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DOWN MEMORY LANE
Maharaja and his typists!
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R.V. SMITH recounts the fascinating tale of the typists commissioned by Maharaja of Patiala to type out the report prepared against him Lord Willingdon’s behest
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Who were the 12 typists commissioned by the agents of the Maharaja of Patiala to type out the report prepared against him at the behest of Lord Willingdon in the early 1930s? The Viceroy was biased against the Maharaja and wanted him removed from the
‘gaddi’, in the same way as Holkar had been forced to abdicate earlier. Passing by Kashmere Gate one wonders if the typists belonged to Delhi or were brought from Patiala. The publication of Dewan Jarmani Das’ book is a good enough opportunity to repeat the story.
Lord Willingdon had reacted to reports he had received of the goings on at Patiala. He thought there was enough evidence to nail the Maharaja, forgetting there were other rulers who were no better if not worse. Patiala at least had the distinction of patronising sportsmen, artistes and craftsmen. Remember Gama pehalwan and his brother, Imam Bux were among those who thrived there. So also Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, the famous ustad of Hindustani classical music. Besides her husband, Lady Willingdon too had a grouse against the Maharaja who had turned down her request for a few days’ stay at his summer palace, with a curt reply that it was meant exclusively for him and his court.
Lord Willingdon (1931-36) had a controversial tenure at a time when Indian nationalism became more resurgent than ever before. Reports said that the Maharaja was indulging in orgies reminiscent of the cults of ancient Greece It was believed that there were 300 women in the harem. But the truth was that the flamboyance of the court of Patiala had aroused jealousy and Lord Willingdon, acting both on prejudice and reports which were true to some extent had charges framed against the Maharaja.
Surreptitious mission
The Maharaja got wind of it and sent his agents on a surreptitious mission to Delhi during which their contact in the Viceroy’s office passed on the secret file for the relevant pages to be typed out in an all-night exercise. The file was replaced the next morning and then the Maharaja sent his memorandum to King George V. The King was furious against the Willingdons and the Maharaja earned a reprieve. In gratitude he rewarded the typist, among whom was Sushil Chand. Passing by Kashmere Gate one does see the present elixir sellers, poor cousins of those who served tile court of Patiala. But what about the 12 typists? Can they or their successors forget the episode? As for Sushil Chand, the second woman whom he married saved him from becoming a pauper, after half his acquired wealth had been gambled away. She bore him so many children that he eventually had good company at home. Otherwise his last days might have been spent as a typist in the Central Ordnance Depot, which used to employ a good number of typists during World War II. But by that time Lord Wellington had retired as Viceroy. George V had of course, died and his eldest son and successor, King Edward VIII left the throne to his younger brother the Duke of York, for the sake of an American divorcee, Mrs. Simpson. He and she had to be content thereafter as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, while George VI ruled India with Lord Linlithgow as his Viceroy in Delhi. The Maharaja of Patiala too lost his clout despite the bravado of the dozen anonymous typists. Unfortunately Sherlock Holmes did not get to solve this case.
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