Rajmata Gayatri Devi – A tribute

Rajmata Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, passed away yesterday. This exquisitely beautiful Maharani of Jaipur and Princess from Cooch Behar, the erstwhile kingly state of West Bengal, was one of the most beautiful & graceful women in the world.

I had a very strange way of seeing her during my college days. I still very clearly remember the incidence even after lapse of around thirty nine years. As a young student of Malviya Engineering College, Jaipur, during the summers of 1970 I was campaigning for elections. We had quite good numbers of non-resident students - called day scholars, who were required to be personally met or at least distributed with the pamphlets. The best way to catch them was when they would be leaving the college in the evening at the main gate standing near Ram and Shyam tea stall.

We used to rush out a few minutes early from the last period and cycle down to the main road, outside the main gate, leading towards the Jaipur town and distributed the pamphlets, to each of the day scholars passing by. Sometimes, we even stopped the strangers who pass that way and handed over the leaflets. During one of these days, standing at the main gate I saw a white car coming from the Sanganer Airport side towards us, as usual we forced it to slowdown and put forward my hand towards the car window to throw the leaflet in. On seeing the beautiful occupant of the car, I was speechless & frozen and the lady occupant looked at me, smiled, pulled the leaflet from my hand and asked the driver to move on. My friends were surprised at my act, pulled me aside and in the same breath told - Do you know who she was?! Before I could say no they said, she was Maharani of Jaipur.
I can never ever, forget that face and the incidence in my lifetime.

May she rest in peace.