Dear heritage seekers,

Many a fables surround Princely India. Stories, legacies and tales of refinement.  Welcome to FABLES OF THE ROYALS, a blog that celebrates this rich legacy, seeing it through the eyes of the present day scions.

Privy to an inherited history, these young Indians, otherwise proud citizens to democratic India, hold the threads of their past with reverence.  Quietly working towards its conservation and evolution. This blog is an attempt to present them and their lives’ oeuvres.

We have young royals talk in their tees and jeans about their lives’ goal to Baby Baisa, Sanjanna Sharma, our youngest columnist. Scion of the Bikaner royal family, she is a class tenth student at Shri Ram School. She meets and quizzes other royals on their lives’ goals as they talk of universities to go to, jobs to seek, and palaces to conserve!!

 We profile young royal Shiv Arjun Singh who is now playing the role of the hard working hotelier, conserving his Mandawa castle and haveli and opening it to other heritage lovers to experience.

In the book, culture, music section we present a creative sojourn of a royal. The inaugural issue focusing on the very informative book by respected wildlife conservationist M.K. Ranjit Sinh Wankaner. His daughter, the young Maharani of Baroda, Radhika Raje Gaekwad writes a critique. An erstwhile journalist in Indian Express newspaper she writes with a finesse of a pro.

We salute the Princess of Jaipur Diya Kumari for her spectacular fund raiser Nobility for ability held recently in Jaipur. And last not least we chat about Ghoomar with Tripti Singh Daudsar of Twirl with Grace, a forum that promotes Ghoomar as a dance-form. A salient point in  the silent protest of royals who are genuinely hurt at the misrepresentation of their beloved Maharani Padmini of Udaipur is the Ghoomar song. Tripti Singh talks of the origins of Ghoomar.

Welcome to edition one of “Fables of the Royals’.

Happy  content cruising,

Anshu Khanna