghold of non-Brahmin
workers. Shahu was impressed by the valour, influence and suc-
cess of the Vijayi ivfaratha. Two years later Shahu, overwhelmed
with feelings, ran to Shinde's sue:cessor.
Lokmanya Tilak returned from London. to· Bombay_ on
November 27, 1919, and was given several addresses by the
 TWO rOR.C£S OF SOCIAL DtMOCRACY ' 389
people in Bombay. On December I, Iie returned to Poona and
the Mun1C1pality presented him with an address on December 7
The non-Br:ahmin leaders, the Liberal leaders, and the Depressed
Class leaders opposed the address to be presented to T1lal., T1la.k
had told Satyamurti, a leader and associate, that he would not
ll.ndergo expiation for having crossed the seas, but in fact he had
ta swallow his words and do so.
Amidst these vociferous and vaned ac:til'mes and bouts of
illness, Shahu ncaer forgot his ammals and liis expenments in
the tammg of the cheeta for use in sh1kar. A matchless and
keen shil.ari, he was always on the lookout for animals put for
sale. In Nol-ember 1919 he heard that the nhavnagar cheetas
were for s.ale. He wrote to Tudor Owen on Nol•ember 16, 1919:
"I hear that you want to dispense wJth some theetas, Please do
not gnc them to an}'body else as tbese people do not lnow how
to take proper care 0£ these animals which are treated
bk.e dogs. I should always hke to see mv friend, the Maharaja
of Bhavnagar's ammals m very good hands: so please send them
to me if you are gomg to dispose them of."
Shahu's love of animals was prov~rbial. He had an amusing
a.nd incredible st~ry to' tell to his friends. He had many cheeta.J
with him and so he thought he should experiment in breedmg
them, One African female cheeta and one male from the
:Nagpur neighbourhood "'luch \\ere sporting with him, "ere let
loose m his Jungle at Ra1bag. The tv..o used to come for the
night to the place where they \\ere alwa)s l..ept and to go out
huntmg before day-break. After some da)s they grew wJld. but
the male cheeta died and the female went roaming across the
hills and ,alle)S Crossing rivers, she l-1-Cnt to thf' Hoopri
Remdal Park where Shahu had let Ioo~e 5ome dcen and ll.liere
he used to hunt "'ith the £emalc cheeta. She c.i.me to the Kolha-
pur Park 5earr1Ling for lier missing companion and then 1-1ent
to Ba,da \'ohere Shahu had some cheetas. Shahu went there and
ca.usht her by means of a noose WhUe Jomg so, he had a
narrow escape hinuelf from a snalc v.ho bit his sen-ant standing
neii:t 10 bun.
Haling heard thii account, Colonel Harold \'oTOtC' to Sh3hu on
Decemi>er 21, 1r19-, .md "U.Af ffl<: il';lt' l,.~ k ~ t:hc-#1 .n-1..W:m":d
crossing rhers and pla1m and places &he ha.d ne,,-cr J:nown. •
390 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL, REVOLUTIONARY

showed the remarkable powers of ,animal'instinct. -He- thought

(he incident' was worthy of record .by the. Natural History SodetY
of Bombay. . . 1
• : •

• On December- 3,. 1919,· Lord Syclenham was glad to note tha~

the non-Brahmin :movement was going on. in southern. India
and informed Shahu that he. had read a few words from his
letter in the House of Lords. ,
Shahu went to· Bombay,_on December 9. and: wrote. to:.Claude
Hill, who :was in Bombay, suggesting that he should have a talk
with .the Governor on the Ichalkaranji adoption case., .·Shahu
felt that as an: old friend he had a claim on him and had-every
hope of assistance from him. Shahu saw the Governor on
December• 11, -in. connection with it, •but ,he could not pers-qade
the Governor to accept his views. .
.On December :21, 1919, Lord Sydenhaffi' wrote from London
in a sad tone that the Bill had peen. passed and·, ~'.t~ose' of us
who tried to. modify some of its more ¢tng~rous provisions: -have
failecl". Sydenham expres_sed a fear .vhethe~ tpe -m~,n ,e,lec_t~d
would fearlessly defend the interests ·of the non-Brahmio agri•
cultural cl~sses, ·who for~~d th~-~venvhelmi~~-~~j~ri_ty 'oi :th~
population in India. His Highness would, he believed, carry on
the wise policy of raisiqg the lowe; ~ast~s by ~d{ic~~io~. ;~d ern:
ploymentinhisS_tate. , _ ... _:·· :. ~:.::-·, .. ··_._:, :.--··•
, Lord Sydenham expressed the :view rather fec:;bly that. the
People's Unic;m which; if well directed- anc( with ad~qua'te. i~nds,
0

might be a prote~tion for the suppress~ci.. '. Th~ Peopie's ·union

worked till i'922 and from_ th~ beginning. of, 1923° it ~.topped
functioning,. witl1 the result that its Se~retary Bole se~t in'.. his
resignation on Octob~r 2&, 1925. • , • . .. •. !. • '
Strictly speaking Shahu as a ruler of Kolhapm: State_ )1:aci
nothing to do,, with the Backward and, Depi:essed Clas:ses in
British India. Bu_t. liis inborn and unbounded sympatq. ies' for t4e
masses made him assume the role of. their liberator. Im~gine ~
Ruler eating and staying with the poores"t of th(i poor. ;ind fight~
ing for their liberation! Indeed, Shahu and Dr.. Nair.were twQ
lonely precursors of Indian social <l'emocracy a~d the ·_egali~aria~
society. ,
 '? -I IL f t

CHAPTER 221
.
,, , :)'
'
Appeal .to Indian· Leaders',
-;, , ' 'r
.' .' ' .
.. ,1 '
< T

_ ~ ir 4 , r ' ~ • .,, t ~ 4 ; J I,
_ON ,thedint" day of the n;w )ear 1920 ,,,,.~s published the: list of
persons: on whom the Go,em.ment conferred titles. A qood {nend
apprec1ath•e of the nse of his fnend's, Shahu ,\~as gla~l to congta-
.tuJa~e some o( them, especially the Rajesa.l1eb of 1).fudbol, thy
Mahara1a of .Jdar, ~r. 'Wanless and the lifaharaja. of Navanagar
?!1 the 1i1uccess m achieHng some distinftion. , ,,,
T~.': ,1sbe.s of ~ul~m1 utans r,·ere sull red hot. Some of the
K.~ll,~mis had. ~.:i,d~ .a~pliptfons, or :repre:sjenta uons agamft 1t1f
..
Darbar.
t
#" '\
Shahu
r
wrote to ·wooehouse
• •
that those applications i

should'. not be
.... ,i ,.. n
entertamed
•~ t
I
as'
.,. ,- ,
the compla1pts • related
l jt
to
~
a~ ques- I l~:iii 1 \

uonl of internal
..-
admm1strat10n. .l\foreO\er, tJ1e1. \.l.cre rncited by t ~ "'

_the, extrem..i~ts of Poona to ,me against the Dar bar. Evidently

the Kull..arnis ,\ere supponed by TdaJ..., and Shahu felt that the
' ' ,
KuU.arnis were ploumg against Jus reJgll. Jn January 1920 h5=
s~nt Ramhhau Sabnis ,uth some papers tegarding this matter to
Robertson, the Political Secretary of the GO\emment of Bombay.
_ •Pratapsinha of Baroda \\as com,alescing under the \\atchful
C},;" 0£ Shahu. Khasera.o Jadhav said ~1at probably tllis "as t}Je
6.rst time that PratapsinI1a '\\as al'fection.i.tely treated m bis life.
and Ia..-ing ca1e bestO\\ed upon him. l{..hasel';),o e."<pcctcd tl1at
lhe ,Prince would experience something of his home anJ sportll1g
life., Shahu's magnem: touc.h and hit parcnt.1! are and l.indnes.s
l'tt!re appreoatcd by th~ attached to the Ro)al family of
Baroda. Rhaserao Jatlhav was going to reprint his ,Wakt up
Prine;, ,u,h an add1tJonal note on the lhdian Printts..
. :The cstablwu:nent and inau.suratJon o( the Pnnccs·, Chamber
\!o'a$ announced. by R.01al J'rocl:unatfoa. and Ute 1'rma: Q( W.ili-s
'°1?1 go~og to formally open,the Charo.ber the Col101dn.g }-i:;.ar. lo
,g1
392 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

a draft scheme Shahu had submitted to the Government of India

his views about its constitution in November 1919. The sugges-
tion pressed on Wood's attention by Shahu was that on January
15, 1920, the Viceroy should formally open the proceedings; but
it should be conducted under the presidentship of some Ruling
Prince who would inspire in them greater freedom of debate and
confidence. The Princes might experience the difficulty of
language if the Viceroy was to preside, and the Princes would
not be able to adapt themselves to it at such an advanced stage
of life. Shahu again expressed his wish that he would prefer to
be d.irectly under the Government of India. He was thus fight·
ing for more freedom for the Princes and aiming at the over-
throw of Provincial control.
During the Amritsar ~ongress in December 1919, some
Congress leaders, speaking on the resolution, "Recall of the
Viceroy," used discourteous and unmannerly language to which
even Gandhi objected. Gandhi at that time envisaged the possi-
bility of full Swaraj through the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.
On January 19, 1920, Shahu wrote to Lord Chelmsford sympa·
thising with him and describing the utterances of the Congress
leaders as unjustifiable. According to him, those utterances
breathed a spirit of hatred and bitterness. Shahu not only
expressed his opinion but also said that it was clearly gross abuse
of liberty of speech and suggested to the Viceroy that such mali~
cious acts should be suppressed.
At this juncture, Shahu, unweary and· undaunted, tried to
impress upon the mind of the Maharaja of Indore to remove
caste barriers and settle the marriage of his son with a Maratha
family even of a lesser power and prestige. Shahu said that
though the Baroda Royal family and that of Gwalior were not
high class Marathas, Baroda got their relatives married with
Ghorpade, Pawar and Khanolkar whereas Gwalior with Mane,
Surve and Shinde. If the poor high caste Marathas tried to go
lower in marriage connections, they would be excommunicated.
Shalm further said that it was his opinion that high caste people
should go in for marriage with the low caste. He worked, he
said, among the masses and took the lead in• the' uplift of the
-Untouchables· 'because example is better than precept', "Because
our religion prescribes,'' he added, "inhuman treatment, we treat
, ...
 ,,
APPEA[. TO t!IJDIANI LEADERS l ,, , 393
them inhumanly. They, therefore, embrace Islam or Christianity
.and then we don't thmk it a sin to touch them. There is no
such discrimination in the Vedas. Because I take the lead, people
would follow me. In short we mwt take the lead in such
matter."1
On January 17, 1920, Shahu's Darbar enacted a very progre,s..
she law called the Hindu Law of Inhentance Amendments,
abolishmg distinction in legal attitude towards the illegi tirnate
sons of Shudras and those of rhe regenerate classes in the matter
of inhen tance rights. The illegit1mate sons of the regenerate
classes \\-ere now entitled to ha\e mhentance rights to the pro-
perties of their fathers. It applied also to the girls called Jor;inis
or Devadasis dedicated to rehg:ion. It laid down that in future
such girls v.ould not require any special rights of succession or
inheritance and pnvdeges annexed or ancillary thereto. The
Darbar tried man effic1ent way to root ma the sc.mda1ow fo.ru-
tution of dedication of girls to God. Welcoming the Jaw, The
United India nnd lndlan States said, "\Ve hope that Kothapur's
example v.ill be copied by Bntish India and other Indian States.'"
These changes in soaal law'S prmre that Shahu was ahead of his
times.
As malicious attacks in the Press l\-ere increasing, Shahu was
busy consolidating hi.s publicity front agamst the Drahmin
journals which united m attacking him So in January 1920,
Shahu tried to win mer Ach}utrao Kolhatl..ar to his side through
Ramchandra Annaji Prabha,all.ar. Kolhatkar said he was
Shahu's man and he v.ould gh e publicity to 11.hate,er material
the Darbar sent, including even edi1orials, with some srnalJ modi-
ficauons. He was m need of four thousand rupees but Prabha-
valkar said that e\oen if it \-!.as paid to him as a loan it 11.ould
be a bad debt. Takmg all things into consideratwn, Shahu
\I.TOte to Prabhavalkar to pay the sum to Kolhatlar through a
laW}er.
On January 2G, 1920, the Bombay Gotemment 1'rote io
Shahu about the spread of Bolshev1sm m India, though the
Gm emment thought tlt:1.t there was small proof of Bohhevik
actiuties in India. Acoordmg to the GQi.emmcnl, Bolshevik.
agents in the guise of trader1 from Central Asia o. in rome other
guis.e had entered Ia<l1a and were worUng- 1urrept1t1owly, The
~~_4 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A··ROY;\I.; REXO..LUTIONARY

·Goyerriment said· that the: circulation .0£,:Bolshevik 1 literatute

~hotild be' prevented by a rigid passport ·system· and entry _Jjy land
,and infiltration of: the emissaries, should-be checked.;,. On, account
,of'. Sh~liu:s outburst.against. Bolshevism; the Brhish.·Government
had confided that secret to him .
.·• Sjr,.Stuart- fraset,. Shahifs.,gui'de, gunt .a:ncl';philosopher,- was
,to retire ,on Decelilbe'r :31,, 1919, so,,,he· ex:pressecl .his. desire
•to-visit. Kolhapurland see-various improvements Shahu had-made
·in his State.,; He also-desired to visit the Maharaja of.Mysore on
_his· W<J.•Y to ,}3qrribay. Fraser. wondered wh~ther •Shahu .would let
.his daughter, ·wife and· himself look: around, Kolhapur· on thi:
·.i.vay ir;i ord~ to say goodbye;to him.,; Shahu,gave-him an.enthu•
-siastic reception·.-,whe_n .Fraser. visited. him on.February 3, 1920,
·.to bid farewell ,to;his; old- pupil: Shahu'.s_brother. and he h~mself,
'.the' Maharani and'.his ·officers.went as. far .as Miraj to. welcome
-Fraser. • The local 'officials with. the village· bands were: assembled
<1t' every. ·station en-.route. to .offer fruits ancL flowers. to the Frasers.
,,: ,A• great, ,memo,rable public meeting. ,v.as _held jn,, Kolhapur
·when ·Fras~r :was. presented :wi.th addresses of, :welcome ,by, eleven
·educational. institutions.; .In the. ,~elcome sp<:~clt Shahu obsery:ed
with great pride and pleasure: "I consider myself very lucky
-in,deed tha~ y_ou; )lave been .able· to! p11,y a· vis.it, shoz:t: as it ·µas
b.een, ,before -yo,ur,:departure: It:has, given: you an oppm;tunity of
~e_eii;ig w4at- ·fruit ,the. pains_ you tqok: with your,· pupils have
.borne: There; is nP.:doubt: that Kolh;tpur) h~s.• vastly changed
:liince,you•saw it.last:: It is £9r you· to judge:i_n,-w}J;:i.t _c;l~~~ti_on,thi:
_change has been ... -: . , . ,.- .. : '·::·: •,:.- :
... "During., 11.ll .this: time,'', Shahu continµed, ,nt..ha!i. b~en rny
earnest wish -and constant. endeavour to do: everything in mY
power co educate: the masses, to inspir/;! them. -with a higher
standard of )ife,· to root _out st)p~rstition· and· with,.it the cause?
that have le_d to the·singularly artificial _sta,ter 9£ our. s9ciety-the
inequalities between man and man that we see on all sides. The
task is not heavy nor- the ,"\Vork light. The inertia of- the ;:iges
has to be overcome and the old order of things has to be,,changed
_out- and .out. \\That part I have. played i11 bringing this about.,
:tt least partially,. it .is not for .Ille to say. If 1 have succecded-ir!-
any small ~casurc, the credit belongs ,to those_ who have. heart!lY
:workeq with :me,: ~:forernqs_t•, an,19;1g thqm, js i;ny beJ<>yed, bro_tl;te~,
 , AJ'J'L\L TO 1,DU.."f U:.UlUU , 395
ll.iplWhcb, kllhour "-fu»c hdp 1 uo not lnow "h.u I wJould
m,e lfonc. 111~ wcul .u1J rcli~JOIIS reformer h.u al.so COlllC (0
m7 ,;iJ. ~ml J 11.uJ no, Jiou.;uc w .adnohlcugc:- d1t: grr.it t.tluc
of the \liotL Jone l,y Chtuti.m ~fo.1oion;,,rics m my State and cs1~
<u.l17 by uu: Amcnc.an !\.lw1011. They ha,c maJc 1ucn ol 1he
,cry Jrq;t of die 1«ie1y anJ fonc Kl a uniqut c:UIUplc of sci£•
~rnlicc- :and Klllot Jc,-otion to Juty,
11ic: C1-e~t W.u h.u,.,.. he:- cou1i1med, "'opcnt"J our c)e-s. The
4u lour )C'.\n h~~"C kllllcual the fall or the- mo,,t JC-Sf)()tlC auto-
u:adt:s in du: \\orlJ, ;1ml unlc» \tie in lndfa profit by 1hc )~on,
'kon,c c,Jl$ may 11.1.n: 10 Le facni by us, :ind tlu.c is \\h) t fed
tlu: crmhing hei3ht of the hc:n-y wo1k now Lefot-e the Indi.m
RulinH Ptintd. :i.ml I 1ms1 1he mor;al fibre )OU h:I\C' hdpcli to
c.lC\ clop in me in.1 y ptO\ c ~ufi'idcn ti y llJ ong It) bear lhl" ~train."
In hi, ft'ply fr:ut"r s.:iil(: "It i1 a commonplace today that 1he
,:re:;1tc,t r1«J of lt,d1;i u bt:uer amJ k 1dcr JJm.•;rd of wucarimr,
"'hc1hcr frp1n tlu: point of ,,iew of die moral J.od m;itclial uplift
of 1hc 1>eo11le, or' of 1hcir cap.adty lo v.or l IULcc»fully die
1tfonncJ l<l1cmc of lhe Go,cnuncnt, "hich JS no\\ being
• roJ Ul11.-u.
ml -.t •• I)

, Empha,uing tlie JJ)CtbJ mcut o! Shahu Chhatrap.1ti, Fraser

0

µtJ l'lith gloy,mg c)cJ that (or lo 11g- )cars past Shahu haJ made
it hii i:.l1id :111J. pcnonal .aim to m1p~o, c the cond1tiott of the
m~s:,a, allJ, ;u: a me;ins co du$ c:11J, ltaJ not ouly uml11.pZiei.l
"11.ools but haJ un1cJ 1.he gift of uluCJ.uon to the cl.:iss....'"S \I lwJ1
"'ere too ;i.palhctic to sccL of 1hc1r oll.n c,ertion the fac1lrnLs
pro, idc:J for all ahle ""nhou t J151 mctwt1 of c.utc and crccrJ.
"1''0 JnJun Prince," fr ,ucr "cnt on, ..has. froal the fil'st dis•
pla}ctl a more gteat-hcaned 1)mpathy with e,ery ,class of !us
1ubJtcu, rcalmng tJ1at he n, equally the falhcr of lhe low caste
antl the lu,;b caste, ol the ;\Ioh2mmcdJ1u, and of the Chris·
u.aus, .u »dl .:u of 1ho JJinJ11.s. r , , \
"Anti .as a "iM: father," fta!>Cr proceeded, "rcco1,,'llnts ;a.
$pccial Juty towanls tl1e l\cak rather 1han the strong among
che clulJrcn, 11,s lligJmcss' policy Ji.a, been, ,t;pcqaJJy to uplift
the Backward ClalltS Ly encouraging them to ,share llll the
cduc.mon.t.l .r,l+a.ma.ga CllJatcd Ju:re1olon: wkly bf tlmr more
(;noured1 f:m:tl1ren. , ,~gclo11g, prejudi~ dfCP-t9')'-tJl , in thfj
396 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: ;\;, ROYAL' REVOLUTIONARY

a
lndia'n 'social .system make this· gigantic task and one which
no individual· can~ hope .to complete in his lifetime." •
In· conclusion,· fi·aser expressed the hope that the institutions
in Kolhapur. might: assist their:ruler: in fulfilling his highest
object of providing.,mo're. arid more that equality of opportunity
for the intlivitlual,d:n·•:whatever ·class of life he might be born,
which underlay Chhatrapati. Maharaja's truly democratic ideal
for·tl1e State -Providence had called .upon him to rule.
On ·;ea~hing. Bom~_ay;_ Fraser. wr9~e on February 5, 1920, that
he never .ex,pected. tha_t in addi~ion tq the personal attenti~n
Shahu' pa.id to tliem·, he would, do them so much public
honour. "A kind .h~art/'. he added, '.'must always win a res~
ponse both from the. p_ubli~ and the individual and in your
difficultie~. this will be your lasting reward and encouragement,':
In short, Fraser see~ecl, to say,."Gr~tituc\e thy name is His Higlt·
ness Shahu.Chhatr;ip.J,ti.''. Shahu had, in order to erect a mem°7
rial to his· Guru, laid ~he·. foundation
' . .,
of Fraser
' . Market
. at Shahu•.'
puri in the presence of his Guru on February 3, 1920.
I • ' '

11

The Ic~alkaranji Adoption case was weighing 1;m ·the ~iri•f of

the Chhatrapati, and he· troubled H~ll and Fraser about it; . _Hf
had been fighting ov<:r the interpretation of Treaty rights and
stubbornly held that by interfering with his rights the Govern~
ment was infringing soine Clauses of the treaty. That is· why he
demanded arbitration to decide bet\veen the. Government and
his State. The other point on which he insisted was that so long
all> there were male descendants fit to succeed, no outsider should
be allowed to do• so. • •
The leaders of the Maratha League, which was established in
1918, were appealing to Shahu to preside over their All-India
Maratha League Conference at Poona. But the Resident advised
Shahu not tci accept the invitation. The ·Resident said that"its
objects -were partly political and it might place him in an
embarrassing position: • • • •: . .• • •• • , : 1 1
About this-time the progressive social forces and· the ·awakenel:l
non-Br.ihfuiri::c1asses being again dissatisfied a~ the reactionary
social··viewsl'of Tilak, began 'to disturb· his meetings.• Tilak= h~d
 , Al'PEAU TO INDIAN LEAD~ 1 39?
declared at a Poona meeting. that if any man wo1.dd win Swaraj
for the nation, he would interdine v.ith bun, no matter of l'.hat
class, caste or creed, he might be. If the country's cause demand•
ed 1t. TJlal uid that he was ready to dine wuh the Untouch•
ables. fa.idently these vie\~S suggested a bene, olent and
condescendmg attitude towards those '\tho clamoured for social
justice and equality. Naturally the non-Brahmins now began to
oppo<;e Tilak fearlessly
A meeting was held on February 8, 1920, to support the com•
pulsory education scheme for guis in Poona. Tilak. came for-
ward to support the \'1ew of those -v.ho wanted to e:1.clude girls
from the compulsory education sc.heme on :some flimsy pretext.
Tilak was howled down. The meeting l'.as dissoh'ed and Tdak.
had to be tal..en to his residence under pohce escort. In the next
l'.eek Tllal.'s meetmg at Sangl1 ended in pa.ndemonmm an<l m
Bombay in the same month at Prabbade,i hu meeung was
brot..en up. At a meeting in Atham 'rdal.'s a~l.mg in an irri-
tated nay l'.hether the non-Brahmms had to 1al.e up the plougn
or hold the grocer's pair of scales by gomg into the Legisfatne
Assembly, had angered the non-Brahmms, and at Sanl..esh11.ar
they opposed the address to be pr~ented to Tdat... He \\-al now
lacmg the music -v.hich his opponent$ had faced some }ears
earlier at his hands.
The plight of T1l.1L. ll.as sad. The Stroants of Indzo: in its
issue of :March 18, 19:!0, .s:ud that the mouthmg of pr~re.sme
.sentiments by Tilal. \\ere not to be taken at its face ,alue. Years
of his life he had spent m denouncing- wc1al reforms. At limn
he said he would rejoJce J( e,en all political power l'.as con•
ferred on non-Brahm.ins alone. and )Ct in the neMy.ipcr he
,chemently Ul3.mtainet.1 that no more 1han t\\O of iu se.1u. 1f any#
must be resenct.l for the :\faralhas in the 1,1,hole of the Decan.
"Such du~~ndes." it obs.en ed. ••are oaJy t:Ypt>Cled oi Mr.
Tilak.. No ma.Iler but that he ,oices such !:;tiler.ii 1entimenu.
though it he a rhctoriQ) flouruh, ll ibelf an enruuni:;:ing sign.'"
Gajmanrao V-1id,a, eJ.uor o( the /lmJu .U1.wo,uuy, aiticuin;
1.he ]l.(;uu!oto of Tab.l's Con&ttU Democutic P;uty 1muLulJ
oLseneJ: "'During hu h!rt.imc Ttbk h;u; hcld up to JCUm all
social rdonns. Ha \\Otds tod:ly en 1 1rupIn:: confidence m thme
398 SHAHU CHJ:IATRAPATl:.'.A 'ROYAL'..REVOLUTIONARY

for whom they are;meant. He had never befriended ariy social

suITerers." 2
- In March 1920 Shahu· was· approached for a donation to the
Children's .Welfare Necklace. A :ruler of catholic generosity, he
gave the society five pearls worth. rupees five thousand, the main
mover in this. welfare work being the: .wife of t,1e Governor. She
thanked· him for the munificent d,onation.
While these awakened non-Brahmin masses were expressing
their displeasure at the social. stat,us quo and demanding,.~ new
social deal, the Tilakites referred to the disturbances at the
meetings 'of Tilak at J U!l~ar. and °R.ahimatpur. They tried _to
put the blame for these disturbances on Shahu. Shahu wrot~ to
the Government that lie had nothing 'to <l~ with the dist~rbari~e~.
There were some members from Kolhri.ptir; out they :were res-
ponsible •for· their actions if they <lie!'' anything there.: •The
Tilakites, he added, "wanted to frighten. me and make Govem-
m.ent beli~ve ~hat I am· the· cause ·and tlius prevent me in my
own State from: helping the Backward Classes which ·they think
has a crushing effect or'i" the. Poona Brahrriin' bureaucracy. 'The
Backward Classes and the Untouchables are citing my e·xarnple
in the British Districts and when reforms are given the Back-
ward Classes are sure to carry their points, that ·is what lhe
Tilakites do not like.-" 3
Shahu was thus pressing the fight forward in every possible
way, at every opportunity. Such an opportunity came when he
presided over the third Arya Samaj Conference· at Bhavnagar
on March 7, .1920. This conference was largely attended by
representatives from all provinces·ancl also from other countries.
Presiding over the session, Shahu said that child-marriage,
polygamy, prohibition, absence 0£ women's education, the dis-
order created hy Varnashram and several outworn and suicidal
customs had made Hindu society 'lifeless and helpless. He
regretted that even in the twentieth century there were Untouch-
ables in India and there were men who considered that the
shadow of their brethren polluted· them. ·when religion was at
its lo\\'cst ebb, it was in Kathiawad that Swami Dayanand
appeared and by his great studies, courageous actions and selfless-
ne~s, enkincllcd a light that shone all over India. and infused ·a
new fire into the Hindus. ,
 l ~ I "/Cr;, 'APPEAL' To' tNDtA.'l lL\I'ltlS 1, ; 1
l' I , 8~9
·- Shahu t further said :chat he 1'.-as amlident the Vedic religion
would one day be a l\otld religion So Jt was the duty of the
Aryans:! to rouse the··Ar},m brethren to actlon. , Although, he
added, an instituuon hke the Satya Shodhak SamaJ had eJieaed
some social refonns, they could not achie,e any more than they
had done because they conducted their struggle on the pnnc1ple
of "tit for tat", The most potent remed) for a¾al..ening the
masses was the Ved1c relig1on. The Hindus had a faith m the
Vedas, and the Arya SamaJISts regarded it their duty to stand by
the Vedas. •
, Da}anand condemned the caste s)'Stem, a, well as the doctnne
of, untouchabihty, and saw no ob1ecuon to sea \0}age. His,
message' appealed to Shahu. So he .said that lie had adopted
Dayanand's la1th, as he lnew that Vedic Dhanna. was superior to
e,ery other faith, and therefore he \\ould gne charge of educa-
uon m his State mto the hands of the Arya Sam.aj with a ,iew to
moraJJy impro,ing them. He had done his duty and rh~ future
course was left in their hands.
, "If w1th all these efforts," Shahu condudctl, "the Vedic
Dhanna 1s not spread, the blame mll be on )OU and on the
Arya Praunidhi Sabha.- 1 desire chat wme acti,e men wJlI work.
1n my State." ',
Shahu's fame as champion of the Untouchables and the under~
dog had spread far am.I \\ 1de. 'AlmO!it all prominent places in
Maharashtra ,,ere gh-en a stimulus m regard to the remo\al of
untouchabihty. So e\el)"hhere the Depressed and Suppres!Cd
Cla.sM!S sang Shahu"& praise. Se, era) ronferences l\Cre held
eu1ogismg his reforms. Shahu ,,as 0Tg3nising tl1e deprO->Ctf
class '"'orl..ers inro a strong parly 1mpiring them 10 liRhr. for then·
own welfare an<l to cl1oose their own Je~Jers from aroonit" their
workers and not to h;ne fajtli jn •the leadenh1p of 1hc C\le
Bmdus. He lol<l them that butchen. could not be tJie lc.:1ders, of
the sheep.
Early in 1920, Shahu had Gilled G. A. Ga"'·ai, J>IXI, ltader o[
the Untouchables and eduor. to Kolhapur :ind tn,uur.i;cd luru
10 do hIS \\011:. !carlc:"l,.Sly an<l im.lcpendentlt'- On Fthrwry
I, 1920, Shahu ,note to Gaw.ii cmph,;iming- his •kw- d1;ir the
Dcpres~ .;ind Supp~ Cla!US 11:iouitf not Jc-pend upon the
lc;ulenhip 0£ the caste H1mhu and lhould Ut'H~r ~ktt a m.10
400 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI!• A ROYAL. RI;:VOLUTTONARY

without democratic aims as their leader, ''They-should elect their

own .leaders from their: o~n classes. 4
. Some months earlier Shahu had met Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. His
young, spirited aQd devoted associate Dattoba Powar, a Chamar,
had made friends with Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and introduced
him to Shahu Chhatrapati, the emerging leader of the suppress-
ed people.
Receiving a substantial help from Shahu, Dr. Ambedkar had
started his weekly Mook Nayak on January 31, 1920. •The Patil
of Mangaon, a village in the Kagal J ahgir, convened a conference
of the Deccan Depressed Classes at l\fangaon on March 22, 1920,
under the presidentship of Dr.. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Speaking
at the conference, Shahu highly appreciated Dr. Ambedkar's
work which he was doing through the ivfooli Nayah for the uplift
of the Depressed Classes. •
Shahu explained to the conference how he had liberated the
Untouchables from daily attendance at the 'Police Chowki. • He
said: "I should like to take this opportunity to say why I freed
the so-called Untouchables from · criminal attendarice. This
practice of hajeri gave. scope to village officers and ·others to
oppress. these people; for example,. officers threatened and forced
them to work gratis even when the rate of wages was twelve annas
a day. At the mast, they should give them at least bare subsist·
ence and nothing more, but they never did so.. This is the
heinous form of slavery. that we •have imposed in this twentieth
century. This practice of hajeri, prevented them from seeing
their sick relatives with the consequence _several died without
being seen by their relatives. I have myself seen. examples oE
parents being taken away to do forced labour. in time and out
of time, and thus their becoming unable to attend .their sick
children whom they found dead on their return home. ·what
tyranny could be worse than this?"
Thundering against those leaders who observell Untouch-
ability Shahu said:· "It is shameless on the part of a person to
be a leader if he considers his countrymen and brethren to be
worse than cowdung and beasts." Shahu acknowledged gracefully
the help he had received from the Satya Shodhak Samaj and the
Arya Samaj and the American Mission in removing Untouch0
ability. He regretted that very few Indian leaders felt the neces-
 APPEAL TO U,DL-\N LEAD:tR.5 1 401
sity of doing tlus v.od::.. He narrated how he encouraged de,er
,men from the Depr('S-Se(} Classes to become law)ers, ,how he
appointed tl1c ,:ducate<l from among them to Go\etnmenc 1,-osts.
He $aid he '"auld grant self go, cnunent to his State, but on com-
munal representation, even to the so-called Untouchables.
Shahu, therefore, exupl1atically put befote tl1e conference his
\ieM and challenged with nghteous anger the Indian leaders,
pattjo~ ,and pobt1C1:ms. ''Some say 11.bat connection JS there
betM~en politics and untouchab1hty; and if there is any they try
to promise to reino\e it; but I ask how will politics fare- welt un-
less I.he Untouchables are treated hl.e human beings. Those
\I.ho tale part in politics must treat men as men, that is, as
, ' f
they
arc treated in otJ1er counnfrs, The country ,~ill not be other-
~·ise v.cll sened." He will be said to ba\e ser,;ed his country wh~
tre-1u men in this manner and none else."
' .. \Ve wa~t leaders.," SJ1ahu conduded, "who translate the1r
,,orJ int'o acuon and not weap0n. \Ve want such leaders as
v.ould abolish the caste s}stem by their ac.tions and treat the
5£>-C'.IJled Untouchables as hum.an beings. Ambedk~r to whom 1
v.a~ apathetic so far, is an ornament among the men of learning.
The Ary:i Samaj; the llu<ldha Samaj and the Christian (J\.hssion)
could hate'g-Jadly accepted hiru in their fold; but we must be
grateful to Ambedl-ar that he remamed in your fold, to stme
for )OUr welfare and sahat1on. I ba,e one request to make
co Ambe<lkar. He should accompany me ro my Rajp1mv.-idi
Camp for dinner l>efore he lea,es Kolh.tpur."
1 Concluding his speech, Shahu said prophetically: "You h:ne
lounJ )OUJ:• sauour in Ambedl.ar. I run confident 1hat be ,!llll
break )our shaclles. Not only that a ume wdJ come ,,hen, so
wluspers my con.science, Ambedlar wiU shine as a front-rank
leader of all-India fam~ md appeaJ.":1

Ill
l I
' '
When Shahu champ10ned the cause 0£ the so-called Untouch·
ables by fenently appealing to the country to abolish the caste
system and give them equal rights, what were the other leaders
of India doing? THak explained hlS stand. What was the great
Gandhi , saying about the problem of Umoudlawhr1l To
sc-::a
.402 SHAHU CHHATR,\PATI: A ROYAL.REVOLUTION,\RY

Gandhi, untouchability was a heinous crime against humanity

:and a blot on Hinduism. Yet Gandhi said he was a defender of
.the caste-system and of Vamashram Dharmal Hindu society,
·Gandhi said, could not dispense with the caste system.~ "l am
opposed," said Gandhi in October 1916, •·to the movements
7
·which are being carried on £or the destruction uf the system."
According to Gandhi, caste was the great power and secret of
•Hinduism.8 In its origin, he said, caste was a wholesome custom
·and promoted national well-being.0 "In my opinion," he added,
·"the idea that interdining :md inter-marriage is necessary for
10
national growth, is a superstition borrowed £ram the West.''
•• At th~ juncture, Shahu paid a visit to schools and to Rajaram
·college and was pleased with the progress the schools and the
'college had'made. In his opinion ihe Arya Samaj had done_good
.work. for the Backward Classes. Hukumsinghji, the.President of
the ·Arya Samaj, wrote to him to help one Mahashaya Dulipsingh
.-~ho had a recommendation from Swami Shraddhan~nd. Shahu
·_asked _Hukumsing_h .wh~ther •the man who held the certificate
from Swami Shrad<lhanand was reliable or not.
. The Resident was watching the activities of the Arya Samaj in
.Kolhapur. Though, S_hahu said, his Arya Samajists ,vere a
.match. for the Brahmins of Kolhapur, diamond cutdng diamond,
he had. to deal wit)::i them c~utiously. Giving his views on
.Shahu's •connectio11. with the Arya Samaj, Fraser said in. March
1920 that although th'e- Arya Samajists had achie~ed some
success, Shahu should not be surprised if the Brahmins, both
in Kolhapur and in the Bombay Presidency, reg~irded the change
as reprisal on their class and would combine in abusing him for
it. "It is a thousand pities," Fraser said, "that your efforts to
raise the non-Brahmins should be interpreted a& an anti-Brahrnin
movement, but after all that has occurred over the Vedokta busi-
ness." 11 Fraser wished that Shahu should not express his feelings
on the subject in public, as the Ruler of the State ought not to
·be represented as :a. partisan.
Immediately after the Mangaon Conference, Shahu wenL to
Bombay to say goodbye to Lady Hill, but she had already sailed
.for- England: and ne was disappointed at not. being able to meet
lie·r. •Hill also was' to leave India: Shahu reque~te<l him to le,.t
 APPEAL TO INDIAN LE.ADER.s 403
l1lm .know the date of hit departure, so tba:t he would not be dis-
appointed again. '·
Dunng his stay in Bombay, Shahu met Jamnadas Dwarka.das
on the mommg of March 25. 1920, 1and heard from him that
Gandhi and Jamnadas were agamst Til.i.k and his party. Shahu
·was glad that the Kcsan and the Chromcle would be workmg
against each other on the position of the States. The Central
Committee appointed by Gandhi and others was against the
Jamnagar. Gondal and Mori States. After he had met Jamnadas
Dwarladas, Shabu g;ne thJS mfonnation to Wodehouse. Shum
also wrote to Curtis that the Gm-emment should not misunder·
stand him beca:t.l5e he had mec Jamnadas Dwarl..i:das whom he
found more reasonable than T1lak.
It was durmg this week that Shahu enjoyed his first couple 0£
hours tn an 'Air.ship' and flew mer Bombay in it. He had a
temperature, but against medical advice he sneaked ahay from
the Dewan, got into the A.ir-dup and returned 1uth a nonnaJ
temperature! The ch;rge for the flight '\\-as only fifty-two rupees
About this time Dev.aniS.abnjs was movmg in the matter of
'the lchalk.aran1i adoption case, mcetmg high olliciaJs m Dellu
and m Bombay, c.:mtious!y .sounding them about it ' ~\s the
Maharaja of Bik.aner was a friend of Lord Sinha and l\fontagu,.
Shahu wruce on Apnl 21, 1920, to Gupte to meet the Jamsaheb
and the MaharaJa of B1kaner and see 1£ they ll.ould help h1m in
the Tanjore and Ichalkaranji cases. He said 1f they could enlist
their sympathy on h1s behalf, his success \\ould be almost certain.
Shalm wanted to present Ganga Singh, the MaharaJa 0£ B1ka•
ner, "'1th an address on behalf of the l\laratha Community either
at Delhi or at any other place, for expressing app1ec1at1on o[ the
high honour conferred on him by the Gm,ernment and also for
the good '"'ork done by hrm as representathe of lnd1a. The
l\fahara.1a of Bik.aner had agreed to accept the address, but later
changed his mind and requested Sha.Im in May 1920 to drop the
idea '
~ Inspired and invigorated by Shahu, lhe non Ilrahmins m U1e
Deccan extended their social and educational activuies, The
Satya ShodhaJ... workers also did their propaganda ltOrk. \.Cry
enihUSJastica:llr all O\er Maharashtra. The Arya S.unaj was
lnalllly concerned with the educat10nal activities of Kolhapur
:4Q4 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A·ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

..Gity. Tl).e non-Bra_hmin movement led by Shahu had a tremend•

ous impact on the minds of young men of the Backward Classes.
_They took to organising hostels and schools, with the result that
tpe Brahmin monopoly in the field began to decrease.
•' Such a centre was .established at Nasik by young lea<lers of the
Satya Shodhak Sarnaj. These young- leaders were D. R. Bhosle,
Ganpatrao More,. Raosaheb Thorat Patil ·wanikar aP.d others.
::Sorn into a well-known Patil family and the son of a soldier,
.Bhosle was a product of the Victoria Ivfaratha Boarding of
Xolhapur. So poor was.he.that for want of text,books he had to
,copy out the. lessons in his exercise books, and owing to various
,difficulties he had to leave Rajaram. College in the middle of the
·first year. Inspired by Shahu's· aim of uplifting the Backward
•Classes, ,this intelligent and-industrious young man with:untir·
.ing energy, _though serving as an officer, in the. Poli.cc Department
,at Nasik since. ~he year 1907, had :been spr~ading ,the mi,ssion of
,the Sa,tya Sho~hak. Samaj. . ,: . .
. At Nasik, _Bhosle came into contact with Ganpatrao, who was
a nian of noble aim and a siu'c~~e_ .• promoter of the welfare of
the Ba5rkward Classes. His 'mission o~ emancipating tl1e Backward
C_lasses had landed him into. conflict :with the Brahmin~. • He
had incurre_d the ~~pleasure of ti!<:! BJahmin offlcers who .wanted
to destroy his influ!!nce b~- invo\ving him in some criminal affairs.
They had succeeded in. their evil designs in the lower courts, but
ll:he Sessions Judge, ·who was an Englishman; had acquitted him,
::Shosle was- now Sub-Inspector. and was warned. not· to have any
.connection with. More and others. · Bhosle ignored this advice
and· stood by More.
Bhosle1 impressed upon More the necessity of organising t11eir
work on a sounder foundation. So they beca~e a stronghold. of
•educational. activities and of activities for social equality in Nasik
District. It was through their efforts that the Maratha Educa-
·tional Conference was held at Nasik in 1913 under the president•
:ship of Udajirao Pawar, the Maharaja of Dhar, whose handsome
:donation enabled these ,leaders to establish Shri Udaji Boarding
.at Nasik in 1914. The special- attraction-and distinction of this
Maratha Boarding House was in the spirit of the institution. .Jt
had the so-called untouchable students . in its fold. All high
.officials in the Presidency_had expressed their good opinion about
 Al>P.EAL TO INDL\N Ll:ADElt.!i

the v.ork of the institution. So Shalm with the consent of the

Home Department of the Bombay Pres1dency went to N::mk to
lay the foundation stone of the Shri Uda11 l\Iatatha Vidyanhi
Hostel on April 15, 1920.
On the moming of his departute to Nas1k, Shahu took care
to lea,e hii }ounget daughter-in.Jaw in the care of Weber io
Bombay, giving him strict orde1s that \Veber \\aS not to allow
either Pratapsinha or the Yu,aradni to meet his younger
daughter•m-faw durfog hu abrence. At Nas1k, on the morning
of Apn1 15, 1920, ShaJm Chh:ztrapati wa.s accorded a itarm
welcome and presented wtth an address. Khaserao Jadhav was.
present The' address declared that according to the Brahnum,
all non•Bralunin ,ommumties \\ere more or less Untouchables;
for' in matters of food, drink and worship of God, all non-
Brahmins \\ere Untouchables to the Br.ihmins. So they welcom-
ed Sbaltu and paid glowing tributes to him for his work of libera-
tion in the sooaJ and religious fivlds, and especially in the cause
o[ the J)epressed Classes

