City has a royal encounter

Members of the royal families of Barwani, Dungarpur, Balasinor, Kelwa and Piploda gathered in the city to launch a new book that provides an intimate glimpse into their lives

A swish hotel in Bandra was the not-so-unlikely place where members of the royal families of Barwani, Dungarpur, Balasinor, Kelwa and Piploda gathered together on Monday afternoon. The royals were present to grace the launch of well-known auto-journalist Bob Rupani’s new book, which portrays the lifestyle of a dozen regal families from the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Called Living The Royal Life, it highlights several aspects of the princely way of life which hasn’t hitherto been disclosed to the populace in general.

Bob said the book was a result of his close friendships, some of them spanning the past two-three decades, with the members of these royal families.

“I have seen and experienced the culture of the royal families closely for over 20-30 years and realised that their story needs to be told,” he said, when quizzed about how the project came about. “The life they are living after Independence and contributing to the growth of the country in various fields like culture, art, sports has to be known by the public.”

There was the added motivation of wanting to set right the slight he felt historians had administered, in their portrayal of the Rajputs. “Many of them fought ferocious battles for our land and promoted art and culture. The palaces, forts, monuments built by them are big tourist attractions today and India earns not just a lot of revenue but also goodwill out of it. In comparison what monuments have the politicians or industrialists built for the nation post-Independence that can truly compare ” he pointed out.

How royal families continue to contribute towards the promotion and protection of our cultural heritage was one of the key areas the project wished to address. “The royal families are all very much in touch with the area (they are connected with), the people, their roots and region. They have moved with the changing times, but at the same time, have kept their culture and tradition intact. This is of course, in addition to the creativity, talent and entrepreneurial skills they contribute,” Bob says.

With such high-profile subjects, getting Living The Royal Life together wasn’t the easiest task. Many of the images were shot over April and May and Bob recounts an incident during the shoot at Kanota, the electricity tripped, leaving the team to work in temperatures that had soared into the 40s. And of course, all the royal families had to be convinced that their participation was crucial, although they did all comply ultimately.

Among the royals to be featured in the book was Maharaja Gaj Singhji II of Marwar, who had this to say about the enterprise: “There are a variety of topics (pertaining to the royal families) and Bob has projected them through their life styles, in a way that is of great interest. It opens up a whole new era as the interests of individual families come across really well.”

The project hasn’t ended with this first book, however. Bob says that a second edition is “definitely on the cards”, adding, “Each of the featured royal families has given me a memory as they opened their doors and shared their lives with me, which they wouldn’t have otherwise.”