Gaekwad Gaikwar Gaekwar : gae-kaiwāri, one who fights for cow-protection, pseudonym of a Maratha Kshatriya clan of Bhare, a village in Haveli Tāluk of Pune. Around 1700, Dāmāji, one of its youngsters, joined a contingent of the Maratha army under Senāpati Khanderao Dabhāde for the Maratha king Rajaram & by the time Dabhāde died & his son Triambakrao had been appointed in his place, Dāmāji had risen to be Deputy Senāpati. His nephew Pilāji, whom he had adopted & trained, took over his command after his death. Pilāji proved a master strategist in leading raids into Gujarat & exacting tribute & by 1718 he headed a force of 300 horses. After he looted & defeated the Moghul Subā of Surat, Dabhāde rewarded him with the jāgir of Navāpur (c.100km east of Surat) in Khāndesh (q.v.). The next year, he conquered the fort of Songadh on hills just west of Navāpur, defeating the Mewāsi Bhils who held it. He settled in their tribal village of Vyārā at the foothills with his army of 1000 horses. He captured the fort of Kaira, made the Rajas of Idar & Rajpipla his tributaries & resumed his tribute-collecting raids. By 1758, he conquered the entire stretch of Kāṭhiāwād from Pālanpur in the north to Dwārkā in the west, & brought the whole of Gujarat under his control, but ignored to pay what he legally owed to his principals at Pune, thus inviting the enmity of Peshwa Bājirao. This enmity had a crippling effect upon the fortunes of the Gaikwāds & drove them into making disastrous alliances with the British which, ultimately, caused their own ruin & that of the entire Mahratta Confederacy in 1818. To add to the dynasty’s woes, Pilāji’s descendant, Malharrao Gaikwād ruined the good relations with the British that his brother Khanderao (whom he succeeded in 1870) had built; ignored the advice of his Dewan Dadabhai Naoroji to clean up the rot in his administration & brought on the worst disgrace the dynasty had ever suffered. In 1875, on a trumped up charge (the trademark of British Protective measure) of his having sanctioned the attempt to poison his predecessor Col. Phayre, Resident & Special Commissioner, General Sir R.J. Mead (1821-94) court-martialled & convicted Malharrao & Northbrook (Viceroy 1872-75) deposed & exiled him & his family to Madras
Public censure of this criminal action came not only from the people of Baroda but also the Bengali Press as noted by B.C. Pal in My Life & Times. After crushing Malharrao, Col. Robert Phayre led the Reserve Division in Afghan war 1879-80, Knight Commander of the Bath 1881: led a Division of Bombay Army 1881-6, retired 1886: General 1889: Knight Grand Cross of the Bath 1894: died in 1897 &, saluted, surely, by the Angels of the Christian Heaven
... to H.H. the late Sayaji Rao, Gaekwar of Baroda, during his visit to England. James Cotton was Sir Henry's brother not his son. Sir Henry Cotton was much connected with Maharshi Raj Narayan Bose—Aurobindo's maternal grandfather. His son James Cotton was at this time in London. As a result of these favourable circumstances a meeting came about with the Gaekwar of Baroda. Page 33 ... Cotton was my father's friend—they had made arrangements for my posting in Bengal; but he had nothing to do with my meeting with the Gaekwar. James Cotton was well acquainted with my eldest brother, because C was secretary of the South Kensington Liberal Club where we were living and my brother was his assistant. He took great interest in us. It was he who arranged the meeting. Sri Aurobindo... arrival in Baroda, through Khaserao's brother, Lieutenant Madhavrao Jadhav. [It was] 1 James Cotton, brother of Sir Henry (who was a friend of Dṛ K.D. Ghose) who introduced Sri Aurobindo to the Gaekwar. Cotton became secretary of the South Kensington Liberal Club where two of the brothers were living; Benoybhusan was doing some clerical work for the Club for 5 shillings a week and Cotton took him ...
