Atma Nirbhar in Mysuru state in early 1900s

The 136th birth anniversary of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the architect of Modern Mysuru state, will be celebrated on June 4, at a time when the entire nation is gearing up to become Atma Nirbhar or self-reliant, following the address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on May 12, to revive post-Covid economy.

It has to be noted that there were all out efforts in the erstwhile Mysuru state, in the early 1900s, under Nalvadi and his Dewans, for self-reliance. In his book, ‘My Public Life’, Dewan Sir Mirza Ismail states: “We are very proud of the products of these factories. Mysoreans wash themselves with Mysore soap, dry themselves with Mysore towels, clothe themselves in Mysore silks, ride Mysore horses, eat the abundant Mysore food, drink Mysore coffee with Mysore sugar, equip their houses with Mysore furniture, light them with Mysore lamps and write their letters on Mysore paper”. It was a part of his speech on All India Radio on August 5, 1938.

Besides, there were manufacturing units for steel, cement, chemicals and fertilisers, aircraft, glass, porcelain, agricultural implements, and cast iron pipes. The hydroelectric stations gave a boost to further industrialisation of Mysore state, that included Bengaluru. The erstwhile Mysuru state comprised the present 15 districts of Bengaluru, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Ramanagar, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Chitradurga and Davangere.

Baskar Kalale, ex-chairman of CII-Mysuru and president and GM-India operations, Theorem India, said, “Mysuru has always been a state of innovators and creativity. The Wadiyars advocated development, industrialisation and self-reliance for the welfare of the people. Nalvadi was one of the most progressive and innovative rulers of his times. Fortunately, we also have Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) and Central Food Technologies Research Institute (CFTRI), where research and development is done to feed those who guard our nation. Mysore Sandal Soap, Mysore Silk, etc are the gifts of the erstwhile maharajas.”

B N Pramodh, co-founder, FromGround Up, and startups mentor, said, “Nalvadi was a visionary and advocated education, skill training and self-reliance.”

Besides setting up industries, he supported Sir M Visvesvaraya to start the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) in Bengaluru 1917. “He donated 371 acres of land for the establishment of Indian Institute of Science by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata and lands to Sir C V Raman to set up his science institute in Bengaluru, to encourage research and innovation for self-reliance,” said Pramodh.

He pointed out that Dewan Sir Mirza Ismail had mentioned, in his book ‘My Public Life’: “My policy was not to concentrate many factories in one or two centres, but to distribute them, as far as possible, all over the state, and in this way benefit many places. Another advantage was that in case of labour troubles, the infection would not spread so easily to other industries.”

Pramodh said, “It is not clear whether the Dewan refers to labour unrest or an epidemic, when he says infection, but at a time when we are combating a pandemic, policymakers should take note of his advise.”