INDIA, LIKE ALL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, had its days of monarchy. The memories of kings and autocratic rulers are still in the of minds people. Some seniors alive today were born in the days of ‘Maharajas’ and ;Nawabs’. But by then these were mere titles devoid of real power.
Power they did not have, as the British were the real rulers, but even after Independence the Constitution of India bestowed on them privileges and privy purses till 1972 as The Constitution (26th amendment) Act was passed only at the fag end of 1971.
Diwan Jarmani Dass, who was a Minister (Diwan) of Kapurthala and
Patiala kingdoms, wrote a book in the ’70s, The Maharajas, which gave a graphic picture of the lavish life of perversion, orgies, debauchery and pursuit of pleasure these ‘kings’ enjoyed , especially in Punjab and the North, in return for allowing the British to rule the country.
There were also very good and progressive kings – mostly in the South. Within days of ascending Continue reading The Uncrowned Queen of India