Meet a King in Udaipur, a Custodian in Perpetuity
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Global Impact Meet a King in Udaipur, a Custodian in Perpetuity An Interview with Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur, 76th Custodian of the House of Mewar in the country, Shriji has been conferred sev- we’ve gone much beyond palace-hotels eral prestigious awards that include the IATO because the next generation is into the opera- Hall of Fame Award in 2009, the Tata AIG tions and the running of the business. but i’ve Lifetime Achievement Award by Galileo Express been in the hospitality business since 1961. we TravelWorld for 2007, and the ‘Agastya Award’ opened the palace in 1963, so we have been in by the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) it for a long time. for 2001. Shriji has been an active member of What is the main business focus now? the prestigious World Travel & Tourism Council other than our personal portfolios, the (WTTC). With the Government of Rajasthan, running business is heritage hospitality. but Shriji has been the advisor to the Rajiv Gandhi my responsibilities go beyond hospitality. the Tourism Development Mission, as well as an western world, in particular, needs to under- Executive Member of the Rajasthan Foundation. stand what the house of mewar is all about. the Shriji was educated at the prestigious Mayo scope of responsibility that i have assumed is College, Ajmer from where he completed his rather large. i’ll take you back to 1947 being the school certificate conducted by Cambridge year of independence when we amalgamated University. He obtained his Bachelor’s of Arts the state of udaipur into the union of india. degree in Udaipur. He studied English liter- at that time, india consisted of nine british ature, economics, and political science at the principalities and approximately 565 princely Maharana Bhupal College in Udaipur. Shriji states. the challenge was to unite and form Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur undertook a hotel management course from them into the republic of india, which is what the Metropolitan College, St. Albans in the U.K. happened in 1947. so when the british left, the EDITORS’ NOTE Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Later, he gained invaluable on-the-job training presidencies went with union and 565 states, Udaipur has been preserving a vibrant cultural in hospitality services in the United States. one of which was ours, was also amalgamated heritage enshrined in the City Palace Complex, with the union of india. there was a special po- Udaipur in Rajasthan. As the Chairman and ORGANIZATION BRIEF The House of Mewar sition for the ex-rulers guaranteed in the indian Managing Trustee of the Maharana Mewar (www.eternalmewar.in), acknowledged as the constitution as it fi rst came into existence in Charitable Foundation (MMCF), Udaipur, Shriji world’s oldest-serving dynasty, has faced chal- 1951. thereafter, it was amended and all the citi- is managing a spectrum of philanthropic and lenges, which have tested the maintenance of zens of india were brought on a similar platform charitable activities emanating from the City the Custodianship form of governance and the in 1971. Palace Complex in Udaipur. Several nonprofi t Custodian’s commitment to carry on serving the challenge, fi rst for my father and now and commercial organizations are seamlessly as The Diwan of Shree Eklingnath ji. In 1947, for me, is how to continue to discharge our age- networked to exemplify ‘Eternal Mewar’ for with India’s Independence, and again in 1971, old responsibilities as the head of the house of global and Indian audiences. The Maharana with the abolition of Princely Privileges, the of- mewar. i understand and i accept that we now Mewar Charitable Foundation, Vidyadan Trust, fice of the Custodian necessitated reinven- have no constitutional responsibilities today. we Maharana Mewar Historical Publications Trust, tions. In 1984, the mantle of 76th Custodian are not in the business of active elective politics, and Rajmata Gulab Kunwarji Charitable Trust devolved upon Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of which is also our choice. and yet the desire is have emerged as the public charitable trusts re- Udaipur. The original status of Custodian, as that this house should continue to function in sponsible for more than 50 developmental proj- provided in the Constitution of India, ceased ects in and around Udaipur. The City Palace to exist. The challenge for Shriji Arvind Singh Museum, Maharana Mewar Special Library, Mewar of Udaipur was to bring the different Maharana Mewar Research Institute, the pub- identities of inheritance under one umbrella. lications division, and educational institutes Eternal Mewar was conceptualized to pro- are some of the key projects being managed and vide the vision for the 21st century. It encom- developed by the Trusts. HRH Group of Hotels, passes the core values and legacy of the House Udaipur, is the fl agship commercial venture of of Mewar. Eternal Mewar covers all the activi- the House of Mewar. HRH Group of Hotels is ties of the House of Mewar. Eternal Mewar has India’s largest and only chain of heritage pal- also emerged as a unique heritage brand exem- ace-hotels and resorts under private owner- plifying hospitality, cultural preservation, phi- ship. Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur is lanthropy, education, sports, and spirituality the Chairman and Managing Director of the for global audiences. HRH Group of Hotels, which offers regal expe- riences in island-palaces, museums, galleries, Your main focus since the beginning has Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur worshipping the horse on the car collections, and much more. In recognition been the palace-hotels, but you’ve gone be- occasion Ashwa Poojan at the Manek Chowk, City Palace Complex, of his contribution to the promotion of tourism yond that now, correct? Udaipur (above) 78 leaders posted with permission. copyright © 2011 leaders magazine, inc. volume 34, number 1 its entirety as earlier, as the legacy goes back to everything mewar stood for, whether it is a a lot of what i’ve discussed may seem the 8th century ad; i am the 76th generation of commercial existence or water management or abstract and intangible, but we believe fi rmly this house. environment or cuisine – that which we have in continuing this form of governance even we have always looked at it as a been looking after. in a democratic set up because it has worked custodianship form of government from day so i am the custodian of this but we are for so long and still works. Kellogg school of one, not a Kingship form of government, and looking for joint custodians to make sure we management and the indian school of business, there is a vast difference between the two. that perpetuate the traditions of the house and the hyderabad, did a case study on our family that eternal mewar concept into the future. was presented in march 2010. i am proud that of course, palace-hotels and income are some of the best minds in family business man- very important; earning money is not a sin. but agement – professor John ward and professor at the same time, we feel that the different hats i K ramachandran – spent almost two years re- wear help me discharge my responsibilities and searching and studying the house of mewar and duties on both commercial and non-commercial the challenges it has faced. fronts. How are you handling the issue of wa- You also do a great deal for the envi- ter purification, as well as the lake disap- ronment, particularly on the lake, which is pearing at certain times? man-made. it’s a serious issue, there is no doubt about udaipur is a man-made city, and if it is it, and there is no reason why it should happen. competing with a state like Kashmir which is a i am aware of global warming and i’m aware of natural beauty, then you can imagine that our the insuffi ciency of rain during the monsoons. but forefathers must have done something right to today’s technology can do a lot of things in terms is the basic thrust that you must comprehend, of water harvesting and making sure that the lake because this is a unique form of government. never dries up. this is too political for me to go the state of mewar was not acquired into in depth, but there are ways and means of aggressively, but rather on the principle of a ensuring that this lake never dries up. tourism is teacher and a pupil. the pupil was selected the main industry focus for this area. on merit and was given the responsibility of Is the lake being fi lled important for administrating this parcel of land, where the continuing the success of tourism? wise man said, “you’ll be holding it in trust; rajasthan’s economy depends on tourism; you’re not the owner of it.” we still believe this it provides the people with a quality of life and even in the 21st century and i suppose this is with a means to sustain themselves. so it’s an also a modern corporate thinking process. but economic necessity. what the city authori- there was no trust act that governed, so it’s ties haven’t been able to do, tourism has done. your conscience which is responsible. you can we’re a much cleaner place because the people lie to anybody, but you can’t cheat your own have realized that to keep a clean shop front, conscience; that was the critical point of which they can’t put the garbage at the front door and we were made responsible in our governing.