INCARNATION OF MODESTY
His Excellency K. R. Narayanan (Vice President of India)
(* First Sree Chithira Thirunal Memorial Speech delivered at Kanakakunnu Palace, Trivandrum on 25-10-1992)
Your Excellency, Governor of Kerala Shri. B .. Ractlaiya, Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri. K. Karunakaranji, Shri. Charles ,M.P., Minister of Excise Shri. Reghuchandra Bal, MLA. Shri. Palode Ravi MLA, Shri Vijayakumar, Vice Chancellor Shri Babu Paul, distinguished personalities sitting in the audience, particularly Smt. Lekshmi Menon who was Minister of State under Jawaharlal Nehru when I was a Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, his Holiness Arch Bishop Mar Gregorious and distinguished friends.
Unfortunately, I do not have a written speech. One excuse, I can give is that, normally the Chief Guest is asked to speak last. Unlike in the case of examinations in the educational institutions, these speeches, which go before are never revealed. We do not exchange our speeches and therefore, I do not know' if, I write my speech, whether I would be just repeating what others have said, particularly because those who speak before me, are people in great authority, who know the subject, who are scholars, and pundits. This is one of the reasons, probably, apart from the time factor, that I could not write a speech on the solemn occasion of the 1'st Sree Chithira Thirunal Memorial Lecture. I am very much honoured by your giving me this task of being the 1 st Memorial Lecturer.
The Maharaja's qualities and achievements have been enumerated here; but, one thing, which stands out, is his modesty as it has been pointed out, he was a man almost an incarnation of immense modesty, but today his virtu.esto use a • Shakespherean phrase speak trumpetered to the heaven. May be, we have realised his greatness and the great contributions he had made to Kerala very vividly only after his life time. This is quite normal in life. I should like to dwell upon only two or three aspects
of his achievements.
One and the greatest is the “Temple Entry Proclamation".
Many of the things, the Maharaja did, were. influenped~y his great mother and by his Dewan, Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer. But, behind all this, there was a mind of his own. There was a philosophy and personality of his own. This was shown by one fact. During the Vaikom Sathyagraha, Mahatma Gandhi visited Karala. At that time, Sree Chithira Thirunal was a young man and he has not ascended the throne.
Gandhiji asked "When you attain majority and when you assume full authority, will you allow Harijans to enter the temple". The young Maharaja said without hesitation "Certainly". This was not the result of anybody's advice. This arose from his own mind; from his own• thinking and that is why I say, in spite of all the advice and influences in which he was enveloped, he had a mind and he had a policy of his own.
Now the Temple Entry Proclamation. If I may quote, Mahatma Gandhi, who said about it. He said" I verily believe, when all else is forgotten, this one act of Maharaja, the proclamation, will be remembered by future generations with gratitude". He added one thing about the Travancore Royal Family. Gandhiji remarked that the Travancore Maharajas were not the first servant of the people. I think that has been symbolised by the life of Sree Chithira Thirunal himself.
The Temple Entry Proclamation brought about a great rnoraI and social revolution in Kerala.1 think, much of the prOQl'8SS of the State was based on this moral and social revoluticnthat the Maharaja brought about. I should say that, theTempteEnttY Proclamation, was the culmination, the fulfillment of the ~uggle, which W8.$ conducted atVaikom through Satyagraha and it goes to the genious of the Maharaja that he understood the feelings, the aspirations of his ~opIeand he had the courage and wisdom. and farsightedness tp throw open the temples to ail the HindU$ and all who believed in Hinduism. That is a bit of a novel thing Mr. Governor and the Chief Minister, because there are still famous temples in Northern India, which are not thrown open to Harljans. Therefore, there was another revolutionary aspect with regard to the Temple Entry Proclamation.
FREE EDUCATION
I think another great contribution of the Maharaja Is in the field of Education. Now this follows a long tradition of policies followed by the Royal Rulers of Travancore. There is social as well as the backgroun'd of governmental policies or Royal Policies behind the educational progress of this State. As early as 1817 Maharani Gouri Parvathi Bai issued a Proclamation which was crucial to the development of education in this State and the Proclamation is worth while to recall at this time. It was in 1817. It said :-" the State should defray the entire cost of education of its people in order that there might be ,no backwardness in the spread of enlightenment among them; that by diffusion of education they might become better subjects and public servants~ and that the reputation of the State might be advanced thereby. It is very interesting to recall this policy statement of the Maharani at the time. You know about Japan, which attained 100% literacy long time ago by introducing a similar educational policy under,
what they call, the Meji Restoration 1873. The Statement was almost similar to that. But, the proclamation was made in 1817. I think, J1istorically speaking, it is one of the greatest examples of farsightedness and enlightened policy by any ruler in any country in the world. .
The policy on the education was continued by Sree Swathy Thirunal, Sree Moolam Thirunal and by Sree Chithira Thirunal. His contribution to education was really most significant; because he carried on the tradition in a very modern way and one of the interesting things was his emphasis on technical education, while promoting Sanskrit education as well as education in such subjects as Ayurveda.
