A Princess Remembered

A Princess Remembered

(Gayatri Devi's book on her life written along with Santha Rama Rau was titled, A Princess Remembers)

Reflecting on the course of history, I have always wondered why the British held on to India well after it had ceased to be their principal cash cow…reading of the news of the death yesterday, of Her Highness Maharani Gayatri Devi Sahiba, the former Maharani of Jaipur, known to her close circle as Ayesha, it all came to me in a moment of epiphany…the glittering glamour of it all held them fascinated till the efforts of a ‘half naked fakir walking up the steps of Buckingham Palace to parley on equal terms with the King Emperor’ prised the jewel away…

Maharani Gayatri Devi, was to begin with, the beautiful daughter of a beautiful mother. Her mother, the then Princess Indira Raje was a stunning beauty herself, and, in true Raj style, Gayatri Devi was born in London. Her education included Tagore’s Shantinekatan (don’t know if she was there at the same time as her bete noire, Indira Gandhi), a finishing school in Switzerland, and, interestingly, a stint at the London School of Secretaries. In 1939, Gayatri Devi married His Highness Lieutenant General Saramad-i-Rajahai Hindustan Raj Rajendra Sri Maharajadhiraj Sir (all his titles, amounting to Super King of Kings) Sawai Man Singh Bahadur, the then Maharaja of Jaipur, subsequently first Rajpramukh (Governor) of Rajasthan in free India, Indian Ambassador to Spain, and, perhaps best known for his prowess at polo.

Maharani Gayatri Devi’s life, till India became independent, for the most was about chiffon, crystals, champagne and caviar. When her co-wife (is that a correct term ?) known to her as ‘didi’ (elder sister) Manudhar Kanwar, the then elder Maharani gave birth to Bhawani Singh, the royal fountains at the palace in Jaipur flowed with champagne, giving the child the nickname that has stayed, Bubbles. The wealth of the royal house of Jaipur is beyond legendary. There is a reputedly a cave in a hill in Jaipur guarded by a tribe fiercely loyal to the royals that contains a portion of the wealth of the Jaipur royal family. Every Maharaja is allowed, at the start of his career, to visit the cave once and pick a priceless jewel of his choice. This is the sort of wealth that no 649 lottery (a Canadian lottery) can conjure up.

But, as they say, everything changes…in fact, change is the only permanent thing in life…

Pandrah August, or, 15th August, 1947, changed all that. In theory, the people of India took over on that day. Starting from then, the Maharajas who claimed descent from the Sun and other such Gods have had to move out, to give way to Maharajas with less divine ancestry, the politicians of the new India.

Gayatri Devi got caught in the middle of all this social revolution. With the thunder of loss of privilege rolling in the air, Gayatri Devi joined hands with C. Rajagopalachari, the former Governor General, himself smarting from being denied the first Presidentship of the Indian Republic and others, to form the right wing Swatantra Party in 1959. Needless to add, with the prevailing socialist wind blowing, the party fared miserably in the 1962 election. The only saving grace for the Swatantra Party in the 1962 elections was Gayatri Devi herself. She went around the villages of her constituency (till recently her fiefdom) clad in her chiffon saris asking, commanding her loyal subject to vote for her. Her subjects, many of whom may not have known of the changed situation, post-1947, listened to her. 192,909of the 246,516 ballots cast in the Jaipur City constituency were in her favour. Guinness Book of Records used to record this at one time as the biggest landslide election victory. Don't know if it still holds good...

Of course, the clash of the titans was reserved for her fights with the real Maharani of India, Indira Gandhi. Reportedly because Gayatri Devi refused Indira Gandhi access to the cave where the Jaipur wealth was stored away, Indira Gandhi foisted an Income Tax case on her. This was followed by a five month stint for Gayatri Devi at Delhi’s notorious Tihar jail. The two continued to snarl at each other, till Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984.

In recent years, the Maharani had retired to a less active political life, though about ten years ago the Trinamool Congress was thinking of nominating her for a election contest. I think she gracefully refused, and, continued sipping champagne in the comfort of her many homes around the world. Whatever she may have or not been, she was the ultimate portrait of traditional regal beauty and grace.

I notice that some newspapers are calling her death, “The death of the last queen of India…” I think they are somewhat correct. With her, the princely India that claimed descent from the Sun and other Gods is gone…don’t know if the newly emerging royalty that is not able to claim divine ancestry can match the antics of the one just taking its curtain call…