Hitler’s secret friend: Sayajirao Gaekwad
Hitler's friend Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad (TOI Photo)
Gaekwad even signed a secret pact with Hitler to get his support for India’s freedom. It was known as the Baroda-Berlin Pact.
Gaekwad’s personal assistant Vishnu Nene was sent to Germany to arrange the meeting. “Gaekwad believed an enemy’s enemy is a friend. So, he decided to join hands with Hitler,” says Dr Damodar Nene, who has written a new biography of Gaekwad and gives details of the pact. He is Vishnu Nene’s son. The book, ‘Sayajirao Gaekwad Chi Biography’ has been published by Ved Gandharva publishers of Pune. (via Hitler’s secret friend: Sayajirao Gaekwad - Vadodara – City – The Times of India).
Wishful thinking
For the past few days, after reading this post, I have been trying to corroborate this story. Apart from one small stray reference, there was nothing that I could find. This one reference was a a few lines from a 1972 biography which is linked here.
The fact that the good doctors, father Dr.Vishnu Nene and son Dr.Damodar Nene said nothing from 1936 upto 2010 makes this possibly only a claim. Or after August 15th, 1947 when the raj-gharana of Baroda had lost their kingdom and the threat of British reprisals was gone.
And they had everything to gain by making this claim.
From Sayaji Rao Gaekwad, III By V. K. Chavda |National Book Trust, India| sole distributors, Thomson Press (India), 1972 - Baroda - 147 pages. Click for a larger image.
Baroda has very little ice
A claim that may be based on thin ice. What little ice, one get can in Vadodara.
The fact that this claim coincides with a book publication, (books have to be sold, you see) and from the Vadodara edition of TOI (newspapers also have to be sold) makes this story, again, a candidate for collusion. What could I find about the Baroda-Berlin Pact?
Nothing. Yes. That is right. Nil. Zero. Zilch. 零. Nul. Null. μηδέν. ゼロ. нул. cero.
Foresighted Sayaji Rao Gaekwad knew there would be WWII
The other thing.
Apart from a paranoid Churchill, who would have imagined in 1936, that Britain would actually fight a war with Germany. In 1936, as the Berlin Olympics progressed, even Britain did not know there would be a WWII. Remember even the USA, joined the war against Germany and Japan, only after it was forced to. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941.
Forget Britain!
Even Hitler did not know there would be WWII. Or even a war with Britain. Hitler’s entire calculation after his successful campaign in Czechoslovakia (March 1939) was that Britain (under Chamberlain) would not go to war with Germany. While attacking Poland (September 1939) and other countries Hitler gambled that Britain would not declare war. Does it seem likely that Hitler would reveal his deepest, darkest plans to an ‘irrelevant’ Indian king? In 1936!
When neither Britain nor Germany knew there would be WWII.
Did Netaji Bose deserve this? Click for larger image.
Did the poor king deserve such a biography
Sayaji Rao Gaekwad is respected by many for many reasons. I would not like to assess him in any way, for sheer lack of material with me. Assuming he is respect-worthy, he does not deserve a biographer like the good doctor Nene.
Neither does Subhash Chandra Bose deserve this. A great leader, obfuscated in his own country, his legacy is now being plagiarized by incompetent hacks.
Between historians who hide real history, and ‘writers’ who proclaim history, without a base, Indian history, not surprisingly, has not got out of the sorry Colonial-Congress rut.
What a shame!
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Who’s amung us
Ah!
Your anti-”feudal” socialist slip shows here
Surprised at your rather silly attack on the “feudals.” You do a google search for Gaekwad and Hitler – claim that you found nothing – and say that Nene plagiarized a “legacy”?
Really?
Sayaji Rao Gaekwad is respected by many for many reasons. I would not like assess him in any way, for sheer lack of material with me. Assuming he is respect-worthy, he does not deserve a biographer like the good doctor Nene.
