Tale of Sawai Man Singh II and Gayatri Devi

Chandni S Chandel

Most of us are enamoured by the life of Maharani Gayatri Devi, nee Ayesha, of Jaipur as an epitome of grandeur, opulence and magnificence of Indian royalty. But unravelling details of feudalism and uncovering the secrets of palaces, without wearing the tinted glasses of bias, is John Zubrzycki.

‘The House of Jaipur’ revolves around Sawai Man Singh II or Jai, his lineage, and his third wife, the enigmatic Gayatri Devi. Also in focus are his first two wives, Jodhpur maharaja’s sister Marudhar Kanwar, 22, and her niece, Kishor Kumari, 5, who were betrothed to nine-year-old Jai.

Infested with intrigue and internecine conflicts for property post-Jai’s death, this book is full of well cross-checked facts quoting many authors, giving different perspectives yet presenting a holistic view.

Commoners have always worshipped the royals as being descendants of gods (the present-day Jaipur royal and BJP MP Diya Kumari claims that her father was the 311th descendant of Lord Rama’s son Kush). However, the author uncoils the mysteries of Jaipur lineage beginning from Maharaja Madho Singh II, who was adopted from the small jagir of Isarda near Jaipur to the present heir, Padmanabh, who was adopted by his maternal grandfather Bhawani Singh aka Bubbles, the stepson of Gayatri Devi.

The British Residents took over the guardianship of young princes, born mostly abroad, not necessarily to mould them, but to educate them. Till then, the royals were deep into old worn-out shibboleths and unscientific experiments based on hearsay. Once Sawai Madho Singh was made to roll over in the ashes of a cremated sadhu to get him cured of a medical ailment. Most princes were forcibly educated. It was difficult to get them out of the “soft love of ease and luxury”.

The readers also get enlightened about the fact that when the common people were on the streets fighting for Independence, these rajas were either ensconced in the zenanas or enjoying their summer sojourns in England, and managing ancestral fortunes. There was hardly anything Indian about them. Gayatri Devi was fluent in English and French but couldn’t speak Hindi at all initially. She would only listen to Sinatra or Cole Porter; the princes and princesses were nicknamed Bubbles, Pat, Joey, Mickey by their British nurses.

After Independence, they suffered the loss of privy purses, property, and that they would be governed under the Indian Constitution brought them on par with the hoi polloi. But to distance themselves, they started dabbling in politics. Some, like Gayatri Devi, were successful, others like Bhawani Singh weren’t.

Though the author has culled out facts so close to truth that the line between the common and royal gets blurred, Zubrzycki has painted the British only in a positive light, with only the right decisions of the British being showcased. However, overall, it is a good read, interesting and informative.