The Story of the Integration of the Indian States by V.P. Menon

Madras Regiment: The infantry battalions of Travancore, Cochin and Mysore were merged into the Madras Regiment. Here’s a look at instances of integration that echo in the Indian Army even today: Soldiers undergoing military Razakar training

They were commanded by Indian officers, unlike the British Indian Army, which was commanded by British officers. The British provided them training and equipment, while the princely states paid for it and provided the men. With this in mind, the British launched the Imperial Service Troops Scheme of 1885, which created a reserve force from various princely states. The Indian princely states were quite rich in resources as well as fighting men, and the British felt they could be used to ‘support’ the British Indian Army without becoming a threat. The possibility of a Russian invasion of India, through Afghanistan, had always been Britain's worst nightmare. In March 1885, the Russians defeated the Afghan army at Panjdeh, in present-day Turkmenistan, setting off alarm bells across the British establishment in India. During this time, the Russians conquered the Central Asian cities of Samarkhand and Bukhara and were eyeing Kabul and Punjab beyond it.

1911Īt around this time, the ‘Great Game’ was unfolding in Central Asia, where both Russia and the British were vying for power in the region. E.A painting depicting members of the Rajputanta Rifles, of all ranks and uniforms. Hodsun, The Great Indian Divide, Britain-India-Pakistan, Oxford University Press. Motilal Nehru Report, 1928: Constituent Assembly Debates Website Panchanandas Mukherji, Indian Constitutional Documents 1773 – 1915. Menon, The Story of the Integration of the Indian States. Princely states, integration, colonial rule, viceroy, federation, paramountcy, world war II.

What was it that made the princes accede to India when they could have been independent sovereign kings? This research paper looks into the first attempt at the integration of the princely states of India, the task completed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel eventually. At that time, they were given a choice to either join India or Pakistan or stay independent India is a united country today. When India attained independence from the British colonial rule, 562 princely states existed with their respective ruling princes and families. Jahnavi Sharma, 'The Princely States in India: The Lesser Known Story of Their Integration,' SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol.

The Story of the Integration of the Indian States by V.P. Menon