Exploring the illustrious legacy of princely India, Royal Fables – the brainchild of journalist, publicist, and craft crusader Anshu Khanna – has been passionately promoting traditional workmanship burgeoning inside the royal and noble residences of the Indian sub-continent for more than a decade. As the country’s much-loved heritage exposition culminated its ‘The Comeback Show’ this week at Bikaner House, New Delhi, I discovered some fascinating unheard fables about the participating royals.
HOW RANI JAYKIRTI SINGH OF BARIA COINS NAMES FOR HER ENSEMBLE COLLECTIONS
Block prints have always held a place of pride in the Indian textile history. Jaipur’s much-revered craft has been perfected over centuries but what distinguishes Jaykirti Singh’s work is that she sprinkles a dash of contemporary seasoning to the traditional art form, making it relevant in today’s times.
Jaykirti believes that genuine bonds with friends and family strengthen one’s connection to life. They tie us to the past. They also help us envision a road to the future. They become the key to our sanity during times of chaos. They also inspire creativity. As an ode to these strong bonds in her life, she coins the names of her ensemble collections after people who hold a special place in her heart. Whether it’s her close friend Rani Sarbani Shah of Jaisalmer, her earliest patrons like Rani Maya Kumari of Ajairajpura, and Kanwarani Sneh Kumari of Jamnagar, members of her present staff Harshita and Kiran or her gorgeous daughter Mriganka Kumari; Jaykirti has showered her gratitude to each one of them by naming her collections after them over the years. For someone like Jaykirti who has always held such an understated demeanour, this grand gesture of eternalising her bonds of love is truly reflective of her benevolence —an unheard fable worth being told.
TRIPTI SINGH SHARES A MOMENT OF HILARITY FROM HER GHOOMAR EVENT
Despite living away from her home state for almost two decades, Tripti Singh has beautifully nurtured its culture with her unique event franchise ‘Ghoomar – Twirl With Grace’, allowing Rajasthani traditions to blossom in the cosmopolitan landscape of Gurugram. Facilitating socio-cultural initiatives in a city whose cultural ethos still remains largely disconnected from its past is no ordinary feat, but Tripti is no ordinary woman.
Talking to her is like unveiling a treasure trove of stories, but what instantly comes to mind is the incident from her event in 2018 where the highlight was a sword dance by two supremely talented artists. On the day of the performance, while everyone was eagerly awaiting this performance, Tripti was posed with a big problem. The hotel security refused to allow the swords inside because weapons were not allowed on the premises. It took her a tense hour of pleading, cajoling, showing video clips and finally signing a release to convince the security in-charge that the swords were just a dance accessory and the girls had no intention of chopping each other’s limbs off.
HOW NAMRATA SINGH DODGED A VERY PECULIAR WORK CRISIS
Growing up in the pink city amidst a family of culture connoisseurs, Namrata Singh fell in love with Jaipur’s glorious legacy of skilled art forms at a very young age. A first-generation jewellery designer, she embraced the handcrafted brilliance of her home town very organically and evolved her unique design sensibility over the last few years.
Namrata’s unheard fable is about how she evaded a tricky situation at work with her presence of mind. At one time, she received multiple orders for a particular pair of earrings. Three women were keen on wearing the same design on different occasions at different locations. Unfortunately, only one pair was available at that time. Namrata came up with a brilliant plan and requested all three clients to wear it for their respective functions and return it until their pair was ready. Luckily, they all agreed to share that highly sought-after piece, and Namrata managed to rotate it between a trio who didn’t even know each other! A few days later, she delivered each client’s order along with a note of appreciation.
WHY ROHINI SINGH’S WARDROBE DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH SAREES BY JUST CHIFFONS
Self-taught design revivalists Rani Dipti Singh of Kachhi Baroda and her daughter Rohini entered the realm of artisanal handiwork more than a decade ago while curating Rohini’s wedding trousseau, as they found themselves getting an array of customised chiffon sarees made due to a dearth of available options in the market. The sarees made by them piqued the interest of many connoisseurs in their home town Indore, and they were soon flooded with queries. Their initial clients mostly belonged to Dipti Singh’s social circle, who convinced her to pass on the pieces she had meticulously handcrafted for Rohini saying she had plenty of time to get new ones made for her daughter.
