Uttamchand Gandhi

'Ota Bapa', the father of Karamchand Gandhi, and thus grandfather of Mahatma Gandhi, was the first in the family to hold the position of Diwan (Prime Minister) of the Porbandar Princely State and later of Junagadh. Resisted against the tyrannical Queen Mother Rupaliba under the rule of Rana Vikmatji, the widow of Rana Khimoji. Became daftari at 17. The treasurer fell out of favour with her and was sentenced to death. Uttamchand protected him and guarded his house with an Arabian bodyguard. The queen sent cannons to blow down his walls. They fell but his house still remained intact. As such, he left for Junagadh to once again settle in his ancestral village of Kutiyana. Here he saluted the Nawab with his left hand, explaining that his right one was reserved for the Rana of Porbandar. The Queen Mother died in 1841 so he returned to serve in Porbandar after a stint in Junagadh. All of his property was duly restored. He served under Vikmatji but not as diwan (refusing the position). By 1847, Karamchand (Kaba) Gandhi, his son, was appointed as the new Diwan.