Now nearly 25% of the revenue of the State was devoted to education. It became later nearly 40%; but to have contributed that sizeable share of the State's revenue to education was something very very remarkable indeed: and the concept of technical orientation was introduced in a very wide-spread form, under the reign of Sree Chithira Thirunal. He had also established and promoted the institutions for the training of teachers, which started under Sree Chithira Thirunal and the impetus he gave to the education of girls and women was also really remarkable and then compulsory education was introduced in a new form. It started as early as 1817 as I said for the age group 5 to 11.
Now, all these contributions are unforgettable and I would like to mention one thing more. While Government took upon itself responsibility for the development of education in the private sector, right from the beginning, many people wonder what is the secret of the educational success of Kerala. Apart from the other reasons, I mentioned, one of the reasons is that the Rulers encouraged both public and private education almost simultaneously and as you know, it has become a major feature for the educational system in the State of Kerala.
Industrial Development
I should like to then refer briefly on the industrialisation of the state, which took place under Sree Chithira Thirunal. When we look at the progress of the State, we find that, most of the major industries that the State of Travancore had today, have been established under the reign of Sree Chithira Thirunal. You can go from industry to industy; but all of them were started and established during his period. There are, not many, we can say that we started afresh. There are, of course, some big industries after that; but the majority of them were established during the reign of the Maharaja and it provided an infrastructure for the democratic Government, which came after to build upon. Indeed the beginning of democracy and promotion of democracy, particulary in the form of granting of universal adult suffrage, was also one of the great things the Maharaja himself introduced into the State.
Now, one of our biggest problems is, how to maintain the great industry and an infrastructure which was built up during the period and to make them work and to modernise them, apart from building new industries. I should like to talk about another point, which is that of the social, religious policy of the state, ina sense of toleration. Tolerance of all religions is an old tradition of Kerala. But it was consciously, vigorously, promoted under Maharaja Sree Chithira Thirunal.
After he has ceased to be in power not long ago in 1983, major communal riots took place in Trivandrum in the city. I was told during that period, the Maharaja kept weeping. He fasted and he prayed for days. We know that Mahatma Gandhi had done it during the great communal riots in India in 1948.
I should like to ask to the leaders of public opinion and the leaders who hold power in India, how many of them are there, who would shed tears and who would fast like the Maharaja did, when such, great tragedies take place in our country today, as unfortunately they do take place? It is this powerful tradition of tolerance, which the Maharaja established firmly in the state. which we have to pursue seriously, if we have to honour his memory, in a significant way.
Great men leave behind certain heritage, certain great examples and this is one of those we have to follow, if we aret() avoid great cataclysm in the State as well as in the rest of India.
Therefore, the policies and the examples of Maharaja Sree Chithira Thirunal, should be a beacon before us ; just not as an idealistic target; but, something we foHow practically in our lives 'and in our policies. Lastly, I should like to mention something which is most important in the life of the Maharaja; that is, Sree Chithira Thirunal as a great human being; a wonderful human being. The Chief Minister mentioned one example of his visiting, him, when he asked him to sit down. When Gandhiji visited the Maharaja. I read that, as Gandhiji went in, the Maharaja was
. sitting in his Aormal chair or throne. There were so many people sitting in their normal chair or throne. There were so many people sitting on the floor around him. Gandhiji was offered a chair. Gandhiji said, "Well, why are you treating me like a stranger? I am one of the people of this State" and he sat on the floor. The Maharaja instantaneously got up and sat together with Gandhiji on the floor with the rest of the people. This was the instantaneous reaction of a genuine human being, who felt he was one of the people, inspite of the Godly reverence, in which he was held at that time and even today.
There is another example which was quoted that concerns the present Maharaja Marthanda Varma, his younger brother. He seems to have scolded or I do not know, perhaps beaten with a stick one Of the servants and naturally it hurt the Maharaja himself.
He assembled all the servants : nearly about 200 of them I am told and asked his distinguished younger brother to appear before them and apologise to the servant. Maharaia Marthanda Varma: himself had talked about his incident with great humility, paying a tribute to the great personal qualities, of his elder brother. It was this human quality, which had really endeared Maharaja Sree Chithira Thirunal to the people of Kerala.
SHED WEALTH FOR COMMON CAUSE
It was not just humility, it was a feeling one with the people. Almost a substantial part of the wealth that he had, he had utilised in one manner or another for constructive and charitable activities, building up institutions of far-reaching significance in this state. So what he left behind was really a glorious infrastructure, social, 'moral, educational, industrial and economic for the government of the State of independent India to build upon and to carry on. That is the basis on which the progress, the high reputation today of Kerala is based. On this occasion, I should like to join you all in paying my homage to this great Maharaja, to this great soul, who has done so much and who has sacrificed so much for the State and the people of Kerala.
Thank You.
