Waubonsee Community College

Memoirs of a Hindu princess, by Francoise Levie

eng

videorecording

For College; Adult audiences

Memoirs of a Hindu princess

electronic resource

747798150

by Francoise Levie

51

This biographical portrait of Gayatri Devi, the outspoken daughter and granddaughter of the Maharajas, spans modern India's history from British rule, through the struggle for independence to today's modern state. It is enriched with archival footage and home movies showing scenes of colonial splendor from a vanished way of life. Born in 1920, Gayatri was married at twenty to the dashing Prince of Jaipur, with whom she lived a glamorous life on an international scale. After independence and the slow dismantling of princely powers, she continued to stay in the limelight, and was hostess to the Kennedys, the Queen of England and Nikita Kruschev. Always dedicated to the welfare of her people, the Princess sought to emancipate girls living in Purdah by starting India s first public school. She was elected as a state senator in 1962, and held that seat until 1978. During Indira Gandhi s rule, the Princess was jailed along with other political opponents and her palace was ransacked for its treasures. Today, known as Rajmatah Sahiba, the mother of the people, she continues to look after her schools and rebel against injustice and corruption

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