End of the legend of Talakad Alamelamma’s curse

The seven-hundred year history of the Wadiyar dynasty came to an end on December 10, 2013 with the passing away of Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. There was not a dry eye in Mysore on that day when the shocking news of his death came and in this 24 X 7 television era the visuals started beaming live into every household. The respect for the erstwhile rulers by the citizens of Mysore was very evident when the whole city closed down spontaneously.

Lakhs of people witnessed the funeral procession of the last scion of the Mysore Royal family with many coming from the nearby districts and villages realising that it was the last time they would be seeing a royal in the truest sense of the term though not in flesh any more.

The banners, the buntings, the flexes depicting the photo of Wadiyar that adorn to this day many a street corner shows the tremendous respect the Mysore royal family had gained which had not faded over time. Sadly, the last royal never realised the true significance of the popularity and the respect he commanded while alive.

There are many who have known Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar closely and also moved with him. I also being a Mysorean knew about him and seen him from a distance and later at very close quarters. Here is my impression of him.

The mischievous smile, the hearty laughter, the childlike innocence, the utter simplicity and humility, is all gone now. All that is left is the memories. It was equally shocking for me when he died so suddenly, as I had moved very closely with Wadiyar and the innocent face is what comes in front of me. He was literally larger than life but also like a true Maharaja a very private person.

Growing up in Mysore as contemporaries, the first image of Srikant as he was fondly called by his father Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar and his immediate family members and friends, is that of him playing on the Maharaja’s College Cricket grounds. The crowd would come in large numbers to watch the “Prince” as he was addressed by the common people. He would surprise everyone with his ability to play the game in spite of his girth. He was an opening batsman and also a medium pace bowler and according to a few who faced him he was surprisingly nippy. Of course he would be fielding in the slips all the time and there was lot of mirth doing the rounds about his inability to move to pick the ball in any other position.

It was years later that I came to know him very closely when he one day called me to talk about the politics and the way people were thinking about him. By then, of course, he had won a few elections and also lost. Entering into the world famous Amba Vilas Palace was a great privilege and honour and sitting in the big drawing room that overlooks the Eastern Gate even as I passed the famous Palace Library with a great collection of books was an unforgettable experience. Years later, he shifted to Bangalore disappointed with the way things were happening in politics. It was around the same time that I also moved to Bangalore and started visiting the Palace regularly. I had become such a familiar figure there that security guards would acknowledge as I entered the Palace. He settled down comfortably in the Bangalore Palace and the first thing he did was renovate the office. He had an artistic eye and his knowledge about history and politics was remarkable.

Wadiyar’s memory was also truly phenomenal. He shared the reason about this unique trait with me. “As a child my memory was not very good. My father understood this and when I was nearing ten, one day he administered the ‘Shakti Mantra Beeja’ in my ears. From that day on my memory power improved vastly,” he recalled. Asked why he always kept his finger close to his eyes all the time, he told me, “My eyes are very powerful. It can even turn people to ashes if they try to misbehave with me. I always keep it half closed to see that they are not harmed unwittingly.”

He was a perfectionist in everything he did and this was in evidence every time he threw a party. He celebrated his 50th birthday in the Mysore Palace in the year 2003 in a grand way. That was the first time his interest in fashion became public. Thereafter every year he used to hold the fashion shows where he would display the sarees designed by him and his wife Pramoda Devi Wadiyar. Was his interest in fashion his undoing? Because I recall I had written about it in a newspaper and ended thus, “Will the real Mr. Wadiyar stand up or will he be lost in the world of fashion?” He was obviously very upset to read about him being shown in a poor light. When I told Mrs. Wadiyar about this, she had said, “Don’t worry, he will be alright in a few days.” And sure enough he was once again his normal self.

The first time when he stood for the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) elections for the President’s post, he was very confident of winning. Once he won, he made his presence felt in true Maharaja fashion building a room for the President overlooking the cricket pitch just like the one the Secretary had. That was the time when he was called for an interview by the All India Radio. The interview was early in the morning at 8 and he came on time. There was an air of expectancy as the Maharaja himself was coming to the radio station. Many people had lined up to watch him enter. And as my friend who did his interview said, “He carries himself like a true royal. We are very fortunate to have him with us today.” There was also an opportunity for people to ask him questions and there were questions galore from all parts of the State and one common refrain was, “Maharaja you please come back, we will vote for you.” Unfortunately, he never gave it a serious thought and instead he ventured from one business to another hardly focusing on any of them.

Speaking once to this reporter about the Curse of Talakad, he had said he was in constant communion with the soul of Alamelamma and the effect of the curse had worn off. A strong believer in astrology, he himself had studied it quite closely. There were also a few astrologers hovering around him all the time. He would go by whatever they told him and he had also visions of becoming the Chief Minister.

He had a terrific sense of humour and once when I told him that a book called “Untold Story of the Wadiyars,” had been published, his wry, witty remarks was, “What is that untold story that I do not know about.” Once sitting in his refurbished office in the Bangalore Palace and as was his wont, he was sitting on the floor with his legs stretched and we were sitting uncomfortably, he narrated how the famous film maker and actor Raj Kapoor who had come to Mysore to shoot and was staying at the Rajendra Vilas Palace atop the Chamundi Hill entertained his guests. Wadiyar reminisced, “Raj Kapoor had a very costly scotch for himself but was serving the ordinary one for others. But he did give me the one he was having.” The other anecdote he narrated was on Ambarish, the actor turned politician and now a Minister in the Siddharamaiah Cabinet. “When I used to stay in Delhi during my MP days, he would sometimes call me over to his quarters. There would be all these people sitting and playing cards and it would go on till early morning. It was so difficult for me to stay that I would somehow escape at the opportune time as I was not interested in playing cards,” he recalled with a loud laughter.

Asked about Privy Purses which were abolished in 1971 and how it would have been if he was still getting it, Wadiyar’s reply was very candid: “I am glad it has been abolished. Otherwise I would have been entitled to just about Rs. 25 lakh. With this kind of money I could not have maintained anything. Now with my hard work I have grown again and I am able to maintain such a big establishment.”

But it is very sad that his death was so unexpected that it has plunged everyone into deep grief even as the cute face of Wadiyar sitting in the Golden howdah during the Dasara procession as a boy along with his father in the front and his uncle by his side, lingers hauntingly on my mind as the royal elephant walks majestically into sunset. Will this memory of the royalty passing away fade with the passing of time? Being true Mysoreans and proud of our rich past, I think it will never happen.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature articles / February 16th, 2014