She is called the most beautiful Maharani of this era. People often compare her to the iconic beauty, Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur. She is toasted even by Instagram accounts known for their caustic critiques and she often gets included in juries and panels of relevance. Radhika Raje Gaekwad, the Maharani of Baroda, is indeed emerging as the face of Princely India in modern times.
Radhika the reporter was simply the daughter of a very committed bureaucrat, M.K. Ranjit Sinh who was recognised for fiercely protecting the Indian jungles and the animals that reside within them. She spoke vociferously for animals, was outspoken about a woman’s right to self-sustenance and also in her own, youthful way, fashionable and trendy.
Today, it would not be wrong to compare Radhika to the visionary Maharani Chimnabai II who hailed from Devas and worked neck to neck with her husband for the welfare of women in Baroda. She co- authored a book with S M Mitra titled The Position of Women in Indian life. She was chosen as the first president of the All India Women’s Conference in Pune. She fought against purdah, stoop up for skilling and educating women which eventually led to the founding of Maharani Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya and Maharani Chimnbai Mahila Pathshala.
Radhika well fits those shoes taking visionary, at times bold steps toward empowering her women. Taking over the reins of the Udyogalaya, she runs vocational courses in tailoring and beautician. She launched a project Nari Ki Savari, training women to drive taxis that can eventually drive women home to safety. During Covid she saw, first hand, the plight of the LGBTQA and took it upon herself to help the eunuch community regain the respect conferred on them 120 years ago by Maharaja Sayaji Rao.
Radhika is now all set to train a group of eunuchs to set up the first ever café in Baroda that will be totally run by them and will serve staple fare of khaman dhokla, bhel, kachori etc. For the women in the Udyogalaya she raises funds by hosting craft fares like Urja where her own discerning eye for design helps her curate quaint and endearing stories of India handmade. An avid garba lover, she found another way to keep her NGO going by launching PalacGarba that is held each year in the sprawling lawns of the palace and is emerging as the most ‘with it’ garba pandal for Vadodraites. With Asif Shaikh she has worked hard to reinstate the world’s interest in the Baroda Shalu that was woven in Varanasi under the patronage of her ancestors
While the world might get caught up in her gorgeous beauty and impeccable taste in textiles, the real Radhika is a quiet go getter, feisty, feminine and geared up to be the change she wants in the world. It won’t be wrong to christen her a replica of Maharani Chimnabai II.