While the proverbial journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, one marvels on how the journey of a thousand years begins. When on 9 June 2024, the 484th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap of Mewar is commemorated with traditional fanfare, it will mark the journey of a warrior-king whose life began in 1540 AD. Along the pathways of his turbulent life are discovered, by generation after generation, the values he stood for: self-reliance, independence, and service to humanity, which have become beacons of light in our history.

Maharana Pratap, the invincible iconic warrior of 17th century CE, continues to inspire the globalized world, becoming a metaphor for humane values. Though the young Prince began his life’s journey in Chittorgarh, the mightiest of the forts of pre-modern India in south Rajasthan, he was a people’s person, a rugged young warrior adept in the skills needed to succeed on battlefields. “Rana Pratap emerges in an age when the entire Kshatriya identity or asmita was lost, drowned as it were in a sea of convenience-seeking,” wrote Pandit Narendra Mishra, one of India’s greatest living ‘veer-ras’ (heroic emotions and bravery) poets. Panditji’s words are a poetic journey of emotions, capturing the spirit of those tumultuous times: “When there was shameless slavery to dependence, Pratap rises as a synonym of self-respect and self-pride. He was instrumental in breathing new life into the concepts of self-respect and independence.” Rana Pratap was never alone.

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He was a man of the people, who as a young adult, spent formative years working, allying with Bhil tribals and Meenas in Mewar region. Fables and songs referring to Rana Kika, as he was endearingly addressed by them, have travelled through the pages of time. Here was a son of the soil devoting years to motivating and mobilising people around him: tribals, peasants, soldiers, landed gentry and mercantile classes alike. No wonder the Bhil leader Rana Punja remained a close aide of Rana Pratap, spearheading guerilla campaigns and leading contingents of tribal warriors on to the battlefield of Haldighati in 1576. If a leader is known by the extraordinary talent he attracts, Rana Pratap’s core team comprised a spectrum of men whose achievements have stood the test of time.

Bhamashah is one towering personality hailing from a Jain Oswal family which had served the Ranas of Mewar for generations. He was not only the Diwan of Chittorgarh but became the chief financier for Rana Pratap’s battles against the Mughal Empire and even took to the battlefield. His loyalty to the Rana is matched by his multidimensional management skills. As a tribute to Bhamashah’s memory, in 2008 the Government of Rajasthan launched the Bhamashah Yojana, a direct benefit transfer scheme for women’s empowerment; while the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur instituted the Bhamashah annual awards for meritorious students of Rajasthan. Wrote Dr Devilal Paliwal in a 1998-Hindi monograph simply titled, Maharana Pratap Mahaan, “The ease with which Rana Pratap dealt with people, his simplicity and ethical leadership made him popular with different segments of society. Added to these qualities were his prowess on the battlefield, his bravery and determination to fill his people with new hopes and renew their self-confidence.”

Independence and self-reliance were sacrosanct for Maharana Pratap in an age when his contemporaries were extending their kingdoms, building armies, and indulging in make-and-break political alliances. Said Dr Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar of Udaipur, a direct descendant of the iconic Maharana’s family, “he was adhering to his age-old values and (was) ready to pay the price of remaining non-aligned with powerful Mughal Rulers.” Dr Lakshyaraj heads Maharana Pratap Smarak Samiti in Udaipur, and is convinced that Mewar’s place in history is secured through its adherence to this value system which keeps service to humanity as its focus. In the imagination of people, and through popular literature, music and performing arts, the phenomenon of Maharana Pratap is invariably surrounded with sounds of battles, war-cries, and clashes of battlefields.

Piercing through the dust of battlefields is the spectre of professionalism and emphasis on quality: be it troops, arms and armouries, warhorses, and elephants. How else could pre-modern armies survive without best-inclass equipment and men when they were fighting for decades. They had to ‘be the best and be supported by the best’ ~ this was the modern management lesson imparted by the Rana. In fact Prof John L Ward and Prof K Ramachandran of Kellogg School of Management and Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, noted in their case study, ‘India’s Mewar Dynasty: Upholding 76 Generations of Service and Custodianship’: “The battle (of Haldighati) was typical of those Mewar fought over its long history: a defensive one. Mewar maintained a powerful military force, but it was not a mercenary army…most soldiers acted as volunteers who believed in their king’s leadership and were ready to lay down their lives for the sovereignty of their State.” The Mewar case study has been studied and analysed at Bschools across the world. The thrust on organizational vision, strategy, and the courage to face and resolve larger-thanlife issues now seems in sync with challenges faced by Maharana Pratap.

With soldiers and resources far fewer than the Mughal armies, Rana Pratap demonstrated undying courage in taking on forces much larger and more powerful. He inspired Rajput clans to come together; it was a value-driven proposition, highly inspirational. It was never a lust for power or mere wealth. It was the ‘big picture’ for which he lived and, through his life he never lost this focus. In modern-day India, regiments of the Indian Army continue to be inspired by the military history and heritage of Mewar, and Maharana Pratap’s leadership. The Grenadiers share a special bond ~ on 26 June 1954, the regiment was re-designated as 9 Grenadiers (Mewar) when the Mewar Bhupal Infantry was transferred to The Grenadiers. Few would be aware that the Bhupal Infantry was the first Mewar Infantry to be formed in 1932 in the State of UdaipurMewar, it emblazoned the name of Maharana Bhupal Singh, the 74th Custodian of Mewar.

The Mewar Bhupal Infantry grew as a State Force and, after India’s Independence and the formation of Rajasthan, it merged with The Grenadiers. The journey of honour continues: during the Grenadier’s golden jubilee in 2004, and diamond jubilee in 2014, active participation by two generations of the House of Mewar reinforced their deep bonding with the regiment. Acknowledging the supreme sacrifice of martyrs, Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar and Dr Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar made substantial contributions to the regiment’s welfare measures. “The ‘Mewar Trail’ was yet another milestone achieved in October 2021 when 70 young personnel of the 9 Grenadiers (Mewar) undertook an ‘on foot’ expedition across the Mewar region,” said Dr Lakshyaraj (seen in photograph with the Grenadiers) who ensured the expedition became a lesson in the living heritage of Mewar.

The 20 day-long expedition took the soldiers and officers of the Eklinggarh Military Station, Udaipur, through the heart of battlefields in Haldighati, Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh and Devair; giving young soldiers and officers an opportunity to experience battlefields of the past. En-route the soldiers also interacted with war veterans and veer naaris (heroic women) of the 1971 Indo-Pak war; spending time with school and college students, showcasing rich traditions of the Indian Army. When flagging-in ceremonies were held at the picturesque Maharana Pratap Smarak Samiti at Moti Magri in Udaipur, military valour and pride in the past was much in evidence. The Indian Army paid homage to the statue of Maharana Pratap. When soldiers of the ‘Mewar Trail’ team hoisted the Nishan or Mewar flag in the presence of senior officers and commandants, the journey of the Rana achieved yet another milestone. In many ways it reinforced the modern-day axiom that our legacy is our identity, our source of pride and honour.

Through Maharana Pratap of Mewar, generations of India derive inspiration; there are innumerable lessons in his life and times for the globalized citizenry which is relentlessly searching for its roots, its living heritage ~ in political, cultural, spiritual, and religious domains. Pandit Narendra Mishra’s poetry evokes powerful emotions: “If independence is a mantra for the land of Bharat, then Rana Pratap is its singer or gayak / In the fight for Freedom, he remains unconquered, continuing to rule over Time.” He is the ‘kaal vidhayak’.

(The writer is a researcherwriter on history and heritage issues and a former deputy curator of Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya)