LIFESTYLE
The remains of the last king of Myanmar, exiled to India during British rule, still lie in Ratnagiri. We can win the hearts of our neighbour by returning these royal remains.
King Thibaw, the last king of Burma, belonged to the Konbaung dynasty, a line of rulers known as 'Kings who rule the Universe' and treated as demi-gods by their subjects. In November 1885, after his defeat in a war against Britain, King Thibaw, along with the heavily pregnant Queen Supayalat, their very young daughters, and the king's junior wife, Queen Supayagalae, were exiled to India. Here, in the remote town of Ratnagiri, they lived for over 30 years.
The family had been permitted to carry some of their jewellery and for several years was able to supplement their government pension by the furtive sale of these items. But as they ran out of their valuable possessions, the once proud and uncompromising king wrote endless letters to the British government requesting a larger allowance, better accommodation, and most poignantly, for the right to be addressed as His Majesty instead of His Highness.
In addition to being stripped of his power and wealth, and being transplanted from the land he once ruled to a culturally alien corner of the world, the king, and the rest of the family, were kept under virtual imprisonment.
The princesses, too, were not allowed to interact freely with the residents of Ratnagiri. So they lived, attended to by an army of servants and assistants, until all of the princesses were in their thirties. By this time, two of them had fallen in love with 'highly unsuitable' men.
The king died, broken-hearted, in December 1916. His junior queen, Queen Supayagalae, had died a few years before him. In 1919, Queen Supayalat and her daughters were permitted to return to Rangoon. The queen wished to carry back with her the coffins of the king and the junior queen for entombment in Mandalay, and she made many desperate representations for this. But the British government was very nervous of the repercussions of permitting her to do so.
Until the time of her departure, the coffins had lain in a temporary structure within the 27-acre family compound. The government now constructed a tomb in Ratnagiri, not far from the compound, and insisted that both coffins be transferred to it. It also pressured the queen to sign a declaration to the effect that she had understood that this was a permanent entombment, and that the government would entertain no further discussion on the subject.
The royal family returned to Burma in 1919. The king's eldest daughter, Ashin Hteik Su Myat Phaya Gyi (rechristened the First Princess by the British), came back a year later to Ratnagiri with her daughter, Tu Tu, because Ratnagiri was where her companion and Tu Tu's father lived.
When the First Princess died in June 1947, she was cremated and the ashes were stored in a wooden box in the Ratnagiri Treasury, pending a decision as to whether they should be entombed in India or Myanmar. Both countries were on the cusp of their independence at the time of her death, and the governments exchanged numerous memos on whether all three royal remains should be shifted to and entombed in Burma.
However, it appears the matter just slipped through the cracks of the system -- both governments had much more pressing issues on hand. The royal remains remained where they were including, unfortunately, the First Princess's, which had never even been deposited in her tomb in Ratnagiri, built right next to that of her father's. (A small square aperture -- made for the insertion of her ashes at a later date -- is to this day unsealed.)
When they were growing up, the Fourth Princess had repeatedly told her children that the mortal remains of King Thibaw and Queen Supayagalae had been forcibly entombed without the necessary tharanagaon ceremony accorded to Burmese Buddhists after their death.
A sense of deep indignation and regret was shared by all King Thibaw's descendants and by many others in Burma who were aware of this omission. King Thibaw, after all, had been regarded as a demi-god during his reign. And monarchy, as an institution, had been a cherished one, valued to the extent that, according to the noted Burmese historian, Thant Myint-U, a sense of dislocation and aimlessness permeated Burmese society for several decades after King Thibaw's deposition, because a British-occupied Burma with no king was an incomprehensible break from the past.
Even today, particularly in rural areas, stories of the royal family and a sentiment for the monarchy continue to resonate with the people.
Over the years, King Thibaw's grandchildren made several attempts to visit Ratnagiri, but it was only in December 1993 that they were able to make a trip, and were finally able to perform the tharanagaon ceremony.
Although they and many in Myanmar (as Burma was called from 1989) felt that the remains of the royal family of Myanmar belong in Myanmar, there was nothing any of them could do about it at the time. Using the opportunity of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent visit to Myanmar, King Thibaw's great grandson, U Soe Win, has sent him a letter requesting, on behalf of King Thibaw's descendants, permission to carry all the three royal remains to Myanmar. He has approached his own government for similar permission.
Better connectivity between India and Myanmar has been stressed during the Prime Minister's recent visit. This, it has been said, is not only to facilitate trade between the two countries, but also to enable easier people-to-people interaction. Aung San Suu Kyi, who the Prime Minister also met, has been quoted as saying “true friendship between the countries can be based only on friendship between our peoples”.
