The story of the Indian king who converted 10 Rolls Royce into garbage carriers
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Jai Singh Prabhakar had a reputation for being whimsical. He was known for his lavish lifestyle, extravagant parties, and eccentric hobbies.
He once ordered a special train to transport his favourite horse to Bombay, where he had booked a suite for it in a five-star hotel.
He also had a habit of changing his clothes several times a day, and wearing a different turban for each occasion.
As the story goes, in 1920, the Maharaja of Alwar, a fabulously wealthy ruler hose name was Jai Singh Prabhakar, visited London, and one day decided to walk around the city “incognito,” wearing ordinary English clothes.
Passing by a Rolls Royce showroom, Jai Singh decided to go inside.
He asked the staff about the specifications of the Rolls Royce cars and their prices.
However, the salesmen just saw a man with the face of an Indian.
Ignoring his request for a test drive, the staff went so far as to rudely show the Maharaja out the door.
Jai Singh Prabhakar was furious and left the showroom.
The Maharaja got back to his hotel and asked for an official visit of the Indian king to the Rolls Royce showroom to be arranged.
When he appeared in his formal outfit, dressed in sparkling clothes and jewelry, the Maharaja was welcomed with a red carpet and employees standing on both sides of it paying their respects to the king.
Jai Singh Prabhakar then bought all the six cars on display, and paid for them on the spot. He also ordered four more cars to be delivered to India.
When he returned to India, Jai Singh Prabhakar gave an order to the Municipality in New Delhi to use the cars for collecting garbage.
So, there were six brand-new Rolls Royce models sweeping the streets of New Delhi, and carrying the garbage away.
Rolls Royce, a brand in use since 1906 and the number-one car manufacturer in the world in the 1920s, was humiliated and upset about the Maharaja’s treatment of its cars.
Apparently, the reputation of the company suffered because of this event in New Delhi.
“Oh, the same car used in India for carrying garbage” became a sentence associated with Rolls Royce.
The story continues that apologies from Rolls Royce for the way the employees behaved towards him.
The car executives pleaded for him to stop using the vehicles for transporting garbage and also sent him a gift of another six cars.
Satisfied that a lesson had been learned, Jai Singh granted their request.
Ref: The story of the Indian king who converted 10 Rolls Royce into garbage carriers (timesofindia
Photo Credit: Royal Treasury Trust
