Jaipur 'king' Padmanabh talks about style, polo, astronomy & heritage

Jaipur, Sep 10 (IANS) It was an unusual day at City Palace Jaipur on Saturday when the 303rd descendent of the Jaipur royal family, Padmanabh Singh, hosted media students in his palace premises. These students came from across the country for a brief sojourn in the historical pink city which comes equipped with a rich, timeless legacy.

Padmanabh Singh is counted among the world’s best polo players and a style icon who has made a mark across the globe with his distinguished style statement, lifestyle and his polo skills.

On Saturday, the Jaipur 'King' was amongst students wearing an elegant yet simple white outfit and a pair of handmade juttis. He answered queries of students on subjects ranging from inspiration for his style to the game of polo. 

When a student was curious about his sense of style, he gave credit to his family’s royal heritage.

"My sense of style draws inspiration from my family's royal heritage. As you may know, my grandmother is known as one of India's most famous Maharani, and her elegance has had a profound influence on me. Personally, I have a penchant for simplicity, often opting for plain white attire, like the Chinese collar shirt I'm wearing today. I find Indian traditional clothing, with its timeless charm and comfort, to be particularly appealing. It's a way for me to connect with my cultural roots while maintaining a sense of understated elegance,” said Singh with a smile.

When asked if the game of polo, which his family has immensely contributed to, should be made reachable to common man, he said: “This game is not at all limited for royal families any more as there are professionals, Army men and other people playing it.”

“I don’t consider it as a royal game; in today’s time, anyone can join the sport. In fact, I would love it if more people joined this sport and hence we have started a polo school at Rajasthan Polo Club and have donated some of my horses to school. We are getting a chance to help players come and learn polo and hopefully we can create new and exciting polo players for our country,” he added.

Given that India has made astounding success by touching the moon, while his ancestors too keenly studied astronomy centuries ago, he said: “We come from a country which has contributed extensively to science, arts and culture; we need to take inspiration from our ancestors and history. We are the largest country in the world and nothing is impossible for us, this century is ours and we need to capture it, I have immense hope from the youth of our country and am confident that India will lead the world in the next few years.”  

While the students rejoiced at the opportunity to speak to Jaipur King, the humble Padmanabh too said that it was "great meeting" them.

The media students from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi had gathered at City Palace Jaipur with the efforts of Saksham Sanchar Foundation which works to take media education to the farthest corner of the nation by training rural and small city in media segments.

The students, through this organisation, are taken to historical monuments, travel attractions and made to interview dignitaries so that they get learning opportunities on ground.