12 April 1930
An audience of hundreds - family, ministers, advisors, governors, and foreign dignitaries - were in attendance today as the Raj ceded the Crown of Bharat to his elder son.
Regrettably, the coronation was closed to all members of the media, but a spokesman described the coronation thusly:
“The Raj spoke briefly about his reign before acknowledging his physical inability to continue. He named his son, Shrinivas, as his successor, then abdicated his title. He removed the Crown of Bharat and placed it upon the throne before taking his place amongst the esteemed guests in the audience.
“The guru of the court prayed for the health of the Raj and wished him success in the next phase of his life - a modification of the usual prayer, which assumes the death of the sovereign. He then called upon the successor to take the Crown. His Royal Highness then entered the Throne Chamber and named himself. The guru led His Royal Highness in a lengthy ceremony of prayer before placing the Crown of Bharat upon His Royal Highness and naming him as Shrinivas I, Samraja of Bharat and Warden of Asir.”
13 April 1930
A transcript of the speech given by His Royal Highness Shrinivas I, Samraja of Bharat and Warden of Asir, on the Voice of India following noon prayers:
“I bid a good afternoon to you, citizens of Bharat and of Asir. It is a new era for us all, as I assume my new duties as your sovereign, and I wish to take a few minutes to speak to you about this new era in our history.
“First, however, I wish to thank my father, the Raj, for his dedication and great work on behalf of our nation over the past twenty years. He continued the process of modernizing our economy and developing modern infrastructure. He took steps to safeguard our health and safety through a widespread medical program, through funding of modern research, and in the programs intended to minimize the effects of cyclones and monsoons. He listened to you, the people, when told of corruption within government, took steps to reform government, and introduced public participation.
“Internationally, he had the foresight to shield us from the horrors of the Great War, while using minimal amounts of armed force on matters of principle - the liberation of our occupied lands, the safety of our people, the rights of our Asian friends. He sought out honourable friends and allies and established productive relationships. He worked on matters of global significance, such as arms limitation and financial stability.
“For all this, I thank my father, the Raj. There will never be another like him. It seems fitting, then, to explain why I have not taken the title of Raj. It is not simply a matter of respecting my father and his myriad accomplishments.
“Let me remind you of the origins of the title. When Bharat fell under the thrall of the British, our ruler was the raja Rajaram III. Not only did they fail to understand the proper spelling of the title, they also found it amusing to refer to their system of puppet government as ‘the Raj’ as a distasteful play on Rajaram’s own name. Upon escaping the clutches of the British, my great-grandfather Brashkar took the title ‘Raj’ as a reminder of the perils of European domination and internal weakness. His son, Ashoka III, took the title for the same reason, as did his son, my father Rajiv.
“It seemed that I, too, might take the title, but circumstances are changed. This is not a weak, battered nation and we do not need to fear other nations’ ambitions. We are a modern, united empire asserting the rights of its citizens, respecting those of its neighbours, and mentoring friends who are but a few steps away from attaining similar status. I felt it fitting, then, that our empire have an emperor, and the only real question was the appropriate term for it. That is why I have taken a title somewhat simpler than my father’s, ‘Samraja of Bharat and Warden of Asir.’
“On Asir - the choice of the term ‘Warden’ is carefully chosen. Asir is not a part of India, and I shall not pretend to have claim over Asir or her people. What I do have is the inherited responsibility to provide Asirites with the knowledge and tools they need to become self-governing and self-reliant. In the next five years, I expect we will have a plebiscite to determine how Asirites view their political status.
“With regard to the coming months, I can say that I do not expect to implement any immediate changes to national policy, preferring instead to manage a smooth transition. I have therefore asked my father’s ministers and advisors to remain in their substantive positions, and they have consented to do so. I have no doubt that these wise and educated gentlemen shall continue to serve Bharat in good stead.
“I do expect that I will be undertaking some travel over the next few months. I will be seeking to meet with the heads of state of our allies to the east and west. I will also look to build bridges with our immediate neighbours in China, Tibet, Nepal, Burma, and Siam. My brother Brashkar, who has ably served as regent for my father, has graciously agreed to do the same on my behalf as required.
“With that, I shall conclude my remarks. I thank you for your attention, and wish you a day of tranquillity and prosperity.”
[OOC:
In case y’all were curious:
-My original use of the term “Raj” was based on a pretty crappy understanding of India. Now that my understanding is less crappy, I know that the word for “king” is “raja”, rather than “raj”, though the two are pronounced the same (the “-a” suffix is silent). The whole raj story is my way of retroactively excusing the error.
-I thought about giving Shrinivas the title “maharajadhiraja”, or “great king of kings”, but this terms out to have never been used in the sense of “emperor”. The next option was “padshah”, which the original mughal emperors, Shrinivas’ ancestors, used - but this seems to be only applicable to Muslim rulers, and Shrinivas is Hindu, so “Samraja” (silent “-a”) is the title I’m going with.
-The empress Prea’s title, incidently, is “samraji”, pronounced as it’s written.
-I'll have a bit more Q2 news on the weekend.]