... has a fine voice too. The talk proceeded to B.L. Gupta, also a good speaker, a former Dewan of the late Gaekwar. Then the Gaekwar himself came into the talk, how he had been humiliated at the Durbar due to the foolishness of B.L. Gupta. It was reported that after this humiliation the Gaekwar had begun to go downhill. DR. MANILAL: Before this he was really great. A speech he made at the Industrial... have reported me to the Government. DR. MANILAL: How did you get the job in Baroda? SRI AUROBINDO: I think I applied for it when the Gaekwar was in England. Sir Henry Cotton's brother asked me to do it and through his influence I came in contact with the Gaekwar. DR. MANILAL: I thought that your political career began with the Bengal Partition. SRI AUROBINDO: Oh no! It began long before in ...
... more than a compliment. DR. MANILAL: Sylvan Levi is also a Sanskrit scholar. He came to Baroda. The Gaekwar used to refer to you, Sir, as "my secretary". SRI AUROBINDO: Not a troublesome one? (Laughter) DR. MANILAL: No, Sir. Vallabbhai once said that you were fined Rs. 50 by the Gaekwar in Kashmir. SRI AUROBINDO: In Kashmir? No, it was in Baroda. I refused to attend office on Sundays and ...
... ce. SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, they can say anything. They don't know what it means to launch such a thing. After this Purani asked Dr. Manilal, in an aside, about the present Gaekwar's family. One of us noted that the Gaekwar had seven children and his wife was only twenty-five. SRI AUROBINDO: At twenty-five, seven children? DR. MANILAL: She was married at the age of thirteen. SRI AUROBINDO:... here. The next issue of the Baroda paper will bring the tidings. SRI AUROBINDO: Tidings of the next issue? (Laughter) PURANI: When I read of the Gaekwar touring Europe, I thought: how could the Rani accompany him? DR. MANILAL: The Gaekwar does not take her with him. SRI AUROBINDO: Why? DR. MANILAL: Well, Sir, she comes in his way. Nirodbaran said that a Chinese professor had been ...
... railway station, etc. SRI AUROBINDO: The thought of Baroda (pause for a time) brings to my mind my first connection with the Gaekwar. It. is strange how things arrange themselves at times. When I failed in the I.C.S. riding test and was looking for a job, the Gaekwar happened to be in London. I don't remember whether he called us or we met him. We consulted an authority about the pay we should... quite a good sum. He was calculating according to the pound which was equivalent to Rs 13; so he took ten pounds as a quite good sum. I left the negotiations to my eldest brother and James Cotton. The Gaekwar went about telling people that he had got a Civil Service man for Rs 200. (Laughter) But Cotton ought to have known better. NIRODBARAN: How much were your monthly expenses? SRI AUROBINDO: Five ...
... made in England and none very intimate; the mental atmosphere was not found congenial. There was therefore no need for any such escape. Aurobindo was going back to India to serve under the Gaekwar of Baroda; he cast one last look at his all but adopted country and thus uttered his "Envoi". No, the statement was of a transition from one culture to another. There was an attachment to English ...
... violently protested and he had to recant. SRI AUROBINDO: Nivedita volatile? What nonsense! She was a solid worker. Once she came to the Gaekwar and told him to join the revolution and said, "If you have anything more to ask, you can ask Mr. Ghose." But the Gaekwar never talked politics with me. By the way, he said about me, between my Swadeshi and early Pondicherry periods, "Mr. Ghose is an extinct ...
... Public Figures in India Sayajirao Gaekwar I find it strange that they have made the Gaekwar the President of the World Conference of Faiths. Is he a Hindu? When I knew him the Gaekwar was a free-thinker without any religion; I don't know if he has altered his views since. Formally, he is of course a Hindu. 7 July 1936 I read the Gaekwar's speech at the World Conference of Faiths... have become mere catch words and it is doubtful if they can be of any help in solving the problems of modern life. One can't expect anything more than catchwords and the most common ones from the Gaekwar on such subjects and occasions—in fact the whole affair of this Conference is likely to be little else. There are people who have a faith in words and think that with them they can sweep back the realities ...
... the Baroda College. February 22 On leave for one month. May-August Accompanies the Gaekwar on his tour of Kashmir as his Private Secretary. In Kashmir on Takht-e-Suleman has an experience of the vacant infinite. 1904 Works as Huzur Kamdar, often doing secretarial work for the Gaekwar. September 28 Directed to leave the Huzur Kamdar's office and join the College full... experience of the Atman. November Disqualified for the Indian Civil Service due to his failure to take the riding examination. December Obtains employment in the service of the Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda. 1893 January 12 Leaves England by the S.S. Carthage. Travels via Gibraltar, Port Said and Aden. February 6 Arrives in India, landing at the Apollo Bunder, Bombay. A "vast ...
