The Many Faces of Maharani Gayatri Devi

Overlooked for the role she played in Indian politics, Maharani Gayatri Devi is only remembered for her ethereal beauty and unmatched allure. However, she was a woman of many talents. Here is a short account of her brilliance.

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Far from the limitations and ideas of modesty society generally cast upon women, Gayatri Devi was the epitome of magnificence and unmatched excellence. The Princess who did not bow down to the whims of conventional society, who was jailed for her active role in resisting the Emergency and whose fashion spellbound the people of the subcontinent, Maharani Gayatri Devi was a sight to behold. Born to the King of Cooch Behar in Bengal, princess Gayatri Devi had a splendid upbringing that contributed to her wit and might.

Born into regality, the princess was learned in several matters. An avid sports enthusiast and a fashion icon, the choices Maharani Gayatri Devi made still reflect within the fabric of the subcontinent. However, limiting her brilliance to the way she impacted fashion would be disappointing.

The political career of the Maharani remains incomparable. As a staunch advocate for women and an egalitarian at heart, the policies she sought to support would win her a landslide victory in the MP elections she’d stand in 1962. Contesting from the Swatantra Party, Maharani Gayatri Devi managed to defeat Congress candidate Shardi Devi with a landslide margin. Out of 250,272 eligible voters, Maharani Gayatri Devi ended up receiving 192,909 votes. This was precisely the record that earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

An extraordinary woman in all regards, her beauty and ken remained her strongest assets. True to the democratic role she’d earned, her questions in the public arena towards Nehru remained exceptionally woven. Contesting the role of the country’s policies that ended up in our defeat in the Indo-Sino 1962 war, Maharani Gayatri Devi would use her place in the parliament to become the voice of the people and not be cumbered by the conventions of high society.

Vogue Magazine enlisted her as one of the 10 most beautiful women to ever exist in their issue. So unique was her demeanour and way of carrying herself, that she revolutionized the Chiffon saree in front of the mighty Banarsee silk. The trademark chiffon saree soon became the sign of imperial regality that people of the subcontinent ultimately adopted. Maharani Gayatri Devi would often drape herself in hues of pastel with carefully picked lipstick and jewellery of pearls and emeralds. However, even her immaculate style and presence as a fashion icon had nothing on her ken and wit.

Arrested in 1975 for the petty rivalry that existed between Indira Gandhi and the Maharani, people recall the five months she spent in Tihar jail to be the embodiment of royalty in confinement. Such was the impact of the princely beauty and ken that enabled her to become an icon in a sea of normalcy.