Move over SoBo, Lutyens...Jaipur's where they really Royalty cosplay
But Jaipur has also evolved. A newer creative class - designers, artists, hoteliers - has deepened the city's cultural capital. Edgy new labels blend modern minimalism with craft heritage. Design schools thrive alongside block printers. Art residencies and pop-ups share space with durbars. Vivienne Westwood may still launch in Mumbai. But Rahul Mishra takes Rajasthan to Paris Couture Week.
Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) began at the historic Diggi Palace. Even as it now unfolds across larger venues like Hotel Clarks Amer, its spirit remains royal boho. A writer's ball at The Leela Palace, a poetry reading under frescoed ceilings... the result is a literary scene with enough glitter to keep the global gaze returning. The polo circuit is key. Padmanabh Singh, 'maharaja' of Jaipur, is often dubbed the 'new polo prince'. Many of the city's exclusive parties orbit around the sport, bringing together aristocrats, industrialists, and an international crowd. These gatherings double as soft diplomacy and old-money networking, wrapped in candlelight and couture.Where designers once came to Jaipur to 'source', Ralph Lauren recently sponsored a gala dinner to raise funds for the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation. Diljit Dosanjh has performed here. International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) chose Jaipur for its silver jubilee ceremony.At least one princess of yore now serves as a luxury brand ambassador. Gayatri Devi, 'brand ambassador of Rajasthan', never exchanged her name for official endorsement. She was a real princess -- until India abolished titles in 1971.Does an active - even public - palace life contribute to Jaipur's contemporary relevance? There's a connection between private palace parties shared on social media, and Jaipur's climb on global 'best party cities' lists. If Gaj Singh - who made Jodhpur a post-liberalisation destination by turning one part of his palace into a heritage hotel and hosting elite New Year parties - then descendants of Jaipur's royalty have carried that spirit forward by carving a niche for a certain kind of party, ticking all the right boxes of local heritage and global polish. Socially exclusive, but not as performative as Delhi. Culturally insidious in its way. If you're not inside the palace rubbing shoulders with modern courtiers, you're at the hotel next door, close enough to feel the aura. There's a sense of authenticity to the 'heritage'. A 2019 Daily Mail story asked, 'Would you go and stay with the world's most eligible royal?' It continued, 'Maharajah of Jaipur, 21, who's just listed his palace on Airbnb, boasts a £500 mn fortune, has modelled for D&G, and counts A-listers as friends.'It's about old-money ease, and quiet cultural prestige - the kind of soft spectacle where the powerful flex their might be it via an untagged post, or a centuries-old motif reinterpreted on a linen napkin. Just ask Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Or David Beckham.But Jaipur's cultural success also raises an unresolved question: should we still be backing a 'princess' brand in a land where royal titles were abolished by law? India was meant to break from feudalism, not repackage it for global consumption. Yet, the appetite for soft power royalty remains, just as Britain clings to the Windsors, or binges on 'The Crown'. Now, we too have 'Royals', a fictional version on a streaming platform. The difference? Brits still have a real crown. For us, as one 'royal' insider put it, 'It's a shortcut. The dazzle isn't built on substance. That makes it an unstable model.'Still, the illusion holds - by filtered Instagram stories, curated guest lists, and a heritage that never fades. The crowns may be gone, but in Jaipur, performative royalty plays on: globally admired, digitally staged, and always just out of reach. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.) Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. The BrahMos link that fired up this defence stock 45% in one month
How Azerbaijan's support for Pak could put USD780 million trade at risk
Under lens: A Turkish firm's India entry and its possible ties with makers of Pak drones
Is it end of road for Damani-backed Protean eGov?
RBI has cut repo rates twice in 3 months. But that isn't enough to boost the economy!
