MS ARISTOCRATS These women have fast-forwarded the romance of Roman Holiday— scripting a story of new age princesses who have escaped the trappings of majesty and grandeur their predecessors lived in. Hi! brings together three enterprising royal inheritors who stand as the quintessential modern Indian women earning their own living, creating their own little empires with hard work and diligence. Narjis Abedi—daughter of Intekhab Abedi & Nagad Khan, princess of Rampur; Indiritta Singh D’mello—daughter of Rudolf Dimello & Priti Pratap Singh from the royal Kuchaman family; Vidita Singh, daughter of Maharajah Mahendra Singh of Sarwani (MP) & Renuka Singh of Kalakanker HH BUTZ 129 FEBRUARY 2008Indiritta in a heav ee PCE a ae Ce eee ai Pree a ee Pee ea auc aae oe ae Rome cue Pe Bees eda Senne ena Rca ae (former Indian ambassador to Cuba), a Goan ChristianNarjis Abedi, Indiritta Singh D’mello and Vidita Singh have all chosen diverse career paths for themselves. Coming from different backgrounds, what unites all of them is their impeccable upbringing and a reflection of the royal finesse that their ancestors have left as a legacy to them. When we put them together for the shoot what we found was a bunch of girls brimming with joie-de-vivre, uncompromising savoir-faire, a zest for life and a commitment to live with sound values and financial independence, Hil decided to re-live the past glory of their royal heritage, We went sifting through old trunks pulling out their traditional costumes and dressing them up asprincesses of yore, maintaining their current essence yet. Posing for the camera is something Indiritta almost took up professionally after she was photographed by French magazine, Glamour. “At one point 1 contemplated modelling as a career but my mother was not terribly excited at the idea,” she laughs. Although, Indititta claims she is fairly independent, a lot of her decisions have been governed by her mother, a very strong influence in her life. “My mother, who grew up in a very traditional set up, was a rebel of her times. She went ahead and married my father, Rudolf D’mello (former Indian ambassador to Cuba), a Goan Christian. It was unheard of in those days. The fact that she is so liberal has helped me and my younger sister Piya, a lawyer, to come out of the traditional mould and set goals for ourselves. She ‘encouraged me to go to Oxford for further education,” Indiritta reveals. She is now ‘a successful health care professional ‘working for Delhi's Moolchand hospital. “L was following the family tradition when I went to study at Oxford. Both my grandfather Raja Pratap Singh (mother’s father) and my father were Oxford educated. Personally for me, the Oxford experience wasall about equipping myself to work in areas of social development, especially promoting comprehensive pro- poor programmes,” says Indiritta. Vidita, daughter of Maharajah Mahendra Singh of Barwani (MP) and Renuka Singh of Kalakanker, talks about how she has come into her own, despite the trappings of her historical lineage. “A lot of Rajput families, to this day and age, continue to be very orthodox in their thoughts, I'm glad my parents were liberal enough to send me to study abroad and ‘gave me the kind of independence I have today.” ‘Vidita decided todo her Masters’ degree in hehistory of ar, followed by acourse in art restoration from Florence, Italy. "Nowcentury. Lam very proud to maintain certain traditions of my family passed on to us like the celebration of the annual Dusshera puja in the vill follow all the traditions of my husband And now | Yashraj’s family Indiritta D'mello whos Priti Pratap Singh belong Kuchaman family worked with her on Kuchaman Fort (a label that makes designer quilts, shawls and stoles with a mother to the royal clientele ranging, from Princess Michael of Kent to Diane Vonfurstenberg). “After 1 finished a course from IIM Bangalore Iwas working as a human resource professional in an IT company but had to give up my job as my mother was taken seriously ill, From human resources I was suddenly dois g business with my mother and that was a very creative phase for me, The 16" century Kuchaman Fort and. palace have been inspirational for the label at evolved in 1989 when my mother started working with the artisans with rafts the idea of reviving the dwindling ofher state and giving employment to the women folk Indiritta’s maternal grandfather, Raja Pratap Singh was the last descendant of the legendary Mirabai. As Indiritta says In fact, my grandfather's religiosity had deep impact on my life and like the rest of my family even became a devotee of Anandmayee ma, who continues to be a guiding influence in my life. Being, financially independent has its in these women's lives. When it comes to crucial decisions, they still prefer to go the traditional way. Vidita got married to Yashraj Singh, a businessman belonging to Bihar's erstwhile Kursela state, the man her family chose for her. When I met my husband the first time round, he had just returned from America and had come to my house with his uncle ‘own pl ur families knew each other and after we met they decided that it would be a good idea for both of us to get together Wemet twice before we tied the knot—the first ime we went to watch a polo match together,” she informs, For Narjis and Indiritta it's important that their families approve their future husband. In unison they state, “We are free to make our own decisions when it comes to marriage. But it will be hugely important that our families approve Ah well, not everything s to change with modern times. TEXT: SANGHITA SINGH PHOTOGRAPHY: PARAV SAHNI (MAKE-UP & HAIR: ASHIMA KAPOOR EWELLERY: AMRAPALLL VENUE: RAMPUR HOUSE, NEW DELHI Indiritta works on her designer label Kuchaman Fort, with a clientele from Princess Michael of Kent to Diane Vonfurstenberg 5 OLT2 135 FEBRUARY 2008