Gayatri Devi

Gayatri Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur, was brought up in the sumptuous Palace of Cooch Behar with its staff of 500. She tells Roy Plomley how she shot her first panther at the age of 12, how she became the third wife of the Maharaja of Jaipur, and how, with his encouragement, she won a seat in the Parliament of India.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: As Time Goes By by Andy Williams and his Orchestra Book: Omnibus of books by James Herriot Luxury: Can of insect repellant