Maharani Gayatri Devi Passes Away

Gayatri Devi, revered as the Rajmata or queen mother, the former queen of Jaipur passed away at 90 on Wednesday. After a prolonged illness, she ultimately succumbed to her ultimate fate. Gayatri Devi was admitted to the hospital towards the start of the month but she was discharged eventually after a certain period of time. Unfortunately she had to be readmitted as she had developed chest infection.

Known throughout the world for her enigmatic beauty and photographed a thousand times, the former queen was also known for her inclination towards social service. In fact one of the causes very close to heart was that of girl's education and for this she even started one school in her own name. She was a charismatic figure who hobnobbed with the glitterati of the world and had a special penchant for polo and horses. Her enthralling beauty had become a pat of lore and she even appeared in Vouge magazine's top ten beautiful woman's list. She could carry the Indian dress of Sari with much aplomb and dignity.

She had a stint in politics too when in 1960s she launched her own political party. She got elected to the Indian parliament with a landslide victory over her opposition. She pursued her education at Shantiniketan in Bengal and finally in Switzerland and London.

Dr. Subhash kala, who was looking after her at the hospital said, "She recovered from her gastrointestinal problems but yesterday she was detected with a lung infection. Her condition deteriorated this morning and she succumbed to her illness."