Does the royal family of Jaipur still dictate the city’s social scene?

Jaipur’s tag as one of India’ s most lively cultural centres comes with a royal chip on its shoulders

American author John Zubrzycki begins his book The House of Jaipur: The Inside Story of India’s Most Glamorous Royal Family with a description of the party that Gayatri Devi (the third Maharani consort of Jaipur from 1940 to 1949 through her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II) would organise every year on the occasion of the full moon night of Sharad Purnima—the harvest festival that coincides with the end of the monsoon. The party would be held on the rooftop terrace of her residence, Lily Pool. 

In Hindu tradition, the festival commemorates Krishna’s amorous dance of divine love with the gopis. To reflect the light of the moonbeams, idols of the deity are adorned with silver and dressed in white silk. Bowls of kheer absorb the moon’s cosmic rays and are distributed as prasad the following morning. Zubrzycki goes on to say that when Gayatri Devi celebrated the festival, there were no electric lights, just the glow of the celestial body. The table service was silver, but the dress code and decorations were strictly pale pink—as was the colour of her city. She was, after all, the Queen of Jaipur. Zubrzycki also clarifies that no parties have been held here for over a decade. Lily Pool’s Art Deco facade is evidently aging. Plaster used to repair the walls has cracked, and mould from the rains has stained the paintwork. Lily Pool was once part of the sprawling Rambagh Palace complex, the home of Gayatri Devi and her husband, before it was turned into a five-star hotel.

The social set

Over the years, Jaipur has become synonymous with the romance and valour of princely India. Zubrzycki opines that much of the city's romanticised mythology can be attributed to Jaipur's First Family. In many ways, Gayatri Devi and Sawai Man Singh II set an unmatched precedent for how Jaipur socialised and partied. 

"Invitations to Gayatri Devi's parties were highly sought after. She set the dress code (usually pink) and chose the theme. No one could compete for the style and romance of these events. Those in attendance included other royals, diplomats, foreign dignitaries, hoteliers, jewellers, cultural figures and the Rajput elite. I've seen the guestbook that Gayatri and Jai (Sawai Man Singh) kept, and the names represent the who's who of Indian society. Conspicuous by their absence are politicians," says Zubrzycki.

While he hasn't had the honour of attending any of Pacho's (Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh) parties, Zubrzycki believes that going by his Instagram account, it seems the young royal has been cultivating a much younger set than his grandmother would have done. "I know polo and fashion are a big part of his world. He's shedding some of the elitism of the old generation, and that's a good thing."

In a very short time, the boarding- and British public school-educated royal seems to have put Jaipur on the map again through his parties, called Jaipur Massive, to listing a suite at his palace on Airbnb. The swashbuckling millennial seems to revel in his role as a ‘GenNext Prince’. "From the Diwali party to the annual Holi soiree, he (Pacho) has given Jaipur a new, cool identity. And expectedly, it has become a magnet for the who's-who in Indian social circles over the past few years," says Mihir Jain, a jeweller and brand consultant, adding: "The parties have a dress code, and it's nice to see everyone let loose and have fun”.

A shift

As anyone who has stood by Maota Lake and looked up at the crenellated outline of Amber Fort or sat spellbound in the mirrored Shobha Niwas inside the City Palace can attest, Jaipur has an otherworldly charm to it, something generations of locals and tourists have sought to discover. Now an attractive destination for jet-setters from across the globe, who enjoy the finer things in life, the Pink City is straddling the lines between staying true to its roots and embracing modernity. 

Tarang Arora, creative director of Amrapali, says that apart from the more intimate gatherings he prefers, Jaipur has a thriving nightlife that is expanding even more. "From the Covid pandemic onwards, we’ve seen a lot of restaurants, bars, cafes, and nightclubs opening up in Jaipur. Clubs claim to be the largest or largest club terraces in Asia, so there is strong competition, and everyone is trying to outdo each other. And while one might think that the city only comes alive during the Jaipur Literature Festival, held in January every year, Arora says it's a misconception because there's so much happening here throughout the year, given how it is slowly becoming a centre for the arts and culture. "The city truly comes alive between Diwali and Holi. Yes, the Literature Fest does bring in a lot of people, but in terms of business, socialsing and meeting people from all over the world, a lot goes on in the city during these six months," he says. 

