Gayatri Devi : The ethereal Indian Princess

In India, a land that is home to many of the most gorgeous women the world has seen, one name stands above all when it comes to grace , charm and beauty and that is “Rajmata Gayatri Devi”.
Born in 1919 as princess Gayatri Devi , in a royal family in Cooch Behar,West Bengal, she was known as Ayesha to her family .Her mother was a beautiful princess from the royal family of Baroda and a well known socialite.
Gayatri Devi studied at Shantiniketan and later at Lausanne, Switzerland and the London School of Secretaries. She was a skilled equestrienne and a lover of the sport of Polo.
In fact she met her future husband – Maharaja Man Singh of Jaipur , when she was just 12, and had come to Calcutta to play Polo, and fell in love with the dapper young prince.
After marriage , as the queen of Jaipur, she played the parts of a just queen and a gracious royal hostess with equal aplomb, both her distinguished guests and the masses loved her for her easy charm and generous nature .
When India got its Independence, she pushed the traditional boundaries of a Maharani's role, and entered modern politics by winning the biggest landslide victory ever recorded ( Apparently mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records).Thereafter, she was elected several times and was devoted to furthering the lot of her people, especially women.
With her noble bearing, style, intelligence and classic good looks, she was considered one of the most beautiful women alive and indeed in 1960 Vogue mentioned her in its list of ten most beautiful women in the world, describing her as a “dream in saree and jewels”.
In her graceful chiffon sarees, impeccably coiffured hair and elegant pearls, she could mingle with the most distinguished visitors from across the globe and look every inch like the stunning Indian Queen she was.
She became an inspiration and a style icon for the entire nation.
She epitomized what a true princess should be like.
Age only seemed to add more charm to her personality, and as news of her demise ( in July 2009) at the age of 90 years, spread across the country, people felt a genuine sense of loss, and mourned for an era gone by.
Even today, her name is mentioned regularly by some of the most stylish Indian women, as a style icon and an inspiration they look up to.
It is not everyday such women are born.

Read more here-

http://www.flipkart.com/princess-remembers-gayatri-devi-memoirs/8171673074-xv23f9g849
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tale-of-two-of-indias-most-beautiful-women/98221-3.html
http://india.suite101.com/article.cfm/late_queen_mother_gayatri_devi