Warriors from Rajputana came, saw and stayed on

The mood is that of quiet preparation in the Rajput community these days. The Rajputs in Bangalore are gearing up to celebrate their eternal hero during Maharana Pratap Jayanthi, which will be celebrated in a little over a month from now. This is, after all, one of the two times in the year — the other being Dasara — when the community gathers in full strength to take pride in their culture and roots.

Ask any second or third-generation Rajput living in the city and he is most likely to tell you he has two homes. One, of course, is Bangalore. The other, the Rajputana area he hails from.

It’s a long road the Rajputs took — from the erstwhile Rajputana region to the southern city of Bangalore. Over a hundred years ago, Rajputras, meaning sons of the kings, the ruling class of north India, came from the Rajputana region, comprising current-day Udaipur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Ajmer and Bharatpur among others.

It is said that the first few Rajputs who came down south arrived with the British to fight the then Mysore rulers. A section of this warrior clan never returned to Rajputana. They loved the climate in Karnataka too much and decided to make this home. Marital alliances between the royal families of the Mysore region and the Rajputs further strengthened ties between the regions. Today, there are an estimated 12 lakh Rajputs across the state. The Rajput community has assimilated into the city with so much ease that not only do they speak the local language like true  Kannadigas, they also celebrate the city in all its splendour. One can find Rajput families in the nook and corner of Gulbarga, Mysore, Hubli and Kolar districts, pursuing diverse professions including business, medicine, police, and films.

Rajputs’ glorious moment in Karnataka came when N Dharam Singh was sworn in as Karnataka’s seventeenth chief minister (2004-2006). Dharam Singh was also instrumental in setting up the Rajput Mahasabha in Bangalore.

The Rajput community is scattered across the city but are found living in comparatively larger numbers in Yeshwantpur and JC Nagar. “Although the community still has traces of the warrior race, they are adapting to the changing times. There’s pretty much no profession today in which you cannot find the Rajputs. You will find several members of the community in top jobs in IT, academics, government jobs and also in rural enterprise,” says Krishna Singh, a member of the zilla parishad.

One prominent Rajput family in Karnataka is the film family of Mahatma Pictures’ fame. D Shankar Singh along with B Vitalacharya set up the film studio in Mysore in 1946, at a time when the entire Kannada film industry was based in Madras. Shankar Singh’s wife, Pratima Devi, was one of the leading heroines of yesteryear. Today, the family legacy is being carried forward by their sons, SV Rajendra Singh Babu (film director) and Vijaylakshmi Singh (actor-producer-director). Babu’s son, Aditya, is the family’s third generation representative in Sandalwood.

Ajay Singh, the general secretary of Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress committee, said, “The Rajputs who value honour more than anything in life are egalitarian in their social norms and behaviour and expect the same from others. Those of us who have made Bangalore home cannot think of living anywhere else.”

While Diwali and Holi are festivals the Rajputs celebrate with gusto, they participate equally in Ganesh Chathurti, Sankranti and other local festivals.

The Rajput lifestyle is traditionally designed to foster a martial spirit. The warrior clan is quite religious minded, too. The community swears by the principles of their leader Maharana Pratap, with every Rajput household worshipping his image. They have full faith in mother Goddesses, too, with temples dedicated to Goddesses scattered in the regions where they are settled.
“Rakhi is a big festival with the Rajputs. We believe that the bracelet tied on the man’s hand by his sister is a protective band to keep him safe on the battlefield. The Rajput women are, by the way, known to be the bravest of the lot,” says Shwetha Singh, Ajay Singh’swife.

The Rajputs who were hitherto scattered across the state were brought together under one umbrella in 2004 with the setting up of the Karnataka State Rajput Mahasabha. It is a community centre with emphasis on youth, educational and cultural activities.
It helps graduates take up the all-India competitive examinations; rehabilitates helpless widows by showing them outlets to make a healthy living; encourages mass marriages, the Mahasabha members tell DNA. “The community falls under the 2A minority section in Karnataka. We need political, educational and economic advantages to improve the overall condition of the community,” says Dharshak Singh, general secretary of the Rajput sabha. The other community centre for the Rajputs is the Rajput Samaja Karnataka, established in 1989, with a total of 700 members. It brings them together, keeps them together.

The Karnataka State Rajput Mahasabha is at 39, 11th Main, Vasantnagar, Bangalore - 52. Ph: 080-22205430.