How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

[Wheeliej]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

We've brought ourselves to a state where education and hard work will make you rich beyond what you could hope to achieve by birth.

Just wait for a few more months and it will be hard to get education or a job - if the caste-based reservations systems are implemented in education and private sector. As it stands, most of us educated people cannot get into government service (not that most of us want to); how will it be when we wont be able to get into colleges or private service also? The only option left may be to start your own business, but there too, you will have to employ non-meritorious people belonging to certain castes and then where will we be?

[khanak]

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

Totally agree with Vip3r and Steer. Those guys (the Maharajas) sucked. Try reading other stories of theirs to put things in perspective. They had all the money in the world to go chasing women and fast cars, while the people who toiled went to sleep hungry.

And their successors are no better. One of them thinks he can go into the forest and exercise his God given right to hunt. And that he is too big for the law. Yes, I am talking about Pataudi.

Regarding MPs, we can vote them out. Against the maharajas we had no chance - poverty on one side and British oppression on the other.

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dont blame the maharajas............most monarchs of the time were like that............the french revolution was caused due to the fact that the french monarchs didnt care about the poor state their people were in..........

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by khanak

dont blame the maharajas............most monarchs of the time were like that............the french revolution was caused due to the fact that the french monarchs didnt care about the poor state their people were in..........

Whether they were like this or like that, they sucked. That is the bottom line.

[bigman]

Originally Posted by khanak

dont blame the maharajas............most monarchs of the time were like that............the french revolution was caused due to the fact that the french monarchs didnt care about the poor state their people were in..........

Some of the Arab Sheiks still exhibit this type of behaviour.

All that has happened is that heredity monarch have been replaced by hereditary politicians. Life for the the vast majority is still bad.

[metallica]

Interersting post , but certainly the behaviour of the Maharaja's cannot be partonized.
It was good and relieving infact - cause i was saddeened by the fact that everyone seemed to applaud the maharajas for their acts - to see V1p3r's and Steeroid's views on this. I would agree with them more than anything else.

[ac 427]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Well said, v1p3r.

The number of RRs used by megalomanic and decadent namesake 'kings' with a fixation for garbage trucks is not an indication of the wealth but of depravity. A few hundred RRs amongst a few hundred million wallowing in poverty, dirt, hunger, disease, squalor and servility is an indication of how easily we can be deluded into illusions of granduer and prosperity that never existed. If some of those morons had invested in a few real garbage trucks we would've had better civic sense than what we exhibit even today.

i beg to differ over here. . . the KINGS gave in to the brits because they did NOT have an option, OPTION I for them was to fight the battle and eventually LOOSE, or give in to the BRIts and atlest retain their crown, so they did the right thing.

And RRs saying NO to sell these cars to these RAJAs shows HOW EGOISTIC they were "how can we sell our cars to our slaves" was the attitude at that time.
So i think the RR MANAGEMENT deserves it right at that time. . .they might be the BEST car in the world, but the CUSTOMER is the KING.
i dont think theres anything 'cynical' in being proud.

no offences ment and this is NOT a REPLY to steriod, but these are my views.

[rangaraj]

You read stories about a chinese businsessman taking a brand new mercedes onto the middle of a main shopping area and then with a sledge hammer smashing it to prove that the germans are not giving them due customer satisfaction..

If you take examples such as the one above and the numerous maharajas, you can see a trend - the nose up in the air europeans feel the asians lack culture and cannot afford things, and we asians desperatly seek recognition by the westerners to feel that we have arrived. These acts point towards it. If you see the trend these days of people travelling - the biggest spenders in most parts of the world are Indians - especially in places such as Singapore, Switzerland (and other places where bollywood movies have been shot ;-)). The ego of westerners cannot seem to get them to figure out that the asians are making more money than them and if you have it flaunt it. The way asians flaunt it is very different from the way the westerners do, and this leads to the dilema - we want the asians money through tourism, but we cannot stand their attitude, nor culture.

The wheel turns around, and asians are economically on the rise. Sooner or later it is going to be someone elses turn. Enjoy it when you can!

There is ofcourse the attitude of Arabs, Asians now that hey westerners - i can buy you.. You come work for me.. This really turns them off - classic example - the way Sunil Mittal is treated when he is trying to acquire a french national icon. The arabs have bought british national icons - the "marks and spencers" etc. I wonder therefore going back to another post of mine - when will Indian auto manufacturers have the muscle power to go buy a FIAT/GM/Ford! Indians control the worlds long distance telephone network (between VSNL and Reliance), they are getting there in the area of software services slowly and steadily. We can do it in the automotive sector - if you cannot do it organically - go buy and grow inorganic!!! Go India..