... College. February 22 On leave for one month. May-August Accompanies the Gaekwar on his tour of Kashmir as his Private Secretary. In Kashmir on Takht-e-Suleman has an experience of the vacant infinite. 1904 — Works as Huzur Kamdar, often doing secretarial work for the Gaekwar. September 28 Directed to leave the Huzur Kamdar's office and join the College... of the Atman. November Disqualified for the Indian Civil Service due to his failure to take the riding examination. 1892 — December Obtains employment in the service of the Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda. 1893 — January 12 Leaves England by the S. S. Carthage. Travels via Gibraltar, Port Said and Aden. February 6 Arrives in India, landing at the Apollo Bunder, Bombay ...
... things stand in the way of cure. NIRODBARAN: Now L eats and digests anything. SRI AUROBINDO: She used to write to us, "I am going to eat, You please digest for me." (Laughter) PURANI: The Gaekwar is still in Bombay, he seems to have been suffering for a long time. SRI AUROBINDO: What is the disease? DR. BECHARLAL: Thrombus in the brain. PURANI: He is seventy-six now—rather old. ...
... any power. If a Prince is capable or if he has capable ministers, he can do a lot of good which a parliament can't. NIRODBARAN: Yes, moreover the Princes are getting wise. PURANI: The present Gaekwar has already curtailed a large amount of his privy purse. Sayaji Rao was bad in that way. He used to grab a heavy amount for his private purse but at the same time he did a lot of public works. SRI ...
... whom and to what extent it is superfluous to say. The incubus of the British Resident is always there. And the results of his intervention—often disastrous to the Chiefs—were thus summed up by the Gaekwar of Baroda in the Nineteenth Century in 1901—"Uncertainty and want of confidence in the indigenous Government is promoted. The influence of the Raja, which is indispensable for the individuality of ...
... Our Experiences in Bengal 13-January-1908 Babu Aurobindo Ghose paid a flying visit to Poona last week. On Monday evening he delivered an address in the Gaekwar's Wada, under the presidency of Mr. Annasaheb Patwardhan, and told his Poona audience how the new thought and the new movement spread all over Bengal and how the Bengalis were able to do things which ...
... atmosphere was not found congenial." The Gaekwar of the State of Baroda happened to be in England at that time. He was one of the most enlightened rulers of the Indian States of that period. James Cotton, brother of Sir Henry Cotton, who was well-acquainted with the Ghosh brothers, had been taking interest in them. He now negotiated with the Gaekwar in behalf of Sri Aurobindo. The result of the... the negotiation was that Sri Aurobindo "obtained an appointment in the Baroda Service...." The Gaekwar offered to pay him Rs.200/- per month, and, a shrewd man that he was, felt glad that he had been able to engage a brilliant young man of the I.C.S. calibre for such a paltry remuneration. But Sri Aurobindo was indifferent to money matters. He "knew nothing about life at that time." Sri ...
... leisure of a houseboat–that was a kind of earthly Paradise–also writing poetry on the banks of the Jhelum where it rushes down Kashmir towards the plains. Unfortunately there was the over-industrious Gaekwar to cut short the Paradise! His idea of Paradise was going through administrative papers and making myself and others write speeches for which he got all the credit. But after Page 14 all ...
... competition for the Indian Civil Service, but as he had no intention of accepting service under the Government, he failed to appear at the riding examination and was disqualified. At this time the Gaekwar of Baroda was in London. Aurobindo saw him, obtained an appointment in the Baroda Service and left England in January, 1893. Sri Aurobindo passed thirteen years, from 1893 to 1906 in the Baroda ...
... India from foreign rule. While in England, Sri Aurobindo passed the I.C.S. Examination, and yet he felt no call for it; so he got himself disqualified by remaining absent from the riding test. The Gaekwar of Baroda happened to be there at that time, and Sri Aurobindo accepted the proposal to be his Personal Secretary, and returned to India. Soon thereafter, however, Sri Aurobindo switched over ...
