The immortal lines epitomise the agony of the poet, being separated from his beloved…Here the beloved is the motherland Awadh! Thumri, the semi-classical form of singing, essays expression at its lyrical best. To put it simply, if language is for expression, music provides the soul of the expression!
In the days of yore, Indian classical music was rendered in two forms--chhand and prabandh, mainly sung in the Dhrupad style which could rarely be improvised upon. The limitation of the Indian raga sangeet led to the evolution of khayal, which meant imagination; but even khayal was rigidly followed, to maintain the strict form of the raga. This is when the Thumri style of singing took birth, to give artists the ability to express freely, and to step away from the rigidity of the ragas.
Thumri literally means sensual gait, or ‘thumakna’, like the gracious swaying walk of a gazelle. The lyrical text is beautifully poignant, romantic or devotional. The lyrics play upon a girl’s love for Lord Krishna. Set in the Awadhi and Braj bhasha dialect of Uttar Pradsh, the lyrics focus on love or viraha (separation). Lord Krishna’s raas leela with Radha and gopis forms a frequent theme.
A generic name for Dadra, Hori, Kajri, Saavan, Jhula and Chaiti, Thumri revolves around these lighter forms of music, though the basic composition and structure might vary. century, it gained popularity in the early 19th century, at the height of the artistic era of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.The Lucknow naresh was an avid patron of dance-dramas, aptly called Raas. It was during this period when Thumri got established as a distinct style of music, and started gaining popularity in the royal courts. Thumri ragas are sung in the regional dialects of Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Mirzapuri and Rajasthani.

LOVE AND LONGING

The difference between Khayal and Thumri is that while the former remains true to the form and unfolding of a raga, Thumri focuses on expressing the numerous floral delicate ornamentation of shringar, by combining melodious and decorative words. A Thumri singer focuses on evoking each delicate nuance of amorous longing, with sensual depth exhibited in the vocals. The Thumri has a fluid form and needs a delicate heart, and a soulful voice capable of expressing several sensitive nuances to bring out its beauty. Some of the popular ragas in Thumri are Pilu, Kafi, Khamaj, Gara, Tilak Kamod and Bhairavi.
Music of the East, Purab Ang Gaayaki, is held popular by the music legend, Thumri queen Smt. Girija Devi, who represents the Benares and Seniya gharanas. She is a proficient singer of different forms of classical music such as Khayal, Thumri, Dhrupad, Taraana, Tappa, and traditional folk music such as Hori, Jhula, Chaiti, Saavan, Dadra, Kajri, and Bhajans.
Girija Devi was born on 8th May, 1929 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. She was initiated into classical singing by her father, Ramdeo Rai, a zamindar, at the age of 5. She started taking lessons in music from the late Pandit Sarju Prasad Mishra and the late Pandit Shri Chand Mishra. Girija Devi's first music recital took place in 1949 at Allahabad’s All India Radio. This was followed by a performance at Arrah, Bihar. At both performances, Girija Devi was hugely praised, and she began her fabled journey.
The singing sensation has performed live at numerous regions in India, as well as in the United States of America, the USSR and various other European countries. Girija Devi is also an accomplished composer and has composed Bandishey and Thumris. Winner of the Padma Shri in 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1989, as well as the Tansen award, among many others, she has served as member of many important music committees.

ARCHIVAL REVIVAL
“Thumri is like a resplendent garden”
Padmabhushan Dr. Girija Deviji in conversation with Shivani Dass and Akshat Kapoor.

Do people today realise the importance of classical music?
When I started my career, there were many stalwarts popularising classical music, such as Kesar Bai, Siddheshwari Devi, Rasoolan Bai, Gangu Bai and so on. Singers from various regions would get together to sing Awadhi, Bangla or Maratha.
In those days, every artiste would sing for two-three hours, with the audiences completely enraptured. Today one gets an auditorium for two hours, when an artiste has to quickly render music within 45 minutes, and there are two-three artistes awaiting their turn. Now fusion and modern progressive style of music seems to be prevalent, but that cannot succeed in outdoing traditional styles of singing. Our fraternity of classical singers refuses to adapt.

What’s the difference between Chaiti, Jhula and Kajri?
Jhula and Kajri are sung in the rainy season. Thumri was earlier called bhaav nritya and was sung with words. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah popularised the style and composed many renditions. Binda Dev Maharaj, Birju Maharaj's grandfather, composed Thumris in Benares. Thumri is actually Purab Ang but is sung widely in West Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra and many other regions.

Which is your favourite Thumri?
I sing devotional style Thumri and sufi style, which has dual reference tones, such as a girl leaving the father's home upon getting married, or the merging of the soul with God. Thumri has tones of sufiism and also has shringar, viraha, bhakti sentiments. I prefer to sing all the styles of Thumri.

On-stage, have you ever felt that you have gone into a trance?
Often I sing with my eyes closed and there have been times that I have gone into a trance, but I remain focussed, to stay with the audience, the swar and the taal. This is another kind of euphoria that I feel, to merge with God.

What message do you have for today's generation?
The other day, school students of class 4 -12 asked me many questions. I explained that Khayal is the basic language and structure of Indian classical music, like building a house, and we decorate it with swar.
Thumri is like a garden, resplendent and decorated with varieties of flowers, plants and trees. Till one doesn't hear a Thumri, one cannot understand it. Lyrics alone do no justice to Thumri. It needs mood and ambience.

Who are your favourite Thumri singers?
From yesteryear, I used to admire Siddheshwari Devi. Then Ramu Ji Visha, who was from our guru's gharana. I learnt a lot of old Benares Thumris from my guru, Shri Sarju Prasad Mishra. Badey Ghulam Ali and Abdul Karim Khan were the more popular Thurmi singers, while Heera Bai, Kesar Bai and Amir Khan were less popular in the older times.

Is it important for Indian classical music to be part of a child's upbringing?
I feel like a child can be inititated into the world of swar, laya and taal, from an early age. If they do have an affinity for it, they will be inevitably drawn to music.

