Character Sketch. 



137 



iic:,s's part could do Great Britain's established 

 authority in India the least harm, one can easily 

 dogmatise that Sayaii Rao cannot well be a rebel or 

 dare to insult his Suzerain. 



The Gaekwar's mistake, therefore, lies in the fact 

 that, in paying his homage as an Indian of to-day he 

 comported himself with unnecessary stitTness. He 

 claims that this was " due entirely to nervousness and 

 confusion in the presence of their Imperial Majesties 

 and that vast assembly." Without casting any doubt 

 on the sincerity of the Gackwar, it may be said that 

 the mistake was due to the fact that, at a stage of 

 transition, it is well-nigh impossible properly to 

 subordinate centuries of racial experience to the 

 newly-formed ideals, and act in a sweet, gracious 

 and polite manner, at the same time upholding one_|s 

 dignity and indeijendence of character. ■ From his 

 somewhat intimate knowledge of the man the writer 

 can dogmatically state that it would be absolutely 

 wrong to feel that independence of character has 

 made the Gaekwar boorish. All who know him con- 

 cede that while he does not bend double and kiss the 

 ground, as Indians of the old type used to do, and even 

 do to-day, he has courtly manners. It is all the more 

 regrettable, therefore, that he was not able to be manly 

 yet dignified, to be unservile yet gentlemanly, to be 

 self-respecting yet not stiff-necked, while offering his 

 homage. Right here he has committed his mistake. 

 He has not only done temporary harm to himself by 

 leaving the impression in the minds of the people 

 that he is a rebel and an ingrate, and giving his 

 enemies the opportunity of raking over his past and 

 putting into it r-volulionary episodes that never 

 existed in fact, but he also has done Young India 

 serious harm by UKiking the outside world feel that it 

 has rude, brus(|ue manners- -that independence of 

 character does imt go hand in hand with paying 

 " Cxsat his due." Manifestly this is an utterly false 

 impression about New India, as it is wrong in regard 

 'u the Gackwar, drspite his blunder. 



Similarly, the Gaekwar's greatest mistake in regard 

 ii< the polygamous betrothal of his daughter to the 

 Maharaja of Gwalior has been that, whateverthe reasons' 

 may have been for ihe move, he has shown weakness of 

 will in permitting himself to be persuaded to go back 

 upon his convictions and professions. It is, a fact 

 well known to those who hang about the Court of 

 Haroda that he hnics the match from the bottom of 

 his heart, and that his wife, ambitious for her 

 (laughter, as mammas are apt to be the world over, 

 has foisted it ujion him and upon the Princess. 

 Unfortunately, the Mnharani's will is stronger than 

 that of Sayaji Rao, tlinugh it is a recognised fact that 

 Chimnahai lacks the superior intelligence of Sayaji 

 Rao. It is only fair to say that the Gaekwar is not 

 the first Indian husl).ind who has compromised his 

 position in such a circumstance for the sake of 

 securing peace in ilu; family, though it is regrettable 

 that he has abaii<liimd his principles for any reason 

 whatsoever, no mailer what domestic pressure may 



have been broutiht to bear on him to force him to 

 do so. 



Similarly, his Highness has shown weakness of 

 will in refusing to face the court in the matter of the 

 divorce case. The writer understands that he was 

 advised by his " friends " that if he waived his privi- 

 lege as a ruler in this circumstance it would weaken 

 his prestige as the chief of a native State whose inde- 

 pendence at best is but a sort of dependent freedom. 

 Ever since coming to the Baroda throne he has been 

 engaged in a ceaseless battle of diplomacy with the 

 paramount Power to maintain such liberty of govern- 

 mental action as he possesses, and it is said he chose 

 to bear social obloquy in this case rather than 

 jeopardise his standing as a Maharaja and weaken 

 such power as he already possesses in State matters. 

 Since he did not see the light of day in a palace he 

 feels more sensitive about his prestige than he would 

 had he been born with a gold spoon in his mouth. 

 Indeed, it is a matter of palace gossip in Baroda that 

 in his very domestic life he sometimes is taunted 

 with the fact of his "low birth." 



However, the Gackwar is too shrewd and clever a 

 man to suffer long from this campaign. As time 

 elapses and the world is able to get a more dispas- 

 sionate focus on things, his shortcomings, which now 

 loom so large, will be condoned in the light of his 

 past achievements and future promise. His star 

 unquestionably has failed properly to guide him 

 during recent months, but his apology, so uncondi- 

 tionally and humbly given, makes one feel that his 

 Highness has not lost his mental balance. Since the 

 gods have not succeeded in making him " mad," they 

 cannot destroy him. For the sake of India, at 

 least, we may confidently e.vpect that the Gaekwar 

 will succeed in living down his present unpleasant 

 notoriety. 



Mr. Saint Nihai. Sini;h contributes to T.P.'s 

 M<i};iizi>ie for February a cojiiously illustrated article 

 concerning " The Life Romance of the Gaekwar of 

 Baroda." It begins as follows : — 



Thirly-sevcn years .igo he was an uncouth, unlettered lad, 

 (hvcllini,' in a bare mud hut, clad in a breech-clout, with no 

 future before liim but plodding behind the plough in the furrow 

 of liis father's field. 



Ti)-day he is the master of over 8,000 square miles of 

 territory, holds the lives of more than 2.000,000 human beings 

 in the hollow of his hand, at a conservative estimate spends 

 £^00 fi-r diem upon his pleasures and liniisehold expenses, 

 possesses a resplendent array of jewels of faUiilous vaiue, has 

 in his service more lackeys than many European mnnarchs can 

 aflbrd to employ, and is famed in both hemispheres for his 

 genius as an .ailminislrator and his culture as a man. 



The years intervening between these two st.ages are packed 

 solid with romance which lends an engrossing fascination to the 

 life-story of his Highness .Sliri Sir Sayaji Kno HI., Gaekwar, 

 G.CS.I., S,muKltas-Klu-l (Commander of the Select .Army), 

 Shamshcr-tiixluulur (IUustri<ius swordsman), Fn-uiiJ-i-KAas-i- 

 PinvliU iJiixlhliia (Uelovtd Son of the Ijiglish Sovereign), 

 Mahar.ija of Uaroda— to give him bis full tiilts. 



His predecessor was deposed by the Indian Govern- 

 ment in 1875. The four scions of his house living 



