The 'maharani' who got away with riches

Pratap Singh Rao Gaekwad of Baroda's 'second marriage' to Sita Devi was a morass—and a thorn in the side of the colonial and the new Congress government

- Manu S. Pillai

On 6 November 1943, Meka Rangaiah Appa Rao—zamindar of Vuyyuru in today's Andhra Pradesh—received a letter from his wife of ten years. It was a short paragraph, probably worded by a lawyer, and carried important news. "I have become a Muslim," the lady announced, and taken the name Sheherazade. But the crux of the matter was this: "in order that our relationship of husband and wife might continue," she wished for Appa Rao to follow her into the new faith. When the man said no thank you, Sheherazade moved the city courts to pronounce their union invalid—a wish that was granted by Christmas Eve. With that she terminated a marriage she declared had always been unhappy. But then there was a twist, or in a colonial official's words, a "first-class scandal." For it suddenly dawned upon Sheherazade, who only days ago proclaimed to a judge that she did not "like the Hindu faith," that she did, in fact, like it. Making use of Arya Samaj rituals, she reconverted to her ancestral religion, retired her Muslim name, and on 31 December at 9 pm acquired a fresh (Hindu) husband. Her conviction in Islam had lasted under three months; the moment her divorce was confirmed, Sheherazade became, once again, Sita Devi, princess of Pithapuram.