The Week India – June 30, 2019

82 THE WEEK • JUNE 30, 2019

DREAM

REPUBLIC

O

n January 21, 1939, the princely

state of Aundh (now in Maharash-

tra) converted itself into a village re-

public based on Gandhi’s vision, adopting a

Swaraj Constitution dictated by him. Known

as the “Aundh Experiment”, it was a unique

event in which an Indian king divested

himself of his powers to pave way for peo-

ple’s self-rule. Th e raja, Bhawanrao Shrin-

iwasrao Pant Prathinidhi, did so under the

infl uence of an electrical-engineer-turned

ascetic named Maurice Frydman aka Swami

Bharatananda.

Frydman was a Polish Jew who came to

Mysore at the age of 40 at the invitation of

the diwan Sir Mirza Ismail in 1935. While setting

up the Mysore State Government Electrical Fac-

tory in Bangalore, Frydman became a disciple of

Gandhi and Ramana Maharishi and led an ascet-

ic life. Th e prince of Aundh, Apa B. Pant, who met

Frydman at the electrical factory, requested the

diwan to “loan” him for six months to help the

drought-prone Aundh become prosperous. Mirza

refused, but Frydman defi ed him and arrived in

Aundh in March 1938 to uplift its 72 villages.

Th e king of Aundh was an avid reader, accom-

plished painter and the founding president of

the Poona Sarvajenik Sabha, the precursor of the

Indian National Congress. He had started dele-

gating powers to his people in 1917 by forming

representative bodies in the villages. Frydman

persuaded the king to make a declaration to

Gandhi that he was ready to convert his kingdom

to a constitutional republic. He relinquished his

throne in November 1938, and Frydman and

prince Apa went to Gandhi’s ashram in Seva-

gram to draft a constitution for the proposed

republic. Gandhi agreed to help, on condition

that the prince live in a hut and work in Aundh

for 10 years, wearing cloth spun in the state. Th e

Aundh delegation worked with Gandhi on the

Swaraj Constitution throughout December, and

Frydman devoted part of his time to redesigning

the charkha.

Gandhi proposed a three-tier government,

with each village having a panchayat of fi ve

members, who would elect a president. Th e

panchayat presidents will elect four taluk

presidents and send 12 representatives to the

legislative assembly, which will select the state’s

prime minister. Gandhi also insisted that only

literate citizens be allowed to vote. He brushed

aside concerns that the literacy rate was below 10

per cent and asked the prince to make everyone

literate in time for their fi rst election.

In January 1939, when Aundh became a

constitutional republic, Frydman walked to all

the villages of Aundh to set up ‘headquarters’.

He also established India’s fi rst free prison—

Swatantrapur (City of the free). Aundh’s convicts

could live with their families during parole. Th e

convicts dug a deep well to solve the water crisis

in the area.

Th e conversion into a constitutional republic

led to improvements in education, economy and

social cohesion. When India won freedom, the

Aundh republic merged with the Union.

The princely state of Aundh adopted a

Gandhian constitution

BY NIRMAL JOVIAL

GANDHIAN

TRIO

(Clockwise from

right) Bhawanrao

Shriniwasrao Pant

Prathinidhi; Apa

B. Pant; Maurice

Frydman