Vijaya Raje Scindia

Vijaya Raje Scindia
The unconventional Princess
Rajmata of Gwalior
Tenure	1970−1998
Born	(1919-10-12)12 October 1919 Sagar, British Raj
Died	25 January 2001(2001-01-25) (aged 81) New Delhi, India
Spouse	HH Maharaja Jivajirao Scindia
Issue	Padmavatiraje 'Akkasaheb' Scindia Usharaje Scindia Madhavrao Scindia Vasundhara Raje Yashodhara Raje
Full name Lekha Divyeshwari Devi
House	Gwalior, India
Father	Thakur Mahendra Singh
Mother	Chuda Devashwari Devi
Religion	Hinduism

Vijaya Raje Scindia (12 October 1919 – 25 January 2001) born Lekha Divyeshwari Devi and known popularly as the Rajmata of Gwalior, was a prominent Indian political personality. In the days of the British Raj, as consort of the last ruling Maharaja of Gwalior, Jivajirao Scindia, she ranked among the highest royal figures of the land. In later life, she became a politician of considerable influence and was elected repeatedly to both houses of the Indian parliament. She was also an active member, for many decades, of the Jana Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Vijaya Raje Scindia was born in 1919 at Sagar in present-day Madhya Pradesh, the eldest child of Thakur Mahendra Singh, a government officer, by his second wife, Chuda Devashwari Devi. She was named Lekha Divyeshwari Devi at birth. Her father was a deputy collector in the provincial administration. Her mother, who belonged to the influential Rana family of Nepal, died at Vijaya Raje's birth. Her brother's name is Dhyanendra Singh, who is married to Maya Singh.

Lekha's maternal grandfather, Khadga Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, had been exiled to India and had taken up residence at Sagar. It was in Sagar that Lekha was born. Her mother's death meant that Lekha never lived with her father: she was raised in the household of her maternal grandparents. The young Lekha was deeply influenced by her grandmother, Rani Dhan Kumari, an exceedingly pious lady of orthodox disposition. The impress of this early influence was to leave a lasting impact on Lekha's personality.

Although her family was aristocratic, their exile status meant that they were not very affluent. To this circumstance may be attributed the fact that Lekha received a relatively normal upbringing and a standard education, suitable to modernizing, upwardly mobile families rather than aristocratic ones. She was educated at home initially, later studying at both the Vasanta College, Benares, and the Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow. She stayed at a ladies hostel during this period and lived largely as other students did. During this period, the Indian independence movement was at it peak. Already drawn towards austerity by the influence of her grandmother, Lekha gave up the use of foreign goods and fabrics.