Princess Ayesha, otherwise known as Gayatri Devi, died at the age of 90 in a in a Jaipur hospital earlier today. The former Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Cooch Behar, may not be well known Internationally in this time, but for people in India, and those old enough to remember, the princess will always remain one of the most beautiful women in the world.
When we speak of legends, depending on the person, any number of names might come to mind; Churchill, Roosevelt, Astaire and Rogers, John Wayne, Jacqueline Onassis, Elvis, Marilyn, the list goes on. Sometimes however, names and the legends attached to them live mostly tied to the ground from which they emerged. This is the case with Princess Ayesha, who for many was the face of India the world saw for so many years.
Some Fairy Tales Are Real
Tales of Princes and Princesses do not abound in the news any more. Once in a while we heard a tidbit or insignificant utterance from the Isle of Britain, but then, that monarchy has long since fallen into disrepute as true royalty. The story of Princess Ayesha is made of a different stuff altogether, a story too deep and long to tell here, except for a highlight or two. “The fisty Princess”, as one reporter referred to her, lived a life as full of adventure and action as it was full of beauty and dignity. People like this simply do not come around that often, which is appropriate, less we get bored with legend. Here, for the sake of acknowledging the woman, and to tantalize those who know nothing of this wonderful person, are a few tidbits and highlights of a fairly tale life.
Gayatri Devi, was a pure thing at heart if anything. In reading part of an interview she gave shortly before her death, it was fascinating to see a person so full of life, glamor, and yes privilege, who even toward the end of their life remained, in essence an innocent child. In this interview, Princess Ayesha (as I will call her affectionately) recalls times in her life, and most pleasantly here childhood days. Here is an excerpt paraphrased from this account:
“When I close my eyes, I recall my happiest days were as a child in Cooch Behar. Those were days of innocence. When I read comics like Tiger Tim and Puck. When I’d go shooting, I would plead with the mahout to let me sit on the neck of the elephant. There I used to lie down, my head between the elephant’s ears. At dusk, I would come home riding on my elephant. When I remember this moment, it takes me back to a time when my life was untouched by change and the loss of people dearest to me. I often dream about my childhood days, we had so much fun with my brothers and sisters.”
Gayatri Devi and Maharaja Sawai Mansingh with the Bentley
A Modern Woman, Ahead of Her Time
An expert equestrienne, marksman, politician and obviously eloquent person, Ayesha was also voted by Vogue Magazine, one of the most beautiful women in the world. As for her experience with glamor, the Princess was oft compared to Jackie “O”, and met her on several occasions. The lavish life of royalty was not foreign for Ayesha, as the family spent lavishly elitist lifestyles. Wintering here and taking the Summer sun there, Europe, and the rest of the world for that matter, was the stage upon which Ayesha played out life. Once royalty in India passed into only memory, Ayesha naturally became a politician, running for Parliament in 1962, and maintaining that seat at government until 1971.
More tumultuous years followed, culminating in the Princess being on the receiving end of revenge via none other than Indira Gandhi, who was determined to erase all traces of royal privileged, and in the end was the cause of Ayesha being accused of evading tax laws. For her part, Ayesha seemed to not reflect too much on this negative points, but preferred to talk about horse and the happy trappings of childhood. An excerpt from that interview reveals her inner strenght of character in this regard:
“I’ve had a very happy life. I have no regrets. I’m not a nostalgic person. I live in the present. I just try to do what I can, when I see unhappiness around me. Why grumble about things that don’t go your way. Make the most of life. Don’t make me sound arrogant or extraordinary.”
Another recount of the life and times of Princess Ayesha, speaking ever so insightful and appropriately of her movement from a traditional role in her culture, and speaking of the excess and eccentricity of some of royal blood. In essence Ayesha was a modern woman in a time when worlds were colliding. In here easy and classy way, Ayesha was perhaps the first truly individual and progressive woman of her time, given the constraints of the culture and society around her.
A Touch Of Class
Though many may not agree with her politics, and some would point to the massive chasm of socio-economic differences between the classes in India in particular, there is one thing to be said for this attitude. “There will always be classes of people, whether economic, cultural, intellectual, or by some other differentiation. The key desirable component of a truly noble persona however, will also always be the degree of class that person exhibits in carrying out their life.” It is in this cumbersome statement of mine, that the essence of this Princess can be found.
Ayesha believed firmly in the power of education to elevate the people of India. Even in her elevated position, and from an outlook that simply had to be far removed from any of our own, the lady exuded royalty. One of the more indicative things I read today about here involves how she maintained her own household. Her home in Lilypool, expansive, but simple by comparison to the estates of days gone by, is maintained by people from her own region (she gave jobs to people more out of empathy and caring than the desire for expertness). A correspondent visiting there recalls the servants attended to the visitors as if the lady of the house were present, entertaining all visitors with cool glasses of water and lemonade. The visitor, inquiring of this, was informed by the aging butler, and I quote from one source:
“Those are the rajmata’s orders that nobody goes from here without a glass of water in the maharani’s absence. She has done so much for her home state by giving so many of us from Cooch Behar jobs in the palace.”
For this writer, I have met a very few such people. There is always a certain aura to them. I am not Indian, and would not presume to be as intimately aware of this woman as anyone from there, but this I do know. For people like this, looking or being called Jackie “O”, lavish surroundings, or even the accolades that might be laid at ones feet are shadows compared to the essence of who they are.
Princess Ayesha would as soon be remembered for a kindness to a stranger as Vogue Magazine laying the crown of beauty upon her head. Class is simply not something someone can inherit in the end. Sure society can delegate much of what goes on in our lives, but dignity and royalty are really qualities of the soul. What makes this Princess so rare is the fact that she was royal in both realms. I know her family, friends, and her countrymen will miss her. Someone said, “We will not see the likes of her again.” And this is as it should be, that is why we have legends. She is right now, laying on the neck of the great Indian elephant, reliving a better time.
Please watch part one of Maharani Gayatri Devi’s Legacy.
About Phil Butler
She was not a nostalgic person but her nostalgia lingers. There can never be another Gayatri Devi like her. I have initiated the idea to keep her legend alive in one of her homes- it will add to the city’s charm. Hope together all of us can make it happen…. and soon.