Professor K RamachandranThomas Schmidheiny Chair Professor ofFamily Business and Wealth Management
Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
Building Lasting Institutions: Challenges and Strategies of the House of Mewar over 76 generations
ChronologyYear King Details
734 – 753 Bappa Rawal Trusteeship
Manav Dharma
1303 – 1326 Family in exile
1326 – 1364 Rana Hamir Nominated / chosen to rule
1364-1421 Rana Kshetra Singh
Rana Lakha
Societal building (temples, education, palaces….)
Silver / zinc mining
Lake linkage system
ChronologyYear King Details
1433- 1468 Rana Kumbha
(Not the eldest son; ascended when father was killed)
32 of 84 fortresses (Jaya Stambh, Kumbhalgarh Fort)
Self sufficient villages, dug wells, reservoirs, patronised temples, arts, education
Defended Mewar successfully
Wrote Sangitaraja, Sudaprabdha
Treated enemy (Malwa’s Mahmud) with respect and gifts
1509-1527 Rana Sanga (Sangram Singh I)
18 battles to defend Mewar
United Hindu / Muslim Kingdoms to fight Babur (Battle of Khanwa 1527)
Treated enemy (Mandu’s Mahmud) with respect and returned kingdom
ChronologyYear King Details
1537 – 1572 Rana Udai Singh II
Regained Chittoor kingdom from Banbir (illegitimate son of Rana Sanga)
1567 - shifted out and created Udaipur as capital when Akbar attacked
1572 – 1597 Rana Pratap Singh
Determined to liberate Chittoor from Akbar
1576 - Battle of Haldighat
1587 - Akbar gave up
10 years peaceful rule. Regained most of Mewar
ChronologyYear King Details
1597 – 1620 Rana Amar Singh I
Restored peace
Social development
Built new / added to existing palaces
Aurangzeb attacked (1681 – treaty to cede land for peace)
1620 – 1628 Rana Karan Singh II
1628 – 1652 Rana Jagat Singh I
1653 – 1680 Rana Raj Singh I
ChronologyYear King Details
1710 – 1734 Rana Sangram Singh II
Peace and political stability
1734 – 1751 Rana Jagat Singh II
Heeded to Marathas
Economic and political degeneration for about a century
Treaty with British for protection (1818)
1751 – 1754 Rana Pratap Singh II
1778 – 1828 Maharana Bhim Singh
1842 – 1861 Maharana Swaroop Singh
(Adopted, chosen to rule)
Mewar on the road to economic recovery, with British assistance
ChronologyYear King Details
1861 – 1874 Maharana Shambhu Singh
(Adopted, chosen to rule)
Provided relief to famine / stricken people; thrust on education; public utilities and services
1874 – 1884 Maharana Sajjan Singh
(Adopted, chosen to rule)
Established High court , press, supported education
1884 – 1930 Maharana Fateh Singh
(Adopted, chosen to rule)
Focused on socio – economic improvements within treaty with British
Refused subservient status with British and changed PM
Austere life (Crystal furniture remained in box for 60 years!)
Reinforced trusteeship religiously
ChronologyYear King Details
1930 – 1955 Maharana Bhupal Singh
(physically challenged)
First railways, telegraph, constructed Fateh Sagar lake
Educational improvements
Afforestation , industrial expansion
First to annex with Union of India (Maharajapramukh)
1955-1984 Maharana Bhagwat Singh
Trusteeship in modern era
1984 - Arvind Singh Trusteeship under hostility
• Mewar rich in traditions and values, rich in natural resources (zinc, silver, emerald mines)
• Clear trusteeship foundation (including leader selection)
• Inspiring history of sacrifices and service to society by king, family-members and people
• Several pillars of visionary leadership to preserve and grow internally (not ego trips to rule/ expand)
• Clear priorities: peace and prosperity, no expansionist ambitions
• Continuity in building state
In Nutshell…
• Create source of income for custodian family
• Constant revenue flow to discharge moral and social responsibilities
Challenges for Maharana Bhagwat Singh (1955 – 1984)
Solution Year Particulars
1969 Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation; Donated main portions of City Palace and Rs. 11 lakh
1971 Lake Palace leased to Taj Group
1977 Formed Lake Palace Hotels & Motels Pvt. Ltd to bring all hospitality businesses together
1980 Maharana Mewar Foundation Award
1984 Formed Maharana Mewar Institutions Trust through his Will. Donated all his assets including Shambhu Niwas Palace to it. He thus immortalized the institution of Maharana.
