Trikamrao Sahebrao Pawar beamed with pride as he rode in a gleaming chariot drawn by horses with decorated coverings. Around him, revellers danced to the beat of drums in a unique procession to celebrate India's only titular kings.
It is the time of the year when the five descendants of former tribal Bhil rulers — all wearing matching brand-new, crisp white outfits, complete with a turban — come together for an extravaganza.
However, these monarchs' reigns only last a single day each year.
“I feel overwhelmed with all the attention. I enjoy it all, even if it is just for a day,” Mr Pawar, 48, told The National. This year, the entire festival lasts from March 11 to March 15.
The ancestors of Mr Pawar and four other male relatives were tribal kings of Dangs region — a forested belt in the Western Ghats mountains — now a small district in western Gujarat state, with about 300 tribal villages.
They represent the “kingdoms” of Pimpri, Linga, Daher, Gadhvi and Vasurna, located among teak forest.
But while other descendants of Indian royalty still live in opulent palaces and enjoy regal luxuries, despite losing their titles decades ago, these kings have rather more modest lifestyles.
During the rest of the year, they live like their ordinary “subjects”, working in the fields, rearing cattle and running their households.
Mr Pawar and others say they are peasants and have no inheritance. They live in extreme poverty with their extended family in thatched houses, toiling hard to make ends meet.
Their children have received no education and work as drivers or do manual work to supplement the family's income, while their queens take charge of the household. Their make a living out of cutting plantations in the forests.
The royals are held in respect by the tribal population, who invite them on special occasions like weddings and continue to hold sway on social issues in the tribal community.
But ahead of the Hindu festival of colours, Holi, the government holds an extravagant five-day Dang Darbar festival to honour the men and their royal lineage.
They are officially treated as kings for a day and sit with the government dignitaries and receive their annual pension while holding their annual “court”, in a tradition that began in British colonial times.
In the mid-19th century, the British tried to conquer the tribal lands on several occasions but were pushed back by the warrior Bhil kings, who defeated the colonisers each time.
Britain made an accord with the kings in 1842 for the lease of the forest to fell teak, in lieu of an annual sum and recognition of their rule over the vast tribal lands.
The colonialists also introduced the tradition of the annual unique ceremony where they lauded the kings and handed over the annual sum.
Dangs never became part of British India, and neither was its occupied by any neighbouring kingdom.
But when the British left India in 1947, New Delhi made Dangs a part of the former state of Bombay, before its inclusion in the state of Gujarat in 1960.
In 1954, the government passed a resolution that took away all the rights and privileges of the kings, granting them a hereditary political pension instead.
It abolished the privy purse of nearly 500 erstwhile rulers in 1971 to reduce the financial burden, but continued to give political pensions to the Dang kings, along with their official recognition of the royal title.
In the tradition's current form, the descendants of the Bhil kings are brought to Ahwa, the district headquarters of the Dangs, every year, where they are groomed, given a haircut and presented with new clothes.
On the day of the main event, they are carried on decorated, gold-painted carts, along with their chieftains, in a procession to receive their pension from the state governor.
While the kings, whose ages range from their 30s to 60s, say they appreciate the government endorsement of their title, they are less pleased with the sum they receive as a pension.
The state governor on Sunday handed 3 million rupees ($39,200) to the royals descendants, which is divided between the kings and other court royals.
Each king received an average pension of 8,000 rupees a month.
Chhatrasinh Bhavarsinh Suryavanshi, 38, ruler of the Linga dynasty is critical of the government's treatment of the kings.
“We have nothing left except this name and a few acres of land but we don’t make much money. And then they give us peanuts in pension,” Mr Suryavanshi told The National.
Mr Suryavanshi said his grandfather was one of the richest kings in the tribal land, with silver coins worth millions of rupees in his possession.
But now he and his family live in a wooden hut.
“My grandfather had an elephant, horses and treasure worth 30 kilograms of silver coins. But he buried it in the forest and nobody knows where the coins are,” Mr Suryavanshi said.
“We have no inheritance and no scope to make extra money. We are not educated and know no other skill,” he said.
However, the government is planning to increase the pension amount, after years of demands from the one-time royals.
“With the positive approach of the state government, the amount of political pension would be increased soon,” Gujarat Tribal Development Minister Nareshbhai Patel, said at the event.
The tribal kings are elated with the announcement.
“The government already respects us. If they also raise our pension amount, all our problems will end,” Mr Pawar said.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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DUBAI CARNIVAL RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Dubai Future, Harry Bentley (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner Dubai Love, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Equilateral, James Doyle, Charles Hills.
8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m
Winner Laser Show, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Glorious Journey, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
More from Janine di Giovanni
Fixtures
50-over match
UAE v Lancashire, starts at 10am
Champion County match
MCC v Surrey, four-day match, starting on Sunday, March 24, play starts at 10am
Both matches are at ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City. Admission is free.
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
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Company%20Profile
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Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
