The Life of Maharana Pratap and His Lessons on Leadership

“Leaders have defined purposes, politicians have ambitions, leaders turn vision into reality, bosses turn Opportunity into prosperity, employers define success in their own growth while leaders define success in the growth of their people, their community and their nation.”

Maharana Pratap-The Greatest Warrior and a Legendary Leader

It’s very difficult to define a leader and what’s even more difficult and rare is to find a true leader today. A great leader cultivates a winning culture and incorporates the prerequisite skills in his behavior that defines him a true leader and helps him win the trust of his people. Whenever leadership is discussed, the life and lessons of Maharan Pratap spontaneously arouse on the way. The King of Mewar, a great warrior, legendary leader and an endearing emperor of his people Rana Pratap is renowned for his valour and sacrifices. Born on May 9, 1540, Pratap was the eldest son of Udai Singh II, founder of Udaipur, and the 54^th ruler of Mewar in the line of Sisodia Rajputs, in the state of Rajasthan, India. After the demise of his father, he ascended the throne and soon became the ‘Mighty Maharana’ for his people. His selfless love for the honor of his motherland and his indomitable courage for freedom and wellbeing of his people paved the way for him to become Maharana from Rana; and the way was full of thorns and hurdles.

Let’s see how the heroic qualities of Pratap make him different from all other leaders ever existed:  

A Rock’s Will Against the Mighty Opponent

Akbar, the greatest of Mughal emperors, had an ambitious dream, the dream of conquering Mewar, the dream of becoming the Jahanpanah of Hindustan, the dream of submission of Maharana Pratap, the strongest and most fearsome warrior India has ever seen, but Akbar died saying wistfully that his dream remained just a dream. The pages of History that were written with the blood of Mewar reveal that Pratap wasn’t just a name; it was an epitome of valour, determination and martyrdom. His undying love for his motherland, leadership skills and military prowess laid the foundation of his victory against a formidable army of Mughals and a sensitive human in him made him an invincible king of Mewar.

How to Prepare for Adversities

Great leaders are always aware of the Challenges and adversities and they invest a part of their time and energy to insure their people against catastrophe. They believe in rising above the turmoil and work out a strategy, they implement meticulously and emerge triumphant. Rana Pratap had all these qualities to fight back the sudden and repetitive attacks of Mughals. Renowned for his Guerilla warfare, Maharana’s prowess to fight battles left the Mughal soldiers flabbergasted and despite being double the size of Mewar military they could not capture him. After repetitive attacks he was running out of resources but he didn’t lose hope and ramped up his efforts towards a decisive victory to fulfill his commitment to his people. When Rana refused to surrender to Akbar, he was left isolated geographically and politically by other Rajput chiefs but he kept waiting for right moment to recover his lost territory and he succeeded the battle of Dewair.

Interesting Read: Women-Warriors-Demand-Gender-Neutrality

How to Fight with Minimal Resources

A leader knows his strengths and flaws very well and can distinguish between intelligible consumption and expenditure. Pratap was alienated from all Rajput kings and he knew he couldn’t expect any support from them. Despite his minimal resources the Mughal Army could never find him a sitting duck as Pratap had a well fortified intellect to thwart all the Mughal attacks. He was highly skilled in military strategies and guerilla warfare so the Mughals could never withstand him for a longer period. The thickly wooded foothills of Aravali had witnessed a massive bloodshed in the battle of Haldighati which began on 18 June, 1576 between Rana Pratap with a force of 3000 cavalry and 400 Bhil archers and the sizeable Mughal army comprising 10,000 soldiers, led by Man Singh of Amber. It was a fierce fight inflicting many casualties on Mewar army yet remained indecisive. Hoodwinking Man Singh and his soldiers Rana Pratap managed an escape with the help of his most faithful horse, Chetak who lost his life after being injured in his last Effort to save Rana and the battle proved a deadlock between Akbar and Rana Pratap.  

Wars, pandemic, terrorism, internal & external threats and other natural disasters assess the leaders of a country and it’s always the courage, intent and a perfect planning that work more efficiently and effectively than delusive promises and unorganized supplies and resources. Working on bigger goals with broader vision can safeguard many with minimal resources.

Winning the Trust of People

For a leader it’s very important to balance his deeds and diction. If any difference is witnessed, people start losing trust in him. A leader must have an expanded vision so that he can accommodate the wellbeing of his people and sustain their faith in him. The adage,’ action speaks louder than words’, was proven by Maharana Pratap; he was resolute and unswerving in his refusal to submit to Akbar and left all the luxuries and comforts of Royals for the sake of freedom of his people. He resolved not to live a royal life until he regained his kingdom from Mughals. His sacrifices had lasting impact on his people and Bhamashah, an affluent businessman turned up to Rana and donated all his wealth to meet out the military expenses and replenish the resources. It was such a huge fund that could maintain an army of 25000 soldiers for 12 years without any other sources. On just one call, his people were ready to abandon everything and willingly set to sacrifice their life for the sovereignty of Mewar.

Leaders Believe in Loyalty and Equality

For a great leader his loyalty towards his people becomes his sole religion and the only aim of life. It is said that Akbar had offered half of the Hindustan to Pratap in lieu of his submission to Mughal Empire but for Rana, the valour of his men and honour of the women of Mewar were his utmost priority and he guarded that till his last breath. He preserved the pride of his land and respected everyone irrespective of caste and creed. He treated the rich and the poor, the weak and the strong and the men and Women equally; he never discriminated on the basis of the categories in the society prevailing those days. His army comprised all the castes and he was always a source of inspiration for them.

A leader responds to his people’s needs and cries promptly and finds solutions to their problems to console them in their distress. The practices of Favoritism can destroy even the strongest system and this lesson of Maharana’s life is very important for today’s leaders to become a source of strength and comfort to their society at large.

Leaders have the Best Strategy and Planning to Combat

A leader turns into a role model for thousands and they like to emulate him. A leader’s conduct is a constant inspiration for his people. When thinking is clear and precise the actions yield perfect results and Pratap was the exemplary leader who had such qualities. The struggle he had undergone after the battle of Haldighati turned him into a great leader and warrior. Finally the Mewar army witnessed the dawn that they were waiting for long. 16 September, 1582, the day of the battle of Dewair on the occasion of Vijayadashmai when Rana Pratap conquered his territory and fulfilled his commitment to his people and his soil  but very few know about this victorious day in his life as this fierce battle is nowhere mentioned in our History books. We should read our History to Discard Distory that we have been taught in our schools. Rana Pratap finalized a valley situated between Udaipur and Ajmer as the battlefield and attacked the Mughal army. Rana killed the Mughal commander and won the battle. This battle resulted into one of  the biggest surrender in the known history of India where 36000 Mughal soldiers surrendered to Rana Pratap.  

According to historian Satish Chandra, "Rana Pratap's defiance of the Mughal Empire, almost alone and unaided by the other Rajput states, constitutes a glorious saga of Rajput valour and the spirit of self-sacrifice for cherished principles.

The LIFE of Maharana Pratap and his lessons on leadership give an inspiration to all those who see a leader in them. A very important point to be remembered here is a leader's life is never his own, his life belonged to his people, his team who support him, trust him and have their unwavering faith in him.