The Fairy Tale Debutante: Princess Gauravi Kumari
Out of the silken darkness, emerged the city of Jaipur. I have always been mesmerized by the grandeur of the city of Jaipur and its vibrant culture. I rushed to be on time, dealing with the hustling peak hour traffic of Gurgaon, to get a glimpse of the city through the words of a person who has seen Jaipur like no other. I can not think of anyone better than Princess Gauravi Kumari, daughter of Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur and Maharaj Narendra Singh, to tell me more about what I could just see.
As soon as I entered Maharani Bagh, I was ushered in by a uniformed security guard and a woman who carried the essence of Rajasthan in the drapes of her Salwar Kameez and beautiful pair of anklets. They led me to a beautifully furnished drawing room to meet Princess Gauravi Kumari. She adorned a pair of black leggings and a tee, with her fascinating black hair open. She started the conversation by making me comfortable with a warm hug and we instantly started talking after taking our seat on the sofa.
Princess Gauravi described her personality to be patient, understanding and positive. She worships her hero, her mother, Princess Diya Kumari, who is a sitting MLA from Sawai Madhopur. She reminisced that while growing up, she always looked upon her mother who dedicated her life to her political position, family business and her three children, and never missed out on any one of these by making sure that she manages it well and give equal time to all three.
On asking if she would ever follow the footsteps of her mother into politics, she showed more interest in being a part of her mother’s Princess Diya Kumari Foundation. She has an elder brother, His Highness Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur and a younger brother, His Highness Maharaja Lakshraj Prakash of Sirmaur. Reminiscing her childhood, she remembers how she and her younger brother would go to the Rajmahal with their grandfather, His Late Highness Brigadier Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh ji of Jaipur, to spend time with him and swim. It was one of the most memorable times of her life since those were the last few years that she spent with her grandfather.
Till the 6th grade, she studied at her mother’s school, Maharaja Bhawani Singh school, Jaipur, while enjoying the palace life on the side and spending quality time with her family. Her grandmother, Her Highness Rajmata Saheba Padmini Devi of Jaipur, celebrated all the festivals like Holi and Teej amongst others. These celebrations united their family with the people of Jaipur and strengthened their bonds with the well wishers and the people of Jaipur.
Princess Gauravi fondly recalled about the coronation of her elder brother. He was given a huge responsibility at the tender age of 12 and she admires him for he has been executing it with brilliance. Recalling the time when she was growing up, she lived in her heritage palace and thus is a promoter of the concept of preservation of heritage and maintaining the legacy. She put forward her strong views about the fact that people are forgetting about the heritage and disregarding it.
When I asked about her hobbies, she revealed that her passion for writing gave her the title of the editor of her school’s magazine. She is an avid book reader and has played hockey for 6 years. She showcased her love for dogs and how much she misses her pooches. She talked about the difference in her birthday celebrations at home compared to Mayo College. While she had grand celebrations at home for her birthday, Mayo was comparatively mute with just her close friends who she believes will always be by her side. Her school gave her the opportunity to balance between extra curricular and academics, along with cherished memories of school trips with her dear friends.
She has recently finished her freshman year in New York University. Princess Gauravi Kumari will declare her major by the end of two years. This spring, she plans on studying a semester in Florence, Italy. For her, it is not difficult to stay in New York because she has learnt how to be independent as she was in a boarding school. On finding a cultural difference, she says that she has managed well with the company of her friends.
For her future, she wants to enjoy her life and what she is doing at the time, just like the present. For the stand of Indian Royalty, Princess Gauravi Kumari told me that the people of Jaipur have long standing respect for her family and they reciprocate it too. With an ending note, I wish her luck for her future endeavours and hope to see her carry the flagship of Jaipur Royal family, high and mighty in the future.
