Palace of Clouds
Page 43
Further, those very guests who complain about the wildlife trophies lining some of our corridors, most probably eat meat, no doubt wear leather shoes and carry leather hand bags and wear woollen sweaters and coats in the winter; they also eat eggs and drink milk. I wonder if they really think about these perfectly innocent and day to day activities without really knowing what cruelty really lies behind the hamburger they eat for dinner or the beautiful pair of shoes they buy while on holiday. It is all so subjective: while hunting in the past at least the animal had a fair chance and the possibility of missing on a hunt was far greater than a kill. What chance do the millions of animals and birds that are slaughtered every single day around the globe have? None, I am afraid.
Postscript
I
t has been a very strange experience writing this book. Looking back at one’s life and examining it from every angle and experience has been both an exhilarating one and also punctuated with some sadness. Into every life a certain amount of rain will fall. When I was a young teenager I never for one moment suspected that my life in reality would take me on a huge roller coaster ride. I honestly was of the opinion that my life would not be very different from that of my mother. I would marry a Rajput man and live happily ever after. My father would always be there for me as he had been, every single day since I was born. He would make everything alright; he would be there to fix all the problems that I might encounter. I would probably one day give up my jeans and start wearing chiffon saris and pearls and meet other princesses and maharanis for tea. I would most probably have a large house with many members of staff who would look after the day to day affairs and I would have a wonderful and unexacting life. My children would one day attend Mayo College like my brother and life would be ideal in every way.
I often wonder which direction my life might have taken if I had not left for London at the age of nineteen. I would have most probably become one of those slightly spoilt women who are waited on hand and foot and want and need for nothing and simply while away their time in lengthy lunches, afternoons of bridge and endless shopping. Perhaps the best thing in my life was to be sent away far from home, it taught me to stand on my own two feet and fend for myself. The anonymity of living in a city like London is quite wonderful, no one cares who you are, whether a pauper or a prince. It is very liberating. I also learned so many things while I lived there: gardening, running a home and looking after my children, entertaining my guests and setting menus, among a few. I cultivated many interests and they held me in good stead in later life. I am now, armed with this experience, able to meet and mix with all manner of people and above all, have learned humility. Every skill I know today stems from my time in the UK. Living there knocked off all the rough edges of my personality.
Life did not quite turn out the way I had envisaged it. It was in reality, very different in many ways from the lives that my parents led. I have no regrets whatsoever: it has been a great life, though unexpected in many ways but it taught me to grow up and shoulder my responsibilities. It was a tough road but then I was brought up as a feisty Rathore, my ancestors faced each day not knowing whether they were going to be dead or alive at the end of the day, they faced life squarely and so did I. If they could live with life and death problems then I certainly could get through more mundane problems. I hope that I have succeeded. My biggest and only fear in life has been not to let down my father or my ancestors in any way. What is life if one cannot hold one’s head up high and declare that I have lived my life with dignity and to the very best of my ability, giving my very best to Bikaner every single day of my life, this much loved desert home to which I belong.
I end this last chapter as I began the first one—with heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to my ancestors they made everything in my life possible, serving them in my own small way has been a great privilege and honour.
It has been a great voyage.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
–Robert Frost
* * *
Bibliography
‘From Rome to Moscow’, Dr. Karni Singh of Bikaner, Munshiram Manohar Lal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1982.
Biographical notes on Princess Rajyashree Kumari of Bikaner prepared by Professor L.S. Rathore.
‘House of Bikaner: A Narrative’, Government Press, Bikaner, 1933.
Colonel Powlett’s ‘Gazeeter of Bikaner State’.
‘The Relations of the House of Bikaner with the Central Powers’, Dr. Karni Singh of Bikaner, Munshiram Manhor Lal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., April 1974.
‘The Maharaja of Bikaner’, K.M. Panikkar, Oxford University Press London, 1937.
The History of Bikaner State’ – Volume –II, Bikaner, Dr. G. H Ojha – Rajasthani Granthagar, Jodhpur, 1940.