How does one create an ambient setting for a musical concert?
One must accord respect to the artistes, and be benevolent,by gifting them their dues for performing, whether it is in cash or in the form of gifts. Your great grand-mother Sumitra Charatram's house had an ambient setting for this. Great artistes such as Amjad Ali Khan would come and perform at private concerts and the audience would be enraptured. Today this is not so. The ambience for a mehfil must be set.

The royals’ tryst with opulent design is historic. Anything they touch must be made in gold and encrusted with diamonds and precious stones. Fancy fables and larger than life coffee table books make you believe that they had emeralds for breakfast and diamonds for dinner. Their link with European brands is amplified by global vested interests who make this uber luxe link work to their advantage. Making the present-day luxury-seekers feel like maharajas when they invest in their brand.
Fairy tales abound, like the famed Rolls Royce custom built for Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV to shield his servants from the sun. Or the necklace Cartier crafted for the Patiala His Highness. Or the crystal chairs, tables, beds and sofas Maharana Sajjan Singh of Udaipur ordered from F. C. Osler in 1877. Such stories are found in abundance.
But even in this era of Made In India, no light is ever thrown on the exquisite crafts that got made inside the Indian palaces by dexterous crafts-people who wove their magic in all they touched. From the finest robes in the softest hand-woven silks and chiffons, to the most exquisite silver artefacts and furniture, from precious ornaments to explicitly beautiful art and architecture…the royal families spent more time with their master craftsmen than they did in European ateliers. Each one devising a design vocabulary that became a synonym of their history.
Every family dedicated a gracious part of their palace to a studio/ atelier that they called their karkhana. In these well-heeled spaces, artists, weavers, embroiderers, beaders, ornament makers, goldsmiths and silver-smiths all worked to ‘make for the Maharaja and the Maharani’ anything they desired. Be it a Kinkhwab they might have dreamt of last night, a sculpture that they have a whim for. Or a piece of jewellery they wish to adorn at the next auspicious occasion. These karkhanas developed a school of design that was deeply linked to the family’s history and heritage.
It is this connect between past heritage and its present evolution, past karkhanas and their mini versions brought to life by present-day heirs that engages Royal Fables Season Eight.
Held in two parts: October in Delhi and March in Mumbai, this year’s edition creates a dialogue between past and present. It links the royal scions of today with their rich past. Their art, textiles and jewels simply being a medium for this exchange.

THE GLORIOUS PAST: A HERITAGE OF ART SUSTAINED
The regal language of design is most profound in art. The royals nurtured in their courts, a battery of artists who spent their entire lives chronicling the queen and the king’s glorious lifestyle through their arts. His lover was painted sitting next to a slender lotus, herself as beautiful as the proverbial flower. His conquests at war became the subject of a miniature series. Their gods was brought alive in full regalia, while her beauty became the subject of many a symbolic art, and the family, a doting subjects for portraiture.
Miniature art played the role that photographs do today: recording historic moments. Each family had a favoured master artist. Like Nihal Chand, who flourished in the palace of Kishangarh, devising his own style of miniature art that glorified the royal family’s beloved deity: Lord Krishna. In Rajasthan, paintings with delicate detailing, a vibrancy of colours and a hint of gold and precious stones flourished. Besides frescoes on the wall that brought alive the fabled Shekhawati region, where all the affluent Marwari business homes hail from.
The hill kingdoms of Kashmir, Chamba and Kangra brought the simplicity of the mountains in their form of miniatures. The Kangra Kalam mingled Mughal influences with the simplicity of the local artists who were greatly influenced by the atmosphere of the hills.
The artistes adopted themes of eternal love between Radha and Krishna. This style reached its zenith during the reign of Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch, who was a great patron of Kangra art. An ardent devotee of Krishna, he used to commission artists to paint subjects based on the love and life of Krishna. Up in the Kashmir valley, another school of art flourished: The Nal Damayanti series that personified this fabled love, connecting it to the love of Gods. The Nal Damayanti series were recently chronicled in a book penned by Dr Karan Singh, His Highness, The Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir, and his artist daughter, Princess Jyotsana Singh.
Hill art was simplicity personified. The colours were extracted from minerals, vegetables and possessed enamel-like lustre. Verdant greenery of the landscape, brooks and springs were the recurrent images on the hill miniatures. Nainsukh, master of this style, introduced a distinctive vocabulary, which combined Mughal elements with personal innovations.
It was also a tale told simply, deep in the Chambal ravines, where flourished a romance with tribal art. The Jhabua kings encouraged Gond artists to evolve their form of art that graced their mud walls. Rich in detail, colour, mystery and humor, these tribal artworks were recently brought to brilliance by Jangarh Singh Shyam, who was the first Gond artist to use paper and canvas. Gond art spoke of life with the innate simplicity of the forests.
At Royal Fables scions of all these art histories present an evolved and modernized version of their art legacy.
There is Princess Vaishnavi Kumari, who takes the lovable cows out of her Pichwais and sets them against very pop art backgrounds. She presents pichwais of rare reverence. As well as paintings that glorify Shrinathji.
Nandini, the Princess of Jhabua and her little cousin Kunwar Jaivardhan Singh Raghogarh, bring alive a modern vocabulary of tribal, Islamic and abstract art. All symbolic of the Chambal valley they hail from.
Tikaraaj Ashwarya Katoch from Kangra-Lambragaon presents miniatures crafted delicately at the Sansar Chand Museum founded by him in reverence of his ancestor. Besides, there are a few canvases from his Contemporary Kangra Collection.
Elements and symbols of a regal life also engage the creative outpourings of certain royals.
Like the petite, shy and beautiful Vidita Singh from Barwani who gets inspired by her father, Manvender Singh’s magical journey with vintage cars. While he brings these cars back to their past glory, Vidita captures them on canvas in her Motor Art Series.
Vikramaditya Singh from Rajasthan and Aanjaneya Singh from Orissa paint and photograph wildlife to brilliance as Kartikeye Singh of Sandur captures birds in flight in his camera.

