In a recently - held State level seminar in Mysore on Sir Mirza Ismail, scholars remembered his love for Mysore and the contribution he made towards its growth as the Dewan.
Speakers on the occasion mentioned that not much is known about Mirza's work and opined a research must be conducted and related materials collected.
This made me bring out a few facts which I have come across for the readers. My father used to tell me when I was still young, the loyalty of Mirza towards Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar and their friendship (since they were classmates in the college) and this made the Maharaja to make Mirza sit behind him on the elephant in the Golden Howdah in one of the Dasara processions though some people resented this and disrupted the procession.
Look at his love towards Mysore and how aptly and beautifully he describes Mysore Produces in a Radio Broadcast in 1938:
"... Wash themselves with Mysore soap, dry themselves with Mysore towels (perhaps product of K. R. Mills), Clothe themselves in Mysore Silks, ride Mysore horses, eat the abundant Mysore food, drink Mysore coffee with Mysore sugar, build their houses with Mysore cement, Mysore timber, Mysore steel, furnish their houses with Mysore lamps and write letters on Mysore paper."
(To add to this, a senior personnel from State Bank of Mysore who met me to collect some materials with photos for their Bank's Centenary Souvenir, remarked — “Sir, we would like to end this with "Bank with Mysore Bank" and publish Mirza's speech in our souvenir”. This made me add one more to the Mysore list — Study in Mysore University). If Star of Mysore and Mysooru Mithra were being published at his time, Mirza would have added them to his list of Mysore products.
A very old citizen living in V. V. Mohalla — Srinivasa Iyengar of CFTRI — mentioned once to me when we were walking near Chandramouleshwara Temple in our area, remembering suddenly Mirza and how he had earmarked that land for the construction of the Temple.
DVG, in his memoirs, has brought out many interesting stories on Mirza and his friendship with him.
Another dream project of Sir Mirza was setting up of an Automobile Factory (to manufacture cars) in Bangalore in 1940, which was proposed by Walchand Hirachand, the great shipping magnate in Bombay with just a capital of ` 225 lakh then employing 3,000 skilled labourers and the factory would be started with the co - operation of the Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, USA. Prof. S. Sugitha of the Department of Studies in History, Manasagangotri, in her article for the souvenir of 64th Indian History Congress held in Mysore in 2003, has described in detail about this car project — a dream of Sir Mirza Ismail. But the Maharaja did not take a firm stand on this as the colonial policy was against the proposal. It feared the British car manufacturers who had a good market for their cars in India. Sir Charles Todhunter, Private Secretary to the Maharaja, had played his role in preventing this project.
Sugitha says in her article — Mirza Ismail resigned his post of Dewanship. In a letter to Todhunter, he expressed his frustration in remarkably strong words, "I do not think that His Highness realised the fact that he is ranging himself against the whole State in coming to such a decision... I hope I shall not be misunderstood if I utter a word of warning. The people of Mysore will not easily forget and forgive those responsible for deliberately missing such a splendid opportunity of establishing an industry which would have such far reaching importance to the State."
(Sir M. Visvesvaraya in a confidential letter to Mirza wrote that England was purchasing most of the second hand cars and turning them to Ambulances. After the war, there would be bigger demand for cars and a shortage of labour in England. And he had supported Mirza in his car project).
Yes, Sir Mirza Ismail had “Breathed Mysore” literally.
K. Vijay Kumar,
Former Jt. Director of Information & Publicity
Courtesy: Star Of Mysore
