Knowledge Nugget | Rajagopalachari installed, Lutyens removed: What you need to know about both personalities

Key Takeaways:

1. Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, endearingly called ‘Rajaji’ by his admirers and followers, was born on 10 December 1878 in Thorappalli village in Salem district of Madras Province. In 1899, having passed the Bachelor of Law examination, he started practice at Salem.

2. The decision to partition Bengal on communal lines by Lord Curzon came as a bolt from the blue to Rajagopalachari and his associates. Rajagopalachari was influenced by the call of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak which exhorted every Indian to fight for complete freedom from the British Rule. He accepted Tilak as his mentor. Rajagopalachari enlisted himself as a member of the Indian National Congress.

3. On 12 March 1930, Gandhiji planned to set out on his historic Dandi March. In the Madras Province, Rajagopalachari led the long march to the sea coast to break the Salt Law. He planned the march from Tiruchi to Vedaranyam. Rajaji emerged from the Vedaranyam Satyagraha as a national hero.

4. After Independence, Rajagopalachari was appointed the Governor of West Bengal. In 1947, when the term of Lord Mountbatten, the first Governor-General of Independent India, ended, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari was chosen to take his place.

5. After the death of Sardar Patel in December 1950, Rajagopalachari was appointed the Home Minister. In recognition of his commendable service to the nation, Rajagopalachari was awarded ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1954. He was the first to receive this highest civilian award.

6. Rajaji formed Swatantra Party in 1959 which actively campaigned for a market economy. Swatantra Party, according to Rajaji, was less of a political party and more of a movement.

Edwin Lutyens

1. Born in London in 1869, Edwin Lutyens was a prominent British architect who designed large parts of New Delhi.

2. He was engaged to design prominent buildings of the city in 1912, after the capital was shifted from Kolkata to New Delhi. This included Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, North Block and South Block.  He also designed the Cenotaph in London and was knighted in 1918.

📍Rashtrapati Bhawan

Designed by Edwin Lutyens, it was first called Government House, and in December 1929, when Viceroy Irwin moved there (even though some electrical work was pending), it came to be known as Viceroy House. Work on it started alongside the North and South Blocks, but several roadblocks, including World War I, scanty stone supply, and a Lutyens-Herbert Baker disagreement led to delay in completion. Four wings of the Government House were completed and the dome was built in 1928.

📍Hyderabad & other Houses

Around India Gate were built house of various “princes”, and Edwin Lutyens was the architect of the Hyderabad House and Baroda House. In 1928, Hyderabad House and Bikaner House were inaugurated. In 1931, when New Delhi was finally unveiled, Baroda House and Travancore House were under construction. The other houses followed Lutyens’ style of architecture. 

📍North and South Block Buildings

World War I was a roadblock in the construction of New Delhi and work slowed down on the Secretariat buildings (now called North and South Blocks). While the Blocks, designed primarily by architect Herbert Baker, were being built in 1915, Edwin Lutyens pointed out that the view of the Government House or Rashtrapati Bhawan will be obstructed. This led to an old friendship between Baker and Lutyens turning sour. In 1930, the Blocks were ready

BEYOND THE NUGGET: What else has changed at Rashtrapati Bhavan lately

1. ‘Granth Kutir’: It is part of the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s measure to shed vestiges of colonial past and create a dedicated space for the 2,300 books and manuscripts, said a statement by the President’s office.

— Exactly a month ago, on January 23, speeches of Lord Curzon and original works of William Hogarth at the Rashtrapati Bhawan library gave away to Puranas, Vedas, Upanishads and several other ancient manuscripts and books covering Indian epics and philosophy. These were among 2,300 books and manuscripts — in 11 classical languages — that now form part of Granth Kutir, the library at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

2. Ganatantra Mandap and Ashok Mandap: In July last year, President Droupadi Murmu announced the renaming of two of the most important halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan – Durbar Hall and Ashok Hall – as Ganatantra Mandap and Ashok Mandap, respectively. While Durbar Hall is the venue of important ceremonies and celebrations such as the presentation of National Awards, Ashok Hall was originally a ballroom and is now used for special events.

— The term “durbar” refers to courts and assemblies of Indian rulers and the British. It lost relevance after India became a Republic, that is, ‘Ganatantra’, the statement said, adding that the concept is deeply rooted in Indian society since ancient times, making Ganatantra Mandap an apt name for the venue.

— “Renaming ‘Ashoka Hall’ as ‘Ashok Mandap’ brings uniformity in language and removes the traces of anglicisation while upholding the key values associated with the word ‘Ashok’,” it said.

3. Amrit Udyan: In January 2024, a day before the Mughal Gardens was to open to the public for the season, the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced that it was giving it “a common name” of ‘Amrit Udyan’. Spread over 15 acres, the grounds drew their name from being laid out in the style of gardens built by the Mughals in Jammu & Kashmir.

4. Kartavya Path: In 2022, the pathway from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, previously known as Rajpath, was renamed Kartavya Path. 

— On the occasion, the Prime Minister’s Office had said: “It symbolises a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power to Kartavya Path being an example of public ownership and empowerment.” These are “steps… in line with the Prime Minister’s second ‘Panch Pran’ for New India in Amrit Kaal: ‘remove any trace of colonial mindset’,” the statement said.

Post Read Question

With reference to C.Rajagopalachari, consider the following statements:

1. He was the first and only Indian Governor-General of independent India.

2. He led the Salt Satyagraha march in Madras Province from Tiruchi to Vedaranyam.

3. He founded the Swatantra Party, which advocated a market-oriented economy.

4. He was awarded ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1954

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2 and 3 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

(Sources: President unveils Rajaji’s bust: ‘Set example of mental decolonisation’, Besides Lutyens’ statue, what else has changed at Rashtrapati Bhavan lately, A capital plan: The history, and future, of Lutyens’ Delhi, sansad.in)

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