Well today folks, I shall relate a true story that started from the 'glory' days of Britain's colonial empire then stretched up until the 1980s (when I was a wee lad), and the disappearance of a truly vast treasure from the vaults of a former maharajah from a state in northern India which is still a flashpoint in the world between two nuclear-armed neighbours.
In the middle of the 19th century when Britain was consolidating its power and grip on India, there was a huge state in the north that produced the best sapphires from its mines in the world. The state was a crossroads and was part of the old Silk Road. It was/is strategic and has always been considered a melting pot of cultures, religions and schools of philosophy.
The ferenghi (British) acquired the state through subterfuge (yes, even the prim and proper Brits weren't averse to using duplicity to achieve its aims!) and subsequently 'sold' the state to local equally duplicitous self-styled 'raja'. This raja aimed to start his own dynasty and impose his rule on this vast and diverse area.
All went well and for near enough a century, finances, power and influence was achieved. The royal treasury by this time had grown to include several trunks of gold coins, amazingly crafted and jewel encrusted swords, daggers, aigrettes, vessels and jewellery. There was also numerous priceless sapphires of a hue not found anywhere else on earth...
By 1947, Blighty knew the sun was setting on its "Jewel in the Crown" and it was necessary to grant independence and let the people govern themselves. A problem arose in this particular state; the vast majority of its citizens wanted to accede to one newly created nation whereas the ruler wanted to keep his independence. For a time Princey thought he'd take part in a game of diplomatic chess and play one set off against the other and try and maintain his state's neutrality. Well one side got frustrated in this deadlock and as so often happens, conflated politics with religion and incited local tribes to invade this state with the hope of forcing its rule. Princey had his own private army but it was no match for the ferocious and zealous tribals who had been a thorn in the side since the days of Alexander the Great, and the princey found himself in a quandary. He tried appealing for assistance to the Britishers but they demurred and said that it was now an "Indian" administration and, therefore, they could not intercede in sovereign issues. Princey knew that if he "invited" the Injuns to support him, they'd incorporate his state into the newly created country of India.
Princey had a mountainous state where communications were not easy and logistical issues even more troublesome. Before he knew it, the tribals were at the gates of his palace and he had to flee to protect his and his family's lives...
Now it was one thing to get out themselves but he also had the real issue of the Royal treasury which, of course, he deemed his personal property. Should he try and take the humongous trunks of pure ostentatious wealth and risk their lives or make a break and leave the treasure in a 'secure' location...?
Well, personal safety won the day and Princey made a sharpish exit with his family, some retainers and a portion of the wealth for immediate expenses. The vast bulk of the treasure was trusted to his personal secretary whose family had been serving Princey's family for the preceding 100 years since the creation of the state. The secretary was of a different religion and would not be targeted by the religious bigots of the invading tribes and his ancestors had lived in the area since time immemorial. Secretary vowed to carry out his duty with honour, dignity and loyalty until the return of Princey...
Mr Princey fled to the top hotel in Mumbai (then "Bombay") and gathered his thoughts in 5* luxury. As anticipated, the India government annexed his state and this actually led to war with its equally new neighbour. Now Princey was in an utter quandary; as his state no longer 'existed' so didn't 'his' wealth- it was part of the revenue of India and as soon as Princey tried to reclaim any of it, the government would soon commandeer it. He reflected on his predicament and dreamed of the opulent treasure now seemingly out of his grasp...
The wealth and huge incomes of most former princeys was being taken over by the Socialist Indian government and replaced by privy purses regarded as "pittances" when considering what had been taken away. Years passed but the situation grew still more hostile in Princey's former state and a new war was brewing between the Indians and the Chinese in the early 1960s. Princey saw an opportunity to try and 'win' some influence with the Indian government and made a huge financial contribution to the country's military expenditure in the hope that he'd be able to reclaim the majority of his now idle treasury. Well before a single shot had been fired, Princey breathed his last and passed away, frustrated in never having reclaimed what he felt was his...
The family of Princey continued to try and win back what they felt was there's but it was in vain. Actually when I say "family" I mean Princey's fourth wife as he was fond of the old rumpy-pumpy and didn't have a 'conventional' family in any sense of the word, In fact, Princey had been set-up and blackmailed by some not so nice people - again those naughty British! - in the 1920s, and was 'caught' with a 'married' white lady in a Paris hotel and paid a huge amount of "hush" money but it came out and there was a trial and huge amount of scandal and titillation in the press at the time and one of the blackmailer's was later involved in the Sacambaya Treasure story!
The Princey had one son from his fourth marriage but he didn't want nothing to do with his father's battle and actually joined the Indian government.
The treasure...?
Well all ambled along in India as is the case sometimes, until the 1980s...
Then, all of a sudden, a wizened old man came forward with a remarkable story...
He detailed how his former rajah master had entrusted him with a great duty and he was now in constant fear as he had no male heirs to take his place as watchman and he was therefore extremely concerned as to what would happen to the enormous treasure he was responsible for...
Well, as sometimes happened (and still does) corrupt local and national officials and politicians got wind of this huge hoard that was kept in the most nondescript of rundown buildings and couldn't believe that a single old chaps had the keys to it...
IPUK
....he created the collectible himself in a way...once I read in a book on picking antiques and the author put his observation on a certain phenomenon on how things become valuable...he said some shrewd individuals decide to make some ordinary stuff "collectable" just as one thinks of a project...then they go on hoarding it until it disappears...they create scarcity...but still the ordinary stuff is not desired and not in high demand...hence they go on publishing books about it...giving speeches.. Creating clubs...creating discussion forums..etc...now they created the demand as well...but the stuff is nowhere to be found...so now with rarity (as a result of scarcity by hoarding) and demand created by all the initiatives to market it in place... These individuals slowly bring out their hoarded stuff to sell it as valuable collectible...
..today I read it while waiting for a haircut... The secretary should have been careful and should not have allowed the treasure to fall into the hands of the corrupt officials.... At least he should have secretly passed the info to a group of charity homes that feed the poor and needy...
