'Ek tha raja ...'.

- What was pre-independence India like?

- Celebration-Contemplation Butch

- 15 August Independence Day

- The prince was honored by the British government on the basis of the size, income and importance of the state and on the basis of this he was decided how many cannon salutes to give him.

A discussion ensued between the two youths in a low transport bus. One young man said, 'What do you think? Which party will win this time? ' Another young man replied with a bored voice, 'Whatever comes is not going to make any difference in our system. This time there is an election on Saturday and the next day is a Sunday holiday. Let's plan a two-day vacation with old college friends without the hassle of voting ... '' When we were your age, whether the people liked it or not, the king was given the throne to Kunwar.

Even if the king's son-in-law becomes the king, even if he is not ready to run the kingdom, there is not even a shred of intellect. The king assumes that the law can be changed overnight. There were also some kings who had to bow down like a slave while passing by. You are lucky to live in an India where you are considered a citizen, not a slave. Now you can elect the people's representative of your choice through elections ... '

In the days of reckoning we are going to celebrate Independence Day. Freed from the clutches of the British on 15th August 19, our Mother India breathed the first breath of 200 years of liberation. But a look at how the administration of our country was running till August 15 and in whose hands the decision was in the hands of ...

Before independence, there were 6 princely states in India and thousands of landed estates were officially recognized. The princely states covered 80% of the area of ​​India and 5% of the population. The prince was honored by the British government on the basis of the size, income and importance of the state and on the basis of this he was decided how many cannon salutes to give him.

There were only 114 kingdoms that received 21 cannon salutes. The rulers of small towns and villages saluted the great king and paid a large portion of the tax collected from the people to the kings.

The great kings paid this amount of tax to the British Raj. If the king had no dynasty, his power would have passed into the hands of the British after his death. In many states, there was a law for the people that if a man died without an heir, the prince would have the right to his property. There was no voice of the people in the rule and whatever thought came to the mind of the king would become law.

One third of the princely states of India were located in Saurashtra alone. The four pre-independence princely states were merged into the United Saurashtra Treaty under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. At that time, Saurashtra had an area of ​​215 sq km and a population of about 20 lakhs. Twelve states of Saurashtra were recognized as salute states. In which Bhavnagar, Dhrangadhra, Gondal, Junagadh, Morbi, Jamnagar were given the status of first class while Jafrabad-Dhrol-Palitana-Porbandar-Rajkot-Wankaner-Wadhwan was given the status of second number.

Bhavnagar State was ranked first with a status of 300 villages while Junagadh was ranked second with a status of 6 villages. 217 of Jamsaheb of Nawanagar (Jamnagar) while 3 villages came under Rajkot. Thus, Bhavnagar-Junagadh-Dhrangadhra-Nawanagar were given the highest salute of 12 cannons while Rajkot was given the salute of 8 cannons. During the time of Rajvi Meghrajji Bapu of Dhrangadhra, it was forbidden to lock the village. "We have no right to rule if you have to lock up," he said. "The rule of not locking up lasted for 70 years even after independence.

The state of Bhavnagar was handed over on March 1, 19 and the highest annual payment of Rs 10 lakh was paid. Gondal with 12 villages gets Rs. 3 lakh, Dhrangadhra with 12 villages gets Rs. 2.50 lakh, Rajkot with 3 villages Rs. 2.5 lakh, Nawanagar with 12 villages Rs. 10 lakh, Morbi with 11 villages was given a salary of Rs. 3 lakh.

Shahnawaz Bhutto, the grandfather of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, was the Diwan of the Nawab of Junagadh. Most of the kingdoms merged with India in the 19th century. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the rulers of Nawanagar visited the present Darbargarh in Jamnagar and the Darbar Bhavan at that time. Where it was decided to hand over Halar to the sovereignty of the country.

As far as Kutch is concerned, the Kutch Agency was included during the British Raj. Kutch had its own separate flag and included the Bhujiyo Dungar-white elephant with the inscription 'Fearlessness and Confidence'.

After independence, Saurashtra and Kutch were given separate state status while Bombay State included Bharuch-Kheda-Panchmahal-Surat district.

In the 19th, the states were reorganized and a large part of the Mumbai State went to other states. Before the reorganization of the states, Abu Road was a taluka of Banaskantha and included Mount Abu. Had it not been for the decision to merge Abu Road with Rajasthan on the basis of language, Mount Abu would have been part of the 'dry state' today. !