Foreign rulers have written perverted history of Indian kings. Time has come to acquaint people about the true history of monarchical time: Narendra Modi

Chief Minister flagged off ‘Sayaji Sawari’ which will showcase the initiatives and customs of Sayajirao regime 

The Gaekwad royal family graced the occasion 

People in large number gathered on the occasion

Kickstarting the 150th birth anniversary celebration of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad of Vadodara Chief Minister Narendra Modi said the administration during Gaekwad regime was unparalleled and was a benchmark of pro-people welfare activities.

Amid a great zeal of citizens the Chief Minister flagged off ‘Sayaji Sawari’ which will showcase the initiatives and customs of Sayajirao regime through 110 tableaux-floats. The Gaekwad royal family also graced the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister pointed out that the foreign rulers feared that Indian dynasties would prove challenge for them in getting hold of India. And so they planned to write perverted history of Indian kings. He said, "English writers only wrote about the lavish lifestyles of the rulers. But, there was little mention about the good work they did. In fact, the pro-people initiatives taken by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad such as education, fitness, water, roads, industrial and agricultural development, nurturing the culture of art and literature, among others, were commendable and inspirational”. The time has come to acquaint people about the true history of monarchical time, he said.

Shri Narendra Modi said that Sayajirao was a true visionary and that he had experienced the effect of the king's compulsory education rule for females. He said when he was moving around Dwarka that was under erstwhile Baroda state for spreading awareness about his government's Kanya Kelavani scheme, he met a group of females. "I asked them how many from the group are educated. To my surprise, the women over 80 years of age raised their hands while their daughter-in-laws didn't. I asked them the reason for such contradiction. The older women said that they came from erstwhile Baroda state where primary education was compulsory for women," the Chief Minister told a cheering crowd.

"I am fortunate to have come from Vadnagar that was a part of erstwhile Baroda state. Till date, we remember Sayajirao before starting every auspicious event in Vadnagar. To be a source of inspiration for such a long period is a big thing and it speaks volumes about his personality," added Shri Narendra Modi.

Maharaja Gaekwad’s book ‘Minor Hints’ is still relevant for the modern-day administrators. He said "Whenever any new IAS officer is posted in Gujarat by Centre, I make it a point to give him/her a book Minor Hints that has lectures delivered to Sayajirao by his dewan Sir T Madhavrao. It teaches a lot about quality administration and how to get best output from people.” Gaekwad regime is the best example of good governance, he said. Chief Minister also called upon people to take 150th birth anniversary as an opportunity for infusing fresh vigor.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister released the book ‘Sayajirao Jivan Darshan’, penned by Dr. Bansidhar Sharma and a coffee table book complied by Mr. C.B.Patel, publisher of Gujarat Samachar, London.

Members of Gaekwad royal family, In-charge minister Nitin Patel, Minister of State for Tourism Jitubhai Sukhadiya, Parliamentary Secretary Yogesh Patel, LP Balkrishna Shukla, MLAs, invitees and citizens of Vadodara in large number were present on the occasion.

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