The Patiala Princesses

Patiala Princess Rajeshwari Kumari recreates the aura of the past through a stunning family shoot, with her cousin Pooja Kanwar and nieces, Seherinder Kaur, Inayatinder Kaur and Siyaa Kumari

- ANSHU KHANNA

There’s a certain warmth about large families in heritage-rich, small towns like Patiala. Especially if it’s the royal family of that laid-back town we’re talking about. Captain Amarinder Singh, the former Chief Minister of Punjab, and his cousin Randhir Singh’s family has one such story of people who simply love to spend time together.

Grandsons of the legendary Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, Amarinder (son of the last ruler of Patiala, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh) and Randhir (born to Yadavindra’s younger brother Bhalendra Singh) spend many relaxed Sundays listening to music from the Patiala gharana or cooking their version of the famous Mutton Khara Pishori and Dugani Biryani.

“Large families like ours rarely need to look outside for friends, especially since we genuinely like bonding with each other,” shares Princess Rajeshwari Kumari, daughter of Randhir Singh and, like him, a globally-acclaimed trap shooter. “Whenever we go to Patiala, and my uncle Amarinder is not busy with politics, he and my father cook together.”

Indeed, when the Singh brothers get together, the charcoal fires get lit, the well-polished urns come out and a battery of khansamas stand in attendance as these two cook up a royal feast, with Tikka Raninder Singh adding the helping touch. As a famous raga immortalised by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan from the Patiala gharana plays in the background, cooking is interspersed with the light chatter of the women of the family, the aunts and cousins.