THE MAHARANI’S WARDROBE: DECONSTRUCTED FOR PRESENT-DAY PRINCESSES
Royal textiles have always had a resonance with popular design vocabulary. Their weave, construction and surface treatment have had the maximum influence on the present-day couturiers. Be it the achkan and bandgala worn by the nawabs and the maharajas, or the poshaks, nine yard saris, farshis and sheraras worn by the maharanis and the begums of the past. Present-day designs simply reflect their brilliance.
Weaves were a true treasure in the royal era. Master weavers were welcomed into the karkhanas to set their frame and weave wonders of joy. As pure gold threads met the finest of silks, georgettes and chiffons, geometric, floral and Indian icons came alive on nine yard and six yard saris, sumptuous oodhnas, kalidaar lehengas and yardage. Pure gold textiles were then treated on surface by embroiderers and embellishers. Zardoz, dabka, warq, aari, resham ek taar, tepchi, chikankari… many embroidery and embellishment forms enhanced the textiles that were further constructed into regal ensembles.
There were weave fables a many. Like the Chanderi school of weave that the royal family of Baroda patronized. Woven from 200-count fine cotton and pure gold zari by court weavers, these uniquely extravagant sarees were symbolic of the grandeur personified by Raja Ravi Varma’s muse who was seen in these saris. Kept alive under the patronage of Rajmata Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad of Baroda, these saris match any in brilliance. For Radhikaraje, The Maharani of Baroda, it is a duty to propagate them. “I wear a chanderi saree it to all global receptions and important functions with pride. It is our heritage and it’s our responsibility to showcase it to the rest of the world,” she says.
The the royals are identified with chiffons, ever since the ethereal Maharani Padmini Devi of Jaipur and Maharani Rita Devi of Kapurthala wore them on the global stage, the love for cotton carries forward in Madhya Pradesh where Indore’s tryst with Maheshwaris has become a living legend under the able tutelage of Sally Hokar who founded Rehwa with her husband Maharaja Richard Holkar. Still kept alive by Richard, Rehwa with its soft cotton saris brought back the glory of Maheshwaris in the ’80s and the ’90s.
Then there is the pure gold weave of Mansa in Gujarat that the Thakurani of Mandawa Darshana Kumari, born into the Mansa family, still keeps alive along with her daughters Priyanjali and Gitanjali. Says Gitanjali, “Our looms are shrinking and now we have only one room dedicated to weavers. It’s a tough battle to keep the heritage of gold weaves alive. Yet for the three of us, the thrill is in the smile it still brings on the face of a collectors who understand the reverence with which the weaver still treats his looms.”
Hand painting is a deep influence for the royals. Floral, hand painted saris in soft pastel hues, worn with a string of South Sea Pearls is a cameo that one instantly connects with a royal lady. Alka Rani, the Princess of Pratapgarh, picks up this influence and then adds her love of bright, kite colours to it. In her hands, bright striped swishes and vibrant abstract forms of the flower become a great story.
Rani Sandhyakumari from Khajurgaon, Avadh, in contrast keeps to the conventional flower motifs, painting them with a softness on ombre dyed chiffons and silk kotas. Painting on fabric gets experimental in the hands of an artist like Princess Vaishnavi Kumari of Kishangarh who brings the lotus, the cow and Lord Krishna onto her chiffon saris!
The Maharani’s love for the chiffon sari is immortal. Gossamer, soft and floral, if not embroidered …. This genre of embroidered saris are mastered by many gracious ladies of noble lineage. Like Dipti Singh of Kachi Baroda who presents this year the forgotten technique of cut-work in bright colours.
Then there is the lovely Jaykirti Singh who recreates delicate embroidery and bead-work saris that are symbolic of the Rajputs of Rajasthan. Mayankraj, with his Shikarbagh colleciton, recreates vintage icons in his saris. Sheer brilliance is found in his surface treatments.
The gracious Princess of Ayodhya Manjari Mishra, beads and embroiders the Panchtantra fable on a series of vibrant batuas. Rani Vinita Singh from Patiala revives the graphic embroidery school of bagh and phulkari that finds resonance in Punjab.
Promoting indigenous looms, embroidery schools and embellishment forums and keeping a tradition of tailoring and structuring alive is of the essence for these young royal design protagonists who continue to dress in their elegant poshaks, kurta kachlis every time the air goes festive. Or are found in their hand woven six yard and nine yard drapes. Or their farshis and sheraras. Both the nawabs and the raajas hold their traditional textiles close to their heart and strive hard to keep the looms going.
Jewellery, every woman’s first love and a Maharani’s most profound statement also comes alive in the hands of some royal scions who have taken it upon them to revive what was the intrinsic ornamentation style of their region. From Nepal, Meghana Sign Deo, a Rana Princess married to Kalikesh Singh Deo of Patna Bolangir, brings alive the technique of setting diamonds and precious stones in sterling silver. She creates a series of ear-rings, neck-pieces and pendants in this style. Also from Nepal, Amrita Rana goes bold with her diamonds, creating a series of very fine kalgis, broaches, chandelair earrings and hand cuffs. Both follow the technique of setting the stone in the finest of silver.
Tikarani Shailaja Katoch from the Kangra region goes more classic and chunky with her pieces crafting collections that are in the finest facted diamonds, rubies and emeralds. Statement pieces for the young bride, they can be worn at a reception with a smart swarovski studded chiffon. Or for your daugter’s big day with a simple and elegant ombre dyed chiffon.
Pushpita in turn shrugs the seriousness out of jewels beading semi precious strings in the most elegantly innovative manner. Her jadaus to follow her language of panache. As Kavita Rathore brings in colour to the craft of stringing. Bringing tutti frooti colours to uncut diamonds she crafts a creation that borrows from the resplendent costuming tradition of her state Jodhpur but with it she combines a young effervesence.
Design taken fast forward, traditions closely held and heritage sustained. The royal patrons of palace design have taken upon them the Herculian task to conserve their heritage and history. Royal Fables is a quiet friend that eggs them on this great journey.