As India steps up commercial shipbuilding, it needs a supply chain boost
Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement and return potential of more than 27% in 1 year
Stable and sustainable for long-term investors: 10 stocks from the energy ecosystem with upside potential of more than 20%
Stocks to buy today: UNO Minda gets a rating upgrade; Nuvama sees over 20% upside in ITC
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
What happened to UAE's Iceberg Project? The ambitious plan to haul a colossal Antarctic iceberg to the coast of Fujairah
The UAE Iceberg Project planned to tow a massive Antarctic iceberg 6,480 nautical miles to Fujairah but faced major challenges and remains unfulfilled/ Representative Image In a region where rain is rare and water more precious than oil, the United Arab Emirates once had its sights set on an audacious engineering marvel: towing a gigantic Antarctic iceberg to its sun-baked coast to quench thirst, summon clouds, and maybe even reshape climate patterns. But as of 2025, the only glacier ice that has made it to Dubai is not floating off the coast but chilling highball glasses in rooftop bars, courtesy of a boutique Greenland startup. The UAE Iceberg Project : Cold Ambitions in a Hot Desert Launched in 2017 by the National Advisor Bureau Limited, a private Abu Dhabi-based company, the UAE Iceberg Project sought to tow a massive tabular iceberg, measuring roughly 2 kilometers long by 500 meters wide, from Antarctica to Fujairah, a coastal emirate on the Gulf of Oman. 3D concept of the iceberg stationed roughly 3 kilometers off the coast of Fujairah for harvesting/ Image: National Advisor Bureau Ltd. The logic, according to Abdulla Alshehi, the firm's managing director and the project's chief architect, was straightforward: an average iceberg holds over 20 billion gallons of fresh water, enough to supply 1 million people for five years. 'This is the purest water in the world,' he told Gulf News in 2017. And the UAE, consuming 15% of the world's desalinated water and facing depleting groundwater within 15 years, was in no position to ignore unconventional ideas. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Premium 1 BHK at Mahindra Citadel – Coming Soon! Mahindra Citadel Enquire Now Undo The iceberg, selected via satellite near Heard Island in the Southern Ocean, would undertake a 12,000-kilometer (≈6,480 nautical miles), 10-month journey across the Southern, Indian, and Arabian Seas to reach the coast of Fujairah in the UAE. Towed by large ocean-going vessels, it would travel northward through the Indian Ocean before entering the Gulf of Oman. Upon arrival, it would be stationed roughly 3 kilometers off Fujairah's coast. Harvesting would begin immediately, with the aim of extracting potable water within two to three months before significant melting occurs. Computer simulations commissioned by the company projected that up to 30% of the iceberg's mass could be lost during the journey, a challenge the team hopes to mitigate by timing its arrival during the UAE's winter season, when sea temperatures are lower and melting would slow. To prevent breakup during the long journey, Alshehi's firm developed a patent-pending metal belt, a kind of reinforced corset designed to hold the iceberg intact against wave stress and temperature gradients. In 2020, the UK Intellectual Property Office granted Alshehi a patent for his invention, called the "Iceberg Reservoirs" system. The patent was promoted as a credibility boost to attract investment and reinforce the project's technical feasibility. In 2020, the UAE Iceberg Project's 'Iceberg Reservoirs' system was patented by the UK Intellectual Property Office/ Image: National Advisor Bureau Limited A pilot project, costed between $60–80 million, was announced for 2019. A smaller iceberg was to be towed to Cape Town or Perth as proof of concept. The full UAE project carried a price tag of $100–150 million. Despite a splashy website launch ( promises of scientific panels, and a vision of global humanitarian water relief, no trial was ever confirmed to have taken place. As of 2025, there's been no operational progress, no updated logistics, and no official cancellation, just prolonged silence. The Rainmaker Fantasy What made the proposal especially memorable was its near-mystical secondary goal: climate engineering. Alshehi claimed that the presence of a colossal iceberg floating off the UAE coast could induce localized weather changes. 'Cold air gushing from an iceberg close to the Arabian Sea would cause a trough and rainstorms,' he told local media. The iceberg, he argued, could 'create a vortex' that would attract clouds from across the region, generating year-round rain for the desert interior. This, he claimed, could help reverse desertification and transform arid landscapes into lush, green areas, with benefits for agriculture, biodiversity, and the broader ecosystem. Meteorologists weren't sold. While some acknowledged localized effects, like minor cloud formation due to temperature differentials, experts like Linda Lam from said sustained, regional rainstorms were unlikely due to the complex nature of atmospheric dynamics. Water Crisis and the Case for Desperation The UAE's acute water issues form the bedrock of the project's rationale. The country experiences a paltry 120 millimeters of rainfall annually, and according to a 2015 Associated Press report, its groundwater could be fully depleted within 15 years. Meanwhile, the Gulf states have among the highest water usage rates in the world: around 500 liters per person per day. Desalination, though critical, is energy-intensive, costly, and environmentally damaging. Alshehi warned of desalination plants pumping concentrated brine back into the Gulf, increasing salinity and harming marine life. His iceberg initiative, he claimed, would be not only cheaper in the long run but eco-friendlier, despite concerns about dragging a 100,000-year-old ice mass across the globe. He asserted that environmental impact assessments had been conducted, and results suggested minimal disruption to ecosystems,though no independent third-party review was ever published. Ice, Reimagined: A Greenland Startup Finds the Sweet Spot While Alshehi's Antarctic ambitions appear stalled in bureaucratic limbo, a smaller, scrappier company in Greenland has quietly realized a modest version of his vision,not as a humanitarian water source, but as luxury indulgence. Founded