A Memorable Historic Document

Rajasthan High Court celebrated its 70th anniversary on 29 August this year. My cousin Rahul sent me a copy of an historic document forwarded to him by another cousin, Puneet 'William' Sharma, a practising lawyer in the High Court at Jaipur, describing the inauguration ceremony in 1949. For me, it is a memorable document because it records my grandfather (Nanaji addressed by me as Pitaji), taking the oath of office that day.

It is a six page document in Hindi recording the events of the day. The ceremony was held on the chowk outside the Jodhpur High Court under a well-decorated pandal. It was presided over by Sawai Man Singh, Maharaja of Jaipur, in his capacity as Rajpramukh, the forerunner of Governor in Rajasthan. Around 500 distinguished guests including the Chief Minister of Rajasthan were invited. The function began at 11.30 a.m. and oath of office administered to the Chief Justice and 11 Judges which included my grandfather, Shri Kumar Krishna Sharma. It was followed by an evening reception by the Jodhpur Bar Association held at Umaid Park, Jodhpur, at 4 p.m. with the Rajpramukh and the Chief Minister as the chief guests.

Memories of those eventful years are fresh in my mind. With his family roots in Bharatpur, Pitaji was practising law in Mathura. His father who we called Chachaji, was also a lawyer in Bharatpur. In 1943, Mr. KPS Menon, ICS, later the first Foreign Secretary of independent India, was the Dewan in Bharatpur state and knew Chachaji well. He was looking for a young Judge for the state high court and offered the job to Pitaji, 44, who, aware of the mercurial and temperamental character of the Raja of Bharatpur, was hesitant but Chachaji's wish to get him back to his home town prevailed. And so we moved to Bharatpur in the winter of 1943.

There is a small story here. Mataji, my Nani, was explaining to 5 year old me about the move and wondering what the future held for us. I apparently said, "Arre abhi kya, abhi to Jaipur Vaipur pata nahin kahan kahan jayenge." Mataji, nervous and worried as she was about Pitaji having to work under the unpredictable Raja and not having any idea of the turn of events in the coming years, hushed me up asking me not to say "kulachhne"things! Years down the line, she would fondly tell friends and relatives how prophetic her grandson was!

Independence came in 1947 and in March 1948, the Government of India decided to form the United State of Matsya merging the states of Dholpur, Karauli, Alwar and Bharatpur, and Pitaji was appointed a Judge in the Matsya High Court. Another year later, Matsya itself was merged with the Greater Rajasthan which finally became just Rajasthan on 26 January 1950.

In 1949 at its inauguration, the Rajasthan High Court had a third bench in Udaipur apart from Jodhpur and Jaipur and we moved to Udaipur (the 'Vaipur' of my prophecy!) from Bharatpur in September 1949. So began my 2-year schooling at Vidya Bhawan, a school much ahead of its time. A brain child of the famous educationist Shri Mohan Singh Mehta, father of Shri JS Mehta, erstwhile Foreign Secretary, Government of India, it was a co-educational institution which was exceptional in the 40s in as conservative a city as Udaipur. The school routine was unique too; we used to go to school in a tonga filled with 7-8 kids at 7 am. On arrival, we had Physical Training followed by breakfast. Academic classes were conducted in till lunch which we used to carry. Then there was a compulsory lie down for an hour in the sprawling verandahs on our individual bedrolls deposited with the school. Hobbies in the afternoon and games in the evening before returning home in the tongas at 7 pm. What a wholesome routine!

The Udaipur bench was wound up within a year and Pitaji was transferred to the Jaipur bench in the summer of 1950. Meanwhile, my mother who was teaching in a girls' school in Bharatpur was nominated to undergo the B.Ed. course in a sister institution of Vidya Bhawan in Udaipur. So it was decided that I would continue my studies at Vidya Bhawan. As Mummy had to stay in the College hostel which was for women only, special permission was obtained for me to stay with Mummy in the otherwise exclusive women's hostel! That was in the academic year 1950-51 till Mummy finished her B.Ed. and was transferred to Jaipur. And so Pitaji, Mataji, Mummy and I were reunited and I joined St. Xavier's in Jaipur. My 'prophecy' had come true fully and Jaipur became our permanent home.