Accession to Extinction: The Story of Indian Princes’ B.R. Mankekar, Vikas Publishing House, 1974.
Bikaner Bulletin – Volume 4 No. 12 – July 1947.
Bikaner Bulletin – Volume 5 No. 1 – August 1947.
Lord Mountbatten’s speech at the Investiture Durbar held at Lallgarh Palace, Bikaner on 15th January, 1948 (MGST Archival Centre, Bikaner).
Integration of the Indian States, V P Menon, Orient Longman, 1956,
Sardar Patel’s Correspondence: 1945 – 1950, edited by Durga Dass, Navajivan Publishing House, 1971.
Wait for me! Memoirs of the Youngest Mitford Sister, Deborah Devonshire, John Murray Publishers Ltd, 2011.
Madeleine: Our Daughter’s Disappearance and the Continuing Search for Her, Kate McCann, 2011.
‘The Lallgarh Palace - Home of the Maharajas of Bikaner, Rajyashree Kumari Bikaner, Dev Books, 2009.
‘The Maharajas of Bikaner, Rajyashree Kumari Bikaner, Manjul Publishing, 2012.
The Last Queen of Jaipur: Legendary Life of Maharani Gayatri Devi, Dharmendra Kanwar, White State Publishers, 2009.
The Bhagvad Gita’ translated by Juan Mascaro, Penguin Books, 1962
‘The Regal Patriot -Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner’ Professor L.S Rathore, Lotus Collection/Roli Books Pvt. Ltd., 2007.
Durbar, Tavleen Singh, Hachette Book Publishing Pvt. Ltd, 2012.
Prince, Patriot, Parliamentarian- Biography of Dr. Karni Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner, Dr. Rima Hooja, Harper Collins Publishers India, 1997.
Perpetual City: A Short Biography of Delhi, Malvika Singh, Aleph Book Company, 2013.
John Wayne: The life and legend, Simon and Schuster, 2014.
‘One life is not enough’ An Autobiography, K. Natwar Singh, Rupa Publications, India Pvt. Ltd, 2014.
‘Coco Chanel – The Legend and the Life, Justine Picardie, Harper Collins, 2010.
‘Indian India, C.W. Waddington, Jarrolds Publishers, 1933.
Raj Singh Dungarpur: A Tribute. Edited by Samar Singh and Harsh Vardhan, Popular Prakashan Private Limited, 2015.
‘The Outsider: My Life In Intrigue.’ Frederick Forsyth, Penguin Random House, 2015.
‘A Life With Wildlife: From Princely India to the Present’. M.K. RanjitSinh, Harper Collins India, 2017.
SHOOTING ACHIEVEMENTS OF PRINCESS RAJYASHREE KUMARI OF BIKANER
ARJUNA AWARDEE – 1969
R
ajyashree Kumari comes from a very long line of great shooters. Her great grandfather Maharaja Ganga Singhji as well her grandfather Maharaja Sadul Singhji were keen shooters and went on several hunting expeditions within as well as outside India. Her father Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji represented India in five Olympic games, five world-shooting championships and numerous other national and international shooting championships.
Following the Bikaner family tradition of shooting, her father trained her in this sport at a very young age, and she won her first competition at the age of 7 years. Declared “Sportsperson of the year” and awarded the much-coveted “ARJUNA AWARD” in 1969, Rajyashree Kumari achieved all of this by the time she was 16. This award is the highest acclaim that India
can give to its sportsmen and sportswomen for outstanding achievement.
1960 At the age of seven she had the unique distinction of winning the National Air Rifle Championship in the below twelve years of age junior section.
1963 At the age of ten she beat all competitors in all age group in air rifle shooting and won the open championship trophy.
1965 At the age of twelve she again won air rifle shooting open championship trophy in all age groups.
1967 At the age of 14 at the All India Selection Trials held at Ahmedabad during the year 1967 she set a new All India record of 358/400 in Air Rifle Shooting by beating her nearest rival, an army man, by a big margin of 33 points. Her score 358/400 set at Ahmedabad is the highest score shot in the standing position set by any Indian. In Japan in 1967 still at the age of 14 she own the 21st place. In this competition she was the only woman competitor and a junior.
