On 22 October 1931, Maharani Marudhar Kanwar, the first wife of Maharaja Sir Sawai Man Singh II, gave birth to the first male heir born to a reigning king in the Jaipur royal family in almost 100 years. With successive rulers being adopted for generations, since 1880, the heir’s birth marked a pompous celebration for the whole royal estate. So much champagne flowed in the city that the heir was nicknamed ‘Bubbles’, quite an unconventional nickname for the next Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Bhawani Singh.
The many-hyphenate titular Maharaja had an illustrious career that saw him reach some of the highest echelons of the Indian Army while making inroads in the nascent hospitality sector.
Sawai, the hotelier
Bhawani Singh started his early education at Sheshbagh School in Srinagar and later at The Doon School in Dehradun. He later completed his education at Harrow School in London.
The title ‘Sawai’ was bestowed upon the kings of Jaipur by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1699. ‘Sawai’, originating from Sanskrit roots, means a man holding one and a quarter over all other averages in strength and intelligence.
In the same vein, as his father, Bhawani Singh became the first prince to convert the Rambagh Palace into a top-of-the-class luxury hotel in 1958. Singh then started running many of his other royal residencies such as Raj Mahal Palace as luxury hotels, a trade that helped him become one of the richest royals in post-independent India.
Bhawani Singh had many roles in his life: a prince, hotelier, and politician. But it was in the Army where he earned his stripes.
Also read: A temple in the Taj Mahal? What Mughal-era documents tell us about tangled claims
Combat leader, party prankster
On his return from London, in 1951, Bhawani Sing was commissioned into the Indian Army as a second lieutenant in the 3rd Cavalry.
Born into an illustrious line of kings of the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs, who are known for their valour and bravery, Bhawani Singh also gained acknowledgment for his warfare skills. His friend and colleague, Brigadier Sukhjit Singh called him a ‘combat leader’ in the elite Parachute Brigade of the Indian Army.
Soon after he entered the military, he was selected as President Rajendra Prasad’s Bodyguard in 1954. He was Bodyguard to the President till 1963. He kept getting promoted by ranks during this period. By 1958, Bhawani Singh was a captain of great repute. As Brigadier Sukhjit Singh writes in a tribute, to him “military punctilio, ceremonial exactitude, precision and elegance, all came naturally.”
Bhawani Singh’s military career spanned over 35 years. In 1963, he was posted to the 50th Parachute Brigade.
What perhaps became the crowning moment of his military life was the 1971 India-Pakistan War. During the war, Bhawani Singh commanded the 10 Para Commando as the Lieutenant Colonel. On the night of 5 December 1971, Singh and his battalion started their arduous expedition of four days and night and finally laid siege on Chachro and Virawah in Pakistan, regions deep inside enemy territory, and were successful in capturing the regions.
For a show of exemplary leadership, Singh was honoured with the nation’s second-highest gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra in 1971.
Soon after his early retirement from the military in 1975, on the request of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Bhawani Singh marched into Sri Lanka to boost the morale and spirits of his old unit.
Bubbles was also known for his ability to connect with everyone by devising peculiar pranks. One of his running jokes was making his guests eat spice-laden Laal Maas, a Rajasthani dish, which had them chugging copious amounts of beer and water. But Singh was a famous party host for probably this reason: he always served mouth-watering desserts.
Singh was also a polo player and also started the world cup in Jaipur, a hobby he seems to have passed on to his adopted male heir, his grandson.
He married Princess Padmini Devi of Sirmur in 1966. And the couple had a daughter, Princess Diya Kumari. Bhawani Singh adopted his daughter’s son, Padmanabh Singh, who, much like his grandfather, also has a unique nickname: Pacho.
Singh died on 16 April 2011 after a month-long hospitalisation. The government of Rajasthan announced two days of state mourning. Singh was cremated with full royal and military honour at Gaitore Ki Chhatriyan, the crematorium of the Kachwaha clan.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)