Tarang and his wife Akanksha’s new family home in Jaipur hosts more intimate gatherings. "Once in a while, a client travels to Jaipur. Then there are art collectors, who are here to see the museum (the Amrapali Museum that the family runs), as well as art lovers. So different kinds of groups visit throughout the year," he says.

The new normal

Entrepreneur Sunny Singh, who is preparing for the launch of his new venture—Ohana, touted to be one of Asia's largest open-air cocktail bar and kitchen and located at G.T Central in Jaipur—believes the metros have hit a saturation point with little scope for expansion. "The aftermath of the pandemic has seen residents across smaller cities in India come out and spend more. We have witnessed many new food and beverage establishments sprouting up in Jaipur with alarming regularity," says Singh.

According to an analysis by CBRE, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Indore, Bhubaneshwar, Visakhapatnam and Coimbatore are expected to become new growth cities for retail consumption in the country. In fact, the non-metro bar and eatery market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15-20 per cent over the next few years. The key drivers of this growth include the rising incomes of consumers in non-metros, the increasing urbanisation of these areas, and the changing lifestyles of consumers.

"The non-metro bar and eatery market is becoming more attractive to investors, as they offer comparatively lower real estate costs and a larger pool of potential customers. Some key trends driving growth in this market include the rise of casual dining, the increasing popularity of cocktails, and the growing demand for vegetarian and vegan options," says Singh.

Queer Jaipur

It’s also heartening to know that Jaipur’s queer scene has evolved in the last few years, thanks in part to the efforts of Randhir Pratap Singh, who has been pushing for more inclusive spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community to call their own in the city since he moved there a few years ago. As the founder of the fetish and utility brand Subculture, Singh believes that while Jaipur may seem progressive on the surface, there’s an inherent class structure that still controls who socialises with whom. “I am a Rajput from Lucknow and while that doesn’t really dictate who I socialise with, it does matter in most parts of India. If you don’t have a certain class privilege, you will get stares and your entry into social gatherings will be affected—that’s the unfortunate truth,” he says.

The old and new

Growing up in a city that exudes royal charm and unmatched Rajput hospitality, Shambhavi Gamph, who runs the little over 300-year-old Royal Heritage Haveli—which has seen its take on many forms over the years, including it being a family home, a hunting lodge, a school and on one occasion, an army supplies storage room—says Jaipur will always be a multicultural hotspot given its reputation of hosting people from all over the world. And while she does accept that the city has embraced new ways of socialising, Gamph's family has remained firm in their idea of hospitality. "We've cultivated a reputation for ourselves over the years. So while Jaipur might be undergoing a cultural shift of sorts, and while I think that's great for business, my family wants to stick to an understated way of making guests feel at home. Yes, we've tried (organising) musical nights with a local flair, but our focus is now more on building a culinary legacy," she says.

Throughout her youth, the young chef admired her maternal grandmother of Khatipura, who had cultivated outstanding culinary expertise. As the youngest grandchild, Gamph would accompany her grandmother to multiple cooking sessions and help her document her various recipes in a book. “I want to keep her legacy alive and so part of my endeavour is to introduce the city to food that’s familiar in a way but also elevate it to invite new people to experience it,” says Gamph, whose mother Angelique’s grand-aunt was the elegant Gayatri Devi.

And while Pacho’s parties are known for their pomp and splendour, Gamph says tradition is something the family has never lost sight of. “Whether it’s wearing midnight blue on Diwali or pale pink on Holi, the royal family never sways from culture,” she adds. 

A rich legacy

Tahir Sultan, who owns Makaan, a concept store in Jaipur for artefacts and objets d’art and is known for his pan-India gourmet catering business, which specialises in Middle Eastern cuisine, was born out of years of hosting some of India’s finest, has called Jaipur home for the last three years. The entrepreneur says his socialising ranges from small dinner parties to blow-out dance parties in forts. Not only does he organise exclusive dinners and experiences for brands or people visiting the city who want a fun, whimsical, contemporary take on Jaipur, he also introduces visitors to eclectic people who live there, hoping they will make friends or form synergies. “I also host a lot of private parties which go on till early in the morning. I love meeting new people, so I am always happy to welcome them into my home and life. They offer different points of view and different perspectives, which enrich both my life and work,” he says. 

Much like Sultan, Sambhavi Gamph also believes that Jaipur has always brought people together. “Although Jaipur socialises in different ways, it’s always been welcoming to people from outside. There’s been an active exchange of ideas over the years and that’s not changing anytime soon,” she says.

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