1968 At the 13th National Shooting Championship held in Madras in 1968, Princess Rajyashree Kumari at the age of 15 won all the items in which she entered and won the largest number of gold medals in shooting.
1969 At the 14th National Shooting Championships held at Bhopal in February 1969 Princess Rajyashree Kumari competed for Ladies Olympic Clay Pigeon Trap event and secured 77/100 which score is equal to the score of third position holder in the World Shooting Championship held at Bologna in 1967. She captained the Bikaner Thunderbolts Rifle Club at Bhopal Nationals and won the team Olympic trap championships and finished second in the Ladies Clay Pigeon trap shooting championship.
1969 At the selection trials held at Delhi for the San Sebastian (Spain) World Shooting Championship Princess Rajyashree secured 82/100 in Clay Pigeon Traps, which is equal to the second position score of the Bologna World Shooting Championships Ladies Trap 1967 score. She was named Sportsperson of the year in 1969 and was also awarded the Arjuna Award in shooting this year by the President of India, Mr. V.V. Giri.
1970 At 15th the National Shooting Championship in 1970, she scored 92 out of 100 in Trapshooting (I.R.). This national record established by her when she was only 17 years old is still unbeaten.
1971 During the 16th National Shooting Championships she stood first in the open Ladies Trap Shooting Championships and third in open Trap Shooting Championships. At the II Asian Shooting Championships, Seoul (Korea) in the individual clay Pigeon trap shooting she was placed on the 14th position with a score of 152/200. India was the only country, which entered Women Shooters in an otherwise all male Trap Contestants. Also she was a Member of the Clay Pigeon Trap Shooting Team and helped Indian to win the Bronze Medal in the Clay Pigeon trapshooting event (team). Rajyashree Kumari’s score was 118/150.
1972 At the 17th National Shooting Championship held at Delhi Princess Rajyashree was third in Clay Pigeon Trap National Championships (open to all) and she was National Champion in All India Ladies Clay Pigeon Trap Shooting Championships.
1975 At the National Shooting Championship at Chandigarh in 1975-she won Second place in Trap Shooting, beating all male competitors. Her father, His Highness Dr. Karni Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner, won first place
GYNAECOLOGICAL TREE OF THE HOUSE OF BIKANER
Glossary
Attar – Perfume
Bada – Big
Barat – A bride’s marriage party
Bhanwar – When the grandfather of a Prince, or the son of a nobleman is alive, the latter is addressed ‘Bhanwar’
Bhai – Brother
Charan – Bard
Chhatri – Memorial, Cenotaph
Dada – Grandfather
Dadi – Grandmother
Dhurries – Cotton carpets, usually single and plain
Dipak – Votive candle
Doha – Couplet
Durbar – Royal Court, also Government of an erstwhile Princely State
Farmans – Letters
Gaddi – Throne
Goth – Dinner
Gurudwara – Sikh religion temple
Hakim – Physician
Hal – Plough
Howdah – A big, comfortable chair, stud with gold and precious stones, and put on an elephant for the Ruler or dignitary to sit on it in a royal procession.
Hukka – A traditional, artistic piece made of leather, metal and other auxiliaries, meant for smoking tobacco, in a filtered manner.
