Introduction
The Kingdom of Marwar in Jodhpur (now in Rajasthan, northwest India) was noted for insubordination towards the fading Mughal Emperors, but in the 1750s it fell under the control of the Maratha to the south, paying a high price for their help in resolving a tangled dispute over the crown.
IN 1751,* the throne of Raja Ram Singh in Jodhpur was usurped by his uncle, Bakht. Ram’s mother-in-law took care of Bakht with the gift of a poisoned robe, but that still left Ram’s young cousin Vijay.* In desperation, Ram turned to the fearsome Maratha in Ujjain for help; and such was their reputation that in the heat of battle near Merta, Vijay’s trusted ally, the Raja of Bikaner, deserted, along with most of the army.*
Left in the middle of nowhere, in pitch dark, Vijay resolved to make for Nagaur. Yet misfortunes dogged his company, barely five strong. First, he found his guide had been leading them not on the road to Nagaur, but towards his own home. Then just past Khajwana, still sixteen miles short of Nagaur, their weary horses would go no further. As it happened, however, an ox-cart was rattling by, so leaving his men and horses to recover, for five rupees Vijay engaged the driver to take him to Nagaur, alone.
This was six years before Robert Clive’s historic victory at in Bengal to the east, which made Britain all but the sole European power in India, and meant that London increasingly played the role hitherto played by the Mughal Emperors. The story told here is based closely on “Annals and Antiquities of Rajast’han” by East India Company administrator and Oriental scholar James Tod (1782-1835), a respected authority on Rajput history and life to this day. For more on James Tod, see our post The Quiet Kingdom.
Bakht died of cholera in 1752. His son Vijay Singh (1729-1793) was the Raja of Marwar Kingdom from 1752 to 1753 and again, following the death of Ram Singh, from 1772 to 1793. According to Tod, Bakht demanded the Raja of Jaipur support him, even though he was Ram’s father-in-law, and the Raja handed the case over to his wife.
Merta lies some seventy miles east of Jodhpur. Despite inferior numbers, Vijay’s army was making good headway on the second day when a friendly fire incident caused dismay and fatalism to spread where only courage and hope had reigned before. Bikaner advised his young prince to retreat, and retreat became a rout.
Précis
In 1753, the new Raja of Mewar in modern-day Rajasthan, Vijay Singh, faced a rebellion from an ousted rival, his cousin Ram Singh. After losing a key battle, Vijay and five loyal men hoped to flee to Nagpaur under cover of night, but their horses were too weary, so Vijay hailed a passing ox-cart and went on alone. (58 / 60 words)
In 1753, the new Raja of Mewar in modern-day Rajasthan, Vijay Singh, faced a rebellion from an ousted rival, his cousin Ram Singh. After losing a key battle, Vijay and five loyal men hoped to flee to Nagpaur under cover of night, but their horses were too weary, so Vijay hailed a passing ox-cart and went on alone.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, besides, despite, if, may, since, whereas.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
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