From royalty to politics, a hard-hitting look at the history of one of the
greatest dynasties of India, mired in wars, public disputes and property
contentions.
The Scindia dynasty, a 300-year-old royal house, is perhaps the only family
in India which is known not just for its unlimited riches and never-ending
popularity but also for its immense social service, mainly through politics.
There are innumerable stories-some told repeatedly and others seldom
told-from the time Ranoji Scindia founded the dynasty in 1731 to Rajmata
Vijaya Raje Scindia's unwilling entry in politics in 1957 to Jyotiraditya
Scindia's entry in the Rajya Sabha in 2020.
The book deftly outlines how, of the three generations in politics over the
centuries, it was only Madhavrao-Rajmata's son and Jyotiraditya's father-who
had never lost an election. He was the darling of people from his erstwhile
royal house of Gwalior, until his untimely demise in an air crash. Rajmata
and her grandson Jyotiraditya were members of both houses of Indian
Parliament at different times. The two share several similarities: both were
in the Congress first and then left it dramatically, to say the least. Both,
angered by prevailing political situations within their party, brought down
their own governments-some 40 years apart!
This book unveils many stories, about how the Scindias have conducted
themselves in public with a degree of elan, despite the bitter legal and
political fights which were the bane of the Scindias.
The Scindia Legacy showcases the courage and charisma of one of the
eminent political families of India.
