BY V. BHASKARAN

I

The stewardship of an Indian State, under conditions obtaining in India today, has ceased to be an instrument of omnipotence and personal ascendancy. There was a time when the destinies of the Indian States were largely controlled by one dominating will, safe and proud in serene isolation, and, to a large extent, free from the influence of feeble political waves that were beating on the distant shore. Each State was content to live a life of monotonous isolation, and the statesmen at the helm of affairs were too much pre-occupied with local problems to think of anything outside their administrative dominion. But today things have changed considerably. Those feeble waves have gathered strength and momentum in British India, finding an outlet gradually into the bordering States and effecting a radical change in their vision and ideology–all in the course of a decade. Even now one comes across traces of that traditional isolation and insularity in some Indian States, but, generally speaking, the in-flow of currents has been so strong and irresistible, and the march of events here and elsewhere so markedly influenced by new concepts, that the old order is passing into oblivion and whatever is good in it is being reshaped on the national anvil.

This remarkable change in the life and vision of the Indian States is largely reflected in the modern outlook of their Rulers and the vivifying idealism of their chief spokesmen. Nowhere in Indian India is this angle of vision so manifest as in Mysore, which is perhaps the first State in South India to blend and harmonise in a most unique way the best traditions of the past with the most progressive ideals of the present, neither exalting the one nor blindly copying the other. This distinction, Mysore owes to her enlightened Rulers and to her great Dewans. From C. Ranga Charlu and Sir K. Seshadri Iyer to Sir M. Visvesvarayya and Sir Mirza M. Ismail, there has been a brilliant continuity of able, devoted and vigorous stewardship of Mysore’s destiny, and she has logically blossomed into a ‘Model State’ in India today. The currents charged into the body-politic of the then slumbering Mysore by Dewan Ranga Charlu, the most daring of dreamers, were kept alive by Sir K. Seshadri Iyer who carried out the ideals of his great master, with the added strength of his own genius and dynamic will. The energy and enthusiasm thus released by the pioneer efforts of these master-minds reacted once again in a most remarkable manner under the guidance of Sir M. Visvesvarayya who made it possible for Mysore to take yet more eventful steps in the path of Progress. With the unerring eye of an artist and the keen perception of a master-craftsman, Sir Mirza M. Ismail has been giving the final touches to an edifice reared up to its present height by the noble endeavours of its past architects.

II

At this stage of Sir Mirza M. Ismail’s administration, it is manifestly unjust to enter upon an estimate of his contribution to the making of Modern Mysore, but nobody can deny his great gifts of leadership and his almost missionary devotion to the cause he has been called upon to espouse. From the day he took charge of the Dewanship of the State, he has devoted himself heart and soul to her service and has brought to bear on his administration a strength of conviction, a wide catholicity of outlook, and an unflinching loyalty to the Throne, which constitute a rare combination of virtues. In the discharge of his duties, he has not faltered in his ideal of exalting the fair name of the State; he is both its stoutest champion and its directing genius. His wide toleration, his reverence for other cultures and his remarkable amiability of temper, combined with a natural flair for creative beauty, have earned for him the unstinted praise of Mysoreans as well as of visitors from outside the State. Even those fastidious critics who may not approve of any particular act or measure or enunciation of views of Sir Mirza M. Ismail cannot withhold from him their admiration for his sincerity of purpose, breadth of vision and richness of idealism; the man and his noble endeavour, more than anything else, touch one’s imagination and leave an impression of greatness.

Another vital circumstance that has brought Sir Mirza M. Ismail to the forefront during his present regime and given him an unique opportunity to look ahead, is the great intellectual and political awakening in British India and its inevitable reaction on the Indian States. Perhaps it may not be correct to say that he came fully under the spell of this new awakening, but there is no denying the fact that he has been perceptible influenced in his outlook by the trend of events in British India. With his wonted zeal for all good causes, he has thrown the weight of his influence on the side of progressive reforms, and pleaded, as opportunities have occurred, for a position of honour for India among the nations of the world. "We shall appear before the British people," he said, addressing a distinguished gathering at Bangalore before his departure to the First Round Table Conference, "not so much as the representatives of the States, still less as representatives of any particular State, but as Indians desiring for our common Motherland a position of honour among the nations constituting the British Commonwealth, all united in allegiance to the Crown." This one passage alone, from among a good number of equally appropriate speeches made by him on the subject of the Indian Constitution here and in London, will be sufficient to indicate his political leanings. He has not, however, shown the same fervour and enthusiasm with respect to the demand for more reforms within the State. This is due, possibly, to his faith in the flexibility of the present Constitution and its responsiveness to the people’s will. That is a point of view which one can appreciate, without the appreciation amounting to placid acceptance. Even this subtle drawing of the line between his oft-expressed political ideology and his attitude to the natural demand for its application to the State he administers, is largely governed by the fast changing ideas on Democracy of its leading exponents themselves; and his views likewise on the efficacy of self-government have been going through a process of analysis in the light of the evidence gathering both for and against it. From a broad standpoint, Sir Mirza’s approach to political problems commands the approval of the moderate elements among our intellectual classes. He is not cast in a heroic mould, to proclaim stirring political dogmas and sacrifice everything for their ultimate triumph; his genius lies rather in the reconciling of conflicting interests and preparing the ground for the promotion of that mutual understanding and goodwill, so essential for the building up of stable political institutions in India.

