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June 5 2025 marks the 100th death anniversary of a visionary Indian ruler who was referred to as the “leader amongst princes” by Maharaja Kishen Singh of Bharatpur and “Indian Carnegie” by
the Times of India in 1926.
June 5 2025 marks the 100th death anniversary of a visionary Indian ruler who was referred to as the “leader amongst princes” by Maharaja Kishen Singh of Bharatpur and “Indian Carnegie” by
the Times of India in 1926. The author is referring to none other than Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia of Gwalior lovingly known as Madho Maharaja who passed away on 5 June 1925 in Paris. About
him, the founder of Benaras Hindu University,Madan Mohan Malviya (Bharat Ratna) wrote, “Since His Highness came to the Gaddi, the progress achieved by his administration has been very great.
He has shown a truly fatherly solicitude in the welfare of the people entrusted to his loving care and, as we all know, has never spared himself in promoting that welfare. The success
achieved by His Highness as the ruler of a great state has rightly won for him the respect and admiration of all who have followed the progress of the state under His Highness.” During the
1922 non-cooperation movement, Scindia sent to Mahatma Gandhi an oral message through his Home Minister, SadashivaraoPawar of Dewas Jr. conveying hisaffectionate regards plus a box
containinga large amount of money as his donation to the struggle against the British. Gwalior, as we know, is his creation and his alone. The Maharani LaxmiBai Government College of
Excellence (MLBGCE) Gwalior, Jai Arogya Hospital, Hotel de Gwalior which now serves as the NCC Officers’ TrainingAcademy, the Scindia School, Delhi Transport Corporation and the town of
Shivpuri are all enduring memorials of Maharaja MadhoRaoScindia.
He was the founder of the Gwalior Light Railway, the Gwalior Engineering Works, Gwalior Potteries, Central Polytechnic Institute at Lashkar, textile institutes at Narwar, Mandsaur and
Chanderi, technical institution at Ujjain, and the excellent roads that connected the distant parts of Scindia State that was almost equal in size to Belgium and Netherlands combined. The
twelve volumes of Durbar Policy, the collection of thirty-six Memoranda, the Annual Administration Reports, and the inspection notes all reflect the effort he made to understand the
conditions of his people directly and his commitment to improving their situation.
Scindia understood substantially that progress requires financial support, and that no one can be certain about the duration of prosperity. Therefore, even though Scindia State appeared to
be thriving financially during the boom years of his reign, he emphasized the importance of investing surplus funds to generate income for the progressive initiatives he launched. The
mandatory savings of 20-25 percent that he implemented enabled the funding for irrigation, education, and famine relief. Another initiative that significantly impacted the economic status of
Scindia State was the investment of nearly Rs. 2.5 crore in irrigation projects.
Numerous other programmes were initiated during the 31 years of Madho Maharaja’s reign, and by 1920, they had expanded enough to warrant the creation of a Board for the Development of
Economic Resources. This organisation addressed various issues including agriculture, agricultural engineering, veterinary services, irrigation, technical education, commerce and industry,
mining, statistics, communications, forestry, banking, and power initiatives. Not just a statesman he was also a scholar. He wrote, “The most important duty of a Government and its officers
who act on behalf of that Government, from the highest to the lowest, is to win the hearts of its people and gain their confidence. A Government without a following could not be looked upon
as a good Government, for a good Government must have its people with it.
If people are driven by pressure to be the followers of a Government, it could not be said that the position of such a Government is sound or safe.” Maharaja Madho RaoScindia’s regime was
significant on the political front. Among his key reforms were the division of the judiciary from the executive branches, the codification of laws, and the creation of representative bodies
like the House of Commons (Majlis-i-Am), the House of Laws (Majlis-i-Kanoon), municipal entities, and local organisations such as district and pargana boards, Aukaf committees, and Panchayat
boards. The first municipality began operations in 1887, and it exemplified Maharaja Scindia’s remarkable vigour, as he served as the active President of Lashkar (Gwalior) Municipality for
several years. The groundwork for the House of the Laws (Majlis-i-Kanoon) was established in 1912, a year that also marked the inception of Panchayats, a cost-effective and democratic
village governance system that has roots as deep as India itself. Gwalior and Ujjain owe their gratitude to Madho Maharaja for establishing the Town Improvement Trust, which had implemented
approximately 50 projects in Lashkar(Gwalior) and 25 in Ujjain during its operation.
Among the significant projects were Chhatri Bazaar, Daulatganj, and Phalke Bazaar in Lashkar (Gwalior), where over Rs.14 lakh had been invested; additionally, the Indore Gate Road and Dewas
Gate projects in Ujjain had seen expenditures exceeding Rs.10 lakh. He established the Gwalior Chamber of Commerce and Industries in 1906, now known as Madhya Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and
Industries, and he also established Gwalior and Northern India Transport Co. Ltd., that is now known as Delhi Transport Corporation. Scindiahelped in the establishment of Tata Iron and
Steel Company, by his princely investment.
He also helped TISCO with a loan of Rs 10 million when it faced its worst crisis after 1922. MadhoMaharaja received countless honours that are too numerous to list. He served as the first
Pro-Chancellor of Benares Hindu University and was awarded honorary doctorates from the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh. In April 1925, he traveled to England; however, his
health deteriorated during the journey, necessitating a stay in Paris, where he ultimately passed away on June 5. He was cremated at Pere-la-Chaise, and his ashes were returned to Shivpuri,
that he had established. After his death,a newspaper established by BalGangadharTilakwrote: “The sad news of the death of Maharaja Shinde (Scindia) of Gwalior will throw the whole of
Maharashtra into gloom and grief.
Maharashtra looked with pride on the glories of this Maratha Prince in the North of India. On his part, the Maharaja had kept himself in close touch with his mother province in various ways.
The administration of Gwalior, under his regime, had improved considerably and, on the whole, the people were contented and happy”. The Daily Telegraph wrote: “No Indian Prince had to his
name so great a record not merely of sound administration of his State but of adoption of modern methods both in science and political thought as Scindia, the Maharaja of Gwalior.” Maharaja
MadhoRaoScindia was indeed a great ruler and on his death anniversary this author pays tribute to him.