![]()
Indian royalty has always been known for their charm and poise, but more often than not, we only hear tales of brave kings and their glorious armies. What about the princesses and Maharani’s though? The beautiful and intelligent women who took charge of courts and palaces while the husbands were away fighting battles deserve to be celebrated as well. So Tasveer and Sanskriti Museums have put together a photography exhibition at Sanskriti Museums Anandgram that does just that! Focussing on the Maharanis and other royal women of erstwhile princely India, it’s a part of Tasveer’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
We got a sneak peak of the show and are all praises for it. The topic itself is unique and strong, so you can expect the same from the exhibits. There are about 69 works on display at the gallery along with the launch a book of the same name. A portfolio of 20 ready to mount works will also be available on sale at the venue or purchased online here.
Maharani – Royal Women of India includes images from the archives of the Museum of Art Photography along with items from the Victoria Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in London besides the Amar Mahal Museum Library in Jammu.
Getting a portrait made was a tradition that was followed for a long time with the royal artist capturing the splendour and spectacle of court life. Around 19th century, paintings were replaced by photographs as they were much more accurate. Most of the images on display now are very old and the photographers are unknown, but they are a window into a long lost world. Some of the known names include Shatrujit Singh, Khem Bhonsle and Martand Singh.
With this exhibition, you#39;ll see royal women breaking through the clichés while accepting the modernisation that came with the British era. The one aspect that we couldn’t help notice was how each of them had their own sense of style with chiffon sarees and exquisite jewellery on full display. Among our favourites are Princess Indira Devi of Kapurthala (1930), Nawab Begum Sajida Sultan of Bhopal, the Begum of Pataudi (1940), Rajkumari Shrimati Tillotama Raje Bhonsle of Sawantwadi, and Rani Hemalata Raje Sahiba of Jind (1937). Of course, no mention of the ethereal royal women can be made without Maharani Gayatri Devi, who has several photos in this exhibit including one where she#39;s seen talking to villagers in her province (1962).
Maharanis – Women of Royal India is on display from December 6th to Jaunary 7th at Sanskriti Museums Anandgram, MG Road.