IV

Laying the foundation stone of the hostel, Shahu pra16ed the

social \\-Otk.ers for their unflagging, bene,olent and ~elf-sacnfic.
ing work in the cause of the Backward and Depressed Classes.
To keep open a l\faratha hostel, although 1t \\as built on mun••
ficent donat10ns of Marathas, to the Untouchables and to the
stud.ent.s of all caste'>, as the)' had done, 'h.i.S a hberal-mmded.
noble and pamotic act
The organisen of the institution, Shahu said, must be praised
for their courage and devotion m bnngitlg into effect the SatJa
Shodh<11' pnnciples of htnna.n brotherhood At the outset he
said· "I confessed at one time I was consen·ative arid uplioJder
of orthodoxy and hehe,ed m the perpetuation oI the caste"
S}stem. The idea that thereby I Was obstrucung the progre<.S of
others ne,er occurred to me. I e..en felt it dangerou, to my reli•
gion to preside mer· the pubhc meetings 0£ other castes. Ncr do
I like e,en today to preside o~er pubhc meetings of the parU·
cular caStes: But the reasons in the t\'oO cases are as distant as
me poies. To prendc: oter c,ute meetings tt-.U to me in e.arly
4,06 SHAHU CHHATRAPAT~: A :&9Y+'\L Iµ:YP.J;.PTIONARY

day~ an irreligious act. ,I do not like. to preside over them now

because I fear that thereby I am committing the sin of strength•
ening the caste feelings." ,
To the leaders of all castes in Nasik, Shahu appealed in inspir-
ing -words: "To the .leaders of different communities I have only
one message to convey, Do not be short-sighted, have a vision of
the future. To dissolve castes is a necessity. To uphold them is.
a. sin. Castes are an obstacle in the path of the common advance- ·
ment of us. all, and our duty therefore is to remove it with all .
the courage we can muster. Hold your caste meetings, but
ignore not the point that they are only a means to an end. The
end of our caste-meetings is to end the caste. Let not then your·
caste-meetings help to mend the castes."
"Caste enmity," Shahu continued, "is an old disease. Parshu-
ram's ·act of annihilating the Kshatriyas and the Peshwa 's act 0£
bringing non-Brahpiin_s to ruin are nqthing but the reflections of
the enmity. , . What else can be ~he reason for Brahmins to r~g-a._rq.
Shivaji and the ·Maratha warriors, who secured to them their
tufts and threads, as Shudras? To abolish caste enmity, we
must first abolish the caste system. Let us then abolish it and
be one."
"I am often accused of fomenting caste jealousy under the pre-
text of breaking the caste system. This is a baseless accusation.
While charging my opponents, I· do not .entrench myself in the
pride of my caste, neither in the revered name ,of Shivaji Maha-
raja, or in the sacred precincts of religion. On the other hand,
those who entrench themselves in this way are. contemptible."
He condemned those who wanted to throw their brethren into
slavery. He said he regarded the Backward Glasses as one com-
munity and he wanted to uplift them .. It was his sacred duty to
uplift them and to strive for their welfare. If he failed to do so,
he would regard it as a dereliction of duty and his conscience
would prick him. If attempts at uplifting the Backward Classes.
were not made, the admirers of the caste-system would nush
them. Therefore, to guard _the interests of the Backward Classes
and to uplift them was not to foment caste hatred.
"It would be," he continued, "the happiest clay of my life when
we cease to reckon men low because of their birth. Dis belie, ing
as I .<lo_ in the caste syst~m I have gone against it in public, Bu_t
 • 1 , APPEAl. TQ JNOIA.N LEAt1£R..s , , 40'2
my efforts ha\e not suc.ceeded in dislodging it from the ancient.
moorings: it has foun,d ils way among those who are around me.
l therefore feel 111-fiued to preside O\er this meeting." .,
There 1-1ere many ll-ho saul, Shahu added, that tl1e caste system
should remain, but theie should not be caste hatred- If they
honestly behe,ed this, they should be piued for such views, be-
cause the result of the caste sJstem was asre 11:ured. If this
result was to be avoided, the cause should be tooted out.
Those who regarded theu· countrymen as worse than beasts
and cowdung and pretended that they v.ere the leaders o( aU the
people, and }et ,s,11d that r.bey would do good to them, should be
ashamed to call themsehes their well-,dshers and leaders
"lf the Brahmins," Shahu went on, "choose to hate me in
return for the lo,e I bear them, Jt would be treachery to myself
and to my cause not to pay them m theu own coin." He .said he
was prepared to <1llow Brahmm pri~ts to officiate at his Palace;
but breach of dteir condiuons of service v.ould compel him to
replace them by Maratha pnests He said, "Lo,·e begets lO\,e
and hatred incites hatred." It was his experience that ~ven
animals were- conquered by Io,,e and they retumed t,he- Joie
- The umty of Japan, Sh.um conunued, 1tas pwmcted when the
Samurai Cl.w. relinquished its status of b1rth. It was now time,
that the Brahmins of the: country follol\ed the example of the
Samurai and abolish the 1dea of socral highness and 1ottneu,
lndians should establish an equal start at birth for all. If they
did :;a the country would unite and prosper. The non-Brahmins
should no longer call upon Brahmiu priescs to officfa.re ac religi-
ous ceremonies. They should gl\,e up _performing relig10us rites
under the priestly, wpcrvision of the Brahmms. The non•
Brahmms should pot listen to the professional Brahmins
e'Cpoundmg the religious books, for the llrahmms read and recit-
ed the Purana.s and other v.orks through whith they tried to per-
~tuate the greatness and superionty of the Brahnuns in the
minw of non-Brahmms, v.hich 1t was the duty of the non-
Brahmins to eradicate. "Pardon me for plam speak.mg, Isa) we_
must ne,er, dad.en the efforts ne are making 10 ,lctlmmc
Brahminism to enthrone the Indian Natwn."
Sl)ahu toid his. audience that he had great n:spect £ot Gandhiii.
Shraddhanand and K.uch1ew. But to 1uru the real ita.hauna. ll'al
408 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:· A •ROYAL •Rl~VOi..UTIONAR.Y

Akbar. He insisted on •demanding communal representation,:

othenvise power would be transferred into the hands of Brah-
mins. Shahu reminded the audience the fate of non-Brahmins
under the Brahmin· bureaucracy of the Peshwas, the home-made
swadeshi bureaucracy. The result was that the real ruler was
imprisoned, caste spirit ·was fostered and the Untouchables had·
to walk with a pot tied to their neck and a sweeping broom
attached to their loins. To prevent its return was to educate
the Backward Classes before they were given political power.
In his State the lowest caste was helped most. They were
employed in Government services and the Darbar· conferred'
sanads on clever men from among them, so that they might have
some status. in society and their progress ·,vould be expedited.
· As regards the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms; Shahu express-
ed his fears that political power would fall into the hands· of
those whose role ;was to keep others in· slavery or· to treat their
countrymen with disdain. The politicians, he added, were ·apa-
thetic to the problems of the Backward Classes. •
There were about twenty-six tliousand villages in the Bombay
Presidency and of these sixteen thousand were without schools.
Yet the Kesari clamoured for- airy school buildings. Referring
to this clamour, Shahu said: "The Kesari's argument to extend
the school buildings and to make them airy before making edu~
cation compulsory, would irritate any honest person. 'No cake
to a few until all are served with bread' is the principle o(the
British Labour Party. In India ninety per cent people are starv-
ing while ten per cent are feasting. Those who urge that ghee:
be provided to those who are feasting before any condiments are
served to those who are starving, strangely betrayed their anxiety
for the masses. I fail to understand how people are not ashamed
to gi,·c expression to such damnable utterances in newspapers
and in public, that Legislative Councils are not places for the
Lingayats and the Jains to exhibit their skill in holding the
grocer's pair of ~cales or for the farmers to show their skill in
ploughing." It need only be mentioned here that the state-
ments Shahu criticised ·were from Tilak's speech at Athani.
The plan of the Montagu-Chelmsfor<l Reforms was to extend
partial responsibility to the voters as a process of experimenta-
tion as well as training. "I am afraid," said Shahu, "such a
 ~ • ' 'r APPEAL TO INDIANI LEADEU ! , 111' !J 409
diarchic.al system of Gmemment w1Jl be ill-suited'ta tl,e condi-
tions peculiar to the native States. In British India, power
"-Ould be dtHded hen\een two sides, the avd servants and the
representatwes of the people. \'Vhereas 1I d1.:u-chf is a.dopced in
the State. 1t has got to be dn1ded betneen three sides--the people,
the Chiefs and the British Government whose respons1bihty in
this respect is unquestionable as long as the Tre.:mes e1mt. It is
only ,~hen the Ruler fee1s assured that his people will tale o\'er
the tespons1b1hty to the British Government on themseh-cs with-
out any nsk of injury to the State itself that he' can safely entrust
the authonty to his J)eople and be merely m guide" • _,
"When the son is grown up," he said. "to tale cha~e of the
household, it is our old Af}an rule of hfe that the father should
reure. In consonance with this ancient rule, I mean to retire on
pension when my subJects have gro'"n up to take care of them•
sehes., I am hopeful that this consummation, which I devoutly
wJsh for, will be realised before too long.'',
• "Another accusation Ieielled against me by some newspapers
1s that I am absolutely agamst giving self-go,errunent' to my
subJects. This 1s again a pure myth. In the' speech on v.hidt•
this accusation is based, I' said, 'But if I may be .'.i.llowcd to
express an opm10n at this stage, I would only say that 1 for one,l
would hesitate to make any constitutmnaI changes in the direc·
tion of the Reforms t.mtil the' general le,el of education among
the masses bas men and is at least panially equalised with that'
of the higher classes.' This does not lend any support co the
accusation that I am opposed to giving self-go,emment to my
people. What I 'said was that I could not look up on the
de-i,olution oI political power as safe before the i,oters of all the
caste$ were educated enough to understand 'their civil nghts."'
rAs reganls the problems whether political reforms should
precede social reforms. Shahu told his audience it was a disputer
which was attended with more heat than light, "The two
~,heels", he proceeded, "are so close1y con'ne~ted a$ the v.heels
of a carriage. That )OU can ne,er succeed in drain; a carriage·
safely 1£ u rests on one wheel only is a 'common fact. 7110se'
who plead for pohric:d refonn only and pay no heed to social
reform or deny its urgency, ghe sufficient reasolJ 'to doubt'
their mocfres. I It i'l'OU~J aat be amiss to alJ them crafty and
410 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

cunning." It, would have been better, he said, for the British•
to _.have fostered strenuously the spread of education , among·
the masses :before· granting self-government. But there is no
use •in crying over spilt milk." •
Concluding his brilliant speech, Shahu said: "I appeal to·
the leaders who claim themselves to be the- leaders of the
people, to utilise the political freedom to emancipate those of
the brethren ,whom they have held in subjection for untold
centuries,: and to bring them the days when we shall find that
every Indian. is. the equal of his fellow and that the Indian·
society is so organised that worth and not birth is the criterion·
of'. eminence and respect.': ••

•. ;.V

,The next day. Shahu,: .while. laying ·the foundation stone of·
a hostel for the Depressed; Classes at -Nasik, addressed another
meeting ,held,,by the· Nirashrit: Somavanshiya Samaj. In· the
course 1 of the meeting, Shahu took tea at •the hands of a· s0:-:.
c~lle4. Unt~l).chabl~.! iI\· the £~11 gaze of the public .. He then
exported them 10· fight for social equality. on the principle of
liberty, equali~y and fraternity., At this. ~eeting-he replied to
his Braq~in. critics. , They asked him ,wp.y he_ <l-ddresscd meet-
ings o~tside his. State. His reply wa,s th~t he did so as a
servant, ,and well-wisher of his countrymen. Be.sides, the States
were. part and parcel. ,of the British. Empire and as s~ch their
interests .were .the same. He was not, as he was portrayed by
Brahmins,. tlle "doyen of those who had blocked Brahmin.
progress. . .;-,
T'1e sum and substance of Lhis spee~h. was that there was no.
religion 0th.er than Hinduism which had the caste system. He
had high regard for Gandhi, Shradclhanand and Besant. ·They
might.be incarnations, of ,Gqd. But they wei;-e human beings
and .apt to err., In hi~ _State there were Brahmin officers .and
advisers. He had conferred Inams on several B:rahmins ···and
l~oked • after their .welfare also. He reiterated his ~iew that
self-govern_ment without social . unity was. undesirable and
would be unstable.
Shahu then harshly replied to his Brahmin critics ... He said
 ,. ' APPE\L TO U,,DIAN LP'.AD.EltS 411
leaden should be accepted after 4!xamining their conduct,
<.haracter and moral courage, Leaders from the educated
classes profe~ed sympathy for the masses but when the occa•
:sion arose for translating their words into deeds they evaded
the:: issue under fiunsy prete:x.ts, At Nipani, a learned Brahmin
(Tdak) had declared that he would tnterdme with the Un touch,
.ables pro,..ided they achie,ed Swara1 If he had really accepte<l
them as his co-religionists and brethren, he should not ha\e made
:sl./,ch normal conduct condi11onal on achieving SwaraJ,
,/l leader (Tilal-) on one occasion v.a5 said to ha,e taken m
his carriage a Ganapati miage be1ongmg to a Charnar. Why had
1!e not done it, so far openly? When, would that day dawn?
Shahu asserted.
,.In his speeches at Nas1k, Shahu replied to T1Iak. who had said
fo bis edfronaJ of March J6, 1920, that an)one who spent hjs.
life in the cause of Indian freedom stru!l'gle be comidercd a
.Urahm.in whate\er caste he might belong to by bmh AU a~eed
that there should not be caste hatred though caste could not be
.abolished. TtlaL also repeated his pet theory that the countnes
'\\hich did not obsene caste were also imohrtl in calamities. If
the Hindus \l.aited for the adm..n:ture of all castes or for a caste•
Jess society, their act would resemble that of a man ,,.ho wanted
to cross a tner but sat l\-atchmg for the rher to dry.
Social equality was Shahu's aim in hfo and he li\ed up to it.
His sincerity and s}mpathy for and ded1cauon to the la1ger ques-
tion of social reconstruction "'as genome.
lt l'.'<lS 5hahu's pracuce to tale tea or '"'aler at the hands of
the Vntmichab1es, dine w11h them e,en uhiJe on huntm7 expo,
<L.tions During those da)s he once happened to go to Tasgaon
in Satara bistrict l\-here liundreds of people 3athcred to haH: a
glimpse of the soon of the Chhat.rapati. Shahu called for 'hater
Crom a Mahar and drank it publicly to t11e :ima1emcnt o{ the
masses. Then with the multitude of to1%n-folk he entcrrd, on
inv1t.ation, the Pratimdhi \\'ada. Such v,.as Shaliu, tbe d1amp1on
of the Depre~J and Suppr~ed CfaS5CS. He w·.u e1cl'}' inu1 ,m
honest ;ind royal re"olutionary ~bile leaden hlc T1L1l. told the
Untoudiables that he ~ould dme ttilh Llicm ,i u,c1 won Sllo;n.1JI
No wonder all Lhe lladwanl ;uu.1 Dep~ Cl3!5CS worshipped
Sha.bu as a Jemi+gQ(I. as their sa\-iour, and now "MPonhip him
4f2 SHAHU CHHATRAPAT!: A ROYAL REVOLIJTIONARY

along with the other three demi-gods Buddha, 'Phooley and·

Ambedkar. • • •
These Nasik speeches of Shahu were condemned by the Brah·
min press as e'xpressing hatred of Brahniins: The benefactors
of the Backward :arid Depressed Classes, the major portion
of the population in India, Mahatma Phooley, Shahu and later
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar were called haters of Brahmins in
the world of Brahmin journalism. Those who went to the roots
of the equality of .man, championing democracy and humanisro
were stigmatised by selfish writers; narrow-minded pundits and
critics as haters of Brahm.ins! .
Progressive and liberal1 ,leaders such as Chandavarkar praised
Shahu for his Nasik speeches. They extolled Shali'u· fo the skies-
as· the defender of the Backward Classes; arid hailed·him as their
liberator. Describing his' ·speech . as epoch-making; P. • Rama
Rayaninga wrote to Shahu that it touched the right chord at the
right time. "I have,"· he ·conclu'ded, "no doubt the spe.ech
coining as it does, .from an enlightened Prince •cannot fail to
bring. about ·a revolution in. public opinion.''. 12
·Sh_ahu's speech was reprinted from the columns of Justice and
sent to England for circ:ulation among the Members.of the Joint
Committee of Parliament .. It was translated into Telugu, ·so that
th.e non-Brahmins might have access· to -its inspiring contents .
. As was natural, :the Kesari, 13 criticising Shahu's Nasik speeches,
gave expression to the views of Tilak and his followers, saying
that the Maharaja had entered the arena of politics. It attacked
Shahu for having taken up the ·cause of the non-Brahmins. It
accused him of adding fuel to the fire of caste-hatred. So far
Shahu ,vas, it observed, guiding the activities from behind the
scenes, and now he had appeared on the stage. The Kesari
added that Shahu was following a new path and high ambitions
in order that his previous sins should be washed out and he
wanted to oppose the Congress in the coming elections.
The Times of India 14 described Shahu's Nasik speech as strik-
ing and added that it would be widely read. In that speech,
Shahu had denounced the evils of the caste system and expressed·
original views on that subject as well as on other problems.
British newspapers were also glad to take note of: the speech.
Dr. Na~ale, who had met the Maharaja on the eve of his visit.
 ,UrC.\L TO l:\PL\."'l U.\D.tJlS

to Loni.Ion, Knt 1hc inform.:i.tiort 10 S!wiu .'.I.bout the comments

oo hu N'.u1k. spcnJ1c:s m 1he London p,lJJCtS. Shahu was ilso
1in1KJ for his tiJ;ht lor wcfal cqu:aluy ;iml his ,ieh-s on social
rrc.omuucuo11. Jn ~ton anJ DJ,fomfa some.ncwsp;apcrs pr:i.is-
Cll ~h.ihu ,1.$ ~ ~teat reformer. ·nlC ~on')' or his opponcntJ was
l11.;1t ~h,1.hu \\.U b.uling the non-llr.ihm..in mo,cmcnt for harass-
ing 1hr: llr.ihmm C.;i.ltC ,111J tl,.11 iud1 a mo1ocmcnt l\ould cause
.a spht bclhttn the :\l.lnthas .:uid lhc llr.llunins and ·would .1uto-
~1k:ally ...,c.1lcn 1he llr.i.bmm atud• .;ig.1inu the llruish Gmcm•
mc111. :i-:o <loub1 m tJ10$C d.1)1 lhc {n:cdom fighters m the
lib.h.u,u,htn Coogtc~ were Drahmins. They nc,er thou,i:::ht 0£
the di,;nicy on.umliliOJI o{ the non Dr.ibnun.s. They fougJu ,ut11
tl1c lhiuJ.!1 Cu,cmrucnt for politial fn:c<lom as nation.1lim, but
they {ouHht ,u llraJuuiru \\Jth the non•llr.ihmins \\ho clamoured
(or .wci:i.l c4,u.1luy .aml cqu;al nghl5 .am.I a iharc in the admimJ•
lrat1on. Sucl1 "-~Js the umtcoi of 1hc1r natioualhm in tbOM: da}s.
•\s for 1he tr.uu.fcr of power to Jiis ptople jn :i dcmocrauc set•
up. Shahu h.:td mquircJ o{ .:i friend about the \\Orking of the
RcprC1-Cnt.1ll\C! .As~mbly in ).()1orc. In HH9 he restored 1he
Munmpaluy to an dcctt<l a5.M:mbly but on a communal b.uis. to
gnt' a c.hanlC' rn the Uad.\\anl .iml Dcprc»cd Classc.s 10 Jcarn
the \\orl.mg of <lcmocr.icy anJ ~C their rights. \\'hen the order
rrgar<ling the abolhion of Kulkarni uram ,, as pubfohcd on
1-farch 2. l!HB, he laid <lo\'m the rc\hal or, ilfage panc.ha}ats on
a <lcmocntic L:uis .:is the reason for the abolit1on o{ Kull.ami
vat.ms. In July 1918 p;mcl1a)ats here cstabhshcd at Ud1ag.aon,
Kab.mbc, Rul.h<li, Clul.hli and lb.Hla .1s an cxpenmcnl. Sm.all
cnminal and ciul m.111crs ltl..e sanllJtmn, 11.1tcr supply schemes
:in<l education were t~mfcnc<l to 1hcse panclt.a)ats. 1 J1c cxten-
1ion or tJus scheme JUslificJ 1he spread of prunary' education.
TI1c educational ccutrC$, the co-opcrame societies aml other
liberating acmities aimed at transfom1ing the Staie mto a li\'ing
c:cnlrc of democratic ideals. Shahu \l,.l.S' thus prcparmg the
people to welcome the maJor step for self 1,,-0, emment. ,
CHAPTER 23
Tilak' s Threat

ON his return to Kolhapur on April 10, 1920, Shahu received a

letter from Lord Robertson. Robertson wrote that Brahmin
influence was so strong in the Deccan that there were, he was
afraid, few Marathas who would vote £or genuine Mnratha candi-
date i£ the influence of the Brahmins was brought against him.
Shahu's <laughter· Akasaheb was seriously ill at this time, and
Shahu had to pass anxious days and night,;. The climate was
also unhealthy as influenza ha<l been lingering in some parts of
the city. In that week one day the flag did not fly on Shahu's
Palace and the Resident asked Dr. Pendse about Shahu's where•
aboµts.
Shahu was deeply enE,rrossed in the Tanjore case and as recom-
mended by his advisers he requested K. Srinivas Iyengar,
Aclvocatc-General, to file an appeal in the Madras High Court.
His fees were rupees fifty thousand. •
Shahu was thinking of abdicating in favour of his son as he
found it difficult to adapt him.self to the altered state of things.
Towards the end of April 1920, Shahu observed: "However,
every one has to move with the times or to retire. The younger
generation of. Princes will, I believe, soon learn to get into the
new g-roove and the older ones that cannot do so must put them-
selves into the backJ:,rrouncl. Moreover, I arn suffering long
since from albumenarrhoc and kidney disease. So I am thinking,
like my Jahg'irdar of Ichalkaranji, of handing over my adminis-
tration to my son and fitting him for the new order of things." 1
A little later, Shahu wrote to the Government that if the cam•
y,aign against him in the Press was not stopped, he would leave
411
 11LAX.'.:, TIIREAr 415
the administration to his uncle, brother :ind son and retire and
his old officers would retire with him. '
• Dewan Sabms was at S1mla. ca.massing support for the accefe-
tahon of the process of the Ithall.a.ranji case. On May 4, 1920,
Shalm wrote to aU the Counollors, and to the Secretary of the
Bombay Go\emment that he had sent two copies of a passage m
translation from the Ra1akaran and Kesan'. "I hear," he said,
"that iilak has gone to Sinbagad to write re\engeful writings,
full of animus, agamst me and mY administration under the
pretext that l am a follower of Lord S)denham and an ePemy
of nahonal cause." "l don't say," he contfoued, "that my
1
administration is perfect. but they want to print the black side
only. 1£ my admimstrauon is compared with those of other
States, 1 can ptm-e mme to be beaer " "Under ciie preteAt," he
concluded,' "that I .am a tra.Itor to the national cause they want
to wreck ,engeance on me. Because I take up the cause of the
Backv.ard Classes and because the Bac.lward Classes ha,e got a
soft pface for me in theJr hearts, TilaJ.. and his party envy me.
They want to ihreaten me. I am not at all frightened because
GO\emment know all about me~ I.am ready to face this and
unJergo any hardship. I won't yielcl I shall break but not
bend. Please do not be led by the wnungs of these people. I
shall feel obliged by }our l..ind.ly conveying this to H~
Excellency."
Shahu was complaining of the attacks m the newspapers not
because he was muc.h affected by them, but he did not want
Gmemment to be preJud1ced against him. A great leader always
has to face utuperauon. So did T1lak. Shahu 1tould not ha\e
minded 1£ his cnt1Cs !iad auaded the 'admmistratmn and exposed
11s defects. But '"'hat he most hated 1\aS the ulificauon of the
members of his fam1ly ,v1th momirtg tea, 'I'daJ.. said, he ate
wonls of abuse from his enemies, so alsa Shahu said tl1at he had
now formed a habit of gettmg his bad. massage(! by hi:. senanl.$
and receiving v.ords of abuse from Brahnun neMpapers in the
monung. , ,
On May lS, 19::0, somebodt from the Depres5ed Cl:J.55e5 .appeal-
ed for help, and Shahu sent that .application to Dr.,Ambcdk.ar
for his opmion L
.:41_6 SHAHU CHHATRAPAJ'I:1 A ROYAL REVOLUTJON,\RY

; . ~h~4u again wrote to Montgomery on May 15, 1920, that Tilak

had gone to Sinhagad with- a vow_ to ruin him· by blackmailing
.and finding fault. .with his administration and to .take p_ersonal
revenge for his. long. enmity with him. Shah_u said he was a
responsible man a:nd would not do anything that the Govern-
ment might not like. "BU:t Mr. Tilak, on the other, ,is an .~rres-
ponsible ma~ and takes- pride in doing things aga,inst Govern-
ment and uses his head in trying to mak,e G~vemment impossible
and to bring it into ri.dicule by boycott and other devices." • _"In
these changed times," ·sliahu said, "Tilak is ~ure, I ,im afraid,
to be a Il)ini~ier'one day. With this man I am ready to fight and
I shall m11ke.the fight. For this purpose I shall have _to subsidise
some papers and also start soqie ..newspa~;~ if Governruen·t
have no objection." . • • •; .
Shalm ,vas writing .in this veiri because he di'd - not want
Government to think that he was a busybody trying to 'create a
sensation and a disturbance: "His Excellency should. sit tight,"
Sliahu observed,· "in its chair and see that a Chief as a citizen of
·the Empire can give a successful fight to a· man of the daring and
·activities of Tilak who has proved to be a traitor by the highest
British Tribunal in the Tilak-Chirol case." . Shahu wrote on the
same lines-to Curtis also.
Shahu· was going • to· preside over· tlie All~India Depressed
Classes Conference· at Nagpur on May 31 and June 1,-1920. He
said that his doing so would enrage Tilak, but that it could not
be helped.
Although it was· the- practice of Tilak's· followers to describe
Tilak's·opponents as traitors, Shahu in excitement once used that
epithet against' Tilak as it came froin the British.• -There was
reason for it. Shahu ·had sent his emissary W. D. Tophkhane,
Principal of the Vidyapeeth in Kolhapur and Tapovan, to Tilak
when he was at Sinhagad to sound Tilak as- to his proposed pro-
paganda against Shahu. At Sinhagad, Tophkhane had a talk
with Tilak whose meetings had been broken by men inspired by
Shahu Chhatrapati's social and political views.
"In his talk," Shahu wrote to Resident Wodehouse on July
8, "he (Tilak) said if vilification and agitation did not pre•
vent His Highness from following his policy of flattering the
.Europeans and in his speeches encouraging the non-Brahmins
 nux's THRf:.-1.T, , -11 'l
to jmprme their statw and creating ill-feelings betw,::en the
Brahm.ms and non-Brah.nuns, then Iet him be .i.ssured that be
"'111
0
h.3.\e the fate of Jacl..sQn and RMd in our l>re'iidency."
1 ha,e sent him l\Ord," Shahu added, "but I do not I.now if
Lt had reached him, sa)ing that I shall never break down and
gh e in. I shall not !mdge an inch. I shall only die when I
am destined to die, but I shall pray God to satisfy your desire
and may God heJp }OU in domg the cou·atdJy acts llhich the
Bra.hmm bureaucracy always. does.''
Tophkhane, an admm~r of T1lak, nwde mucl1 of the rela•
lions bern,een Shahu and T11ak, but did not re,eal this dread•
fut thteat in his published Memoirs. T1Iak had angnly utter-
ed the same kind or' thteat against Lord Mmto '\\hen Lord
Minto deported Lajpatrai.
In tJie s.:ime letter Shahu requested 1he Resident to -wnte to
Robertson to mak.e a confi<lenual inqmry into the matter of
threat,
Shalw could not partJcipate m the third sc5sfon of th= AlI·
India Maratha League v.h1ch was held at V1jayan~ntl Theatre
in Poona on .!\fay 3, 1920, under the pres1dentship of P. N.
Jad11av. The All•lndfa Maratha League broke iueo t~o
factions, the maJor facuon was -Y..orkmg under Shah.u's guidance.
The other, led by Khaserno Jadhav, fa11oured the policy of the
Congress Democratic Party and held its session in Bomllay
tOl\ an!:. tl1e • middle of May under h1s presidents.hip. The
1\faratha Rashtriya Sangh was wo1L.ing under the E,'1.lidance of
Kannaveer Shinde, who h:i.d been influenced by Tdak.'s political
struggle. .l3ur the fact ll-as th.at the TJl.aJ.ues ne\er coruidered
Sbinde their man, !or his social 11iews ,\ere at nnance nith theirs.
Gratitude was one of Shahu's mam chara.ctenstics. He v.anttd
w go to Bombay to bid faren·dl to h1s Guru Fraser and his
family ¼ho were sadmg for London on May 23, In0. On May
LB he sent v.ith his clerl.. Prabha"\'alkar tv.o pearl-nedlaces, one
for Lady Fraser and the other for her daughter, as liumble
mementos of his deep respect and affection for them. He request-
ed Fraser to ask them to ac.c.ept the ned.laces. ,
On May 13, J92D, Shahu's Darb.'lr a~n is.rued .an order probj.
biting forced i.i.&our, Kobody except the Roy.ii House o~ Suce
Record Office was to impo6e work on the Depressed Classes. No
sc--2,
418 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Mahar should be forced to work nor a Mang compelled to pro-

vide ropes. Those who infringed the order, it added, ·would be
severely punished,'
The Kulkarni Association held its second conference at
Sankeshwar on May' 16 and 17, 1920. Dattopant Belvi, presid-
ing over it/made ~iolent and bitter attacks on the administration
o[ •Kolhapur 'and declared that nd man's life, reputation and
property were safe in Kolhapur. He urged Kulkamis to place
their grievances fearlessly before the Government of India, the
British' Governme'nt and Parliament. He expressed his view that
the next ~oriference shouid be held at Kolhapur under the l\faha-
raja's eyes. According to K9thari, 2 Belvi said: "In Koihapur
State no man's· wife is safe, and no ~a.n's life is safe and no
man's property is safe." The Kesari 3 • had moderated the· im-
modest statement of Belvi substituting the expression "No man's
reputation" for th~ expre·ssion.' "no· man's wife" as an editorial
caution. They were assassinating Shahu's character, so that his.
philos~pliy of the supp~rt for the ·welfare of the Backward Classes.
wotil<l die' out. They ,vere ch,1mning him before arranging to-
depose him.' Bu_t right principles never die, even if their expo-
nents are ma~igned or murdered.
While •making the 'foul attack :on •Shahu, lawyer Belvi had
forgotten the law of hearsay evidence. He perhaps £ell a victim
to Tilak'_s political· doctrine· _tha't •everything· in politics was fair.
But Belvi had conveniently forgotten Tilak's verdict on the
moral character of the Congress leaders.. Tilak was •of the
opinion that if they looked into the private life of public men
and decided to admit as members ~f the.Congress only those who·
were morally good, the Congress·\vould not have even a handful
of men of character. Was Bel vi one oE' that rare breed?, \¥as he
worthy of casting stones at· the~·Darbar and at Shahu? Shahu's
admirers called Belvi a mountebank.·:
Au article in the lndu Prahash, •1:eferring to Belvi's speech,
said in its issue of June 2, that it would fill everyone in 'Maha-
rashtra with· grief and indignation: "Many have hitherto," it
added, "fallen foul of· Kolhaplir, but none· of them has been so
thoughtless as Belvi on this occasion." ·It further observed that
the strictures'Belvi passed on the Darbar were based on hearsay
and were not only untalle(l for but inspired only by hatred. The
 '111.AX'S THREAT 419
facts had been perverted! "In making su<.h allegat1ons," the
article concluded, "he brought a stain upon him.self.·•
A wa,e of protest swept mer Maharashtra decning BelvJ°s.
foul, maliaous and irrespons1bk speech Se,eral meetings "ere
held at Kolhapur condemning tt and apprec1atmg Shahu's great
nork of eleHting the lov.er daises, abohshmg untoucl1abi!Jll,'
and destro)mg Kulkarni Yatans.

il

From M1raJ, Shahu 1'.rote to 1Vodehouse on May 28, 19!?0, th:>.t

the newspapers \I-ere full of \Vritmgs against him. He poinlcd
out that the speech of Belvi at the last meetmg of the Kulkarni
Assoaation was full of abuse and hatred ag.unst !um. Shal1u "as
glad they could do notlung and only abuse. The appeal of the
Kulla.mis had been rejected by the Gmernment in January 1920.
, On May 28 Shahu complamed to Wodehouse again of the
,enomous attacls on Ium and on his admimstrat1on. He s:ud
he 1\aS prepared to stop maling public speedtes or doing any
public t1ot1. if Wodehouse adl-isetl lHm to do rn. Hts object
,,a.s to uplift the llacLward Cla5ses an<l in domg so it \\as proper
to ask 1hcm to hbcrate themsehes from the bureaucratic }ot...c of
the Brahmmi and of tbe Drahmin oligarchy. In order lo tale
,engeance on him for tl1al stand they made malicious att:icl.s
on !um in rnch inflammatory language as to create hatred and
disaJ!ectmn towan1s him ore, en tried to mate pcopie to murder
the person agaimt v.ii.ont the attacl.s "-'ere made.
'"Another obJect," Shahu obsened, "of lkhi and ol11en in
helpmg the Kull.anus \tas to enlist 1hc s}mpalhies of the
,,hole Kullatnt cbss of ).fahar.ubtra as they ;ue sme that It
v.oulcl be 1mposs1ble !or- 111cm to sucaed in 1hc new comin;r
decuon '\\llhout I.lie t)mp:uhy and actne help of the Kull.amu.
"ho arc the rulers of the ullagc population. ..
from the Ruldi C.JOJll, Sballll npfamcJ to f1a...cr Jm po~i~
tion as reg,1ttl_., the ,cnomous llr.i.hmin prop.1g,u1d.1 afpimt
Jum. Shahu 5:11d he had otablh.hcJ a p..rly lO r:.rnc his ,ou.11
_poutim1 aga1mr die 1Jr.1Junins.. He had 1ubmh\CJ no,'1/1-lJX""rt.
lo maJ.e hll t.ldencc and him!>elf l.lC't-ome ,4 pl.U(om1 spc~lC'r
.I§ lie h.aJ IO m.:m;ige th~ mob. Now. {onu~tdr ot unfol1U•
420 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:- A ~OYAL REVOLUTION;\RY

I).ately, :he had created: a position which he could not give up

and desert his Party. If he retired, it would displease the
.P~rty which he had created before the war, which was loyal to
him and had stood by him through thick and thin. He couid
not let down those who had helped him in his difficulties. 4
It seems Fraser blamed Shahu for the Kulkarni legislation, but
Shahu said that "the Government alone knows the wickedness
of the Kulkarnis .... I am a human being and must have some
human beings as friends and specially those who have helped
me in my hours of need and difficulties." He added: "H they
do not succeed in damning my state and make it impossible
for me, they will kill me by throwing a bomb at me. The only
xegret I shall feel when I am dying is that the policy of the
new Government and the •new officers would not sympathise
with my death or troubles." Shahu further stated' that after
those couple of meetings, he would noe,make a speech at any
meeting •unless it was very necessary. Finally, he· prayed:
"May God help me in retiring without any loss of (abru)
reputation!"Ci
•Shahu was in Bombay in the last week of May 1920 and discuss-
ed the case of Mir Ali,Nawaz Khan with Cadell. A Muslim ruler
was fighting his case with the British with the help of -Shahul
That shows the magnanimity and broadmindedness ·of Shahu.
Lord Sydenham wrote from· London to Shahu on May 2!,,
informing him that he had' strongly pressed for communal
representation for the Marathas. He -sympathised with Shahu
an<l the poor working people whose cause Shahu was champion-
ing. As Resident and friend, Wodehouse, advising Shahu,
wrote on May 30, 1920: •~As your friend, I should like you
not to make any more speeches, but to make up your mind to
devote your energy in working for your State and where there
are faults in the administration in removing thern.'r
·wotlehouse appreciated. two of Shahu's, qualities, loyalty to
the British Government and his de5ire to uplift the masses.
But if Shahu made, Wodehouse added, speeches outside his
State, the parties against him were bound to criticise his
methods and many of them would. not stop at ,fair criticism1
but would vilify him and his administration in the most gross
manner. Every• administration, he, concluded, h4d faults which
 TIU.K'S TIJU:AT ' 42f
"ere c,uy lo cxaggcr.i.te. Those "'ho did so hatl nothing- to
J~. aml they hoped to gain an easy popularhy \a.bile Shahu
roulJ. not tla«nd into the arena 10 JigJ,1 u1Jb his g1otei off,
anti it ,,ould be undignified for him to do so.•
111c most important fact about this :i.d,ice u-a.t that Wo<le•
home J1ad a long consult.1.tion uuh Dc,"rn Sabrus upon tlie
m:atter. n1e llrithh Gmcmm-cnt had iu own trouble!, and
l11ey did not \\ uh to ;uJd to them on account of a. Prince. lu
rcprCK:ntatilcs i,crhap$ hishcJ to be s.;ncd {ro1n this lo)al
fricn<lt The question w.u hl1ctl1cr Shalw would Cllt t11e
balance ol 1he election ¼ith his tremendous mriuence o,er the
D.tck.wanl Claucs. The new Reforms '"ere still t() be "'orl.c<l
out. amt the deae.uing inriuence of Loni Sydenhant and othcn
m London aml the riung 111.lc of nationalism in Jndia forced the
Cmernmcnt of Imlia not 10 1iro\Ole resistance, not to spe:al..
o( resistance on account o( a Prince. So they shoned their indi•
alfom of le;nfog Shahu .anJ die lobcr cfas.sc.s in rhe Jurd?.
Suspecting 1hu, Shahu :ippcaleJ to the Gil\cmment not to ask
him to change his policy, as he <lid not expect to 11,e for more
dian file or six )tan. ,
JIOl1e,cr, Shahu's r~r and pcnitt"nce <lid not last long. In
spite or his anxieties, he 1'tCnt to N.igpur to p:rcside O\Cr the
L\11 lnuia Depressed Cla55Cs Conference comened by the
Untouchables on ~lay 31 anu June I. Hl!!O. \\11en G. A,
Ganai with Ker.hauao Khandarc and Kalicharan Namla Ga,h
\\Cnt to Kolha1>ur aml earnestly requested Shahu to accept the
jmir.:.uion, SJiahu a.s1.eJ diem 1~hy tl1cy ditl not invite
Lal.man ra r T1la l to preside o, er ~ the , con fercnee. Ga wai.
rc:phe<l that not only Lokman}a T1lak but also Shree Ram had
been opposcJ to the amelioration of the Untouchables' lot. 1
Upon this Shahu said lhat he 1-wuld do I,is ntmost for the '\H~J-
fare o[ the Untoud1ables, e,en at the nsk o( abd1cat1on. 8
Lea<lers of the DeprcS6cd Classes f1om all the prounces hatl
aMCmbled ,at Nagpur. Papanna from Belg:mm, G_ A. Gaw:i.1
from C.P. and Ilcrar and Dr. Ambedlar from Bombay were
present. When Shahu reacheJ Nagpur ,Station, R.ighuJirao
Bhode had left the town under the pretex( of hunting; for he
fe.1.red rl1.1.t lie ttou1d be criuciscd i( he, welcomed and rook.
Shahu • to his palace along w,th' a group of Untouchables,
422 SHAI!U CIIHATIUPATJ: ,\ JtOYAL REVOl.l{flON,\RY

Shahu therefore staJc<l ,it a bun~alow hclongin~ to the

Y.M.C.A. Sardar Vyankalrao Gurjar had provided the proces-
sion with his elephants, camels, drums ;rnd other paraphernalia.
Khan llahadur l\Ialik~aheb had sent his victoria in which
Shahu· sat, and he was taken in grand procc\sion. It was an
imposing and inspiring spectacle. Ten policemen ~uardcd the
victoria.
Yet the haters of Shahu, and the orthodo~, dcsrribccl Sh:1ht1
contemptuously as the :\faharaj;t of the ).fah:m. Ra~hujirao
Bhosle's mother had· the courage to invite Shal111 to h,·r place
ani:l apologised to him for her son's absence. Shahu bowed
before her rcspecLfully and said he was g!.itl that she would be
free from the troubles, that her son would be free from the
troubles which he was suffering at the hanch o[ the Brahmins
for trying to uplift the Depressed Cl:tsses.
Presiding over the 'conference, Shahu said that it w.is his
prayer that he should not be among those who professed to
better their lot and wickedly took advantage of their ignorance_
for selfish ends. It was despicablt: to use the epithe~
"Untouchable" for any man. They were. according to him;
part and parcel of the Indian nation, more brave, intelligent,
good-intentioned and selfless than many of those who treated
them as Untouchables. He did not regard them as Untouch-
-ables but as his brethren. Nobody, even from his royal family,
should follow him thoughtlessly. Those who· agreed with his
opinions should follow him or not according to the dictates of
their conscience, but ,viLhout ever expecting help from him. ••
"We," he said, "are all- Indians, countrymen and brethren,
-au· Indian subfects irrespective of our Varna, religion .• Reli·
gion may be a personal matter and it cannot be an obstacle
to national questions. : In this respect only, I think religion is·
less important than the national cause. Just as·· all roads start-
ing from different ai-igles reach a big city, so all religions lead
us to God, as in short religion is a path leading to Goel. .WhY
-should men of different religions hate one another? To say
one's religion is alone true· is an empty pride .. Genuine sym-
pathy alone is the real root of religion; pride is hell. From
this it' follows that to serve one's countrymen, that is to serve.
one's brethren is to serve and search Goel in the ser..vice of :Men:
 1l1AK's nuu:AT 423
Tlus 1s true relig10n. In all countries there is only one reli-
gJOn: to do good to othen u urme, and to do evil 1 to others
is sin. All rehg10ns agree on tlus.''
Al.bar and ShnaJ1, Shahu ob,ened, hatl soldiers in, tlmr
anny irtespectne of caste, creed aml relig10n. ,vlule commit~
Ung this dreadful sm of treating one's b1ethren as ~wrse than
beas~s, they performed l\ orsh1p of Ilhag,.•:at, did An:1stha1Zas,
read se,eral sacred bools, visited sacred places barefoot and
sung devotional songs, God \\ould not be pleased \\1th them.
111e Bnt1sh Go\entment had led the Hindus 1mder obligations
by treatmg all equally and ignoring l\Ianu's w1cl.ed and
inhuman laws, "The follm~ers of Sanatan Dharma in Mad-
1
ras.' Shahu added, "treat more w1d..e<lly the Untouchable;
than' ""e treat them here The Brahmms from Madras a~e unjust
to all non-Brahmms The same condition preva1ls"m .Maha-
rashtra. Dr. Na1r, 1-d10 awaJ.ened the non-Brahmms lo theJr
human nghts, JeM!nes out homage He endeavoured to uplift
the Pam.hamas and emplo)ed Panchamas m his household." 1

1 "The proportion of prospenty of the nation would depend

upon, the removal of, the caste S}Stem The real remedy for
abolishing the , caste S}Stem, is inter marriage, endogam}f
Brahmin papers opposed the Patel Bills which aimed at
legalising inter-caste marriages. They ha\e no objection to
men and ,~omen ha\'mg mter-caste illegitimate connecuons-
but they are opposed to legal mamagesl Money should 'not
be wasted on marTJage celebration I£ marriages ate perform:
ed under the Registration Act, there would be a ched. on
those }OUng married men l\ho marry a second time m forei~
countries and push their Indian waes into the pit of l'.ido"'-
hood They are not asJia.Jied to faunth complamts against
the Sat}a•Shodhal..as v.ho exposed their religious falsehood in'
their relig10us books. They sent to Go1,•ernment . telegrams
askmg to prohibit thetr 1alsas." '
Those "'ho cnucised his NaSlk. speech, Shahu ad~ed, bad
neither seen the cor1clu1on m K.ollu.pur r,.or recened correct
infonnauon about it. It was d15graceful on the1r pan to allow
their 1maginauon to run not and to blurt out, any nonsense
that might come ,to their lips., •
424 SHAHU CHHATRAPATJ: A ROY,\L REVOLUTIONARY

• Law and medicine were the monopoly of certain castes. ln

the beginning the British Government also appointed Indians •
to the posts of judges and collectors even though they had not
passed the necessary examinations. He said he bestowed on
the Mahars, !v!angs ancl Chamars sanads to practise as pleaders,
but there was a row over this. Had he done it in the case
of Brahmins, Kaysthas, and Saraswats there would not have
been ·an uproar. What was most shameful was that if the
Mahars and !Yfangs had embraced Christianity orthodox
Hindus would not have made a row, Shahu added.
"My intention," Shahu continued, "in giving them the sanads
is that these professions which were closed to the Untouchables
through custom and law, should be opened to them, and thus,
having improved their condition they should •think that they
are as good as other men. I am a sportsman. My experience
of the horses is that unless water is shown to the horse it
would not drink it. In the same way if tlme people are given
a chance to plead; they will pick it up." •
"Now the higher classes," Shahu continued, "think them·
selves insulted when I grant sanads to low caste men Jike
Mahars and Mangs. But it is a .mistake ·on their part. I am
quite convinced that the service of the nation lies not in tell·
ing these _communities to wait for twenty-four years in doubt
and .anxiety till they are thoroughly ,educated and see if they
could get ·equal, rights, but in at once freeing· them by cutting
the oppressive, frightful chains •~hat surrounded them ..• This is
the only way to reach our, goal. Those who curse the time
but do nothing may tread their own. paths. Many men now
admit. that tp.e caste system must go away· and it is quite true."
"It is natural," Shahu continued, "that those who are consi-
dered low. shou:ld say that it must be· removed; b~t however
~uch they might work in th~t direction it .would have no
effect: This work must be undertaken b{ higher classes. The
higher classes must be prepared to renounce hereditary rights
enjoyed since ancient days. They must set an example ·by the
sacred sacrifice. In Japan the Samurai, the µigher classes thero~
selves, abolished their privileges and thus established social
equality and thereby Japan made· progress. •In Mesopotamia
Hindus and Muslims fought side by side with the enemy. There
 nux.'s nutUT •
w_as no obsucle from religion. They Mre inspired that they \\Crc
different p:i.ru o( the s.a.me nation or tl1e body."
Concluding. Sh:ihu s.aid, ''llcc.:nue I t'll:prcu rny ,ic\\-i fc,a.r•
leMly those \\ho p:indcr to popufarity cu~ me. But J un
sorry their "'or<ls of a bwe became ludicroUi 2nd they them•
&ehes are open to censure from good people. I tty ca impro1c
tl1e Jot 0£ the poor people and airuggle for tlacir \\1:lfarc, I
am cuncd as a bater of Brahmms. \'ou can d«-idc 1o1.hctl1cr
tJ1e charge is true or fa.he."
The same day Shahu spoi..e at 2. prhate mt-cung- of lhc
worl.crs of the conference. lie uid, "I\.come J h.:ne :am:tl•
e<l tl1e presu.Jamhip of )our conkl"'nce .aud ul.c )our ~ult',
a ccnaiu co1nmwiity .al1o1.a)1 ~littles my cfforu, <omkmru n~
and tries to ro~ public opinion ag:i.imt me. Uut thu
emboldens aml encourages me :and J 1tm1l the ne"'"JUpt'l1
which ,ihfy me. J quietly put up with the troubles :md the
im:uJu inl/Icrru upon me by tlioc pcopl~. 11ut l am .3J.1.1:)f
ready to respond to )our call. You i.hould not hon,1.1e to
demand. my $1:0itts. My [ritmls Simll.lU,u, llboJc, lubuno
\'aJav, Oauoha P,:un1cr and ochers .iml nl) humhk ICU h.l,e
1¥.om to Knc )Ou. By ,our blt"'ings inr mn u now .:ililc 10
looi. a£tcr 1hc a.tlminutntion. J ;un prcp.m:J to h;inJ on;r 1hc
St.ate to my )QR ,£ by WUllC ~n7 ol1;µrd11 bun;, ptc,.su1e upon
me 10 do w. I hope )ou ,uU accept my 1,c'l'\1ttt...
It ~;u Junug this confcrcnre tb.:u Ur. Ambctlbr pu1 .:i.n cml
to the k,1.lkhhip 0£ V. R.. Shinr.le who h.id informal lbf'
Co,1:mruent on bd1:Ll£ of the Ik'prnd Cbun dm the re-pr~
K'flt:.thcs u£ tlu:- UniouduLb 1houM be Kf«1cJ Ly ,\h:ml<r,
or 1he ~uh.the C.ounol .:imt not b7 tl1e C.,o,ttm• or by
imtitumm, nm by the Un1oud1.Jbln. .'>tundc li.i,J JCIU fo1
mcu to ~ai:pur tu i,'rl l1111 l'(Hnt o( , ~._ .icu·pu:J L-t 1hc <OO.
krtmc-. .\ruLcdl.u, ,.ho 1M<mcJ wi, pu1., iruult, JtU<!c •
ti;;htm8 tpc-cd1 :t,.,.irul tb~ .:i101uJe u! ~u.ru!t'. ,m.J I!.( uicil'h
C'l1ci: p.u~ -l ~p«ul n:,olu.tion plutoUn,f .)l:,JIIUI 1tJ4.h ..II t.lt?
Lem.; t.1l.('n br the c~nnmcnl. ~lt;l4k Ii.I'd ;ihf'.k.!f C"UrJJ'l,C,,
r-J Sh.1b1.1 b,- ni.11W,~m1~ lhe Jt,a.umo.- \h1.11h.1 lA:'.1._uc:. Ur.
,\rubct!'L4r ,...u u•1 untt'J l,r \h.thu 1,11 tr,:i..nt4tt- 1111 r.c.:u-
dcntill tp:n.b .an,l h.mJ 1t Olt"f tu l1.t" C..i;J(tlmh1.i.~n 1-L h.,;'"'C'
ol :.;.1.,1JUt.
12f? SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:, A ROYAL REVOLUTJONARY

On .his arrival in Bombay, Shahu met his Guru Fraser and

bade him farewell. • The Kcsari, a fearless champion o( the
Brahmins, found nothing good in Shahu's speech as it was
against the caste system. Criticising it, the Kesari said Shahu
was widening the differences between the Brahmins an<l the
nonsBrahmins. In Hyderabad, the Nizam had suppressed the
Khilaplwl •· :i\Iovement. Referring to it the Kesari said that
neither the Nizam nor ,Shahu had power to add to the lustre
of Islam or of Hinduism respectively. It was a sign of
decadence that the Nizam should go against the Muslims and
Shahu should oppose 'the Swaraj movement,O it added.
Vehemently criticising Shahu for his speech at Nasik, the
Rajlwran of June 13, 1920, said that the Maharaja's •pt;anks
rwere tolerated ·for a few days; he should not thereby under-
stand -that he would always be given further scope in British
territory to ·make speeches creating enmity between different
castes. It. further said that his taking tea at the hands of' the
Untouchables was· indeed a huge exploit. It also asked him
whether when • he talked of abdicating his throne, he was
nominating· a Mahar as a successor. A few days later, the
Loka •Sangraha appealed to the Government to institute an
inquiry into Kolhapur affairs. It· said, Kolhapur. was a vast
prison-house and the people there had been subjected to everY
kind of oppression.

