Professor K RamachandranThomas Schmidheiny Chair Professor ofFamily Business and Wealth Management

Indian School of Business, Hyderabad

Building Lasting Institutions: Challenges and Strategies of the House of Mewar over 76 generations

ChronologyYear King Details

734 – 753 Bappa Rawal Trusteeship

Manav Dharma

1303 – 1326 Family in exile

1326 – 1364 Rana Hamir Nominated / chosen to rule

1364-1421 Rana Kshetra Singh

Rana Lakha

Societal building (temples, education, palaces….)

Silver / zinc mining

Lake linkage system

ChronologyYear King Details

1433- 1468 Rana Kumbha

(Not the eldest son; ascended when father was killed)

32 of 84 fortresses (Jaya Stambh, Kumbhalgarh Fort)

Self sufficient villages, dug wells, reservoirs, patronised temples, arts, education

Defended Mewar successfully

Wrote Sangitaraja, Sudaprabdha

Treated enemy (Malwa’s Mahmud) with respect and gifts

1509-1527 Rana Sanga (Sangram Singh I)

18 battles to defend Mewar

United Hindu / Muslim Kingdoms to fight Babur (Battle of Khanwa 1527)

Treated enemy (Mandu’s Mahmud) with respect and returned kingdom

ChronologyYear King Details

1537 – 1572 Rana Udai Singh II

Regained Chittoor kingdom from Banbir (illegitimate son of Rana Sanga)

1567 - shifted out and created Udaipur as capital when Akbar attacked

1572 – 1597 Rana Pratap Singh

Determined to liberate Chittoor from Akbar

1576 - Battle of Haldighat

1587 - Akbar gave up

10 years peaceful rule. Regained most of Mewar

ChronologyYear King Details

1597 – 1620 Rana Amar Singh I

Restored peace

Social development

Built new / added to existing palaces

Aurangzeb attacked (1681 – treaty to cede land for peace)

1620 – 1628 Rana Karan Singh II

1628 – 1652 Rana Jagat Singh I

1653 – 1680 Rana Raj Singh I

ChronologyYear King Details

1710 – 1734 Rana Sangram Singh II

Peace and political stability

1734 – 1751 Rana Jagat Singh II

Heeded to Marathas

Economic and political degeneration for about a century

Treaty with British for protection (1818)

1751 – 1754 Rana Pratap Singh II

1778 – 1828 Maharana Bhim Singh

1842 – 1861 Maharana Swaroop Singh

(Adopted, chosen to rule)

Mewar on the road to economic recovery, with British assistance

ChronologyYear King Details

1861 – 1874 Maharana Shambhu Singh

(Adopted, chosen to rule)

Provided relief to famine / stricken people; thrust on education; public utilities and services

1874 – 1884 Maharana Sajjan Singh

(Adopted, chosen to rule)

Established High court , press, supported education

1884 – 1930 Maharana Fateh Singh

(Adopted, chosen to rule)

Focused on socio – economic improvements within treaty with British

Refused subservient status with British and changed PM

Austere life (Crystal furniture remained in box for 60 years!)

Reinforced trusteeship religiously

ChronologyYear King Details

1930 – 1955 Maharana Bhupal Singh

(physically challenged)

First railways, telegraph, constructed Fateh Sagar lake

Educational improvements

Afforestation , industrial expansion

First to annex with Union of India (Maharajapramukh)

1955-1984 Maharana Bhagwat Singh

Trusteeship in modern era

1984 - Arvind Singh Trusteeship under hostility

• Mewar rich in traditions and values, rich in natural resources (zinc, silver, emerald mines)

• Clear trusteeship foundation (including leader selection)

• Inspiring history of sacrifices and service to society by king, family-members and people

• Several pillars of visionary leadership to preserve and grow internally (not ego trips to rule/ expand)

• Clear priorities: peace and prosperity, no expansionist ambitions

• Continuity in building state

In Nutshell…

• Create source of income for custodian family

• Constant revenue flow to discharge moral and social responsibilities

Challenges for Maharana Bhagwat Singh (1955 – 1984)

Solution Year Particulars

1969 Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation; Donated main portions of City Palace and Rs. 11 lakh

1971 Lake Palace leased to Taj Group

1977 Formed Lake Palace Hotels & Motels Pvt. Ltd to bring all hospitality businesses together

1980 Maharana Mewar Foundation Award

1984 Formed Maharana Mewar Institutions Trust through his Will. Donated all his assets including Shambhu Niwas Palace to it. He thus immortalized the institution of Maharana.