[karlosdeville]

India pre independence has had some of the most exotic and rare cars in the world, courtesy the maharajas and their quest for excellence...over a 3rd of rolls royce production pre 47 came to india! infact "pulling a mysore" was a term used by rolls royce salesmen if they sold 7 cars at a time...as thats how the maharaja of mysore dealt with them!

Amongst modifications unique to indian cars were the twin ventilation cowls sticking out of the engine bay, keeping with indian weather conditions...many of the royal family insisted on one way glass, so that others dont lay their eyes on the maharanis, some cars even had zari embroidered curtains, seats stuffed with peacock feathers...the maharaja of holkar went to the extent of having diamond studded hubcaps on his peirce arrow!

All bharatpur cars had a trademark bell hanging on the front....note the polished aluminium coachwork...very popular with the royal families...



the maharaja of rewa had this daimler plated entirely in silver...



The holkar familly had some absolutely marvelous cars...amongst them was the very last duesenberg ever built, an SSJ supercharged version...outfitted with magnificent gurney nutting coachwork, the car was smuggled abroad by actor sheik mukhtiar in the 60s for a new chevy impala!!! Holkar cars all had 2 sets of parking lights....red ones for when the maharaja was driving, blue for the maharanee...these are also visible in the holkar lagonda...









Mysore had a tremendous collection of bentleys built up...a freind of mine purchased a bentley from him, and the car still has its keychain marked "52"...implying it was his 52nd car! a majority were rolls-bentley, but he also owned this delahaye 135 MS...coachwork presumably by figoni falaschi, the car was up for sale recently from the elton john collection...







The king of nepal owned this 1932 phantom 2 rolls royce...fabulous coachwork eh?




The maharaja of rajkot had this phantom 3 rolls, the car is now in germany, and belive it or not, thats still original paint!!! (the official colour of rajkot state)





not all maharajas were car enthusiasts...but all of them knew what money could buy, and they ALWAYS got what they wanted...the gaekwad of baroda had ordered a lagonda in the late 30s, but WW2 intervened, and the ship carrying the car to india was sunk...the gaekwad simply wouldnt take no for an answer, and inspite of the factory being closed due to the war effort, he got them to make him a special one off just for him...the last pre war lagonda! the car is now part of the bhogilal collection....

When the maharaja of alwar went to rolls royces famous mayfair showroom, one of the salesmen snubbed the odd looking indian bloke inquiring about the rolls...he promptly bought out every car in the showroom, and insisited that that particular salesman be delivered with the cars, as the cleaner...and they did!!!

there are so many more similar stories, lets hear them...

[sajo]

What can I say...Another excellent thread of yours Karl!!
The Duesenberg smuggled for an Impala?? Thats..err... no words.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by sajo

What can I say...Another excellent thread of yours Karl!!
The Duesenberg smuggled for an Impala?? Thats..err... no words.

oh theres more....2 cars were traded for 2 impalas...one was the duesey, the other was this priceless V16 cadillac, ex maharaja of orcha, with coachwork by pinninfarina....thats right, V16, and pinninfarina coachwork in the 30s!!!

[Rotorhead]

Some interesting stuff abt the rolls and the wacko maharajas.

http://www.the-autoexpo.com/LiveAuto...0stories%20%22

[kasli]

Hi, i think some correction is required the rajkot p2 has been repainted and I have seen the car in germany with this collector who has the phantom collection will post thise snaps and also the holkars had a 3 1/2 litre bentley with the same coach work by gurney nutting will post thise snaps also. that car has been exported in the early part of this decade i think 2000 or 2001 only - thats what the rumour is- last seen in Indore by me.

[rkg]

Indian constitution is the worlds largest written constitution. if one reads indian constitution it is equal to reading the constitution of all the countries in world as we have barrowed/rather copied form all the constitutions in the world( the constituent assembly took whatever it felt good form all the constitutions in the world). As it more lengthy our great "patriotic" politicians modified it as many times as they can til supreme court put an end to that practice by stating that basic structure can not be amended. the 42 amendment is nothing but rewriting the entire structure of constitution. done by great Indira Gandhi during emergency when she extended the term of parliament and state assembly to 6 years
do you guys know which country does not have a written constitution but still a democracy?















UK

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by kasli

Hi, the rajkot p2 has been repainted
also the holkars had a 3 1/2 litre bentley with the same coach work by gurney nutting that car has been exported in the early part of this decade i think 2000 or 2001 only - thats what the rumour is- last seen in Indore by me.

well i remember reading that the rajkot rolls was in original paint, but i cant guarantee it...my mistake perhaps...i do remember the gurney nutting bentley, absolutely gorgeous, am very pained to hear its left the country...bring on the pics!

cheers
karl

[ajitkommini]

Actually rkg, the UK is a constitutional monarchy and not a democracy. Of course, the monarch in this case has very little real power - more of a ceremonial role.