The Rajasthan Royals

If you are an erstwhile princess,your life itself makes for good reading. Following in the footsteps of Gaj Singh of Jodhpur and maharani Gayatri Devi,Rajyashree Kumari of the royal family of Bikaner has written The Lallgarh Palace: Home of the Maharajas of Bikaner (Dev Books,Rs 1,950),an account of her growing up in the graceful,red sandstone palace. The book was released on Wednesday evening at Delhi’s Oxford bookstore,and in support,old royalty like Gita Devi of Kapurthala and Rohini Kumari of Bharatpur showed up.

The Lallgarh Palace is full of rare photographs and is written in the first person,with Rajyashree recounting the traditions and customs that prevailed in the royal house of Bikaner. “We had historical figures like Lord Curzon,King George V and Lord Mountbatten visiting our family in the palace,” says the 50-something Rajyashree. The Lallgarh Palace has now been converted into a luxury heritage hotel and Rajyashree feels that it works for both the royal family as well as the public. “The property is preserved and is open to those who are keen on experiencing a slice of history,” says Rajyashree,who is a life member of INTACH.