Sepia Memories Of A Princess

Memoirs of erstwhile Bikaner royal family was recently unveiled in the form of a book and its author Rajyashree Kumari talks to Society about the book, her Rajput lineage and shooting.

- Meeta Mishra

As I walked up to Princess Rajyashree Kumari – of Bikaner’s erstwhile royal family – at a coffee shop housed in Bikaner House, the pleasant irony wasn’t lost on us. The majestic place facing India Gate used to be the residence of her father, Dr Karni Singh, and her uncles when they were studying before the Independence. Later when the titles were abolished, the state properties of various kingdoms were taken over by either the state or central government. Bikaner House was taken over by the Rajasthan government. Of late, because of the initiative of the current Rajasthan CM, Vasundhara Raje, Bikaner House has become a popular venue for events in Delhi.

We had met to reminisce as Rajyashree Kumari’s third book, Palace of Clouds – A Memoir, was recently unveiled. It is a memoir in which the author describes her formative years during the sixties when seismic changes in the world were taking place and which were to take her on an adventurous journey from her home in Bikaner to life in London. She has previously authored two books – The Lallgarh Palace: Home of the Maharajas of Bikaner in 2009 and Maharajas of Bikaner in 2012.

Daughter of distinguished parliamentarian, Dr Karni Singh, erstwhile Maharaja of Bikaner, Rajyashree holds the unique distinction of having won the National Air Rifle Championship at the age of seven. She was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1969 at the age of sixteen.

She feels that the performance of women shooters at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games was very impressive. “It is interesting to see that women are excelling in sports like shooting, boxing and wrestling that was supposedly regarded as the domain of men.”