How Jaipur Transformed Into A Shining Pink Jewel

Mozez Singh, the author of Jaipur Splendor, has a hard time picking his favourite part of his coffee-table book. But with a little prodding from ISHA SINGH SAWHNEY, he narrates the story of how the city, also famous for its gemstones, transformed into a shining pink jewel

- Isha Singh Sawhney

When England’s Prince Albert visited India in 1876, all the princes and maharajas vied for his attention. Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur, in his quest to win the favour of the prince, decided to build a museum named after him—The Albert Hall Museum. But the maharaja wanted to go the extra mile for Albert, who was rumoured to be homesick and awash in a “melancholic ennui”, so he decided to make an already extravagant gesture even grander and sent word to Albert’s wife, Alexandra, to ask after her husband’s favourite colour. She instead responded with her own favourite colour— pink—and the maharaja decided to paint the entire city of Jaipur a blushing shell pink in homage to the visiting king. “It was almost serendipitous, because the city, already mostly constructed with pink stone, was painted everywhere with the same light pink,” says director-producer-screenwriter Mozez Singh.