. 11!

Shahu appointed Tophkhane as Honorary Superintendent

of Public Conveyances on June 11, 1920. He was to inspect the
public conveyances but later, from· December 15, 1921, he was
relieved from the duties. Jt. was declared. in. the State Gazette
on· September 3, 1920, •that· the Mahar vatans were transfor!Il·
ed into· assessed lands and ·that they were to be treated as
such. This shows how Shahu. was ruthlessly uprooting un-
touchability and liberating the Mahars .from their shackles and
enabling them to stand on their feet. Shahu was so engrossed
in this problem that when Dr. Ambedkar proposed to hitn
the idea of an all-India tour to collect funds for a Depressed
Classes Institute Shahu replied on June 7, 1920, that he. was
 TilAtio 's TilkL\ T 127
not only 1caJ)' to be the President o[ the Jnmtute but also
Dr. AmLctllJt's ,w11t;an1 ticcreiary. "l ,\hh," he added
",cry muu1 to be .m ,\l3.htaJJt Scu-c1ar}' of wch a mo1emcnt:
aml I t.haU ,Io the \\Oil ,cry JO)(ully." To hber:\le- 1ho~e
CJOR"$ of men {10m the uud:.IC\ of da,ery, anil to maLc India
fit for !t()(.u.l democracy \llas Sh.1hu s miilion.
f..ufy in June 19'.:'.0, the C.h1i;itnpad agam told Wodehouse
that the CO\ctnmc1u mus1 ~top sud, nilicmn of h1m as ft
,,-ouJJ m~p,re 1mpmiionablc )0u1hs 10 ruurJer lum.. lie s..ud
iC he r..:tiu:d suJJcnly from the field, 1he llrahnuns \\J1om lie
hatl injmr:J \\ouli.l criticuc 111111 more 1.han before, anJ the
J>COJ,le \\Ito f1a<l ,upportcd l1iin tf1rou,;h tl1ick and thtll ,,oufrf
rnmukr him a harrier \\1thout :my moral force fo J1im.1°
\\111lc l1odf Jnc.uumg ~oc,aJ proolcrns, Sh.1hu \las dra\'t-1Ug
up a 54..hcmc Mlh &pcc1alms about the creation or cheap
motnc p<,Mef from 1,sdr:iulic sourc.cs. Creation of .i paHcr
n:s<'r,.oir \1,u the <.CtJll';tl idea. The cngmeer concerned SJid.
d1.1t once m possasion of potocr, .i thous;ind .ind one dungs
<ould be <lone. There ,\as Laux.1.1c and oLher minerals The
liutwri o{ rdcrogcn ,mil cogu.tte irulcames l1le • tlie electric
1na11ufactunng- or chcnuob, \\ere .ti! m the sc.ope of 1hat scheme,
.Zp.Jrt from i.eJlmi: elcr:trielly (or l1gl11mg and pai.er.
Shahu had by now o,cuome !us tin11d1ty about Ith ambi-
uons. He now wrote to Co,cnHntnt and puJ a new intcr-
prcta1ion on and jusufic:u,on for his, public speeches. f-le
said be mo1de JH.iblic speeches because he uli!Jscd such opJ)OttU-
nitic, to place Lefore the, ma>M'1- \\hat the llritisb GO\Cm•
mcm Jiau Jone, for 1hcm. But in realny he rarely and usually
referred to these thmgs fo hu spccd1es, JUSt to awid Ilrmsh
susp1c1on aml irntauon His refrain \taS the moral rcgenera.
lion of roc1ety and the uplift of the Ia,\Cf das>es, Another
tcJWn, he ar.ldcd, why he made public spcec.h<.s was t.hat lie
sf10,..,cJ: the people he \\.35 not tl1e son of man the,e'l:ttcrnists
portr:i.1cd him.U .
Sl1af1u, t11crc{occ, aq;t1cxl tl1at be should be givtn protecuon
bccall.se he \las a subJcct of the Uriush F.mp1re. The C.o\'em-
ment should support bfo1 aml -uam the newspapen as lhe
Go\ernment of lnd1a h,l\\ done m the,c.~ o{ VtJaY, a Delhi
newspaper, \\JUdt bad attacleJ . the l\,faharaja of Alwar.,
428 SHAHU CHHATRAl'ATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

To ease the situation and to divert the auention of the Govern-

ment, Shahu proposed to • publish the Governor's speeches
which he said were worth· studying. Also, he said he wanted
to have a talk with the Governor about the Nagpur Congress
and other matters and added' that he was getting nervous be-
cause they were inciting people to murder him. The Governor,
George Lloyd; hoped that Shahu would not worry too much
about public· criticism.
To promote the interests of the Backward Classes and repre-
sent their cause powerfully, Shahu now thought that he should
contest the election to the Imperial Legislative Council in
November 1920. It was desirable, he wrote to Sir John Wood
on June 15, 1920, that he should be in the public eye at such
a time; they should judge him by his acts and not by the false-
hoods circulated about him in th~ Brahmin Press. "If I am
elected," he observed proudly, "they will come to know what
I have been· doing· for the masses· and also how I should be
working for them in the Council." •If he got permission he
said he 'was not sure to be successful in the eiection, •but he
was sure to resist the extremist Congressmen and the Bralunin
bureaucracy. He asked Wodehouse to keep his letters confis
dential, ot_herwise the extremists would get to know of theJU
as ·it. happened to his letters in Willingdon's time.
The Government of India, however, informed him on June
26, 1920, that.the rulers·of the Native States were not eligible
for election· to the ·Imperial•:Legislative Council. He should
fincl out other means effective of furthering the, cause •of the
Backward Classes. "After all,"• the letter said, "it is not among
the dust and heat of politics that the truest and noblest social
service is rendered."
Shahu took a keen •interest in Dr. Ambedkar and gave hilll
some help to go to England and complete his studies. Shahu
wrote to Griffith to provide Ambedkar early with the necessary
passport and Ambedkar left for ,England. Col. C. F. Harold
informed Shahu from London that England was flourishing
exceedingly and the conflict in Ireland conducted by some two
th~usand Sinn-feiners against the British Empire was looked
upon' as a comic opera and that it would soon fizzle out.
Shahu always· took' great interest in such infdrmation. :
Towards the end of June, Shahu was asked whether he
 TU.,u;.'s TIIJU'.AT . ,, 429
I '

would like to ha\e lhe post of Resident in his State filled by

an Indian, He replied on July 6, 1920, that India was a caste-
ridden and pnest-ndden country and that education had not
touched e\-en the lnnge of the so-called Jm..,.er strata of sO!iety.
Most of the Prmces were illiterate_ The I:uropean Residents
were disinterested, }et personally he v.ould, not mind hauni;
,m ladum as hts Resrdenc..
In June 19.20 Shahu proposed onre for all to throw off the
Btahmin }ol.e and nd the Mar.athas of the rehg1ous domination
of lhe Brahmin pnests. So he made a begrm1m:;. and •his
household religion$ wo'i-sh1p was now performed h) l\larathas.
During his Nas1k speech' he had declared that 1£ the Rrahmins
I ~ l I .._ 1,-

hated hun, he would gile them 'tit to. tat' and pre1•ent tl:em
from v.orshipping at his P.i.lace. He v.ould get religious cere-
monjes performed by Maratha pnests. He therefore issued an
:>rder on June 15, 1920, to the Khasg1 Depanment m wlikh
he r.aid; "If our Codr. are wonhipped (for us) by the Brah•
mins, \\'e Qurselves are held to be unfit to touch them. And
they decide us to , he sometimes Kshamyas' .i.nd sometimes
Shudras So h~ncefor1h all worship and the sLxteen ntes m
the (old) Palace, New Palace and the Chhatns (ancestral
memorial temples) are to be , perfonned ·, .at th,e hands
of the l\Iarathas Rao Bahadur , Dongre .Jiould train up
J '
:Maratha boys accordmglv, appoint them m the temples of the
Palaces and ~hould help -them m all 'l',ays and MeberbJn Baba:
saheb Kham1U.ar should assist l\fr. Oongre.'', , , 1
As this order was not carried out, Shalm i~ued ano1her order
on June 26, 1920, with some rem~rls about the ongm$ o!
Ch1Cpa,an, De~hastha a11d Karhada n:..hmun. He wrme in th1.s
order that accordmg to the Sah,·adr, Klumda anu JJrahmand
Puran , Cl~itn:1,ans
y-- l\ei~' born of. • Kah~rtaJ.as, the Karhada
~

Br.ihmins were the is.sue of an .aduherous 1toman, and DeshastJ1:u.

Ol\ed their ongm to a Shmlra l\oman,
Although the order o( June 26 was confidential, it leaJ.ed out
as usual and Ra1karan and Kcsari,se\erel)' cnucised tt earlJ m
July. Resident "'odehouse {au-Iy expre~d his (!issat1sfa<.t1on
and said that the order needlessly held up to contempt not only
a class o! lu.s subjew but s<;,cral Chiefs and others in Ilriilin
India.12 Shahu replied on July 16 that he I1ad done norhing un-
430 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:' A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

natural in passing the order about family worship. The order

was confidential and concerned only the worship of the private
family gods. 'T quite agree," Shahu sadly concluded, "that the
order looks vindictive and pinching. But until now have we
not received a thousand times such pinches at the hands of the
Brahmins?' Is "it not then human to retaliate at least after such
a long suffering by one pinch? With all this, if you think it a
mistake I shall be mor~ careful from next time."
Thus' it: was a sacrilege to say something abciut thr. Purana.s
,vhi~h: were derogatory to the, Brahmins. The British did not
think that it\vas a sacrileg!= ·to conclemn all non.Brahmins to ll}e
status of Shudras. and 'u ntouchabl~s. ,•Why? Because they were
an inarticulate class and we~e ·powerless, arid the Brahmins wei·e
virtually: in command in the administration. and outstanding
leaders of the country and opponeiits of the Government. •
On J1~ly 1/ 1920, a hostel c~lled Shri Prince' Shi~aji Maratha
Free Boarding House was ··established through the efforts of
Shripatrao •~hinde, _the ,editor or' Vijayi lvforatha, Mamasaheb
.Minchekar, ·Klj.anderao Bagal_and others. It was modelled after
the Free Boarding Ho'use started by Bap~rao B. Shin.de iri Poon~:
At the ins~ance ot'Shripatrao Shinde, Shahu one day paid a visit to
the Boarding House· started by Bapurao Shinde and was pleased
to: see· that. all the Maratha boys collected food from certain
a
persons' on i\xed '_days in week and were eating together and
attending schools. .Formerly Sliahu had two such bo'ys eating at
his Palace wit~out his ;k,npwledge and attending a school. He
liked the idea o(the, Free Boarding House and inspired his men
to establish··such' a·Free Boarding H~use at Kolhapur: Later,
ori September 30, 192<( he issued an order asking illl Gove1:nment
Schools'and,Aided ·schools to'impart free education td'the boys
of ,Prince
, , ,, :
Shivaji Maratha
1 .,
Free Boarding
. '
Hoiise. - •' •• •

',, Having taken a' decision to employ Maratha 'priests and to

encl priesthood based'on birth, ShahU: tho~ght of startino- a Vedic
~c~10ol •to train priests. The ideal of caste pres·up~ses 'the
inalienable right of the Brahmins to govern the religious life· of
the Hindus. 'As Shahu had freed the villages from the Kulkarni
132 SIIAHU CIIIIATRAP,\TI:. A ROYAL ltEVOLUTIONAR\'

image. But when she was prevented from doing this, she injur-
ed one of the holy Brahmin by hitting him on the head with a
coconut! This rumour disgusted the Maharani so much that
when she went to have a bath in the river at Kolhapur, she did
not visit a single temple.
Shahu wrote a few weeks later to the Maharaja of Indore: "l
am told Your Highness desires to have all your religious cere-
monies performed according .to Vedokta i-itunl as befit5 a
Kshatriya. Your Highness knows. the action tnken by us here.
'\\Tc have now founded with a view to further our cause a Shivraj
Kshatriya Samaj. There an anangement has been made to get
'all our religious functions performed by Marathas. To give
,pennanence to the institution, we arc making use of the holy scat
at Patgaon of the celebrated godly person Mauni Bawa. He
was a Kshatriya saint respected and revered by all :Vfarathas. He
was, in fact, Jagadguru of Marathas and conducted the religious
worship with Vedokta rites. We wish to revive the sent by instal-
ling a worthy Maratha on the Gadi and constitute him our
Jaga<lguru. It will be his business to-see that Vcdokta ritual js
followed by all Marathas ancl to help the community in the solu-
tion of religious difficulties. For this purpose he .wiJI have
Marathas expert in Vedic lore, who ,vould be comparable with
any learned Brahmin. Thus .it is proposed once for all to break
away from the Brahmin yoke and rid ourselves of the religious
domination of this wily caste." •
"I have made," Shahu continu~d, "a beginning and my house-
hold religious worship is now performed by Marathas. I enclose
herewith a copy of the order that I have passed in the matter.
One of my leading nobles, Sardar Japtanmulkh, has followed mY
example and in the recent Go!mlashtami ceremony, had the
rdigious worship <lore by Marathas.as all his household religious
functions are. If Your Highness wishes to join our Kshatriya
Samaj, I _~hall with pleasure train and send priests bclon~ng to
our community selecting suitable men there as well as here. To
get an idea of what is being clone.here, Your Highness may kindly
send a .few intelligent officers from there to Sardar Khanvilkar."
"Notwithstanding Parshurama's attempts to exterminate
Kshatriyas, repeated tw~nty-one times, Rama and Krishna sur-
vived. Shivaji and his brave followers bathed their swords in
 "I' 1,1, , ~ TJI.AK'S ,TIIREAT , 1 ,, , 1,, , , 433
blood and Kshatri)a warriors like Tanaji l\faluure,,Yesaji, etc.,
fought, and preserved the sh1kha sutra of Brahm.ins. Yet before
the ~lood on then swords was dry, strenuous attempts v.ere made
by the ungrateful Brahmms to st;unp the very Kshatriyas as
Shud:ras, and Sh1vaJ1 had to get the erudite Pandit of Benatas,
Cagabhatt, to establish thell' Kshatnya status. Could there be
&Teater ingratitude and t)tanny?"
i , "The first Shahu Mahara1a had to undergo the same troubles
and difficulties and the deportation of Pratapinnh Maharaja of
Satara' is
. )
to be traced to the same cause. Balaji Peshwa, a
li:a,rkun of Dhana1i Jadhav, became the Prime l\lmist~r of the
Satara Mahar:ija and his descendants threw their sovereign mro
prison and attempted to wrest the throne from him. ,vhat a
villainy! So long as a ruler is strong and energetic, thesf Brah-
mins dare not do an}'thing to him But if his successor is \leak,
they will not hesit:1te to bring ruin on him."
"Therefore, it is better once £or all to breaJ.. away from their
rchgious' donii~a~ce. Baburao Yadav who l..nows evf'rything
about this is sent to \:our Highness with this letter. Fadiitie,
may 1kindly be afforded to him to deliver lectures there' He is a
man of strong views and deep convictions "U
Shahu also supported marriages between Indians and :Eu~
J)eans to bridge the gulf by soual ties Penonally, he said, he
was a man of no caste and he would encourage such things. He
had, publicly supported George Anmdale"s m:im.a:gc 'Voith :i
Bralmun v.om,m,
Pnesthood is derogatory to real religion, as it is opposed lo
SOc1:il progress; 1t feeds ignorance and flourishes on the ignor.1ncc
of the m:ijonty. To reform religion it is necessary to de-stray
Ptiesthoo<l and priestcraft Shahu did not want to ae:ue pro-
fession 3 l pnesrs, who are parasites, and to inc:rea~ their numben
lt was a fight for regaining religious freedom. for dolfo}mg tht-
monoJ)Oly of priei;thoocl based on birth, and for openin'l' the
d0or of Vedic religion ro all. Shahu seemed to ttg;ml the \'c.Jic
religion a~ a nauonal religion. He wan1m to es1 3 blish that :mr
man from the Hindu fold could be a pn~t pro,,nled lie did th~
job well. l-Je tl1erdore admitted non-1\hradu. uudC'nts 10 the
Vt'<lic Vid)ala)a. there ~mg a foherm:irt in the fint b:m_J,. The
Jains had their Ol''ll caue-prksts, the Ling:ar,itJ h:id U'tC'1rs and
SC-2,i
·434 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

the Saras,vats and 'Daivkdhyas theirs. Shahu trained priests from

th~ non-Brahmin classes. This had· been done by Satya Shodhak
Samaj, but their main 'goal was to· do away with. the agent be-
twee11 •Go_d and Man. • •••
'(,I)'

.. ::v

Tm~ards •the middle of 'J~ly,· Shalni wrote to Ramaswami

Mudaii~r. that to i'n'ake ~- memorial for Dr. Nair he desired to
donate Rs. 's,090, from the· interest of which: a scholarship could
be give~ to a student. •He ,vas a great admirer of Dr. Nair and
he ddsired. that his ·name should be associated with a saintly
man like him. "Dr: N'.air's se~ice·s," he concluded, "to the noi1-
Brah_nrin community ,c~n:_never' be forgotten and h~ even will
remain enshrined· in t~1e hearts of all the real non-Brahmins."
Prabodhankar Thackeray wa'nted money urgently for publish-
.ing ·vajra Pr~hm:a: ·e;ranthamala to' bring their mutual enemies
,.i:o book. So he wrote· to Dewan:Sabnis on July 16, 1920, seeking
o;ders in the matters and. requesting him to send money. He
w~uld d~ ~vh~t once the C.K.P. pioneers had done· by st.anding
a~ breast-plates to the Chhatrapati; in the past. A sum of Rs: 1,000
w~~ sent to ,, him in. October 1920 to enable him· to do
his work .. An amount of Rs. 5,000 was· given to the Depress-
<:d Class Boarding House <;lt' Nasik ~nd D. C. Gangurde and
'Gan'esh Akkaji •Gawai were informed about this. The interest
on the amount was to. be used for the hostel. • So tl1e Chokha
Mela Boarding H'ouse at Nagpur was given a largc{sum.
Chikodi, a 'leader from 'Belgaum, earnestly requested Shahu
Chhatrap;iti to preside over; tJ:ie Sbcial Conferenc:'e of the non-
Brahmin classes which was to be held ~t Hul1li on Juiy 27,
1920. As the ~ocia'l. ~onflict h~d 'reached a dangerom st:1ge
threatening the life and rule of Shahu, 'Chikocli' himself had
already .advised Shahu to ·lead the ,-movement 1>ut •by remain-
ing ~n the background. It was rumoured at this 'time ·that' L.
B. Bhopatkar, the fa111ous la,vyer of Poona, wa~· writing ·a hool:
in criticism of Shahu. That a Tilakite 'like· him sho,,;cd keen
fot,erest in the Kulkarni vataris was ·not' surprising. Referring
.to this rum~u~, G. :s:· C~i·tis, Member ·of the· Governor's Coundl,
·,vrote to· Shahu: • "Why ,~orty about Tilak? :,H\i is:·a ·bkck
 • TILAX.'S "lllREAT, r' l'l "; '• ' 435
nu'mber. I£ llhopa.tkar hbels }OU, the courts are open. But he
will not dare Let the press bark, H does not hurt an}one "H
TJfe extremist newspapers were spteadmg the rumour that
the BrllLSh Gmemmem had stopped Shahu from going- out o(
Im State, :md they were reJoicmg O\et it. So Shalm requested'
CO\emmerit to let him visit Hubli. The Brahmms, he said. no
doubt condemned him for the hann already done to their po"er
by his 1eaders11ip of the non-Brahmms; but their bmerness was
Jharpened by the fear of a crushing blow to their dedming
prestige i£ h~ was left to work unhindered. 'They were ,ery
sltlful, he added, m using the weapon of calumny and mis-
representation. They lH'Te JllaJ..mg strenuous efforts to regain
their lost mRuence and prestige. To destroy the Brahmm
oli:;archy It was necessary to liberate the non-Brahmim' from its
influence.
GO\·emment g:l.\e Shahu permission to premte O\ er the Social
'Conference at Hubli, ,\•here the Gmemment expected hirn to
ghe such ;id,·ice on some subJects touching the ph),ical and
moral den•lopment of rhe Bad.ward Classes On July 2G,' l9ZO,
the Hubli leaders sot;ght 'by wire permission of the Bombay
GO\ernment to' i'.1.llow Shahu' to attend the 'non-Rrahmin
(Political) Conference They promised that' he 'would neither
speal at 1t nor participate in its proceedings The Gmemment
yielded to Chiko<lt's appeal. and Shahu was pertnitted to attend
1
the Po1iucal Conference as a Y1sitor
Enrhmiastically Shahu went to Huhh on July'26,' 19~0, to
'preside mer the Social Conference. It was 'an a.d1unct 0£ the
Polmcal Conference, which -was held on July 25 and !!6 under
the presidentship'of P: T. Chetuar. Thousa'nds of people g.ne
Shahu a' roming reception and took him in procession. - '' .
S{nce his escape from '.Kolhapur in 1914, Latthe: tho~gh con-
tinued lo light the battles of the Baclwatd and Depressed Cfasseb,
had not'ehtered rh'e Kolhbpur State. On1y he had once or fo•.ice-
met Shah ii 'along ,dth Kothari in :Bomba} or Poona At Hubl!,
Shahu tendered a"ii 'Uncond1tl~nal 'apology to Latthe on July
27, 19~0. ,vhile 1 doing so, he most sincerely statet.l "l request
pem11ss1on to apologise for tf1e troubles )OU' had m Kolhapur.
I was led astray by Smani, Kannarlar, 1\Htafstar, Cfup:m Paul,
Kallappa and othen; But by ,our acts )OU ha,e made me
:'13.6 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A .ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

ashamed of myself. Hence, this unreserved apology. •I shall feel

obliged for kindly_accepLing and your conLinuing to be a friend
as. ·before." In: the end Shahu highly· praised· Latthe's -\lohlc
ideas, vehement patriotism and his sincere work for the welfare
•of- the poor.:. •
_ Presiding over the Social Conference; Shalrn Chhatrapati said
that Brahmin leaders were, not keen on the spread of' compulsory
primary edutation but on college -education, -hecause the non-
Bralunins would receive the benefits of primary education.
Many institutions were ·established in the name of public welfare,
.and donations were collected by the non-Brahmins; but the
,Brahmins alone reaped the benefits. , Shahu declared that they
,had tlfreatened- him with death, as they had murdered Rand
,and Jackson. • They ,were not only cowardly and immoral but
.also a disgrace to culture. In order to hinder the path of the
.Social ,and Political conferences at Hubli, they had, he added,
·:purposely set fire to the Hubli Bazar. It was .doubtful whethen
·the.re was any Brah~in in India as defined in the Smritis. ,
Shahu appealed to the Maharashtrian non-Brahmins to lrold
conferences at Poona and Bombay and follow the noble example
set.. by the Madras non-Brahmin leaders. "Fight the hattle of
self-respect and iiberty;" he roared, "and break the shackles of
mental slavery. Self-help .and self-elevati~n should be their
:Watchwords." '. It_ must • ~- noted that • Phooley, Shahu and
Ambedkar were against the filtration _theory while the Brahmin
leaders .and Gandhi were in favour of· it; G~dhi; _perhaps more
from lack of insight than from political motives,' supported the
theory. • • • • •
Just then Shahu had given communal. :representation in the
Kolhapur Municipality, and the- Brahmins were misrepresent-
ing his move in doing so. Without communal representation,
it would have taken· at least twenty years for the non-Brahmins
to learn the same thing.. In a democratic set-up Shahu wanted
the common man to stand up for his rights and to know the
methods of democracy. It was his mission to broaden the .base
of democracy and to avoid i,t falling into , th~. hands of an
oligarchy of Brahmins. . •
 C/IAPTER 24
Kshatra Jagadguru

Is the second week of July 1920. Tilal \\-as in Domb:iy fighting

hit fan b.lttle with Sh.::ihu m-er the Tai Ma.ha.ra1 Case. As
Jag;inn:llh Maharaj v.as entitled to take possession of Ila.ha
~b.h:traj's property, Shahu ::iml HaJa MaharaJ h:td m:tde an
appl1catwn to the Bombay H1~h Court oppo~mg hu suca-s-
sion to the property not only in Kolh:i.pur but also in Rritish
,illages. Thdr contention w:u that Jagannarh Mah:i.taj"s aJop-
rion' w:z.1 'ine!Tectu:z1. 1 llcti<les, Shahu Chhatrapati held that tlre
application of summacy seuJemen.t to the case w,1s' invalid. By
this they wantecl to drcurn~-ent the judgment the Privy C.ouncd
Jdd <ldhered in f,nour cf Tifak .i:nd Jag:mn:uh ;\Jah:naj in die
adoption case. ' '
This application came up hefote the High Court on July 14,
Tifak worked hatd to pre-pare a statement far t11e me nf hi.1
coumel Tilal- had been indisposed for the pre\loUS two months
and had intermittent malarial fever. The apphration was heard
on July H by the Judges, but the judgment was re!ienerl. Shalw
h:nl ;pent thousands of rupees on tomulting eminent lawYers in
the country and in England t~ obtain their opmtons '
'T,fak 11:ul been suffering from feler ag1in tiJJ July 20. The
last word on the Tai l\faharn.J ' Case was said in the High
Court on July ' 21, 1920.' r The Judges E M. Pratt, C -Fa,\cett.
and die Chief Justice IN.' c..' J\bdeod gaie tlJe judgment that
the applic':ition of the su~nmry' settlement was' ~alid Fand the
property '\\-;_s· declared to be ln'arn Dharmtulayri:· Shaim Jost the
case. T1lak. won .it. 'The Government had taken up in' the case
a non-tonlentious attitude For tnany yeah poor' Bala Pandit's
appeals had teietberated 1in Courts,, hut·a1! tn' vain 'It w:u
07
438 SHAHU CHHATRAPATJ; A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

really a prolonged, tedious and taxing affair, but both Tilak and
Shahu fought it for nineteen years relentlessly and doggedly.
Though victorious, Tilak was not in a p·osii:ion, to\rcad the,.
judgment. His illness took a serious turn, and after a week, on
August 1, 1920, at 12-10 a.m., he breathed his last in Bombay.
The country sank ,_into -.grief. Even· q1e Amfr of Afghanistan
made a speech at kabtil at a condolc~ce meeting and expressed
his sympathy with the Hindus in his State. A builder of the
Indian National Congress and one of the makers of Modem
India, Tilak. has attained immortal fame.
Though Shahu lost his case on July 21, he was thinking of
Tilak's:·. illness .. , Anxiously· he sen_t: T<;>phkh~me aQ<l others to
persu~d-e Tilak's, SO!} to; ~erd ·-rpak to· Miraj, so that ,he, would
put, ·him u~der th~ :tre~tment of :.Dr., :Wanless; : -~•r .am,"_ he
observed, "extremely, .sorry to hear that the_ Lokamanya is not
doing well; Please wire to me daily how he progrcsse~.· . l think
he'should be'l'emoved to:a wmm climate. I wish he comes to
stay in_ ~Y .bungalow at Miraj and _takes tre~tment from the
-skilled Doctors like Vail and Wanless and I think l1e will he then
all·_ right. I, have sen_t. to yo_u, Messrs. Tophkhane and others.'' 1
::But ::when':Tophkhane ,1·eached ~oona, on the!.morning of
August ·l; he came to know about .the sad news, oE: Tilak's death.
Tophkhane returned and closed his Vidyapeeth. When Shahu
i:cceivccl_ the news o[:Tilak's death, he ;was ,taking his meal. Sadly
he at once pushed away_ the plates and dishes from ,his table and
-ordered his servants not to. provide beef o_r mutton. to his ~i~als
that. day. He politely asked the Resident whether he had any
-objection .to his sending a· private tel~grnm of condole11cc if
-occasion arnse. •Shahu was in _a ,dilemma. As Tilak had been
-declared a s_edition~st in Court _he thought it would not be prop~r
to·dose_Gpvernment institutions on that day, and so he changed
his mind.; He, ·ho~eyer, mourn_ed the death of the great patriot
and leader and sent:a message of condolence to Tilak's son im-
mediately. His State engineer attended . the funeral; The Re~i-
dent said Shah~ ..~as: ~vi!i_e in n~t :thinki~g of closing the Court.2
Yet there was·a spontaneous}iartalcin Kolhapur, and the markets·
remained closed;,' 1 ' • ,,, , ,, : :
. The··attitude .of Shahu was rather ·perplexing. 'I;ilak. and
Shahu: hated:· as!·ivell: as J admired each :other., l-: Shahu, ,had l of ten,
 , XSUATRA JACADGUll.l!,., , 1 " , 439
s,;cretly, helped the patriotic worl.. of TJlak,,,hut he 1thoughl that
TJlak's social \'iews were not con<lucfre to Indian soci.11 ream•
stroctmn as a whok, Tdak thought that Shahu's ~rk. v.-as not
10 di<:- interest of lnd:an nationaJism. Tl1ey ~dmir'el ~adt other:s'
;ib1lity, i'~fluencc and earnestne~., it was Jmt like the Jme-hatc
relauonsl1ip beu,een. Stem and Goethe of Gepna~y ' \Vhen
these 1two Germans met and \'isited the Cologne cathedral, Stei~
said .s~rtly to .Arndt; "Be quiet, (ion't 't1;sturb him. In matters'
0£ ~l1tics we can't, o{ coune, 'praise him But let him alone, he
is too great."3 This l\JS e\'identiy t11e attitude of Shiih~ t~,~ards
Tdal.. Jt may be nored be~ that Shahu ,had generou~Jy c:ontri•
Luted towards the pamot1c cause and helped Aurobindo Gho~e·s
~leknce m July 1908. ' '' ' '
I ' 'b.,.
I ~ I
Wodehouse wa5 to renre in August 1920 and Shahu requested
the GoH•rnor to appoint either Col. Pottinger 'or Col. C. F.
fJarold in. Ins place. as he w;inted, he s:ud, a' few pi:acdul
( j ~ I

~'?'>1pgJears. Of the.twenty-six Jears of his :u.lmims~ration, he

omened, SJ"< yean under 1\Vray and ten years under \Yodehou-;e
had been troublesome for him 4 Ilut he said he would not find
' I ~ "'~
it difficult to pull on wuh Merewether who was appofoted to
succeed ,vodehouse. It wa,; a fact that somehow ,he I!1e,er
' •

:i:greed 1 wJth, l\ferewetlier w11en 11e was second fa c:omm:mn at

Kolhapur Their ,temperaments 1did not agree
Shalm was happf co state that during Harold's time he was
able to mtroduce social and civil laws Confidentially he sent a
copy of this Jetter to Pottinger with a special rne,~enger.. The
Governor tephed on August 11,,1920, that the points 1a1sed in
his letter would have his most careful consideration. It w.is
th~ decision o( the Government always as far as possible that
while making political appointme~ts it should furoish States with
~fficen agreeable, to Rulers of those States.~ And appomttng
Colonel Merewether, the GQ\.ernor added that on do~er
acquamtaoce Shahu would find ~Jerewether to he 'tise, s)mpa·
the tic and helpful. .The GO\,emor was polite and wrote to Sh:ihu
statesmanly, . , , , ,
, At tbis time Cla~de Hill also sent Shahu a ,very polite
letter from Delhi,' saJmg that the Govemor•f'~nernl. would, he
hoped and felt sure, attach due weight t,o Sha~~•~, ar::niments
on the Jchalkaranj1 adoption case whateier decwon he- might
440 SHAHU CHHATIV\PATt: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

conic' to. This ,Jas l riot 'en~ouraging enough, although· l i t

shows how the·'. British Government ruled . mainly with the
oh5ect o[ having its own interests served first.
It was Shahu's view that the ruler o[ a State should be fur-
nished with relevant excerpts· _of •all summaries of the Press
Reports against his State. Therefore he asked the Government
either· to prevent the Brahmin. cro~vs from pricking the horse or
let the liorse~ go· free without getting his tail cut and without
binding him· in the native· ,vay of stabling.I; The critics contend-
ed that they ,criticised the Darbar's misrule and wanted it to
redress grievances. The Darbar's view was that the Princes
were personally responsible to the British Government for good
government within their territory, and they were not amenable
to inh.{;ence through an irresponsible press.
Montgomcrie, the Political Secretary to the Government of
Bombay, said. that as a result of the growth of political life in
India greater and greater attention would be paid by the press
to the Indian States,. and Shahu sho.uld be. accustomed to, and
in fact welcome, public criticism. If the border line was passed
by any. newspaper Government was always ·prepared t.o take
sharp and effective action. . .
' On .August 10 Shahu wrote to the Governor asking him to
accept his voluntary services in •fighting the non-co-operatiori
movement. The Governor appreciated his offer, but said there
was no need for Shahu's help at that time. In the heated atmos-
ph~re of the day Sh.ahu complained to Government of a picture
in Sandesh in which Tilak was displayed as Shri Krishna and
Arjun,. a. Kshatriya, was made to bow before him. The inter-
pretation put. on· the picture by Shahu was rather far-fetched.
In. those days ·prejudice against the Brahmanical writings was
deep-rooted, and easily created suspicion in the minds of· non-
Brahmins. , •
S_hahu informed the ,Bombay Government on· August 20, 1920,
that th'.e Brahmins· 'had begun to hate him more than before
be~ause of the Satya Shodhak falsas (lectures. with music). Of
cour~e. he said lie· had nothing to do with the· jalsas, 'but he liked
the principles· 011 :which they were •con.ducted. and would help
to'.jmake ·.the·~.:w~ciely kn~wn. Brahniins, Shahu said, thought
these : jalsas •• :obscene:.: :but •they • themselves': preached • obstene
 UIIATM r JACADCUR.U ' ' ' 441
things every day through Puranas and Kin.ans under the garb
of religion. If these obscene things were allowed in Kirt:ms and
Puranas. why should they not be mentioned in jal:sa's? In con-
clusion, he admitted that he had every sympathy with the jaise--
walas. At election dme, j.alsewala!- helped the non-Drahmins as
the Kirtans (musical sermons of Brahrnins) helped the
lkahmins.
Tow-ards the end 0£ August 1920, it ·was announced that
K.arma,eer Shinde ·was standing for the Ilombay Lezjsiative
Council a.s: an independent candidate. Shim.le had deserted hu
R:uhtriya l\faratha League :md iu leaders now stood for n-served
communal seats, biddmg good-bte to their nationalism As
Shahu 1'+-a.nted communal representation, he l\.as not satisfied
with resened seats. Yet he encouraged his men to contest the
general seats as well as the :tesen ed. .Shahu wanted Shinde to
contest a reserved $eat, but he refwed to do so Shinde neither'
stood on the dd.et of the Rashtriya Maratha League which he
had est:tb1ished nor on behalf of the Congress '
Shahu then requesred Katm,neer Shinde thtough Khasera'o
Jadhav to contest a seat from the distnct but not the :Poona
City seat, which he wanted Vasudeorao Gupte to' contest. Khase-
rao Jadhav and Shrfpatrao Shinde, 'Shahu's two a-ssodates,
supported the candidature of Kann:neer Shinrle, the ,·eteran
1eader. On August 22, 1920, Shahu wrote to Khaserao Jacthav
to persuade Shinde to contest the election from another Ioc.,lit}',
but Shinde did not agree to do so. ', •
N C. Kellar, editor of l\fahratta, was also contestini; the City
se:.it. But the Congress boycotted the elections and Kelkar with-
drew' his candidature. • In his election speeches, Kellar had s:tid
that he v,ras also the son of a Canner and as he edited the
l\faliratta he was also a Maratha' On August 29 Shahu wrote a
letter to Kannaveer Shinde criticising Kelkar for his orthodox:
uem. and s:ud that if he {.Shahu) caJJed his' cow 'Japan' he
would not become a leader of the Japanese. In this Jetter Shahu
expressed lus regret that though Tilak had won fame through
his s)mpa.thy for Shlvaji IV and through' the Shit':ij1 festh,,Js, he
did not write ,Sbjy;iji'.'!o'hiography., So far 'Karmavt-er Shinde til.ls
a candidate of the Rashtriya Marntha U:ague, bt1t now he
... r -'
,I'
1 , lJ ~t :I • lf r' l , t
,.. 'I' f j ,. ' '

changed sides ' •

142 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

, ' As Karmaveer Shinde did .nQt agree with .Shahu in contesting

the.elec:tion from the district, Shahu also changed his mind an<l
supported Vasudeora9 ,Gu_pte, who defeated Shinde in the elec-
ti.on •wltich .. took·, plf1c~ later in November 1920: Shahu and
Dewan Sabnis actively supported Guptc -in the.- election.
Deeply interested in the provincial elections, .Shaliu was en-
couraging good and intelligent men to contest them.. He
requested, Laxman Ramchandra alias Bala Patil of Nan-.inhapur
tp stand £9r election, as he had been a member of the District
Local . Board: for several years. "While encouraging him, Shahn
said that. men like Patil ·wlro had. experience of pulJlic• work
shoul9- serve the people in a spirit of self-sacrifice and rist> to the
9ccasion. His -associate Kirtiwanrao· Nimbalkar, .who was a
c9lleague of D. R. Bhosle, stood.for election and was successfui.
He was a: l?olice Sub0Inspector and had devoted, his life· to the
service of the people. Shahu also encouraged Vichar.e, his retir-
ed State Engineer, to contest a seat from Ratnagiri District:
At this juncture Shahu's. two. brilliant associates Shripatrao
Shinde and Valchand Kothari were fighting over a question
which worried Shahu exceedingly. It was whether the. non-
BrahmiI1s should co-operate with the Liberals in the Deccan.
$hinde. frankly and rightly said that the Liberal politicians who
were.mainly Brahmins were apathetic to the problem of the n<m-
Brahmins and would simply.reap the benefit 0£ the non-B1'alu~in
votes. Kothari favoured a common front with the Liberals like
Professor Kale, Professor Jog,. Professor Patwardhan and Kelkar
as· they had . expressed sympathy for the• ·problems of non-
Brahmins and tried to.help to promote social reforms. It was
Shripatrao Shinde's opinion that they were _merely showing lip-
sympathy and trying to exploit the non-Brahmin. opposition, to
the Tilak group rather than to help the·real reform. But Shahu
,vanted them to·.close ,their- ranks, as he feared -that disunity in
their camp would ruin their work.
The point •of difference ·between Kothari and Shripatrao
Shinde· was not superficial. Kothari was annoyed when· the non-
Btahmin leaders defende'd every act of the British Government.
He did not like the idea that the non°Brahmin leaders should
be in league with the British· Government. .But ..it was bound
to happen when their Jeadership was based on S):iahu's policy,
 k.Sl!,ATRA .JACADGURU , 1,1 ,
'I

and Shahu ,\as a friend of the British Gon=rnment. It ·was the

,·1ew o( Shrip:llr.io Shmde an<l othen that because the non-
Dr.ihm1m were b<1ckwartl an<l help)es.5, they (:ou1d not :iITonl to
inct1t the enmity o{ die Bruuh GO\emmeni :IJld thus fi~ht wjtJi
the Urahmms and the Briwb on two fronu.
Shahu trie<l to bridge the 1mlcnmg gul( between the two
camps by usmg all Jus irifiuence in r~nour of unity among die
1e;ult>rs cf du~ second order. l\',th that rum in 'view he wrote to
Lanhe on Apnl JO, l~0: ''You differ from Kothari on c.ert.1m
points. I ha,·c- great respect for Kothari. but I cannot wholly
agrt't' wuh hi5 ,iew that we should alwa}S' worl. in conjuncuon
w1tl1 tl1e- Brahmins." Slrnf1u :ifso wrote 10 D. n. Rancln-c, poet,
\\Titer and social \\orler, •n the matter. Rand1ve was a friend of
both Kothari antl Shmde. Pr.ming Ko1han in hts Iettrr, Shahu
rcq11<-sted Randue euher 10 brmg about a compromise between
J.:.oth:i.n and Shinde or to SUAAesrsome other way out. He him-
seir \\ould try to put an end to the controversy Ii

