The Jhala from Jhalawar
With great pleasure, I go to interview Rajkumar Shri Jaisal Z.S. Jhala of Jhalawar who is passionate, caring, crazy and a master of spontaneous decisions. The first thing I learn is his idiom for life – ‘Be allergic to average and always perform one step ahead’. Jaisal believes that every opportunity needs preparation. Therefore, he remains motivated and is always on his toes with the guidance from his father, Maharaj Kumar Shri Mahijit Singh Saheb of Jhalawar, who he calls – ‘very practical’.
He holds very strong views about bonding and interactions amongst family members. Rajkumar Shri Jaisal revisits fond memories of his paternal grandmother, Shrimati Maharani Ila Devi Saheba of Jhalawar, who used to gather a lot of loyalists for tea and chit-chat. We touch upon Jaisal’s childhood where he studied at the Indian School which nurtured his thoughts with the idea to do an internship in France. He cherishes his trip to France and says that it was very close to his heart. 
While growing up, he dreamt of being the famous character ‘Batman’ and his late brother (Rajkumar Shri Abhijeet Singh Jhala) was supposed to be ‘Superman’. He remembers how he had to bear the loss of his real brother and sister (Rajkumari Yashodara Kumari Saheba) passing away at a young age. His sister loved and cared for him, especially during car journeys between Jhalawar and New Delhi. His brother taught him the determination to do his best in life with mind and heart. After his brother and sister, he has developed a stronger bond with his niece and nephew, and loves being with and around them.
His passion for cars is unbelievable. He loves collecting and making replicas and scaled down models of cars. He is an admirer of such machines and considers them to be works of art.
Talking about his mother, Maharani Kumari Shrimati Bharti Kumari Saheba of Jhalawar’s, home town, Bhuj in Kutchh, he smartly analyses that there is an absence of places to visit and hotels to stay, even with Mandvi beach being just two hours away from main Bhuj.
The young Jhala echoes his thoughts of post-independence which he believes were like scars and was also unfair for the royals. They formed cities which were snatched away by the government. Jaisal says that he is not interested in politics and calls it a game. For him, its not about taking sides but to be one with all in Jhalawar.
We come to the internal topic of lineage, legacy and heritage that Jaisal has been gifted by his ancestors who built the history over the years. Jaisal responds saying that he will willingly take care of his heritage and fully take the legacy forward. The genre of his legacy is a precious gift and a privilege for Jaisal to embolden not only in his own eyes but also in the eyes of his parents and the people who look up to the family of Jhalawar.
I conclude the conversation with Rajkumar Shri Jaisal Z.S. Jhala of Jhalawar talking about wildlife photography, painting and stories of World War II being his latest interest. I am moved by his punctual demeanor and his shyness and hope to see Jaisal in the future running various enterprises.