Rememberg the Rajmata of Jaipur: 10 facts about Maharani Gayatri Devi - India Today

Contents:

• STUNNG FACTS ABOUT GAYATRI DEVI, THE LOST MAHARANI
• WHEN 12-YEAR-OLD MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI FELL IN LOVE WH 21-YEAR-OLD MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SGH
• BOLD & BETIFUL, RAJMATA GAYATRI DEVI DEFIED CONVENTN & LIVED LIFE ON HER OWN TERMS
• REMEMBERG THE RAJMATA OF JAIPUR: 10 FACTS ABOUT MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI
• HOW A ROYAL LOVECHILD WON ACCEPTANCE GAYATRI DEVI’S FAYAN EXCERPT OM HOE OF JAIPUR - THE INSI STORY OF INDIA’S MOST GLAMORO ROYAL FAY, BY JOHN ZUBRZYCKIJOHN ZUBRZYCKIPUBLISHED: 21 AUG 2020, 5:59 PM ISTBOOKS5 M READISHARE THE QUT DAILY
• GAYATRI DEVI HERANCE: HERE IS A SIMPLIFIED BREAKDOWN OF THE PLEX DISPUTE
• MAMATA BANERJEE'S MOTHER GAYATRI DEVI DI
• MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI’S GRANDDGHTER
• GAYATRI DEVI BGRAPHY
• GAYATRI DEVI, PRCS-POLICIAN AND INDIRA GANDHI CRIC WHO WAS JAILED DURG EMERGENCY
• MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI'S LIFE WILL NOW BE A DRAMA SERI
• GAYATRI DEVI 'S BEST WOMAN ASTROLOGER

STUNNG FACTS ABOUT GAYATRI DEVI, THE LOST MAHARANI

This b of romantic rebelln ed an immediate high society uproar, and by the time Gayatri me to the world 1919, still hadn’t lmed down. At the time, the royal fay Cooch Behar were liberal and dulgent wh their children, but no one took to eedom que like Gayatri. Nicknamed “Jai, ” at 21 years old he was already one of the foremost polo players the world—and although Gayatri had already met the lik of Prce Aly Khan and Douglas Fairbanks Sr., she was particularly starstck by the handsome and athletic ler.

While Gayatri sttted around the Maharaja and tried her bt to act like an adult, she end up gettg to a mortifyg suatn. While Jai had been dulgent wh the children on his vis and let them w at tennis gam and other activi, the overnfint Gayatri assumed she was jt that good, and that’s why she won.

WHEN 12-YEAR-OLD MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI FELL IN LOVE WH 21-YEAR-OLD MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SGH

Gayatri may have still been very unrage, but that didn’t stop the Maharaja om noticg her blossomg good looks this time around. Jai had been eyeg her all trip, and after he won the India Polo Associatn Champnship, Gayatri’s mother promised him “anythg you want ” as a iendly prize. He turned right to Gayatri, who had been wag on the sil, and said he wanted her—jt her—to e to dner wh him that very night.

For one, their home liv uldn’t have been more different: Jai’s other two wiv both strictly practiced purdah, where women hid om view and kept themselv separate om men, while Gayatri enjoyed an pennt upbrgg that chafed agast the very tradns. Throughout the heady days, Gayatri knew she had to wre her mother and nfs that she was engaged to the Maharaja. Thkg she already knew, Jai broached the subject wh the dowager, who immediately grew nfed and sisted Gayatri had told her nothg.

After this awkward exchange, the Maharaja sent an angry telegram to Gayatri mandg why she hadn’t said anythg. Both Gayatri and her mother were on edge around the official royal fay, wh the dowager fearg hurt feelgs on all sis if her dghter went through wh the marriage. After a sleepls night where Gayatri threatened aga and aga to n to her love’s si only to have her mother stop her, the fay fally got another telegram.

BOLD & BETIFUL, RAJMATA GAYATRI DEVI DEFIED CONVENTN & LIVED LIFE ON HER OWN TERMS

After Jai’s bsh wh ath, the uple fast-tracked their marriage plans, ignorg the ntued prottatns of everyone Gayatri’s fay, now cludg not jt her mother but her olr siblgs, too.

REMEMBERG THE RAJMATA OF JAIPUR: 10 FACTS ABOUT MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI

Her mother, apparently feelg sperate, snapped that Gayatri was the “newt addn to the Jaipur nursery, ” while her sister Ila lled her “spels” whenever she was around her fiancé.

Gayatri’s brother had grown close to Jai himself over the years, and he seemed a me jealo that his sister had ptured his BFF’s heart.

