Why he matters: The young Maharaja of Jaipur has been the face of several luxury brands, graced the covers of umpteen magazines, and today, manages his family’s vast estate and charitable foundations. His sister, Princess Gauravi Kumari, pens her earliest memories of her ‘best friend’ and thoughts on India’s most admired young royal.
My earliest memories of my brother, Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, are of a protective and indulgent elder brother, who always stepped up to pamper, nurture and take care of his siblings: me and our younger brother, Lakshraj. One of my fondest childhood memories of him is playing hide and seek and going on treasure hunts around the house with our friends.
Our childhood was a protected yet fairly normal one. It’s only as I grew up that I realised the privilege and responsibilities of our family heritage. While the privilege extends to us all, it’s Dada (as I refer to him) who bore the majority of the responsibilities from an extremely young age.
As the custodian of Jaipur’s royal history, he’s taken on the mantle of being not only its royal representative across the globe, but also its most avid champion. Be it art, sport (especially Polo, where our family’s history is a prolific one), craft, culture, festivals, traditions, music or architecture, ensuring that every aspect of the Pink City is protected, preserved and promoted remains his greatest passion.
It’s this same passion that inspired me in my endeavours to bring about positive change in the lives of the women of Rajasthan through the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation, founded by our mother. I count myself as fortunate to have him as a role model to emulate during my formative years. My brother is my best friend and my go-to person for advice on absolutely everything in life.
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