“It is a matter of great joy and delight as we welcome our new family member, my granddaughter, Praneshwari Kumari Mewar, with the divine blessings during Sooraj Poojan,” posted Arvind Singh Mewar, the erstwhile Maharana of Udaipur, last week, along with a picture of the happy family with the new arrival. Singh, for his nod towards tradition and rituals, is a thoroughly modern Maharajah — public school-educated and business -oriented. Trained in hotel management, he has not only created a hospitality empire, but has also put Udaipur on the international tourism map, winning it many accolades. His son Lakshyaraj, the proud father, also educated abroad, is following in his footsteps, and manages the businesses; while the erstwhile Maharana takes on the more ambassadorial role of meeting the never-ending stream of tourists that seek his company while in Udaipur. Each week, the social media- savvy septuagenarian posts photographs of these various encounters he undertakes — a testimony to his unwavering commitment. But, last month, he shared a more riveting avatar of himself, when, at the first Dhwaja Utsav in the Shri Eklingji Temple in 474 years, he prayed for the well-being and prosperity of Mewar and its people. And, of course, the birth of the latest member of his family must have been on his mind too. “My wife and I are absolutely ecstatic to welcome the new addition to our family,” he told us. “The pitter-patter of tiny feet and the gurgle of a grandchild’s laughter makes one’s advancing years melt away. Even though she is our sixth grandchild, each of them is a special individual in their own way. Nothing compares with reliving your childhood with your grandchildren over and over again!”

Overheard

“Woke up, watched Grandstand. Wrote Candle in the Wind. Went to London, bought Rolls-Royce. Ringo Starr came for dinner”.
- Alleged award -winning diary entry by musician Elton John

Full Circles

Kabir Bedi ( Hindustan Times )

The last time we had met actor Kabir Bedi was at the launch of Andrew Whitehead’s book on his mother, The Lives of Freda, almost a month ago to this day. The author, a former BBC correspondent, had meticulously crafted a book on the extraordinary life of the English rose, born in Devon, who had met and married her fellow student Baba Pyarelal Bedi at Oxford and had embraced wholeheartedly a life in India. The couple had thrown themselves into the freedom struggle and the Left movement of the time. More extraordinarily, after decades of political engagement, married life and three children, Freda had discovered Buddhism and had led the rest of her life as a fully-ordained Buddhist nun, one of the first women, and certainly the only western woman, to have been bestowed this honour. Many in the audience were surprised to learn of Kabir Bedi’s rich and unique background, which had brushes with Jawaharlal Nehru, Sheikh Abdullah, Abdul Gaffar Khan and the Dalai Lama — seemingly so far removed from the life of grease paint and arc lights the actor had chosen for himself. But, as it happens, life often seems to come a full circle: This Sunday, when we asked the actor for an update on his mother’s book, he said he’s been busy working on its production into a digital web series. Who would play the lead character of Freda, we pressed on. After all, it would require an Anglo Saxon actress, preferably English herself, who would do justice to the meaty role. “Tilda Swinton,” Bedi responded. “She has the same features and aura.” What was evident was that he was looking forward to bringing his vast experience as an actor on three continents and across film, TV and theatre, to the task of now telling his mother’s story on screen. As we were saying, life often seems to come a full circle…

Remembering Him with Music

Author Amish (right) at the recital

Even the larger hall to accommodate the many more acceptances than expected was not big enough to contain the warmth and poignancy of the music recital to mark the birth anniversary of the late Additional Director General of Police of Maharashtra, Himanshu Roy — the first since the passing of the much-loved IPS officer last year. Keeping in mind his passion for Indian classical music, his doting family, which includes brother-in-law the best-selling author Amish, had organised a recital by noted vocalist, Pandit Jayateerth Mevindi. “Himanshu was a consummate showman, and slowly and steadily, pulled us into the fascinating world of Hindustani classical music,” said Amish at the evening’s start. “Often, he would call us over for dinner and an evening of classical music. But, first, there would be a detailed explanation. He would explain the background, structure and nuances, not only of classical music, but also the raag he intended to play for us that day. What we want to attempt this evening is to give you a flavour of what he used to do for us, i.e. to pull non-aficionados like his family into this wonderful world of Shastriya Sangeet.” And, over the next few hours, the audience was simultaneously mesmerised and elevated by the soaring renditions of raags Marwa and Jhinjhoti. We spotted Niranjan Hiranandani, Sonali Bendre, Nisha JamVal, Dr Malavika Kohli and Anil Dharker enjoying the soulful notes.

First Published: Jun 25, 2019 16:35 IST