Meet the ordinary royal – Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad
Three lesser known things about Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad of Vadodara
She was adjudged as the Most Beautiful of the Indian Kingdom Dynasty by Forbes. She is also known as the patron of the arts. She is currently involved in digitising the interiors and the history of her lavish palace. Meet Maharani Radhikaraje Gaikwad (or Gaekwad), Queen of Vadodara, Gujarat.
The life of such royals has always got us ordinary mortals interested. But very little is known about their private lives and what they do behind their palace doors. Here is a glimpse into the life of Maharani Radhikaraje Gaikwad’s, starting with her upbringing, her marriage to the King of Vadodara and what she does in her everyday life.
Her upbringingRadhikaraje was born in the royal family of Wankaner, Gujarat to Dr. Ranjit Singh. Dr. Ranjit Singh was the first amongst the princely states to accede to India and become an IAS officer. Infact, when the infamous Bhopal Gas Tragedy happened, Dr. Ranjit Singh was posted in Bhopal and helped evacuate many to safety. Her parents raised her as a normal child without any royal privileges. Later when her father was posted in Delhi, she used to travel by ordinary DTC buses to reach her school and colleges. Only when she went to Wankaner during her holidays, she felt that she belonged to a royal family.
- Her marriage
After completing her graduation, she worked as a journalist with the Indian Express. Most girls in her family were usually married off by the time they turned 21, but Radhikaraje started working with the Indian Express when she turned 20 and continued to work for over three years. After a while, her parents started looking for a suitable groom and zeroed in on the Prince of Vadodara, Samarjit Singh. During their first meeting, Radhikaraje was impressed with the open nature of Samarajit Singh, especially when he showed no qualms about Radhikaraje paying the bill! Also, Radhikaraje expressed her desire to complete her Masters, which was absolutely fine with the Prince who even encouraged her to do so! Soon they were married and Radhika became Radhikaraje Gaikwad, the Maharani of Vadodara.
- Her privileges as the Maharani
Radhikaraje calls the historic Laxmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara her home. Laxmi Vilas palace is 4-times the size of the famous Buckingham Palace and is India’s largest private residence! The palace is spread over 500 acres and has over 176 rooms. It was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad III in 1890. There is an interesting story about the palace. It was designed by Major Charles Mant, a British architect. When the palace was completed, Major Chant’s calculations showed that the palace would collapse soon under its weight! Unable to bear the ignominy, Major Mant committed suicide by hanging. The palace is now more than 130 years old and still standing strong!
- Her activities.
The Gaikwads of Vadodara are amongst the oldest royal families in India. The Laxmi Vilas Palace holds priceless pieces of art in it. Infact, the palace has the largest collection of original Raja Ravi Verma art pieces anywhere in the world. Soon after becoming a part of the royal household, Radhikaraje realised that the weaving depicted in Raja Ravi Verma’s pictures was dying. She soon embarked on a project to revive the dying art of weaving and restored it to its former glory. She even made sure that the family’s priceless hand-me-down sarees were revived so that they can be preserved for future generations. Today, over 700 artisan families have received a new lease on life with this initiative. Her next project is to digitise all the assets inside the Laxmi Vilas Palace.
Maharani Radhikaraje Gaikwad is known for the love of sarees, especially the family’s hand-me-down ones. While she may be a Maharani, she is still an ordinary concerned citizen who cares for her family and wants to make a small difference in this world.
Description
Maharani Radhikaraje Gaikwad of Baroda may be a queen by title, but is just a simple ordinary citizen like us. Here is why we say so.