Rooted in reality and unspoilt by glamour, Jaipur royal Diya Kumari says that it has taken her that extra bit to uphold her legacy. Unnati Joshi reports
“When I was a kid, I was a little conscious because I think people just look at you in a different way. They think that she is born with silver spoon and she has got everything made for her. This is not true at all. Sometimes it is a disadvantage because you always have to prove much more to people than what I may have had, had I not been from this background,” said princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur.
But now she enjoys the status and is proud of what she is.
“I am not conscious anymore. I am really proud of my family and everything that I have today, I owe it to them. I am proud of reinventing a royal legacy,” she said.
Diya is known for reviving the textiles and she also manages the family heritage, which includes City Palace, Jaipur (her royal residence), Jaigarh Fort, Amber and two trusts, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust, Jaipur and the Jaigarh Public Charitable Trust.
“I was always interested in textile. We have a museum wherein we have many old textiles and garments that are passed on from generations. We have always been involved in restoring and conserving them. So that is where my interest in textiles came from and I thought if we contemporised traditional skills we could revive lost glory. We have a museum shop in city palace too. We work with a lot of craftsmen. I also have a foundation where we work for women, we teach them dyeing techniques and embroideries and other things.”
Being the only child who has been personally groomed by her grandmother Rajmata Gayatri Devi, she is often compared with her for her fashion sense.
Talking about her style she said, “Personally I like to be simple. I don’t like complicated dressing. I think you should be comfortable and confident in what you are wearing. That’s where it all ends and begins. You need to be a good person and be connected to your soul.”
She feels that education plays a vital role in transforming both individual lives and the entire society and therefore she took initiative in establishing two prestigious educational institutes in Jaipur, The Palace School and Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School. She is also engaged in the management of the three Palace Hotels.
“We have started two co-ed schools which are upto 12th standard. I am actively involved in these but not as much now as I used to be because I am in politics and keep busy with that as well. I started it when my kids were ready to go to school that time. So it is over 15 years ago and I was looking for a school for them and I thought we have everything available here, why not start it here itself. I think it’s very important to give the right kind of education and to at least do your bit.”
Diya mentioned that ever since she entered politics, balancing time has been a constant challenge.
“It’s not so easy to manage time and I don’t think I am doing a great job with time management. You have to balance everything. I try to balance my family, politics and everything. I try to spend as much time as I can with my kids. My eldest son, Padmanabh, is studying in England, while my daughter Gauravi is at Mayo College in Ajmer. Our youngest son, lakshraj, is with us in Jaipur. It’s a different day every day. I wake up and go to office at home for a couple of hours. And then I leave for my political office which is not in my house. After that I come for lunch, which is quite late but that’s the time when my son comes home. So I spend that time with him. Then again I go back to office. And then when I come back home, I don’t like to socialise much but then we get a lot of guests. Jaipur being such a popular tourist destination, everyone keeps visiting. We get a lot of guests every evening which is nice in a way. This is how heritage can be kept alive.”
Recently she inaugurated the flagship store of Kanwarani Jaykirti Singh.