Shriji1984

Lack of preparedness

Family dispute/ court cases

Ensuring / cash flow

Local Animosity

Contribute tosocial development

Building Business & fighting competition

Challenges for one ‘not born to rule’

Guiding principle

Custodianship (not for self)

• Self –respect

• Self – reliance

• Respect for mankind

• Service to community

Mewar’s Core Values

“The idea was to be able to continue doing what our forefathers did as a part of their custodianship duty. The Maharana’s position was never an office of profit; the purpose was never accumulation of wealth. Focus on continuity in carrying out the moral duties was extremely important and it had to run across generations”.

-Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar

Eternal Mewar

Year Institution Key Initiatives

2000-2001 onwards

City Palace and Museum

Comprehensive documentation; conservation plan of City Palace Complex, Getty Foundation (LA) grants to involve institutional expertise

Eternal Mewar

The City Palace Complex – historical phases

1559 – 1620 Phase 1 Mewar – Mature Phase

1620 – 1698 Phase 2 Mewar – Mughal Early Phase

1698 – 1778 Phase 3 Mewar – Mughal Mature Phase

1778 – 1930 Phase 4 Mewar – British Phase

1931 onwards Phase 5 Post - Independence Mewar

(over 750 employees; over 5000 families benefit now)

Eternal Mewar

Year Institution Key Initiatives

1969 Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation

Responsible for all organisational aspects of the Eternal Mewar vision

2000-01 The City Within a City

To create awareness of Mewar’s rich architectural heritage and socio – cultural traditions

To preserve and develop Mewar’s intellectual property for academic and other research

Create rich database of information for posterity

Eternal Mewar

Year

Institution Key Initiatives

2003 The City Within a City

Develop City Palace Complex and surrounding areas as self – sufficient tourist attraction

Preserve and maintain historical buildings, monuments and artifacts

Continuity of socio – religious rituals

Celebrate socio – cultural festivals

Create museums, art galleries, libraries, research institutes, archives, training centres for local arts and crafts

Manage environment and ecology

“Today we are a living palace complex; I can see the City Within City become a model of self –reliant multi-faceted enterprises. I am fully conscious, that I may not be able to witness the project’s completion in my lifetime, but I have certainly set an example that others may wish to follow in the future. A future that is so inextricably linked with preserving the legacy of the past.”

- Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar

Year Institution Key Initiatives

1985 MM Research Institute

Preserve seminal archival documents, drawings and maps of Mewar and beyond.

Digitisation in progress

1992 Mewar Solar Cell

Research on solar energy initiated (boat, rickshaw, motor cycle…)

2004 – Society of Environmental Education and Research Award

2005 – “One World Cooperation” – European Solar Prize Award

Eternal Mewar

Year Institution Key Initiatives

1984-85

MM Foundation Annual Awards

Scope expanded beyond Udaipur to cover State, national and international achievers

1999 MM Special Library

Clean and well maintained library on literature on Mewar (grain storage / stables earlier!)

2003 MM Charitable Dispensary

For the underprivileged

Eternal Mewar

“The Indian government might have taken away the stage from where we performed, but our calling is still to work for our community, for our country, for the betterment of the people”.

-Smt Vijayaraj Singh Mewar

Shriji2010

Eternal Mewar conceptualized, still expanding,

much more to do

Several court cases settled, but a

few remain

Family unity, next generation ready

Business steady and growing

“Change rarely invalidates the past and it does not necessarily imply a rejection of the old. I believe in the past, but my feet are firmly rooted in the present and I’m constantly thinking about the future. A great deal can and should be preserved from the past. In particular we should treasure the selfless values that have stood the test of time.”

- Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar

Thank you