Anita Delgado
Encyclopedia
Anita Delgado Briones was a Spanish
flamenco
dancer and singer from Andalusia
.
She was born on February 8, 1890 in Málaga
. The family emigrated to Madrid, where her beauty and that of her sister were welcomed. Painters Julio Romero de Torres
and Ricardo Baroja
asked that they model, but Anita refused being only 16.
During the festivals for the marriage of king Alfonso XIII of Spain
in Madrid
, the Maharaja Sir Jagatjit Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala
watched her performances in a cafe-concert. He attempted to court her, but his approaches were rejected, and he left after the bombing of the royal couple (May 31, 1906). Later, however, her friends Romero de Torres, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán
and Pastora Imperio convinced her to answer his messages and meet him in Paris.
He had her educated (including in French) and married her on 28 January 1908. After marriage she changed her name to Maharani Prem Kaur.
They later travelled in Europe and India, and she wrote a book about this time called "Impresiones de mis viajes a las Indias".
She also gave the Maharaja a son, Maharajkumar Ajit Singh (born 26 April 1908, educated at Cambridge University and at the Military Academy, Dehra Dun. Assistant to the Indian Trade Commissioner in Argentina, died in 1982).
During the first World War, her husband worked in Franco-British hospitals.
The Maharaja and she fell apart as a result of her extramarital affairs, including her affair with a son of the Maharaja from another wife.
They separated and Anita stayed in Paris with her son.
She died on 7 July 1962 in Madrid
.
was slated to begin shooting in 2006.
However a descendent of Jagatjit Singh, Shatrujit Singh, has opposed the filming since he considers that Javier Moro's novel on which it is based distorts truth, especially the allegations of the Maharajah forcing Anita to an abortion.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
dancer and singer from Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
.
She was born on February 8, 1890 in Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
. The family emigrated to Madrid, where her beauty and that of her sister were welcomed. Painters Julio Romero de Torres
Julio Romero de Torres
Julio Romero de Torres was a Spanish painter.He was born and died in Córdoba, Spain, where he lived most of his life. His father was the famous painter Rafael Romero Barros and his mother was Rosario de Torres Delgado...
and Ricardo Baroja
Ricardo Baroja
Ricardo Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque painter, writer and engraver. As an engraver, he is considered the successor of Goya. He was the brother of the novelist Pío Baroja and writer/ethnologist Carmen Baroja...
asked that they model, but Anita refused being only 16.
During the festivals for the marriage of king Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, the Maharaja Sir Jagatjit Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala
Kapurthala
Kapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic...
watched her performances in a cafe-concert. He attempted to court her, but his approaches were rejected, and he left after the bombing of the royal couple (May 31, 1906). Later, however, her friends Romero de Torres, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán
Ramón del Valle-Inclán
Ramón María del Valle-Inclán y de la Peña , Spanish dramatist, novelist and member of the Spanish Generation of 98, is considered perhaps the most noteworthy and certainly the most radical dramatist working to subvert the traditionalism of the Spanish...
and Pastora Imperio convinced her to answer his messages and meet him in Paris.
He had her educated (including in French) and married her on 28 January 1908. After marriage she changed her name to Maharani Prem Kaur.
They later travelled in Europe and India, and she wrote a book about this time called "Impresiones de mis viajes a las Indias".
She also gave the Maharaja a son, Maharajkumar Ajit Singh (born 26 April 1908, educated at Cambridge University and at the Military Academy, Dehra Dun. Assistant to the Indian Trade Commissioner in Argentina, died in 1982).
During the first World War, her husband worked in Franco-British hospitals.
The Maharaja and she fell apart as a result of her extramarital affairs, including her affair with a son of the Maharaja from another wife.
They separated and Anita stayed in Paris with her son.
She died on 7 July 1962 in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
In media
A movie on Anita's life titled La princesa de Kapurthala starring the Spanish actress Penélope CruzPenélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
was slated to begin shooting in 2006.
However a descendent of Jagatjit Singh, Shatrujit Singh, has opposed the filming since he considers that Javier Moro's novel on which it is based distorts truth, especially the allegations of the Maharajah forcing Anita to an abortion.
Literature
- Elisa Vazquez de Gey. Anita Delgado. Maharani of Kapurthala. (1998) Editorial Planeta ISBN 84-226-8607-4
- Elisa Vazquez de Gey. The Maharanis’ Dream. (2005) Editorial Grijalbo ISBN 84-253-3961-8 and ISBN 978-84-8346-367-3
- Elisa Vazquez de Gey. The Princess of Kapurthala. (2008) Editorial Planeta ISBN 987-84-08-08262-0
- Javier Moro. Pasión india. (2005) Editorial Seix Barral ISBN 84-322-9663-5
- OCON DUEÑAS, Manuel: Anita Delgado. Ed. Arguval. 1986.
External links
- The Kapurthala Princess (English site)
- La Princesa de Kapurthala ( Spanish site)
- Document in MP3 format with the radio podcast dedicated to the life of the Princess of Kapurthala, Anita Delgado by Radio Nacional de España ( RNE ).
A historic radio program with the participation, among others,of her biographer, Elisa Vazquez de Gey, Pío Caro Baroja and Commander Joaquín Díez del Corral. Includes testimonials from the RNE Documentary Fund as the voices of Alfonso XIII, Mohandas Gandhi, the baritone Vicente Ballester, Marshal Philippe PétainPhilippe PétainHenri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
and Georges ClemenceauGeorges ClemenceauGeorges Benjamin Clemenceau was a French statesman, physician and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. For nearly the final year of World War I he led France, and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the...
. - Video documentary in Spanish about the life of Anita Delgado on Spanish TV RTVE web site.