As the sarees worn by friends and family began to do rounds of various gatherings, more orders poured in, creating a perfect opportunity for the duo to delve into the marvels of vintage design. Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams one never even knew one had. When Rani Dipti Singh had lovingly recreated past regalia for her daughter, little did she know that the two of them would evolve as a brand to reckon with, in crafting the fabled six-yard story? Rohini shares how her wardrobe still does not have enough sarees by their brand Just Chiffons as whenever they create a piece for themselves, it lands up being loved so much by the clients that it gets purchased instantly.
HOW A FOOD BUFF LIKE SHIVRAJ SINGH LIMDI EVOLVED INTO A MUCH-ADMIRED ROYAL CHEF
Talking about Shivraj Singh Limdi and his delectable culinary skills come very naturally to me because the words flow out of my mind as effortlessly as his succulent ‘chakki ke sule’ slip into my mouth! While I’m familiar with the cuisine of Limdi due to a close family connection, the sophistication of taste and gastronomic excellence that Shivraj brings to Limdi cuisine is much beyond a family’s kitchen secret. His wealth of information about royal cuisine and history is impeccable. What he serves is not just a family heirloom in the form of a traditional recipe; it largely comes from a place of passion from his purity of love for food.
How a connoisseur of food evolved into an admired chef is what forms his unheard fable. A few years ago, Shivraj was dining at a swanky Indian restaurant of a five-star hotel. He ordered their much-acclaimed kebab platter but was very disappointed with the preparation. As someone who is passionate about food, he requested to have a word with the chef. While he was indulged in a tete-a-tete with the chef about the nitty-gritties of what he thought wasn’t right with the preparation, the hotel manager approached him. In the heat of the moment, the manager told Shivraj that if he was so well versed with the dynamics of this cuisine, why not give them a peek into his culinary talent. Shivraj invited them the home the following week, and as luck would have it, bowled them over with his extravagant spread of delectable cuisine. The hotel management ate to their heart’s content that evening and soon invited Shivraj to host his first-ever food festival at the very same restaurant where it all began.
HOW THE VENUE OF ‘THE COMEBACK SHOW’ HOLDS SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR PRINCESS MAHIMA KUMARI
Founded by the visionary ruler HH Maharaja Ganga Singh Ji, and having welcomed the veritable who’s who in the past, Bikaner House, one of Delhi’s most gracious cultural venues hosted the much-awaited Royal Fables comeback show this week. While this was an exciting time for all connoisseurs of luxury retail, it held special significance for the scions of the Bikaner family: Princess Mahima Kumari and her daughter Sannjna Kumari, who marked their debut in the country’s much-loved heritage exposition this year with their venture ‘Bikaner Royaal’.
Making an earnest effort towards carving a monolithic identity of their roots, they presented an eclectic ensemble of objets d’art from their native lands like ‘ittars’, Usta art and other heritage memorabilia. Having watched her grandmother Rajmata Sushila Kumari and mother Maharani Padma Kumari using exotic ‘ittars’ throughout their lives, it was a natural progression for Mahima to immerse into the realm of ethereal fragrances. Similarly, while growing up in Bikaner, she walked amidst exquisite wall frescoes showcasing Usta art at her family’s many regal residences like the Anup Mahal, Karan Mahal, and Badal Mahal at the Junagadh Fort. Usta art is known to have flourished the most under the royal patronage of HH Maharaja Rai Singh Ji several years ago. Today, life comes full circle for this family as the same craftsmanship receives patronage from his successors through ‘Bikaner Royaal’ at the former home of the Bikaner family.
The evolution of Royal Fables is the story of regal patronage to craftsmanship, the revival of vintage artistry, and the resurgence of ageing craftsmen, who have been creating eternal finesse in the palace karkhaanas for centuries. The royals have never closed their doors on talent. In this post-pandemic era, the artisans associated with palace studios seek our support more than ever. The need of the hour is to appreciate their stories and encourage their skill-sets. Therefore, Anshu Khanna’s brilliant and resilient revivalist effort in this direction deserves all our love and applause.