Shriji1984
Lack of preparedness
Family dispute/ court cases
Ensuring / cash flow
Local Animosity
Contribute tosocial development
Building Business & fighting competition
Challenges for one ‘not born to rule’
“The idea was to be able to continue doing what our forefathers did as a part of their custodianship duty. The Maharana’s position was never an office of profit; the purpose was never accumulation of wealth. Focus on continuity in carrying out the moral duties was extremely important and it had to run across generations”.
-Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar
Eternal Mewar
Year Institution Key Initiatives
2000-2001 onwards
City Palace and Museum
Comprehensive documentation; conservation plan of City Palace Complex, Getty Foundation (LA) grants to involve institutional expertise
Eternal Mewar
The City Palace Complex – historical phases
1559 – 1620 Phase 1 Mewar – Mature Phase
1620 – 1698 Phase 2 Mewar – Mughal Early Phase
1698 – 1778 Phase 3 Mewar – Mughal Mature Phase
1778 – 1930 Phase 4 Mewar – British Phase
1931 onwards Phase 5 Post - Independence Mewar
(over 750 employees; over 5000 families benefit now)
Eternal Mewar
Year Institution Key Initiatives
1969 Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation
Responsible for all organisational aspects of the Eternal Mewar vision
2000-01 The City Within a City
To create awareness of Mewar’s rich architectural heritage and socio – cultural traditions
To preserve and develop Mewar’s intellectual property for academic and other research
Create rich database of information for posterity
Eternal Mewar
Year
Institution Key Initiatives
2003 The City Within a City
Develop City Palace Complex and surrounding areas as self – sufficient tourist attraction
Preserve and maintain historical buildings, monuments and artifacts
Continuity of socio – religious rituals
Celebrate socio – cultural festivals
Create museums, art galleries, libraries, research institutes, archives, training centres for local arts and crafts
Manage environment and ecology
“Today we are a living palace complex; I can see the City Within City become a model of self –reliant multi-faceted enterprises. I am fully conscious, that I may not be able to witness the project’s completion in my lifetime, but I have certainly set an example that others may wish to follow in the future. A future that is so inextricably linked with preserving the legacy of the past.”
- Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar
Year Institution Key Initiatives
1985 MM Research Institute
Preserve seminal archival documents, drawings and maps of Mewar and beyond.
Digitisation in progress
1992 Mewar Solar Cell
Research on solar energy initiated (boat, rickshaw, motor cycle…)
2004 – Society of Environmental Education and Research Award
2005 – “One World Cooperation” – European Solar Prize Award
Eternal Mewar
Year Institution Key Initiatives
1984-85
MM Foundation Annual Awards
Scope expanded beyond Udaipur to cover State, national and international achievers
1999 MM Special Library
Clean and well maintained library on literature on Mewar (grain storage / stables earlier!)
2003 MM Charitable Dispensary
For the underprivileged
Eternal Mewar
“The Indian government might have taken away the stage from where we performed, but our calling is still to work for our community, for our country, for the betterment of the people”.
-Smt Vijayaraj Singh Mewar
Shriji2010
Eternal Mewar conceptualized, still expanding,
much more to do
Several court cases settled, but a
few remain
Family unity, next generation ready
Business steady and growing
“Change rarely invalidates the past and it does not necessarily imply a rejection of the old. I believe in the past, but my feet are firmly rooted in the present and I’m constantly thinking about the future. A great deal can and should be preserved from the past. In particular we should treasure the selfless values that have stood the test of time.”
- Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar