Comments on the style saloniste: Meeting Gayatri Devi

Very late in the day I came across this articlethr...

2010-06-20T10:07:26.152-07:00

Very late in the day I came across this articlethrough Suzanne Allen and was so fascinated to read more about the woman I had heard so much about while I was writing about the Maharajah's beautiful American filmstar girlfriend Virginia Cherrill. I'm not too sure that she and Ayesha would have given quite the same story of their early romances with Jai, but I do wish I had met the Maharani and - now,thanks to you, I have a glimpse of a fascinating personality.
Her family were extremely gracious to me when I visited Jaipur and I was sorry not have the opportunity to make the personal acquaintance of such a remarkable woman.
Your account is so vivid and interesting: thankyou, Diane
Miranda Seymour

Dear Diane, That is a very well written piece on ...

2009-09-02T01:57:36.691-07:00

Dear Diane,
That is a very well written piece on the late Rajmata of Jaipur.I enjoyed reading it and just wanted to tell you that you should put it on her page titled RAJMATA GAYATRI DEVI OF JAIPUR on Facebook where I've put all her obits from across the world.
Dharmendar Kanwar
(Author of Enduring Grace, A biography of Rajmata Gayatri Devi. Roli Books. 2004)

I also was privileged to meet Gayatri Devi and app...

2009-08-19T04:58:34.404-07:00

I also was privileged to meet Gayatri Devi and appreciated your lovely tribute. Mrs Gandhi was jealous of her because she was so beautiful, received more votes that Mrs. G did and was married to the man Mrs. G wanted! She hated her so much that she put Gayatri Devi in jail with prostitutes and said she belonged there!

HELLO, POOJA- I'm delighted to hear your '...

2009-08-08T22:37:59.033-07:00

HELLO, POOJA-

I'm delighted to hear your 'insider' comment about the school started by the wonderful Maharani! You are right that the schools are superb--and are extremely well run and with high academic standards.
It is always so fascinating to see the highest levels of education in India--even in remote villages.
India is a fabulous conundrum. Indian women are so talented and bright and ambitious and smart, and yet often their status is considered lower. Old ways still persist. Family traditionas are powerful. But through fine education--like that encouraged by the Rajmata, girls and women can and do succeed.
Pooja-please be sure to tell your friends about this feature on the Rajmata--which is, as far as I know, the only personal memoir written about her in the west. I will be writing about India in future.

so nice to read your blog.. i went to the girls sc...

2009-08-08T21:21:46.512-07:00

so nice to read your blog.. i went to the girls school in jaipur which was the first school found by Rajmata Gayitri Devi.. it was indeed a privilege to study there and i wonder sometimes at how we would have developed without MGD there to make us proud and privileged to be girls! in a country where even today some people aspire for "sons" It gave us a great sense of self and dignity.. to be able to interact with and observe her as we grew up was an absolute blessing!

What a privileged life she had and yet she was inv...

2009-08-06T21:36:00.324-07:00

What a privileged life she had and yet she was involved in social projects until the end. I did not know her name but the way you described her, her life and your encounter creates a vivid image of this extaordinary woman. Superb images also!

Hello, Nelson-- Happy to see you here--and on Fac...

2009-08-06T20:09:20.044-07:00

Hello, Nelson--

Happy to see you here--and on Facebook!

Please check in at least twice a week--and send your comments. Your voice is much appreciated here.
I hope you are having a wonderful summer in New York.
cheers, DIANE

Diane, Another superb piece of writing. And to thi...

2009-08-06T15:08:35.346-07:00

Diane, Another superb piece of writing. And to think all these stories would have had to fight to get outlets in the pre-blogging days. Look forward to your posts. Nelson

HELLO, AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH- Thank you Rekha,...

