A Royal Salute

Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur,the last title-holding king of Jaipur and a Mahavir Chakra distingué,was known by many names – His Highness Bhawani Singh to most,but Bubbles Mamosa to many of my Rajput friends.

Even though he was crowned king in 1970,only a year before a new and democratic India abolished royalty and removed all their privileges,Bubbles Singh’s princely demeanour never left him.

He had none of the arrogance one witnesses in many aristocrats (their cousins and minions included),Bubbles was known for his graciousness and humility. Stories of him walking his guests out to the gates are folklore; he would walk from his apartment,right down the ramp and down the steps to their car.

Rajputs are known for their love for open jeeps,and riding with the maharaja,his visitors recount the admiration the Jaipur locals showed him,as he often stopped to chat with them. They loved him because he loved them.

Once when severe communal riots had broken out in Jaipur 20 years ago,Bubbles drove to the spot in his jeep in a bid to make peace and rescue victims of violence — a maharaja didn’t have to do that. Today royalty doesn’t mean much to the commoners unless they also hold a political seat,but Bubbles had an innate sense of leadership and good governance.

Monarchical love of luxury is well-known,as is the case with Bubbles. He enjoyed dressing up,but,as is with the quiet rich,his idea of luxe had little to do with labels and more with fine quality and heritage. His favourite shoes were Tod’s loafers,he wore them most of the time. He rarely wore a tie and preferred Chinese collared shirts. He

loved his brigadier’s uniform and cufflinks.

Bubbles was a stickler for perfection. When Charles and Diana visited Jaipur in 1992,he phoned his nieces in Mumbai to come and help with the preparations. He was involved in everything,right from a nightly chocolate in their room to the rose petals in their serving trays.

When he took his polo team to Palm Beach for a match,they were greeted with a fleet of limousines at New York’s JFK airport. Of course,he was a guest of Donald Trump.

Bubbles loved the good life,and he was a connoisseur of good food. He would always order a quiche Lorraine and a very spicy Virgin Mary or a Perrier with a slice of lime,when he had given up alcohol. And if one wanted to know what the next gadget in the shops would be,one had to ask him. He had to have it before the shops did. An amazing quality in a man of 70-odd years,when many over 50 can barely switch on a computer.

Like with the Queen of England,sovereigns today exist for little other than providing tourist value to a state or a country,and Rajasthan would be nothing without its palaces.

In our globalised metros,culture and ceremony are oft forgotten. But protocol is a charming thing and His Highness Bhawani Singh knew that all too well.

namratanow@gmail.com