Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai (Aged 64), also known as Darbar Gopaldas Desai, was born in 1887. He was a prince who ascended the throne of the State of Dhasa in Saurashtra and a well-known Gandhian political and social activist. He is renowned for being the first prince in India to give up his principality to become a freedom fighter against the British Raj.
He became the ruler of Dhasa after his maternal grandfather Ambaidas adopted him as the heir to the throne. Gopaldas was a supporter of Mohandas Gandhi and the Indian National Congress, and he often provided them with financial support. He was a progressive ruler who provided free education to his subjects. He even opened the first Montessori school in the State of Gujarat, and possibly in all of India.
However, his state was confiscated, and he was deposed as ruler by the British after he disobeyed the British Resident General’s warnings against his involvement in the national movement and extending financial support to Gandhi. During the 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement, the entire Desai family, including Gopaldas’s newborn grandson, was imprisoned. The Desais were also active participants in the Quit India Movement.
Gopaldas and Bhaktiba tirelessly worked for the Gandhian causes of eradicating untouchability and promoting women’s education. After India gained independence, in 1947, Darbar Gopaldas was given the honour of laying the foundation stone of Kirti Mandir, the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi in his birthplace, Porbandar. He is remembered as the first prince among about 550 princely states to voluntarily and unconditionally merge his principality with the Indian Union. Recently, Rajmohan Gandhi authored “The Prince of Gujarat,” a biography of Darbar Gopaldas Desai. He pased away by 1951.
Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai
(1887 – 1951) – (Gujarart)
Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai (Aged 64), also known as Darbar Gopaldas Desai, was born in 1887. He was a prince who ascended the throne of the State of Dhasa in Saurashtra and a well-known Gandhian political and social activist. He is renowned for being the first prince in India to give up his principality to become a freedom fighter against the British Raj.
He became the ruler of Dhasa after his maternal grandfather Ambaidas adopted him as the heir to the throne. Gopaldas was a supporter of Mohandas Gandhi and the Indian National Congress, and he often provided them with financial support. He was a progressive ruler who provided free education to his subjects. He even opened the first Montessori school in the State of Gujarat, and possibly in all of India.
However, his state was confiscated, and he was deposed as ruler by the British after he disobeyed the British Resident General’s warnings against his involvement in the national movement and extending financial support to Gandhi. During the 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement, the entire Desai family, including Gopaldas’s newborn grandson, was imprisoned. The Desais were also active participants in the Quit India Movement.
Gopaldas and Bhaktiba tirelessly worked for the Gandhian causes of eradicating untouchability and promoting women’s education. After India gained independence, in 1947, Darbar Gopaldas was given the honour of laying the foundation stone of Kirti Mandir, the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi in his birthplace, Porbandar. He is remembered as the first prince among about 550 princely states to voluntarily and unconditionally merge his principality with the Indian Union. Recently, Rajmohan Gandhi authored “The Prince of Gujarat,” a biography of Darbar Gopaldas Desai. He pased away by 1951.
News