.... ' 11
' I "),' ) .,.
Shahu had been often wriling to Loni Willmgdon and request-
inf: him to lay the foundation stone of the ShhaJi Marathi
High School at Poona. Lord W1llmwlon was a"oicling it, gwing
good and. poti1e reasons; for he did not desire to embarrass the
GO\etnor of Dombay. At this time Shahu e'<pressed the an'\'.1ety
of a de,ot,:d ruler. In Jm Jetter he observed gr.nely: •;we are,
J am afr.mI, m for a famine .and the pro.specu are gloomy unless
-,..,e ha, e plentiful and , timely rains from the north-eastern
monsoon.''., ,, , , r,, , ,
On September 20, 1920, Shahu wrote to a high offidal that he
uiu rhinling of pubJHhing- Jm mamfr:sto condemnmg the non-
co-op('ration .mo,ement., This he was domg in his1 usnal, over-
enthusiastic war. But il was uncalled for! The non-co-opera-,
tion mmement was spreadmg like wild fire all over rhe
country, and Shahu, thought ic was the duty of a lo}aJJSt ~d,
well-wisher of the Empire to go fonvar<l anrl check, Jt.s
"contagion". . In his, Jetter he stated. :•Gandhi is a dreamer~
thoroun-hly unpractical , and quite ,out of, touch with the
mass,:~£ the people,:' HoweH':f, ,Shahu publldy ,praised
 '' ', I ESIIATRA, JAOADGllltU 1 1J 11 , •J J; J , 445
compotmd,of the Raja:t3m Jndmtrfal School, Kolhapur. Speak·
ing on the vcc.:mon, lie said that he~ 1-err proud of,the 1artuan5
and the fa bourcrs of, Kolhapur. He added that m I order, to, en·
c-ourage them he used whate~er articles they made m
,Kolqapur.
Those who tool. the Swadeshi vow should tI'Y1,;?1find 1 out what
new mdu~tries c.ould be started m the country; for its,pro~perity
depended upon trade and mdustr}'., 1 i 1tt!,, { 1, 1 < 1 , , , 1, , 11 , r
, The a.gric::ultur::i.l indmtry, Shahu1, proceeded, should be
modernised, for the produce per acre.was pelow average m lndia.
So pnonty should be ghen to JC He was not in favpur of
capitalism: a.s conD1cts between capital and fabour de1-eJoped in
that S}ste-m. , Tl1e fate I and progress Q~ labour ,must not , be
-dependent on the c-apnce, selfishness and Judgment of capitalists
This system, he continued, woqld not 1work in India; so he en-
couraged the labour, and the,,, farmers, to form , co-opera t1, e
:soo.elles. and co-operative credit ~ocieties, and divide the divi-
dends among themselves The exodus ta the cities could ,then
be :stopped.7 j r l[ I ,~. '1 t _,,, f 11•c , 1 , \ '11 Pl\
The caste sys.tern was a dangerous d1se.:ise and they should Jook
beyond 1t. )ney should. not forset that they ;were lndiam, and
it was their, respons1b1hty to make efforts, to ,imprm•e the lotJ of
the people as a whole,, , , ,., ~ ,r ,11 1', H 1.. ,
.., 5hahu was in Bombay on September 20, 1920, and stayed there
for a \\-eeL The merchants at Crawford i\farl et held. a reception
m lus honour on September 25, 1920. The function 11'.!s attend~
ed by about twenty thousaml 1people. Aller Thorat and !Um•
pal:r.lo Shinde had made welcome speeches on behalf of the
people, Shahu in, reply s:ud that he was mal..ing efforts to pro-
mote the welfare of humanity in Ind1a. 1 "The poor shnuld not
faunch any non<o.operauon movement agamst the, British, but
should do so ag:unst those ,\ho did not co-operate with them.
1V1th the help of the British, they ,hould male cduc.1tionaJ
progress, and stand up for their Tights s ,
Shahu's encouragement to the spread o[ the principles of the
Arya Sama]. the establishment oE the Vedic School and the &J.t)a
Shodhal.. 1alasa, put th<" orthodox. Brahmins on the defc?nshe.
They held 'Brahmin-protecuon Conferences and meetings· at
J>andharpur and A[andi, the stronghold of the Ilrahruin priests,
protesung agamst the "ttaJ propaganda of the S.:Hya Shodhal
4.44 SHAHU CHHATR.APATI: 'Al:R.OYAL :REVOLUTIONARY

Gandhi's, selfiess ,life· arid admired his· character.· Moreover' he

had paid him a visit 'at Ahmedabad; I '

• To many Liberals and. enlightened statesmen, Gandhi seemed

to be visionary and unrealistic. Sonic' newspapers called him a
mad Pir or irresponsible fakir;'' But there 'are qualities always
more ·to admire in a>grea t man· than· to despise.
• In his Nasik speech in April· 1920, Shahu: had paid glowing
tributes to Gandhi' brdescribing him as :"a· solitary instance oE
a personality that claims our tribute o[ love· and respect." At
tliis time Shahu was' invited to preside over the Maratha Edu~
cational ·conference which was to be held at Baramati in October
1920. As he ·wanted to put his views before all the 1\farathas,
especially regarding the non-co-operation movement, he wanted
to seize.the opportunity of presiding over the conference. Giving
this reason· for his acceptance· of the invitation, Shahu wrote
to the Government that since he had attended ·tlic Hubli Con-
ference people felt that he· was prohibited from taking part in
conferences. He wanted to remove that idea from the minds of
the people, and so he should be· given permission to attend the
Educational Conference at Baramati.
Shahu was struggling' hard to' bring· about a compromise
between Shin·d~ arid Kothari. 'On· September 1:3: he wrote · to·
Kothari to· close the rank~ 'at ~11 c~sts and work in union with
' '
others, not to allow a schism to develop in the movement. "Let
us," he said, "not be laughed at by others. Al~eady the opposite
party i~ trying to so~ 'dissensions ~mong. us: 'We shall ,be helping
them. . . . If quarrels commence even now, how can ,ve raise a
building on such: a foundation of sahd?" • "It pains me most,"
he wrote to another non-Brahmin worker, "to read the contro-
versy betwe~n vijayi Maratha an.a' ]agaruk.'' To Shripatrao
a
Shinde he appealed for peace. "If you are, true Maratha," he
said, "bear the ]aga,:ul~'s, ap att~cKs with patience. But have
done' 'with this disunion .... ,Go to Kothari and join hands with
him." Again, on September 18 Shahu appealed to both Kothari
arid Shinde. to -~ccept Lat.the's 'ro~~la in connection with the·
points at 'issue. They soon' acceptei his adYi~c. and' he hoped
i:o find ~·very·~rilo£ the non-Brahm.in journalists working hand
in hand to strengthen the party and 'fight' the common battle.
, Shahu presided over a ✓ function ·oh August· 15, 1920, in the
 JtS1Ul'1lA. J,,tCAtGVIW' 1 rll , 1! 445
compound of the Rajaram Industrial Sd1001, J(o[hapur. Speak-
ing on tht oc:c~ston, he: said that he 'Ml.! ,err proml of the anuans
and. the labourers of kolhapt•r. He added th:tt in, order to ,en-
coiirnge thern he used ,\hate,-er articles they made in iK,olhapur.
Those who tooL the Swadeshi \'OW should try 1,to 1find 1out what
new mdustt1es could be started in the country; for its prosperity
depended upon trade- nnd industry. ,. 11 , , , " 1, , r
, "The :ign,ultural fadustry, Sbahu, 1 proceeded, should I be
modernised, for t.he produce per .acre w:is below average: in India.
So priority shoultl be g-i\'en to it. He was not in f:11,our of
o.p1talism ac; conflicts betv.een c:ipital and la.hour developed in
that $)stem. , The fate I and progress , 0£ labourJ mu'it not be
-dependent on the caprice, selfishness and judgment of capit:1.hsts.
This S)stem, he continur;:d, would not worl in lndia; so he en-
couraged the ldbour and the farmers, to• fonn co-openitive
soeieues and• co-operative credit societies, and d1v1de the divi-
dends among themseJ,,es The exodus to the cities could then
be stopped.1 , , , 'i ,. , ,, •
. The caste system was a dangerous dise:1.se and they should look
beyond it, They should not fo~i:;et that the) l';ere Indians, and
tt wa, thetr responsibility to make efforts, to 1mpro,e the lot, of
th~ people as a whole. , r , ., •Ir , - 1 ,
. Shahu ,vas in Bombay,on September 20, 1920, and stayed there
for a week. The merchants at Crawford i\fad et held a reception
in his honour on Septernber 25, 1920 The function ,vas attend-
ed by about twenty thousand 1people After Thor.it and Shri•
patrao Shmde had made welcome speeches on behalf of the
people, Shahu in 1eply said that he w:1.s malmg efforts to pro-
mote the welfare of hmn:1.nity in lnd1:1. The poor should noc
launch an}' non-co-operatwn movement against che Brithh, but
should do so aga;inst thooe l'.ho did not co.operate with them
With the heJp of the British, rher should rnaJ..e educational
progress, and stand up for their rights. 8 -
Shahu's encouragement to tlie spread of the principles cf the
Ana Sama1, the establishment of the Vedic SdwoJ :md the fotya
Shodhak Jalasa, put the orthodox B.rahmins on the de!cnshe
,The} held 'Brahmin-prorection Conferences and meetings• at
.Pandharpur and Alandi, rhe stronghold of the Ilrahmm priests,
protestmg against the \-ital propaganda of the Satya Shodhak
•446 SHAHU CHHATRAPAT1:· ·£.. ItOYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Samaj. Sakhare Buwa presided over the Pandharpur Conference.

Speaking at it, Chavande Buwa, a noted mealy-mouthed orthodox
·author; explained •briefly how the caste-rules should be observed
·arid'told the conference that the Varkari school of thought was
not agai~st •·Brahmi~ism.o These protests against the Satya
Shodhak 'jal~sas went· on for mo'nths. It was a fact that some
British officers prohibited the.Satya Shodhakas from singing cer-
tain songs when these deteriorated irito filthy abuse; but their
:soi1gs and lectures exposed the unsocial acts of Brahmins and
their priests.
' : A fe,v days earlier, the priests at Narsobawadi had misused
'their authority and religion in prohibiting some Daivadnyas
fr~m entering the precincts of the temple and beating them up.io
·shahu, in order to bring the culprits to book, borrowed the
·services of C. A. Kincaid from ··the Bombay Government and
appointed him to try ·the case, and the priests ·had· to go to jail
'to do penance. •
Shahu removed another discrimination in religious matters
ind '<lid away with Brah.min privileges· in Kolhapur., In the
famous Mahalaxmi tempie there were· two reservoirs~· one for
the Brahmins ancl another for the Shudras. A certain social
reformer touched the reservoir reserved for the Bralimins and
the result w~s th'at 'the reservoir was declared open to all after
a &,;.eat deal of discussion iri the Press.

III·

The followers 0£ Tila'k wanted to humiliate. Shahu as his

followers ·had broken up several meetings of Tilak. Shahu had
als·o 'set. up' cancli<lates for the election in Maharashtra and
challenged them: An opportunity came their way when, on
October· 3, 1920, the Shivaji Society of Poona held its annual
meeting at Vithal Dharmashala • in Bhavani Peth under the
p~esitlents~ip. ·oE .sh;hu Chhatrap:iti. 'He was the permanent
President of the· society which was helpirig the Backward Class·e's.
One of the objects of the society ,vas to promote the we1fire of
tne' 1v1arathas·in· matters social, cultural and religious. It was a
gatliering' for ·social and educational purposes. After Baburao
Jagtap· read- the annuaI·report, v.- R. Shinde, B. V; Jadhav and
 li'.SllATRA' JAG:ADCURU ''' ' J' 447
,vandekar spoke on the occa)ion and m!lintained, in the course
of their speeches, that the M.iharaja of Kolh.tput had the right
to settle religious and racial questions.11 'I11ey made references
to Dr. Kurtakoti After this, one Rambh:rn Arjun Cole came to
the President, Shahu, and asJ..ed 'pennission to speak for fi"e
minutes Not knowmg that he was a trouble-m,tker, Shahu
granted him pennission to speal, 'although some obJected to it.
Cole began deprecating the references to Dr Kurtakoti, and
condemned the autocracy of the Shanlaracharya and the
Maharap in rehgious matters. Re also dcniei1 the authority
of ShivaJt and added that no one need show·any regard at all for
Sh1vaj1 Upon this the peace of the meeting ended, and thev
hauled Gole down Kashmath Thakoji Jadhav and Pr.ttap More,
stooges of the Tdak party, seized the opportunity to lick up a
row As a consequence, a scuffie ensued m 'which several men
hke GangaJi Kalbhor and Baburno Jedhe we1e badly injured.
K.ha-rerao Jadhav hurriedly th:mled the Mahara1a and tleclare<l
that the meeting had termmated Like a rock, Shahu stood there
six foot 'fi,e when the tides of rioters ",ere dashmg .igaimt' one
another around him P. C. 'Patt1 and Khaser::to Jadhav br:nel)
stood by Shalm The disorderly cond~ct of t!>e trouble-m:ilers
went on for- about an hour Two or three- motor-cars v.ere l1eld
Up, but were let off as they belonged to persons other than Shahu.
But Shahu escaped in a pnvate motor-car At the place of meet·
mg there were no pahce from the ,ery beginning. ,
1
Shahu did not IWlke a speech at the meeung and reachecl his
residence safely as 1t see~ed that the crowd had no mtemion of
hurttng him personally. Their only ob1ect m pro"oJ..ing the
scuffie was to create a disturban<e and to compel the Go,em-
ment to prolub1t Shahu from ma kin~ speeches outm1e Kolhapur.
And this ·was the last time that Shahu appeared on a_ public
p1atfonn in Maharashtra outside Kolhapur.
Jt was rumoured that a plot flad been hatched at the l1ou5c of
one Da\ate by , Kashinath Tha.l,oJi Jadhav and Pit:imber
Marwadt, and the clisrnrbance at the meeting n·as the result ot
tins plot It was re\ealed t.hat Gale of Bomba}' 11as lodging with
K.tslurr'.rth Thalojz J.u:!h.:m the JJ.r.,l~min fonrgi11ois bebtgorefuJ
na, ·w be promment on the scene. '\Vh:it B. \', Jatlh:n· anti
448 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI.: /., ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

y.. R. Shinde said at the meeting was a historical fact, that the
ruler of a State had· the sole ·power to end .religious disputes.
Prabodhankar Thackeray pointed out that.it was Shalm Maha-
raja 0£ Satara who settled the dispute over the gadi of Ramdas.
At this time the real intention of Shahu was to sound the opinion
of . the leading Marathas on the creation of a separate and
independent· gadi of Jaga~guru, which he had planned .
. Immediately after the meeting, Shahu. wrote to Montgomer1c
on October 4, 1920, giving him the details of _the. meeting. In .a
very ·disappointing reply, Montgomerie observed that he was
afraid the Governor I would be uneasy when he read Shahu's
letter. He said it was most unfortunate that .Shahu should have
been present at a. meeting characterised by such rowdiness.
Montgomeri_e feared .that th~ whole matter_ would be mis~epre-
sented, distorted· in. the Press. The baser spirits would imitate
this rowdism and it '"'.ould increase the responsib_ility of Govern-
ment officers. "I would earnestly. advise Your Highness," he
went on, "to abstain for the present from appearing on public
platforms and at .meetings where anything savpuring of politics
is likely to be discussed." And instead 0£ pupishing the wrong-
doers and provocators, Montgomerie asked Sl~ahu not to· go to
:Barail1;ati, as political feelings were running high and he would
-feel much. easier· in mind if shahu did not ·expose himself to
insult a~d annoy~nce by going there. '
Replying to Montgomerie, Shahu said that though the assump-
tion that the Bha,..;,ani Peth ~eeting w;s political, was b~sele~s.
he would accept the advice in the spirit of re~ignation befitting a
saint,' and ease the tension of his family and friends: But the
Governor came down to Poona and reassured Shahu and pro-
mised him help,
Shahu·was afraid that self-government 1vould be given to lridia
when the'country was not-prepared for it, and that it would be
in the hands of the Brahmin bureaucracy. His diagnosis was
correct, but his prescription ,vas wrong. Bec:iusc he was against
the Tilak party and the non-co-operation movement, his attack
came back upon him like a boomerang. The real object of his
opponents was to ward off the danger which threatened_ their
leadership in Maharashtra once the masses were awakened. And
Shahu was their inspirer and organiser, defender and leader. -
 , kSHATitli.• JAG li.DGl'RL' ,• 449
In spite 0£ this trouble and tension, Shahu's work was going on
as usual. He wrote on October 4 to Sedon, GO\ emment official
recommending Kadam for bemg nominated to the Council t~
represent the interests of the Depressed Classes. He was doing
this because Dr. Ambedkar had introduced Kadam to him and
spoken highly 0£ him. Three months earlier, on the eve of
Ambedkat's sa1ling for England, Shahu had asked Dr. Amhedkar
to undertake a prosecut1on against somebody "whether it was
substantial or not". "The point is that," Shahu observed, "'you
should become known in England ~vhen evenone will foqui.re
who started these famous prosecutions." Shahu did not mention
the name of the person against whom the prosecution was to be
launched. , ' ' '
The Poona politicians and trouble-makers did not stop at that
point, They instigated their hirehngs to proc'ded against Shahu'
a:nd h1s colleagues for noting an<l ca.using injuries. AccorJin~ly,
on beha1£ of Bahvant l\Iore, A. F, Apte pre~ented a complaint on
October 4, 1920, to the City Magistrate of Poona against Shahu
Chhatrapa.ti, Bhask.errao Jadhav, P. C. Patil, Shripatrao Shinde=-
editor of Vr1ayi 1-llaratha and some others under sections 12.3 and
147 0£ the Indian Penal Code 'for alleged inJurie's and rioting at
the meeting held on Sunday, October'3,' l!l20. ~he- case 'itas
ad1ourned to October 13, 1920.',
Shahu was not unnened by these developments. He took a
decisive step in connection with the ' appointment of the
Kshatri)a ::Maratha Jagadguru by installing Saclashiv Luman
Patil on the ancient gad1 of Mauni Maharaj of Patgaon on
October 12, 1920. l\Iauni Maharaj was a l\faratha saint tradi-
tionaily worshipped by Shivaji and the l\farathas. Se,eral
.t.shatnya institutJOnS and influen'tiaI men had approachecl t11e
Chhatt:i~tl to appoint somebody to the post of Jagadguru in
the Patgaon Math. To the , a cant' gadi Sadashiv Laxman Paul
was appointed Kshatriya Jl,faratha Jagadguru on a )earl} sr:mt
o( Rs. 1,200 for his household expen.'ses. He w.u. a college
student and a stuclent of Sanskrit and Phdosoph}, He was allow-
ed to imtiate two disciples one of whom could succeed I1im, or J[
his son was found fit for the position, he could be appointed to
the post with the pennission of the Chhatrapati 1:i 1 , ' _
SC-29
450 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

- 1£ none of these persons was found fit to ascend the glldi, there
was no objection to bringing any other Maratha to the gadi.
Some land was given to the Jagadguru in addition to the pro-
perty at Patgaon. Some· decorative animals also were gifted for
the dignity of the Jagadguru. On November 8, 1920, the
Dewari ordered the offic<;~ to 'do everything in accordance with
the Chhatrapati's directions. •
On October 12, 1920, a Darbar was held to instal the Jagad•
guru on the gadi at Patgaon where the Maratha priests invoked
blessing-s on him with Vedic mantras. Shahu did .the obeisance
most solemnly and others: like Latthe, followed suit. But
Bhaskerrao •J adhav, ~ f~~rless Satya-Shodhakite, refused to do S?.,
although he held a high post in the State. At once Shahu asked
him to leave the Darbar. He did so instantly. After the D_arbar
was over, Shah:u Chhatrapati went to Bhaskerrao Jadhav, express•
ed admiration for his courage and honesty and forgave himP
Another officer who refused to do obeisance to the Jagadguru
was, fined a hundred rupees for his impertinence.14 •
Keshavrao Thackeray fearlessly and rightly criticised Shahu
for creating a _Kshatra Jagadguru, and that too for Marathas.
The leader who_ wanted to abolish caste, created a Kshatriya
Maratha Jagadguru, which title Shahu soon converted into
Kshatra Jaga1guru. The creation .of Kshatra Jagadguru implied
that Shah~ accepted the caste system, although he broke the
monopoly. of the Brahmins to officiate as pr~e~ts. at all func-
tions. The step was r~ther regressi~e and created •an oscilla-
~ion in thought, causing a. deviation from the progressive
movement. . . . .,. . 1

:Yet it was a fact •that Shahu asked the new. J agadguru to

eliminate any. ~gent between God and· Man: The J agadguru
'\V~S,. allowed the privilege of marriage and it. seems that the
Jagadguru was a sort ·of administrator in religi~~s matters· and
not a representative of God. If it was an arrangement' fa'~ the
Marathas, his designation •was aptly described as Kshatra
Maratha Jagadguru .• It w~s a shock to the ·reformers, and they
interpreted it as a move towards : a new slavery: Thi~ also
meant that Shahu. had excluded the non-Maritha communities
from his fold. ' • •
 JtSUATRA JACADCURU 451
IV

Although Sh:ihu created a Kshatra Jagadguru, he was

no longer a blind believer m religion as he was in his youth.
His exposition of and attack on Drahminism and the Puranas
grew relentlessly. He gr.tdually changed his ideas about God
and religion and in the closing days o[ his life he came to behe're
that "God does not require worship. faith and prayers", In
hu unpubhshed pamphlet which he called "Cha1lenge"1:.
he propounded his Jdeas. "God is not aU pol\crfuI beC.luse He
ts a prisoner bound by his DWh laws." Acrordmg to his new
faith, mere faith and prayer l'.ere futile. A man could be pro-
pitiated by pratse or through the influence of a middle man
who may t,e paid. But God, he said, could not be thus won
over "If God is alJ-perv.idmg and all-present,'' he asked, "why
should He need a middle man or flattery, pra)ers and faith?
If he is all-knowing and alI-embracmg, how could you deceive
Jum?" So he said, "Praise man but not God."
'"God requires,'' he continued, "good actions and not praise.
The Re'realed .Books are a mere myth The Christian belief that
a man is a bsoh'ed from hu, sins by confessing to a priest is a wrong
belief. If God is one, how is it that His revealed word is so
diverse and contained m so many inspired books? Our own
Scriptures are full of 'immoral and obscene stories. Why
should we take them as Scriptures? iThe authors of books
which have interposed go.betweens between 'men and God
oug-ht to be prosecuted for fraud." ' '
Shahu's pamphlet gives a patheuc' description of the woes
which the non-Brahmin Hindus suffered through the auming
and triclery of the pnesthocd. It males men believe that a
stone image is a god whose pleasure is held by itself in the-
palms of its own hands and that even the touch of devoted non•
Brahmins po1Iutes the god (m the image) and that e,en the
chastity of the non-Brahm.in Jady is a fit sacrifice before its sinful
altar.
• "The efficaq," he continued, "oE v1ct11cus action must be-
believed in. Astrology 1s a fraud. It JS created by ielfish pne~ts.
Good action is the basis of man's highest greatness. Jnuges
are merely the instruments of priestcraft. 'The caste or- Cl.en the
452 Sll.\lll' CHIIATR.1\l'ATI; A ROY.Al, Rl:\'Ol,1:TIO~,\HY

Varna system is a fraud. ll is said lhat the four Vanws ,\·ere

based on difference of qualities mnl actions. But ha, not C\'Cll
a Brahmin, doing- the work of his clas~. ;ilso to ~crvc :ll lC'ast the
members o[ his own family? Earh indh·itlual belongs more or
less to all four classes."
Shahu did not agree with the theories :-:ml ,·icw~ propounded
by the priestly hicr:,rchr of the llrahmins. Hut it dicl 11ot neces-
sarily mean that no crclc:si.1stic:1l org:mi!-ation ,,·as ncccs~:n-y for
the aw1inmcnt of social gootl. 1Ie did not w;mt t11 cl~tro:· all
organisations root and h1-;mch, hut he only wamccl to purify the
priestly system. The Satya Shoc.Ilwk .Samaj rlid not hold that
there should be no religions or religious heads. What it w:mtccl
10 object to w;is the agent who profc~scd to promise ~pirirnal
,vclfare in relun\ for some benefit to he confctn:d upon him :ind
whose inten·cntion was claimed to be u1rnvoid:ihlc.
"\\1hoe\'Cr," said a Satya-Shodhakitc, "putposcly rahed :i. w:i.11
oI ignorance between Cod ancl 11an, the dc\'otee, with the hope
of securing some profit to himscl£-it is such Cunts (Priests)
that the Samaj ostraci1.cs," "In this country," obsern-d ~lukunc.1-
rao Patil, editor of Dina Mitra, "the liberal minded Shahu
Chhatrapati was courageously carrying on the work of creating
this ,new consciousness among many castcs." 1•:
Shahu had now launched a movement for tkstroying the socio-
religious organisations of,thc priesthood in the Dccc:m. To put
it in a nutshell, he was destroying the monopolr of the priest
class based ,on birth.-
L. Robertson had written to Shahu on Octoher 16, 1920, that
it was not advisable for him to visit naramati. He hoped that
, Shahu was not contemplating ,reprisals. "I am,'' Robertson
observed, "quite in favour of the general ideas underlying the
work of, the Satya Shodhak Samaj, but it does not appear to me
that their propagation ,is advanced by hurling epithets at ]~rnh-
mins." The Resident informed Shahu that he trusted Sh:ihu
would see that a very small party went from ,Kolhapur to the
.conference at Baramati.
In the Poona Court, the Magistrate omitted Shahu's name for
·want of jurisdiction. Yet his opponents made a revision appli-
.cation. Shahu wrote to several rulers asking them wl1ether there
,vere ,cases in which British Courts had been 1·equired to take
 , K.SIIATRA;JACADGUlW '" 153
acuon against the Ruling Princes under the ordinary criminal
law. He sent Karkhanis, one of the officers in his confidence, to
Indore to bnng thii inform.:i.tion.
Shahu l'.-as not sure of what would be the decision of the
Coun on the revmon ap,phc:i.tion. An}how, he wanted to
extncate himself from the situation, ;;md so lie wrote on October
20, to the Bntish officen that there was nothing- wrong m his
conduct at the meetmg "Now." ,he said, "if they go to fabri-
cate evidence, I shall be helpless. There is no influence behind
the Jedhe p:i.rty. they have no stuff and they are not men of
educ:i.tion. Gm-ernment alone cm save me." Yet again Shahu
requested l\fontgomerie not to ask him to refuse the Baramati
invitauon, because they l\Ould think, "I ant a de~erter and people
,..,,111 Jose aU confidence and faith in me."
It was pan of Shahu's strategy to bide his ume when he ,1a.s
helpless, bm he agam asserted his stand when rhe position im-
proved I Montgometie and Robertson e,pn.ssed their op.imon
that Shahu Chhatrapat1 was not amenable:-- to the criminal 1urii-
diction of British Incl1an Courts Therefore they ast.ed him not
to worry about the case as he was afraid to mo, e out lest the
l\Iag-istrate issue a process at any time
Jitendra NaraJan Bhoop from London 1-\-fote to Shahu on
December 8, 1920, that Wilborn Court m Britain ltad refmed to
admit his case m Hl08 l'.hen the Magistrates came to know from
him that he was the son of the 1\faharaJa of Cooch Behar~ The
Magistrate had,sa1<l that he had no 1uri~diction to try the c:ise.
"By the comity .of nations a reignin~ so,ere1gn is treated as
exempt from the criminal as well as civil jurisd1cuon of a1I other
countnes." This was the position in the Bnush l:rw.l'l"
The prosecut10n, J...nowin~, now that 1he Chhatrapah as a
Prmce was not amenable to the 1unsdiction of the British Court,
was willing to withdraw the case-, provided Shahu stopped
helping the Maratha League and the Satya 'ihodhak SamaJ On
October 23 Shalm wrote to l\lontgomene that the Maratha
League was a political body and he had nothing to do 1d1h it.
"l ha\e," he obsen•ed, "declared many a time tliat I am not a
follower of the Satya Shodhal.. Samaj, but I am not willing lo
gne up the wort of the downtrodden maS!es and that of loyally
supporting the Government." On No,ember 4 the Gol'emor
451 SIIAHU CHIIATRAPATJ: A ROYAi, REVOLUTIONARY

wrote to Shahu that he might rely on the protcc:tion of the Bom-

bay Government, but he had no power to prevent the case going
to the High Cottrt. But i[ it went there, Government woulcl do
all in its power to protect the dignity of His Highness. The un-
fortunate occun-encc indicated, the Governor added, the undesir-
ability of ntling Princes taking an active patt in party politic.11
movements in British India.
· At this stage, Kcshavrao Thackeray received from Shahu a
gift of Rs. 1,000 to enable him to do his literary work in the
cause of social reform. Acknowledging the help Thackeray
wrote on October 27, 1920, that no pmns, either intellectual or,
physical, would be spared by him to strengthen the nussion
which Shahu devotedly espoused.

There were attempts at compromise through Khaserao Jadhav,

a soft-spoken and well-intentioned man. Through him the
Poona group tried to bring pressure upon Shahu to yield. Khase-
rao Jadhav, who stayed for three weeks in Poona after the
Bhawani Peth meeting, wrote to Shahu on October 21 that he
(More) was willing to withdraw·the complaint provided Shahu
was graciously pleased to assure him that he would not support
the members of the Maratha League and the Satya Shodhak
Samaj. "At least," he proceeded, "such is my impression. At
any rate Your Highness can take a neutral position and thus
bring all the Marathas together. Your Highness is the natural
leader of the Marathas. All should look up to you for guidance.
The position that is created is unnatural. It is likely to cause
you unnecessary worry. I doubt whether you should get yourself
entangled and that for no good. If you would kindly wire to me
tomorrow that you will give a necessary assurance, the· case will
be withdra,;vn and till your Highness' arrival, a postponement
will be asked for. 1 leave Your Highness to decide what you
think best. The proposal of Kothari is fair and it will avoid
many complications."
Shahu gave him a spirited and historic reply characteristic of
a maker of history. He said:· "I am not a Satya Shodhak: Nor
am I connected with the League. This is true, but if you tell
 KSIIAnA JACADGURU ,, ·!55
me tomorrow to give up my friendship with Mr, P. C. Patil or
l\fr. Shripatr:10 Shinde whom I have brought up like children, or
that I should abandon my wire because (her brother) lfab35alieb
Khanvilkar is a Satya Shodhak or that I should forget my
fraternal relationslup with 13apusaheb, his wife and hrother-in-
law {the Pannekars) as they are Satya. Samaj1m, what ~haU I do]
" ..• Though I am a slave 0£ the Marathas, I am not prepared
to change my 01unions. I am not ready to give up my ideal. I
shall listen to you, nay, e,en to the meanest Maratha ..•. So I
am not going to be msolent towards any Maratha. 1 am their
sl.n·e. I am now with a cornplainc on my hf'3d and am in
difficult1es, ,•ery stupendous difficulties and therefore in aU humi-
lity l request that you should tell me to do anything to elevate
the l\farathas after consulting ,our l\I G etc. Any progressive
Mara.th a may demand any service from me I am not pufff'd up
today because the complaint has been dismissed But I am ready
to obey any order which }OU all will give me consistently with
mr traditions and character." In another Jetter 0£ the same
day, Shahu wrote: "'You know I never take beef or wines Ilot
there are some Princes, and gentlemen too, who do this and
deny having done so But I shall always say that I do a thing
when in fact I do it. 1 shall never gt\'e lip friendly and allied
communities. . . . I am made to suffer for plain speaking :md I
am ready to suffer for it. I sha11 obey you, but don't tell me to
fo1S.]ke any principles. I shall not go against my ideals. . . .
I know full well that aU this 1s intended to frighten me. Ilut
I shall never be frightened ... The charge of having
stopped the obJations to tbe Pandharpur shrine brought against
me is false. I have maintained the offerings as before. But
instead of their being used to feed the idle and lazy foHot1-"S', I
have arranged to utilise them for encouraging learning. That JS,
the offerings a.re to go to feed students and if the priesu of the
temple object to their removal, the oblations are to be offered
beyond their limits and then utilised by the students "
Shahu was to go to Bombay to bid farewell to l\'od'ehouse
who ,vas retiring. All British officers advised him not to stop at
Poona or to palaver with his enemy. He met the Governor on
November 5, 1920, and had a pleasant talk with him. He told
the Governor that at that time the non•13rahmin Association
456 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL•REVOLUTIONARY

and the Satya Shodhak ought vigorously to counteract 'Gandhi's

mischief' and:. he had created a party at Nasik. If non-
co-operation once took root, ·it would grow strong. And in spite
of the attacks in newspapers like Rajluiran) Lolwsrmgralw, Kesari,
Sandcsh and others he would go on till he was useful to the
Government and to the lowest classes.
Just then- Khaserao Jadhav, to his great shock, realised that
the so-called leaders of the Brahmins could descend very low in
their tactics. So he again wrote to Shahu on No\•ember 9, 1920.
He said: •"Till the Poona affairs. I thought, as you well know
that we should take Brahmins with us. I am now convinced
after three weeks' stay· in Poona, that the Brahmins are an in-
con-igible lot. • After all it seems the line of policy you had so
long followed is co1Tect. I do not, however, give you much credit
for this ·as you live in the midst o[ Maharashtra while I ·am in
Gujarat." The -Marathas and others, he added, should work
independently of the Brahmins but not on the principle of
hatred but purely for tlie sake of making the masses independent,
that is, to make them' stand on their own legs and to make them
learn the principles of self-help."
• Khaserao •Jadhav said· he advised the people against non-
co-operation; •but found the policy· had a deep appeal to the
µiasses. • He told.the masses•in·C.P. and Berar that Shahu was
not in 'favour 0£ non-co-operation. The masses were slow to
say that the British 'Government was callous with regard to their
interests. In Bei:ar and C.P., Khaserao added, no boy was allow-
ed to appear· for •the Matriculation Examination after the' age
0£ 20, while this rule did not apply to Muslim boys.
"A strong suggestion," Khaserao further observed in his letter,
"was made to me that instead of accepting your leadership we
should be guided by Mahatma Gandhi: • People '.knmil •that you
are their natural'·leader. But they have equally begun to ·realis·e
that you are helpless to. lead i:hem ·on ·account of your political
relaLions with :the· British Government'." Because ·'of Shahu's
inability to lead them, the people said they should now accept
Gandhi's leadership, he added. • :• :
Khaserao then referred to Gandhi's speech at Bhawani Peth
which he hacl delivered· on November 5, denouncing the Brah-
mins' low tactics as well as the •tactics.of the Government which
 XSH4.17U JACA.Z>GVRl' H7
he called Satanic. In Khaserao's view "Gandhi ·wants to unite
India, and the methods he has adopted in Maharashtra are such
::i.,, wi11 easily brmg the .Maratha.t and the alJred castes round his

flag of non<0-0peration."
Concluding his letter, Khaserao said, "I hope, by the grace of
God, leaders lil..e you will stem the tide and prevent the ::'\fara.thas
falling under the influence o( Mahatma Gandhi,"
It is evident that Khaser:w w:u much mfluenced bt Gandh,'s
speech l\hich the l\Iahatma had ma.de at Bhav.-ani Peth At this
time the views of Gamfhi on the caste s1-stem a.nd on Vamashram
Dh,11ma were not well lnown It is true that Gandhi on
August 22, 1920, had told the Btahmins at Madras that in their
arrogance, the distim:uon w11id1 they J1.1d drawn beii,·een thern-
seh es and the other castes was as diabolical as the distinction
dra,,n by European races between themseh es and the darter
races. Gandhi had, repeated bu opinion .tn Young lrul1a of
October 27, 1920, that the treatment of non·Brahmms by the
llrabmins was .:is satanic .as the treatment ghen to Jndi:ins by
the Dritfah
But Gandhi, in order to win O\er the Mahamshtra Congress
leaders, v.ho \\ere mostly l3rahmins, to his side in the non co-
operation mo,ement, modified his statement at the Bhawani Peth
meeting. He said that the problem of non-Brahmms m l\Iadras
was d,fierent and ,ery acute. He asserted that he had ~aid at
Madras that the Brahmm treatment of the Panchamas was ,as
Satanic as the treatment meted out by the bureaucracy to
Indians He now used the 1mrd Panchamas mstr.:1d of the word
non-Ilr::ihnunsl "So long," he added, "we had not got nd of the
satolmsm in us, we w-ere not lit to o~ercame ,,: zn others." Candhi
concluded, "'I am an orthodox Hindu I am a V,ushn;n a.. I
am a staunch behe,er in Vamashr:tm " 18
. In a .statement he mued after tl1e ro•-.cl)1~m at PCX>na, Shahu
said· "Mahatma Gandhi seem~ to ha,e changerl his opinion. I
a.m not sure whether he wants m to go bad. to the Vedic times.
nut I would bke to say to him, 'No thanls, we cantiot put the
clock bad,.. ' The revival of the old system would me\'ttably mean
revival of the social sla\ery from which the Depressed Classes
uere bemg emancipated."
· -158 SHAHU CI·IHA'ITu\PATI: A ROYAL REVOLU'l'JONARY

, It is evident that Shahu's views on the caste system were more

radical and revolutionary than those of Gandhi, But because of
l1is political and constitutional position he could not take a
radical political view of the situation in India as a whole, and
most of the Indian leaders of his day were not far away from the
political stand he had taken in the early years of the nineteenth
century. All knew that he had declared himself in favour of
swaraj.
Though now in troubled waters, Shahu's work for the uplift
of the people continued uninterruptedly. In October 1920 he
had passed the Hindu Code and it came into force from Novem•
bcr 11, 1920. The special significance of the Hindu Code was
that it anticipated all the social changes that took place in the
ncxl fifty years in Maharashtra. In short, the Hindu Code re-
moved the ruscriminations that had becri maintained for ages
between the lower and the higher classes based on the caste
system or Varnashram Dhanna. The revolutionary part it
played was that the Mitahshar system, which had derived its
principles of inequality and injustice as regards legitimate rhilcl·
ren and succession rights, was abandoned, ancl the divorce laws
were simplified. Adoption of sister's son was now permissible
in all Hindu classes. What is most important the courts were
given powers to allow divorce by consent. Shahu had the Code
drawn up with much care and in consultation with Beaman,
the retired Chief Justice of Bombay. The laws were simplified
and codified in such a way that it would not be a paradise
for lawyers. Every Hindu was made equal before the law. This
act of rational, social reconstruction made Kolhapur a progres-
sive State, more progressive than most 0£ the States in India.
Shahu wrote to J. B. W. Mcrewether, the new Resident, on
November 16, 1920, that Bhaskarrao Jadhav was a trusted officer
of his, a man of patienc~. experience and courage. And giving
the Resident his impression of Gandhi's personality, Shahu
said, "One thing is certain, that Gandhi is a very strong striking
personality." Merewether hoped that Shahu's relations with him
would continue to be harmonious.
At this stage the British Government announced the establish·
ment o{ the Princes' Chamber. Shahu wrote to the Government
that as the Princes were not sufficiently educated, a President
 XSHATRA JACAOOIJJi.U

selected from :unong them.seh·es v.-ould inspire in thein greater

freedom o( debate and confidence than would be the ca.se in the
migu.n: presence of Hu Excellenq.
Brahmin newspapers like the Ra1karan and Lokashaklt and
Lokasangraha kept vdi(ymg Shahu. V1thal ,vaman Hadap, who
was a resident of Kolhapur, had started Lokashah, m .Bombay,
launchmg a virulent attacl on Shahu, his family and his. Darbar.
It r,'.llsed a hue and cry against tl1e Darb:u· for die alleged pene--
cution of the Brahmin Ku1karnis and against his alleged raising
o[ the unworthy to high posts. Hadap had declared on Decem-
ber 13, 1920, that he '"'-as bnnging out a special number on Shahu
and his State. On December 10, 1920, Shahu rtquested the Dom•
bay Gmemment c:o mal..e inquines into the matter and info1med
it that "the editor of the paper was a female actor in dramas and
has committed petty.thefts and was a cheat who has not paid his
hotel ch:mres." Sha.bu further said that he had stopped making
SJ)eeches and led the life of a sporuman and an admimstrator.
"It is cowardly," Shahu obscned md1gnandy, "to pnnt a book
like tlus when l cannot attack others or defend myself or put my
case before the public . . although I am not a Sat):t Shodhak
Samajisr, they make me out one in order that 1 should be hated
by the public."
The Lokashah, was circulated tn Koihapur and the Kuikamis
praised it highly. Shahu had to take drastic steps against its
influence. Early in December, the Patil of Chmchali was dismiss•
ed for- havmg :re.ad out the LokmhahJ to some people. Its scur-
rilous remarks agamst the members oE hts fanuly wrung his
heart. On December 21, 1920, Shahu wrote to Maharani Lamtl-
bai· "You are certainly aware of what is published m the
Lokasa.ngraha of December 20, under the heading "The Kshatriya
Purdah Ladies of Kolhapur" You must be remembenng that
some time back Rurtakou published a surular mean attick
:i:gainst Her Highness Ak.:tsaheb Mahara:J. The Brahmfo P.ress
has reached the climax in defaming us and our family. If you
are my true wife, you will do away with the Brahmin pnests
henceforward and get all religious ntes done by the Juhatnya
priest of )our own caste. 1\'ever swene from thu detennfoa~
don." He wrote a sjm1lar letter to his brother. daughter,
daughter-in-faw and brother's wife.
'
460 SHAHU CHHATRAPATr: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Yet the Maharanhvas not firm in-hennind: •So Shahu' used a

ruse.. He got her Brahmin priest to read Chapter 69 of the
Matsya Purana in which every non-Brahmin woman. is enjoined
to take the vow of feeding the Brahmin to his heart's content and
submitting her pcrson:for his enjoyment every Sunday. Hearing
this, the Maharani stood up deeply excited and bade goodbye to
her priest ·once for all. She asked the Maratha priest to officiate
thereafter at ·all religious rites.
By nature the Maharani was kind-hearted, sagacious and
resolute. She had a good knowledge of the Ayurvedic system of
medicine and she prescribed for her domestic servants and her
relatives as their benefactor. An expert at needlework, she
embroidered vivid pictures of ·lions, tigers, elephants and birds.
She was also a connoisseur of pearls and jewels.
A. B. Latthe was elected to the Central Assembly and the most
important Bill he later introduced was relating to ,the abolition
of. the system of village priests. Unfortunately Khaparde and
Srinivas Sastri helped the orthodox members to defeat it.
At last, the complaints in the Poona Court were disposed of on
December 25, 1920. The Magistrale discharged all the accused
and held that a Ruling Prince was not subject to the jurisdiction
of a British Coun. On December 26, 1920, Shahu heartily and
gratefully thanked the Government for their sympathies with
him in his trouble, and the way in which· the matter had been
dealt with.
 C 11 A P TC Il 25