... India from foreign rule. While in England, Sri Aurobindo passed the I.C.S. Examination, and yet he felt no call for it; so he got himself disqualified by remaining absent from the riding test. The Gaekwar of Baroda happened to be there at that time, and Sri Aurobindo accepted the proposal to be his Personal Secretary, and returned to India. Soon thereafter, however, Sri Aurobindo switched over to ...
... gathering. "The Prince of Baroda was going to be married," said Sri Aurobindo's old friend. "In those days monogamy was not particularly insisted on. Sri Aurobindo was then the Vice-Principal of the Gaekwar's College. When the distinguished guests had assembled for the wedding dinner, the royal bridegroom came up to him dignified and demure. The grave Vice-Principal, revered by all, shook hands with 'the ...
... when there are at least one thousand foreign tourists in houseboats on the Dal lake! —a sewage canal? 1 However there is always a fly in the ointment. "Unfortunately there was the over-industrious Gaekwar to cut short the Paradise!" said Sri Aurobindo ruefully. "His idea of Paradise was going through administrative papers and making myself and others write speeches for which he got all the credit. ...
... AUROBINDO: That was my policy too. I sympathise with him. But the Nizam won't give in so easily. If the major States come in, the small ones don't matter. PURANI: Vallabhbhai is trying to appeal to the Gaekwar. SRI AUROBINDO: He will think for thirty years before he gives in. But who knows? He may give in. Since he is old he may take the glory and give the legacy of trouble to his successor. ...
... the great, Maharaja of Baroda by Mr. Khaserao Jadhav in England. Not true. Sri Aurobindo made the acquaintance of Khaserao two or three years after reaching Baroda. Cotton introduced him to the Gaekwar. Struck by the brilliance and the learning of the young Ghose, the Maharaja invited him to be his reader and in that capacity Sri Aurobindo came to Baroda. Reader . Nothing of the kind. There ...
... SRI AUROBINDO: Since he is a Congressman I suppose the Congress will have to back him. If the States people get power, the Princes will have no work except to sign papers and shoot animals. The Gaekwar will have to stop making buildings. NIRODBARAN: Where will they shoot animals? The forests are being destroyed nowadays. SRI AUROBINDO: Forests have to be preserved. Otherwise animals will become ...
... afterwards organized in which some dozen rowdies, not to say Hooligans, of our club —the worst among them, I regret to say, was the father of a large family and a trusted officer of H. H., the Maharajah Gaekwar, —went down to Ajwa and behaved in such a manner that it is a wonder we were not arrested and locked up. On the way my horse broke down and so four of us had to get down and walk three miles in the... can be utilised in the Baroda College, only care should be taken that his interests do not suffer in any way by his services being lent to the College for some time. Camp Coonoor.Sayaji Rao Gaekwar 6 August 1902 The long epistolary effort must have totally exhausted the 'capable young man.' So he rested for five days before writing to his wife ... in English —a one-time exception. By ...
... the open competition for the Indian Civil Service, but at the end of two years of probation failed to present himself at the riding examination and was disqualified for the Service. At this time the Gaekwar of Baroda was in London. Aurobindo saw him, obtained an appointment in the Baroda Service and left England in [January], 2 1893. Sri Aurobindo passed thirteen years, from 1893 to 1906, in the ...
... 1892 was prepared in the office of the Secretary of State: ". . . Mr. J. S. Cotton informs me that he has ground for hoping that Mr. G. will obtain at once an appointment in the service of the Gaekwar of Baroda.... As this is the first case of a candidate rejected after passing his Periodical and Final examinations on account of failing to pass his Riding Examination it is submitted Page ...
... which some dozen rowdies, not to Page 141 say Hooligans, of our club—the worst among them, I regret to say, was the father of a large family and a trusted officer of H.H. the Maharajah Gaekwar,—went down to Ajwa and behaved in such a manner that it is a wonder we were not arrested and locked up. On the way my horse broke down and so four of us had to get down and walk three miles in the ...