2009-08-05T22:18:32.091-07:00

HELLO, AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH-
Thank you Rekha, for sending your comment fro Delhi! I appreciate your kind words. A Thousand, and Pigtown and Andrea--and Marie and Pamela-
I so appreciate your thoughtful comments.
Andrea-You are correct that the Rajmata spent about 5 months in jail. She was found guilty of tax avoidance, I believe, by 'hiding jewelry' (actually supposedly at her palace/castle at Mooti Doogri, where she used to go each morning for puja (where she went the last morning I was meeting her). I don't know any details of this case--will check as it is in her book. She went off to jail. I think she taught women to read and helped poor women to have dignity--it was her way.She always made the most of these trials--and was graceful, never complained.
The arc of her life--from 'emeralds with pink silk' and 'one had one's own elephants' and the Hispano-Suiza cars, the many palaces and retainers and wives in purdah and the travel, the jewels, the royal attendants--then the death of her husband (who had two previous wives still alive), and then partition, end of the Raj, and in a nutshell the disintegration of the royal privileges and royal purses, and palaces.
Imagine, her grandfather was the Maharaja of Baroda, fabulously wealthy (her family was from Cooch Behar, a minor principality in the north east)...and in the end, she was a private citizen, still admired, still royal in their eyes.
I loved seeing her, so elegant in a beautiful sari, worn so elegantly and effortlessly, at the Gem Palace in the late afternoon. Imagine, her guests were dukes and duchesses and authors and designers and famous friends (perhaps the Dickie she spoke to)...and she would bring them to the GP and they would try on diamond rings and necklaces. She was discreet, was obviously well known to the Kasliwal family that owns GP, but one knew who she was, without her making any obvious gesture.
Her houseman and attendants had such affection and admiration for her. There was also stress in the family, differences...puja and devotions I am sure gave her great peace.
God Bless the Rajmata--Krishna and all the gods...

A fascinating look into the life of this extraordi...

2009-08-05T18:13:30.166-07:00

A fascinating look into the life of this extraordinary woman. I so enjoyed it. I'll always remember to wear my emeralds with pink! Loved that. Have added you to my bloglist. I am so delighted to discover your blog and I send you thanks.
Catherine

Thank you so much for sharing your memories with u...

2009-08-05T17:56:42.144-07:00

Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. I read the UK and US obits of this fascinating woman. Now I hope to find her book to read.

As Pamela Terry and Edward remarked, how great is ...

2009-08-05T16:29:48.453-07:00

As Pamela Terry and Edward remarked, how great is the statement, "When one was young, one had one's own elephants"? I'm writing that one down, for sure.
But what about the reference in the New York Times obituary to Devi's having been jailed for a period of time? Do I remember correctly? I've discarded the paper. What was the story with that?

Such a marvelous remembrance of an elegant woman. ...

2009-08-05T14:30:40.451-07:00

Such a marvelous remembrance of an elegant woman. "When one was young, one had one's own elephants." Oh, how I love that!

I know John Sandoe Books well. What a treat it would have been to come across her there.

And thanks so much for your visit to my blog, for your kind comment and for adding me to your blog roll. I shall happily do the same with yours! All the best,
Pamela

Thank you Diane Dorrans for the engrossing biograp...

2009-08-05T06:19:31.057-07:00

Thank you Diane Dorrans for the engrossing
biography.

This is an amazing tribute to Maharani Gayatri Dev...

2009-08-04T23:19:57.719-07:00

This is an amazing tribute to Maharani Gayatri Devi--- a legend in her own time. Absolutely loved reading it

HELLO, KEVIN-welcome to THE STYLE SALONISTE. Hello...

2009-08-04T21:41:17.078-07:00

HELLO, KEVIN-welcome to THE STYLE SALONISTE.
Hello, Little Augury--always welcome!

The Rajmata was such an inspiration--and I will miss her so much next time I'm in India. She was always a focus of any visit--and going to the schools and taking school supplies was a privilege and an honor. The former Maharani lead a life of extraordinary privilege-and she was aware of that. And she balanced it by powerfully championing girls' education in Jaipur.
At the junior school she founded, Jaggon Ki Bowri school, when I first visited--I was shocked and saddened to discover that girls as young as 13 or even 12 were 'betrothed' and then go to live with their 'fiance's' family--thus abruptly ending the girl's education. So when a grade school can keep a 12 or 14 year old girl in school, it is a triumph. It was graphically clear to me when I first visited that although in kindergarten the girls and boys were about equal, by aged 12 or 13, there were many more boys than girls.India is a fantastic country, and in many way the standard of education and accomplishment is extremely high--but in rural areas the reality of tradition, poverty, brief life span, ill-health, and religious beliefs mean that girls' education is often not a priority. It will change slowly-but change--thanks the schools like the ones started by the Rajmata. God Bless Her.

This is a vivid portrayl of another woman of the e...

2009-08-04T21:00:29.440-07:00

This is a vivid portrayl of another woman of the era when everything seemed beautiful. In many ways-she must have had to make her world that way. I love the picture you paint of Lily Pool. That last picture says it all. Fierce strength. thanks for this portrait. la

This is a fascinating profile of a truly elegant w...

2009-08-04T11:41:20.231-07:00

This is a fascinating profile of a truly elegant woman. Your writing is very evocative, it was easy to transport myself to that living room and wait along with you for the Rajmata to arrive. Thank you, I enjoyed it tremendously. - Norine (the molto bene wife)