Not a Traitor but Saviour

SHAHU "Wrote to Resident l\C ~rewether on January ~. I 921, that

Jus detcctnes in the Brahmin camp had informed him of the
efforts the Bra.hmins were maJ..ing- to show that Sh:ihu was the
c::mse o( ,1g1latzon and unrest between the Ilrahmins and the non-
Brahm1ns m the whole 0£ Bnt1sh India, especialh in the Bomb:1}
Presidency and outside it. And indeed it ,~as a faLt as tn1e .l$
the sratement m;ule by Chiral jn bis /nd1a11 U11rest that Tilak
was the father of unrest ln India Of course Tilal.. was concerned
with the polltical unrest v. hereas Sha.bu w.11 wi(h the sod;J.
Shahu protested against Jt as did TifaJ.., but these were unofficial
titles cohferrcd on them by their enemies who gave the peep!~ the
correct estimate of their work. '
The Chief of Sangli <lid not encourage the troubie-m:ilen. in
Kofhapur State, but :Mi'.raj was rather indifferent ::md the Chief
of Aundh was t:tl...ing the lead because Sha1nt had been a fnend
0£ the depo~ed Chief of Aundh. There were some' 12umes in
Aundh, and a few Dral1mms were mjured As (heie'Dtahmin~
lodged !I. complaint to the Resident against Shahu, .Shahn asked
hun to leep an open mmd, hear what both sides had ro say and
judge for 1umself. SJiahu th~n added a note and obscned
solemnly: "Rightly or wto;,gly, I have cal..en the side of the non-
Brahmins for ihe, last twent}·fhe years ' •rhdn it was apprcwed
by the GO\emment and I thinl.. the Go,emment appro,e 1t e,en
now. My betraymg the non-Brahmins at the present dme ,would
nun me in their e)es So I am. trying to retire s1m\ly and gTa•
dually so th:it J may not Jose their~confidence "1
Shahu visited l\fadru early in the first week of January 1921
and stayed there as a guest of Lo.rd lV'JlHnsdon, the GO\emor of
461
462 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Madras. The Madras Governor did not make his visit official a~
it might have surprised George Lloyd if his Principal Ruling
Prince assisted Willingdon in welcoming the Duke of Connaught.
expected to visit Madras shortly. The main object of Shahu's
visit was the Tanjore case appeal which had been filed in July
1920 at the Madras High Court. The second object was to pay
a visit to the leaders of the Justice Party which had triumphantly
come out in the recent elections of the Madras Presidency, com-
pletely defeating the Brahmin forces. The third was to pay a
visit to Governor Lord Willingdon. The Governor had kept
Guintly Park House at his disposal, where Shahu passed sleepless
nights as he felt that this splendid. house was haunted by ghosts.
' At the Justice office Shahu met the non-Br:ilimin leaders, the
leading Justicites who were happy over,,their brilliant victory.
• He also met the theosophist leaders at Adyar. He met his
advocates who were to conduct the Tanjore case. Tl).e main aims
0£ the Justice Party were to promote the social, economic and
political interests of the non-Brahmins in Tamil Nadu and it was
wholly opposed to the dominance and prh;ileged position of the
Brahmins. • , •
The point in the Tanjore, case i','.as ,~hether or. not the last
Raja Shivaji of Tanjore was a Kshatriya and the descendant of an
illegitimate descendant of the brother of Shivaji •the Great.
There .was a dispute over the property of the Tanjore Royal
family .between the illegitimate· children of the Ia.st Raja and
Shalm Chhatrapati who claimed it. But the Sub-Judge of
Tanjore had declared in 1918 thauhc Royal family or'Tanjore
was Shudra and. so the illegitimate children of the last Raja
were entitled to the property .which Shahu claimed on the
grounds that the Ta~jore family ,was Kshatriya. The Hindu
law was that the illegitimate children 0£ the re~encrate clas3cs
were not entitled to property. "
'What Shahu found at Madras is explained by him in a Jetter
of January 9, 1921: ''The case was in the hands of my Brahmin
officers and the conscqt1encc was that a Brahmin pleader know-
ing tl1at he was likely to be appointed to a high post was paid
ahout thirty-five thousand nipccs: He has now been raised to
that post and is not returning my money. I find that· the
Brahmin ple:1dcrs here arc neither influential nor clever enough.
 1'0T A TRAITOR BUT SA\'!OUR , 4Gl
The feelings between the Brahmins and the non-Drahmms here
:tre very high, much more high than in our Presidency. The
Brahmin newspapers here have much vilified me and considered
me to be a leader of the non-Brahmins and ha\"e taken up the
cause of my opposite party in the Tanjore case and (my
Bra.hmm pleaders?) ban~ neither ·worked fodustriously nor
sincerely So I am thinking 0£ entrustmg my case to some other
pka.der who would Jool. better to my interest. I h.1ve spent
Jakhs of rupees on it. I have no confidence m the Rrahmin
pleaders as they h;n-e not properly conducted my case so long.".!
At a public meeting in Madras Shahu said, "I am not here
as a Rufer, but as a friend and servant of roiIIiom, whose condi-
tion must excite pity of a man carrying a buman heart in his
hody.••s
As Shahu referred to the Indian political problem in this
speech, several papers in l\fahara.-.htra protested against his
interference in British Indian politics The Bomba}' Ch.romc{e_,
bitterly attacking Shahu for his speeches, said that he ·was intensi-
fying the unfortunate divismns in the country. He owed it, it
said. to the hospitality he received and to the unwritten com'l:!n-
Hon of internatfona.l relations to obierve .snence jn the domestic
poht1cs of the British provinces• "This is not onl)' an interfc:r-
t>nce; H i, an impertinence." T11e Indian Social Reform.er
requested the Government to convey a polite remmder to Shahu
of the desirability o( confining his pohtictJ propaganda to his
State.$
At Adyar Shahu had dm:umom with Besant and Geoq;:c
Anmdale,' and he thought for n. moment that he would become
a vegetarian \Vhat Tophkhane wrote later in his Mem01rs ol
Shahu was, 1t seems, a coloured acc-ount,, Shahu later said on
May 3, 1921, that Dr. Nair's book on Besant sa,ed him from
falling mto her clutches. Dr. T M. Nair had described Dr.
Besant as a woman a£ deep penetrat10n, quid.. conception and
easy delh'ery.a Mrs Besant fulminated for }ears against Dr.
Nair for this vitnohc remark. • •,
Shal1u wanted to be a member of the Cosmopolitan Club in
Madras. , So, he wrote to Sir Theagaraya asking for its rules
and regulations. He would deem it a great honour. he said, to
be a member of a great institution where great leaden hL.e
464 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A'·ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

'Theagaraya . had opportunities of meeting and discussing the

serious problems of the day. Although he was himself the victim
of Brahmin · wrath~ he may •have expressed, as •Tophkhane
claimed, ·some dislike of the deadly antagonism of the l\f adras
leaders to the Brahmins, for he had some good Brahmins as
friends. Shahu returned to Kolhapur on January 12, 1921.
The- Darbar was prosecuting the Vidyavilas, a Kolhapur
newspaper, for ):mblishing letters against the activities of the
Satya Shodhak Samajists. The Kesari said that the Kolhapur
newspapers conducted under the direct or indirect inspiration
of the Maharaja, published more objectionable articles than the
one that appeared in 'the Vidyavilas. 1 The Lokasangraha had
a jibe at Shahu ftff. this action. Later, in July, the editor,
G. S. Gokhale, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment.
Thackeray was HI in January 1921, and Shahu, who wanted
to put under obligation journalists an'd workers of his persua-
sion, sent him a cheque for· Rs. 5,000 as an offer for writing a
book on a subject ·Shahu would assign to him. His real object
in doing this was to oblige Thackeray, who had, been supporting
Shalm. Being an independent by conviction, Thackeray was
not likely to toe Shahu's line •in everything. He therefore
refused to accept the cheque. He had asked Shahu for money,
not for maintaining himself and his family but for his work.
• Dr. Ambedkar was: completing his thesis for his D.Sc. at the
London School of Economics.•· On February 3, 1921,. he wrote to
Shalm that Montagu might take his cue from the Moderates,
but he ,vas certain. that Montagu would not speak despisingly
of the non-Brahmin movement which 'Montagu, in fact; none
over there, ever cared 'to understand. "It is to be· re~retted,"
he obsen•ed, ·"that. no good exponent of the non-Brahmin
movement was· present during the critical period when the Re-
form Bill was on the anvil. Consequently, it became quite an easy
task for the enemies of the movement to represent it as only
anti-Brahmin. Its democratic side was ingeniously suppressed
so that a distorted view of the same is what is present in the
minds of· most English people."
"As the Reforms," Dr. Ambedkar continued, "are a fa.it
accompli, few people trouble about the number or nature of
factions prevailing in India.. Yet to be prepared for the future
 NOT A TRAITOR BUT SAVIOUR 1G5
Vte must dig from now. I therefore tale every opportunity
possible to put e,ery important Englishman I meet into a right
frame of mmd regardmg the inter-relations of social and poli~
ucal problems 111 India. As my endeai·ours are after the occa-
sion there can be no immediate effect; but I hope time will
show that they are not wasted"
Dr. Ambedl.ar further informed Shahu that he had tried to
establish an assoe1ation in London as directed by him, but it
needed funds and a paid secretary. He lnew 1'.'"Cll that such an
association would be benefic1;:1.l to the Depressed Cbsses, hut the
cost was far above the means of the people l\tontagu twice
urged Dr. Ambedkar to be a Member of the Bombay J..egulathe
CounoI, but Dr. Ambedkar could not think of leavmg hi.1
studies half-finished and returning to India for the sake of a
place in the Council
"I am not wedded to personal glory," conduded Dr.
Ambedkar, "and although I have given up a chance of doing
soaal service of my people, I hope Your Highness ,ull see that
this only means that I wish to be better prepared in order that l
may do a greater sen ice." And indeed, Dr. Ambedkar did nitat
he s:ud he would.
Dr. Ambedkar added m a note that he had made friend, with
the editor of the London Times and enclosed an article on the
educa.tion of the Depressed Classes which Dr. Ambedkar caused
him to write.
The widowhood of Shahu's )ounger daughter-in-law w:u
causing him great anxiety. On February 2, 1!121, he wrote to
the unlucJ..y girl-widow: "I am anxioru to make ,-ou h:appy
though )Our husband, }our mother and }Our hrotJ1er hale left
Jou. But )ou must not neglect education and must remain
faithful to the memory· of )Our husband." Sh:ihu ga,e constant
care and attention to her training and education. It was his
wish that she should e,entually tale charge of cclucauon in
the State. A little farer he observed in his letter tl1:1t she ,~.u
mating him happy by her good beha,iour and obe<l1ence.
To learn, be added, to put aside her own l'.ill to gne
happiness to her elder.. was the cl1ar.icteri\tic of a true hdy. .k
educa.tion npan<led her mental yision, her 1houghu ,~ould be-
come nobler. Shahu asled her not to neglect her 1tud1~. He
SC--00
466 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

wanted to make her a highly educated woman. It ·was her

sacred d~ty to fulfil this wish. "Needless to say," he concluded,
"an uneducated person is blind, though he has eyes." Later, on
August 7, 1921, he wrote to the Resident that he wanted to
make his daughter-in-law a Doctor.
Shahu was in Delhi till the middle 0£ February 1921. He
attended the inauguration of the Chamb~r of Princes by the
Duke 0£ Connaught with whom he had an interview. From
Delhi Shahu wrote on February 5, 1921, that on his return
journey he wanted to stay in Poona to see the changes carried
out in his bungalow. The people of Poona, he added, wanted
to make him a criminal which he was in their eyes, but he was
not a convicted one! He had an interview with the Viceroy
and discussed the Press Act and the hardships caused to the
Princes from the total repeal of the Press Act under which no
curb was exercised in British India over newspapers attacking
the Indian Princes. The second point he discussed with the
Viceroy was about the extension of the term of Merewether.
The Viceroy said he would give careful consideration to the
problem. The Viceroy then made inquiries about Sh?.hu's
]1ealth, and the interview ended. On February 14 Shahu sent to
the Bombay Government a copy 0£ his counsel's opinion received
from 'Bombay on the question 0£ the vile criticism levelled
against him and .his family. He returned to Bombay on
February 20, 1921.

II

It was during his stay in Bombay that Shalrn had discussions

with Keshavrao Thackeray on George Savile's (?) Pricstcraft and
Kingcraf t and on the essays of Robert Ingersoll and Dr. Dean
Inge. Shahu cited some extracts from Savile and from the es3ays
o[ Ingersoll and said that none should make bold to discuss
social reform without the study o[ Ingersoll. Thackerar, himself
a voracious reader, was astonished to see a ruler citing pages
from such books and his deep study o[ them impressed him
greatly. Shahu told Thackeray that just as priesthood would
one day come to an end so one day kingship also would com-
plete its tum. The Indian Princes were hanging on the thread
 NOT A TRAITOR BUT SAVIOUR 1G7
o[ British kindness and those threads were bound to gh,e way
e,entually. The lmgship also wouJd one day be abolhhed.8
Thacleray's famous book Bh1kshukshal11che B11nda was m the
maling and Shahu's ad\'Jce pro,ed of great benefit to 'Ihacleray.
Shahu purchased m advance two thousand c:op1es of the hook
and helped him to buy reference books.
Among the Yenomous enem1es of Shahu in the joumafotiC'
world ivere the Loka:;halu, Lokasangraha and Ra1karan, the
first being a scumlous rag as somebody described it! J:n all:tr'!
Tarun Alaratha m Kolhapur published something agamst Gun1al
of Poona, and as a protest agamst this, Shahu was abused mere••
Iessly at Poona Dinl.arrao Javalkar was a fluent, forceful and
fiery writer. His p1ay Pranay Prabhav, which upheld Patel's
Bill and denounced the orthodox, was banned by the Ilombay
Go ... emment at the instance of some Poona Dr:i.hmins. Ja,·alkar
was an asset to the non-Brahmm Party. Shahu encouraged him
to stan the Tarun Maratha m Kolhapur and wtth bis ready
wit Ja,alkar fulfilled the need of the hour.
The Dnyanprakash and the KeJar, went on pubhshmg letters
wnh a view to pulling down Shahu in tl1e e)es of the Go,ern-
ment and the people Rumours were circulated that Shahu
intended to enter the Kalaram temple of Nas1l ,dth a thousand
Maha.rs He was condemned at Chiplun when the Ratnagui
District CongTess held its conference. They created a v::ne of
antagonism against Jum. It was ntilloure<l that Chhap\:11:me
was o_penmg a new Press at Kupwad to defame SJ1ahu and to
frighten the other Princes into submission to Iii, party's will.
It was an organised campaign o[ calumny agamst 5hahu catried
on through nel'o'lipapen:, public speeches and rumours.
As the kader of a p.irty or mO\ement, Sh.aim was readv to
face the attad..s on him in the press. n1ese atlacl.s, he, Celt,
nught be justified as step~ in pany politics, but he quite- bi.led
to understand the Cllumny they l'oCTC sprc:idin~ ag;iimt hi1
family! Accon]mg to Shahu, family rdations \\ere sac:ttd in
e,cry pan of the l\orld, but 1hese journal!! h3u "ilific<l Jui
widowed daughter-in-fa\\, attrilrntctl unmanliness 10 Ith son and
comkmned Jus dav,:hU'r for li,fo;- m Kolh.apur ins1e.:1d of at
De,..-as Tiie genim of :l po\\erful journalist i, aJwa13 slilfuJ
in m1,;:ing facts witl, fiction. E,cn at the co,t of COn.,"CTlital
468 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

defects of his opponents he tries to run down his opponents!

R. C. Burke, the Administrator of Bhavnagar, sent Shahu
five cheetas and ten· hawks, two white bucks and two doves.
Burke sent back to Kolhapur a beautiful tiger, lonely and
miserable at Bhavnagar, which Shahu had sent to Bhavsinhji,
when the Maharaja was alive. Besides sending these splendid
animals to Kolhapur, Burke gave a fine piece of advice to Shalm.
He said: "The times are changing and Kings cannot remain
blind to the fact."
Shahu got the accounts of various departments completed,
and attended to the arrears of the judicial business which had
been long pending. In doing this he had to deal harshly with .
50me of the officers who were thinking of leaving his service. In
•Col. Harold's time, Shahu did much useful and constructive
,vork and now in the regime· of Col. Merewether he continued
:making a contribution in the codification of the Hindu law.
To him Merewether was like a civilian~ very intelligent and
clever; he had a quick grasp of things and was a good friend.
This shmvs he was sometimes unduly prejudiced against a new
appointment of Resident.

Ill

Shahu now again got into trouble and began to talk of abdi-
cation. It happened t}:lat on his way to Delhi and back, he
wrote some notes on "Non-co,operation and how 10 remedy it"
for private circulation. In his over-enthusiasm to help the
British Government and its high officials, he had prepared the
notes and sent them privately to some British officers. But not
satisfied with the typed material, Shahu sent his clerk to the
Times of India Press to get a pamphlet printed. As the Times
of India Press was very busy, Shahu's clerk went to Indu J>rakash
.Press where it was printed.
Through the lndu Prakash Press, it seems that the pamphlet
Jca"kecl out and was published in the Bomba)' Chronicle. On
J\Iarch 3, 1921. under the heading 'Smash this Movement' the
{;/ironiclc said: "The Maharaja of Kolhapur demands repres-
sion." The Bomba)' Chronicle started with a preface. "\Ve
:rmblfah below the text of a 'private and a confidential' letter
 NOT A TRAITOR BUT SA\IOlJR 469
which is being circulated by the Maharaja. of Kolhapur among
his friends and to those concerned TI1e M.1har-aja cied;1.rcs an
uncompromi5mg l\a.r against the Non<0-opcrauon l\[O\ emenr,
the principle of which, he U}S, is gm<luall) taking roo1 in the
Indian mmd." 'The GO\ernment," the Mahar:ija addt, "h:ne
uptil now used no pte\entne measures and so rln; rmschie,ous
mo,ement is spreading lile Wil<l-fire all o,cr the roun1n. lf
GO\-ernment do not use its milit:try :ind police to tuunter.ac:t 1hi~
moYement, then \\hat J.s the use of tmhtaI) and police'i"
\\11:it \\ere die measures Shahu suggested IP tJic Go,trnr,enr?
He ,•,ranted more influential and lo)al new1papen. and tl1e-
crcation of a non-Brahmm party pledged to fight the rcli~1ous
bureaucracy of the Brahmms and co rouore die p1tbl1c cspcc1.1llr
the agnculturim. "v.ho ,,ere pre1udked by die rabid Sjttches
of Gandhi, ShauL.a.t Ah an<l Mohammed Ali".
Hearing 0£ this shocking <l1~dosure of hn prh.t1e pamphlet
in the Bombay Chro,dcle, Sliahu \\TOte to Col. J...a}r 10 tear up
his letters or to l~t• them 1n a prn-:i.le box. His clrrk !,;id
betr.i.yed him, Shahu :iddcd. lt wa, n1mouttd th:i.t Sh.:tlm wa.s
to be .:assaulted either in Poona or in Bomba}. A quarrd \\':It
10 be pkkrd up wjth Mm on the ro.ad and 1he pollrt', D'itensibly
co pre,ent a. riot, would intenene s.o th:it thor-e in\ohcd would
be locled up inclmling Sb:i.hu.• Sh:ihu fe:ircd that the e,;ttcrnist
orgaru would lick up a t:tt.'.lt nm· ot-rr the hCM in t11e /;Q?n~trt
Chronicle and said, .. I h:i.,-c only 10 fac-c it cour:1~rom1}."10 'l11e
Poonaites, too, had mne in for a. rc,hion applic~1ion in the
criminal c::i.5('. fl 'has fus o'-'n doing :ind :is .t non-offici:at
:id,·iser o{ 1he Gm"emor Sluhu h:ul imited the trouble :ind pto-
\'01..NI the e11rsn of tfu~ n:t1ion.:th\1S.
Jt w~s not mertlf the ulcr:i. lo}:afot in !ih:.hu "h~ 1"1'TOl:1" tf,:111
pamphlet, but an irttsistible 1empu1ion or ;m inLom cle1i1r to
J1.3.r1icir,.,te in n:i.tion:il polities 2ml in polilial mMnnwu nudl"
J1im "'T1[e it. Ai he \o"U not fttt' IO do '°· he Jui! fO r.:tr tf1e
prn:c. Jt 11,-ould hnl"" been beucr if he h:id ~n born 2 cnHUJT
r-:1rl1er or had IX"'tn Jt,.1 slron$;. J~, inttlli.,"'M11. Jn :a r,rooo<l n(
deprwion Sh:.hu l<l"tOte io !i,(('.r~-r1h,:r on ~hn h -t, J7.?I: "I
frd d1::it it h hi:::h •i~ 1}ut J tl1mit,I h.1ml our the ;u!mininu
finn f(I mr JI.NJ :i:mf ~OU .u mr Ut1-i1JN1r .1mJ ttl ,;.r ttf :,II t!,i ..
hotht'r.'" .. l'rk ad..t.:• Sh:ahu continun.J, ..._rn, u·ry f,fah. I
'168 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

defects of his opponents he tries to run down his opponents!

R. C. Burke, the Administrator of Hhavnagar, sent Shahu
five cheetas and ten hawks, two white bucks and two doves.
Burke sent back to Kolhapur a beautiful tiger, lonely and
miserable at Bhavnagar, which Shahu had sent to Bhavsinhji,
when the Maharaja was alive. Besides sending these splendid
animals to Kolhapur, Burke gave a fine piece of advice to Shahu.
He said: "The times are changing and Kings cannot remain
blind to the fact." •
Shahu got the accounts of various departments completed,
and attended to the arrears 0£ the judicial business which had
been long pending. In doing this he had to deal harshly ·with ,
~ome of the officers who were thinking of leaving his service. ln
·Col. Harold's time, Shahu did much useful and constructive
·work and now in the regime of Col. Merewethcr he continued
:making a contribution in the codification of the Hindu law.
To him Merewether was like a civilian, very intelligent and
dever; he had a quick grasp of things and was a good friend.
This shows he was sometimes unduly prejudiced against a new
appointment 0£ Resident.

Ill

Shahu now again got into trouble and began to talk of abdi-
cation. It happened that on his way to Delhi and back, he
wrote some notes on "Nori-co-operation and how to remedy it"
for private circulation. In his over-enthusiasm to help the
British Government and its high officials, he had prepared the
notes and sent them privately to some British officers. nut not
satisfied with the typed material, Shahu sent his clerk to the
Times of India Press to get a pamphlet printed. As the Times
of India Press was very busy, Shahu's clerk went to Indu Prakash
J>ress where it was printed.
Through the Indu Prakash Press, it seems that the pamphlet
!lca'k.cd out artd was published 1n the Bombay Chronicle. On
).!arch 3, 1921, under the heading 'Smash this Movement' the
.Chronicle said: "The !vfaharaja of Kolhapur demands repres-
sion." The Bombay Chronicle started with a prefact>. "\,Ve
publish below the text o[ a 'private and a confidential' letter
 NOT A TRAITOR Btrl' SAVIOUR 471
The Seroanls of India hinted on March IO that the British
Go\emment was perfectly able to take care of itself and when
unable to do so, His H1gimess might rest perfectly assured that
his Joyal help would be asked for. He should not mterfere in
Brittsh-lndian politics Lokasangraha in its issue of Match 5,
said that Shahu was one of th0<;e who could not resist the tempta•
t1on of mal.mg an exhibition of his wrsdom, although he had
enough work to do m hts State. The Ra;akaran of March 6,
said that it was ludicrous for the Maharaja to presume to give
lessons to the British in the art of gO\emment. On March 8 the
Kesar1 said that those "'ho had knO'\'.'ll the Chhatrapau's machi-
nations since 1902 would not be surprised at this re,elation It
was the S}mbol oI lus 1\Iachfa\elltan spine that he created a·
Jagadguru and financed Journalists and helped the Satv:1-
Shodhakites
lt was at this time that the propaganda and the'popul:trity of
the Sat)a Shodhal. jabsas had reached their wnith. The Brih-
m.ins 1~ere O)ing hoarse agamst them ;md retaJJ:1tmg by i:;-euing
the partkipants into trouble Yet, these attacks could not
dampen the spirit of the Satya-Shodhakites. At last the Kesari on
:March 21, 1911, cried out at the top of its ,oice: 'The pr.mu
of the Sat>3-Shodhal..ites have been mcreasing 0£ late in Satara
Dmnct and parocularly in Patan Taluka and it is becoming im-
possible for isolated Brahmin families to the in , dlaqes." The
Kesari advised the Brahm.ins who were exposed to non-Brahmin
oppression to m:ll.e up their minds and to tale the netes\"ll}' steps
fo:r their 0M1 protectmn, assuming that there was no nnttsh rule
in Satara Oistrict, and e-;pccially in Patnn Talul..a.
Dhasl..a~o Ja<lhav now ga,e up his post' in Kolbapur and
,;-ent to S:u.:ira to 'practise as a laW}er, of course, at the instance
o[ Sh:thu.' Refernng to this, Shalrn v.rote to Cadell 011 )!arch
16, Hl21, that Jadhav w:inted to try and get a ministersl1ip or a
Councill~r•s pl:tre in the ne"<t Council election J:idha,- him~df.
Sbahu added, approached J1im 111th the p-ropos:1.1 :md Ju~ bouJd
not come m bis way. Jadhav would surely lead the non-Brahm in
party but people might complain that It was .Shahu "'ho put hirn
up to male trouble m Ilntish India. '
Jn tha troubled situation Sflafrn v,:·ante~J. :u a sign n(gocxrn1U,
to reka5e A, D. Ku1kami, \\ho b.:1d httn languishing in j3.il for
170 SHAIIU CllllATRM'ATf: A RO\',\l. ltl:\'Ol.t!Tl():O,:,\R\'

had pain all O\'Cr my body." Bm the Rc~idcnt cheered him up

antl said that his illness would soon pa~,; ofT. This \\':t~ not the
only case in which Shahu's confidential papers had uccn stolen.
A few days earlier his k~al addscr, Poom:br. was tohbcll of
his suit-case at I)oona station. A man in tick.ct collector·!> unHorn1
openly rcmo\·cd il in the presence n( his fcllow-pa,~cnf~crs.
Fortunately, no imporL:tnt papers were missin~.
The political records in Shahu's office, c:nnccrniw..t: th'~ fcuda•
torics and Inamclars were 1ampc1ccl. Thc~c n::rnnl5 wc1·c in the
charge of Shirp;aonkar, Shahu\ actin!!; Dl!wan. Shahu sacked
him for the loss of these :uul other records. The mb rcant~ had
stolen them. Then they also robbccl some p;ip(.'rs bdcl!1ging to
Col. Curtis. Shahn wrote i11 the statement cntitkd ").ly s:1y''
that he.should not be given up by the Government and treated
di[crently as he was their friend. \\'hen Shahu wrote to nurkc,
he replied 1-,•-ravcly, "bm when all is said and tlonc, the greatest
safeguard of Indian Rulers is goocl Go\'~mmc111.'' Tile masses
under the Rulers did not care a ftp; for dcmonstr:iti,·e institutions.
Burke added.
In March Hl21 Shahu asked the Government for the sen•iccs
of D. R. Bhosle for two years in order to entrust him with the
duty 0£ making his new ec.lucational policy successful in Kolha-
pur. Bhosle proved a good organizer. Shahu also mack
Nimbalkar dcYote himself to public work.
Amid these troubles and distractions, Shalrn the lover ,of
animals was thinking o[ bringing back the late Blw.,·sinhji's
chcetas and falcons. The female ~hecta Shalrn had given him
was a great pct of Shalm. :A chceta-hunt was ·ah\'ays n great
relaxation for his troubled mind. ,vhen he was abu.scd 'pro-
fusely ·by th~ nationalist Press· in March 1921, he ·went for a
cheeta-huiif and found real ·i"ccre·ati~n 'in it. fttsticc of ·ifadras
pubfisl:iecl an· incriniihatirig letter _of Shah~. btit 'apologised
when he denied its authorship, although on March 11, 1921, he
'wrote ·to Mcrewether 'admitting that his confidential letters
:were published in Ju~ticc and the Bom!}(ly Cl~roniclc ·without
his permission. The atmosphere :was. filled with 'i:1n.in<le1· an'd
shame. Shahu was afraid of being assaulted if he went 'ollt. Jn
anguish he· cursed himself as an unhappy, unpopular, unlucky
and ·pitiable- ruler.11 ·, .:
 t,,OT A TRAnoR RUT SAVIOUR 473
ne5~ and the hospitaltty and kindness of Your Highness's s:,te
and people which we sJ1all alwa}!I remernber.''
Shahu wrote again to some Go,ernment officers aLout the
1\fakgaon n"ou and g:ne them some hint!! on how to deal with
them. This was qmte unnecessary on his part, Perhaps he
wanted Government to help him curb the proccedmgs: of the
conference of the subjects of Native States "luch was to be I1eld
soon.
At this time Shahu requested thr" Maharaja of Bihner to
consent to sit on the Arbitr.ition Commission if he was appoint-
ed in the JchalLaranj1 adoption case. The Maharap rephed he
would accept to sit on the Commission 1£ he ,\as appomted.

IV

The publication of Shahu's notes on non-co-operation by the

Bombay Chronicle and the angry outbursts agaimt the Satya
ShodhaLites in the Brahmin newspapers for the 1>n::v1ous tv.o
months had transformed the sOC1al and pohtical situatton in
Maharashtra into a volcano But the e,,ent that made the
'\Okano erupt ll':1:S perhaps the red-hot :ish of the Kesari's p:1pe1-
godown which was set on fire on May 10, 1921, by its enemies_
There was another gunpowder-house ready at Tasgaon towards
which the Tdakites like Khaparde, N. C Kelkar, Bhopatlar,
Keshavrao Chhaplhane were marching with torches in their
hands. It was the Kulkamt Con£erence which was to meet at
Tasgaon On May 18 the K.olhapur K.uU.ami Conference at
Tasgaon flogged the dead horse of Kulla.mi \':I.tans under the
pre$1dentship of Da.dasaheb Khaparde To all the Brahmins.
the KuU.ami vatam had then become a prestige isrnt", a point
of honour, a hfe ancl death struim:le.
The Kcsari came out with an issue full of explosive material
on Ma} 17, J92I, and the explosion was heard throughout
Maharashtra, The Kesan made out that it had c:iptured the
prh7tte and confidential letters of the !\JaharaJa. The fact wa,
that most of the5e letters had been published m and around
the year 1915 in a book by M G Dongre for private orcula-
tion among British officers in India and in London. Th~
evidence had been recorded in the Chirol case in .August 1917.
 Slli\llll GH!IATRAl'ATI: ,\ ltOY,\I, Rt:\'OLl~no:,.;,\Jn'

many years. i:\ot to release him, he !.:iitl. w:1s wicked :ind n·vc11gc•
[u1. The Rajcsahcb of Ablkot had romc: to ,1:1y with him in the
middle of April l!l21 and Shalrn altcndcd to hi,; comforts, now
that the friction between them had become reduced.
The Chief of Auntlh compbincd to the Rcsi<lcnt that Ha!,mao
Yada\·'s Garil,ac/ta Kaitiari, Shl'ip:ttrao Shindc\ l'ijayi Maratlm,
B. K. Pisal's 1'is!ivn-J3andlrn and Ja\'alkar's Tarim Marat/in incit•
cd his subjects against him. In his 1cply tlatcd April Hl. 1!.121,
Shahu said that the Vijayi Maratlw was in Poona and he had no
control o\'cr it. The Vitlynviln-t and the GnriT1t1c!,fl Kni1•t1ri were
unmanageable. These :-,omctimc5 wrote a'Maimt him aho: prose•
cution had been lauuchecl against the Vid)'o:•ilas. l·le woulcl drop,
he added, a hint to Garil)(lc!Ur Kafoari :md l'falwa•lfrmdlw :ind
try to m:urngc them. He had actuallr a!>kccl the c<liror of the
Tarim J'\Iaral/ia to leave Kolhapm. It seems that J)attaji Kumc's
Bhagwa Zenda, a spirited journal, escaped the ere of the Resident.
Shahu said tltat the Brahmin newspapers in Mah:ira\htra prac•
tically carried on some sort of campaign ag;ain~t him, Intl he
could not stop them. His party-men had hnmchccl counter-
attacks and meetings also wci-c replied hy co\m\ct·-mcctini;s at
which Shahu was praised as a 'Klwlif' 12 of the masses.
The Governor, George Lloyd, visited Kolh:tpur on J\pril
25, 1921. and his visit lasted three days. There were wrcstlin~
matches. It took one and a ha1£ hour for the people 10 come out
of the arena a{tcr these matches. The smiling faces of the popu•
Jar crowds, the Governor said, gave him real pleasure. Shahu
proudly stated that Dattoba Powar, a young man from the
Chamar community, was Chairman o( the Iv1anaging Committee
of the K.o1hapur Municipality. It was Dattoba Powar who super-
vised the lighting and other arrangements inside and outside the
arena.
Because of disturbances in Nasik, the Go\'crnor had to leave
hurriedly on April 28, 1921. Before 11e left Kolhapur he wrote
to Shahu on April 28, 1921: "Not only have you given me my
first tiger in India, but Your Highness's care for our comfort and
beautiful camp makes us doubly sorry to leave a moment earlier
than we must. I really clo not know which of the three· days I
have enjoyed most, but they will fonn·a memory of Your High-
 ?I.OT A nAJTOJt Dtrr $4.VJOVR 475
:pondence publisJml by thl" Kr.sari, we foul th:it the Ual1araja. is
·worth no more than an ordmaty detectl\'e who is a traitor to
s,. ara1 "u TI1e Lohasfl.ngralra said with the usual \'io]encc:
..The correspondence shon'! that tltc ~fahara1a's bean is as black
as the colour of his slm."H
On the other hand, the Sandesli vmh great c:mdour and
cor:r.tge obsened· '"The Ke.ran ~i"aS not well-adtised in pnbh~h-
ing the correspondence." It conlended that the Mahamja had
also stood for the liberty of t11e m<lhidual, and. therefore his
.sen ices lo the communicy M.•re as nJuable as: d1ose o{ the Kesar1
which had been fighting for the hbeny of the nation. The
Sandesf1, hm\C\er, expre!.5e<l a warning that the publkauon of
the correspondence \\Ould gi1,e offence to the non-Bra:hmins and
create a suspicion in 1he1r minds th:tt the nationahsts were
opposed to their progress u The Lokruhaf11 ,\ith its usual \irul-
-ence auacked Shahu and said 1l1at the Ual1ataja I1ad crea.tcd an
a<ldaional stain on 1he face of Maharashtra by :seeking to destroy
the strug:g:le for mdependenre. It a~ted Sh::i.hu Chhatrapati to
renounce flis gad1 to atone for the sm he l1ad conuniued in
<>pposing the mo\ement for Swaraj l6
TI1e lruhan Soda/ Reformer said that the correspondence
fe\ealed nothing sf1ort of uue,r pohocaJ depra,1ty in 1he msfi•
:gator of and particip:itor in it 17 The na1har,m s:ud that the
Xesari had no doubt performed a great sen1ce in pubhshing the
<:orrespondence. Hmdmtl1an, an Anglo-Gujarati weekly, s:i:rd
tliat the ~faharnja had the presumption' to think that he
possessed more wmlorn than the British officials in lnd1a '
This l\as the last phase of a batde between the Brahmfos and
the Manithas th:it had been going on for the prenous one
hundred )ears, in the form of the confi1ct bet,~een the Pt>Shwas
and the t10n-Dr.1:hmins, especially airer tlie deposition of Pr.itap-
,sinh of Satara. Shahu feared that tlie Ilrahtnins would try to
make another Pratapsinh out of him They wanted Shahu to
~bdu:.1te. ,•
The Jagntll from Baroda'in its wue of May 20, 19:!lj said that
the J..·esari had described Mahatma Gandhi as an irre1ponsibTe
Fakir .and a mad Pir. Having -abused the Moderate leaders for
years, it had now· attacked Shahu But the Kesan group had
created a modem 'Sharviiak' to steal the letters of Shahu. It
•17•1 S11,\llU ClllIATilAl'ATI: ,\ ROYAL m:vo1.u1·10:-:ARi'

'When the Chirol Commission worked in the HomlJay High

Court. some of the senior Hrilish officers in the llombay Secre-
tariat knew about the book.
T11c J{csari in its volcanic cclitori.il, "Our T1aitor Chhatra•
pati" enumerated the charges against Shahu. 1t devoted rnore
than twenty columns to the l)Ublication of the scmation:tl
secret correspondence between Slmhu and the British omccr~. It
portrayed Shahu as an aggrcssi\'e, arch plotter against popubr
scH•govcmrncnt in the Native States. lt stated that Shahu pre-
sumccl even to give lessons to the 13ritish Government whom he
censured for its alleged gcnero~ity in order to ,o\'er his own sins
of maladministration and to draw a red herring across the path
o[ the seekers of truth in the Native States.
According to the Kcsari, not the I\faharaja's public writings
but the published secret correspondence showed dcarl)' the inner
working 0£ his mind. The Kcsuri claimed that it. hacl no't pub·
lished the letters will~ malicious motives against the 1foharaja. It
admitted thaL't.hc Maharnja possessed high ability of a son, hut
unfortunately it was not utilized in cstahlishiti~ a model adminis-
tration for his own subjects. The I<csnri alleged that the real
object of the 1\i[aharaja in iriviting the Governor to visit Kolha-
•pur and extending costly hospitality to him was to rehabilitate
•himself in the opinion of the Bombay Government. Shahu was
under· a cloud' ·as •was shown by the circular published in the
Bombay Chronicle.
The Kcsari published· from the book rcfe1Ted to above, the
conesponderi.ce which;b'egan during the bomb-outrages in Kolha-
pur and ended with· Tilak's trials. The coriespondcm:e was
interesting -on accouiit of Lhe personalities· it refcrred to and
especially as 'the'Malrnraja ran clown ;the nationalist leaders from
Tilak to Gokhalc, almost all the Chiefs and the Sardars of the
Deccan, title holdeni; ..and officers o[ Government· and the
Brahmin caste.•
·The, Malzrdtta, twi'n ne,i>spaper of· ~he J<csari, repeated the
attack under the title ".l\n Exhaltecl ·Traitor", 'in its issue of May
22, 1921. vVhen.cven :the lame lion o[ Kcsari pounced desperately
upo1{ Shahu',: the ·village wolves were bouncl to attack him for
'their pound· 6£ flesh. The Lokamanya, Bombay, barely one
1-;;~~tli old, rem~rked ivith' much gusto: "On perusing the corres•
 NOT A 'lllAJT0R JlUT S\\'JOUR: 1i7
Tl1erc was nothing new in the letters: pubh5hed by the Kesari
nor in Shahu's arguments. After the death of T1Iak, the Kesan
\\";l.S losing its posmon in lndian polillcs, and 1t thought that in
shedding a lurid light on Shahu n mig:ht restore its position in
Maharashtra. So It turned its attention to the non-Brahmin
mo,ent('nt which, it feared, would Jeopardise the existence and
power of m school of 1houghtl If the question is considered
from the inte1ests o[ nmety-fi,e per cent of the population in
Mahar:ishtrn, it ,,.--as not Shahu but the Kesarz that had for the
pre, ious forty ) ears opposed <10£gedly social and religious reforms
in Maharashtm and the elevation of the Backward and Depressed
CI.mes
'The DtaJ1mm Protection Committees' and thefr conferences
failed to died, the fiery prop:iganda of the Satya-Shodhakites.
The Kesa.,.,, therefore, thougJit it wise to appeal 10 the Brahmms
lo .consider the p.obkm from the national point of view and
.arrne at :m ::imk.-ibJe settlement wHh die non-Drahmfos, 20 as
d1reaed at V.uai {B.usdn) by lhe Mabar.uhtra Po1ztiC.'.ll Confer•
ence held in Mar 1921.
Just. then rJ1e revi~ion of an appJkarion in the Poon,, rioting
case was frnaJiy dismissed by che Poona Court in the second t1-eek
ol June, and Shahu heaved a $ig1, of rel,efl
Towards the end of June, the Go,,eroor reque-sred Shalrn to
help him to carry out the excavarwrt oE rhe remains. of Shanivar
'lVada and its Leauciful garden wl1id1 surrounded jr, The Gov-
ernor wanted the families connected with it co see 'thac the
Justoric monument of its lomter gre.1tness was -w-orthilt main•'
tainecL Shahu donated a sum of Rs, 2,-000 towanls the worl.. fo
August. 1921. '
In July J92l Shahu, after fong eonsideration, came to a deci-
sion that be sl1ould file a suic for damages in t11e Court against
the St:roanit of India, LoJ.a.ra;gralia; Bombay 1:hronide and
:Such otl1cr journals far defaming him Vltimately, no action
w.u taken agamst rhem
Sh:i.ht1 took great intete\'t in the Boy Scouts mmement started
hy Sir Robert Daden-Pm,•elJ. The Boy Scouts mo1-ernent appeal•
.etl to Sh;ihu :1$ it afon·Il .;)t e-ncoi..u-;:iglng mental moral and
ph,-sica1 tle\>e1opment of the boys, It tried to inctea..e their
knowledge of the outdoor and train them for citizenship. He
476 SllAHU CllHATRAPATI: A ROY,\L -Rl~VOLL!TIONAltY

was an act befitting that tradition. The Maharaja was a practical

man and he never concealed his opinions. The Bomb Party had
formed a centre in Kolhapur when the Brahmin Chiefs in other
States were secretly watching the deeds of the 13omh Party and
seeking an opportunity to get Shahu damnecl as a traitor to the
British Empire. The ]agntti condemned the J{csari as Swaja11a
drohi,1 8 the real traitor to the people!
The ]agruti further said that the steps taken by the Mabaraja
were in consonance with the exigencies of the time. lf he Jiad
not done so, he would have been either deposed or would have
lost his li£e. The dictum that "everything is fair in love and
war" was not the property of the l(csari and its followers alone.
Because the Maharaja had taken a leading part in the non-
Brahmin movement, the Kesari, the defender of the priests and
priestcraft, and several other Brahmins were full of hatred £or
Shahu. That being the case, it did not lie in the mouth of the
Kesari to say that its objects were pure and just in launching
the attacks on Shahu.
The Vijayi Maratlia said that the Brahmin bureaucracy was
worse than the British bureaucracy. Since it was next to the
British in status and vastly superior in numbers to the former,
there were five to ten British b11reaucrats at the 'District Head-
-quarters. The Brahmin bureaucracy was worse than·Pindharis.
That truth explained the non-Brahmin movement.H' The
Jagruti and the other weeklies of-Shahu's persuasion replied to
the Kesari fo' equally sharp tones. Shamrao Desai's Rashtramat
started ori May·9, 1921, from Belgaum, reacted vigorously to these
•charges against Shahu. ,

The· reaction oE non-Brahmins to the vile propaganda against

Shahu was equally biting, cutting and threatening. They held
meetings all over Maharashtra, in Kolhapur, Bombay, Satara,
Amravati, Kumbhoj and at other places condemning the Kesnri
and · expressing their loyalty to Shahu. -Their resolutions
threatened Government with seriotis consequences if it failed to
put a sfop' to the attempts of the Brahmins at lowering' the status
of Shahu' Chhatrapati.
 NOT .A TRAITOR. BUT SAVIOUR 479
.
Kolhapur; he had gone to Rath3g for rest. The Jndu Ptal;,nsh,
edited by Damodar Sav1aram Yande, expressed full trust in the
M::iharaja domg Jltstice m the case "Gandhi," the Jndu Prakash
obsened, "is insisting upon treating the Untouchables as equais,
the pujari's (prmts) of the Kolhapur temple are not prcp.1red co
gl\e equal rights to Kshatnyas like the Marathas "~t
The- Kesan, ~dued by N. C. Kell..ar, referred to the incident in
its issue of August 23, 1921, and npressed the hope that the
Resident would gm~ justice and take steps to pre\-ent a repetition
0£ the outrage. "The goddess," the KcsaTi reasoned, "ts a
peculiar Deity worshipped by fakhs of people residing out o[ the
Kolh.lpur State and their re)jgfom suueptibjJjties h.:n·e been
hurt by the mddent." The Kesari, true to its trad1t1on, took
tlus stand. The )Oung men were arrested for worshippinir the
godde~ without che priest. A pohceman was stationed under :r
speaal FouJdar at the temple by the Dewan. The priest wired
to the Bombay Gmemment against the polluter,
The J'1jay1 J.faratha mentioned. on August 27, l92J. a case in
wliich a. Br.:ihmfo Magistrate at Sarara Jud sentenced nn tm'.
touchable v.-oman £or havmg poured water devotionally O\er and
made offerings o[ flowers to the god l\lahadev in a temple, and
she w,1s .mbsequendy acquitted by the Bombay High Court. "1Ve
would request the Maharaja," obsened the J'iJllYI Maratlm, "in
view of that decision of the High Court, not to haras-s at the
imcu_;a.tion of tl1e priests- the poor non•Drahmm bo,s -vhn out
of sheer piety entered the temple to ha\'e a darshan of the
goddess." The r•11ayi J\Iatat!1a asl..etl non.Brahmms to wonhip
only those gods who were not under the control of Drahmins
The pujaris could not claim ownership of the temple. and meet•
ings should be held. demanding that the Maharaja acconl equal
treatment to aU communities in the temple
The Roshtrnveer said that die goddess Ambab.'.11 was the
goddess ot Kshatriyas,' and Maralh:is as non•Brahmins had e,ery
right to worship her, Thacleray, l\ho starred his fortnightly,
Prabodhan, on October 16, 19.'.?1, wrote :m ardcle on this topic
and blamed Shahu Chhatrapau for not at once re(lressini; the
gne,..ances of the non-Brahmins m the matter. Thereupon. Shahu
said tli.:?t be was mo1<ing e:1111,ously and he told 1'had;.erny that
he \\Ould set matters tight once for all 2~
478 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

wanted to spread the mission of Baden-Powell's Boy Scouts'

