Albion Rajkumar Banerji

Sir Albion Rajkumar Banerji Esq. M.A.I.C.S. (10 October 1871 – 25 February 1950) was an Indian civil servant and administrator who served as the Diwan of Cochin from 1907 to 1914, 21st Diwan of Mysore from 1922 to 1926, and as Prime Minister of Kashmir from 1927 to 1929.

Sir Albion Rajkumar Banerji CSI CIE
c. 1911
Prime Minister of Kashmir
In office 1927–1929
Monarch	Hari Singh
Preceded by	Padam Deo Singh
Succeeded by	G. E. C. Wakefield
21st Diwan of the Mysore kingdom
In office 1922–1926
Monarch	Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV
Preceded by	M. Kantaraj Urs
Succeeded by	Sir Mirza Ismail
Diwan of Cochin kingdom
In office 1907–1914
Preceded by	Nemali Pattabhirama Rao
Succeeded by	J. W. Bhore
Personal details
Born	10 October 1871 Bristol, United Kingdom
Died	25 February 1950(1950-02-25) (aged 78) Calcutta, India
Alma mater	University of Calcutta Balliol College, Oxford
Occupation	Civil Servant

Early life and education

Banerji was born in Bristol in the Bengali Brahmo family of Sasipada Banerji. His father was a noted social reformer and labour activist from Baranagar near Calcutta. His mother Rajkumari Banerji was one of the first upper class Indian women to visit England. The family returned to India in 1872 and he was educated at the General Assembly's Institution and graduated from the University of Calcutta. Subsequently, he earned his master's degree at the Balliol College, Oxford and joined the Indian Civil Services in 1895.^[1]

He married Nalini Gupta, daughter of Sir Krishna Govinda Gupta, the 6th Indian to join the ICS, who, towards the end of his distinguished career in the civil service, went to the Secretary of State's Council in London.

Career

Magistrate

He cleared the Imperial Civil Service examinations in 1894 and was appointed Assistant Collector and Magistrate in the Madras Presidency.

Diwan A. R. Banerji

Foundational Contributions

Sir Albion Rajkumar Banerji Esq. M.A.I.C.S. presented the Diwan's Cup for the inter-school sports held in February 1908.

Premierships

Kingdom of Cochin

Banerji was appointed Diwan of Cochin in May 1907 and served till 1914.^[2] He introduced The Cochin State Manual.^[3]

Kingdom of Mysore

Banerji became a minister (councillor as they were known) in Diwan Sir M. Visvesvaraya's cabinet in 1914. After the resignation of Visvesvaraya as Diwan, Banerji became the First Councillor in Diwan Sir M. Kantaraj Urs's cabinet. Banerji would have left Mysore service much earlier but ended up as the Diwan of Mysore since Urs resigned owing to ill health. He served as Diwan from 1922 to 1926. In 1923, he sought the help of Brajendranath Seal to create a constitution for the Kingdom of Mysore.^[4] He signed the 1924 Cauvery accord with the Madras Presidency.

Kingdom of Kashmir

Banerji was appointed the first and only prime minister of Kashmir in 1927 to Maharaja Hari Singh. He resigned in 1929 over differences with maharaja on the grounds of his lavish lifestyle sustained by a poor population. His wrote:

Jammu and Kashmir state is labouring under many disadvantages, with a large Mohammedan population absolutely illiterate, labouring under poverty and very low economic conditions of living in the villages, and practically governed like dumb driven cattle. There is no touch between the government and the people, no suitable opportunity for representing grievances... The administration has at present no or little sympathy with people's wants and grievances...^[5]

Publications

• Indian Affairs (a quarterly journal published from London).
• Indian Tangle (Hutchinson—London)
• Indian Path-Finder (Kemp Hall Press—Oxford)
• Rhythm Of Living (Ryder & Co -London)
• Looking Ahead in Wartime (Harmony Press-London)
• What is Wrong with India (Kitabistan—Allahabad)
• Through an Indian Camera (Bangalore Press)

Honours

• Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (1912)
• Companion of the Order of the Star of India (1921)
• Knighthood (1925)