Historically, the great Indian design treasure trove came alive under the patronage of the benevolent Maharaja. He, with his evolved sensibility and inherited eye, found the most talented craftsman, artist, weaver, jeweller and patronized them, not just with lavish designs but also his own sense of color, texture and proportion.
To every Cartier bracelet he bought from Europe there were at least ten exquisite broaches, neckpieces and rings his preferred jewelers created for him, right there in the backyard of his palace. For every portrait shot by a European portrait artist, there was an indigenous artist whose work he liked and developed with his own sense of aesthetics. He endlessly commissioned art, got seamless yardage of silk woven for his achkan and capes, had a battery of embroiderers embellishing his costumes....all this crafted within the comfort of his own palace. And hence was born the tradition of a palace studio, atelier or Karkhanas as they were often referred to. Each of these studios were renowned for a particular craft. The chosen school of art, weave or design was regional and could be synched with present-day craft zoning or get linked with regional specialties as we know it. But the royal family uplifted the technique to turn it into a masterpiece.
Royal Fables take this legacy forward launching Palace Karkhanas, India’s first royal memorabilia brand. The first in the series coming alive in DLF Chanakya.
An artisanal luxe story that strives to link design to history, Palace Karkhanas is a fluid fable that will ensure that soon what a luxury traveller takes home in not just an impeccable product, but one that was made by the maharaja in his sumptous palace. Ensuring that the legacy he took home was directly linked to its origin.

Cooking is a veritable art form, especially when it is practiced by royal chefs inside sprawling palace kitchen. It is here, within these walls that the phrase, ‘God is in the detail’ holds center stage. Cooks, trained to perfection by the family themselves rustle up the same divine taste in every meal: Be it an intimate dinner for two, a sit down dinner for ten, a state banquet for fifty or a temple offering for thousands. Every family holds their family cooking traditions sacred, only sharing it with their trusted cook and their scions. Each and every royal kitchen has at least one or two recipes that are their own trademark. It is this rare complexity of flavors, this delicacy of taste and this rarity of recipe that KITCHEN OF THE KINGS BY ROYAL FABLES hopes to present to food lovers. Presenting a conversation with a few food lovers and connoisseurs who are striving hard to keep their kitchen tales intact.

KUNWAR HEMENDRA SINGH OF BHAINSRORGARH

From the distant fort of Bhainsrorgarh, surrounded by the Chambal river comes a timeless kitchen tale told with total reverence by the scion of this legacy Hemendra.

Q. How is it like to cook for large numbers now when you aim to get into restaurants and catering? Can you keep the authenticity alive?
A. Cooking in large numbers is exciting as you can spread more love through your food reaching out to larger numbers. If the focus is spot on, bulk cooking turns out better. In bulk quantities, the weight helps slow cooking enhance the flavors and texture of the dish. This is especially when one is cooking meat.

Q. What’s your kitchen’s signature dish?
A. The Hari Mirchi ka Maas. This dish has a unique taste that you cannot get in any other dish.

Q. How is Hari Mirch Ka Maas different from the famous Laal Maas?
A. Both the dishes are poles apart. Hari Mirch Ka Maas is unique and exclusive as a dish and Laal Maas is the opposite, being cooked in every household with a different recipe by each individual. Laal Maas is an over-hyped name in restaurants, the result of tourism in Rajasthan in the ‘90s and people have started talking about a recipe of Laal Maas which I feel is not correct as there is nothing called Laal Maas. Laal Mas, like Dal Makhni or Butter Chicken, has a particular recipe which could differ maximum by 20 percent by individual chefs. I feel the very basic curry, using red chili powder or paste with some curry cooked in most parts of North India, is Laal Maas (some people would laugh at this theory!). In earlier times, I remember the word Laal in Maas was used to differentiate between safed and laal. What should we cook today? Laal or safaed? If safed, it could be Masale Wala, Kashmiri, Hari Mirch Ka, Khade Masale ka etc.

Q. As an avid cook and food traditionalist, how do you keep the balance between traditional recipes and innovation?
A. Traditional recipes are a part of our heritage. The collection of these recipes have been complied by contributions from each generation in the past. Following tradition is one part and making tradition is another, which would be my contribution for the generations to come. There are some recipes of the past that I have found lacking somewhere or a small innovations could bring out better results, so I experiment my thoughts and if the result is better to the palate, we make amends in the original recipe.

Q. If left in the kitchen for the whole day, what would you cook?
A. A kitchen is a great workshop and a lab for a person who used to dread science in school. It’s an art studio for me to create what I love and I would spend the whole day cooking, arranging, replenishing stocks, preparing my garam masalas. And finally eating!

Diacolor, the retail foray of designer Rishabh Tongya, is a sparkling journey of aristocratic luxe. Feted at international red carpet venues, the brand stands out for detail and craft, purity and reliability.
Rishabh carries on the gemstone legacy started by his grandfather, Chandalalji Tongya, in Jaipur, 80 years ago. His father, Rajkumar Tongya, expanded the business globally, as the family became known as the custodians of high quality rare and exquisite gemstones.
Fascinated since childhood with jewellery design, Rishabh has charted his own course with Diacolor, merging luxurious jewellery ensembles into the well-established family enterprise of precious gemstones. In a short time, the brand has become an indispensable source for the next wave of jewellery design. Floral and organic themes, iconic Indian and global art and architecture, blooming tales, bohemian rhapsodies, romantic interludes, the pizzazz of the French Rivera, the Italian Colosseum, Mughal memoirs, the glamorous Indian paisley….history and art merge in the fascinating one-of-a-kind jewellery sets.
No compromises are made on quality of the material used. All diamonds bear VS+ purity and are G-H in colour. The gemstones used are certified by laboratories of world repute, the GIA and HRD, Cublin, and so on.
Colour forms the leitmotif with sparkling diamonds, and other precious gemstones like spinels, kunzites, Zambian emeralds, Mozambiquian rubies, malachites, tourmalines, rare pearls and so on, in innovative cuts and settings.
The heirloom artistry evokes whimsicality, fun and romance. The design oeuvre works past the vagaries of what’s hot, what’s not, celebrating luxurious pageantry and long-lasting feelings.
“My intention is to curate masterpieces of fine quality for the connoisseur, pieces that are treasured from generation to generation, and also exhibit fine fiscal prudence,” says Rishabh. He draws inspiration from the royal gem and jewellery traditions of his native Jaipur, as well as from his travels across Europe, Africa and the Far East. In that sense, the design aesthetic fostered by Rishabh takes into account both local and global considerations with finesse.
One of the latest and biggest product launches from the stable, the fun and perky Titanium Collection for everyday wear, is a testament to the brand’s unique endeavour to cohesively weave together product research and market trends.
On the other hand, the Ochre Garden, laced with Banarasi-cut yellow diamond solitaires accentuated with white diamonds, highlights grandeur and majesty. A passionate mastery over the art of lapidary gives the brand a decisive edge. Apart from the flagship store at Emporio, Delhi, the handcrafted creations have been taken for select previews for glitterati the world over, Bollywood and Hollywood celebs as well as royal patrons.
Brand ambassador, the ethereal beauty Mringanka Singh, Princess of Jammu and Kashmir, says the jewellery lines echo a royal tale re-orchestrated for the modern woman. The breathtaking pieces embrace the aura of an unknown beautiful world. What not to love and lust for?

