Radhikaraje Gaekwad is one of India’s most progressive Maharani. She is a heritage conservationist, textile revivalist and Director of CDS Art Foundation. She has also been featured in MillionaireAsia magazine. Her beauty is simply indescribable and her every public appearance exudes sheer elegance and grandeur. She hailed from the royal family of the state of Wankaner and is married to the Maharaja of the princely state of Baroda in India, Samarjitsinh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad.
Who is Radhikaraje Gaekwad’s husband, Samarjitsinh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad?
Radhikaraje Gaekwad’s husband, Samarjitsinh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, is a cricket official and former cricketer. He has even represented his state in the Ranji Trophy. As for Samarjitsinh’s royal connections, the Gaekwads have been in power in Baroda since the early 18th century. Samarjitsinh became heir apparent after the death of his father, Maharaja Ranjitsinh Pratapsinh Gaekwad. In 2012, Samarjitsinh was crowned Maharaja at the Laxmi Vilas Palace.
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Subsequently, Samarjitsinh received a major portion of his family’s wealth in a settlement with his uncle Sangramsinh Gaekwad in 2013. In addition, he acquired 600 acres of land holdings, including the Moti Bagh Stadium and Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, paintings of Raja Ravi Verma and other royal properties, in addition to the 187-room Laxmi Vilas Palace. In addition, Samarjitsinh opened a portion of the palace complex as a banquet hall for private ceremonies as part of his Laxmi Vilas Banquets project. He currently manages 17 temple trusts in Gujarat and Banaras.
Samarjitsingh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad and Radhikaraje Gaekwad live in India’s largest residence
Samarjitsinh has been married to Radhikaraje since 2002. The couple have two daughters, Padmajaraje (who is studying for her A-levels in the UK) and Narayaniraje (a 10th grade student). The four live with Samarjitsingh’s mother, Rajmata from Baroda, Shubhanginiraje, in the Laxmi Vilas Palace, the largest private residence in India. Their historic residence, Gaekwad, is four times bigger than Buckingham Palace.
Even Asia’s richest businessman, Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia, cannot compete with the couple’s Laxmi Vilas Palace. The Laxmi Vilas Palace has opened a section for tourists, the entry fee of which is Rs 150. To visit the museum, tourists have to pay an additional Rs 60. Whenever the king is in the palace, a red light is switched on.
Love story of Samarjitsingh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad and Radhikaraje Gaekwad
So without much ado, let us delve into the historical love story of Samarjitsingh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad and Radhikaraje Gaekwad. Radhikaraje Gaekwad, the daughter of Maharajkumar Dr. Ranjitsinhji of Wankaner, was unaware of her in-laws for a long time but was aware of the historical significance of the Gaekwads. For the unaware, Radhikaraje’s father had given up his royal privileges to become an IAS officer.
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So she led the life of a normal citizen, but during holidays they would visit her house in Wankaner and the Bentleys and Buicks. But she was always interested in communication, so she even worked at the Indian Express newspaper for two years, writing about fashion. Soon, an arranged marriage took Radhikaraje to Baroda. Speaking to Firstpost in 2023, she revealed:
“I knew the Gaekwad family was one of the most historic, but I hadn’t seen the Lakshmi Vilas Palace and didn’t know much about them. There was no Google then.”
The marriage of Samarjitsingh and Radhikaraje was arranged by his sister, who chose her at the age of 12
The marriage of Samarjitsingh and Radhikaraje was an arranged marriage. During her conversation with Corporate Citizen, the Maharani stated that her arranged marriage was organized by her. bua and her husband buaHowever, she also revealed that her husband’s sister, Alokitaraje, saw her at her sister’s wedding when she was 12 years old.
