/ -- Uma Balasubramaniam's latest historical epic biography titled, 'Sayajirao Gaekwad III: The Maharaja of Baroda' captures the life of a great ruler, whose legacy does not lie just in great institutions but in the scale, nature and foresight of his endeavors. It focuses on his ascendancy to the throne, his liaison with the British government in India, his extraordinary administration, and his noteworthy reforms.
The author captivatingly narrates how a 13- year old farm boy becomes the King of Baroda. It further uncovers interesting details of how the 'chosen one' of the British Government soon earned their wrath. Amidst this hostility created by the British aristocrats, he still ensured that his state flourished. Under his proficient rule, Baroda became an 'archetypal state' that showcased his futuristic viewshe abolished child marriage and reintroduced widow remarriage. He started a school for girl children and a training institute for female teachers.
In all this magnificence, he always remembered his pastthis enabled him to understand the painstaking hardships of his subjects and he worked tirelessly to improve their standard of living. He unstintingly funded the freedom movement and devoted his entire life for the cause of humanity. His rise to power and grandeur did not expunge his modest beginning.
Furthermore, as a background to the Maharaja's life, it traces the ancestry of the Gaekwad family and recounts past events to explain their ultimate supremacy as Marathas over a Gujarat province and the establishment of their sovereignty in Gujarat.
This book has been written with an intention to enlighten people about one of India's forgotten kings, who worked assiduously towards building a modernized India and also contributed towards India's fight for freedom.
Publisher : Rupa Publications
The book is available on Amazon.com.
About the Author
Uma Balasubramaniam is a graduate in history from the Faculty of Arts of the M.S. University of Baroda. Brought up in the cosmopolitan environment of Bombay and schooled in the convent school tradition, her broadminded views are evident in her writings, particularly in her debut novel Beyond The Horizon, published in 2015. Uma began her writing career in 2002 contributing to various publications like The Hindu, The Indian Express and the Deccan Chronicle. Uma lives in Chennai with her husband and they are parents to three children settled in the United States. Uma's interest in history takes the Balasubramaniams travelling around the world and writing about the places they have visited.