A Princess with Passion

From restoring monuments to reviving hereditary crafts, Bhavnagar's Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has her sights on the future.

- PRASAD RAMAMURTHY

Her journey was sparked inadvertently at Barton Library, when she had gone to survey it for a master's thesis on heritage conservation and management. A look around the library and you'd know it has seen better days. Dust smothered every book and shelf, which in themselves looked ready to submit to gravity. The floorboards creaked and the only humans there were staff and elderly men visiting to read the free newspapers on offer.

"The trust that owns the property doesn't have the resources to maintain it. I felt compelled to do something. So, I helped them secure a grant and digitize their collection," Brijeshwari explained. Since then, working alongside a group of volunteers she's hosted fundraisers and organized events, including competitions for school children and book readings for adults. Public awareness and involvement have raised the library's profile, which has helped her secure corporate sponsorship to restore and renovate it properly. The project is a prime example of how the 30-year-old is furthering her family's legacy in a city that has been home to them since Maharaja Bhavsinhji Gohil founded it in 1723. Till then the Gohil dynasty had ruled from the riverside town of Sihor. But Bhavsinhji, a man of vision and foresight, considered the seaside location a better spot to build a port city that could benefit from the maritime trade between East and West. The state prospered and by the time the English crown took charge in 1876, it was considered valuable enough to grant the then ruler a 13-gun salute. Today the royal family runs three hotels, including their grand former residence Nilambag Palace, and administers, among other properties, educational institutions established by various generations of the family.