‘The Whole World Is Watching’

Tikkaraja Shatrujit Singh, crown prince of the royal family of Kapurthala, is a living bridge between India's historical reputation for extravagance and its burgeoning reputation as a major market for luxury goods. In his role as adviser to the chairman of Louis Vuitton, Yves Carcelle, Singh functions as a chief architect of the company's brand strategy within India. He spoke with NEWSWEEK's Sameer Reddy about his great-grandfather's appetite for the good life, the future of luxury in India and the role of royalty in modern life.

What sort of role do you think Indian royalty plays today in relation to luxury?
They are custodians of a unique heritage, which is something to be very proud of. The world comes to India to see its heritage, not to see its modern factories. In the past the rulers patronized all the arts and crafts of India, they wore Indian clothes made by master craftsmen, they employed the best chefs, ordered the most fabulous jewelry, were entertained by the best musical performers. After their rule many of these areas of the arts deteriorated. Today we're trying to ape the ugliness of the West, and a lot of our history has disappeared. But many royals have converted their ancestral palaces into successful hotels. They've found a way to honor the past, but they don't live in it. Many also hold elected office now, elevated by the descendants of their family's former subjects to these posts. They voluntarily gave up what was theirs for thousands of years to merge with modern India. They're modernizers and examples of how to move forward.

Can you describe your lineage?
My family traces its ancestry from the kingdom of Jaisalmer. It goes back 900 years. Our modern era started with my great-grandfather, who was born in 1870 and became the ruler at the age of five. He was brought up by wonderful English tutors, who educated him in a unique way. He set off on world travels at the age of 19, to Europe and America. He gave an Oriental view of what he saw in Europe and America in his diaries, which were published. He was warmly received everywhere he went, as no one had seen a turbaned ruler, ever. He ruled for 75 years and was known as one of the most refined and sophisticated and elegant rulers.

Your great-grandfather had a reputation for being a bon vivant. Can you share any anecdotes about his relationship to the good life?
He patronized the great brands—Cartier, Boucheron, Chaumet, Lalique, Vuitton, John Lobb, Schiaparelli and Worth for his wife. Whenever he went to Paris he would take over the entire Ritz, with his entourage of 150 to 160 people. The Ritz chefs had to leave and make room for his own personal chefs. His own servants would occupy the hotel. His artists would redo the menus, which were hand-painted with his court of arms. The French were perhaps the snobbiest people, and refinement was their birthright, but he beat them at their own game.

Can you describe your family's relationship with the Vuitton brand?
My great-grandfather, Jagatjit Singh Maharajah, was a traveler, and he needed special products for his travels, so he ordered 50 or 60 trunks for his turbans, his swords, his clothes, because he was on the high seas for six months of the year. They painted his initials, his coat of arms, his family seals on all of his luggage. He was the ultimate customer for them because he represented exactly what they looked for in a customer: he was glamorous, modern, sophisticated, a discoverer, a traveler. He was discovering the world, and they were discovering the world through him.

What is your role at LV?
My role is to advise Mr. Carcelle on everything relating to India: new store locations, issues related to strategic communication, public relations, a whole gamut of things. Promoting India within Europe. It's a very free-flowing role, to be creative and help a company that is a very large organization to think out of the box. To get the right attention, customer, press, stars. Being in India, it's a really interesting time, because the whole world is watching you and wants to interact with you. It's a role my great-grandfather would be delighted to see me playing. Sometimes life takes a full circle.