Although many issues of great importance to both countries have been discussed and MoUs have been signed, perhaps another issue, neither pressing nor economically important, could be looked at to win the hearts of the people of Myanmar: our government should seriously consider granting its permission for the return of the royal remains.
Sudha Shah, is the author of The King in Exile: The Fall of the Royal Family of Burma, which is to be published by HarperCollins India in mid-June 2012.
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why
Reddit suffers outage with ‘upstream connect error’ message, says 'currently investigating...'
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How has Jasprit Bumrah fared in Tests in Australia?
Delhi records coldest night of the season, temp drops to...
Crossing the Line: Ukraine's Use of Storm Shadow Missiles and the Escalation of Conflict
When Malaika Arora talked about the controversial ‘instant pleasure’ ad, it was for…
This is the world’s most expensive shopping street, not Fifth Avenue, New Bond Street, it is...
Big setback for Gautam Adani, Kenya cancels Rs 6216 crore deal with Adani Group due to...
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Viral video: Middle-Class man lives dream of having tea at Taj Hotel, netizens applauds
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Gifting: Discover Heirloom Pashmina by Pashmina.com
Effortless Relocations: The Perks Of Professional Removalists In Melbourne
Watch: Pakistan fan with 'Imran Khan' poster asked to leave Hobart stadium in Australia
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for...
What is demisexuality? Everything you need to know about this lesser-known sexual orientation
WATCH: World’s shortest woman meets world’s tallest woman, video goes viral
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Predicted playing XIs, Perth weather forecast and pitch report
IND vs AUS: When will Rohit Sharma join India squad? Check latest update
'Scam 2024': Diljit Dosanjh lookalike pranks people on Pune streets, video goes viral
Delhi Air Pollution: Centre announces staggered work timings for govt employees; check details
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio loses nearly 80 lakh subscribers in just 30 days, BSNL adds...
IND vs AUS, 1st Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Australia match
This country has most expensive passport in world, not US, UK, UAE, it costs Rs...
Amitabh Bachchan opens up on Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan divorce rumours
Amid rising air pollution, Delhi-NCR's crematorium records cleanest air; check AQI here
Revolutionising Medical Imaging: Venudhar Rao Hajari’s impact on healthcare technology
Abhishek Gupta and Onevision Media: Scaling brands on social media
Video shows Korean girl eating jalebi for first time, her reaction to Indian sweet goes viral
Cristiano Ronaldo confirms THIS YouTube star as his next guest, says, 'Will break Internet'
Delhi Assembly Elections: AAP releases first list of 11 candidates for 2025 polls
Adani Group's FIRST REACTION after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
Instagram introduces new feature, know how to reset app's algorithm, change your feed
No mention of Aaradhya Bachchan in Amitabh Bachchan's post on birthdays, it happened recently
Oppo Find X8 and X8 Pro launched in India, check specifications, price, other details
Charges against Gautam Adani: BJP's scathing attack on Congress, questions timing of development
Jasprit Bumrah's BIG statement on taking up Perth test captaincy, says, 'tactically better...'
Blackout on breaks: Company imposes no-sick-leave policy until 2025
Drug-laden terrorists on India's western, northern frontiers
Mohammad Shami trolls Sanjay Manjrekar over IPL auction bid prediction, says, 'Baba ki...'
IND vs AUS Test: When and where to watch 1st match of Border-Gavaskar trophy, know details here
CAQM amends Grap Stages III, IV, enforces stricter measures in Delhi-NCR amid air pollution woes
Malayalam actor Meghanathan passes away at 60 after suffering from...
Adani Green Energy's FIRST reaction after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
'Keep me out of...': Pakistani Instagram star Mathira on MMS leak controversy
Delhi Air Pollution: AQI marginally improves from 'severe' to 'very poor' category
Meet actress who worked with Alia Bhatt, was asked to 'compromise', connected to Aishwarya Rai by..
Aishwarya Rai’s remark on Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘habits’ goes viral amid divorce rumours with Abhishek
Rekha's BOLD statement about Amitabh Bachchan goes viral, 'why hurt...'
Meet man, IITian who built Rs 5493 crore firm, has this Mukesh Ambani connection, he is from...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 21, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
‘I didn’t have time to…’: When AR Rahman revealed having ‘agreement’ before marriage to Saira Banu
Amitabh Bachchan praises Abhishek Bachchan's new film, netizens ask 'kash ye Aishwarya...'
Viral video: Woman's sizzling belly dance to 'Namak' impresses internet, watch
Hardik Pandya banned, Mumbai Indians captain to miss first match of IPL 2025 due to...
Meet man who studied at IIM, IIT, then built Rs 1160000000 company, got inspired by…
Meet woman, who quit as dentist for UPSC exam, became IAS officer with AIR...