Association in the Bombay Presidency. Some men were to be
sent to England for training as Scout Masters and a few of them
had already left India in August. The Governor said that Shahu
Chhatrapati's name as a donor of a generou~ sum would give the
much-needed stimulus to the public to take interest in the Boy
Scouts movement. So Shahu decided to send Tihausahcb P1·ati-
nidhi to England for training as a Scout Master. Bhausaheb had
been cut· off from succeeding to the Chiefship of Aundh, and he
wanted to learn the work and duties of a Scout Master.
Shahu therefore wrote to the Chief o[ the Association on
August 9, 1921, that it would give him great pleasure if he could
help Bhausaheb. Shahu said that Bhausaheb was a graduate and
would devote himself' to the work with great enthusiasm. He
would also be a great help to Shahu to popularise the movement
especially in the educated community. This throws a shining
Hght on Shahu's mind.
-. The Government had decided to promote the Boy Scout move-
ment. Sir Robert Baden-Powell was informed that Bhausaheb
•Pratinidhi was being sent to London under the patronage of
Shahu Chhatrapati. Shahu also sent Vinayakrao Ghorpade be-
longing to the family of the Jahagirdar of Ichalkaranji to receive
training as a Scout Master. He said he would bear all his
expenses. On October 10, Sir Robert Baden-Powell wrote to
Shahu that Bhausaheb Pratinitlhi had met him, and he was doing
his best for him. Baden-Powell expressed his gratitude to Shahu
Chhatrapati for his interest in the movement and for sending
Bhausaheb Pratinidhi for. training. In November 1921, it was
certified that Pratinidhi and Ghorpade were qualified to carry on
Scout work in India. Baden-Powell informed the Chhatrapati
accordingly. '
It seems that the new Palace was ready in August 1921, and
Shahu wanted to call the Resident to see it. At this time there
was some trouble in Kolhapur. On Coconut day, August
17, 1921, a number of non-Brahmin youths entered the local
Ambabai Temple, devotionally poured water over the image and
performed the worship themselves. The Brahmins raised an
uproar and declared that the image of the goddess Ambabai was
polluted by the non-Brahmins. The Chhatrapati was not in
 ?-.OT A n.AITOR BUT SAVIOUR 18'3
Conference. Two invitatfons were .sent to Patils all o•/er the
Presidency to attend the Conference and the Shivaji Mernoriat
meetmg Meanwhile Shahu consulted the officers about the selec~
tion ot the site for the l\femoria1, which had been undecided.
for the past two months.
In the first week o( October 1921, Shahu was in Potma. assist'..
ing the Government officers m making the arrangements and
mtroducing his men to the officers. Daburao C. Jagtap was
introduced as an educatlomst and a thorough loyalist He was
recommended as a man who had made a great sacnfice in ghmg
up his high post in Baroda and devoting himself to the public
cause, though his financial circumstances "'ere not satisfactory.
On October 5 Shahu wrote to l\.fontgomerie that if G°'-em-
ment shol\ed the least displeasure towards or distrust of lum
and listened to the Brahmms, he would be ruined These were
his tactics to get things done when the Government needed his
help.
About this time S. A Dange, who had not till then shed his
Ilrahminism, the bane of the nat1onahsts, ("ame out in his
youthful enthusiasm with a Marathi pamphlet "Our Traitor
Chhatrapati" containing the editorial from the Kesari of l\.fay
17, together with Shahu's letters published in that hsue. In this
pamphlet, Dange expressed his patriotic wish as pubfoher of
the pamphlet "The fire o! ,,n-ath generated from the persecu-
tion of subjects knows no test, till it has const1med the wealth,
family and the hfe of the King." Referring to Dange's pamphlet.
Shahu said. "It is of course quite an umeiled :ittempt to incite
people lO take my life and persecute the family "U Though
Dange by his mtelhgence, sacrifices and resilient leadership,
later became internationally known as Communist Number one
m India, he ne,er forgot his hatred for Shahu ,1hich was based
on his inborn Brahminism and the nationahsm of the Ttlalnes
Shahu reached Delhi on November 4, 1921, for the Confer-
ence of the Prmces' Chamber. He was detained there as 1he
Viceroy was to speak to Jum and ro the :MahaiaJa of Gwalior
about the function at Poona. He and the Maharaja o{ Cwalior
had a meetmg on Nm-ember 6 with tl1e Viceroy tor an hour
or so Shafm totd the Viceroy tliat 1c wou1d ue :i great po}ili-t:l'l
blunder to male a change in the programme While in Delhi
486 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOI.UTIONARY

"And now," Shahu concluded, "in conjunction with my

brother Maratha Prince, a Prince who has kept alive the glorious
traditions of his illustrious ancestor Mahadji Scindia, who die•
tated the policy of the Marathas after Shivaji, I mean His High-
ness the Alijabahadur Maharaja o[ Gwalior, 10 whose forethought
and zealous care the present occasion owes much, I request
Your Royal Highness to lay the foundation stone of the Memo-
rial to my illustrious ancestor, Shivaji the Great."
In his speech the Prince of ,~rales, while layin~ the foundation
stone, said that he appreciated the aim of the Shivaji Memorial
Society to associate the name of Shi\'aji with an important educa•
tional institution. Under the foundation stone was put a box
20
containing some things along with an issue of Vijayi Maratlza.
The Maharaja of Dhar read the speech of the Prince of ·wales
in Marathi.
On November 18 the Patil Parishad was held and was pre•
sided over by the Maharaja of Gwalior who exhorted the Patils
to receive education and improve 1heir lot. Raje Shambhoosingh
Madhavrao Malegaonkar was its Secretary.
The next day George Lloyd, the Governor, congratulated
Shahu on the splendid success of the function at Poona. "I
know," he said, "the immense amount o( trouble taken by Your
Highness over every detail, but I am sure, that the splendid
welcome given by the people to His Royal Highness will be to
Your Highness a full reward for all the labour spent." To Shaln1,
the Shivaji Memorial was no. doubt a great success.
Sir Stanley, the editor of The Times of India, overjoyed by
the grand performance of Shahu at Poona, in his editorial 0£
November 22, paid glowing tributes to the invaluable help
Shahu had rendered t~ the British Empire during the qreat
War, and appreciated Shahu\ description of Shiva.ii as "a man
so various, that he seemed to be,' not one but all mankind's
1

epitome." Memory of Shivaji, it added, had kept alive the fight·

ing traditions of the Mahrattas. The Times of India quoted with
great appreciation, the remarks made by His Royal Highness
that "Shivaji not only founded an Empire but created a' nation"
and Shahu's statement that "the Mahrattas have been warriors
since the birth of their race".
 NOT A TRA.rfOR BUT SAVIOUR 487
_In his private letter of November 23 to Shahu,. Sir Stanley
said: "It was a great pleasure to me to be able to call prominent
attentmn to the exceedingly successful issue in Poona: to your
remarkable efficiency; and to your laudable work m this and
other directions." An offioal, C Kaye from Delhi, descnbed the
function as a brilliant success. Rakes Basson, l\hhtary Secretary
to the Governor of Bombay, congratulated Shahu on the magni-
ficent success he had made of it.
In the flush of the Poona victory, Shahu won another in
Kolhapur. He penuaded the Rajesaheb of l\fudhol to accord to
the Jagadguru all the honours due to hu position which he did.
The victory at Poona echoed throughout India. Tej Bahadur
Sapru congratulated Shahu on his success at Poona. The Vktroy
and His Majesty from F.ngland also e2'J}ressed joy at the success
Shahu had au.amed at the funct10n. Thankfog the Viceroy for
his kind letter, Shahu rephed on December 10, 1921, that "but
for Your Excellency's influential support the ceremony would
have remamed only an unrealised dream of rny life".
Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya zm'zted Shahu Chhatrap:u1 to
attend the opening ceremony of the buildings of Benares Hmdu
University on Deccrober 13 at the bands of Hi1 Royal Highness,
the Prince o[ ,vales, on whom an honorary degree of Doctor
of Letters was to be conferred.
Shahu Chhatrapati presented George Llo}d with a bound copy
of his speeches This was his tribute to the Govemor for his
interest m his speeches, Taking advantage of the f:n.ourable
situation, Shahu wrote to Hignell, Priute Secretary to the
Viceroy, on December I!I, 1921, that he should be ghen a
hearing ltben the Jchalkaranji adoption case came op before
the Viceroy. He highly recommeJided Bhaskemo Jadha,• to the
Gmemor for the post of an Executhe Councillor in place of
Sir Cowasji Jehangir
In the last ,\eek of December 192J. Shahu renewed the re-
quest for the extension of Colonel l\fere~ether's term to ,vood
and others. A faithful de,otee 0£ Shahu Chhatr.1p.iti ,tarted a
M.1rathi formightly, Sa.n,w,m, on December 1, 19!?1. Itis name
,..a 5 Datlatra}a Bhimaji Randi,e. Poet and wriler, Randh-e
bec:u:ne :mas.set to the non-Dmbmin mmrment. 'The K,sari pub-
488 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

lished in ·its issue of December 13, 1921, an important news

item. It said that it was rumoured that the 1'faharaja o[ Kolha•
·pur had purchased a plot of land in the Fort of Malwan, Ratna-
giri District, and was going to build a bungalow and stay there.
If the news had some truth in it, what was the secret purpose
behind it? the Kesari asked. The Kesari published this news
item to express its wishful thinking, suggesting that the Chhatra-
pati was on the verge o[ retirement or renunciation o[ the world.
 CHAPTER 26
Faces Death Bravely

ON January 1, 1922, Sh3hu expressed his desire to '-ferewcther

to go to Delhi and meet the Viceroy, The object of his \!Sit •wai
to fay ha ,,iews before t11e- V1ceror on the prcpcxed repeal cl
the Press Act and on the Dalshinl Sansth::m Hh:wardhak. Sabha .
.tie also wanted to purd1a!.e propeny in Delhi.
The pictures of Shahu Chhatrapati tal.en in company "'ith
the Prince of Wales appeared in the European l'ms, .tnd his
admjrers ctmgr.itufated him from different duN on the suc:ttU
in conducting the funuion Lotd Harris ,.,-:a one 0£ 1hem.
As Srinhas J)eng:u-' c011fd not show 3nf further intel'fi:I fo
the Tanjore case after his de\·ation to the' pMt of Ach0tite•
General in Madra~, Shah11 was now thin\.mg o{ t'ntrm1in~ the
worl. ol the T,wjore case to Ram,:uuam> J\fud.,Izar. On J.mu:iry
7, 1922, he wrote to Mudalfar: "In one o{ 1he is.sues or the
Justw: at Madras, 1here appeart"d an article against Mr S:u1ri
and f:\Ct'}'one here is aunbuting i1 to me and abudng me for
the same. Such is the fate of being a leader of the non-Ilr.d1rni0-~ ••
Jn 1hji cue most of 1.he Jmlgrs wl!tr Dr.ihmin• and 1hrr h:uJ
an opportunity 10 ghe judgment in the c::ne or a m.1.n "Who w:n
die d;nin~ and Jo-rninant l~der or the non DrJhmint in ;,bh;,.
rashtr;1. Some months btc-r, a(ter Sh:ihu's de:ilh. the ;\bdn.,
11i~h Court decided the ttse ag;iin,t him TI1e t'(Jrl point ro
be decided wa\ ~hether- v.-omt:n ollet1 'swont \ohn" "''t'rt ctino~
hines and not l~itima1e- "'il"• and S('('l)ndlv wl~thtr Ann.a•
pumab:ti, tl1e- mother of J>r.,up,inJ1.1 v,·;n a '11o-onf ,-,;rt'• or
iu\.Ojl~D. :iml I'T:ll:IJJ'\inh~ ~ \htrt.~M'C ,-n m~it.tt'Uie "'°"'
:ind cnnsc-quentfy •r:n nQt 2 K~h21rir,t. The jml~ <lid nM d<r"Me
1hi1, point v.hich w:1s ,-m , 1u.l Tht"f tu~J their coodu,ion•

·"
490 SHAHU CHHATRAPATJ: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

on the assumption that the Rajpuls and their descendants alone

were Kshatriyas. The question whether the descendants of
Shivaji the Great were Kshatriyas or Shudras was not decided
by the High Court of Madras. Yet, Shahu's Brahmin enemies
said that the Bhosles were declared Shuclras by the Madras High
Court.
The Non-co-operation Movement was spreading all over India.
During the riot that took place in Bombay at the time of the
visit of the Prince of Wales on November 17, the mob burnt
trains, cars ancl liquor shops. Hindus and Muslims together
fought the Christians, Jews and Parsis for their joining in the
welcome to the Prince of Wales. Mahatma Gandhi described the
riot as 'a deep stain,' and said he was bankmpt. Shahu, who
feared the non-co-operation movement, wrote to his Guru,
Fraser, in January 1922, giving him ·an account of the events
that took place in Bombay on November 17. He was in Bombay
and was caught in the whirl, but' escaped unhurt. Shahu said
in his letter to Fraser, "During the riots in Bombay even -I was
being bullied by .the rowdies.,,But I believed my figure saved
me. ,Others who followed me had to surrender their foreign
clothes to feed the great bonfire arranged, by Gandhiites."
Shahu l1ad worked untiringly for. the success of the Poona
function. So he went to Miraj on January 7, 1922, to consult
Dr. Wanless about his health. Writing from Miraj to Resident
Merewether on January 7, Shahu, observed: "I came this after-
noon in order to consult Dr. Wanless. l .have ,been fasting for
the last three clays, but Dr. Wanless has advised me to break
my fast, I am feeling a sort of ant-bite sensation all over my
body. The Doctor suspects blood poisoning and· has advised
complete rest. The climate here is very. dry and quite agrees
with my health. In short, I ,have to enjoy a quiet weekend here." 1
Dr. Wanless· was a great friend of Shahu .. Jn, an enthusiastic
and eccentric way he one day brought Dr. 'iVanless and Dr. Miss
Linian in a decorated chariot and got them married at the
Kodoli mission in his State, though the mission authorities in
America were ag;iinst the marriage. Dr. Mrs. Linian 'iVanless des-
cribed Shalm as a man who dwarfed an elephant earl
Shahu was very restless at this time. From Miraj he wrote,
on January 11, to Wood that he was going to visit Delhi in the
 FACES DEATH BRAVELY 49l
middle of February 1922 Asking him to follow Dr. Wanless's
advice implic1tly, Merewelher Jokingly observed that he had
gone for a shoot at the RanlaJa Tanl, but he found that the
birds were non-co-operators! Shahu now tactfully brought pres-
sure on the Resident to increase the number of personal salutes
from 21 to 23 guns.
Shahu, therefore, ,;vrote on January 11, 19.22, to Wood that
he would ha,e a frank talk with him that would give him relief
and rest. He informed the Secretary to thl" Go\oemment that he
was going to Delhi on sick leave, so to sayI His demand and
advocacy for the extension of the term of Merrnetber as J{esi-
dent succeeded and Merewether was granted an extension for
six months, that 1s, until the end of 1922
Retummg from MiraJ to Kolhapur, Shahu went to Murgud fo
Kagal on February 6, 1922, to declare open a tank built by his
brother Bapusaheb Sh:i.hu was presented with an address by
the people After decfaring the tank open, Shahu said that
Bapusaheb had made pro,is1on not only for drinking water but
also for a sugar-cane plantation Shahu en~n visualised the
growth of a sugar factory in the neighbourhood of the tank.
The address reminded him of his father's intellectual gi£t.'i, and
he was sorry that both Kas:zI and KoJhapur cou1d not reap the
benefit of his father's guidance for a Ions-er time. Shahu said
that the experience llapusaheb had gamed in ca.rr)fog our the
great works in Kolhapur. he was using to do good to his sub-
jects Bapusaheb ·was always busy, he said, With the administra-
tion of Kolhapur and he had no time to de\Ote him~lf to the
·worl.. in Kagal He was sorry to adrnit that he wa-. re1ponSJble
for whatever difficulties they suffered on account of lbpusaheb's
absence from Kag3J. 2
Shahu, accompanied by Bapusaheb Ghatge and Dewan Sabnis,
then v.ent to Delhi. 'Whtie they '"en: tltere, the ·wife of R.1pusaheb
Ghatge died. Shahu was terribly grie\ed. On February 11, 192?,
he ,note to H. Thompson, Member of the \'1ceroy's F'l'.e('1.lthe
Council, that Bapusaheb was his brother and w3-1 a great help
to him in all the admim.stralhe branches 0£ his State, and he
had been also \Cry fortunate in haYing a Dett3n Jil.c Sal.mi1,
Had it not been for Sabnis, Shahu sai<l. he di<I not lnow i£ his
State would hne been as safe a.nd secutt 3lJ it was in bi, cby,.
492 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOI.UTIONARY

"I consider myself," he concluded, "very fortunate indeed in

having such a brother and a Dewan." During the days of mour~-
ing, both Shahu and Bapusahcb, continued their work in Delhi.
The high officials in Delhi and George Lloyd sent their condo-
lences. "My sister-in-law," he said, "was like a mother to me and
had it not been for the imperative form of duty of paying my
respects and serving the Royal House and a duty I feel to be
the last in life, as I do not expect to survive long. nothing would
have kept me in Delhi."3
During these days Frank C. 0. Beaman was in Delhi. Shahu
had entrusted him with the work of further codification of the
Hindu Law; and sent a cheque for Rs. 5,000 for this work. But
on learning that Dr. Gour had already codified the Hindu Law,
.Shahu withdrew his proposal and asked Beaman to return the
cheque. Eventually Shahu came to an understanding with hiIIL
Shahu agreed that some changes still had to be made in codify-
ing the Hindu Law. So he again requested Beaman, "to make
amendments very conformably with the progressi,•e spirit of
equality of treatment to all castes of the Hindu community,
which, I wish, should be the key-note of the Code."4
G. A. Gawai met Shahu Chhatrapati in Delhi and requested
him to address the Third All-India Conference of the Untottch·
ables on February 16. He would consider his request. The con-
ference met on February 13 and 15. On February 15, 1922, Gawai
and the Depressed Classes men were awaiting the passing of the
Prince of Wales by the Grana Trunk Road towards the Delhi
Gate. The Prince of Wales ordered his car to be stopped and
while taking a rolind came to the place where Gavai was stand-
ing. Presenting the address on behalf of the Untouchables, Gawai
addressed His Royal Highness as 'Sir' and every time he uttered
the word 'Sir', the Prince of '\,\Tales corrected himl 0 The address
prayed him to tell His Majesty never to abandon the Depressed
Classes into the hands of those who despised them and would
keep them slaves.
At that time some Princes were returning from the function
to their residence. They noticed Shahu, their saviour, and cried
out 'Chhatrapati Shahu Ki Jai'l Shahu was surprised t~ hear
th: clapping_ and applauding. In response to an appeal, he pro-
mised Gawai that he would attend the conference the next day
 FACE~ D:EATII BRA\EL\' , 4!13
as Sir John WooJ also told him to encourage the Untouchables
anct ~h:ir wotl.ers to ,\ork for their own cause. Shalw, seelong-
perm 1ss1on of John Wood, sent Rambhau Sabnis, his Legal
Ad,iser an<l Special Judge, to Capt,un Gordon to tell him that
the wo, l.ers o( the Conference were a loyal lot and Shaht1
thought they were amenable to his adlice.
On February 16 Sh:ibu presided mer their conference at Delhi
and acl<lresse<l a vast audience of about thmy thousand people.
He said: "The honour of occllp}ing the Chair and addressing
)ou today really belongs to Ambedkar who is pr0ud to be one
among }ou an<l he 1s better educated than m}self. Unfortunately
he cannot be amongst us on ac.count of his absence 1n tngfand.
But I am sure l\herever he may be, nothing can be nearer his
he:i..rt, than the interest of the suffenngs of fel101t·•beings of his
community."
Shahu Chhatrapat1 then thanl.ed the Untouchables for having
accorded a ~elcome to the Pnnce of Wale'i He congratulated
them on maJ.mg a united effort for progress in a peaceful way.
Asl...mg: them not to stick to their hereditary callings. and to make
an emphatic struggle to educate themsehes, Shahu said they
should enter the Atmy and various other Departments of
Go,ernment, They should not only do that but also £ollow che
independent professions of doctors, law1ers and merchants, They
should attain proficiency in aU those pi:obsions and athance
in society. In his I.mgdom, Sh:1hu said, thcrr community was
occupying such posts and were pract1smg such professions and
e,en a Chairman of the City Municipality was one of them, vii,
Dattoba Powar. They should not forget that the cause of the
new life and awakening among them was the liberal policy of
the benign Bntish Go,enunent that ga,e the,m all equal oppor-
tunity for education. He asked them to tale foll ad\antage of
the new reforms and added that progremve realisation of self.
gO\ernment was the goal. •
"The ban of untouchability," he cor1tmued, "tlt:tt ]us been
flung O\er }Ou since ages 1s losing ground and I am sure a ~fay
will soon <lawn \1hen this ban will only be a b}gone ,\ord \ou
must learn to watc:h your nghts" "In the twentieth rentuJ)',"
he proceeded, ''it had been an aclnowledged principle of the
,~odd that the "'ay of progress antl prosperit} is not bloodshw.
-j~j !;IIAl!U CIIUATRAI'ATJ: A. ROYAL REVOI.lJTlONARY

:nu! rcrnl111ion hut a pcaccf ul rc\'olution. TJ1c International

wnfcrcrm:~ at ,va~hington and Geneva were only the exposition
of that pt i11ciplc." Concluding his forceful address, Shahu said,
"You should all keep bdorc you Bhimrao Ambcclkar, your ~rcat
leader, :1\ your iclc:11 :md try to follow him, to be Jike him. Let
me tell you my humble scn·kcs are at your disposal. :My only
JJ1;1ycr i\ you ~hould allow me to 5cr.-e you."11
The Delhi Conference over, Shahu asked Gawai to demand
of him :my help for the cause. for he thought that none would
 FACES DEATH BRAVELY 195
On February 24 Shahn wrote to Thom~on that he was hated
by the Chitp:aans and the agitators of the Deccan So he wanted
to stay near Delhi with a pasture ground and a few buffaloes
"I feel sure," he added, "I shall not be happy in the Deccan.
I am considered by the extremists a tr.iitor tc> Swaraj. I am
not £or Swaraj in the present state of India. People who think
that e,·en the Germans and Turl.s are better than the present
Government are certainly not fit to get Swaraj. The present
Councils are a farce. The people who ha,'e a right to ,ore do
not know who are the right persons to be sent up to Councils."
Shahu then re,.ealed to Thompson the real mind behind the
fotegoing momentary unhappy thoughts I-le requested Thomp.
son to persuade the Viceroy to take steps that were necessary
to afford protection to the Princes from the malicious attacks
of agitators conducted from outside the State,
Shahu had an interview with the Viceroy in the fast week
of February, and he put before him his 1·1eM on the Jcha1kar;m.ji
.adoptzon case. Shahu's tenacity, doggedness .znd sense of comti•
tutional rights had led to this legal fight which had been going
on for }ears. The Tanjore case remained undecided in his life-
time, as was the Jchalkaranj1 adoption c~e on nhich Shahu
spent thousands of rupees '
Meantime, in February 1922, :Shahu nude a donarion of
rupees fifteen thousand to Shri Tarabai Hostel for l\faratha
bo)s at Poona. Perhaps thi~ was the fast big amount he gave
towants' the education of the Backward Classes. -
While Shahu was in Delhi, George Ll}od wrote on
February 18 to him that preparations for starting the Shhaji
:Mi:morial should be made, raismg the neces,ary lunds, ~bere
should not be :i. moment's delay m carrying out the scheme. The
Go\ernor further said tliac man, foundation stones laid during
Royal visus J.mguisbed incomplete for }eats alter, and that
should not happen in Maharashtra So Sl1ahu immed1,1tely ,note
to the':r,,faharaja of Gwalior, requesting Mm to continue ll1e l\otk
with perse,erance and earnestne)s, othendse the ardour £or it
would cool. He suggested that Kh::iserao Pa.war should be
:isl..ed to draw a detailed progr:unme of the l\Orl. in conntction
with the Memorial. The "orl. would then h:ne to be appor-
tioned among ..e:i.lous uorJ.er, in d1lferent parts and an
496 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY
'' ' I

energetic Committee .appointed to exercise supervision and

calTy out the programme. Shahu added that he would act up
to any Sl}ggestions,-the Maharaja of Gwalior might make. 8 He
~10ped that. the involvement. and concem of the Maharaja of
Gwalior would make the scheme a success.
On returning to Bombay on March 11, 1922, Shahu replied
to the Governor that he understood the Governor's anxiety in
the matter. He. had already writte~. to the Maharaja of
Gwalior _and hoped before long the work would _be in full
swing. He was of. the opinion that the Maharaj a· of .Gwalior
was quite an: influential personality and the work of the Merno-
a
rial co~ld not be entt'.usted to better man. However, he was
afraid, he concluded, . '"we. could not be able to :work' t~gether.
, '

You can,n9t put two swords in one sheath." .

From Bombay, Shahu :wrote,letters to.Sir Chimanlal,_nastoor,
and . the _Maharaja of Baroda, to help him, to get_ permanent
recognition f<>r Rajaram, C5>llege and recognition . for the
Honours. Course_. .. Shahu aske_d ~he Iv!ahaq1ja .of Baradi!- to put
in •a word to Masani on behalf of the institution and said
Masani's influential support would be a great help to him in
gaining his object. F01; thi_s urgent business Shahu again came
to Bombay in the last week of March 1922 and wrote to Sir
Chimanlal Setalvad in the matter. ,
Shahu's _· health ',~as f~st. ,deteriorattng·. He •was under the
treatment of Dr. Wanless
' ' . in
'
whom he .ltad~.
!!Teat faith.. On
March 21, 1922, Shahu. wrote to Dr. Wanless: . "I have been
swallowing the pills which you have. prcsc1:ibed 'an_ t_hese days.
But the_ sl~g~r has n9t decreased and so I ha".e stopped· taking
them. But there is no.increase in the sugar. l am unavoidably
detained.here for a couple of days."
On •April .22, 1922, Sir Chi~anlal Setalvad played a p;omi-
nent part in securing permanent recognition for Rajararo
College and J)!!rmission_ ~or ~he Honours Course. ·shahu heartily
thanked him for all thai: he had done to meet his, wishes. He
thus _frustrated the attempts of his oppo'nents who wan'ted not
to grant permanent recognition to his coll~ge.
Shahu's momenta11' thoughts on resignation and renunciation,.
flitted like phantoms; for such moods were brief. He wrote on
April 8, 1922, to Resident Merewether that if_ the Government
 FACES DEATH BRAVELY

,\anted to check the Non-<0-0peration Mo,·ement, they should

adopt the means which he had proposed in the pamphlet he
had pubhshecl. He wanted to ~end it to hts friends in England
who felt a genuine interest in him and were naturally anxious
to L.now something about his activities.
One E Woodfall from Delhi was pressing Shahu to be the
leader and patron of the Cow Sa, ing League He wrote to
Shahu on Apnl 4, that he would make Kolhapur a great name.
It seems from hts letter of Apnl 17, 1922, that WoodfaU was a
leader of the orthodox party; the Maharaja of Darbhanga had
:supported his Cow Saving League
From Shedbal, ShJ.lm wrote on April 22, 19.22, to Resident
l\ierewether that he was leaving Koihapur for Baroda on
Apnl 27 and would be reaching there on Apnl 29. "The depu-
tation from Baroda," he observed, "had come here to invite me,
and the Sawantwad1 people had very pressingly and sympathe-
tically requested me to be present at the marriage ceremony
Besides, at the request of the mother of La..xmide\'J, as I ha,·e
promised her at her death-bed, to be present at her daughter's
marriage ceremony, I ha'\'e no other altemativ'e but to proceed
to Baroda and attend the marriage ceremony of Laxm1devi.
The Rajesaheb 0£ AkaU.ot also has pressed me to visit Baroda"

III

Before leavmg Kolhapur and starting on hh last Journey on

Apnl 27, Shahu sent in the mornmg to the Resident two proof
copies of a pamphlet entitled a' 'Note on the Repeal of the
Press Act', giving, as he said, the practical as weU as legal point
of view on the subject He hoped, he added, the Resident
,vould find it interesting as well as instructive. The matter had
been discussed in all its aspects that had occurred lo him
On the same day he again reminded the Resident of the
historical importance of increasing the number of gun salutes
to him as his de,otion and loyalty to the British Throne was
unquestionable.
Though in poor he.11th and e-.incing a great interest in the
marriage 0 £ Princess Laxmide,, i, the gTand-daughter of the
Maharaja of Baroda, Shahu, accomp:uued by the Rajesaheb of
S~l
498 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Sawantwadi, left Kolhapur. Nobody imagined that he was

taking the last glimpse o[ his own Capital. The Doctors and the
Resident had advised him not to undertake the journey, but
he ignored the advice. The call of duty oyercamc the demands
of his health. He had promised Padmavati Ranisaheb, the
dying mother of Princess Laxmidevi, that he would look after
her welfare. It is very strange that Sayajirao Gaikwad, the
grandfather oE the Princess Laxmidevi, had left for Europe on
the eve of ·the marriage, leaving instructions for the ceremony.
On April 27, when there were only ten minutes for the train
to leave Colaba Station, Bombay, Shahu started with Babasaheb
Khanvilkar to go to the station. "All of a sudden, a hackney
vi~toria-horse dashed against our motor and the horse actually
jumped on the footboard, the pole striking against Babasaheb
Khanvilkar's chin." "Babasaheb Khanvilkar," Shahu wrote
from Baroda on April 28, "is hurt but not much. The horse's
head struck against mine: I am glad, however, to inform you
that we escaped so easily, in fact, we would not have been other-
wise able to proceed to Baroda, All is well that ends well."
The marriage took place on April 30. Shahu's health was
poor. The heavy exertions and the considerable energy he had
spent during the ceremony caused further exhaustion and
deterioration in his health.
On May I, 1922, Shahu was witnessing an elephant-fight for
which Baroda was famous in those days. While he was standing
with two other persons 'on the platform in the centre of the
are_na, the maddened elephant, in hot pursuit. of the man
fighting with him, advanced •towards the platform, bm the
animal turned back. Shahu's companions, who ,~e1:e terribly
frightened, entreated Shahu to withdraw from the platform. He
would not. The second time the elephant mar~hed with great
sp~ed and_ his long trunk was near the intrepid Chhcttrapati. At
this moment Shahu shouted at the top oE his voice to frighten
the beast. Just at that moment the man fightincr 'with the ele-
phant struck it with spears from behind. The elephant tu;ned
and Shahu Chhatrapati was again saved. Greatly ,pl~ased with
the performance of the man, Shahu presented him, .with a
thousand rupees.
 FACES DEATH BRAVELY 199
The next day Shahu thought that cheet:r. hunting would
invigorate his system and so he wrote to the Political Agent of
Sawantwad1 that he was taking some of the Baroda guests with-
him for cheeta hunting to Dahl.a, a place twenty miles from
Baroda. This caused further crim in h1.s health. Some-
doctors of Baroda advised him re.st But before leaving Baroda
on May 3, I 9:?2, Shahu WTOte to Jadhav that, ''t11e cheeta lwnt
from a motor i.s altogether a no\-elty and I feel sure it would
greatly interest Her Highness Maharanisaheb, You would do
well, I think, to request Her Highness to witness tlus fun." He
·wrote also to Captain King, "I am leaving my cheetas here for
Prmces.s Taraba1 Maharanisaheb .1nd Prince Pratapsmh You
can take them to Dabk.a. The cheetas are well trained animals
:md can be carried m a motor I am sure }ou will be able to
hunt hal( a doren bud.s in about two hours· time I J1ad been
myself to Dabka and had fine sport. TI1ere is a beautiful place
to rest in the middle of the day. 1 am sure }OU will enjoy the
hunt extremely,"9
On May 3 Shahu felt a litt1e better, and he left Ilaroda on lf:ie
same day reaching Bombay on the morriing of May 1, 1922.
Dunng tfie night journey he hacl little sleep, and he felt v.orse
with pain in the heart, Dr. Shirgaonlar and Dr. DeshmuU1,
two eminent physICians m Bombay, were called in. Dr. TrecLer,
a heart speaalist, also was eonsulted. It 11as real1sed that the
ailment was taking a serious tum
When Shalm realised that his heart malady had talen a
grave turn, he wired to Dew:m Sabnis 10 start for Bombay with
the draft which referred to the Will rn v.hid1 he had proposed
to embody the pro,.isions he wished to male for tl1e v,ido,1ed
daughter-in-Jaw.
Bapusaheb, Appasaheb Kagalkar, Babasahel> Kbam·illar and
Her Highness Jndumati Ranisaheb, the J\lahar:ij:i's wi~0\1ed
daughter-in-law, were by !us side. When De1\an Sabots "':1s
about to catch the lr:lin for Bomba), the shooting ,um m
Shahu's heart was bringing his end nearer. Yet he l'.".lS full)
confident to the last moment. The ,~hole night of 1\fa' 5 he-
was suffering from an excruciating pam. The night ~as. spent
in anxious thoughts and sufienng A little before stx in lhe
.500 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

morning of May 6, 1922~· Shahu sat up ~ moment and said, ''I

am ready to go. I have no fears. Good-bye to all."
At 6 a.m. passed a:,vay, at the age of forty-eight, one of th_e
greatest Rulers in Indian history. The man who bravely faces his
death is generally a man who has lived a useful life or who has
spent his life for a great cause. The Maratha States never pro-
duced a greater and braver, more dutiful and more resourceful
Ruler than this towering· personality.
The sad news of his untimely and sudden death was tele-
graphed to Kolhapur, which sank into a deep sorrow over the
death of their belo.ved RuJer. People now anxiously and
.sorrowfully awaited to take the last glimpse_ of the man who
.bad inspired them for twenty-five years, a glimpse which satisfied
-their pride and traditions. Bapusaheb Ghatge ~rried the body
:in a motor-car to Kolhapur via Poona and Satara where
1thousands assembled on the roadside to do honour and. pay
their respec~ . t~ the. gre~t ruler. At midnight the remains of
the champion of the suppressed people reached Kolhapur. The
sorrow of the people knew no bounds. Rajaram, his illustri~us
son and successor, performed the faithful duties of announcing
his o,vn accession to .the throne of the Chhatrapati. Amidst.
heart-rending scenes Rajararil. was proclaimed Chhatrapati. He
declared that he 'ivould strive ceaselessiy to seCLire the content-
ment and prosperity of his ·subjects like his dear departed· father.
After this proclamation, the funeral procession of the beloved
Ruler started from the New Palace to the crematory of the
Royal ~ouse with aff dtie honours. It was a long solemn proces·
sion attended by thousands of people, the poor and the rich.
It reached the crematory of the Royal House at 5.30 a.m. The
Maratha students of the Shivaji Vedic School were called upon
for the first time in the history of Kolhapur State to officiate as
the priests of the Chhatrapati in place of the Brahmin priests.
This decision was courageously taken by Rajaram Chhatrapati
and. h.~s mother. "Come what may;' said the Dowager Maha-
l-am, I shall be true to the wishes of my husband." A brave
woman,. she surpassed the courage which e,·en great refon:ners
had failed to show. A worthy son and a devoted wife! The
mournful function was completed with a salute of forty-eight
:gum.
 FACES DEATit BRA\'ELY , , 501
If Dral1min Prie5ts had been emplo}ed, 1hous:tnds of nlJ:>ees
would ha,-e found their way mto dieJT poclets, but not a pie
was spent on them The performing of obsequies by the l\fara.tha
pri~1s resulted in ending the Br.l.hmin influence on the ma.~ses

IV

Thus ended the career of the Royal rebel v.ho '\\as dee:Ply
Io,·ed by his people and hated by the social 'fories of Inclia.
Indeed, he nas :m idol of 1hom.1mls of his co1mtT}men and
the Sa\'iour of the sl1ppressed and the oppressed. A sLilful
organiser, a de\Oted ruler, a fearless royal rernfutionary, Sliahu
was a Prince among the social revolutionaries of India.
Friend'§ and foes, re{ormers and the orthodo"< appreciated his
norl.. and abJlity, fully or p:miaJly and tool. notice of his death
with sono,\ful digmty The Knar1, the mouthpiece of his
opponehts and of the Ttlat party, s:ud with an open heart. "In
matters of phy,dcal strain Sluhu had special gift from Pro,ic.I-
ence. Probably there was no other Ruler In the ,1ho1e of India
¼ho could, be compared with him in tlm respect. . . . Tbe
powers of bis intellect were simifarly. great; and there u no
doubt that H he had been born in older times, the organmng
skill wlml1 was the peculiarity of his intellect would have
enabled 1nm to accomph5h what v.oula' ha,e given him a
historic fame I\Ian is apt to look upon liis age as uninteresting
and tasteless But there is no doubt tb;t a ,rn1k correctly dl'.'s,
cribing the e~traotd1narY achicv!tnents, direct Ol'. indin>ct, in
the open and behind the ~urtain of his intellect, his lnowledge
of human nature and his strong amb1t1on, will be a Hry
1
interesting one indeed/ ' ' '
"None else in the present age had probably moved the soil
of the earth so deeply as Shahu Maharaja by driving the plough
of his a1I-round intellect into religion, poliucs and sociology and
drh ing it·with all hh authority. The people ha,e already seen
nhat is the 'result of all hrs t:fforts; but it is ;1s tnie that an
intellectual awakening has taken place among many side-tracked
classes of men ,\ho found in him a unique leader as it is also
trne that the MahataJa's indefatigable energy, his perse,.erance
and his pol\er to concentrate all hJS energies on the achie,e-
502 SBAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

ment of his goal was extraordinary. The Maharaja had pro-

vided in his life ample material. suggestive of many unknown
laws in the science of the human mind.".
The Justice, Madras, said,'. "Shahu was a prince among ·me~
and a man among the Princes. His magnetic figure, h'.s
robust optimism, the iron will of which he was a master, his
kindly and generous disposition, marked him out as a true
Maratha of the best and noblest type."
"Born at other period," Justice continued, "he would hav~
founded an Empire and created a confederacy. . . . The per-
sonal hold which he had over the people was phenomenal and
reminded one of the palmy days of the Maratha Emperors.
The latter day awakening of the warlike Marathas, their free-
dom from the snares of the Chitpavan priests and their ability
to assert their manhood was due to his teachings and his per-
son;i-1 example."
Messages of condolences were received from the King-
Emperor and the Prince of Wales. The Secretary of State sajd
that he appreciated ·shahu's staunch loyalty to the crown, his
steadfast assistance to the Govemmen t of India and· bis efforts
to secure the •well-being of his subjects. Lord Reading said
that Shahu was the most loyal and faithful of friends. Fraser
said Shahu was a rare character. He faced difficulties with
courage and with high principles. He was a true· man, strong,
but with a tender heart for all .suffering and "u~. son could h~\le
a fitter example before him to guide him.JO He uplifted the
people .at great cost to himself. "Thousands 'o{ his country-
men," Fraser said., "must have f~lt that with him they lost the
light which had begun to illumine a world of new possibilities.
His loss to India is indeed hard to over-estimate, for as a social
rcfonner he occupied a niche by himself among the Ruling
Princes of India and the gap· caused by his death is to be
measured not only by what he achieved but by the·magnitude
of the work which still remains to be done. But he :kimlled a
torch in the Maratha Country, which others must and I believe
will hand on. Its light can never now be extinguished and his
name will not be forgotten among the people he Joved and
served."H .
 rAa:s DtAnl BRA\'ELY

George Ll)od SJ.Id that he was deeply shoded and grieved to

hear o{ the sudden death of I-hs Highness The Governor fattr
said that it was his deep enJo}1nent and most sympathetic under•
.st:mding of tire lmman side in all those with whom he came
into contact that his character, to his mind, derned its chief
strength and t.harm. Wtllingdon said he and bis wife were
deeply moved to hear of dit> svdden death of lJis oJd and iralved
friend, Merewether said the Empire b:'l.d lost a good friend
and he the most faithful of his friends.
Almost all the Jndian Prm,es gneved mer the loss 0£ their
leading Prince Dewas, Ilhavnagar, Baroda, Kashmir, Jaipur,
D1kaner, Nabha, Kh.1rrpnr a.nd others sent cDndolencd to
RaJat.'lm Chhatrap:111 on the sad occa~ion Several grieved ewer
the lc,,;s of one who had alwa}'! been a tnte and sympathetic
friend, well known for his J..inJ:ness, generosity and hospit:1lity.
H, Thompson, Foreign and Political Member of the
G<wemor-General's Council, said that there were very few men
hJ..e His Highness, and it troubled him that he would never be
able to see h1rn again. Dr ,var1less s:utl his Joss was irreparable
to the State, and wouJd be deeply bmenred by thousands of
his subjects. From London, Dr. Ambedkar mourned the death
of his friend and benefactor. In his message to Rajaram
Cl1hatrapati, he said: "TI1e news of the death of His Highness
which I read in the newspapers came to me as a shock. I am
doubly gneved by the cafamitolls event In his death 1 h:n'e
Jost a person:11 friend and tl1e Depressed Classes have Iosl a
steat benefactor and the greatest champion of their cause
Amidst my grief I hasten to convey to yourself and the Dowager
Ran1saheb my deep and sincere sympathy for this sad
berea1 ement. " 12 ,
,The Acya-Samaj,sts at several places, the Satya-Shodhakites
in every town and , prominent , village in J\fahJrashtra, fhe
Kamgar Hitvardhak Sabha in Bombay and the Peoples' Union
expressed their heartfelt grief Jt was the saddest day, said a
Resolution of the Labour Union jn Bombay, not only for l\fa11a-
rashtr.1 but for the whole of India. Hundreds of messages of
condolence fronl representatives of the Bacl.ward Cfasses and the
Untouchables from all over India poured in Condolence
meeting3 were held in Madras also. Many of the speaten said
'504 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

that they lost in Chhatrapati Shahu, a champion who knew no

·defeat and was never daunted by threats.
. The South Indian Liberal Federation, mourning Shahu's
death, said that Shahu was one of those who had realised the
importance of the South Indian Liberal Federation and ·had
befriended the leaders of that movement. It added that he had
tried his very best to espouse the cause of the Depressed Classes.
Another meeting under the presidentship of Sir P. Theagaraya
Chetty, expressed their sense of loss sustained by the non-
Brahmin communities by the untimely death of the Maharaja
and placed on record the warm appreciation of and gratitude
for the invaluable services rendered by him in the cause of the
country and especially in the interest, progress and welfare of.
the ·non-Brahmin communities.13 In Bombay, the Marathas
held a meeting at Parel under the presidentship of Sampatrao
Gaikwad. It expressed. its sorrow over the untimely death of
the Maharaja. The president of the meeting said that the fruits
of the efforts the Maharaja made in the direction of education
,~ould be .realised by future generations.14
Lastly, speaking about his Father, Rajaram, the new Chhatra-
pati, said, "Throughout his life my father worked hard and
fearlessly against heavy odds, but he never severed even by a
hair's breadth from the high principles that guided him."