... negotiations with the Maharaja of Baroda, Sir Sayajirao Gaekwar, who was then in London. There is a reference to this in the correspondence with the India Office. (See Appendix V; Document XXIV.) "It is strange how things arrange themselves at times, for example I failed in the I. C. S. and was looking for a job exactly when the Gaekwar happened to be in London. I don't know whether he called... called us or we met him but an elderly gentleman whom we consulted was quite willing to propose Rs.200 per month, that is, he thought £10 was a good enough sum, and the Gaekwar went about telling people that he had got a civilian for Rs.200. It is surprising the authority was quite satisfied with Rs. 200 per month. But I left the negotiations to my eldest brother and James Cotton. I knew... Apparently none of his friends was in a position to maintain him at Cambridge for that third year, " It was in these circumstances of disappointment that he obtained a post in H. H. the Gaekwar of Baroda's service, from which he was, I believe, transferred to the Baroda Educational service as Professor or Lecturer in English Literature, a post for which, I should think, his natural tastes ...
... College. There Page 779 followed a period of three years, 1901-4, when he served in a secretarial capacity under Sayajirao Gaekwar, the Maharaja of Baroda. (In many of the documents the Maharaja is referred to as "the Gaekwar".) Finally, in 1905 and 1906, he returned to the College as vice-principal and professor. The documents reproduced in this Appendix are a selection from ...
... these self-gratulations are insincere and meaningless. The majority of Native States are wholly under the thumb of the Resident and, with the exception of one or two independent princes, like the Gaekwar, neither Maharaja nor Council of Administration can call their souls their own. On all this comes the commotion in Patiala. The Patiala conspiracy has yet to be proved to be more real than the Midnapur ...
... places and scenes, old faces etc. etc.; others dream of these things half the night although in the daytime they never think of them. I myself found myself sometimes (not so long ago) dreaming of the Gaekwar and even now sometimes Barin turns up in a most unexpected way. The impressions of the subconscient fade out very slowly. But all the same I think not renewing them does help. I am not so sure about ...
... subject as a most dynamic dreamer through action. He is aware that without the plunge into politics Page 76 —and to a lesser degree the secretarial service to the Gaekwar of Baroda and the educational enterprise for a short spell—Sri Aurobindo would not cut the figure of a world-leader. The world needs guidance by a man who can lay moulding hands on whole nations ...
... English and of French in the Baroda College. There followed a stint of three years (1901 - 4) when he worked in a secretarial capacity under Sayajirao Gaekwar, the Maharaja of Baroda. (In many of the documents the Maharaja is referred to as "the Gaekwar" or "H.H." [His Highness].) Finally, in 1905, he returned to the College as vice-principal and professor of English. These documents are a representative... retired from the I.C.S., the Maharaja of Baroda offered him the position of Councillor (virtually the same as Dewan, a fact that would later cause some difficulties). The correspondence between the Gaekwar and Page 573 Dutt was handled by Sri Aurobindo, who had met Dutt earlier. To the Principal, Baroda College. 18 September 1904 . During part of 1904 Sri Aurobindo held... where he had served as professor between 1898 and 1901. He was given the post of vice-principal. To the Maharaja. 29 March 1905 . Sri Aurobindo wrote this letter to his employer, Sayajirao Gaekwar (1863 - 1939), Maharaja of Baroda from 1875 to 1939, on behalf of his younger brother, Barindra Kumar Ghose, who then was living with him in Baroda. Barin had just returned from Bengal, where for ...
... academic career. 42 His friend, James Cotton, was able to arrange an interview with the Gaekwar of Baroda, the late Sayaji Rao, who was then on a visit to England. The interview was a success, and Sri Aurobindo secured appointment in the Baroda State Service. Mr. Cotton had completed the negotiations, and the Gaekwar was indeed "very pleased to have an I.C.S. man for Rs. 200 per month". 43 It was also ...
... political freedom to either of these things. 4. Mr. Kulkami says that Sri Aurobindo was introduced to the Gaekwar by Mr. Henry Cotton. In fact, it was Henry Cotton's brother, James Cotton, who knew Sri Aurobindo's eldest brother, Binoy Bhushan Ghose, who introduced Sri Aurobindo to the Gaekwar. 5. Mr. Kulkami says that it was one Swami Hamsa that gave Sri Aurobindo the first introduction to... his appointment owing to not passing his Riding Examination. [N. B. Mr J. S. Cotton informs me that he has grounds for hoping that Mr G. will obtain at once an appointment in the service of the Gaekwar of Baroda.] As this is the first case of a candidate rejected after passing his Periodical and Final examinations on account of failing to Page 337 pass his Riding... Here is the first mention of the Service at Baroda: "N. B. Mr. J. S. Cotton informs me that he has grounds for hoping that Mr. Ghose will obtain at once an appointment in the service of the Gaekwar of Baroda." The Minute states: "As this is the first case of a candidate rejected after passing his Periodical and Final examinations on account of failing to pass his Riding Examination, it ...