The connect between India and Mexico is historic. It dates back to the Imperial era, when Mexico, an erstwhile Spanish colony, was viewed as the gate to Latin America. When Indian silks and spices along with other oriental rarities found their way into the Latin American region through the Spanish corridor housed within the heritage city of Puebla. When ships full of far Eastern and Asian delicacies wound their way through the high seas to grace the homes, chapels and palaces of Mexico.
Rewinding that trail , this time via the ‘air route’, India’s most respected costume creator Umang Hutheesing took a collection of Royal Indian costumes to Mexico’s heritage city of Puebla. Invited to present a show titled ‘The Baroque Maharajas’ at the newly opened International Baroque Museum, Umang presented robes and textiles of the hindu kings and nawabs. Blending both the distinct iconography of Islamic and Hindu symbols and styles, he traced the rich Baroque trail through the show.
The Baroque movement is often thought of as a period of artistic style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, theater, and music. The style began around 1600 in Rome , and spread to most of Europe as well as its occupied colonies. Baroque design is all about lines that blend in and forms that incorporate an innate sense of drama in them. And to enhance that notion, the Baroque Museum, a very interactive, technology driven space built by Toyo Ito, a famed Japanese architect, follows a circular, free flowing form. With no sharp lines and no edges.
Just like the flowing and intricate costumes presented by Umang of the Baroque design school which Indian Maharajas also incorporated in their style. They adapted European and English influences in their costumes in the 1900s. The fabled Delhi Darbar was witness to it. What with the Maharanis wearing capes over their rich poshaks, converting their cholis into peplum tops and adding inner layers and flounce to their lehengas. While the Maharaja brought in the ceremonial cape, the short cravat and the sharp gillet to his achkan and bandgala styles.
This blend of many worlds, a symbol of Baroque free form and tolerance, became the central theme of Umang’s collection. No one in the world understands the intricacies of costume creation like him. Or is sensitive towards the curation of a royal museum collection and for Puebla he recreated the Maharaja’s connect with the West that began as soon as the British set foot into India, the Spanish and Portugese started living in Goa and South India and the sea route took them to distant U. K. for studying, shopping and revelry. Puebla, a city that graciously welcomes various cultures to its folds was stunned with the rich collection as its intellegentsia flocked to see the show. “Mexico is a country that goes to museums with the family, the lover and college mates,” informs Umang. They look for moments that showcase unique history or development at such museums.
On a museum trail through 2015 and 2016, Umang Hutheesing, earlier curated an exhibition ‘Magnificent Maharajahs: Splendour of Indian Royal Costumes’ for the National Museum of Bahrain. Invited to the country by the royal family, Umang presented luxurious textiles, exquisite costumes and elaborate garments, much of which is the property of the prestigious Hutheesing family.

We all live in the proverbial global village. A world that has shrunk into your computer, or better still, in your palms. Your smart phone today is your best friend and Google your bible. I call it the Google maharaj…. Your guide to living, loving and dressing.
I see so many young fashion seekers going online for fashion advice. They hang on to every word, every image found in a few, hand-picked, popular blogs lead by a breed of young fashion stylists, writers and bloggers who have emerged as the quintessential style icons. Diva divines who can make or break a brand. At their one whim their humongous followers can love or hate something. No wonder then that they are wooed globally by design conglomerates and fashion labels. It is them who decide how short is the hemline and how long the neck.
Royal Fables, a heritage platform that was lovingly built around the innate vision of reviving the culture of indigenous craft as it prevailed in palace studio of the past, is a story beyond hemlines and necklines. It is a veritable fairy tale that only the evolved mind, the seasoned eye can decipher. But is it not for the young? The girls who live in their blue jeans, LBDs and monogrammed bags?
That is what we are made to believe. But, to my delight, I was proven wrong. Heritage dressing has an equal resonance amongst the youth today. A fact we disocvered when we invited eight leading bloggers to our office. The girls who wear westerns for a living. It was so refreshing to see young girls with a sharp eye and a strong sense of style have twinkle in their eyes when they walked into a treasure room and hand picked their personal look from a row of saris, ensembles and jewelry that team Royal Fables sourced from our royal designers.
It was a delight to see how they devised their own indigenous look. The young and effervescent Anchal Sukhija, Delhi Style Blog decided to go conventional instantly loving an ombre dyed poshak from Mangalmayee. She coupled it with a borla that she wore on her head...Sukhneet Wadhwa, Ms Coco Queen, decided to combine the richness of a dabka work jacket by Mayankraj with a cotton sari by Meenal Singh Deo. Meenal won hands down with most of the girls with Zoya and Zina of the Terrible Twos wearing her saris along with a boho shirt. A look that was also favoured by Gopalika Virmani, a digital influencer. Aien Jamir, Fashion & I, who’s every image, every word is followed by millions, loved Jaykirti Singh Baria’s black ensemble, doing full justice to it when she combined it with a bold silver piece from Balaji Silver. As Devika Bhargav, Wear is the discussion combined Princess Vaishnavi Kumari of Kishangarh’s hand painted dupatta with a traditional ensemble by Ritu Sinhji Wankaner. Shivi Tandon, Curious Components kept to the conventional festive look of a gota patti white and gold kurta pyjama by Jaykirti.
From boho to bold, from pretty to pretty experimental, from stylish to classic…. Each one told his own style story. Here’s what they had to say...