Shahu 11;as indeed a man of boundless courage, phenomenal

energy and strength. In all his dealings his very human and
noble character was manifest. Re felt more fellowship
and brotherhood with the deserted and the downtrodden than
with saints and with the privileged of society. To him, the
liberation of the Depressed and the Oppressed was the highest
g~al of action; and the one great aim of his legislation was to
give them full rights o{ equality and liberty. Neither threats
nor open enmity could dissuade him from his noble resolve.
Wit~iout a_doubt Shahu was more courageous than most of ·the
l111han social rcfonners of his times.
As a ~ractical man, Shahu knew the value of men and things
and cas11r detected tl1c viies of sycophants and the flattery of
.506 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOI.UTIONARY

reflected in his mission for the liberation of'thc Depressed and

the Suppressed from social slavery, social incqualit)', and in his
fight for human dignity, equal opportunities and human rights,
What the Indian Republic has been fighting for, viz. transfonn·
ing the political democracy into a social and economic one as
laid down in the guiding principles of the Indian Constitution,
Shahu fought for fifty years ago.
Most of Shahu's despisers and detractcrs were Brahmin
lawyers, whose roofs were covered with the skin of their litigants
and ;vho had no real wish to make the ·world better. Their
ideas of society and its range were narrow and selfish. They
had knowledge without true wisdom and courage without moral
heroism. They indulged in false ideas of holiness and in scrip·
tural pride. Shahu had his foibles and failings which will b~
burnt up in the furnace of time and history will honour him for
his love of humanity.
Shahu was well read, well infonned and always showed
judgment, talent and astuteness in the discharge of his multi•
farious duties. As an administrator, he was able and efficient
and was a delightful colleague to work with. He had appointed
an Inspector of Orders to record and watch the e:xccution 0£
orders and disposal of complaints, petitions and schemes. F!e
believed in modem agriculture and modem industrial develop- •
ment, a~d in building vast dams for irrigation and in starting
co-operative societies to help the farmers and. workers. On
account 0£ this' stupendous work he was aptly called the Father
of ·the Green Revolution in India! I{is ·strict rules governing
the conduct of State officers, the service rules devised to weed
out corruption and maladministration the 'liberal and pro~
gressive. legislations. 'on·. devasthans, the I inheritance rights, the
Kulka~ni vafans, the abolition. of Untouchability, equality of
men before the law and the codification of 'the Hindu Law, all
prove that Shahu was a· great and successful administrator and
ruler of his day. ·: •
It wa_s Shahu'.s belief that the peace, progress and prosperitY
of India depended on the elevation of the Backward •and
~epressed Classes. He aimed at the integration and consolida-
tion of t~e national interests. It was the mission of his life to
take these classes out of their morass, and he considered that his
 rAt1' l>r.ATII tlt'\\"t.lY 507
ucr~t d111) 10 Juun:inlty. lk e,perknced :s son o[ sp1ritu,t
~hmem d11t Jt1U1Tetl ldm on to (11161 thLS minion
\\'it!1 111h cnd in , iet., 5hihu nude ?1 is famou, dcd:n,nion:
"'To t1llhrone lnthltt nitmn, 1'-C mint tklhnme flr.ihmini,m"
\\ liid1 di\ idtd ioderr .1nd brC\1 11k1i o( h1ghneu ::iml lowne-1S
an1I ()('I\C:rlt for the mn\("t c:m thc tum of bir1J1 Ue, thercrore,
strml' 10 :iLo?iih the n\lt' h1rtm ;ind liber.lle tl1e lower d:i\ses
from mo1b[ ,fl,ery, wcfal stigmi :md dei;:r.itfation .According
10 hitn. to 1foiohe c:me w,s:,. til"C~111y and 10 upholtl cnte \\lt

a 1!n. Ile, thetdote', prt:Jched thl" nffll 10 foster Che corporate

:ind i::ooper:.11iH~ spirit. lt w:11 Ms con,iction chat nny m~litu-
tion in the tout1try, :i Mumdp.11i1y or :i ,iJhi:;e p;u1d11,";1!, would
not be ::ible 10 £unction smoothly :int.! efficient)} so long as it
't>":11 not (rtt- from c:nre innuenre. I le 5'1ou1td at lhc top of hi1
,oice at r:onfettncN th:it it \\-;111h:1mele,1 on the p,rt of ;1 !e:ider
10 c:111 l1int~IC a lc:-1tler if J1e conmleml his countrymen and
btrthttn 01 wot,,c than co\lidung ,nd t,c::1us. ''ThOse ,,·ho take
JI.Jrt In politics mu,1 trt:it ntrn ;11 men," he l11tmderett.
Jn his 0,,11 ,,';ly Sh.:ihu, Jilc nudtlha an1l Ashol. tried to
lmm.1ni"1oe n=li~ion rrnident V. V, Gbi, delnerin!t a speech in
Domkty on the occ:uion of Sh:thu's birth-ttnlenary, oppreri:itet.l
Shnh«'i grr.:it ser,rices to the n:uion ,,hen lie s:tid th:u ''Sh:ihti
w;u fint :m<l foremmt great em311cip.11or .ind :i tnte sen:int of
:i
die clowntroJden."H It w;u :t fitting description of o greac
le:ider wl10 said "Our rise depends upon the cle,;1:tion of the
m.'.lues:·
Shahu's stmgg!e for tedudng the disparity between the
prh1kged :rn<l the untterprhil~cl w:is described by the leaders
of the ,cued interesu a, r.1,tebm, :1. worJ.. of dish:mnony and
disgr.ice. If o Drahmin thinks 0£ ~mo~ing this disp:iritY be-
t\\ecn m:in :tnd m:in, he i, called a iocfal refort11er, bm if a non-
nr:ihmin doc, it sincerely, J1e h demiunred as :1. comnrnnahst who
fornenn division in society, '
Shahu orten actetl up to the instrtlction1 or the Resident un~et
pressure and not with tileasure. Ile W35 nn :1m1te le;:ader. Whifr
dealing with the British Go,ernmem, he always 'pretellcled
simplicity and nrtlesmess. But under his !implicity and artleSJ1•
ness there was sagacity and astuteness. Wh:tt Sh:iht1 wrote 10
Holbr was ,-ery suggestive of hi~ shrewd :md cautious n:iture
508 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL RE\'OLUTIONAR.Y

Shahu advised Holkar that hfa outspokenness and straightfor-

wardness in dealing with the British Government might be the
cause of his ruin, and he added: "Virtue is not always admired
in this world."
The British Resident had his spies to watch over Shahu's
activities and often Shahu outwitted them. ·when l1e was found
out, he wrote in an apologetic tone, made a show of his loyalty
by talking aggressively and disdainfully of the nationalists and
tried to wriggle out of the situation. But Shahu too had his
~pies to keep watch on the Resident, and got secret information
about.him. During a talk with the British Resident, a certain
high dignitary raised some delicate questions which were
difficult for the Resident to answer. ·when that dignitary met
Shahu, the ruler skilfully turned the comersation to those
difficult questions and replied to them. The guest was taken
aback!
Functioning as Shahu was under duress and the limitations of
a dependent ruler, Shahu could not take an active part in the
freedom struggle, though he fearlessly declared Swaraj as the
goal of India. In the early twenties even Mahatma Gandhi was
not prepared to.define Swaraj as complete independence. Except
the revolutionary party led by Savarkar, no other party had
declared complete independence as its goal. Mah~tma Gandhi
said in Young India on January 3, 1922, that "it would be reli-
giously unlawful for us to insist upon independence, for it would
be vindictive and petulent. It would be a denial of God." In
1921, even Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru dissociated himself with
a resolution which Hazarat .i.\fohani moved at the Ahmedabad
Congress, declaring complete· independence as its goal.17
Gandhi opposed this resolution.
-' Shahu's idea of Swaraj was not of a geographical nature, but
aimed at broadening the base of democracy and enlarging the
scope 0£ Indian nationalism. His advocacy of the rights of the
Backward and Depressed· Classes and of their rightful share in
the administration was misrepresented by the Maharashtrian
Congress leaders. •
Shahu was a good, wise and enlightened ruler, tolerant of aJ_I
faiths. "In any other country," said a writer with good. judg-
ment, "he would have been an idol of all ·wh~ recognised social
 FACES DEATH BRAVELY 509
:idv:i.ncc as the just step to political JJrogte$5.'' His educational
pollcy Ji:u been the inspiration of numerous social workers: his
liberty in social mauen reasserted :md revhed the new era
inaugurated by Mahatma Phooley Jong before.
Srmp.2thy for human ltle nas Sl13bu's warchwunl and ir prmed
to be a grc.1t moral and mothe force. In reality he eo.en risked
his crown in Jiis :mempt to eleYate tl1e mas~es and he rightly
tried to emure rhe moral as wdl as material welfare of his
subjects. His ultimate n1m was much wider. His wa, a wiser-, s:mer
and more toter.mt outlool. According to the defimuon of a
great man gm:n by Plckh:,no,• in the The Role of lite lndwldual
in' Ilistory, Shahu w-as a great man. Wlule e"<plaining how
exceptional men play their t"Ole in history, Plekhanov ob~en es
fo his euay d1.n a great m.:m is great because "he pOrSsesses
qualities ,~hich male him most capable of serving the great social
needs of his time, needs ~luch arise as a result of general and
partkufar ciu.ses, ... A great nun .is precisely a beg1nner, because
he sees farther than others and desires more strongly than
others.''U
Undoubtedlv, Shahu saw farther than most of his contem•
poraries and desired the ele.,.ation of the 1t:mer classes more
1:.eenfy and strongly than otliers. 'History is made by a great
social man and hle a great man Shahu was the product of the
social forces that pressed for a new social ordet. Shahu and Dr.
Nai.r were the rebels m Indta who t\ere responsible far the soc1a!
unrest in Jndfa in the 'fint quarter of the twentieth century. No
otl1er Imltan ruler •was as great a social as: weH as public figure as
Shahu was. Hu heart bled and hjs eyes 14,ere 0!1en dim with
tears for the suppressed. '
The secret of Shahu's success was his noble aim and serness
"-'"OrL He once Mjd that the crm-m was to be held in reality and
rightly for the people to ensure moral and matenal triumph of
the government and he acted acconhngly.
Shahu played his historic role magnificently in the construe•
t10n of a new society and a better world. It w:is a noble drama
in which conqu('SC of dehumanising eHls was m:,de by shining
principles 0£ humanism, replacing darl.ness with light Plato
visualised a tune when philosophers ,..,ould be kings. He did not
Jor~ee the day when Princes would be social re ... olutionaries
510 SI·I,\HU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Shahu visualised a new social order based on equality and

liberty, that is, basecl on reason, a pattern o[ a future Indian
society. His philosophy of enthroning labour, of annihilating
untouchability root and branch, and of raising the status of the
common. man, has come to Free India in the ideal of social and
economic democracy as enunciated in the guiding principles oE
the Indian Constitution.
Shahu was indeed a man o[ great soul, a man of simple great-
ness and a people's social philosopher. After the deatlt of
Mahatma Phoolcy he rekindled the lamp of hope in the hearts
of millions of Untouchables and the lower classes. This achieve-
ment alone entitled him to a high place in Indian history. He
was a ruler who dreamed of a labour Government in India, a
leader who said that mills and factories should not go into the
hands oE capitalists and millionaires, but should remain in _the
hands o[ the people. . He was a ruler who lighted lhe eternal
lamp 0£ education which shines all over Maharashtra. He was a
Prince who believed in the dictum that peace had its victories
more renowned than war.
Hence with the increasing success of the social and economic
democracy in India, Sha9u's figure will shine brighter. He will
be ever remembered by the people with gratitude and affection.
His name will be written in gold in'. the history of India. Man
plays several roles in his life. With his indomitable, unselfish and
ascetic soul, Rajarshi Shahu Chhatrapati proved. to be the
greatest ruler in Maharashtra since Shivaji the Great. He was
indeed. a great social man, a royal revolutionary, a supporter t?f
democratic journalism, a promoter o[ Indian.music, a builder of
the Marathi stage, a patron of wrestling, a maker of modern
Maharashtra, the Father of the Green Revolution in India and
one o[ the founders of social and economic democracy in India.
 Abbreviations used in the References

AA~( The Alt-Indra Anti-Untoucha/11I1ty Mouement

ADS Apte, DaJI Nagcsh. Shn .MaharaJ Sa}aprar,, Gaiku:ad (Tm1re}
l'arrche Chantra
ARB Athaiale, R n
A\'S Angfo i ernarular School-Katl,,al, H1raka Mahotsav Crantha
Al\5 -\mm:-dl.az-, Dr D R. IJho uere Jht Shudra.r'

DC Bombay Chromtle
BK Bole, S K m Lokamanya Tllak Janmmhalabd1 i uheshank.
BKI DitJe, V L, Kshatn}a -!ni Tytmche Ast,twa
mH Bagal, l\fadhavrao, Sarya Shodhak H,raka /lfoholsllV Grantha
R\[C Statement of lhe Question refn-rrd for Dermon of the Iligh Court
of Bombay 1n lhe matter of the Edat,: of Shn T'aJudeo Hanhar
Pandit alias Baba /lfaharaJ (1920)
B\lS Bagal, Madhavrao, Ro1anhl Chhatrapati Shn Sha1.u .UaharaJ
Yotichya Athm'l1m
nr This biography's page
B~K Bharad"aJ, Sambamun,, Shnnch,: Jwanchanlra ar/hat J..arveer
Pithac!1a It1has

CEC Co-., "i1r Edmund C , My Th1r1y l'tars m India

CSM Shn Chhatnpati ShahaJ1 Mahan]
CTM C,,i:,;hman, RKh.ud I , Tl1e Ali,th of Lokman;t.1 Tilak and Alan
Po/11,cs m Maharashtra, Unner:s1ty or California rress (1975)
CWG The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi

DGJ De~hp.inde, Can;pdbar, Ma:1 Jiia,il;.otha

DPR Report of the Director of Pubht Instruct1on, Bombay Prestdency
for the Year
DRD Dco. S S , Ramdas Di"bodli
DSG Don:;re, M G , ShrmddhanlVIJ/JJgrantha

FI'J Free Press Journal, Bombay

GI\I Granthamala
SIi
512 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

HR Harijan
HRD Hardgrave, Jr., Robert L., The Dravidian Movement
HRF Horne Public File A. pp. 240-244 India Office Library
HT Hindustan Times

IEC Irschick, Eugene F., Politics and Social Conflict in South India
and the non-Brahmin Movement and Tamil Separation 191.6-1929
IP Indu Prakash
ISR The Indian Social Reformer

]BB Jadhav, B. B., editor, Rajarshi Shahu Maharajanchi Bhasham:

JK Jagaruh

KCA Kincaid, C. A., Forty-four Years a Public Servant

KDA Keer, Dhananjay, Dr. Ambcdkar: Life and Mission (Third edition)
KDM Keer Dhananjay, Mahatma Gandhi: Political Saint and Unarmed
Prophet
KDP. Keer, Dhananjay, Mahatma Jotirao Phoole)', Father of the Indian
Social Revolution (Second edition)
KDR Kanji Dwarkadas, Ruttie Jinnah
KDT Keer, DhananjaY,, Lohamanya Tilah, Father of the Indian Frct:dom,
Strngglc (Second edition)
,KG Karuecr Gazette
KGD Khanolkar, G. D.; Professor ·T'islmu Govind Vijapurhar
KJA Kothari, V. R., Junya Athavani
KK Keral Kokil
KM Kcluskar, Manohar
KRV l{anade, R. G., Guruva'rya T'ishnu Govind n;apurhar
KS Kesari
KSY Kirloskar· S. V., Yantrihachi Yatm
KTP Khobrckar, V. G., Tikckar, S. R., Making of a Princely Historian
KVG Khobrekar, V, G., Director of Archives and Archaeology, Editor,
Shivaji .Memorials, The British t1ttitude

LAB Latthe, Memoirs of His Highness Shri Shahu Ch1iatrapati Maha·

raja of Kolliapur
LEG Ludwig, Emil, Genius and Character
LG Lohasangraha
LHS Lirnayc, I'. 1\1., The History of the Deccan Education Society
LK Lol.amanya
L:\[ Loltashahi
LST Letter to Shalrn from
LT Lohas/zahti
LWN Lee-Warner, T/ic Native States of India
MES Muslim Education Society's Report
11!D '.\fontagu, E. S., An Indian Diary
111R Maud Diver, Royal India
 ABBRE\'IATION.$ USED JN TJJE 'REFERENCES 513
l\f\fC '-1ulgaon1:.ar, 1-bnohar, Chhatrapa11s of Kolhapur
\IR The Ma11ratta

XCK Kclbr, N C , Cat4 Coshth1

XCL Kellar, ?,, C,, I.okarMnyll T1ltik Yancht: Char1tr1t
rnn PalcLar, B B, ll'wy1t J,lanutd J.laratha
PDV Potdar. Mahamahopadhyap; D. V.
rGA Palclar, J:1.gnmLtr, Atm1tch1trilra am Lt:~hamngraha
PRS Plclhanov, G V , The Role of Individual m Hulory
PSH Pagadi, Sctum:idhau·ao, Hydt:rabadctd Swatanlryathya Ch1tfat'llli.
cha It1htU

RK RaJ'1kara11
RKS Report on the Genenl Admm1itrat1on of the Kolbapur Seate and
its Fcud.atories
RPW Royal Tour af H.R.Jl, The Prl~e and Pnnuu of Wales 190:i 06
published by Bennet, C:Olcman 3: Ltd, Times of lnd1'a, Bombay.
RRP Ranadc, M G, Rue of the Maratha Power Publ1Q.t1on Divi-
sion, Covemment of India

SAS Speeches and Addnmes of His Highness Sa:,a;irao III lllaharajll of

Baroda

SCO Sanpna, J E., Cast#! and OutCIJ.Ste

SDA Sunc, Dadasaheb, Ex Pnmc Minuter of Kolhapur, Unpuhlubcd
Autobiography
SIN The Semlnts of Ind,a
SK. Sudharak
SL Sandhya.l:al
SLT Shahu's !mer 10
Sl'.IS Shmdc, J\fadhavrao, 1'11ay1 M1trathllkar Shr1p1tlra1> Shindc
SNG Shcndc, N, R., Gavai tyakt, am Karya
SNT Shmdc, Captain J.f, K, Natafc Shastra am Tantra
SP Subodh Patr1ka
SVR Shm.a!J..ar, V, R .. Shn Tukaram

Tee In tht! High Court of }tullCt! KinKs Bench Dwufon, London,

betwun Bal Gangadhar T,lak, Plamt,ff, 1%nd S1r YaTent,nl!
Chiral and J.lacm1ll1tn u
Comp,my Limited Defendants. Plain•
1,ff'1 Exh1b1ls produad before the Comn11ssfoncr in Bombay
(1917)
TI The Tlmct of India, Bombay
TL Tilal.:.', lcuu
TLK Lokamanya T1lakanchtt Kcsar1t1l 1.dh
TPC Thackeray, Prabodh:ankar K. S, CrarMnyo.tha Sadyant lt1h11S
arthal Nokar1hah1che Bandll
TPJ Thackeray, Prabodh:mkar K. S, .A!a,.1 Jewangatha
SC 33
514 SHAHU -CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

TPS Tophkhane, W .. D., R~jarshi Shri Shahu Chhatrapati Yanche

Antarang
TSR Tikekar, S. R., Lol,ahitavadinchi Shatapatre

VB Jlishva-Bandhu
VDA Savarkar, V. D., An Echo from Andamans
VM J'ijayi Maratha
VPD J'yayam Prabhalwr, published by Laxman N. Dave

w Wylu:hamist
Wl\(B·. Wankhcdc, Motiram, Brahman ani Bahishkar

YI l'oung India
YSN Ycdckar, Professor S. N., Rajarshi Shahu Chhatrapati Yanchi
Bhashane
 References

OHPlER J CH.!.m:R N
TI 2 January 1~72, I. RKS 18!;!.t 9S
2 BJ\fC PP· H z. SK JJ ..\f.fgtf!f 1894
3 MMC pp 94 95 !I SK. 1 October 1894.
4 MMC p 545. 4. LST 25 October 1894.
5 TrC pp ll-12, 5 LAB Vol J, p. 108
6 'ITC p 12. 6 TI 28 lllarch 1895,
7 MMC p 575 7 LAB \'ol 1, p l25
8 CEG p 71. 8 KI 2.5 Apnl 1895
9. CSU Narrated, 9 KI 4 June 1895
10 I{( 4 June- 1S9S.
CHAnu n ll. KI 4 June 1895
12 Kl. ., Sep1emm JJl9.5, ,
I. nPR 18S5, p 85. lj MR I Septrmbtr J89S
2.
LA.B Vol. I, p. !16 H KVG p iZ 1 .
3. LAB Vol I, PP· !16.39_ 15 SLT J\Iuir Mad::cnzic.
4 J.AB Vol l, p 39 !!4 March 1910
5 DPR 1886-87. 16 LAB , Vol I, p 129
6. NCK p HS
'1. JBB CFr""7"M P
Pm.
8 tAB \'ol l, p 47. LST Fraser,
20 Dttembcr 1896,
CIIAPTU. III 2. LST ~Warner,
I
2. kKS
RKS )892 9,.
1892 9,.
,. KK
2 Apt,! 1896
September 1896
4 AVS p 7.
.'.'I. IUG 189:?-93 5 LS'T Nugcnr,
4. tns p. lH. JO Noimbn J8!J9.
5. ~ .'.'I Apnl IS!U 6. LST Nug,:r11,
6. sco p 72 -, JO Now-rnbtt ISM
7. TSR pp :m, 289, 291, " ' · 1 SLT WodehoUSC". !
BP ,:i, Spe«h OQ 'Apnl 2~ Februuy 1919. ,
1893. 8 SLT Mufr-Mttlmllc,
YS~ PP 83 S5 :"f Maleh 1919.
51.5
516 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

9. PSH p. ll7. 10. TI 15 July 1902.

10. LST Jackson, 21 May 1900. 11. LST Ferris, 26 June 1902.
12. LST Dewan, 20 June 1902.
CHAPTER VI 13. KS 19 August 1902.
14. MR 2 and 17 August 1902.
1. TCC pp. 15-16.
15. MR 16 October 1902.
2. TCC p. 16.
16. KS 5 August 1902.
3. DRD D. 5, S. 1.
17. LAB Vol. I, p. 155.
4. AWS p. 177.
18. SLT Hill, 26 September 1902.
5. BKW pp. 178-79.
19. BMS p. 156.
6. DSG p. 6.
7. ADS Vol. 11, p. 121.
CHAI'TER IX
8. TLK Bhag IV, pp. 214-16.
9. GM Varsha 7, Anka 5, 1. SVR pp. 136-140.
PP· 5-6. 2. GM September 1902.
10. KGD p. 24. 3. LA.13 Vol. I, p. 205.
11. SLT Robertson, 4. DSG pp. 145-46;
15 August 1915. 5. RKS 1911-12.
12. SLT Robertson, .. 6. VPD pp. 1-5.
8, August· 1915 . 7. RKS 1904-05.
13. SLT • Robertson, . 8. BSK pp. 80-123.
' Janu_ary 1917. 9. BSK p. 10! also PDV,
14. TL 21 August 1901. Maharashtra Times,
15. RRP p. 126. l' ! August 1970.
16. KS 22 and 29 October'' 1901. IO. TPG p. 140.
17. BK. . Abhyuday, p. 11. ,· ll. TPG p. 140.
BP , 9~'.. l st _line., 12. BSK p. 120.
13. BSK p. 120.
CHAPTER VII 14. KM Navashaf:ti, 20 :July 1975.
15. LAB p.143.'
1. LAB Vol. I, p. 160. 16. KS 6 June· 1905.
2. MR •6' October 1901.
17. RKS 1905-06.
3. LAB Vol. I, p. 140.
18. DGJ p. 183.
4. RKS 1901-02; 1902-03. 19. DSG p. 148 •. ,
5. CTM p. 116.
20. KG 23 Scpt_cmber 1905.
6. CTM p. 116. 21. GM Varsha 12, Anl:a 8.
7. LST F~rris, 6 May 1902 ..
pp. 3-5.
22. SLT Ferris,
CHAPTER VIII
12 Ko,·ember 1907.
l. KS 20 May 1902.
2. LST
Fraser, -11 June 1902. CHAPTER X
3. LST
Fraser, 2 June 1902. I. LST Dewan;
4. w No. 393-Junc 1902. 22 September 1905, •
5. KS 8 July 1902. 2. KGD p. 164.
6. CTM p. 118.:
7.
3.' KRV p. 172.
LWN Introduction. 4. KGD pp. 47-48.
8. LWN Introduction. 5. KRV p. 314.
9. KS 15 July. 1902. 6. KGD p. 48.
 RU'Eltt.\'CES 517
7. KS !G Srprembcr 1905. 9 KCA p. 116,
8 RPW PP %HG. 10 KG !I June 1909.
9. ADS Vol. II, p. 5/JS, 11 SLT Muir-'.\fad.mtie,
10. SLT Lucas, 17 January 1900, !I J1nuary 1910.
II. NCL Khand It, Dhag ◄, p, %1
1:. KS I July 1974 01 !FTVl XIII
n. A.RU J..t1an, I August 1971.
I. w,rn p 10
H. SLT Ron111, G July 1900, n,u m. PP
15, I.ST f1d1cunc,
17 Au:;us, 1906.
,.
:?.
SLC
!?-!I
Morison. 7 Apnl 19II.
B\fA p 109.
16, s:,.,,- P n 4.
5. KS 16 May 1911.
{quote, Y«r SJ;nrbr),
17. HRF 6. KS 2l )by 1911.
Jnform:n!on supphtd b7
Mm Ch;mdn MudalI.3-r 7. SL :!9 May 1972
Ill MO 8 Intm1rw with K~rbal.
19 KS 9 o«obc-r 1906, 9. KG I! July Hll!.
:0. KG :!O Octobtt 1906
!?I. SLT Edgrdcy, Cn,PnR XIV
IS October 1006 1h11, 1 Ja11uary 191!
I SLT
!!:? J;.S 27 :,:Q\ cm bc'r 1906 pp :? and 5
2 BllA
nr 163 Shahu-M1ll
!I KDF pp 206-7, 271
rs~ pp. 19 20. 4 J..S 21 October 1913
5 KS !0 September 1915,
C11 \J'Till X [ 7 October I9U.
I. ttc rr !IS9 61. 6. KS s April ms.
2. LST Mah:i.n\:i. Kmhn1nj. 7. KS !I February 1914.
II 2',011:mber 1907 8 KC !10 May 19H
!I, SLT P.bhanja Ktnhn:i.nj, 9. KS 8 Dcttmbcr 19H.
27 2',°0\~btt 1907.
4 LAB \'ol I, p !106. en U'1'l'.R xv
5. LAn \'ol I. p. !IOI. Robertson,
1, SLT
15 August 1915
CIHPTtR. XII
~ I.ST Mukadam, G S ,
I.KS 25 June 1908 15 lofay 1915
2, TPS p 17, !I Office Order No. 5301/2 of
!I.SLT Hill 18 July 1908 I!I September 1915
4. N1rrarcd by Madhnno Shmde •• KSY PP· 6-t 65,
and othen 5. kS U March 1915
5, SLT Jacuon,
15 September 1911.) CuU"l'LR XVl
6. SLT l\fori~n. LAB \'o JI, p 408.
27 November 1909 2. LAB \'ol II. p 6,1
7, SLT Mmr Mackerme, :'I Narratfd by lbnbh1u Jos1u
18 December 1908 Abo
KTP pp. 71, 159 60 4 SLT Robertson, Jinuary 1917
!I Hill w S1bnu. H April 1917
S KCA p 117.
518 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

6. SLT Lord Willingdon, 3. KS, 1(i July 1918.

21 July 1917. 4. SLT Maharaja of Baroda,

7. RS 26 December 1916. 26 -July 1918.
8. RS 12 and 19 September !i. KG 10 August 1918.
1916 6. KS 17 September 1918.
9. VDA p, 33. ?. KG 15 February 1919.
10. CWG Vol. IV, pp. 440-41, 8. KS 29 October 1918.
11. LST L. Robertson, 9. LAB Vol. II, p. 536.
24 July 191,7. 10. SLT Maharaja of Baroda,
I December 1918.
CJIAPT.fJl XVII II. I..ST Chelmsford,
18 November 1918.
l. KS 7 August 1917. 12. KDR p. 13,
2. KS 7 August 1917.
3. TPJ p. 268. C11APTE!t XX
4. TPJ p, 269.
5. LST Khascrao Jadhav, I. LST "'odcbousc,
14 October 1917. 14 February 1919. •
6. LST Ranjitsinh, 2. LST Sydcnham,
II September 1915. 24 March 1919.
7. HRD P· 6. 3. BMC pp. 20-26.
8. SP ? October 1917. 4. VB 20 April 1919.
9. KS 25 September 1917. 5. JK JO May 1919.
10. KJA p. IO. 6. JBB pp. 38-50.
IJ. SLT Holkar, 30 October 1917. 7. KG 20 May 1919.
12. SLT Hill, 7 November 1917. 8. LST Lowndes, 10 May 1919,
13. SP 7 December 1917. 9. SLT Resident, 29 May 1919,
14. SP 27 January 1918. 10. I..ST Harold, 19 June 1919,
11. SLT Harold, 19 June 1919.
CHAPTr'1l XVIII 12. I..ST Cleveland, 20 June 1919,
13. TI 17 July 1919.
1. SLT Robertson.
14. KS .l!O December 1919.
5 January 1918.
2. LST Guptc, 13 January 1918.
3. I..ST Khascrao, Jadhav, CHAPTER XXI
• 24 January 1918. I. IEC p. 106.
4. MID p. 243. 2. HRD p. 11.
5. SP 13 January 1918. 3. MID p. 118.
6. AAM p. 22. 4. TI 23 July 1919.
7. SAS ,Vol. II, p. 460. 5. LST Kothari, 22 July 1919,
8. LST Lord Willingdon, 6. SLT Kothari, 27 July 1919.
4 June 1918. 7. LST, Ammalu, 23 August 1919.
9. KS 11 June 1918. 8. LST Fraser, 18 July 1919.
10. KS 9 July J918. 9. SP 15 June 1919.

CnAPTJ:R XIX Cl!APTFJ( XXII

1. SLT Sydcnham, June 1918. I. SLT Robertson,
2. KS 2 July 1918. 16 January I 920.
 J.Ef'ZRL','CC 519
~ .. KDT p. -1,s. 8 JOO p. l!?:S,
3 SI.T WoJchnu~. 9. J.S 28 Sqicnnbcr 19:o.
:?7 March 19:0. JO, TPJ p 234
4, S~G rr 1:?:?2,. II PGA p. i3
5 KDA p. 4Z. IZ. Order ~o 185 of
6 KD\f p 3$7. 15 October 1920
7 ewe \'ol Xlfl, pp. 301 03. i, TPJ p :?Go
s ewe \'ol. XIII. p 91 14 LIB \ol JI, p 5::?6
9 YI ~5 Fcbnury 19::0 15 LIB \'ol II, pp 519 20
10 KD\f p 359 JG. I.AB \ol, U, p, 521
II. L'iT Fraser, H Ab~ l9ZO 17, Hal~bury IX, p 245,
1!. LIT R1 y.inin,;'ll, t'lb t Ion I 909
28 Apnl 1r.o. 18. KD\I p 35:?,
U. KS :?0 April 1920.
If. 17 April 1920. Cmrrnt XXV
I. SLT Wodehouse.
CJUl"JTR XXIII ! January J!nl.
I. uuer Ko R 11730-31 ::!. LAB \'ol II, p 59::i
.April I!r.O. 3. MIR p 158.
Z. KJA p. 69 -4 BC 2t J:mll3ry 1921,
S KS 18 Mar 1920 5 LG JJnuny 19:!l
4. SLT fra'IC"r, :1 May 1920 6 IEC p 59
5, SLT fma, :7 May l!r.!O 7 KS :?I JanW1ry 1921.
6 LST \\'odehl\1ue. 30 May 19::?0. 8 TPJ p 250
7. S'+G p .fO 9. SLT J;:are, 4 March 1921.
8 S'\'G p. 40. JO SLT Sidenharo,
9 KS 8 June 1920 6 llfarch 1921
10 SLT Rcsh:lcnt, 3 June 1920 JI SLT Mcre-,,cthcr,
11. SLT Go,ernor, Montgomery 11 !ifatch 1921.
Cum!, 8 June I lr-0. 12 SLT George Lloyd,
12 I.ST Wodebou~, U July I!r.O. 7 May 19!1,
13. LAB Vol II, pp 527-~8. 13 LK 20 l\fay 1921.
14 I.ST Curth, JO July l!r.?0 H, LG llfay 1921
15. KS JS May 1921
C11tPTD. XXIV 16 LT 2, llfay 1921
17. ISR 5 June 1921
l. LAn \'ol. II, pp 61J 12. pp 40 45
J8 PDB
2 LST \~'odd1ou4e, 25 June 1921.
19. VM
2 A ug1m J920. ZS June I !}!?I.
3. LEG 20 J.S
p, 46 z.z Au~ust 1921 •
4 SLT George Lloyd,
21 tr
22. 'TPJ pp 257 5S
7 August 1920
5. LAB 2S sMS p 38
V(ll. II, p 533
6 SLT R,madne, 24 SDA
25 sJ\fS p ,z
13 September 1920
7 JBB pp 116 22 !!6 SllS p 41
 Glossary of Indian Words

AMIR. A chief, a nobleman

AYl/Rvm.1., Hindu system of med,one.

B,c. Carden.
Bu. l\.hstress, a term of respectful mention for an elderly female.
BAJRI, The bulrush millet
B.1.i.un:. A share rn the corn and garden produce assign<-d for the subsist-
ern.:e- of the twelve puMic servants o( a vufage
DAtUTI.D,R A public serunt of a village entitled to Dalute.
DroUM. The feminine of Nav.ab

ClulltmtA. A raised seat

CltAMut. Cobbler, shoe maker
Cltu:r.1.. Leopard
CmµTlt.l, Memorial

DtRl!AR The go,ernmertt of an Jndian State, a (eremorua1 court presided

mer by a Chief, \'1Cetoy or Governor
DUcGAH. A tomb of a Mushm saint. a shnne
DtRSHAN. Sight, to get a sight of the image or of a great or holy
personage
DASSIRA Alt Jndia name for the ten day femv31 of Dwga puJa,
DEVWUI, A t<!mple g,rl dedicated to God
D£W.m. A Prime M1ms1er
DHAR.\ft llel,gion
Dtuk.m,SHIU A bu1Jdmg erected for the acr0inmodmo11 c.if tra1ellers
DHOTI. A cloth 1,orn by men round the waist and be11,ecn the legs
D1wAU Lamp fesuval of Hindus

GADI A rhrone; a seat of some eminent pasonage

G.rnn.u, GANANn Elephant faeed God of Hindus
GnAT. A famlmg pla,x ar cite b.«h,;:;,; ;1(qn m1 we b.ln.t d .a m1:r, .A ~u
up a mountain, a mo\.Znlain range.
GVRU. A prereptor, a teacher

SC-.'.3-1
522 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI! A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

HARTAL, Cessation of work; bO)'COlt.

Hou. A Hindu fcsti\'al.

!NAM, A grant in perpetuity without any conditions.

lNAMMR. A holder oE an inam.

JAGIIIR, JAllAGIR, JAncm. A land given by Government as reward.

JA11G11t0AR. Holder of a Jahgir.
}AI, Victory.
JowAR. The large millet; a very common foodgrain.

KALlYUG, The fourth age oE the world according to Hindu belier; an age
of strife.
KAMDII.R. An officer or public sen'ant.
KARBIIARI. A manager; a minister of a state.
KARKUN. Clerk.
Kut.01, K11AD0An.. Handloom cloth from hand-spun yarn.
KnAS. Personal; private.
KnoT. A renter of a village.
KULKARNI, A village officer to keep accounts of the cultivators with the
Government.
KUMAR, RAJKUMAR. Son of a Raja.

LUNG!. A cloth worn by men around the legs; a waistcloth.

MAHAL, A subdivision of a Taluka.

MAIIARAJA. The hereditary or personal title of Princes. Its feminine is
Maharani. Lower in rank is the title Raja.
MAIDII.N. An open space of level ground.
MAMLATDAR. An officer in charge of a Taluka.
MANDA.I'. A pillared hall.
MANKARt. The person entitled (from office, merit) to certain honours and
presents rendered at courts, weddings, councils and village-assemblies.
MANTRAS. Sacred words to propitiate God.
MATH. A devotee's cell; A hermitage; A residence of ascetics •.
MAUND, A weight. .
MuNSIF. Judge in the lower Court with civil jurisdiction.

NAZAR. Presents and offers made on the occasion of visit to or of the land-
lord or ruler.

PANCHAKULt. A term comprehending five high class Maratha families.

PANCHAMA. An Untouchable; low caste.
PANCIIAYAT. A village committee for management of affairs of a caste or
village.
PANDIT. A Hindu title applied to a person versed in the Hindu scriptures.
PANJARPOL, An animal hospital; an animal infirmary.
PAN•SUPAIU. Distribution of pan (leaf of betel vine) and supari (fruit oE
betel palm) as a form of ceremonial hospitality.
 CLOSSA.RY OF INDIAN lVOm>S 52S
l'AROA, POlUlu1. A ,e1l or cumin; the pn.ctice of keeping 1\omen not open
to the s1s:ht of strangas.
PAttt... A headman of a llllage.
PAusn The tenth Hindu month (December-January).
PH£TA. A turban
Pm A J\fohamedan samt at whose shnne ,ov,s are m:1de :and offering,,
presented
Pt1cc.t Good. complete
PtlR-1..'IA Old, also applied to certam Hmdu religious bcOkll
PURourr The fam1ly-pnesc

RAcA. Mode in Indian mus,c, tune

R..IJt. A Hmdu Chief,
R.\.'dAYA'-A Nauonal qiic ol Hmdus,
R.AN1 The 1\1fe of a RaJa
RAo. A title borne by Hindus, also a surname.

SrnAC>HI, The little edifice uected O\l'T the bunal gcneraily of a saint or
gnat pn$Dna~,
SANAD A deed or grant; a chaner, a diploma
StRDAR (corrupted to s1rdu) A leader, t111e
S nsl/JIHA, Dutnct Collector
SATYAGR,UU. Pa:1S1ve Resistance
SmuR.. Huntmg
SHllAOOJ'lt. Hindu cc-remony of offering oblations to departed souls on their
anmvenar1es
Smu.rn The \'eda~ sevually.
S'diuns The law, of Manu.
SWADF.SHI 0( one's own country.

TAGU Ad,ances made out of the pubhc treasury 10 a cultivator.

TAU.n The supendary acoouniant and reg,stnr of a vdl;t-ge
TA.Luu.. A rei.enue sub-chvis1on of D1stm;t.
T1LA A marl. on the forehead.
TILCUL. Sugar wnh sesamum-seed mued up with 1t and distributed on
the day 1\hen the ,un passC:5 from Sagittanus mto eapncorn

UnJUS Place for travellers.

VAIDYA, Physician
VATAN Land or cash allowance en1oyed by the person l\ho pc-rfonns some
service Wl"ful to Go\emment or to the V1llage communi1Y
Vonvn A system of Hindu philosophy.
\'£l)()KTA As enJoined hy the \'«las

\V'AQF. A M11.sl11n religious or charitable endowment

 Index

Abdulla, Shaikh, 372. Apte, Waman, 74, 191.

