Her Highness Karthika Thrirunal Lakshmi Bhai, sister of Sri Chithira Thirunal, the former Maharaja of Travancore passed away at
What was special about Karthika Thirunal? She was a blend of tradition and modernity, sports and music, sternness and compassion. The horse riding, racquet wielding Princess who was an expert of classical music and dancing, and could handle Malayalam, Sanskrit, English and French with equal ease, was the pride of her people.
When Karthika Thirunal married the the handsome, dashing sportsman Col. Goda Varma Raja of
In the second half of the 1940s, a new movie house, Sree Kumar, came up in
Something here about ‘Thirumeni’ as Col. Goda Varma was affectionately known. He was not just the consort of Karthika Thirunal, but was a man of stature in his own right. No one has contributed more than him to the development of sports and tourism in the State. His achievements in these fields would run into a long list.
The last I met Thirumeni was at the
At
Ends.
Also see: The last of the Travancore Maharajas
11 comments:
A very nice tribute to a very elegant Princess.
raji, glad to know that you liked the post
I will always remember her graciousness,her polished charm... When I last touched her feet around a year back just prior to leaving India, did not think at the time that I would not be seeing her again. It's strange how we expect and hope some things never change.
Ashvin, during my school days in Trivandrum, the Princess was an idol of the people.
Mr. Tharakan, when we meet, I will tell you the name of someone in Tvm who you MIGHT know... passed away a year or so back. My wife's uncle. Apparently he and his friends used to wait for Maharani to pass by on her daily rides to admire her...
Ashvin, I'm waiting to hear more.
jk47, thank you for the comment. I am glad that I wrote about the remarkable lady and you and many others appreciate that post.
However, I do not endorse your view of Princess Gayathri Devi.
I have not come across any book on Thirumeni. If I do, shall certainly write about it.
The royals of Travancore and Cochin were enlightened people who were concerned about the welfare of their people, and lived in simplicity. The same cannot be said about the rulers in the North.
I too have heard rumors about H.H. Chithirathirunal's private life but am not in a position to make any comments except to say that it did not in any way affect his people.
I would appreciate if you read my post From Venad to World Focus: The Travancore Royal Family (http://parayilat.blogspot.in/2011/07/from-venad-to-world-focus-travancore.html)
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