What It’s Like Being Royalty in Modern India: Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Tells Us | Karishma Mehta | Ep 27

“Because we’re royalty, there’s that negative perception of us. In the 60s, a few years after India gained Independence, my grand father thought of starting a hotel business. But he was met with a lot of criticism—people thought we’d fallen on hard times, to have to resort to the hospitality business… But he stood strong on his beliefs and his wishes, and that I think is more telling of our lineage than any lessons we learn…”

Imagine a man who is a descendant of the legendary warrior king Maharana Pratap; a man who successfully spearheads business ventures, and is a passionate philanthropist holding seven Guinness World Records for his work—that’s Maharaj Kumar Sahib Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar for you, the Prince of Udaipur.

There’s a certain perception we have of royals—Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar is nothing like that. He holds a PhD in management, runs a legendary hotel empire, is a vocal advocate for social change and plants trees like nobody's business! Behind the royal title is a modern-day changemaker, driven by a vision for a brighter tomorrow.

Join us as he gives us a sneak peek into the life of a modern-day royal in India–from what it’s like growing up in a palace, to a day in the life of a Maharaja; and from the Raja-Praja sessions that still happen to encounter challenges unique to his status. To add to the sneak peek, the episode also gives us a peek into the mind of a modern-day changemaker—you don’t want to miss this!

We also spoke about:
His ancestral history
The concept of normalcy for a royal
Keeping his children grounded
Maintaining the balance between parampara and modernity
HRH chain of hotels
What drives Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar

#humansofbombay #podcast #princeofudaipur

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00- Precap
00:55- Introducing Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar
01:07- Welcome
01:28- A Prince on the show!
01:52- Mewar family history
03:20- What was his childhood like?
04:06- When others know more about you
05:39- Was normalcy difficult?
05:51- What did he want to be when he grew up?
05:57- The humorous side of Dr. Lakshyaraj
07:03- The formula Dr. Lakshyaraj follows in life
07:35- A day in the life of a Maharaja
07:56- Wrong perceptions of Kings in pop culture
08:50- A typical day in the life of the Prince of Udaipur
10:28- Do the raja-praja sessions still happen?
12:57- How does he keep his children grounded?
14:54- The balance between ‘parampara’ and modernity
17:23- How did he identify real people in his life?
19:01- What experiences shaped Dr. Lakshyaraj?
20:15- What’s growing up in a palace like?
22:02- How much staff does the Royal family have?
22:48- The impact of his ancestral history & lineage on life
27:12- The hardest challenge he’s faced?
27:40- Running the HRH chain of hotels
28:09- The history of Lake Palace Hotel
30:52- A unique marketing idea for the hotel!
31:03- A James Bond film was shot at Lake Palace Hotel!
31:31- Running the HRH chain of hotels
33:00- Maintaining the heritage and beauty of the hotel
33:31- Carrying forward the legacy of HRH
34:40- Weddings at the Lake Palace Hotel
35:38- The funniest wedding requirement?
37:11- What drives Dr. Lakshyaraj?
37:22- The philanthropic side of Dr. Lakshyaraj
38:36- Educating girls since the last 150 years!
40:27- Advice to the youth
42:21- Thank you

The Humans of Bombay Show, hosted by our CEO and Founder Karishma Mehta, is a Humans of Bombay original where we celebrate real-life heroes. From the single mother who had a baby out of wedlock to a female officer who served the army for 11 years, we want to bring out the extraordinary stories of seemingly ordinary people.
India is a melting pot of stories, and with the Humans of Bombay Show, we want to bring these beautiful stories to you and give you a peek into the unique minds of people who have excelled in their fields.

Links:
Humans of Bombay
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Uncovered by Humans of Bombay: https://youtube.com/@humansofbombayun...
LinkedIn:   / humans-of-bombay  

Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar
Instagram:   / lakshyarajsinghmewar  
Facebook:   / mewarlakshyarajsingh  
LinkedIn:   / lakshyarajsinghmewar  
Twitter:   / lakshyarajmewar  
Head of Communications and PR: Adv. Vidhya Arora
PR Manager: Sanika Tulsian

Karishma Mehta
Instagram:   / karimehta05  
LinkedIn:   / karishma-mehta-b22151174  

About Humans of Bombay –
Humans of Bombay is a movement that started 9 years ago. We believe that every person has a story to tell and we want to help them tell these stories. In these years we’ve published stories across genres – stories of love, hope, faith, and courage. And through our storytelling, we’ve built an engaged community of over 5M!

Our idea is simple – to strike a chord with our community and catalog the beat of humanity, one story at a time.