Artisinal Legacies, Artisinal Live - Princess Diya Kumari, Maharani Radhika Raje And Princess Siddhi Kumari

Welcome Hello! Into Their Unique Histories and the Exquisite Artscapes They Have Grown Up With, and Are Taking Forward Into the 21st Century
 

- Sanghita Singh

The elegance exuded by royal families, in particular their busy Princesses and Maharanis, is visceral. It’s not about externals. No matter how much a nouveau riche population indulges in ‘royal’ inspired fashion or jewellery or interiors, that rare equipoise they exhibit, cannot be bottled or ‘coutured’ or crafted. When Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur, Princess Siddhi Kumari of Bikaner and Maharani Radhika Raje of Baroda get together for a cover shoot for HELLO!, they effortlessly became timeless portraits of beauty with purpose. Art – the focus of our ensemble shoot – flows in the veins of their dynasties.

They are today brand-ambassadors of their illustrious families, their traditions and the legacy of artisanal work native to their regions. These women indeed are extraordinary – not only have they found their own narrative in the new world order, but they have resurrected the pillars of their heritage decades after the dissolution of the princely era. As connoisseurs of the arts, they have not only understood the urgency of preserving the rich bequest of vast collections in their museums, but have also realised the need for them to serve as intermediaries – who join the dots of history that were lost in time and the future that is bound to take itself forward from the inspiration it seeks from the emblems of the past.

Princess Diya Kumari talks about the 36 palace karkhanas, a state-sponsored machinery that was brought about to support and promote art and architecture during Jaipur’s golden period of cultural renaissance. Diya Kumari, also a BJP MLA from Sawai Madhopur, supports the vast legacy of art left behind at the threshold of her royal duties through the palace museum.