Jagirdars – Land Owners
Jija – Elder Sister
Kand – Incident
Kabas – A species of rat inside Kaarniji Mata’s temple at Deshnoke
Karkhana – Workshop
Khasa – Ornamental litter
Kesar – Saffron
Khama – The local word, equivalent to hurrah
Khyat – A hand-written manuscript
Khaki – Light brown
Mandi – Agricultural hub
Majlis – Gaiety
Mahent – Senior Priest
Marwari – A dialect of Rajasthani language
Mahekmakhas – Secretariat
Modh – A bridegroom’s head ornament
Mohar – Gold sovereign
Nada – Monuments for babies
Nagara – Drum
Nazar – Offering of a coin
Parampara – Tradition and custom
Pithi – A confound of perfume, oil and turmeric
Pushak – Traditional dress
Purdah – Veil
Pugri – Turban
Puja – Prayer
Purohit – Priest
Rathi – A breed of desert cows
Roti – A piece of bread
Sahelis – Personal female attendants
Sadhu – Ascetic
Sati – A women who voluntarily embraces a byre with the corpse of her husband. This practice is forbidden by law.
Sato – A man who voluntarily embraces a byre with the corpse of his master or Ruler. This practice is forbidden by law.
Samadhi – Practice whereby holy men or Sadhus choose voluntarily to be buried alive.
Sardars – Rajput followers of the Maharaja
Shastras – Scriptures
Shuk Bhangai – The end of mourning
Susral – In-law’s home
Thakur – Nobleman
Thikana – Estate
Tilak – Vermilion mark put on the forehead
Tuladan – The weighing ceremony of a ruler against gold or silver
Yagna – A religious ritual
Zenana – Female chambers
Index
A
Accession to Extinction, 50, 218
Advani, L.K., 249, 252
AICC, 217
Akbar, 6, 27–28
Ali, Ahmed, Fakhuruddin, 247, 249
Ali, Osman, 36
Alva, Margaret, 210
Andrews, Carol, 261
Animal cruelty, regulations against, 132
Animal protection society, 178
Anup Mahal, 327–328
Anup Sanskrit Library, 28, 31
Arjuna Award, 181, 202, 209–210
Aryan Rajputs, 5
Asian Games, 77, 193
Aurangzeb, 2, 6, 29–31, 127
Azharuddin, Mohammad, 297
B
Badal Mahal, 3
Badan Kanwar, Rajdadisa, 55, 160
Bailey, Sir Abraham, 41
Baisa, 15, 57, 180, 224, 298, See also Bana
Bal Bodhini, 28
Bana, 15, 177
Bangladesh War, 254
Baq, Muhammed Ustad, 3
Beaufoy, Mark, 121
Bentick, Lord William, 13
Bhagvad Gita, 4, 31
Bhanwar, (elephant), 113
Bhatayani, Maharani, 14
Bhati, Ghanshyam Singh, 331
Bhushan, Shanti, 248
Bika, Rao, 4, 16–19, 20, 35, 41, 233
Bikaner Camel Corps, See Ganga Risala
Bikaner House, 48–49, 82, 90, 98, 110, 127–128, 132, 134, 142–143, 149, 255, 293
Bikaner school of miniature painting, 3, 31
Bikaner stadium, 153
Bikaner Thunderbolts Rifle Club, 188, See also Shooting
Bindra, Abhinav, 199, See also Shooting
Birendra, Crown Prince, 159
Blue Cab Line (taxi service), 78
Boxer Rebellion, 36, 41
Breach Candy Hospital, 90–91
Brhamachari, Swami Dhirendra, 131
British East India Company, See East India Company
British governance, 6
British Museum, 65, 261, 341
Bufoy, Mark, 122
Bureaucracy, 246
Bygone News, 91
C
Campbell, Glen, 281
Campbell, Sir Ronald, 43
Canned hunting, 176
Cash grants See Jagirs
Ceremonial sandalwood throne, 20
Chamba, Rajmata, 184
Chamber of Princes, 38, 40, 51
Chand Kanwar, Princess, 37
Chappania kaal famine, 36
Chattargarh Line, 35
Chauhan, Raja Prithviraj, 15
Chavan, Y.B., 218, 221
Chelsea Flower Show, 276
Chiffon brigade, 15
Child marriage, 7, 85
Clans of Rajputs, 5
Clay pigeon shooting, 74, 78, 191–193, 196–197, See also Shooting
Coca Cola ban, 254, See also Emergency
Commonwealth Games, 192