Interview: Brijeshwari Gohil on her life as a princess and her fashion choices

When I moved back to Bhavnagar after my studies, I started learning about the historic buildings around town and felt the need for heritage documentation. I initially started documenting heritage sites, photographing them, and setting up a team to find out more information, a lot of which was in our family archives. We started with projects where we felt the site could serve a larger purpose. Currently, we are restoring a public library and digitising its precious books. I started the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) chapter in Bhavnagar two years ago, which now has over 100 members. We also got a grant from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs for the digitising efforts, and a crowdfunding event is being organised to raise funds for its restoration. Besides, we are also reviving a textile museum and working with three different clusters of artisans there who specialise in restoring different traditional weaves and embroideries — it’s an INTACH passion project that I pitched for.

They are so different that when I started working on this, I spoke about it to my Masters’ professor two years ago, and I am doing a part-time PhD on it from Durham right now. What’s interesting about Bhavnagar and the entire Saurashtra belt is that each community, sub-community, and caste, has a different style of stitching and handwork. I am working with three such clusters now, but there are over seven to eight existing styles.

Yes, and very recently, I took up a project, along with my mother, to trace back, revive, and create a narrative around the school of art prevalent in our old family capital, Sihor, where our roots are. There is a lot of Mewar-Marwar influence in that, and we are gathering more infor mation from locals living in that fortified town, through local literature and art, and comparing that with the data we have in our family archives.

I love the Pahadi school of art. My mother is from Himachal Pradesh and I love the Pahadi miniature art, especially the Kangra miniatures, where literature, poetry, and art meld seamlessly.

I wake up to so much work every day (laughs). I am sorry for killing everybody’s fantasy, but in today’s age, we lead a very normal life, with my days spent mostly between Mumbai and Bhavnagar. But the kind of respect and honour we get in Bhavnagar and elsewhere for our lineage makes me feel privileged and fills me with a sense of duty and responsibility to give back to my hometown and its people. I try to use my privileges to further enhance the efforts to preserve art and architecture in and around Bhavnagar. Otherwise, I am like any other girl of my age — I cook every night, have fun, and am ambitious.

I like relaxed opulence. I believe in dressing according to the occasion, and I like wearing chiffon saris while in Bhavnagar. For daily wear, it’s usually anything loose and comfortable, like loose pants or loose dresses. Among the Indian designers, I love Ahmedabadbased designer Umang Hutheesingh’s works and Anita Dongre’s for blending traditions with modernity so well. I love handcrafted accessories that are inherited since they hold a lot of emotional value. I hold my late paternal grandmother’s ring very close to my heart and wear it almost every day.

Our culinary practices have evolved over the years with influences from various women who came into the family through marriage, as well as the British Raj and the colonial influence, besides the things that are locally and organically grown here. Given that it’s a hot and dry terrain, food options were limited in the past, which have expanded over time. Now there is a lot of amalgamation, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian cuisines. There was a lot of game meat back in the days of the pre-Independence era, like partridge, blue bull, and wild boar, because hunting was a common hobby and a practice done ethically in royal households. A lot of local raw spices were used to cook meat. With the onset of the colo - nial era, things became a little softer on the palate with more continental foods like mints and lamb. In the recent past, my grandmother, who was from Rajasthan, brought a lot of influence from the Rajasthani cuisine — the sort of food eaten at her home. Whereas my mother’s, is more North Indian, since she hails from Himachal. So, it’s a mix of things, with each generation bring - ing their own influences and mixing them with local spices and flavours. My brother is a trained chef, so there are a lot of new things that he experi - ments with. Also, we have household chefs who are working through generations in our family, bringing their set of skills into our kitchens too.

It’s currently more continental and lighter during luncheons. There’s always meat on our menu and two types of vegetarian dishes, a lot of pulses, and salads. The dinner is a wholesome Indian meal with chicken or mutton curry or fish. They are not very spicy but pretty rich since we cook them in pure ghee. We also eat a lot of drum - sticks, or saragva, especially this time of the year, and we grow them on our premises. Besan (gram flour) is the predominant ingredient in the entire Saurashtra belt, and we too have besan laddoo, bharela marchas (stuffed chillies with besan), besan nu saag (besan in vegetable form) on our regular menu. Sweet dishes are a must, too, since we all have a sweet tooth.

I do believe in love, and I do believe in marriage as an institution. But I don’t think I lean towards love or arranged marriage — I don’t have a preference as such, but I do take marriage as an institution seriously enough. Both love and arranged marriages work, but it depends on how seriously you are making a marriage work.

There should be a certain level of friendship, respect, and shared values to make a marriage work. I would look for understanding and respect, and we should grow together rather than apart. Having core values and total transparency in a relationship is important to me. Also, he should be respectful of the work I do and the hobbies I have — someone who is accepting and the wind beneath my wings.

I would not be an experimental bride, and it would be very traditional, some - thing more rooted to my region, like tissue saris and kurti kabjo. I would like to incorporate something from my mother’s side of the family, where they wear the dokri dress, into my bridal ensemble.

Pictures: Debarshi Sarkar | Hair and makeup: Prasenjit Biswas | Outfits: Rimi Nayak | Styling: Poulami Gupta / Sari draping: Nisha Desai |Shoes: Rohan Arora | Jewellery: Indian Gem and Jewellery Creation, Avama Jewellers | Location courtesy: ITC Sonar

When we got the opportunity to create four looks for Princess Brijeshwari, we were extremely thrilled. We researched her personal style statements and then envisioned her in our way and created looks keeping different occasions in mind. Since she works in the fields of art and heritage, we have created a casual meeting look in black trousers and our signature printed shirt. There’s also a dress with an overlay jacket created for formal gatherings, and polo matches with hand-crafted fabric in organza with thread texturing. For formal dinners, we have designed a green pantsuit with belt detailing for her, and for occasion wear, there’s this elegant and clas - sic sari in maroon.

Crop tops, denim shorts, flowy sundresses, light - weight linen pants or culottes, and a white button-up shirt.

We are currently working on a summer couture line titled Whimsical Whirls. This delightful and playful theme takes its cues from the spun sugar clouds found at carnivals and fairs, bringing a sense of sweetness and lightness to our collection. The range of gowns and dresses in pastel shades are ideal for summer destination celebrations.