“Few Dewans would consider it prudent to remain in office for more than five years. So far as we have seen people in Travancore begin to show impatience when a man has been in office for three years and it hardly falls to the lot of any Dewan to enjoy universal popularity after having been the Chief Minister for more than five years”.
SEPTEMBER 24, 1903
Ministerial change in Travancore
A TELEGRAM TO THE MADRAS TIMES SAYS THAT DEWAN BAHADUR Krishnaswami Row, C.I.E., has resigned the office of Dewan. He has, indeed, had a longer tenure of office than any of the Dewans that came after Sir T. Madhava Row, and it is now some months since his retirement began to be talked about. But it was expected that he would continue in office at least till the end of this year. We are not aware of the circumstances which have led to his somewhat sudden resignation; nor are we aware that his successor has been selected. Within the last few days, however, we have been receiving letters from Travancore conveying intelligence of an imminent change; and it seems now that the rumours that prevailed had some foundation in fact. Few Dewans would consider it prudent to remain in office for more than five years. So far as we have seen, people in Travancore begin to show impatience when a man has been in office for three years, and it hardly falls to the lot of any Dewan to enjoy universal popularity after having been the chief Minister for more than five years. Mr. Krishnaswami Row has been in office for over six years, and if he has remained so long it has not been because he particularly desired to continue longer than five years, but because the Maharajah persuaded him to stay. The question of a successor seems to have presented some difficulty. To avoid facing it for as long a time as possible was apparently the cause of His Highness’s disinclination to allow Mr. Krishnaswami Row to resign. Now that the resignation has been tendered, the appointment of a successor must soon be made. Various rumours have for a long time been circulated about possible and probable nominees; and in all likelihood all these will be set at rest very shortly. In Travancore itself there are not too many men to compete for the post, the Maharajah having had the misfortune of late to lose some of his ablest officials. In Mr. Thanu Pillay the State lost not only a man of conspicuous ability, but a statesman of excellent promise, a man of sound judgment and culture. After his lamented death the only name that has been mentioned in connection with the Dewanship is that of Mr. Nagamiah who has undoubted claims on his royal master; and when he was appointed to act for Mr. Krishnaswami Row during the latter’s trip to Delhi, his prospective claim in a way received recognition. Since then, however, there have been persistent rumours and expectations of the apppointment of a person from Madras; and to all thoughtful men it has been evident that that person could be no other than the Hon’ble Dewan Behadur Sreenivasaraghava Iyengar. So his name has been very much in evidence of late in connection with the Dewanship of Travancore.
It is natural that a man of Mr. Sreenivasaraghava Iyengar’s eminence and reputation should be thought of as the fittest person that could be found in the British service for the responsible office of Dewan of Travancore. He has had a very distinguished career throughout his official life. His extensive knowledge of the administration, his wide reading and information, his great ability, sound judgment, tact and firmness should make him a splendid administrator anywhere, and he possesses in no small degree the qualities of statesmanship, which in a country like Travancore, with so many parties and factions, is essential in a Dewan. To onlookers it is quite evident that the influence of a commanding personality will have the effect of unifying the discordant elements and rallying together the forces which are now antagonistic to one another. As the head of an important branch of the administration in Madras, Mr. Sreenivasaraghava Iyengar has made his moral influence very much felt among all who are under his authority. His Dewanship of Baroda during five years was, within the limitations which the will of an able and masterful Sovereign imposed, marked by vigour and originality. He remained in Baroda for a longer period than he had originally stipulated; and it is a remarkable fact that in a State where he was a complete stranger and as such perhaps at first regarded as an intruder, he commanded the genuine respect and regard of all classes of people. He will, we need hardly say, be an acquisition to Travancore; and will certainly add to the strength and prestige of the administration. Nor will the Maharajah, with his natural shrewdness and right perception, fail to discover in him the qualities which His Highness most values and which are indispensable in the head of an administration, in his Chief Minister and adviser. A thoroughly safe and sound man, he may be relied on to loyally cooperate with His Highness in modelling the administration on the lines most conducive to the well being and prosperity of the people and so as to raise the State still higher in the estimation of the world. If the Maharajah can secure the services of Mr. Sreenivasaraghava Iyengar, we may heartily congratulate His Highness.
We say all this without reference to the local claims which we are not disposed to disregard. Mr. Nagamiah occupies the foremost position among the senior executive officials in point alike of emolument, status and distinction. There is no official in Travancore who is better known outside. His Census Report is a monument of his industry and literary accomplishments. He has risen to his present position after passing through successive official stages in consequence of his ability, attainments and devotion to duty. He served such masters as Madhava Row and Seshiah Sastri and gained their appreciation and sympathy. He has also been treated with marked consideration by the late and the present Maharajahs, and as an old and faithful servant of the State he has fully deserved the distinction. If, therefore, a local selection is not altogether out of the question, it will be highly inconsiderate to him to disregard his claim. He has grown grey in the service; and has probably long looked up to the greatest prize of the service. But should circumstance render a local selection out of the question, then the Maharajah need feel no hesitation in inviting Dewan Bahadur Sreenivasaraghava Iyengar who stands high both in the estimation of the Government and that of the public, and whose services on the Police Commission have been of a nature that cannot but redound to his credit and to the advantage of the public.
Reference:
The First 100
A Selection of Editorials, 1878-1978, THE HINDU, VOLUME I