By Anil Raturi
Pandit Hari Krishna Raturi (former “Wazir” of Tehri Riyasat) in his classic book ” Garhwal Ka Ithihas” ( first published, Garhwali Press Dehradun, 1928) mentions the advent of one adi gaur, Satyanand Rajbal in the court of Kanakpal (Parmar Raja of Garhwal) at Chandpur Garhi ( near Adi Badri in Chamoli District) in samvat 980 (1045 CE).
Satyanand came from Gaurdesh, Malda,West Bengal, to teach the King’s son.
Raja Kanakpal gave Satyanand Rajbal the nearby village of Ratura ( one of the twelve ” bara thok” Sarola brahmin villages ) to make his home. In due course Satyanand’s progeny were called Raturis as they hailed from “Ratura” village.
The Raturis generally worked in the Rajas court. In 1512 CE, Raja Ajaypal, the 37th ruler of Garhwal, shifted the capital to Devalgarh. Some years later, Srinagar became the Garhwal King’s capital.
As the Raturis mostly served in the court, they too followed the Raja. Over generations, as their numbers proliferated, they had to settle in many other villages of Garhwal.
In 1659, the Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh’s son, Suleiman Shikoh, sought refuge in the court of Garhwal King Prithvipati Shah at Srinagar. This infuriated the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb who directed the King of Sirmour to attack the Garhwal Kingdom.
In 1660, the Garhwali army led by General Jaidev Raturi defeated the invading Sirmour army at the banks of Bhagirathi at Malideval (about 4 miles from Tehri) and captured the Sirmour King.
The King of Garhwal, delighted with his military’s success, granted land as “jagir” to General Jaidev Raturi. That “jagir” is today known as “Juwa Udaipur” patti (named after Jaidev Raturi) in Tehri.
Raja Prithipati also presented a “Khadak” (captured Sirmouri sword) to Jaidev Raturi as a souvenir. Subsequently, Jaidev settled in his new found “jagir” on the banks of Bhagirathi, in the village of “Godi Sirain,” Tehri.
The Nepalese had conquered Kumaon in 1790. However despite all their effort, they could not defeat Garhwal. Unfortunately, in 1803, Garhwal experienced a massive earthquake, in which the kingdom lost half of its population. When the Nepalese again attacked in 1804,the Garhwalis were compelled to fight with depleted resources. Despite the valour of the Garhwalis, their King Pradyuman Shah was killed in the battle of Khurbura in Doon, paving the way for the Nepalese conquest of Garhwal.
In 1815, the British East India Company’s troops defeated the Nepalese in the battle of Khalanga in Doon and annexed Garhwal and Kumaon.
The Garhwali Prince Sudershan Shah (son of King Pradyuman Shah) had assisted the British in the war against the Nepalese. Therefore, the British restored a truncated Garhwal Kingdom to him. He was given the land west of the Bhagirathi River.
In 1815, King Sudershan founded the Tehri town and made it the capital of his Riyasat.
Many Raturis rose to prominence during the Riyasat period. Pandit Kewalram Raturi of village Chham, Hindolakhal, became the “Wazir” in 1877 and served in the courts of King Pratap Shah and later King Kirti Shah. Pandit Harikrishna Raturi of village Jibala, Pratapnagar, was the “Wazir” from 1907-13 during the reign of Kirti Shah. He wrote the classic “Garhwal Ka Ithihas” in 1928. He also authored the “Narendra Hindu Law.”(Published by Naval Kishore Press Lucknow, 1918). A legal compendium that became a Bible for the Riyasat Courts.
Other prominent persons of the Raturi clan during this period of Riyasat were Rai Bahadur Ramadutt Raturi, Conservator of Forests in 1907, Rai Bahadur Devendra Dutt Raturi, Chief Secretary, Rai Sahab Hari Sharan Raturi, Administrator who developed the Tehri Sappers (military engineers), Rai Sahab Girdharilal Raturi,who as an engineer worked under the British in Basra,Iraq in 1935.His son Dr Ram Murti Raturi(Sharma) was a Civil Surgeon at the Doon Military Hospital during 1942-45.Dr Ram Murti founded the Girdharilal Hospital which is still running in Doon.
Dr Anand Sharan Raturi, a Havard Economist, became the first Vice Chancellor of Rohilkhand University, Bareilly. His son, Dr Amitabh Raturi became a renowned professor at Cincinnati University, USA.
Another prominent person, Col Pitr Sharan Raturi, was commissioned in the 1st Garhwal Rifles of the British Indian Army. In the Burma campaign, during the 2nd World War, he became a Japanese prisoner of war.
Later, under Subash Bose’s Indian National Army (INA), commanding a battalion, he was captured by the British. Accused of high treason, he was tried by the British in the famous INA trials held at Red Fort. Jawaharlal Nehru and other luminaries were his lawyers. Post independence, he was inducted in the Indian Police Service (IPS). In the 1950s, he served as Superintendent of Police, Dehradun. He rose to become the Director General of Aviation Research Centre (ARC) and SSB.
In 1966, Shambhu Sharan Raturi (who was educated at Tagore’s Shanti Niketan) as ADM Dehradun was instrumental in founding the now famous housing society of Vasant Vihar in Doon.
The Raturi clan has produced many famous poets, writers, journalists, and freedom fighters. Many of them continue to serve the country in the Armed Forces, IAS, IPS, Indian Foreign and Indian Forest Services (IFS) as well as in politics.
In 2004, due to the construction of Tehri Dam, the historical old town of Tehri was submerged under water. It ended a chapter of Garhwali culture.
The Raturis had preserved the “Khadak” (sword) given to General Jaidev Raturi in the Rajrajeshwari temple of ” Godi Sirain,” in old Tehri town.
When the town was submerged under water, the Raturis brought the historical ” Khadak” to Dehradun. They founded an organisation called “Raturivansham,” knitting together the world wide members of their clan. They built a small temple at Dehra Khas and kept their inspirational “Khadak” at this sacred place of “Devi Ma” in Dehradun.
Girish Sharan Raturi, a former Indian Army officer and also the first president, tirelessly worked to establish this organisation.
Apart from fostering esprit de corps, “Raturivansham” as an organisation aims to contribute towards the betterment of society in general. Recently, it honoured a young man, Dev Raturi of Ghansali,Tehri, who by the dint of sheer hard work has become a successful businessman in China. Fluent in Chinese, he owns a chain of Indian restaurants in China. He is also an accomplished actor and has featured in many Chinese films. His popularity is so amazing that a chapter in the local Chinese school is dedicated to his inspiring story!
At the recent “Uttarakhandi Pravasi Sammelan” organised by the State Government in Doon, Dev Raturi adopted two villages of Tehri for investment and development!
(Anil Raturi is a retired IPS officer who also served as DGP Uttarakhand)