in 2022 by Greenlandic entrepreneurs, Arctic Ice ships ice harvested from Greenland's fjords to high-end bars and restaurants in Dubai. Their first commercial shipment, around 22 metric tonnes, arrived recently, offering the 'cleanest H₂O on Earth' to be shaved into ice cubes for cocktails, ice baths, and facial massages in Dubai's spas. Arctic Ice harvests ancient glacier fragments from Greenland's fjords, tests them, and ships purified chunks to Dubai for luxury use/ Image: Arctic Ice The process is artisanal: Using a crane-equipped boat, workers collect naturally calved icebergs from the Nuup Kangerlua fjord near Nuuk. Only the clearest, bubble-free ice, locally known as 'black ice,' is selected. These are believed to be over 100,000 years old, having never touched soil or contaminants. Each chunk is cut with sanitized chainsaws, stored in food-grade insulated crates, and sampled for lab analysis to screen for ancient microorganisms or harmful bacteria. The ice is shipped via refrigerated containers aboard cargo ships already returning empty from Greenland, minimizing additional emissions. The second leg, from Denmark to Dubai, completes the frozen supply chain. Despite the company's carbon-neutral commitment, backlash has been fierce. Critics online lambast the concept as 'climate dystopia,' arguing that glacial ice should not be commodified, especially given the accelerating melt of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Co-founder Malik V. Rasmussen says some messages have verged on death threats. Still, Arctic Ice insists it is creating economic opportunity for a financially dependent Greenland, where 55% of the budget is subsidized by Denmark. 'We make all our money from fish and tourism,' Rasmussen said. 'I've always wanted to find something else we can profit from.' The Fine Line Between Innovation and Spectacle Both projects,the giant iceberg tow from Antarctica and the boutique glacier cubes from Greenland, highlight a pressing tension: how far will humanity go to secure water, and at what cost? Alshehi's vision is bold but fraught with logistical and ethical challenges. Icebergs aren't endlessly renewable, and towing them across hemispheres feels more sci-fi than sustainable. Arctic Ice's venture, meanwhile, has found a controversial niche,combining novelty, luxury, and symbolism. In a time of climate anxiety, it offers an icy illusion of control, frozen fragments of a melting world, crafted into cocktail spheres. Whether climate solution or spectacle, these ideas raise key questions: Who owns natural ice? Can it be harvested responsibly? And as water scarcity grows, how do we balance local needs with global care? For now, the UAE's giant iceberg remains a dream deferred, and Dubai's cocktails are as cold as ever, just sourced from a little farther north, and in smaller, sparkling doses.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
MoS Margherita says India, South Africa relations based on mutual trust
Last Updated: Johannesburg, Jul 26 (PTI) 'Relations between India and South Africa are based on shared history, mutual trust and goodwill," said Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita in South Africa on Saturday. 'India's engagement with Africa, including South Africa, is guided by the principles of Prime Minister Modi. Our engagement with Africa is not transitional; it is transformational," he said while addressing a gathering of Assamese expatriates and Indian-origin South Africans here. Margherita said that India regards its diaspora as one of its greatest assets while seeking their support 'to strengthen the India-South Africa relationships." He urged the diaspora to continue to launch new ventures, initiate joint projects, create more jobs and explore new markets together in India, South Africa and beyond. Margherita wrapped up his 10-day visit to three southern African countries–Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa–on Saturday and left for Dubai. Earlier this week, Margherita participated in the 4th meeting of the G20 Development Working Group, held in the iconic Kruger National Park, hosted by South Africa, which currently holds the G20 Presidency. PTI FH RD RD RD Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Vadodara artists add creative touch to India-aided Hanimaadhoo Airport in Maldives
V adodara: Hanimaadhoo Airport, a key infrastructure project in the Maldives being developed with Indian assistance, will showcase the creative work of artists from Vadodara. The airport project was mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Maldives on Friday. India is supporting the development of several infrastructure projects in the Maldives, including the Hanimaadhoo International Airport in the Haa Dhaalu Atoll. The project is being executed with financial assistance through a line of credit from the Exim Bank of India. Once operational, the airport is expected to enhance connectivity to the northern Maldives and help ease congestion at Male Airport. Vadodara-based curator Sachin Kaluskar, who is overseeing the installation of artworks at Hanimaadhoo Airport, said their team was selected due to their previous work at airports in Ayodhya, Dehradun and Surat, as well as projects in Kedarnath and Congo. The assignment came through Kalpataru Projects International Ltd, which is developing the airport. The initiative involved collaboration with five Maldivian artists — Mohammed Zain Riyaz, Ahmed Aleem Shakoor, Aminath Lauza, Aishath Shiman Solah, and Aminath Zainath Azim — who were selected through a competition organized by the Regional Airports Company Ltd in the Maldives. The artists worked with Kaluskar's Vadodara-based team to finalize the design concepts. "The entire execution was done in Vadodara. The completed murals were transported to Tuticorin and then shipped to the Maldives," Kaluskar said. Artists from Vadodara who contributed to the project include Jitendra Solanki, Mrunal Kahar, Kunal Kahar, and Parth Solanki. The artworks comprise 15 mixed-media murals, each measuring 3.5 meters wide and 2.5 meters high. The pieces highlight the Maldives' vibrant marine life, culture, and heritage. A sculpture of similar height is also in the works. The murals will be displayed at the airport terminal, which is currently in the final stages of construction. While Hanimaadhoo currently sees limited flights from southern Indian cities, flight frequency is expected to rise as operations expand.
