KOZHIKODE: Tired of the rottenness of democracy? Well, descendants of the erstwhile kingdoms of the country will put their heads together in Kozhikode next year to guide democracy towards the right path. A national conference has been planned for the first time and Kozhikode-based Veera Pazhassi Raja Foundation is organising it.
“Representatives of 541 erstwhile kingdoms, including 18 from Kerala, will participate. We have compiled the list of past kingdoms in the country from Parliament. The exact date of the event is yet to be finalised but it will tentatively be in the beginning of next year,” said Dr P P Pramod Kumar, president of the foundation.
According to him, the conference’s aim is to spread awareness about the good things done by the kings and goad the democratic setup to imbibe the same.
“Aren’t we tired of the rottenness of democracy? Corruption, brutal murder in the name of love, allegations of religious conversions, assaults on women and rampant violence — all these give a feeling of anarchy in society. The conference does not hold an agenda to demand going back to the king’s rule, but wants to press the democratic setup to imbibe the good side of the rule,” he elaborated.
Seminars will be held as a part of the conference, which will delve deep into merits and demerits of democracy and monarchy. Pramod Kumar added Rajasthan has the most number of powerful kingdoms, including that of Gwalior, and they are trying to bring members of all such once-mighty monarchies to a single venue.
“In North India, many members of the erstwhile rulers’ families are present MPs or MLAs. They could have a better understanding of the various aspects of the two systems,” he said.
Meet aims to amplify history of Indian kingdoms abroad
The Veera Pazhassi Raja Foundation also believes that as compared to the “enormous volume of development” brought in by the then kings, the present democratic administrations have done only a little. The organisers also intend to amplify the history and legacy of Indian kingdoms in the country as well as abroad.
Pazhassi Ravi Varma Raja, who is associated with the foundation and a fifth generation member of Pazhassi Raja, said the attempt is not to compare both systems of governance or hail any one system but to explore the possibilities of infusing the good aspects of kingdoms into democracy and make it more vibrant.