Of the Raj, Maharajas and Me

M.A. Sreenivasan (1897-1998) lived through almost the entire 20th century, and was among the very few people who witnessed at close quarters the enormous changes that took place in India during this period. Born in Madras, he belonged to a family that traced its origins to a disciple and associate of the great sage Ramanuja. Subsequent generations were Pradhans (ministers) of successive kings of Mysore for 150 years. Sreenivasan himself joined the Mysore Civil Service in 1918 and, after a varied career both with the Mysore Government and the Government of British India, became a Pradhan of the Maharaja of Mysore in 1943. In 1947 he was invited by the Maharaja of Gwalior to become the Dewan of that State. During that momentous year he was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and in regular touch with many of the leading figures (including Mountbatten) involved in the transfer of power from British to Indian hands.