2010/06/25 by Angma D. Jhala · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Philippine History and Culture #Irish and British Studies #Anthropological Studies and Insights
paper · doi:10.1080/19472498.2010.485380
openalex publication_date 2010/06/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
In 1952, Maharani Krishna Kumari of Jodhpur was widowed at the untimely age of 26, and her son, the heir apparent Gaj Singh II, was only 4 years old. Although the princely states had nominally lapsed after 1947, Krishna Kumari was inaugurated as regent during her son's minority, following a policy that had long been practised by Indian royal families. She would subsequently oversee his education during the 1950s and 1960s, adroitly using the counsel of her male relations and engaging in a sophisticated dialogue with the new government of India. Her regency would ensure a strong foundation for her son's future prominence in democratic India. This article analyses the oft-disregarded role of gender and family in the case of a post-colonial princely dynasty, and in the long run the fabric of the Indian nation.