There was a strong rivalry between Indira Gandhi and Gayatri Devi.

During the period of the Emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in July 1975, Gayatri Devi, the third Maharani of Jaipur, was incarcerated in Tihar Jail for a duration of almost half a year.

Arrest of gayatri devi  during Dark period of india : Emergency

During a time of crisis, Indira Gandhi utilized articles 352 and 356 of the Indian Constitution to give herself extensive authority and initiated a widespread crackdown on civil liberties and political dissent. The administration deployed law enforcement personnel nationwide to detain numerous protesters and leaders of strikes as a preventive measure.

Some of the prominent figures affected by this action included Vijayaraje Scindia, Jayaprakash Narayan, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Raj Narain, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Jivatram Kripalani, George Fernandes, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Arun Jaitley, Jai Kishan Gupta, Satyendra Narayan Sinha, and Gayatri Devi.

Why Gayatri Devi Arrested  ?

In times of crisis, Indira Gandhi imprisoned many of her political rivals using different excuses (and sometimes without any reason at all), and Gayatri Devi was just one of them.

 

Gayatri Devi emerged as a significant figure within the Swatantra Party, a prominent opposition group in India during the 1960s and 1970s. Serving as a Member of Parliament on three separate occasions, she gained recognition for her vocal opposition to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, particularly in response to the controversial decision to abolish the Privy Purses of former royal families.

I understand that Maharani Gayatri Devi faced challenges with Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi when she entered public life, despite being famous for her beauty worldwide. Let’s explore how she confronted Nehru in Lok Sabha and the reasons behind her conflicts with Indira Gandhi.

Issue Between Gayatri Devi And Indira Gandhi

• Indira’s childhood was a lonely and unhappy one. Her father was often away, involved in political activities or in prison, while her mother was frequently sick and later died from tuberculosis. She had limited contact with her father, mostly through letters. She was taught at home by tutors and attended school intermittently until 1934.
• She studied at various schools in Delhi, Allahabad, Geneva, Bex, Poona, and Bombay, and also spent time at the Belur Math headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission. Later, she studied at Vishwa Bharati in Santiniketan, which became Visva-Bharati University in 1951. During her interview with Rabindranath Tagore, he named her Priyadarshini.
• INDIRA meet Gayatri at patho bhavan ,which fromed by Ravindra nath Tagore,West Bengal.Indira Gandhi  have significant issue in Gayatri beauty and display wealth,which made Idira jealous.
•   Gayatri, also known as Ayesha, was the daughter of the Maharaja of Cooch-Behar. She enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in her palace, which was run by five hundred servants. Her independent and fearless nature was inherited from her grandmother, Chimnabai, who defied societal norms.
• Following in her mother Indira’s footsteps, who chose love over an arranged marriage, it was clear that Gayatri would not conform to society’s expectations.
• SHUKHWANT SING wrote on his book that Indira could not stomatch  a woman who looks more beautiful then her.The present of Gayatri DEVI in parliament is great irritation for Indira Gandhi,

Charm of Gayatri Devi :

Gayatri, a style icon, was photographed by Cecil Beaton for Vogue. Beaton called her one of the ten most beautiful women in the world. Despite this, Gayatri mentioned in a 2004 interview that she never felt beautiful.

Jacqueline Kennedy visited Gayatri in India in 1962, and they were photographed together at a Polo match. In 2019, an exhibition called ‘Maharani: ‘Remembering the Princess’ was held in Mumbai to celebrate Gayatri’s Centennial year. Additionally, in 2013, designer Sabyasachi created five limited edition saris in honor of Gayatri’s enduring style icon status.

Early life of Gayatri Devi :

 Born into a Hindu royal family, her father, Prince Jitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar, currently in West Bengal, was the younger brother of the Yuvaraja (Crown Prince). Her mother was Maratha Princess Indira Raje of Baroda, the only daughter of Maratha King,

Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, an incredibly beautiful princess and a renowned socialite. At a young age, her father took the throne after her uncle’s passing. Gayatri attended Glendower Preparatory School in London, Patha Bhavana of Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan, and later in Lausanne, Switzerland,

where she traveled with her mother and siblings. She then studied secretarial skills at the London School of Secretaries, Brillantmont, and Monkey Club London.

 

She first encountered Sawai Man Singh II when she was 12, and he had come to Calcutta to play polo and stayed with their family. She married Sawai Man Singh II Bahadur on 9 May 1940.

Political life of Gayatri Devi

She made history as the first woman to win the Lok Sabha seat with a groundbreaking 1,92,909 vote lead out of 2,46,516. After that, she became an active member of the Swatantra Party, which was established to oppose the Congress government in Rajasthan.

In 1962, she won her first election against a Congress candidate with an overwhelming majority of 175,000 votes, earning her a place in The Guinness Book of Records. President John F. Kennedy even recognized her as “the woman with the most staggering majority that anyone has ever earned in an election.”

 

Gayatri Devi established a school for girls, which is now considered one of the best in the nation.

She stood against the discrimination faced by women in society. Instead of living a life of luxury as a Queen

she chose to dedicate herself to causes she believed in. During the war, she engaged in various war-related activities. In 1943, she founded the Gayatri Devi School for Girls with 40 students and an English teacher, which eventually became renowned as one of the top schools in India.

She was detained and confined in Tihar Jail in 1975 during the emergency.

Rajmata Gayatri Devi, still mourning the loss of her beloved, was convinced to run for her third term in Parliament in 1971, the same year the princely state was officially de-recognized. This constitutional change brought hardship for the Rajmata and her stepson, as they were both arrested and imprisoned in Tihar Jail in July 1975, despite the absence of any serious charges against them.

After six months in jail, Gayatri’s spirit remained unbroken, but her health did not.

Following her admission to a hospital, she was eventually granted parole, but the ordeal she endured did not diminish her zest for life.

 

 She had a passion for sports, particularly polo, and took pleasure in breeding racehorses. She was deeply involved in her community in Jaipur and had a love for travel. During the summer, she resided in a small flat in Knightsbridge, while her winters were spent in Lilypool, Jaipur, where she would host selected guests for evening champagne. Those who crossed her always ended up footing the bill.

 

She also dedicated herself to advocating for the rights of prisoners living in deplorable conditions, including murderers, prostitutes, and pickpockets. Her efforts were successful in challenging the Purdah system practiced by women in Rajasthan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Demise of Maharani Gayatri Devi

She was admitted to Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital (SDMH) on 17th July 2009. Unfortunately, she passed away at the age of 90 on 29th July 2009, reportedly due to lung failure.

 

The family has sought the assistance of the Delhi High Court in reclaiming 800 kg of gold that was confiscated by the government in 1975, citing the possession of the gold by Gayatri Devi as illegal under the Gold Control Act, 1968. In 2012, the central government’s counsel S.K. Dubey informed the court that the possession of raw gold was unlawful. Dubey stated, “The family has breached both regulations, resulting in a government-imposed fine of Rs.1.5 crore. This amount was later reduced to Rs.80 lakh.”

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