XI. Achievements in the Palace

A mardane khillat was gracefully sanctioned by HH maharaja JCW at Bangalore through a special envoy during the marriage of my eldest son. This was because I happened to be an officer of the palace and more so that I happened to be the son- in-law of Aasthana Mahavidwaan Motaganahalli Ramasesha Shastry who for a period of three years was the tutor to him as prince at his summer palace. This (Khillat) consisted of Navarathna ring valued at Rs 10000 at present value(circa 1996) and a cash award of Rs 100( in 1965 at time of appi’s marriage), one pair of shawls, one pair of laced panche's, and one laced turban. This was in 1965.

Her highness second maharani (Tripurasundarammanni) was pleased to give me as her gift two veenas, one Tanjaoor one used by famous Veene Venkatagiriappa and another used by Her Highness while she learnt veena. These two may be valued at Rs 10000 at its present value. This was in 1962.

Princess Sujayakanthammanni second sister of HH Jayachamaraja Wodeyar was pleased to part as a token for my services during her travels to Saanand about 8 times as a camp clerk - a necklace of 20 diamonds which at its present value of Rs 10000 at a special concession price of Rs 800 in 1963. Two pairs of diamond earrings were got prepared through sangeetha vidwaan Sambandha murthy Bhagavathar who was a gold smith by birth and I got these two prepared at my house.

After 10 years of service at Zanana samukha, I used to be taken as the camp clerk for all the trips that were taken by Royal ladies that is HH maharani senior, HH Yuvarani, HH maharani jr, second sister of HH JCRW called princess Sujayakantammanni. For 13 years I travelled to all places of the tours of the Royal ladies. I stayed at Jaipur for three months in the mansion of the home minister, whose wife was the elder sister of HH maharani senior. I travelled with her to Chankeri State ruled by her brother.

For a second time , I was directed to leave Her highness once and for all never to return. I stayed at Bharatpur palace twice with the camp officer Dalvoy Devaraje urs( maternal uncle of HH Yuvarani) who was so kind hearted that he preferred only myself as the camp clerk for all the tours. Every year for five years, I stayed at the Ooty palace camping there during summer every year. Royal parties stayed at Bombay Mysore mansion (opposite Gateway of India and Beside Tajmahal Hotel). After disposal of this mansion, Royal parties used to stay for 15 days at Gwalior palace, Tiruvancoor palace.

The second sister of HH, Sujayakantammanni was very friendly and intimate with me. She used to write me personal letters for any work of hers to be attended to I travelled with her on a tour 15 times to Sanand beyond Ahmedabad twice every year once for leaving her at sanand (her husbands place who was yuvaraja of sanand) and once to bring her back to Mysore. A map of that area is appended.

In this map you can see Saanand to the left of Ahmadabad. We traveled in train up to Ahmadabad and then by car to Saanand.

I used to dine with her and the camp officer DD Urs and her daughter. For 15 days she stayed at tourist bungalow of BM srinivasaih, who was a noble person( Dharma prakaasha). He used to receive us at Bombay station whenever we happened to reach Bombay. For three days Princess Sujaya and her husband, camp officer, myself as camp clerk and five servants stayed at Tajmahal hotel.

Princess Sujaya was getting a privy purse of Rs 5000 every month and she was fond of purchasing new things almost every year and as such she used me an an agent for selling unrequired articles such as woolen cloths, rain coats etc. Once she gave me a necklace of 12 flat diamonds and my request to her to spare this for me as to how much I would offer I said I only had 800 Rs. She gave away this necklace in view of my services to her. I had the opportunity to take sea bath with her at Marine drive 10 miles from Bombay and a river bath at Nanjangud by making certain arrangements at the steps of the river for privacy.

While in Palace I was also the store keeper and in my stock there were two veenas lying idle. I took an opportunity to approach HH Maharani Junior(Tripurasundarammanni) and requested here to spare these two veenas for the use of my wife, which she readily agreed. One veena was given by Veena Vidwaan Venkatagiriappa.

During my service, my promotions were as follows.
1)Rs 25,
2)Rs 30-5-50-4-60-3-75
3)Rs100
4)Rs100-10-150
5)Rs 150-10-200

I was retired in my 55th year in 1963. I served as the Head of two palace departments once for two years as Muneeb of Motikhane and last as the last Palace treasurer.

It was the privilege of every head of palace department to submit marriage invitations to HH Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, (printed specially for HH) along with hannu sakkare. As I could not perform my first sons marriage while in service, I therefore requested the concerned personnel officer of HH and requested him to allow me to submit marriage invitation to HH personally. He refused to oblige me. Somehow I took the challenge and with the advice of a certain' Devaramane Poojar' I went all the way to Bandipur to submit the marriage invitation with hannu sakkare in taxi to Chamarajanagar. I approached officer Dharani by name who refused to give me permission and was so blunt to ask me why I came to him again, having refused me once. I merely told him that as a retired palace officer, I had the privilege of submitting the marriage invitation to HH and secondly my father in law happened to be a palace vidwaan and a tutor to the present maharaja and as such I approached him with a request that I may be permitted to submit hannu sakkare to HH. The he told me that I could invite HH in devaramane in the afternnon. In the interview I submitted my respects with loyalty to HH along with lagna patrike sakkare hannu. HH asked me when and where the marriage would take place. That was all he said.

On the day of marriage 13-June 1965, at Bangalore, the palace attendent came at the time of lagna with
1- Navaratna ring
2- Cash Rs 100
3- Khillat such as a pair of wollen shawls, panches, turban and valli

I had my tuft of hair till 1940 when I had to follow her highness in tour to Bombay. The camp officer one CV Subrahmanya Raje Urs got my tuft of hair removed and presented me with a khaki suit to be used whenver I followed her highness on shopping.

As both maharanis were not in good terms with HH, I used to follow HH maharani senior( Satyapremakumari) for every cinema show in Mysore by getting the entire upstairs of Gayathri talkies for her use.

With maharani junior (Tripurasundarammanni), I used to follow her in her car every evening to Chamundi hill and stayed in Rajendra vilas palace on top of Chamundi Hills during nights and return to mysore next morning.

With the influence I had with the eldest brother of HH Yuvarani, Sardar Devaraje Usr, to whom I was also a personal clerk while not on my regular duty I once got gold bagina, once silver bagina and every year an ordinary bagina. During Gowri festival the gold bagina had one tola of gold as a pair of golden mora, golden coconut, golden balehannu, golden vole and golden muginattu. For silver bagina 1/2 tola of gold all except golden mora. For the ordinary bagina one anna weight of chinnada moginattu. I used to get gowri bagina for 23 years.

While I was Muneeb, I use to store paddy received from palace paddy fields in six big rooms and I got these de-husked with lowest quantity of wastage. I got a good name in this issue. There was a rice mill attached to the department, and I used to deliver one seer of akki nucchu for the palace employees. I was the lst muneeb to conduct brahmana santarpana at chamundi hills near devi kere, on the day of chamundi car festival. There were four brahmin cooks under my control who used to follow all sampes of maha nevedya prepared for HH's devaramane. It used to be kept on my table in my office room on every monday 5 brahmins used to be fed in the kitchen behind Prasanna krishna temple opposite our office. On tuesdays and fridays only ladies (five) used to be fed and dakshina offerred was one rupee each.