The Maharani who traded royal privilege for the rough and tumble of Indian politics
In short: Born into the royal family of Cooch Behar, Gayatri Devi became a global style icon and one of the world's most beautiful women. Yet, she defied expectations by entering politics, winning a landslide parliamentary victory in 1962 and becoming a fierce, principled critic of the government during a tumultuous era.
Born in 1919, Gayatri Devi was a product of India's complex royal lineage, descending from the Cooch Behar dynasty and the Maratha Gaekwads of Baroda. Her early life was defined by a cosmopolitan education across London, Switzerland, and Shantiniketan. In 1940, she married Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, becoming the Maharani consort of Jaipur. Beyond her royal duties, she was a noted equestrienne, a skilled polo player, and a trendsetter who famously imported the first Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL to India.
Her political career began in the 1960s when she joined the Swatantra Party, founded by C. Rajagopalachari. In the 1962 Lok Sabha elections, she secured a massive mandate in Jaipur, winning 192,909 out of 246,516 votes cast. She maintained her seat in subsequent elections in 1967 and 1971, consistently opposing the Indian National Congress. Her political independence remained steadfast; even when offered a path to join the Congress party during a 1965 meeting with Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, she refused to compromise her principles.
The transition from royalty to commoner was marked by the 1971 abolition of privy purses, which stripped away traditional titles and privileges. During the Emergency in 1975, she was arrested under the COFEPOSA Act and spent five and a half months in Tihar Jail. Following her release, she retired from active politics to focus on her memoirs and private life. She passed away in 2009 at age 90, leaving behind a legacy that spanned the fading grandeur of the princely states and the rise of modern Indian democracy.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Gayatri Devi
- Also: Wikidata — Gayatri Devi · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Gayatri Devi · CC0
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