III

Any sketch of Sir Mirza M. Ismail as Dewan or ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity would be incomplete. if it gave no glimpse of his vivid personality. In him, you find the happy blend of culture and refinement, and the rare combination of those intensely human traits which constitute his abiding charm. He has a sweetness of temper and amiability of manner which disarm all opposition, and you can rarely detect in his disciplined voice even the slightest tremor of a harsh note or the lightest touch of a discordant throb. He lives and moves on a plane of his own, courteous and considerate to one and all, easily accessible to the rich and the poor alike without any distinction of caste, creed or colour. His tastes are simple and yet they reveal a highly cultivated mind; his manner and disposition and sweet reasonableness are in striking harmony with his intellectual equipment. Contact with him even for a few minutes is sufficient to convert even his bitterest opponent to his point of view, which he expounds with great clarity and sincerity. More than anything else, his undoubted success is due to his winning personality: there is always that human touch in whatever he says or does which cannot fail to impress. It is this ‘grand manner’ which distinguishes him from others. In his scheme of things, the past is a living link with the present, and he has, in his noble contribution to the making of Modern Mysore, so reconciled them as not to sacrifice the distinctive character of either. The cities of Mysore and Bangalore with their undeniable charm stand out as shining examples of this synthesising process and artistic fulfillment.

As a speaker and a chief protagonist of toleration. Sir Mirza M. Ismail holds an equally proud record. Most of his utterances are thought out with great care and with an eye for balance, and he brings to bear on their preparation not only his own clarity of vision but also the inspiration of the masters of English literature. All his speeches are freely interspersed with happy quotations from the classics and brightened here and there by subtle touches of humour; and only when you read them at leisure do you feel the real effect of their inspiring influence on your mind. There is a certain distinctiveness of style and felicity of expression, and the stamp of personal magnetism, which distinguish all the public utterances of Sir Mirza M. Ismail. But his mode of delivery is so commonplace that it hardly does justice to the flowing, dignified march of the written words. His public speaking may not appeal to the man in the street, but, to the intellectual classes, it is a real treat, and a revelation of the robust optimism and the keen literary tastes of the Dewan.

The real test of a statesman, particularly at this juncture in India, is not so much his ability as a public speaker or his advocacy of freedom. Religion, that most intriguing corrosive influence in human affairs, has brought India almost to the precipice of its extinction as a united power; and, in spite of great efforts being made by leading men to exorcise its baneful influence in the realm of politics, it is still rearing up its head like the proverbial Cerebrus of Aesop’s Fables. There is a potential danger of this sinister influence fast spreading into the Indian States also, though its repercussions have not yet been effectively felt. Apart from stray influences noticed here and there, Mysore has been free from this incubus to a large extent, and Sir Mirza M. Ismail himself has set a noble example of toleration for all religionists to follow. Addressing a large audience at the birthday Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on 2nd February, 1930, Sir Mirza M. Ismail pleaded:

"The feeling that we alone are eligible for salvation and are entitled to enter the Kingdom of God, and that those professing other religions are doomed to perdition, temporary or eternal, seems ingrained in human nature. A truly enlightened man is he who entertains no such belief, who regards all men as brothers and who believes that we are all children of the same Father, each deserving of his mercy according to his own individual Karma. It cannot make the slightest difference to an omnipotent and omniscient Being, where and how we pray,–whether we pray in church or synagogue, in temple or mosque,–so long as we pray in the right spirit. This, I believe, was the centre of Vivekananda’s philosophy–this was his chief message to the world. I cannot conceive of a nobler feeling than this, for it at once brings all men together and unites them in their noblest aspirations. For, after all, it is only the principles of Truth, Goodness and Right that are to last for ever. The forms in which they exhibit themselves will necessarily vary with the age and the state of society."

If these noble sentiments nobly expressed cannot find a ready echo in the hearts of one and all, what else can? Herein lies the real and abiding significance of Sir Mirza’s broad religious outlook and the secret of his great popularity among all sections of people in the State. He has many more years of active service before him, and several important problems still await solution at his hands. If the present is any indication of the future, there is every hope that he will ultimately occupy an honoured place in the hearts of his people, who rightly expect great things from him. No reward can be greater or more fitting to a career of such sustained brilliance and lofty endeavour. The rest is on the lap of the gods.

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