A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur (Paperback)

Some parts of the book

CHAPTER 1
A Visit to Baroda
During our childhood, our family often journeyed the two thou- sand miles from our home, the palace in Cooch Behar state, tucked into the north-east corner of India, right across the country to my grandparents' palace in the state of Baroda, on the shores of the Arabian Sea. All five of us children had watched with excited antici- pation the packing of mountains of luggage. We seemed to be pre- paring for the most unlikely extremes of heat and cold, not to mention more predictable occasions such as a state visit or a horse show. On the day of our departure the station was a bedlam, what with all the luggage and staff that accompanied us wherever we went. But by the time we arrived everything was checked and on board, thanks to the efforts of our well-trained staff.
Nonetheless, my mother invariably had a deluge of instructions and questions as soon as we arrived. Where was the dressing-case that she wanted in her compartment? she would ask, in her slightly husky, appealing voice. Well, then, unload the baggage and find it. What about her puja box, which contained the incenses and pow- ders necessary for the performance of her morning prayers? Ah, there it was. Fortunately, that meant that no one need hurry back to the palace to fetch it.