Maharaja Ranjitsinhrao Gaekwad

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Ranjitsinhrao Gaekwad was the titular Maharaja of Baroda from 1988 to 2012. He succeeded his elder brother Fatehsinhrao II to the throne when the latter passed away without producing an heir. Ranjitsinhrao finished the education at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and had a post-graduate degree in fine arts. In 1959-60 he worked at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts, London and was awarded a Diploma in painting.

Maharaja Ranjitsinhrao Gaekwad

Life :

Maharaja Ranjitsinhrao was a passionate artist and had an all-rounder personality. Before becoming a member of the parliament he mainly invested his time in increasing his expertise in the field of art.

After finishing his education here at the MSU he went to Europe and obtained a diploma from the Royal Academy of Arts. As a young artist, he won several awards, including the David Murray Scholarship for landscape painting, established for the RA Schools. Before returning to Baroda he held many successful exhibitions of his work throughout India.

After returning to India, he busied himself in the family business and also got involved in politics. He even became a member of the  Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament in India) and served two terms as an MP (a member of parliament), from the year 1980 till 1989. During this time art, especially painting took a back seat. After a gap of 15 years or so, Ranjitsinh returned with full vigor to the art scene.

Subsequently, he held many exhibitions of his work in India as well as abroad. He even got invited by many institutes to teach drawing to post-grad students.

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Art:

Due to his education in Indian as well as in European art, he evolved to be a versatile artist. He was well-versed in many mediums such as watercolors, oils, ink, pastels, charcoal, graphite, etc. A self-taught sculptor himself, he felt that any artwork is a creative activity for visual experience and pleasure.

In 2009, the Maharaja was commissioned by Durham University to make a sculpture based on the theme of water waste. Named “Vessels of Life”, the sculpture captures the Maharaja’s concerns over mankind’s wastefulness of water. The 12ft high sculpture comprises eight water carrying pots, growing out of a lotus and embellished with plants, flowers, birds, fish, and animals. At the bottom, a single tap reminds people how much the availability of safe, clean drinking water is taken for granted.

Apart from all this, the royal had a passion for Indian Classical Music and himself was a vocalist of a very high caliber. He was also fond of sports, especially cricket and represented the MS University and the Baroda Cricket association in some first-class matches.

Maharaja Ranjitsinhrao Gaekwad with his sculpture - Vessels of Life
Marriage and Succession:

He married was married to Maharani Shubhangini Devi and had 2 daughters and a son namely, Alaukika Raje, Anjana Raje and Samarjitsinh. Their son, Samarjitsinh succeeded him to the throne when he passed away in 2012.

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