Radhikaraje was impressed by Samarjitsingh at their first meeting
So, Alokitaraje had Radhikaraje in mind and when Samarjitsingh’s family was looking for a bride, they thought of her. Talking about her first impression of Samarjitsingh, Radhikaraje mentioned how impressed she was to see how cool Samarjitsingh was when she expressed her desire to study further. She told the portal HerZindagi.com:
“After graduating, I got a job with Indian Express; I also did my masters. At 20, I was the first woman in the family to work; most of my cousins were married by 21! As a journalist, my schedule was very irregular. But my parents supported me – Baba would pick me up when I was late. Three years later, when my parents started looking for a groom for me, I knew I wanted someone who was independent. I had met a few men before Samarjit, but he was different. He was cold towards me and offered to pay. And when I told him I wanted to continue studying, he encouraged me.”
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Radhikaraje once spoke about the royal wedding fashion she wore at her wedding
Radhikaraje married the man of her dreams, Samarjitsingh, at his Lutyens residence in New Delhi in the presence of several former royals. Radhikaraje’s grandfather, who was nearly 100 years old at the time, was also part of her wedding. Notably, it was a traditional mix of a Maratha and a Rajput wedding. In the same chat with Firstpost, Radhikaraje recalled the royal couture she wore at her wedding:
“I wore a poshak, a Rajput-style lehenga, and then put on a tissue chanderi that my mother-in-law had gifted me for my bidaai. I even wore the nath from Maharashtra. Everyone sat around and watched the wedding.”
There were riots in Godhra during Radhikaraje and Samarjitsingh’s Pheras
Although Radhikaraje and Samarjitsingh were married in Delhi in 2002, their wedding reception was actually planned to take place in Baroda. However, their lavish wedding reception, including procession and all, was called off due to an unfortunate train accident that occurred on the same day, according to Radhikaraje.
When she arrived in Baroda, the railway stations were empty, her silver cutlery and large suitcases were sent back by train and the couple was taken to Ananda for a short while. Moreover, instead of being driven home in a golden chariot, Radhikaraje and Samarjitsinh were driven home in a car accompanied by a convoy of police vehicles. She spoke about this to Firstpost:
“Also, the riots in Godhra were happening at the time of our pheras, so everything was very quiet. I came to an empty city in the middle of a riot.”
Radhikaraje Gaekwad revealed that her mother-in-law encouraged her to develop her own identity
After her marriage, Radhikaraje started her restoration work and even made a name for herself by reviving the ancient weaving techniques inspired by the paintings of Ravi Varma and many others, which in a way empowered the local weavers. In this process, she received tremendous support from her husband Samarjitsingh and her mother-in-law Shubhanginiraje.
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During her chat with Corporate Citizen, she mentioned that it is very important for her to evolve and improve herself as a human being and as a parent, as a wife, as a daughter-in-law, but also as a conscious individual of the world, as a citizen of the society. Radhikaraje also spoke about her mother-in-law’s help in finding her true identity and told Firstpost:
“I discovered the house and what it represents later. My husband Sam and my mother-in-law left me to manage on my own. I loved it, it’s a beautiful house and I had only seen this kind of art before in museums or magazines, especially all of Raja Ravi Varma’s. The house was indeed a process of exploration.”
Radhikaraje’s thoughts on a successful marriage and child rearing
Radhikaraje also revealed the secret of her successful marriage with Samarjitsingh. She mentioned to Firstpost that two people in a marriage cannot go in very different directions. At some point, she said, they have to be on the same page, be it in raising children or in attitude towards the environment. She also mentioned that one cannot have secrets in a marriage. In the same conversation, the elegant Maharani also revealed that she and her husband are on the same page when it comes to raising their daughters. In Radhikaraje’s words:
“My thoughts are very simple because I didn’t have a nanny. My mother raised me. So I’m very practical. That’s why I developed so many interests because my parents never left me at home. When they did a music program, no matter how boring I found it at that age, I was taken along. That led to exposure. That’s how my horizons broadened. I had friends from all walks of life.”
Furthermore, the loving mother and Maharani explained how much she was involved in all the activities of her children. Radhikaraje explained this and added:
“That’s what I try to do with my girls. I don’t have full-time help for them. I take great care of them. I put them to bed. We spend time talking every day. There’s a lot of communication. I travel with them. My husband is very practical. He goes golfing with them. If he’s attending a meeting and they have time, he takes them. It’s not a formal relationship at all, as it used to be in the royal families.”
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