February, 1910.] Annual Report. 



x x XI 



them 



mate tnem over to the Shastrl when he would come again. 

 The Maharaja of Baroda took a personal interest in the Bardie 

 chronicles, granted the Shastrl a private interview, and pro- 

 mised to help him in collecting Marhatta and Gujrati ballads in 

 Gujrat and Katiawar. His Devan, Mr. R. C. Dutt, introduced 

 the Shastrl to leading men in these provinces and prom is I 

 him every support. It was very little known at the time thai 

 Mr. Dutt would so soon be snatched away from his new sphere 

 of activity by the cruel hand of death. Munshi Jagamohanlal, 

 Private Secretary to the Maharaja of Ulwar. introduced the 

 Shastri to an All- India Conference of literary men, then sitting 

 at Baroda; and Sampat Rao Gaikwar, the Maharaja's brother, 

 introduced him to all scholars that take an interest in this 

 branch of National Literature. 



At Jodhpore the Darbar under the advice of the enlight- 

 ened Rao Bahadur Sukdevaprasad, C.I.E., senior member of 

 the Mehakuma Khas, undertook the collection and even the 

 publication of the Bardic songs by their own agency and at 

 their own cost under the expert supervision of the Asiatic 

 , Society of Bengal. The Shastri was requested to tell them defi- 

 nitely what is to be done, and he submitted a note which they 

 approved, and according to which they issued orders, and 

 appointed men for the collection of Bardic songs throughout 

 their dominions. The Maharaja himself took a personal inl r- 

 est in the matter, and in a private interview assured the Shastrl 

 that his government is prepared to do everything to further 

 the object of the Government of India. 



The Bardic songs are very little understood oui tie the 

 provinces of Rajputana and Gujrat. Thakur Sahib Bhur 

 Singji of Malsisar in Sekhavati, a nobleman thoroughly conver- 

 sant with this branch of literature, gave the Shastri ve\ oppor- 

 tunity of learning and understanding the Bardic song pre- 

 sented him with all books necessary for understanding them, 

 and granted him long interviews and introduced him to the 

 best and the most learned bards Jiving at Jaipore. Tin Shastrl 



is grateful to, him for all the enlightened trouble he took for him, 

 and records' publicly the appreciation of his work. At hi* 

 instance, Thakur Sahib Kesari Singji, of Aerol, placed at 

 his disposal the valuable collection of Bardic works belonging 

 to his family and freely allowed him to take copies. Mahama- 

 hopadhyaya Morardanji, a member of the Mehakuma Kh! of 

 Jodhpore,' a Carana by caste and himself a bard of superior 



vernment 



as 



and did everything to make the collection of Bardic ol lection in 



Marwar a success. Pandit Ramnath Ratnn, i member of 



Kishenghar Council, who was living with Thakur > hib of 

 Malsisar, and who has written a history of Raj pu tan a from 