Are you supporting the esteemed son-Dr.Nene claim that in 1936 Hitler confided with Gaekwad, his plans for WWII in Sayaji Rao ? Can I have one, just one reference to this Baroda-Berlin Pact that the esteemed son Dr.Nene talks about?
Just one!
There is the stray text which talks of how Sayaji Rao was impressed by Hitler.
Not surprising! An impressed Churchill said of Hitler, “One may dislike Hitler’s system and yet admire his patriotic achievement. If our country were defeated, I hope we should find a champion as indomitable to restore our courage and lead us back to our place among the nations.”
From 1925-1938, the US Fed chairman led a Western Central Banks consortium to help Hitler and Germany recover from the short-sighted WWI reparations burden.
So this business of being impressed Hitler and therefore a Baroda-Berlin Pact is hogwash. I could find no reference to this anywhere.
Does Subhash Chandra Bose deserve this. A great leader, obfuscated in his own country, his legacy is now being plagiarized by incompetent hacks.
Unless you want to: -
1. Extend the rather interesting story of Vaimanika Shastra
2. On the basis of which Talpade made an aircraft,
3. A copy of the manuscript landed in the Rajakiya Sanskrit Library, Baroda by 1944.
The part that is completely unsupported by any evidence is: -
4. Hitler sent his scientific advisors to get this technology from Tibet (via Sikkim).
5. Who built pulse engines of the V8 rockets based on this technology.
Bose’s legacy was about raising an army of expat Indians to invade India. His tactical deals are completely secondary given the enormity of that task.
Gaekwad – assuming that he did make a pact with Hitler – was following a different approach. In fact – before dismissing this whole thing – I would investigate whether Bose had attempted to get support from “feudals” like Gaekwad.
The problem with socialists is that they have hijacked the legacy of Bose and packaged it in their own format. Rid yourself of these socialist chains!
But the bigger problem is that you are saying that because one can’t find something in google or other marxist dominated research, Nene is a liar! The absolutist denials of the entrenched!
Take a SECOND look!
1. You have disputed my claim that there is nothing on the Baroda-Berlin Pact. If there is anything, I would like to see it. Nene’s assertions notwithstanding. As long as you agree that there is nothing, I am OK. My statement stands. As for the google bit, I will settle for even a scanned copy of any non-Internet text, in any language.
2. Let us not use the crutches of labels like ‘feudals’, ‘marxists’ ‘socialists’ et al to hide the fact that there is nothing on the Baroda-Berlin Pact. Sweet Nothing at all.
3. If Nene is going to mass media with such claims, it is also his job to provide support for such claims. And the mass-media to ask for it. How does it become my responsibility (that you seem to imply) to prove Nene’s claims and assertions!
4. If Nene’s audience is academic, he should not come to the mass-media. If his audience is the general public (like me), which he is addressing through mass-media, he should provide some acceptable support for claims.
5. If he breaches these basic norms, he deserves to laughed off – which is what I am doing!
6. On Subhash Bose and his tactics and strategy; how Marxists, Socialists have usurped it, I am all ears. But that is a separate topic.
7. As the ‘socialists’ and the ‘marxists’ have messed with SCB’s legacy, Nene too has equal rights, you seem to imply. Bad luck. It does not wash. Not all. Nene has no rights at all. Nene has no business to join the free-for-all (that you allege, and I am inclined to believe) with Subhash Bose’s legacy.
8. I await one, just one shred of evidence of this great pact between Hitler-Sayaji Rao.
From either you or Nene.
Great idea. Meanwhile – let’s also look for the scanned copy of the pact between Hitler and Subhash Bose. It might be in the same locker!
I have not read the book and will judge it after I have read it. I assume that your assertion comes from having read the entire book (looks unlikely that you have)… but meanwhile – I will encourage you to have a second look
Sir – You are changing the allegations mid-way through the trial. First absolve me of the charges you have made.
1. You doubted my claim that there is nothing at all about the Baroda-Berlin Pact – apart from what the Father-Son-Nene-Duo ‘know’. Gimme the evidence.
