Building Lasting Institutions: Challenges and Strategies
of the House of Mewar over 76 generations
Professor K Ramachandran
Thomas Schmidheiny Chair Professor of
Family Business and Wealth Management
Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
Chronology
Year
King
Details
734 – 753
Bappa Rawal
1303 – 1326
Family in exile
1326 – 1364
Rana Hamir
Nominated / chosen to rule
1364-1421
Rana Kshetra
Singh
Societal building (temples,
education, palaces….)
Silver / zinc mining
Lake linkage system
Rana Lakha
Trusteeship
Manav Dharma
Chronology
Year
King
1433- 1468
Rana Kumbha
1509-1527
Rana Sanga
(Sangram
Singh I)
Details
32 of 84 fortresses (Jaya Stambh,
Kumbhalgarh Fort)
(Not the eldest Self sufficient villages, dug wells,
son; ascended reservoirs, patronised temples, arts,
education
when father
was killed)
Defended Mewar successfully
Wrote Sangitaraja, Sudaprabdha
Treated enemy (Malwa’s Mahmud)
with respect and gifts
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
Chronology
Year
King
Details
1537 – 1572 Rana
Udai
Singh II
Regained Chittoor kingdom from
Banbir (illegitimate son of Rana
Sanga)
1572 – 1597 Rana
Pratap
Singh
1567 - shifted out and created
Udaipur as capital when Akbar
attacked
Determined to liberate Chittoor
from Akbar
1576 - Battle of Haldighat
1587 - Akbar gave up
10 years peaceful rule. Regained
most of Mewar
Chronology
Year
King
1597 – 1620 Rana Amar
Singh I
1620 – 1628 Rana Karan
Singh II
1628 – 1652 Rana Jagat
Singh I
1653 – 1680 Rana Raj
Singh I
Details
Restored peace
Social development
Built new / added to existing
palaces
Aurangzeb attacked (1681 –
treaty to cede land for
peace)
Chronology
Year
1710 – 1734
King
Rana Sangram
Singh II
1734 – 1751
Rana Jagat Singh Heeded to Marathas
II
Economic and political
Rana Pratap
degeneration for about
Singh II
a century
Maharana Bhim
Treaty with British for
Singh
protection (1818)
Maharana
Mewar on the road to
Swaroop Singh
economic recovery,
(Adopted, chosen with British assistance
to rule)
1751 – 1754
1778 – 1828
1842 – 1861
Details
Peace and political
stability
Chronology
Year
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
Chronology
Year
King
1930 – 1955 Maharana
Bhupal
Singh
(physically
challenged)
Details
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
In Nutshell…
• 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
Challenges for Maharana Bhagwat Singh
(1955 – 1984)
• Create source of income for custodian family
• Constant revenue flow to discharge moral
and social responsibilities
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.
Challenges for one ‘not born to rule’
Ensuring /
cash flow
Building Business &
fighting competition
Contribute to
social development
Shriji
1984
Lack of
preparedness
Family dispute/
court cases
Local Animosity
Guiding principle
Custodianship
(not for self)
Mewar’s Core Values
• Self –respect
• Self – reliance
• Respect for mankind
• Service to community
“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
20002001
onwards
Institution
City
Palace
and
Museum
Key Initiatives
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
1969
Institution
Key Initiatives
Maharana Mewar Responsible for all organisational
Charitable
aspects of the Eternal Mewar
Foundation
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
2003
Institution
Key Initiatives
The City Within Develop City Palace Complex and
a City
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
Eternal 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 MM Foundation
-85
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
“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
Eternal Mewar
conceptualized,
still expanding,
much more to do
Several court cases
settled, but a
few remain
Shriji
2010
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