Queen Sethu Lakshmi Bayi with her daughter |
A former student of mine asked me whether I would
write a post on an issue that particularly vexed her. There is a bus stop in
her hometown which cost no less than Rs40 lakh to the state exchequer. Worse,
the construction is of no use whatever to the commuters. Whether it is raining
or shining, the commuters will have to use their umbrella for protection. Then
my student came across another bus stop at a nearby town which was constructed
at the cost of Rs122,700 and that is an appropriate construction. This second
one was built with funds collected from the people of the place. The first was
built with money from the MPLADS.
There are infinite such instances of
corruption in this country so much so I wouldn’t think of writing a post on
them. Like most other citizens of this country, I too have accepted corruption
as an integral part of politics here. Under the present regime, corruption has
assumed a different dimension altogether. The latest instance of subtle
corruption is the removal
of the words ‘secular socialist’ from the Preamble of the Constitution of India.
A few days back, the name of India was altered to Bharat without any democratic
discussion. Now, India ceases to be secular and socialist, without any
democratic discussion again. This sort of corruption – getting one individual’s
or political party’s way at the highest level of governance, by hook or by
crook, using devious and dubious methods – is the most heinous form of
corruption possible in democratic politics. Such a process stifles democracy
brutally and silently.
What are a few lakhs of rupees when
we as a nation are being led to doom by a Pied Piper whose music is
psychedelic?
So, my dear student, I shall not
write about corruption. I
shall tell you the story of a queen who governed our own land precisely a
century ago, a queen whose reign was a paragon of governance, a queen
who can teach much to today’s leaders who claim to be visionaries and global
gurus. Coincidentally, her name is very similar to yours: Sethu Lakshmi Bayi.
Rani Sethu Lakshmi ruled the kingdom of
Travancore from 1924 to 1931. She was a Regent queen, in fact. Yet she gave our
ancestors the best possible governance.
Bear with me as I tell you more about
Queen Sethu Lakshmi. Under her leadership, the revenue of Travancore increased
by 28% in just five years. Trade flourished and the government’s cash balances
escalated like never before. Prosperity was conspicuous even in the daily lives
of ordinary citizens who had better roads, more amenities, higher incomes, new
conveniences, and so on.
She built highways and railways,
schools and hospitals, bridges and irrigation canals. Telephones were made
available to the public. True, in 1910 the Indian Telegraph Department had
already set up the state’s first connection, but under Queen Sethu Lakshmi
services were thrown open to the rank and file. The city of Trivandrum was
illuminated with electric lights in 1929. Soon the power of electricity reached
the public, thanks to the Queen.
Medical facilities in the kingdom improved.
Dispensaries proliferated. By 1929, not less than 1.65 million of the total
five million subjects of the state had access to the government’s health
amenities and the modern medicines supplied there.
Agriculture, on which 54% of the
population depended, witnessed an impressive scale of developments. Contrast
that, my dear young friend, with the farmer suicides of today: more than 10,000
every year!
I can go on and on. Such was our very
own Rani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore. But I don’t want to keep you too
long with me. I know you are a busy scientist now.
One more thing, however. I’m sure you
will be amused to know that the Queen was probably the first feminist in
Kerala. It is Sethu Lakshmi who elevated Dr Mary Poonen Lukose, Travancore’s
first woman graduate and a doctor educated in the west, as the head of the
Medical Department of Travancore. She was eventually nominated to the
Legislative Council too by the Queen. Ms Elizabeth Kuruvilla was also nominated
to the Legislative Council in 1928. The Queen opened up the study of law to
female students and soon Miss Anna Chandy became the first woman judicial
officer not only in Travancore but also in the entire Anglo-Saxon world.
This Queen was a visionary as well as
a revolutionary. We were governed by such eminent leaders. Our Maveli was,
probably, not just a myth.
What has happened to us and our
leaders now?
That is the corruption that I would like you to think of, my young friend. We are far worse off now than a century ago. I’d really love our leaders to take us back to the good ol’ past!
Thank you dearest Tomichan Sir. Reading about queen Sethu Lakshmi Bhai was worth my time. Also I am immensely grateful for addressing a research scholar like me as a scientist. May your golden words come true 😊😊
ReplyDeleteKnowing you, I can predict a golden future for you 😊
DeleteYou have highlighted a very important form of corruption which is disguised as a form of governance. It is a pity that queen Sethu Lakshmi Bayi had such a short term on the throne. A great read.
ReplyDeleteSethu Lakshmi was the Regent for her underage nephew. That's why the short tenure. But she was great.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteA truly noble woman! History so rarely displays these sorts of leaders; all too often it wishes to push the dramatic, the masculine, the warrior type upon upon us. YAM xx
I wasn't aware of this queen until I read Manu Pillai's book, The Ivory Throne, recently. It's a charming book that throws light on certain parts of history that did not receive their due attention earlier.
DeleteI'm still reading that book.
History is being Raped, and the raped ones are robbed...., 😔
ReplyDeleteIt's worth Reading 😄
We are becoming part of a new history: India turning into a monarchy.
DeleteThank you for sharing this. Had forgotten that governance and leaders can be for the benefit of the masses!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, we need these occasional reminders.
Delete