2. Secondly the fact that Nene had decided to plagiarize SCB’s legacy!
3. The mis-use of labels to dismiss my points. You should not continue to hurl charges at me.
After this I will deal with your bit about ‘not read the book’ argument also!
1. If Nene is the first one to talk about it – clearly you can’t do a google search and expect to find any corroborating evidence! You need to indict Nene based on something more substantial. I am saying that you have jumped the gun!
2. You claim that Nene is trying to hijack Subhash’s legacy-because Gaekwad made a deal with Hitler? Is that how narrowly you view Bose? as someone who made a deal with Hitler?
3. In my opinion, which could be wrong, the entire dismissive tone, unfortunately, reveals an anti-”feudal” bias. Perhaps – I am jumping the gun – here. Do point me to any of your posts that have shown one or more of these “feudals” in good light. I would gladly correct myself.
I think a scathing attack on the character of an author – who you accuse of manufacturing and inventing a story – should have been backed up with clarity in your post whether you had read the book or not.
…and if you had – you should’ve stated that not a single page of Nene’s book provides any evidence or arguments to support this claim. You never made this claim. You simply expected the internet to yield results – from that – you call Nene a liar!
Sir – If you had not read the book before the post – I think you ought to apologize to Nene – for these allegations…
The following from your blog clearly indicates that you reached your conclusions – not from reading the book – but from reading the TOI post -
“after reading this post, I have been trying to corroborate this story. Apart from one small stray reference, there was nothing that I could find. ”
I would suggest – take a first look at the book – then take a second look at Nene’s claim as well as “feudals” in general.
I presume that by this sentence you are agreeing with my statement of ZERO published data on the Baroda-Berlin Pact. I would understand from your above statement, that your search has shown up with zero results. My position is factual – and not a claim as you were alleging!
Sir – You are are using different words to couch the same arguments. This argument is a repetition of your earlier argument.
1. There is no published data about this Baroda-Berlin Pact. If the Father-Son-Nene-Duo are making such tall claims, to the general public to correct history, they need to provide proof.
2. If Nene is going to mass media with such claims, it is also his job to provide support for such claims. And the mass-media to ask for it. How does it become my responsibility (that you seem to imply) to prove Nene’s claims and assertions!
3. If Nene’s audience is academic, he should not come to the mass-media. If his audience is the general public (like me), which he is addressing through mass-media, he should provide some acceptable support for claims.
4. If he breaches these basic norms, he deserves to laughed off – which is what I am doing!
5. If the Nene(s) are making these claims to sell their book, it is mal-practice. And they deserve contempt. If this pact was signed in 1936, why was there complete silence in 1946, 1956, 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006. Why did they wait till 2010 to make such a baseless claim.
You have not disputed these basic norms, which I have laid out, which the Good Doctor Nene has breached!
Three things.
One – You need to show that I have made baseless charges against India’s feudal rulers. Instead you have assumed that I share the ‘socialist’, ‘marxist’ views about India’s Feudal rulers. Without proof.
Two – You are wrong. There are at least three posts where I have made a factual, positive mention of India’s ‘feudal’ rulers – based on specific events and actions.
1. Looking back at India’s Partition
2. Robert D. Kaplan gives gyaan on India in NYTimes.com
3. Baroda’s pearl carpet – The difference between religion and dharma
On the other hand, I would like you to find one post where where I have used a tar-brush against India’s ‘feudal’ class. Just one.
Three – I have stated clearly in my original post, as follows, which I have repeated twice – and now for the third time below in italics.
Sayaji Rao Gaekwad is respected by many for many reasons. I would not like to assess him in any way, for sheer lack of material with me. Assuming he is respect-worthy, he does not deserve a biographer like the good doctor Nene.
You are bringing new elements without closing earlier ones. This bit about reading the book is a ‘read’ herring. I will go into that after you have cleared these unfounded claims and arguments.
ROTFLMAO. I am trying hard not to … but no can do. I cannot stop myself …