Memoirs of Meredith Worth [‎3r] (5/12)

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The funeral procession with evexyone in white and with elephants in their
gold trappings was a most impressive sight. We were expected to join it but
were excused as the Redident had difficulty in walking. Sir V.T. Krishnamachari
had placed chairs for us by the funeral pyre so that we could make sure that
the Maharani would not commit suttee. However, as there was no likelihood that
she would do any such thing we were able to leave once the pyre was lit.
We were able to escape from the heat to Mt. Abu for 2 months. As I
had been suffering from pleurisy and jaundice escape to a cooler climate was
a great relief. On our way we had to change from the metre gauge to the broad
gauge at Ahmedabad which was in Bombay Province where prohibition was in
force. I had a bottle or two in my suitcases and the local police were anxious
to open them before we boarded the train to Abu. I refused to let them do so
and the argument became heated until Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Vallabhai Patel, a leading
Congressman and the Home Member in the Bombay Government, rescued me and
accompanied us and our luggage to the train. He joined us for breakfast in the
restaurant car. When the train pulled out of the station he took a large
flask from his pocket and poured out a glassful of neat whisky explaining
that now that he was out of his Province he could drink what he liked.
In October 1939 I was posted to Rajkot in Kathiawar as Secretary to
Sir Edmund Gibson, the Hesident for the Western India States. Gandhi and
Jinnah were born in adjoining States in Kathiawar. Shortly before my arrival
Gandhi had decided to teach the Thakor Saheb of Rajkot a lesson by having one
of his so-called fasts. He was allowed to use the Police Hospital and was, I
was told, provided with a bucket of goats' milk and another of glucose and
lime juice every night. Despite the bulletins issued by Dr Roy in Calcutta
that he was approaching death he actually put on weight and admitted to the
Resident, when he gave up the fast, that the rest had done him good.
One of the Rulers was a Muslim, the Hawab of Junagadh, His main
interest in life was breeding dogs of all sorts and sixes, nis State was
best known for being the last home of the Indian lion, 200 of them living in
the Gir Forest. Their place as predators had been taken by young Rajas and
Thakors hunting Gazelles in motor cars. Most of tne Rulers had their own
metre gauge railways with palatial saloons for themselves, a waste of otate
revenues as there was little goods traffic and passengers cculd oa«e ^een
transported by bus. Occasionally we were able to accept invitations from
the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar to spend week-ends at Bedi Bandar, the State port.
There we had some excellent bathing and tennis with the Jam Saheb and his
cousins who were very good players and two Davis Cup players, Kukuljevik from
Yugo-Slavia and Max Elmer from Switzerland. In the hot weather we were again
able to recess for two months at Mount Ahi, ,, r?.
One day I received a message from Himmat Singh, the elder brother cu
Duleepsingh and the elder step brother of the Jam Saheb asking me to meet him
at Rajkot Railway Station. He told me that he had resigned as Revenue
Commissioner of the State as his loyalty to the British Crown made it
impossible for him to continue in the State service. He was on hi ay
Delhi and hoped that he could be usefully employed in some war service,
perhaps in Japan as he was fluent in Japanese. He did not give me any .urthe.
information. Shortly afterwards Mr McClenaghan, the Bombay Salt Commissioner