While most follow the current era fashionistas and Bollywood stars, the prince and princesses of old times had their own special piece of charm. Their beauty wasn’t dependent on the liners or lipsticks, but was natural and mesmerizing. One such name that strikes us is that of the Maharani of Jaipur, Maharani Gayatri Devi. Vogue’s magazine had once mentioned her in the Ten Most Beautiful Women list. Along with Vogue, Maharani Gayatri Devi’s beauty had also been praised by Clark Gable and Cecil Beaton.
Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar (1919-1940)
She was ethnically born in a Koch Rajbongshi Hindu family as the Princess of Cooch Behar on 23 May, 1919. Her father was Maharaja Jitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar in West Bengal and her mother was Maratha Princess Indira Raje of Baroda.
She grew up living a life of luxury with dozens of staff and governesses by her side. She studied at Glendower Preparatory School in London, Patha Bhavana of Visva-Bharati University and in Lausanne in Switzerland. She along with her mother and siblings moved to their holiday cottage, where she rather redundantly studied secretarial skills in London School of Secretaries.
In spite of being a princess, Gayatri Devi didn’t distinguish between ‘raja’ and ‘praja’ (the princely and the public), nor did she give importance to the social division between men and women. She was rather tomboyish. She liked to keep company with the servants and used to worry about their wages and struggles. Gayatri Devi also enjoyed spending time with the mahouts, learning their songs and hearing stories of the elephants. Moreover, she was an excellent rider and an extremely capable Polo player. She was also good with her shots and enjoyed her day outs on ‘shikars’.
Her Meeting the Maharaja of Jaipur
Gayatri Devi first met her future husband, Jai (the Maharaja of Jaipur) when she was just 12. Jai had come to Kolkatta to play polo visited and had stayed at Woodlands, which was their family home in Kolkata. After meeting Jai that time she handed him his polo stick and their hands brushed, she wished to have him as her groom.
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