Royal Fables at Vancouver Bridal Fashion Week

Royal Fables the most authentic platform for the great Indian regal heritage took a tour of the Americas. Invited as the anchor to the first edition of Vancouver Bridal Week by Canada’s leading Indian bridal designers Jai-Pravesh, Royal Fables took the occasion to launch THE ROYAL FABLES TRUNK COLLECTION. As Royal Fables curated a very eclectic collection by all the royal participants, a tiny delegation lead by Nawab Kazim Ali Rampur presented their designs in person. Nandini Singh Jhabua took a small representation of her art. Baisa Pushpita Singh Kharwa’s a small collection of semi precious jewellery line, the gossamer chiffon saris and luscious silk and velvet ensembles by Rani Jaykirti Singh Baria complimented Kanwarani Kamini Singh’s vibrant festive Indian collection in soft organic cotton.

Royal Fables Tours The Americas

From Vancouver the delegation travelled to Dallas and Los Angeles. A gracious reception in LA hosted by the very talented Rohini Bedi at her store, Fashion by Rohini had the entire Indian diaspora loving the collection and taking a bit of heritage home

He is, to say it proverbially, wedded to his regal roots. Images of his majestic home in Kotwara and the life within it emerge as cameos in every medium that he delves in. Be it his body of work in cinema that spans from the restless tale of a taxi driver in Gaman, to a courtesan’s tryst with destiny in Umrao Jaan and more recently Jaanisaar. Or his journey with Sufi music that above all captures the performing art history of Avadh. Or even the Kotwara Couture Collection that centres around farshis, sheraras and kurta pyjamas, synonymous of his region. Raja Syed Muzaffar Ali and his wife Rani Meera Ali of Kotwara dedicate their full life to skilling. A commitment to train the present generation of artisans, imploring them to follow the footsteps of their ancestors. In a bid to ensure that craft does not die and history remains intact, the Alis celebrate skilling in this the 25th year of Kotwara House of Design. Together they have their NGO Dwar Pe Rozi has not just revived forgotten rich crafts but also provided sustenance to crafts women of their state. He tells his story of skilling.

What would you like to say on craft and modernity?
Skilling is as old as time. We are either learning to skill ourselves for survival or pleasure, or we are being taught to do things by our parents or by others to create products or services for them. But as time has evolved, the ways of the world have changed and thattoo so radically that societies in India which had not seen the face of change are confronted with a world they cannot comprehend.
The phone is one such instrument of change. When it comes to livelihoods, human needs, necessities and national economies the situation is baffling.

How can we make craft or tradition relevant for us?
Each one of us needs to concern ourselves with these issues and address it within the sphere of his/her influence and understanding. It is precisely this that touched me about the human predicament around me and made me embark on the genre of films that I made and focus on rural craft skills, their design and marketing on one hand and designing lives of artisans on the other.

What has been your experience in this field?
It has been 25 odd years and I feel I have barely scratched the surface. However, I am convinced that one is on the right path, though not all the dimensions are commercially valid and sustainable.Essentially because the field is becoming day by day top heavy with processes deployed for marketing and designing.
This has been realised very acutely by the government for several decades, and is becoming louder and visible day by day, though not penetrating deep enough to awaken a Corporate Social Responsibility consciousness in the corporate sector.

Where do we go from here?
The effort has to go on relentlessly. There are several levels at which we have to operate to create the desired effect in society to develop a sensitivity for the hand made. This is a two way process. Evolution of the consumer mind through exposing them to craft of their own region.
Secondly, create a global positioning of the craft forms through museum and gift shops. The other end of the process is working on holistic craft welfare concepts in a sustainable fashion.

How did you link your heritage to your interests?
I was attracted to craft through many ways. And for such attractions to become life-long and larger than life, one’s tangible and the intangible heritage has to be so intertwined that it becomes inseparable. Like when you hear poetry, you are reminded of a person wearing an attire in a space surrounded by several handcrafted artefacts. It’s the same feeling I felt as a child growing up in a craft-oriented city like Lucknow, or walking into old-world homes of Calcutta or seeing a Ray film.
Then stepping into Air India as someone responsible for creating the identity of the national carrier with the nation through arts, crafts and culture, I felt close to craft. Working on films like Umrao Jaan; in the late eighties working in Kashmir on Zooni, the 16th century poetess queen of the valley, with designer Mary McFadden as the Costume Designer, I felt I was purusing what I cherished most. This was one of the greatest upgradation of Kashmiri skills in my memory. We set up a Shah Hamadan Centre for Design Development under Mary and myself and a whole team of NID designers and students. We created properties and costumes with the help of local artisans much of which was lost to fire and vandalism. It was an enriching experience which my wife Meera and I applied to Lucknow and Kotwara and it now calls for both an archive and an institution to celebrate these decades of work and preserve old references of paintings and embroideries.

What are your recent efforts?
Our recent efforts are directed towards doing a series of films on Craft “Dastaan e Dastkaari”. We are also organising a poetry festival on craft! While Skill India is a commendable mission, we cannot afford to lose our already skilled human resource in the field of age-old traditional craft, be it embroidery or weaving etc, to new skills due to inflation and rising costs of living.
Muzaffar’s tryst with creativity is multifaceted but stemming from a singulare influence:Avadh. From fashion that he steers with wife Rani Meera Ali and daughter Princess Sama Ali to cinema and music....he spreads the message of sufiana kalam through all his forums.

Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh & Yuvrani Chitrangada Singh of Jammu & Kashmir

Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh & Yuvrani Chitrangada Singh of Jammu & Kashmir

Amrita Rana Singh
Nepal

Amrita Rana Singh is synonymous with creating stunning jewellery. A connoisseur from the sun-kissed mountains of Nepal, she goes bold with her diamonds, creating a series of fine kalgis, broaches, chandelier earrings, tiaras and hand cuffs. The stone is set in the finest of silver. The dalliance of form and function is highlighted in her designs.

Baisa Pushpita Singh
Kharwa

Her love for jewellery began at a young age. A self taught designer, Baisa Pushpita Singh combines a collection of semi formal beaded neckpieces with a capsule collection of precious jewellery in kundan and polki. Her best work is designed in her atelier at home where she plays with colour, combining black onyx with a white pearl, an aubergine amethyst with a pink rose quartz, a lapis lazuli with a blue aquamarine.....adding a hand crafted pendant for that luxe touch.

H.H Maharani Radhika Raje Gaekwad of Baroda

To the arts born, Radhika, an avid writer, art conservationist, textile exponent and music lover is a perfect scion to the rich legacy of Laxmi Vilas Palace. Historically the hub for art and craft, the palace housed legendary artists like Raja Ravi Varma, Felici etc. The family played patrons to the school of Chanderi weave and her ancestors turned Baroda into the art hub that it is today. Radhika keeps this rich legacy working with weavers, artisans and artists to recreate her rich, inherited legacy.

Jo Singh

A wild life enthusiast, an adventure lover and a truly cosmopolitan person, Jo Singh presents her latest collection of art. Canvases that represent her love for animals, both domestic and wild. In her works animals reflect a softness of heart that is a reflection of her own gentle persona. An artist who has shown at solo and group shows, she enjoys showing at Royal Fables as it is the one zone where other wild life enthusiasts truly appreciate her art.

Kanwarani Bharti Singh
Sahanpur

Born in U.P. India. Bharti is an art Postgraduate from Meerut University. She has held over 45 solo and group shows in India and abroad and participated in number of workshops, camps and fundraisers. She married at a young age into the family of Wild Life enthusiasts, a princely Estate Sahanpur in U.P. India. From realistic representations of wildlife her work gradually moved toward modernisation, experimentation and simplification of form. On her canvas she continues to narrate her beliefs and personal thought process evolved from various sources and ever growing questions regarding existence of life with a temperament of subconscious and conscious evolution of inner voice.

Kanwarani Dipti Singh
Kacchi Baroda

What started as a hobby for Dipti Singh has turned into her own exclusive label, Just Chiffons. Immortalizing the saris worn by royal ladies, Just Chiffon sairs stand for refinement and luxurious craft. The regal technique of ombre dyeing come together with hand embroideries and embellishments that the maharanis enjoyed. Lace, cut work, aari and badla come together to recreate the aura of the past. Dipti Singh takes inspiration from vintage designs and presents them in muted, pastel shades.

Kanwarani Geetanjali Shekhawat
Jassowala

Poshaks are integral to Rajputana dressing. Be it at a wedding, a festival or an evening of ghoomar, an elegant woman of noble lineage is bound to be seen in an elegant poshak only. A truly unique ensemble comprising of a flowing Kurti worn over a bustier style kanchali and a resplendent lehenga, the poshak is like a cordon bleu symbol of Rajput culture. Geetanjali Shekhawat from the quaint little village of Jassowala keeps this legacy alive. She borrows embroidery patterns from old costumes setting them into poshaks of soft pastel colours in soft silks and tafettas. A unique story told like a fable by this slender conservationist.

KANWARANI JAYKIRTI SINGH OF BARIA

For over a decade, Rani Jaykirti Singh Baria has enjoyed the challenge of designing textiles and ensembles. Taking inspiration from the craft of her state, Rajasthan, Jaykirti uses the hand block printing tradition and incorporates it in contemporary wear. By making use of this traditional method of printing, Singh is helping resurrect a technique that is no longer used in the same capacity it once was. Her clothes use embroideries like zardozi, aari, pittan, salma-sitara and sequins. In her ensembles and saris traditional finds a new expression.

Kanwarani Meena Singh Datia

The rich repertoire of Awadhi embroidery comes alive in the works of Meena Kumari of Datia- from rich badlas to sparkling mukaish, from lace inclusions to exquisite cut-work, she makes her state proud with textiles, garments and home furnishings that truly reflect a royal touch. Known for her zardozi, zari, resham thread work and jaali work, her family has revived the typical crafts of their state under her brand, Astuti.

Kanwarani Ritu Sinhji Wankaner

With the desire to do something original, Kanwarani Ritu Sinhji, decided to dedicate herself towards reviving traditional prints, embroideries and silhouettes infing in them a modern modification. She takes inspiration from old costumes and reinterprets the traditional silhouettes into beautifully created anarkalis and dupattas. The feminine appeal and grace of her ensembles are highlighted with a sense of bold chutzpah.

Kanwarani Vijaya Singh of Sirmour

Tikarani Vijaya Singh of Sirmour collaborates with couturier Neha Gupta to recreate the grandeur of yore. A discerning designer who takes inspiration from the great Indian costuming history, she dips into Vijaya’s archival collection to recreate a luscious and rich festive line. Vintage embroideries on the finest velvet get coupled with rich brocades. Sleek and sharp kurtas go with flowing angarkhas and elegant palazzos. A great line to dazzle in this diwali.

Kunwar Mayankraj Singh Kayasthpada

Kunwar Mayankraj Singh Kayasthpada’s brand, Shikaarbagh, is an ode to the legendary royal beauties who forever changed the face of how Indian women dressed. His saris and jackets speak a language of modernity that is rooted in tradition. He tastefully recreates the preciousness of “Succha Kaam”. His embroideries are like tapestries that tell a fairy tale, a fable.

Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur

Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur is a true custodian of the craft karkanas that her father brought alive within the majestic walls of her home, City Palace, Jaipur. From block prints, to khaddi work, from leheriyas to enamel techniques, she show cases the many crafts the pink city is synonymous with at her Palace Atelier. One of India’s finest museum shop, the Ateleir reflects the history of regal, royal Jaipur to perfection.

Princess Krishna Kumari of Panna

Petite princess with a firebrand spirit, Princess Krishna Kumari’s art embodies the jungles that surround her state of Panna. In her art come alive the roaring tigers, the galloping elephants and the many striped cats that live just just a few miles away from her fort. An avid traveller, Krishna is seen rushing through the jungles of India, Africa and South America to get inspired for her next piece of art. Her canvas is white porcelain, toughest to paint on and her art a reflection of her world where animals play such an integral part

Princess Vaishnavi Kumari of Kishangarh

Her genius is inimitable. Her art is iconic. Princess Vaishnavi Kumari of Kishangarh recreates the Kishangarh school of miniature art in an experimental style. Pop art pays an ode to the reverent and traditional school of paintings. As a true patron, Vaishnavi mentors miniature artists to create art under her atelier, Studio Kishangarh.

Princess Vidita Singh of Barwani

Rajkumari Vidita Singh of Barwani is one of the first artists to pursue automative art in India and aims to preserve India’s automotive history and tradition through her canvases. Some of her finest works include a painting for the Ford Motor Cenetary Celebrations in India and she is one of the most renowned artists among Indian and International collectors of automative art.

R.K. Gitanjali Shah Tehri Garhwal and Kanwarani Priyanjali Katcoh Lambragaon- Kangra

R.K. Gitanjali Shah Tehri Garhwal and Kanwarani Priyanjali Katcoh Lambragaon- Kangra

Rajkumari Alkarani Singh of Pratapgarh

Rajkumari Alkarani Singh of Pratapgarh

Rajkumari Nandini Singh Jhabua

Rajkumari Nandini Singh Jhabua

Rajkumari Rajeshwari of patiala

Rajkumari Rajeshwari of patiala

Rajkumari Veena Singh of Padrauna

Hailing from the rich craft region of Awadh, Veena Singh has supported master craftsmen to keep the art of chikankari alive. Married into the royal family of Varanasi, Singh showcases effortlessly the royal heritage passed down to her. It’s a world of impossibly rich and layered fantasies realised through couture like treatment. Her studio also empowers women with employment.

Rani Jaykirti Singh Baria

For over a decade, Rani Jaykirti Singh Baria has enjoyed the challenge of designing textiles and ensembles. Taking inspiration from the craft of her state, Rajasthan, Jaykirti uses the hand block printing tradition and incorporates it in contemporary wear. By making use of this traditional method of printing, Singh is helping resurrect a technique that is no longer used in the same capacity it once was. Her clothes use embroideries like zardozi, aari, pittan, salma-sitara and sequins. In her ensembles and saris traditional finds a new expression.

Rani Kamini Singh of Seohara

Her boho chic ensembles combine festive formality with the comfort of cotton. Along with her daughter, Chandni Kumari, her brand, Rose Tree gives a twist to formal dressing, ushering in a palette of beige to earthy tones, with dashes of ochre, orange, cobalt blue and maroon. The eclectic range comprises of sheraras, anarkalis, kurtis and flowing aabha kurtas. All the garments are made from the finest organic cotton and create a livelihood for the women karigars in her home state of Seohara, UP.

Rani Kavita Kumari Sahiba Jodhpur

Rani Kavita Kumari Sahiba Jodhpur

Rani Sandhya Kumari of Khajurgaon

Rani Sandhya Kumari of Khajurgaon’s quest for design is unquenchable and with Royal Fables, she has taken her design sense to a new realm, recreating a complete regalia collection. This year, she brings old royal lifestyle products and some interesting dupattas, skirts and saris from her state. The collection makes liberal use of images and ideas from the past and combines the legacy with modern symbols of style and evolved aesthetics.

Rani Vinita Singh Patiala

Rani Vinita Singh of Patiala had always admired the craft of phulkari and has made it an integral part of her dressing and home decor. At Royal Fables presents a repertoire of festive dupattas, saris, lehengas and shararas . The traditional phulkari gets an innovative twist in her cutting-edge designs, resplendent with the aura that her luxurious ensembles possess.

Shraddha Akka Nikam

Shradha Nikam, has the right fusion of beauty and fashion. Her ancestral roots lie in the Nikams who are descendents of Suryavanshi king Nikumbh and his successors Nikumbh Rajputs. Shradha possesses a talent in creating a unique fusion of fine textures, vibrant colours, cutting edge silhouettes and bold, life-like embroideries: a fusion that created ripples in the fashion industry, the city that booms with fashion witnesses her set up that creates delightful surprises as she closely works with her team to bring out the most exquisite embroidery designs that brides fall in love with.

Thakurani Darshana Kumari of Mandawa

A legacy of craft lives on and dying looms get revived as three women with refined aesthetics and a zest to preserve craft come together. Sisters Gitanjali and Priyanjali take inspiration from their mother, Darshana Kumari, to recreate the rich tradition of pure gold and silver weaving through their label, Sri Tana Bana. Upholding traditional quality craft, this brand weaves masterpieces and their design repertoire includes patan patolas, double ikats and silver warq saris.

Tikarani Shailja with Tikaraj Ashwarya Katoch of Lambragaon- Kangra

Tikarani Shailja with Tikaraj Ashwarya Katoch of Lambragaon- Kangra

Umang hutheesing

Costumer and couturier Umang Hutheesing gets inspired by the Raj era to recreate the grandeur of the bygone, Imperial era. Grand sarees, kalidar ghaghras and anarkalis, richly gathered gheras, gillets and blouses are accentuated with embellished capes and ornate scarves. The Maharaja collection is equally rich with silk kurtas, achkans, sherwanis, chogas, bandgalas and trend-setting breeches. Umang, the only Indian designer to have shown at globally acclaimed museums dresses aristrocracy from across the globe and understands the royal style of dressing best.