Maharaja Hari Singh - the thorn in British flesh

Maharaja Hari Singh Bahadur had ascended the throne after his uncle, Maharaja Pratap Singh had died without an heir in 1925. History has always remained divided and unfair to Maharaja Hari Singh and several eminent historians have been wilfully ignorant of the real Hari Singh and his desires. Thankfully, public notions have started to change, albeit slowly, about the man and his role in 1948 for good.

Maharaja Hari Singh, son of Raja Amar Singh, became the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, continuing the illustrious Dev dynasty of the Jamwals. However, the circumstances of his ascent were problematic to say the least. The British Resident's continued interference in the state affairs was part of the continued Great Game, and oftentimes Hari Singh had to undertake measures under duress. However, to say that the ruler was a despot is sloppy and lazy understanding of the events of the time. By then, several reforms had taken place in the state, including abolition of begar, education and abolition of taxes. The state had also seen the operationalization of India's second hydro power project at Mohra near Baramulla with British technical help. Hari Singh continued on the path of progress and unleashed several positive measures. The state's public healthcare system was considered the best in the country at the time. Education of all levels was extended to all girls for the first time, with institutions becoming co-educational, a radical reform for it's time. Electrification via more hydro power generation was given a huge push much like Mysore, and power was now provided to the palaces and some government buildings in Srinagar, Sopore and Baramulla among others. Moreover, irrigation capabilities were greatly expanded, which saw agricultural productivity jump manifold, making the state near self sufficient for the first time in centuries. Another landmark social reform that the Hari Singh administration was setting the minimum legal age for marriage in his state, and effectively implementing the same.

Maharaja Hari Singh and his wife Tara Devi (source: KashmirLife)

Law and Order and public administration were especially close to Hari Singh's heart, perhaps as a result of his military training. For the first time, a High Court was set up where dissatisfied people could appeal against the lower court verdicts. A constitutional structure was put in place in 1931, with the Constitution of the state coming up for the first time, defining the way the state affairs were to be run. Hari Singh in fact had a reputation as a man of justice among large sections of the state. Former Chief justice of India T S Thakur at a book launch had recalled a famous incident of the time. Hari Singh's car with him riding it was stopped by a Bakarwal/Gujjar and his cattle, which was crossing the road very slowly. Somewhat irritated, the driver was asked by Hari Singh to ask the person to hurry up. The driver, rather foolishly, asked the Bakarwal to move fast, and brandished his gun to threaten him. The Bakarwal retorted by daring the driver to shoot. 'Maar ke dikha! Ye Hari Singh ka raaj hai!' (try shooting! This is Hari Singh's kingship!)

Maharaja Hari Singh, contrary to the popular opinions, was a very pro India person. In fact, at the 1930-31 Round Table Conference in London on the future of India, he broke away along with a few other princely states, to clearly state that the states have a future by being part of a United India, thus infuriating the British. As part of the speech Hari Singh clearly evinced that:

As allies of Britain, we stand solidly by the British connexion. As Indians and loyal to the Land whence we derive our birth and infant nurture, we stand as solidly as the rest of our countrymen for our Land's enjoyment of a position of honour and equality in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Our desire to co-operate to the best of our ability with all sections of this Conference is a genuine desire ; so too is genuine our determination to base our co-operation upon the realities of the present situation.

Speech of Maharaja Hari Singh from the Round Table Conference 1930-31

It's very evident therefore that the intention to be a part of India as always an important issue for him. What could be the reason behind it? While people have speculated strange reasons, there are very clear reasons in my opinion, as put out by Prem Shankar Jha. The state was not just a simple Muslim majority state; rather, there were several layers of complexity that could never be addressed as an independent country or as part of Pakistan. The Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral and Hunza regions were Shia dominant; Kashmir in the other hand was Sunni  majority influenced by Sufism. Jammu and Ladakh in total contrast were Hindu and Buddhist majority. Attempts in any other direction, in the assessment of Hari Singh, wild lead to total chaos and bloodshed, given the competing political interests, especially so when one looked at the diversity of the Muslim population of the state. In such a scenario, the only option that looked sensible and could provide sanity was getting a part of the Union of India, which affirmed its secular stance. The Maharaja was well known for his secularism, which in fact often earned him the displeasure of the Pandit and Dogra elite in the state. However, the fact that his army, of which he himself had been the Commander and trainer, comprised of all ethnicities and religious denominations present in the state, was testament to his belief in having a dispensation that was aloof to your identity.