A royal homecoming

Within quaint havelis and behind magnificent fortresses, the royal lifestyle surrounds itself with much curiosity. An exhibition in the city is all set to decode these elusive lives and offer a peek into regal living rooms of the royals’ today. In its eighth year now, Royal Fables will present heritage fashion, jewellery and art straight from the royal households.

Jewellery by Sri Tana Bana of Mandawa

Anshu Khanna, the brainchild and curator of the exhibition sheds light on the idea behind the collection. “The effort is to bring to the fore our rich imperial culture from a bygone era under one roof — be it the cuisine, artistry, aesthetics, design or customs. The purpose is to revive and relive it. For ancient traditional art and craft to survive, it is necessary for it to move along with the current pace. We reach out to royals every year to curate a different collection. This year we have brought together 25 royal families and their heritage,” she shares.

Umang Hutheesing’s work in progress.

On display will be the miniature art of Kangra, Kishangarh and Jaipur; gold and silver weaves from Mansa, Gujarat; the Raja Ravi Varma collection from Laxmi Vilas Palace, Baroda; the recreation of the ombre dyed chiffon sari immortalized by HH Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur; Gond art from Jhabua; phulkari from Patiala, to name just a few.

Princess Krishna Kumari of Panna will be exhibiting her porcelain art. Also an avid wildlife photographer, she paints the shots from her photographs on mugs, plates, cups etc through a tedious process which takes over two days. “Panna is known for its Tiger reserve and I have spent my childhood admiring wildlife. The tiger reserve used to be our ancestral property before we gave it away to the government. My work reflects my love for animals. I started painting with watercolours and charcoal initially, but later learnt the art of porcelain. Since then, I have been doing it for my friends and family,” she shares.

Costume revivalist and textile historian Umang Hutheesing will showcase a preview of his museum collection, The Magnificent Maharajah, at the preview of the exhibition held in the city. His collection focuses on the revival of embellishments, cuts and garment designs that distinguish the grace and grandeur of India’s textile traditions from the rest of the world. The collection has earlier been showcased at the Royal museum of Japan, National Museum of Bahrain, and the Baroque Museum of Mexico. He says, “ For us it’s more than just an exhibition. It’s a chance to come together under one roof and celebrate our heritage. This collection is created using luxurious fabrics produced for the courts of the Indian maharajas and delicately embroidered by master craftsmen attached to the palace ateliers. These include early Rajput  angarkhas  and gheras, Mughal chogas and abhas, European influenced capes, shawls, shervanis, and sarees.”  

Today, 11 am onwards
At The Ballroom, Taj Land’s End, Bandra