Abdulla, Yusuf, 164. Arthur, King, 114.
Abhyankar, G. R., 295, 355-56, 355. Arundale, George, 302, 361, 433, 463.
Abhyankar, S. V., 155. Arya Gazette, ~57.
.Afghan War, on, 370. .Arya Samaj, 29, 31, 38, lll, 300-05,
.Agakhan, The, 114-15. 321-22, 345-48, 350, 352, 357, 359-
Agarkar, G. G., 9, 36, 37, 125-26, 152. 60, 369, 397, 399, 400-03, 445, 503.
Agriculture, Development of-a Aurangzcb, 2.
thesis, 288-89. Ayyararu, Ramayya, 20S.
Ahalyabai Ranisaheb, 195.
Ajgaonkar, J. R., 152. Baba Maharaj, 83, 85, 154.
Akasaheb Maharaj, 179, 186, 200, Baden-Powell, Sir Robert, 477-78.
257-60. Bagal, Khandcrao, 430.
Al[red, King, 114. Bagal, Madhavrao, 203.
AH-India Maratha League, 417. Bagde,. G., 208.
Altckar, S. K., 155, 165, 190. Bagde, Keshavrao, 484.
Amatya, Ramchandrapant, 2. Bakhalc, Bhaskarbun, 134, 212.
Ambcdkar, Dr. n: R., Leaves Baroda, Bal Gandharva, N. R., 134-35, 159.
293; Mangaon Conference, 400; Bala MahaTaj, and Bala Maharaj case,
would be All-India leader, 401; 36, 87-90, 109, • 154, 245, 247; 248,
democracy, 412; 415; Nagpur 265-67, 293, 299, 437.
A.I.D.C., 421; defeats Shindc, 425; Balaji Bajirao, 3, 4.
Shahu to be President of n.c: Balbodh · script, 232.
Institution, 426-27; receives help, Balla!, Khando, 2.
42S; consulted, 449; on non- Bapat, G. P., 178, 191.
Brahmin Mo,·cment, 464-65; a loan, Baramati Conference, 444.
480-81; Shahu on his leadership, Banakke, B. S., 207.
·19:l-94; on Shahu's death, 503. Bar\'c, M. V. (Karbhari), 8-10: 15, 40,
Anandihai, Rani, 6, 12, 25, 58, 61, 42.
105, 124, 195. Beaman, Sir Frank, 492, 494.
Anderson, Col., 14. Bclvi, D., 418-19 .
.1 mlf,rnJ,rnlwsl:l:a, 283. Besant, Dr. Annie, 241-42, 281, 301·
Annasahcb ;>.!aharaj, 151, 186. 02, 377, 4IO. 463.
Aptc, Hati Narayan, 128. Bhagwat, Rajararnshastri, 78.
Aptc, R. N., 357. Dhagwa Zenda, 472.
524
 Th'Df::X 525
Bh:lldn, \'muf, 218 Cam.I>, C II, 18, 40, 51, 63, 187.
nhandular, Dr. R. G, 56, 1:?S, 138, Capualnm, 3S5, <IU.
100, J~') Cisu or ~,u SJ51Cm, HS 4P, .115,
Dh1n11, Prof , I fill, :?-17 349 50, 39'.!, -IOI. 405, 403, <I 10, 423-
llham Juhas Smihodh:tn l,bnd.11, !?f. <1:!!l, ,m
36'J Ch:utanya, !O!l
Bhtn.t Nat}11 S:imlJ, :fl!). Chamherb.m, J05cph, 116.
llh.UI, ?-..ita}21wmtn, 8!191. Ch:mal}a, Arp, llO.
Jlhm, Ramah1<i:it, 127 Cf1an&n:i.rlar, Sir Narayan, 153, :!H-
Ilh:m :+.bh1raJ. S. ·45, :!6i, 29-1, :HO, 41:!.
nt1a\C, \'1,hnudas, JS!) C f..,P, 36'J
BhaninhJl, \fah1r.i11.. of bhnmg:ar, ChapeL.ars, 65.
1911, :19, GI. 1:?l!, 1'7, 179, ISO, Chaium1rny;i, HS, 226. 386
:?IS, :?5!?, !H, S7:: 15, '4G8, '470. Ch:tubJI, M. B , 331.
Dhidc GuruJI, n. Oinan, lhr,hhau, :!03, 2:?5,
Dhd.sllulcsll,ih1d1.e Panda, $~6. Lhdm~lonl, Lorn, 255, fi6,
Bhop:atkar, [.. n . oflM!i 370 71, 385, 392
Dhoop. J N , 03 Chctuu, r. T, .,.t
Dhruk, D R, 40-1, 412. fio Cbh.zlrc, kad1mal11, J56.
Dhodc, Dmlarrao, 7, Ch1!.od1, Ul-35
n~O'.t<, Falch~mh1.., "\(~, ~0'!, 1H, SH, Chim:i:,ahtb, :'l
Rhode, K~bavno, 159, IS:!, :?36, 249 Ch1plunl.,u, \ 1$hnusham1, 95
Bhoslc, R:i.ghuJino, ◄ 21 22, Ch1rol, Sir \'alentme, 19'1, 209
DoJas, M R, 113, l:?4, 1~. 13:?, ChoL.ha,Mcl:i Boarding House, ·131.
Bod.be, R G , 207. Chrnt, 148,
lH>le, 5 K, 95, !'92-BJ, 295 95. ll2. C.Iarle, Sir Gror:;e. J 79 80, 189, 210.
rn ..m. I I.
BQhhe\ism, ~81, 393 91. Cie\dand, C, R , 299, 306, 369, 390,
Bombay Cllromcle, 40J, 463, 4GS iO, Co op('rat11" Cred11 Socu:ucs. 217,
·f7f . .(71, Conmbuuon ti:i Indiaa Mime and
Bork1r, Dhondop.tnt, 77 Drama. I 3-1 S11, 21~ l 5, 236
B<'lo;e, R B , 218. Curt,g~ ,1rn
Brahmanalkar. K G . 151, I!!, US- Cm-ion, Lord, IM, 128, HI, H7,
39, HU-t, ls-1,' IB:?, m. ,~o. 1s6. 21s, 354
Ilr:ihmo S~maJ, !~'.l-50 I

Brahmhodaya, 112. Dafta-;.,i:1r, Rao,aheb. 217

Brahma11a11d Ptmln, 4:?!I. Daluhrm f'r,lta, -U
Brahman Sabh:a, 38, 165, 16G Dakshu11 Samthana Hlta\ardhaL.
Brahm111 attitude lo l'ono!'l case, 72 Sabha, 4S!:I,
Drahm1n Raj, 4, 38 Uan,;c, S A , 347. 483
Brcwm, 71. ·• Darga Sahcb, 12'fl
British pcffcy In adm1nisrra!lon, HO Da•, C. R , 378
Duddha Sama1, 401. Da,bodh. 79 •'
Burke, R C , 469-70 DaJanaod Sar211ta1J. 31, !02, !45, 354.
JJurud, l'ranJ..appa: De,cc:m L:luL'..luon Society, 36, 56, 16S,
appeal 10 Indran nmce<1 to help
Cadell, r R , 3!!0, 355. , the society, 168 '
Campbell, J W., 275, !!SO Dem,11 Ra:yat, 3!8, 360. .367, 378 '
526 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Deccan Rayat Association, 295. 130, 132-33, 145, 150, 161; on

Delhi, Darbar Patel School, 216. Shahu as a ruler, 167, 171, 174, 179,
Deo, Dr., 66. 181; attempt on his life, 183;· i'86,
Dcodhar, V., 132. 192, 205, 213; death of his wife, 307.
Depressed Classes, 37, 148, 190, 195, Fraser 1farkct, 396.
214, 224, 249, 286, 293, 294-95, 303, Fraser, S. M., as a tutor, 19-34; 35,
305, 30S, 310, 314, 330, 335-36, 352, 42, 48, 59; 76, 96, 104-05, 111, 222,
375, 378-80, 387, 389-90, 399, 400-01, 251, 263, 275; on Home Ruic, 276,
405, 410-17, 421-22, 426, 434-35, 449, 350, 353, 373, 380; on Shahu, 395-
457, 465, 477, 492, 494, 503, 504, 96, 402, 417, 420, 426, 490; on
506, 50S. Shahu's death, 502.
Dcshmukh, Lokahitawadi, 37, 95.
Dcshmukh, Dr. M. G., 56, 57, 155. Gadgil, Dr., 135.
Deshpande, Gangadharrao, 142-43, Gadhis, G. B., 198.
149, 167, 182-83, 192, 206, 236, 238. Gadrc, R. B., 178, 182.
Deshpande, V. N., 196. Gaga Bhatta, 80, 81, 84, 85, 92, :t38,
Deshaprabhu, A. V., 199. 433.
Dcvasthanas, 280, 281. Gaibi Mosque, 118'.
Dharmasindhu, 81. Gaikwad, Balasahcb, 108, 163, 175,
Dhavale, s. B., 119. 207, 212, 251-52, 254, 325, 480.
Dinabandliu, 202.
Gaikwad, Dinkarrao, 6.
Done, V. B., 225, 227.
Gaikwad, Fattcsinha, 119, 197, 263-64,
Dongre, M. G., 97, 113, 139, 203,
293, 31.3.
207, 209, 224, 238, 256; 261'. 275,
279-80, 290, 473. Gaikwad, Malharrao, 70.
Douglas, James, 54. Gaikwad, Sampathrao, 230, 232, 504.
Dnyaneshwar, 309. Gaikwad, Sayajirao, Maharaja of
Diavid, Laxmanshastri, 182. Baroda, 24, 54, 57, 82, 97, 115, 123,
Drauidian, 233, 236. 128-29, 150, 165, 176, 192, 194-96,
Dravidian Movement, 283-84. 197-98, 204-05, 211-12, 222, 228, 233,
Dufferin, Lord, 17. 249, 253, 262-64, 268, 272-74, 282,
Dwarkadas, Jamnadas, 347:4s, , 353, 292-93, 300, 307, 310, 312-14, 322,
403, 356, 498. - •
Gajcndragadkar, R~ghava~l~arya, 81.
Edgerley, S. W., 133, 158, 171-72, 222. Gama, 218.
Edwards, Capt., 7. Gandhi, Mahatma, 64, 65, 232, 271·
Elgin, Lord, 64. 72, 364-65, 368-70, 381, 387, 402-03,
Ellinborough, Lord, 40. 407, 410, 436, 443-44, 456-58, 469,
Elphinstonc, Mountstuart, 40. 475, 479, 481, 490, 494, ,508 ..
Garibancha Kaivari, 472. ·;
Fadnis, N. V,. 178, 182, 206. Garud Puran, 447.
Fergusson, Sir James, 13, 36. Gawai, G. A., 399, 421, 434, 492, 494.
Fernandes, D. C., 68 1 70, 72, 187, Gayan Samaj, 134. •
191-93, 198, 206, 210, 220, 223, 238, Gazette, Karueer (State}, 224, 309,
261. 352, 359, 368, 371, 381, 383, 426.
Ferris, Col. W, B., 96; advice to George, V., 209, 211, 230.
Marathas, 106, 107-08, 110, 113, 117, Gharcha Purohit, 225.
125; judgment on Vedokta, 129, Ghatge, Appasahcb, 216.
 ' INDEX 527
Charge, nap\j.5Uleb, ◄ 5, 56, 11, 7-1, Hardinge, L:ldr, 220
75, ,s, 110, m, H2, 168, 1,s, m, Ifardmge, Lord, 201, :?JB, 243, 255
204. 210, 216, 218, :?24, 230, 255, Harm, Lord, :?4. 27, 28, 31, 34-35,
2U, :?19, 250 51, 211, !?78, !05, lllO, 47-49, 6l. 76. 2:!2.
329, <191, 500 Hill, Sir Claude, 96, 104 05, 112, 120,
Chatt;e, Ihwao, 2t0, I?::4 126, l::S, lll, WJ, 19!1 W, 21).f, 211,
Chatg-e, Jay:uingr.110 Abasaheb, Re- 220, 222 23, !?!t9, 233, 246, 257-58,
gent, 7-12, J!i- 17, 24, 35, 41, 55, 96, 266-f,8, :!75. 289, 3 w. 314, 368. j!l(J,
H.5. 191, 396, 4~9
Ch,uge, Yash~ntrao Bab:whtb Hrndu, 46-47, 78, 91-92, 97-98, 120,
(Sha.hu). 12. BS, 14.f, H6-47, 2J!i, 223, 225, 253-
Ghole, Dr \'. ~, 5-5. 54, 26-1, 29] 94, 301, ~Ol CH, 308,
Gholhr, Dinni:l Jl.(agutr:ue, 151, 3:J4,j5, ;'!50, 36<l, j98 99, 424, 430,
Chorpade, Ba.Ia.5ahcb, 127. 438, 468, 490
Ghorpadc. 5,imaJI, 2 Hindu l..2w ,uld (.ode, 211, 215, :::s,.
Ghorpadc, V. N,, 344, 478 393, 492
Chose, Aurobindo, 165, help for hu Hindu Missionary, l!r.!
defence, 185-86, 193, 296, 4'9. Hinduism, 56, 402, 410, 426
Gh=, Ra~ llehan, !8.5 llmdwthan, 475
Cm, V. V, rrcmfent flf fnd1an Re Hofbt, J.faha,rap TukoJ<r:ao, !l~,
public, .507, 229, 2!S, 287, 298, !12-13, 317, !22.
c,10 Ra}llU)fl, 242- 507-8.
Gokhalc, G K, 36, H, 46, 101-02, Hollar, Mahara1a Shlvajirao, 62, 150,
110, IU, t54-S7, 166, m, 186, 193, 176, 229
<174. Home Rule League, 255, 275, 278,
Got.hale, G V,, 182, 191-92. 281, 292, 2!H, 297, !108, ,20
Col.hale, ff, B , Jf, IJ, Home Rure /l!ou:nu,mt, 281, s:::J, 325,
Cot.hale, K. JI , H, 15, 23, 51, 67. 327, m. sss
GokhaJe, X. N, 20 HomeofUlhy, JH.
Colhale, N, G , H, 31. Hunter, Lord, 2.5, 36, 151
CoJ,,hale, V. B., 61, 97, IOI, 214.
Cole, R A, -147, khall,aran1l adoptmn ease, 473, iS7,
Gour, Dr, 49:?. 49.f
Graham, J 1' , Jfi.1 Jnd,an Conmtuuon, 506, 508,
Cramanyacha Sllliyanta lt1h1U, !134. Ind.tan National eor1gress, 170, 299,
Cranthamala, 41, H, 83, 85, 141, 163,
.HS
18-1. Jnd1an Pnnces and u,.e l'mt>Sh Patha-
Culava11e, Wama11, 157.
mtnt, 115
Gupta. B. L., 2:::.::. lndum S.x1al R~formtr, 46!, 475.
Cupte, D V,, 387
Indian States, !72, 39J.
Cupte, v. P , 222, 354, 442
Indian Unrest, l9S, :'09, 279, >iii/,
Gupte, R W , 299, !100.
lndu Prakash, 297, !167, 418, 419
J nd uJ1;1r, Sba nl.a rrao, l 02
IIalyalkar, Dauop:int, 181-82.
Uam1lton, Lord, George, 109, JB-IS, Inge, Dr Dean, 466.
J2j, 193, 210. 2!;1. rn ..cnon, Roben, 216
Harold, Qll , 72, 369, 372-7,, 3S:?, Jn;l,., Balasaheb, 216
!89, i:!8, 439, 468, Jngle, Datu.J1no, H. 15, 18, :20, JIO
528 SHAHU CHHATR.APATI::A.ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Irrigation scheme, 161-71, 181, 203-04, Joshi, Shivadatta, 32. ·

217, 222, 231-32, 241, 249. • Joshi, Vamanrao, 184,
Irwin, Dr. J. W., 172. .] ustice, 33 7, 340, SB0, 412, 462, 470,
Irwin, Mrs,, 171, 213, 216, 228, 244, 489, 502.
250, 257.
_Iyengar, K. S. K., 372, 414. Kadar, Gulam, 361-62.
Iyengar, Srinivas, 489. Kal, 144.
Kalaram Temple, Nasik, 467.
Jackson, A. M. T., 72, 75, 196-97, Kamble, Gangaram, 361-62: ;:
, 417, 436. Kamgar Hitavardhak Sabha, 283, 345,
.Jadhav, Ilhaskarrao, 53, 67, 102, 113, 503 .
· 167, 173, 178, 203, 205, 219, 224-25, Kanade, Dinkarshastri, 149.
227, 237-38, 241, 256, 261, 266, Kanhere, A. L., 196.
278-79, 282, 289-91, 295, 300, 325, Kanpur Speech, 364-65.
337, 347, 378, 446-47, 449-50; 471- Karandikar, Muni., 74.
487. Karandikar, R. P ., 124, .129, 132, 279,
Jadhav Dhanaji, 4. 305.
Jadhav, JaysingraQ, ·176. Karve, • ProE. -D'. K., 223.
Jadhav, K. T., 447. Karvc, K. C., 196.
Jadhav, Iiliascrao, 185, 272-74, 287, Katwate, Prof., 128.
292, . 295; 300, 304, 307, 317, 353, Kayastha Prabhu Hostel, 106.
364, 386-87, 391,406,417,441, 447, Kclkar, N. C., 227, 284, 320, 363;
.454,, 456-57. 367-68, 441-42, 473, 479.
Jagtap, Baburao G-., 483. .Kelokar, Dr., K. D., 60.
Jagannath Maharaj, 86, 92, 247-48, Kelokar, Mrs. R. K., 60-61, 106.
437. Kcluskar, K. A., 100, 152.
Jagruh, 286, 340, ,360, 367, 388, 444. Kera/ Patrika, 377. .
Jagruti, 291, 388, 475-76. . Kcrkar, Kesarbai, 212-13.
Jahagirdar, Himatbahadur, 201. Kcsari, 9-10, 37, 47, 65, 83, 9!i, 108,
Jambhotkar, Ganpatrao, Hi7. 112, 120-21,.128, 141, 144, 149, 156,
James, GS. • • • 167, 172-74, 194, 227-28, 252, 264,
Jamnadas _Dwarkadas, 347-48, 353, 268-69, 271-72, 277.-79, 284, 294, 311,
• 403. • 316, 322, 324, 327,.340, 367, 369,
Jayaprakash Narayan, 146. 375, 382, 403, 408, 412, 415, 418,
Jamshctji, 144, 232. 426, 429, 456, 464, 467, 471, 473-77,
Jcdhc; Baburao, 388, 447, 453, 458. 479, 483, 487-88, 501.
Jijabai, Rani, 4. Kctkar, Dr. S. V., 144.
Jinnah,' Mahomcd, 320, 347:48, 353, Khadilkar, K. P.; !56,· 157.
363. Khamgaon Educational Conference,
Joshi, •Atmaram Shastri, I 93, 265. 296-97.
Joshi, B. N., Hi, 40, 53,- 77 .• Khan, Abdil! Karim, 134, 212.
Joshi, Darou, 74, 156-57, 178, 182- Khan, Barkatulla, 212 ..
83, 186. 188, 192, 198-99. 205-06, Khansahcb, Alladiya, 134-35, 212-13.
382, 386. Khanolkar, c;.· D., 148-49."
Joshi, J. B., 54. Khanolkar, 1\Iamasahcb, 78
Joshi, Moropant, 132; Kham·ilkar, Babasahcb, 431.
Joshi, N. R., 152. Khanvilkar; napusahcb, 222, 253, 255,
Joshi, l'urushottam, 226. 498-99.
 Th'DE.X 529
Khaparde, Dad3saheb, 473. Lamm;::tor1, Lord, 1'6-37, 169, 171,
J..ha.pnde, C. 5 , 85, 157. 2:?3, 3r,o,
Khare, I>. A , IU, 15.5, 191. Lawrence, A (Lad1,ahcb), 136
Khl'l:!kar, Dr. R. V,, :?:?8, L3ltm1b:11, AJ..asaheb, 168, 213,
kh1laphat Moument, <(26 t a'l:m1b:11, ,tahanm, 24, 26, 4S, 65,
k1mberlty, Loni, 17, roo. 211, ::11-1s, 220 21, ~62. 26-t,
Lncaid, C. A , 190 9:?, 207, 209, 44!i. 4.:l:?,459
Kin~ tdi,ard VU, 96, 103, JI!?, IH, Lec•\\'arner, W11ltam, 15, 17, 19, 23,
119, !?00-0I, !?3.S-34. 26-27, 59, 105, 114, Il6, 132, 193.
l..1rlosJ..ar Fa,;tory, !?~l. 289 90, 298 198, 2:?0 :?2, 279
K1rlosl..ar, L:nm:inno, 289 90 Lele, Drnoba, 7~.
Knshna. <(52. L1tlil', ~rrs , 26, GO
Kolhapur Mumc1paluy, 85, m, 4~6 I..im3}C, Bhausahcb, n
Konkane, D M., 20a Lokah1ta1,ail1, D~h11111l.h, '7. 95
kotharl, Yakhand, 256, 295, SSJ, Lclmlu1kt1, 459
3.59 60, .Si9 SO. 418, ,U2-H, 4H, 4Sl LckiJman)«, 47-t
Knu.,eerya, Bl. Loka.Gnwaha, l24, 426, 459, 464, 467,
Ksha1ra Jagadgutu, 450 51 471, 475, 477
J..shatriyakufo.vatans.a, JU l.okMl1aJu, 324, 459, 467, 475
Kshatny.i. Mantha Jagadguni. 449 50 l LO)d, George, m, !66, !80 SJ, m,
Uulkarru, A, D.. 178, ,m ,m, 462, .i12. -ts:?, 486, 487, 492.
Ku!J.ami. G n,, H7. 495, 503
KulJ.am1, Hanurnantno, 73, 156 Luther, 109
Kull.am1, K. D , 206, ~O
Kulkarni Lulamrit, 221, !09, 369. Madhauao, \'. r, 156
Rulkarm, R3.111a, 74 Madra,; Stand11rd, 377,
Kulka.ma or Xull.atm vatans, ~01, Mahllbharat, 254
3:?l, a note on, 323 :?5, a Keynone J\faltat:1]'1- of Dhar, 486
of Ilrahm111 supremacy, S25; a Maharashtra Polidcal' Conferc11re,
de fatto ruler, ,:?$; drects of tbe
4l7
aholmon or, !~6-37, 362, 387, !191, l,lahrntta, l:?l, 38~, 441
413. 41!), 4jO i1. 434, •m, so6
~fafait, C H, 114
KurtaJ.ou, Dr, 265, !08-9, !II l-12,
Malpe\.ar, Aa1ambai, HO
m, m. !36-io, .m, m
Kumndi,adl.ar, Ralasaheb, 55, 56 Jlfal.niya, Pandit Jlfadan J.fo!ian, !OS,
Runbis, 'II, 14!1 HG
Alam#mnli, 93.
Man1ras, 1,9
l.abour, :H3 95 99 io,
Labour and Go\tmmenl, !S5 Ilfatalbu, 9• 89 90 • 9'•
1 ' •
106, 109, 121. m, 121-28, l.f5 46,
Labour Party of England, HC,. , 153 , 65, 168, 110, 177,
151 164
lad, J)r Santup, 208, 215 l9.'!, !?06, l!14-t5, ~-
119 81 183
LaJpa1ra1, Lala; 3~.S. 417. • z.i, 2-:IZ, 215 • 25:? 54, 26!1, :?82, 291·
Lamb, s,r Rkh;rrd, 2.U.170 191 200 93, !05, 317,18, 33:? 3!, 337, !4!?,
Lanhe, Ii., B,. Ul, 167• ·., • ,. ,.'353 , ,ar;, su, ns., ,
5 5
"O" 03 "07 ""i :?37-,9, • 5, • ,, - .,
• • • • • •- 5 86 290 295 HS Maratlta Eduratumal Confertnct, .s 7,
"61 :?1!!, 2S:?, :!ii ' ' ' ' " 40
- ' 1 36 413 44 HO 460 ' • 91 • !IOl,
378, 4 ; ' b31 '2-1 6 ' Maratha Empire, I, 54, JOI, :lH
Lad,11r, S~,a~au '
'530 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Maratha League, 396, 398, 417, 453., Nair, Dr. T. M., 283, 334, 341, 351,
54. 353-54, 376-81, 390, 424, 434, 463,
Maratha Rashtriya Sangh, 294-95, 417. 509.
Maratha War Memorial, 482. Namjoshi, M. B., 47,' 53, 56, 59. •
-Match Manufacturing Company, 214. Naoroji, Dadabhai, 377.
Math, 130-31, 140, 142-43, 159, 308, Napoleon, 329.
336-38, 340. Natu, Balasahcb, 124, 129-32, l 38,
Mat.iya Puran, 460. ' 151-52.
Mavji Purushottamdas, 189. Native States and Post-War Reforms,
Mauni Maharaj, 449. 295.
Maurya, Chandragupta, 80. Navlc, Dr., 412.
Mehta, Dewan, Manubhai, 387. Nehru Jawaharlal, 508.
Nimbalkar, Kirtiwanrao, 484.
Mehta, Sir Pherozcshah, 149.
Nipani Conference, 364, 367.
Memorial to Shivaji, 291-92, 481.
Nirashrit Somavanshiya Samaj, 410,
Mercwethcr, Resident J. W. B., 29,
Nitvc, K. A., 339.
216, 219, 439, 466, 468-69, 481, 489, Northbrook, Lord, 90, 96, 107-08, 114.
491, 496-97, 503.
Mills and Millowncrs, 163. Paddock, I 52-53, I 75-76.
Minority rule in Kolhapur, 40, 41. Padhye, Narayan, 192.
Minto, Lady, 161. Padmavati, Ranisaheb, 386.
Minto, Lord, 150, 174, 190, 196, 275, Page (Police officer), 206.
417. Pal, B. C., 310.,
Medak, B. P., 165, 178-79, 183, 198. Palace Theatre, 236, 249.
Modak, G. B., 205. Palanji, M. R., 66, 70.
Modi script, 277. Palckar, B. B., 291, 388, 475-76.
Mohitc, Sayajirao, 4. Panchaku!i, 253.
l\Iontagu-Chclmsford Report, 377, l'andya, Mohanlal, 196-97.
392, 408, 464-65. Pandit, K. N., 67. 97.
More, Balwant, 449. Pandit K. V., 190, 194.
More, Ganpat, 404. Pandit Maharaj, 85,86, 164, 205, 266·
Mooh Nayah, 400. 67.
Morley, Lord, 155, 193, 196, Pamlitrao, R. B., 113.
Parnell, 505,
Morley-Minto Reforms, 155.
Paranjpe, S. M., 138, 168; 186.
Morrison, Sir R. W., 228.
Paranjpyc, R. P., 168, 316, 334.
llludaliar, Ramaswami, 376, 434, 489. Parasnis, D. Il., 111, 188-89.
l\Iuslims, 46-47, 66, 91, 102, 121, 123, Paramahansa Sabha, 38.
117, 164, 170, 181, 224, 285, 294, Parman.ind, Mama, 47.
369, 386, 891, 424, 431, 490. Parmckar, Ilalasahcb, 216,
Muslim League, 284. Parshuram, 81, 432.
M)'Sorc Lcgislati\'c Assembly, 51. Pan·atc, Raghunath Shastri, 107.
Passive Resistance, 368-70.
Nagarkar, 206. Patel, Vithalbhai, 334-35, 350.
Nagpurkar, B. N., 88. Patil, Ilalaji, 226, 455.
Nagpurkar, S. D., 19B, 205. Patil, Conference, 480.
Naidu, Vcnkatratna, 283. Patil, Rarma,·ccr Ilhaurao, 237-38,
:Kaidu, Dr. P. V., 378. 388.
 531
I'm!.la~. ITJt. l?I. f'llnt(' of \\'aln, ,Mt lo l'\llltU, ◄ 11 l,
l'mt. ).fu\un,,lw,, :::1, ,10, 4~. II}
l'aut,l' c.. 101, lt.!1, :n. •n. 4a, trino:rplt of npuhlT c,f )hn, 37.
1'.ttif,
~.at.ct, Thn\'11, 4?-f ~t•tttd l'nllfn of lmlla, J 16
1"inu,t l'nUu,1!►.anhr :U, 1:1, SH. ruun.n, !IOI, 07, ◄ II, 01,
"11ou, lbun10. :-'.JG, !-!I, 4?)
l'a1ru, $ :,.,, fll'JJ
RaJhib:ai fSltJ> IIIOlh~). 191,
l'.awu, \ i,u.,ilr ao, 5C,II, R.11ar.im fJ\halOplll (J:olh1pur), 7,
l'n..-. S1 r A, L 10~[1(,. 11 S, !,H, a,, m:, :IS
1'rntlhatlu, (,'.). 111. 1:s. R1pr1rn. Chhunp11l, !
l'm.:111!'. Dr , iH lujmrn Q,lltJ:t, $U,16
l'tn.l>t", flw., I~. ltijmm, t'nfKr, m,n, :O:t. :!IS,
l'b,fo.a\h, Siu, II :-~. !1\, iH, .219, !?3':I, :G,-61,
l'btwi!ry, 'ifahmn11, SM,i. 40, S3, ~- !iO, :,!.'I, !93, 500, 'I!, 514, "6•
,1, !l'J, 1w, 10, :oo. m. =s
:1. U'). 581.
Vs, Sill, ,o,. SM, ·41!, 4'6, ,m. RJJ1t>hl 11tlr, 54.5
~!i.51J'J10-. /l•Jhm1, 5!:4, 567, H5. ,.Z6, .f~. H6,
l'io~rr, lt5 U!l, <i67, ◄ H
l'uln,·11.u, Gu111,lo1unt, ,11. Ra,oruh)'C', App~uhtb, 96, 106-9,
l'n11()n u1.t, ~. ~-
P111t, Curu1w11ml, ,~o.
m u. i=. m,
129 30, m, uo.
Hl,,f!, !ti},
l'oo~ Sall ~bnurl{lutini; c.omr11ny, Jt.1Jtuhrb ()f Mudhol, 487,
11.
Raiwade, m,mrtan, fH.
J>orc, \',11Uclrobh.u, 13!.
lb]widc, Prof \', K., 1!8
Jlut ri,,. s.. ,H.!,6
Rajw11Jb.r, 100,
l'owu, D.iuoln, 400, -ti:?, o,.
l'owu, lU~h:atzJJ. Tulow110, (Dtw:u), Ra111.:i, ·l:?I, 4t?.
US-Si, lro, 179, IS7, :00, llam•M)ol, SJ6
Pnbh.1\1lhr, R. A, u,, 417. R..tmtharidr;t, Abmhd1, 75.
l'robodh,,n, -f79. R:am<l.u, S:i.[nl, 91, ltS
Pra<.lhan, k. G.. .29~. ]Qni,Je, Jumct M G, 57, 51 55, !r-,
l'rai1111, .2,s 101.0:, us. m. :::&.
f'rahl,ut Puhh.n, ◄ 67. R1nd1\r, D, II• 4S7,
f'rartb.in:i. Samaj, 38, !O:, SHI Rani of S1"antwaJ1, 2,2-35,
f'nt2p1mh {llaroda), 499 R:aihingl.ar, \', 1,.,, 167, IU, $05
I•ntap~tnh, n Jl,,shtra 11,1au•ardhm1, 561
1'ra1ap1inha (T■ nJotc), ◄ S!J. muhtnim111, i76
J>niap SfnhJI, .28, IU, :,U~6. R11.1li t rirr.~tr, 419
Prfotcra/1 and KmgrTaft, ◄ G6 Rl,hmya M:aratha U-ague, 425, 111,
l'rim:ary U11tation Coaipubory, .277• Ray, Dr r. C. 23', ~7S
78 Rapt Ag•n(}', f66
l'rincn' C:Onfer('llce of Chuol>cr, 263, R,.admlf, !.Drd, -4 SO 82, 5o:!
' .
!l!.2 2S8 299 58:S, -1s,-l!5.
' .,
l'rincn' ciJuca1!on, J7l,7:?, .HI,
......
"·"•
R<:ird, Sir J. D • 2j-'
R<:t\es, Col ll. A •
2.H, 21-1, !!"UM. .f ~I Rc-prrstnt,uhe Assembly, 155 56, !64,
Pnnce sh,.,aji, 75, 171, 295, 31 • s • •
.... 6.5. 173.74
Revenue Inquiry Bench, 309
l'r;;;~e Shl\llJI r.r,ualh:1 Boarding, ◄lD
532 SHAHU CHHATRAPATI: A:nOYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Robertson, L., 232, 234, 245, 24i, 252, Scindia, ~faharaj llfadbayrao, 179.
261, 261, 266, 279, 300, 509, 312•13, Scindia, J\fahadji, 4, J?D, 483,· 486,
316, 324, 414, 117, 15!?-53. •495-96.
Role of tile Individual in History, Scaly, Col. C. W. JI., 58, 72, 91, 96,
The, 509. 103.
Ruikar, Dr. W. B., 165, 170. Sen, Dcvcndra, l'ocm on Shahu, 177,
Rules of Shikar, 24-7. Scn,ants of Irtdia, ·397, 171, 477,
Service rules, 151.
Sabnis, R. V. (Dewan), 31: praised, Setalvad, Sir Chimanlal, 496.
42, 44, 53, 57, 60, 77-78, 110, 133, Shah Mam, 2.
142, 163, 167-GS, 173, 178, 2IO•ll, Shahu II, 81.
216, 221, 227, 231, 234, 242, 246, Shahu, 2, 3, 4.
248-49, 258, 266-67, 288-89, 293, Sbalm Ch.hatrapati, adoption cere-
308, 33Q, 353, 366, 403, 415, 421, mony, 12; at Rajkot, 16; father's
434, 442, 491, 499. death, 16; avoids dnmkards, 17;
Sabnis, Rambhau, 387, 391, 493. smdics under Irascr, 20-30; bump·
Sahydri Khanda, 429. tiousncss, good natured, 21: expert
Saibai, 5-6. rider, 23; accident, 23; marriage,
Sakhare Buwa, 446. 24-; rustic simplicity, 26; tour of
·sakwarbai, Ranisaheb, 225. southern India, 26; tour of north
·salvckar, B. K., i97. India, 28; adl'icc to college stu·
Samaj Sevak, 340. dents, 32; inspection tour, .33; stu·
Samarth, 68, 77, 85, 95, 98, 102, 122, dies legal procedure, 33; sympathy,
153, 155, 184, 190. a watchword, 34; assumes -power,
Samarth, V. M., 188. 35-36; dissol\'cs Council, 43; Poona
Samhhaji, 1, 2, 3, 125. welcome, 45; on Hindu-Muslim pro•
Sambhaji II, 1. blcm, 47; G.C.S.1. in 1895; praised
Samurai, 407, 424. by Go\'crnor, 49-50; different castes
Sandesh, 281, 297, 440, 456, 175. in administration, 53, 60; a tiger
Sandhurst, Lord, 49-50, 52, 57, 63, 72. pounces upon him, Iii; extreme
.Sanjivan; 487. indebtedness, 61; . relief work .in
Sapru, Sir Tcj Bahadur, 487. famine, 62; a crown is held for, 64;
Saraswati, Krishnanand, 182. a red-letter day, 65; relief in
Sarvajanik Sabha,. 13, 36, 45-46. famine, 67, 74, 75; kindness to ani-
Saroajanik Sa_tya J)harma, 30!. mals, 68-70, 3B9; end of British
Sastri, Srinivas, 335, 460. terror, 72; title of Mal1araja in
Satavalckai-, Pandit S. D., 184, 185, May 1894, 74; personality, 7ii;
194. popular ruler, 76; social conflict
Sathmatj, 201, 260. begins, 78; impetus to the educa·
S~tyarth Prakash, 330. .tion of Backward Classes, JOO;
Satya Shodhak Samaj, 37-38, 40, 82, trains social workers, 103; dog-bite,
99, 153, 202,03, 208-09, 214,15, 225- 104; help in Vcdokta dispute, !07;
26, 238, 355-56, 290, 295, 297, 300· astuteness, 107; disregards curses of
04, 321-22, 357-58, 360, 399-400, Brahmins, 109; leaves for London,
403-05, 423, 434, 440, 445-46, 450, 111-12; LL.D. conferred· on, ]l3;
452-56, 164, 471, 473, 477, 503. speech at the Royal .Colonial Insti•
Sa\'arkar, Veer V. D., 61, 179, 186, Wtc. 116; tour of the Continent,
220-21, 271, 273, 508. 118-19; a remarkable figure, 119;
 533
mens Ind1,m students, 120, returns With Monca:;u, 2n-9.'I. oomened a
to Ilomb:i.y. 121: blow 10 temporal conferl'llce of the Pnncrs m Dom.
p01\cr, 1!?2, old palace burnt, 123; bay, 29.'.i, pleads for nprem1tat1on
Dell:u Darbar, 128, G C,V O m ro be gnen to Jlacl.ward and De-
1903, 129, acodent, HO, llhosks pressed Class~. 298, Albar,an zeal,
declared Rshatnp.,, 143, victory m 301-0'.!, threat of murder, 305,
\'cdol..ta contro\ersy, 143-45. ~d threatened With de;ith, 306, pica for
si.adesh1 paper, 149, meets the adm1s:;1on of smaller States to
rnnce of Wales m Bombay, 150; Prmces• Chamber; desl.fed to re.
h11 1hoory or help to the "'"aler present Indza on War Council,
~ections, 153. helps Indian patnots. 3IO; sends note to Monuru on
157, education of girls, 158. ch:u-ae. constitution of the Princes' Cham.
ter ass~mat1on, 160 61, 418: Ctll her, 310, dash with Saya11rao, !II!?.
on Rashmglar. 175, attempt on his U, pnm:iry or unnen11y educa
life, 178 79. 187; a giam man h,u tmn, !115-17, abohtlon of taste ot
come, 192, compared v.1th SayaJino c;11te•sy.t~ui, 317; speech at Born.
G:1.1J..,1ad, 19-t 95: h1$ kmdn~, 196; bay \\'ar Conference, 318-19, gnef
to share the fate of Jaclson, mer ShivaJt's de:1th, 321-22, cnt1•
attempt on Ins life. 19ff; J\fafana, cues Horne Rule leaders, 326-21,
191, treatment for obesity, 199, sits on a bench 1n a shop, 3$0;
fastro tor m: d.1ys. 200; birth of forced labour aboh~hed, 33 l, 400;
grandson, 200; arcidtnt, 202, boil, throws open all departments to the
20!?; on Saya11tao, 205, fawons, 207, so.called Untouchables, !3 I, a
G C I E,. 211, hmless properly to great J1bentor, !31, on .Montagu-
go to State, 215; operanon, 217, \1Slt Reforms, .!13Z, pleads for rommull31
to Bha,nagar, 215, chabetes at, 39, represcnranon for Ilacl,.ard and
221. carbuncle, 221: orders re. Depr~sed Classes, 332, on B1har
loam lands-a wcial change, 2:?3. Jlrahm,m, .!133, uphdd Patd's 1l1ll,
paid sa Iar, es to sat ya sbodha k !35, eleutmn of national tnaJonty,
v.orlers, :!25, 111 ness. !?Z9, talks of .!135, desJres to organize non-
Bnmhen d1sdamfully, 241, meets Drahmin forces, 337.,s, d,stnist 111
T1!a!.., 2-l:?: Honorary Colonel, 243. Shahu. !llt addresses labour meet•
Jumce to a wre5tit:r, 251, apolog,es ings m Bombay, .'43-45, zpel'ch ac
to guesn, 2.'il-5~. da>hes with Ar~a SamaJ Confe:rencc at Nauan,
Dntt,h offici:ib, !!52. message to 348-49. speedy me3$urei to anmht•
so!diers--'c.u bo11e flesh', 253-55. fate umouchab1l1ty. 351-52, 361,
pain in the bdney, 258, speech at ss, 8-1, 415-18, speech at kanpur,
Delhi chiefs' Conference, 26J; 3616::;, l'obips the ~farathas, 31i':!.
v,anted direct rebuons v.uh the sadnos, lH-71, the aim of adm1•
\'iCerOY, 26:? 63, attends mamage n1jtrat10n, .!174, speech at Arya
at Hydera.had, 268; dash w,tb the SamaJ Conferen~ at Bha1nagar,
Governor, 261, rm:ets Tila.k 268, 398 99, a;r,unsc lea.den "ho obsen-
suppresses nou, !!70. f,..esan cong?'il• ed untouchabiluy, .ioo, treat mm
., sends Gmt. confidtn- a5 men, 400, A1nh1p R,ght, 403,
ru Iates, .... 78
1

t, al circular to 'T113.J... !?79• pn.1stos .aduce to Indian Jeadl'rs, 406,

Ttl.il, 2so, quips with the poor and speech. at ~fangaon, -400-01; on
::s I, ,n:ip-ortance of Amb-edkar's role, alOI, 493. Sj>Cf-Che,
5CnalltS,. "Sil, 291, intm'ICW at Nasil, 405-11, dethrone lln.J
Montagti'
534: SHAHU CHHATRAPATI:. A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

minism to enthrone the Indian Shivaji n, 4, 314.

nation, 407; on diarchy, 409; social Shivaji III, 5, 29, 107.
or political reforms first, 409; as a Shivaji IV, 8-12, 441.
dcnii-god, 411-12; Tilak to repre- Shivaji lhc Great, l, 80-81, 105, 125.
sent him as a traitor, 414-15; on 172, 174, 210, 235, 313, 432, 510,
religion, 422-23; ,rnnted to contest Shivaji Club, 73, 74, 77.
election, 428; Social Conference at Shivaji Movement, 54-56.
IIuhli, 135-3fi; threat of murder, Shraddhanand, Swami, 359, 407.
43G; broadening the base of demo- Shri Sliivaji, 481.
cmc:y, 436; Tilak's illness, 438; Shri Tuharam, 127.
lo,·c-hatc theory, ·139; apology to Siclclhcmtasar, 2G5.
ln-itthc, 13!i-3G; factions, 112-41; on Siddhcshwar Maharaj, SG,
Gandhi, 1-13-14; visit to Gandhi, Slavery, 145.
4·1-1: honoured by merchants, 115; Southern l\faratha Jain As,ociation,
defender, organizer, inspirer and HL
1e.tdcr, 448; Ilh:wani Peth meeting, Suhhum exterminated Drahmins, 81.
-147; legal proceedings against S11bodlz Palriha, 138.
Sh:ihu and others, 441-15, 153-54, Sudhara!:, 152,
160; \'isit to Madras, 461; uric acid, Swami Paraman;md, 157.
-167; afr:iid or being assaulted, 471; Swami Vidyanand, 157.
non-nrahmins threaten with severe . Sydcnham, Lord, 221-22, 275, 317,
comcquenccs, 476; meets tl1e Vke- :125, 327, !l3-1, 354, 361, 420-21.
ro;-, •183; speech at Poona wclcom-
in~ the Prince or Wales, 485; Tng:ii to farmers, 74,
bonfire, -!69; ~peech at Delhi al Tngorc, l'radyotkumar, 120.
All-ln<lla Untoucl1:ihlcs Conference, Tagore, Sir J. :\[., 180.
193-91: meets Gandhi at Kurn- Tai Maharaj (Sakwarbai), 220, 2·H,
t,hc,ra, 491; gi\'cn up t:i.kini; pills, 2·Hi-•l8, 258, 268.
-19G: lc;wc,; Kolhapur for Daro<la, Tai Maharaj rasc, 241, 246, 248, 25S,
-t'J7.!)3; motor :ttd<lcm, -198; saved :ws. 437. .
from a m:uldcncd clcph:mt, 44!); T;ilati System. 309, !.:ll.
tkuh in nomhay on ~lay Ci, 1922; Talchcrkar, II. V., 100, 282-8:l, ,5~.
\10<ly lahn to t.olhapur, rioo; Tanjorc ClSC, 210, 2•J(i, '.187, 414, 4fi2•
r..t .i~O
f'br c l n h i~tot)'.
 INDEX
535
'fheagaraya, Sir P,. 283, 46$ 64,
'rh~ Timt:J of India, 50, 115, '79
412, 486,
. Vatartdar Kul~a.rni AAodaucn
362-63, 365,
Va}Wlnlar, 2()5,
•
.,
,.a•
'fllak, Lo!.a!llanya, 9, 10, !6-38 17
5 551, 65, 1,. ,ari, 8'- BS, 86, 'vw: Vaze, Ramkrt1hrn.bu11a, 134, !J!.
Vedelta, 57, 80, at Satan. 81, at
to Kolhapur, 118 89, JOj; Oll raste-,
91, 1titen 1~11os Nth Shabu, 95, HS,
Baroda, S2, 85, 90 9.'.!. 94, 95, 91
98, 106-09, 112, 122, 125 2M; dtcl:
I 09-13, 122-24, 128-29, Drahnianal.
mm, 129, UI; Go, t decision 0 13"
1.ar, l31. 1!5, Us-,9, IH-17, \'ic,
JJJ.JI, HS J9, Con of I11d1a ded:
tory, ISS, 160, 167-170, 173, 118,
185-81. 193 9¾, 209, 231, ttl~se, sian, 141, 14!?-U, HS, 153 56, 159,
UO, meeu Shahu !!J2: Td J\faha, 168, 111, ISZ.83, 18'.I. 2tY.?-03, 2f.t.
raJ Case, 245, a great lawrer, 247• l5, !&, W, Zti5, 2611, :UtJ, !!Jt.Gf,
$17, 365, ni, 1oz
4s, 255, 258; legal lech111caht1es,
261, ltleets Shahu, 268, Shahu Sffld! \"e•fa!, 38-39, 77, 84, 93-94, 111, 128,
GoH confidential arcular to Til:ll:, B2, $OJ, $OS, 34'5, 358, !9~. 399.
279 82, on Rq,resentame A~mbly. \'ed1c dm, \'edic V1clyalaya, 4!1, ;33,
28!-85, speech at Mantha ltashtriva V1c!tare, A D , 59, 61, IOZ, n9.
Sangh, 29-cl 95, 308, idv1ce to Dr. 1'idyav1la.r, !ol', 46-1
J..urtakot1, 310-J!?. 'a back numoo-, V11apurkar, Prof, 41, 45, 6S, 77, a,.
318, War Conference, 320-21, !54• 85, 93, 98, 101, 103, 127-211, HJ,
~5. 3H, ,61, !69, spt'eclt t>ll ~te, 143-·U, 147-49, 153-55, 158, 16!1,
382, 388 89, his meetings dist1ubed, 163, 165, I6i, 184 f!S, 189, 20'.!,
398, 401, 403, 405, 411-12; Muld r11ay1 Maratha, 388, 4~0. 4H, H9,
be a m1n1uer, 416, 418, 421, 434. H2, H6, 419, 481, 4Sli
<i'7--t2, 446, 461, H4, 4n, 501, 505 J ,jay, Shm111i, 484
T1M Ch1rol C:lSe, )93, 416, 473- Vmesv)t:llp., Sir 11.fokshigudam, 169,
Thorops.on, 4!»-95, 50.1 :m,:?9-1
Top!t!June, W, D, 501, 305, 416, ruhwll /Jandh1t, !OS, 311, 3to, l67,
438, 46164 J'uhvaurilla, l 55, }8-!85, 18!1
Tulanm, saint, 127
Wai.d•yar, Maharap kr1Jinar.tJ, 115,
Unrl~d J11d112, 372, 39\. ZJ!,!M,
Untouchables, 37, 39 40, l00, 2s,. WagfJ, \', \' , 330
294-95, 293 99, 304, 308 11. 331, UIIAI!' up l'rmttJ, -"1, l!ll,
,ss.,a, .m-sz, J!il, Jlil-6:!, 379 &a. Wanless, Dt, 171, !!lo, WS, :!17, ~38,
384, !92, 397-99, 400 Ol, 405, 408. -4.90, 503
410-11, ~~J.26, 429 30, 479, 492 93, ,\anlm, Dr. Mn Lln1a!J, 490
503, .soo, 510. W~r, the Grc;a1 World, 2~1, nctory,
m
\'aidya, C \'., 155 War Confer..nce, Ddlu, SIB,
\'ail, Dr C. I. 1!5, 19€., 221, ~9. Wit" Lnan Fund, ~ii, :?86, SOO
:~o. !86, ·US W,Ilrngdon, 1.t)rd, :!'30-H, :!H, 2H-
J (JJra Prahar G•o,dhamallf, 43t 4'S, :~5 <G, 250, !!5:?, 200, 25-'l·G9,
t:11Ttld.n; l' K, Jal. :n 214 75, :~. m, -295. m,
, arl.:in $Chm\, -116, HD-I!!, 316-!!0 329, m. l"· m.
\arnJ, Yanuvyi,astha. ,61, -t= ·U, !lf7, 3l0, iU, 461-6!?, 5-0l.
536 SHAHU CHHATRAPATr::A ROYAL REVOLUTIONARY

Wilson, President Woodrow, 381-82. Wray, Col. J. W., 61, 63, 65-72, 275,
Wodehouse, Col. Charle.;, 31, 32, 35, ·439_
36. Wrestling matches, 218, 242, 250,
Wcxlchome, Resident F. W., 1S6, 200, 261, 267, 384-85, 472.
210-11, 211, 216, 220, 236, 260, 274,
Yad:w, Baburao, 215, 359, 425, 433.
~02, 315-16, 339, 347, 357, 359-60,
Yalgi, Govindrao, 182-83.
391, 416, 419-21, 427-29, 455.
Yandc, Damodarpant, 82, 100, 353,
Wood, J. n., 257, 262, 266-67, 28S, 479.
292, 310, 355, 428, 480, 482, 487, Young India, 457, 508.
490-93. Yuvaraj School, 195.