MOOKNAYAK MEDIA
MOOKNAYAK MEDIA BUREAU | September 08, 2024 | Jaipur: Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, who was the king of the princely state of Kolhapur from 1894 to 1922, was known for his democratic ideals and progressive policies.
Shahu Maharaj’s 1902 historic reservation order had protested by Tilak
Shahu Maharaj also actively supported the post-Phule Satyashodhak and non-Brahmin movement in Maharashtra. He had supported Dr B R Ambedkar monetarily when the young Ambedkar had launched his first fortnightly publication Mooknayak in 1920.
On July 26, 1902, Shahu Maharaj gave a historic order to reserve 50% government jobs for lower castes in his princely state of Kolhapur. This was one of the earliest instances of reservation for lower castes as a matter of state policy. The order reads, “His Highness orders that, of all the seats that go vacant from the date of this proclamation, 50% should be filled with the backward classes.”
Below is the complete translation of the order by Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj as published in the volume Rajarshi Shahu Gaurva Granth (p 1077) by the Maharashtra government.
Proclamation of reserved seats for Backward Castes
The Kolhapur State Gazette
Currently in the Kolhapur princely state, steps have been taken to educate the people of all varnas and to encourage them towards education. However, looking at the condition of the underprivileged, the government feels sorry that these efforts haven’t had the kind of success that was expected.
After thinking carefully about the subject, the government has reached the conclusion that there aren’t enough opportunities available after completing one’s higher education.
As a solution for this and to encourage the backward classes (varnas) of the government’s subjects to opt for higher education, His Highness has decided that a higher portion of the princely state’s employment opportunities should be kept aside for these classes.
In this regard, His Highness orders that, of all the seats that go vacant from the date of this proclamation, 50% should be filled with the backward classes. In all the offices where backward class employees number less than 50%, all the next appointments should go to the backward classes.
After the publication of this order, the chiefs of each department should send a tri-monthly report of all the appointments (in their departments) to His Highness.
Note – The backward classes should be understood as all classes except Brahmin, Prabhu, Shenvi, Parsi and other advanced classes.
On the orders of His Highness,
Nagesh Pandurang Bhide,
Personal secretaryRajarshi Shahu Gaurva Granth (p 1077)
Below is the Marathi original.
In 1882, political affairs in the present-day state of Maharashtra witnessed an unusual meeting of minds. Mahatma Jotiba Phule, the social reformer and trenchant critic of caste Hindu practices and the caste system, spoke up for ‘Lokmanya’ Bal Gangadhar Tilak and his associate, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar. Tilak wasn’t a fan of Phule’s critiques, as his own beliefs veered towards the orthodox. In that sense, Phule’s views were directly ranged against Tilak’s.
The occasion was the conviction of Tilak and Agarkar in a defamation case involving the Dewan of the Kolhapur princely state, Mahadev Barve. The issue at hand was the alleged mental illness of the ruler of Kolhapur, Shivaji IV. In the Maratha universe, Kolhapur was not just another princely state.
It held a special place owing to its direct connection with Chhatrapati Shivaji. (Satara was the other kingdom that had been founded by another branch of Shivaji’s descendants.)
Mahadev Barve then filed a defamation case against Tilak and Agarkar. Tilak and Agarkar’s comments were in large part motivated by their desire to take on the British. In court, however, the duo were found guilty and sentenced to four months imprisonment.
It was at this juncture that Phule now stepped in to speak up for them. He was touched by the fact that two Brahmins (Tilak and Agarkar) had stood up for a non-Brahmin ruler (the Kolhapur royals were Maratha by caste).
While Shahu was, of course, incensed, he was not alone in his attempt to contest the ruling of the Brahmins. Other Maratha royal houses backed him and soon, things snowballed into a Brahmin versus non-Brahmin fight, with the Marathas contending that the Brahmins were trying to pit one royal house against the other.
On this issue, given his orthodox views, Tilak took the side of the Brahmins, though with a caveat — he was willing to concede Vedokta rights to Shahu not because he was a Kshatriya or because the Marathas were Kshatriyas, but because he was a Chhatrapati.
बिरसा अंबेडकर फुले फातिमा मिशन को आगे बढ़ाने के लिए ‘मूकनायक मीडिया’ को आर्थिक सहयोग जरूर कीजिए
