The screen adaptation of ‘The House of Jaipur’ would definitely be India’s answer to ‘The Crown’: John Zubrzycki

Australian author-journalist John Zubrzycki's latest book 'The House of Jaipur' published by Juggernaut Books, as the title suggests, is a biography of Jaipur's royal family. Full of lesser-known facts and anecdotes about one of the most popular and glamorous royal families in India, this is an intriguing book which will keep the readers hooked till the end. The story is centered around Maharaj Sawai Man Singh 2 and Gayatri Devi, popularly known as Jai and Ayesha, and captures how the royal household transitioned from pre-Independent India, where royals ruled most parts of the country, to the present times.Zubrzycki has previously also worked as an Australian diplomat in New Delhi and Jakarta. He has degrees in South Asian history and politics which coupled with his keen interest about Indian royalties reflects through his impeccable writings. Some of his earlier books include 'The Last Nizam', 'The Mysterious Mr Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy' and 'Jadoowallahs, Jugglers and Jinns'.
In an exclusive interview with TOI Books, author John Zubrzycki talks about his latest book 'The House of Jaipur', his love for Indian royalty and shares his writing tips. Excerpts from the interview:
1. According to you, what makes biographies about royals popular among readers even today, considering that royal titles were abolished in India decades ago? And what makes them an interesting subject for you, as a writer?
Biographies about royal families are popular but they often do not go much further than to describe the jewels they had, the palaces they lived in, and what went on in the zenanas. Most tend to be very hagiographic or are coffee table books. Obviously there is a fascination for India’s princely families because of their colourful pasts and let’s not forget they ruled two-fifths of India’s landmass and one-third of India’s population at the time of Independence. In my two books on India’s royals: Hyderabad and Jaipur, I’ve tried to go much deeper in order to understand the relationship between these states and the Raj, their transition to an independent India and how they have changed over the years.
2. Of all the royal families in India today, what made you choose the Jaipur House? What's so interesting or unique about them, according to you?
Sawai Man Singh and Gayatri Devi, or Jai and Ayesha as they were known, are central to the story of Jaipur. They were India’s most glamorous royal couple, its equivalent of the Queen and Prince Philip or John and Jackie Kennedy. The House of Jaipur was India’s Camelot in many ways. Behind the fairy tale that Gayatri Devi presents in her memoir was an often tragic story of affairs and alcoholism, of litigation and betrayal. It’s a great human drama.
3. The book is well researched and up to date with the facts. Please tell us about your research and writing process for this book. How long did it take you to complete it?
It took about 18 months to research and to write the book. The early part of the story is based mainly on archival research undertaken in India and Britain, but for the more contemporary events I relied heavily on interviews with members of the royal family and people who knew Jai and Ayesha.
4. Please share your tips for aspiring authors who would like to write a biography.
YOU must be fascinated by your subject. If that subject is a living person you need to ascertain their willingness to reveal facts about their lives to you. If by the end of the writing process your subject has not gotten under your skin, then it won’t be a good biography—but at the same time you need to remain as objective as possible that the two things can be hard to reconcile.
5. You have mentioned in the book that it's quite difficult to believe who is right and who is lying when it comes to people from the royal household, as everyone's viewpoint is different. What are your tips for writers in a similar position-- what should they keep in mind to filter facts from fiction?
I was warned Jaipur was a hot-house of gossip and some of it could be malicious. I was careful to make sure that everything I wrote about was on the public record whether in the press or in court documents and that wherever possible the interviews were also on the record. When there were conflicting versions of a particular event, I was careful to acknowledged that.
6. Readers might sense a love-hate equation between Ayesha (Gayatri Devi) and Indira Gandhi... What is your opinion about it?
The love-hate relationship between the two goes back to when they were at school together at Santiniketan. Indira (Gandhi) also took after her father who had a visceral hatred of the princes and all they stood for. That of course came to a head during the emergency when Gayatri Devi and Bhawani Singh who was then the Maharaja were imprisoned in Tihar jail on very spurious charges. Gayatri later said she bore no grudge but I think that was more for public consumption that the truth.
7. Since Jai was the Maharaj when he signed the documents for Jaipur becoming a part of independent India. Would you consider him as an architect of the present-day Jaipur royal house?
Yes definitely. He had no hesitation in signing the Instrument of Accession and sought to get the best deal he could for Jaipur. HE was assured by Nehru and Patel that Jaipur would remain a state in its own right but of course this did not happen. Nor was he allowed to remain Rajpramukh. Both he and Ayesha worked for the preservation of Jaipur’s heritage but I believe he could have done more had he spent more time in Jaipur rather jetting off to England for five or six months of every year.
8. Viewers of ‘The Crown’ would find some similarities between the British royal family and the House of. Do you think a screen adaptation of your book would ever be possible?
The book has been optioned for a series and it would definitely be India’s answer to ‘The Crown’. This is an extraordinary dynastic drama that plays out in India, Europe and Britain over the tumultuous 20th century. It brings together the princely houses of Baroda, Cooch Behar and Jaipur. It is a story of love, hope, power and tragedy with an extraordinary cast of characters, and so it has all the ingredients for a fabulous adaptation.
9. Gayatri Devi left behind a legacy of her own, especially through her schools. Do you think the stifling purdah system in Rajasthan inspired her to do something for her people or was it something she was always inclined to do?
Ayesha grew up in a very liberal household, her mother Indira Devi was the Maharani of Cooch Behar and she in turn had been born in Baroda. Her (Indira Devi’s) father was Sayajirao, probably the most enlightened ruler in India at the time. So Ayesha had plenty of legacy to go on and starting schools, helping in the war effort, involving herself in sporting associations and promoting arts and crafts were done both to assert her independence and because she believed in the upliftment of women and girls.
10. After 'The Last Nizam' and 'House of Jaipur', are you planning to write another book about an Indian royal family? What are you working on next?
I’m working on a biography of the great Indian magician Gogia Pasha, but I’m always on the lookout for stories on India’s royal families.