SURYAJIT SINGH

THE DASHING YOUNG PRINCE OF KAPURTHALA HAS THE WORLD AT HIS FEET. IN THIS CANDID CHAT WITH HELLO!, HE OPENS UP ABOUT HIS HOPES, DREAMS AND PASSIONS

- NOOR ANAND CHAWLA

Call me Surya," says the dashing scion of the Kapurthala family, as he takes a sip of tea from a cup, part of a beautiful set that bears his family crest. We catch Suryajit Singh at his family home in Delhi, amid a demanding schedule stradelling multiple professional roles.

As a partner in private jet company Mace Aero, Surya is based in London for six months of the year and shuttles between Delhi and Mumbai for the remainder period, working to expand his luxury consultancy, JMC Pvt. Ltd. This constant jet-setting may faze the best of us, but Surya is poised and charming, characteristic of his royal antecedents.

“We’re a very close family, and I really cherish my time with them as I’ve been away from home since my boarding school days,” he says, referring to his time spent at home.

As the son of Tikka Shatrujit Singh – the man known for redefining India’s relations with global luxury houses in a contemporary context – and great-grandson of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh – the forward-thinking cultural preservationist and avid traveller – Surya admits that his passion for luxury is ingrained.

“Luxury was in the DNA of my ancestors. They had a savoir faire that allowed them to appreciate the finer things in life without treating them merely as indulgences,” he asserts. “Yet, at the same time, they were vested in grounding us children and teaching us the importance of humility.”

The young royal credits the latter especially to his grandmother, Maharani Gita Devi, whose life has been committed to philanthropy and service. Moreover, following in the footsteps of his ancestors, he takes the role of preserving his heritage and culture very seriously.