HOW A ROYAL LOVECHILD WON ACCEPTANCE GAYATRI DEVI’S FAYAN EXCERPT OM HOE OF JAIPUR - THE INSI STORY OF INDIA’S MOST GLAMORO ROYAL FAY, BY JOHN ZUBRZYCKIJOHN ZUBRZYCKIPUBLISHED: 21 AUG 2020, 5:59 PM ISTBOOKS5 M READISHARE THE QUT DAILY

Jt bare weeks before her 21st birthday, Gayatri married her Prce Charmg somethg that was both a fairy tale weddg and a huge extravaganza. When was all over, Gayatri was a married woman and a Maharani, and the newlyweds set off on their honeymoon. Once Calcutta, the newlyweds elected to spend a night at Gayatri’s childhood home—only, the moment she stepped down om her transport, she knew nothg was ever gog be the same.

GAYATRI DEVI HERANCE: HERE IS A SIMPLIFIED BREAKDOWN OF THE PLEX DISPUTE

Aga actg unr the sway of purdah, her Jaipur attendants immediately hered any male servants out of her sight, even though, as Gayatri remembered, “I had known most of them all my life.

Even her faiar surroundgs, Gayatri uld feel how different thgs were now, and she mt have worried she ma a mistake. Shortly after the honeymoon, Gayatri had to face a dread task: To meet Jai’s send wife Jo for the first time sce she had married the Maharaja. Although Gayatri’s new iend Jo was only three years olr than her and morn by many of the culture’s standards, Jo also uldn’t even let a doctor exame her, stead needg to e her maids to act as go-betweens while the medic stood the halls.

Throughout her time followg purdah, Gayatri had a secret weapon: Jai really was head over heels love wh her.

MAMATA BANERJEE'S MOTHER GAYATRI DEVI DI

Wh Jai away and his send wife Jo tied up wh funeral arrangements, Gayatri was left to look after the gaggle of children around the palace, all while tryg to make their Christmas Eve as mimally morbid as possible. That year, the Brish partned a newly pennt India—and this had a direct effect on Gayatri and the royal fay.

MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI’S GRANDDGHTER

Still bouncg her toddler on her leg, Gayatri got word that her brother Indraj had passed—and once more, was no ordary mise. In the 1960s, the betiful Gayatri Devi cid she wanted to stop merely beg a sociale and start enterg the enzied ay of polics India.

GAYATRI DEVI BGRAPHY

In 1968, her beloved mother passed at the age of 76, and although Gayatri was due to vis her on her athbed, she had to lay her flight by one day—the very day that Indira Devi passed. As Gayatri’s hband Jai entered his late 50s, his body started slowg down and he even suffered a d heart attack.

The next days passed a blur of tears and nsolatn for Gayatri, as sympathi poured om everyone om Prce Philip to Jai’s old garner.

In her memoirs, Gayatri herself uld barely discs her feelgs durg this time, and when she watched om her wdow as Jai’s funeral pyre went up, she remembered that “grief seized me almost like a physil spasm. In the middle of The Emergency, ernment officials shockgly had Gayatri arrted, cg false accatns of illegal tax activi.

GAYATRI DEVI, PRCS-POLICIAN AND INDIRA GANDHI CRIC WHO WAS JAILED DURG EMERGENCY

And former Maharani or not, they hardly gave her special treatment: Gayatri spent five months the notor Tihar Jail, one of the largt prison plex the world.

After a youth the spotlight, the widowed Gayatri spent her fal years largely secln, avoidg polics entirely and attendg only the most exclive parti—and even then, only when she felt like .

MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI'S LIFE WILL NOW BE A DRAMA SERI

Before we take you further to the story, let give you an sight about Maharani Gayatri Devi, who had always followed her heart and had fied societal nventns to live life on her own terms. Gayatri Devi's mother, Indira Devi, had refed to accept an arranged marriage for her dghter as she had herelf been love and had fought for .

At the age of 21, Maharaja Sawai Man Sgh II had gone to Woodlands, Calcutta to play the polo match of 1931 and that is where he had met the love of his life, Gayatri Devi, who was 12-years-old at that time. Soon, people had started noticg the brewg romance and they had warned Gayatri Devi's mother that her dghter's life as a third Maharani would be tough.

GAYATRI DEVI 'S BEST WOMAN ASTROLOGER

Every love story has s own share of ups and downs, and Maharani Gayatri Devi's love story was no different. In a book by Lucy Moore, Maharanis, Gayatri Devi had talked about the tim when she had first entered Jaipur as a new bri.

In an terview wh Simi Grewal, Gayatri Devi had revealed that she had promised her hband that if she had opened a girls' school, she would remove the curta system wh 10 years.

After this Maharani Gayatri Devi School was tablished and Raut girls studyg there were tght that is not right to veil. In her terview, Gayatri Devi had said that later on the girls did very big thgs and had tried to end the veil system.