A PRINCESS REMEMBERS Paperback – March 1, 1995

This was an excellent and fascinating read. Gayatri Devi has had such a rich and amazing life. I first heard about her when I visited Jaipur with my husband, and saw her mentioned everywhere. At one point, she was named most beautiful woman in the world - she is stunning indeed. But she is also strong, loving, and brilliant. She ran for political office and won with one of the largest margins ever. She commanded a love from her people that she returned in earnest. The autobiography was a return to the past, as she talks about life in colonial India when there were still Maharajahs and Maharanis, travel by plane was fraught with peril, losing her beloved husband early, and continuing on with her life and giving back to her people.

I found the book a fascinating insight into how the Maharajas and Maharanis lived. It was interesting to see that in spite of the magnificence of their lives, the Maharaja of Jaipur really cared about his subjects and about keeping Jaipur well looked after. The book also traces the changing position of women in society from the days of Purdah to the modern education of women. I am sure that there are many women in India who still do not have this opportunity.Learning abour India's independence and the changing political landscape with the Princess entering politics was most informative. Princess Devi certainly lived an extraordinary life and showed much courage.I often wonder how often with a new fought for dispensation, the lives of the poor do not improve while corruption and nepotism become rife.Overall I could not put the book down and I am sure that I will appreciate seeing all the magnificent palaces and monuments when I visit India later this year.

I've read this book twice, years apart, and found it just as fascinating the second time. It's the memoir of an Indian Maharani and the path of her life, and that of her family, from the early 20th century through Indian independence and into the 1990s. It was interesting to learn about the opulent life of Indian royalty and the different cultures and lifestyles she had to adapt to as she moved from place to place and as her life progressed.She moves from an open, liberal family to living in partial purdah (women being separated from men who are not their husband, father, or brother). She describes the hundreds of women who live, cordoned off and under the protection of her husband, and describes some of the power dynamics between them. We learn about life in a household with three wives.She also describes the massive changes that India undergoes in her lifetime, how she and her family adapted to them, and how she even became an MP. I love learning about history through one person's experience and this hit the spot.

This is a great book for those interested in the history of colonial and post-colonial India. The perspective from Maharani Gayatri Devi is unique and unknown by many. Growing up as a princess in Cooch Behar in eastern India's north with wealthy parents, travel on India's elite polo circuit, time in England, France and all over Europe with servants, saris and an attentive and loving family, one would might anticipate a boring biography. Always a champion for women's rights, education, and the marginalized the Maharani became one of India's most beloved political leaders rivaling the popularity on Indira Ghandi. In fact, Devi is credited with winning a parliamentary seat with the largest victory margin of any woman in the world for the state of Jaipur. She became the third and public wife of the Maharaji of Jaipur, Sawai Man Singh a distinguished championship polo player on the world circuit and a celebrity among Europe's royal families. Frequenting the royal palaces in Jaipur and taking part in the hunting parties on the Maharaji's estate included Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, the Mountbattens, Jackie Kennedy, and other heads of state from all over the world. The relationships were reciprocal and one learns a lot from the Maharani about the intimate relationships and global concerns of those individuals. Vogue Magazine listed her as one of the 10 most beautiful women in the world and her gracious and majestic figure (always in a sari) claimed the spotline in evey public event from Delhi to Paris, London, New York and Washington.After the Maharaji's untimely death in England, the Maharani could have retired comfortably from public life but she chose to remain the cornerstone of the family's leadership politically in Jaipur even when the princely states were eliminated by the Indira Ghandi Congress Party. Frankly, the Rajama remained somewhat of a "thorn in the flesh" for Gandhi as she served as a reminder to her people of the days of local pride and the devotion of some Maharaja's to the welfare of their people. She remained politically active until her death at age 90

I bought the book some 15 years ago while staying in Jaipur at the Rambagh Hotel, one of the princess's former palace.A few weeks ago I have read it again.The author manages to give us a view of the way of life of a very rich people in the early days of the independence of the country. If you have visited India you can feel, even today, the accuracy of the book.It is the sense of a "bygone age", of mystery, of oppulence and a portrait of society that you catch when reading the book.I would recomend it before travelling to India, namely to the beautiful city of Jaipur. You will understand much better the spell that India puts on you.