ANU(ChandigarhCityNews)
A book on erstwhile Maharaja of Nabha, Ripudaman Singh was released here today by Prof Arun Kumar Grover at Hotel Taj Chandigarh.
Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha (1883-1942) was an exceptional ruler, a princely ‘rebel’ who resisted the paramount power of the ruling British in different ways, and refusing to bow down to their power tactics.
Published by Oxford University Press, the biography has been penned down by two historians, former professor and vice chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, and former chairman of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Prof J.S. Grewal, and Prof Emeritus Indu Banga of Panjab University.
Set against the backdrop of Indian nationalism, Sikh resurgence, and British paramountcy, Grewal and Banga trace the Maharaja’s political career, revealing the devious ways in which the British dealt with traditional nobility.
Forced to abdicate in 1923 ostensibly on account of ‘maladministration’, Ripudaman Singh was sent to Kodaikanal in 1928, where he died after 14 years in captivity without any recourse to judicial appeal.
Moved by nationalist concerns, the Maharaja of Nabha bridged ‘Indian India’ and British India through the concerns he affirmed, reforms he introduced, and the causes he espoused as a patriot.
Maharaja’s grandson, Uday Nabha Khemka, who lives in London and is a regular visit to Nabha, remarked that Indian history primarily contains the narrative from the British soldiers and Indian perspective had been missing.
Uday Nabha Khemka who is the Managing Trustee of The Nabha Foundation to preserve and restore the heritage of the Nabha state, is spearheading various other initiatives to bring about socio-economic changes in the literacy, health, sanitation, and clean drinking water areas.
Such historical perspective was essential for the future generation to know the truth, Uday Nabha Khemka remarked, who is also working on having the Punjabi edition of the book also published.
The biography explores Maharaja’s illustrious career, education, and upbringing to explain his ideological stance, appreciation for Indian nationalism, and his active involvement in Sikh reformist movement.
