A Princess Remembers: Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur - Tapa blanda

A must read for all people. The book changed my view of Royalty. The current breed of politicians had made me believe that everyone in power is spoilt. This book changed that view of mine. I had been to Jaipur recently, there the way the guides talked of the royal family, made me realize that the book is actually true, especially the feelings of the people towards royalty. Don't worry. The book is not all about their grand life. Only the first half of the book covers life before Independence. The second half, is a chronicle of how we withered away our "Tryst with destiny". As you read the book talking about the 50's and 60's you might as well copy the text into tomorrow's newspaper and it would be a perfect fit. Makes you wonder how little has changed, in many aspects, in India over the last 60 years. I always wanted to find out what happens next! Even though it is not at all a thriller. Also gives you a glimpse into a India that we don't know. The one behind the purdah. --Akshay Kini Feb 20, 2013

The beauty of the book is the simple writting which touches your heart. You feel sad and also proud of this incredible women. Its a great way to know the thought processes of the princly states during the post independence era.... and you will end up feeling sorry for her late husband who it seems was backstabbed at every step by the new government at the centre. --Devina Awasthi Sep 23, 2013

I wonder, why I didn't read this book earlier, an account of one of the most formidable and greatest woman in the world. A must read for every Indian. --Ananya Roy Aug 26, 2014

She is the daughter of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar and the widow of the Maharaja of Jaipur. She was raised in a sumptuous palace and shot her first panther at the age of twelve. She became one of the first women to win a seat in the Indian Parliament, John F. Kennedy once introduced her as “the woman with the most staggering majority that anyone has ever earned in an election.” She was also considered one of the world's most beautiful women. In this compelling memoir, Gayatri Devi describes her carefree, hoyden childhood with her brothers and sisters in the palace of Cooch Behar and their adventurous trips to London and the continent, her secret six-year courtship with the dashing, internationally renowned polo player, Jai, the Maharaja of Jaipur, her marriage and entry into the glittering life of the 'pink city' of Jaipur and her struggles to adapt to unfamiliar customs and her husband's two other wives. A Princess Remembers is the fascinating life story of one of India's most elegant women and one of its most powerful.