... from the foreign rule. While in England, Sri Aurobindo passed the ICS examination, and yet he felt no call for it, and so he got himself disqualified by remaining absent from the riding test. The Gaekwar of Baroda happened to be there at that time, and Sri Aurobindo accepted the proposal to be his personal secretary, and returned to India. Soon thereafter, however, Sri Aurobindo switched over ...
... afterwards organized in which some dozen rowdies, not to say Hooligans, of our club - the worst among them, I regret to say, was the father of a large family and a trusted officer of H.H. the Maharajah Gaekwar, - went down to Ajwa and behaved in such a manner that it is a wonder we were not arrested and locked up. On the way my horse broke down and so four of us had to get down and walk three miles in the ...
... "pre-yogic humour": The Prince of Baroda was going to be married. In those days — late nineteenth century — monogamy was not particularly insisted on. Sri Aurobindo was then Vice-Principal of the Gaekwar's College. When the distinguished guests had assembled for the wedding dinner, the royal bridegroom came up to him dignified and demure. The grave Vice-Principal, revered by all, shook hands with 'the ...
... Maharaja. This happened in 1903, when the Maharaja took him as secretary on the Kashmir tour; but as the experience was not pleasant, it was not repeated. The following extract from Sayaji Rao Gaekwar Yancha Sahavasat by Govind Sakharam Sardesai (the famous Marathi historian) referring to Sri Aurobindo, affords contemporary evidence about his Baroda state service and life: "Sri Aurobindo and... indicate the lines and I used to follow them. But I myself was not much interested in administration. My interests lay outside in Sanskrit, literature, and ¹ Govind Sakharam Sardesai, Sayaji Rao Gaekwar Yancha Sahavasat (Poona: S. Jagannath and Co., 1956), pp. 20-21. ² Ibid. p. 25. E ³ Ibid. p. 31. Page 39 in the National movement. When I came to Baroda from England ...
... every description. An old friend of his once gave me a sample of his pre-yogic humour. "The Prince of Baroda was going to be married," he said. "Sri Aurobindo was then the Vice-Principal of Gaekwar's College. When the distinguished guests had assembled for the wedding dinner, the royal bridegroom came up to him dignified and demur. The grave Vice-Principal, revered by all, shook hands with 'the ...
... times. For example, I failed in the I.C.S. and was looking for a job exactly when the Gaekwar happened to be in London. I don't know whether he called us or we met him, but an elderly gentleman whom we consulted was quite willing to propose Rs.200 per month, that is, he thought £10 was a good enough sum, and the Gaekwar went about telling Page 76 people that he had got a civilian for Rs.200... Baroda government for recovering the sum from Manomohan and me. I had paid up all my dues and kept £4 or so and I did not think that I was bound to pay it since he always charged me double! But as the Gaekwar said I had better pay it, I paid. (Laughter) , "Anyway, there I was with a job. The Maharaja was very pleased with himself that he had taken, in his employ, a rather young man, and an Indian to ...
... made by the Modern Review, Sri Aurobindo said, "Nivedita volatile? What nonsense! She was a solid worker. "Once she came to the Gaekwar and told him to join the revolution, and said, ‘If you have anything more to ask, you can ask Mr. Ghose but the Gaekwar never talked politics with me. Page 312 "The first time she came to me she said, 'I hear, Mr. Ghose, you are a worshipper ...
... that his family surname was Ash, but as the English pronunciation and meaning of the word appeared to him rather disreputable, he changed his surname into Hesh.... He came to Baroda to see the Gaekwar with letters of recommendation from Sir George Birdwood and Dadabhai Naoroji.... He did not put up with us as a guest of Aurobindo, but accepted the hospitality of the Maharaja, and was lodged at ...
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