There is a spring in his step and a new found confidence. His monosyllables have become a torrent of articulate words. There is the smile that reaches his eyes and a hearty laughter.

Having gone through the trials and tribulations of hardship at a very young age, in spite of belonging to one of leading royal families in the country, life has taught him a few hard lessons. The first one is not to trust anyone completely. The second is do all the work yourself and third to go ahead and chart a new course against all odds.
This in short is the story of the new President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. A four-time Member of Parliament before, who was elected at a young age of 31 to the Lok Sabha, Wadiyar today has learnt that it is only hard work that can sustain one and not the laurels of the past or the wealth that comes with royalty.

Wadiyar had seen as a child the trappings of luxury when he went along with his father Jayachamaraja Wadiyar on the ambari elephant in the famous Dasara procession that was truly world class those days. The people who had witnessed this grand spectacle with the cute, chubby Srikant (as his father used to call him), on the elephant back is today just a fading memory. None knows this better than Wadiyar himself.

Losing his father at the age of 21, he was suddenly pitch forked into the world of responsibility. He had to make decisions and save his family from certain ruin. The Prince (as he is called by his admirers and close friends), found that it was a burden that was difficult to carry. But carry he had to.

The first thing was the privy purses which the princely ruled states were getting was abolished in 1969. The Mysore Royal family was getting Rs 26 lakh per annum as privy purse. This came to a stop. Wadiyar’s father was hit hard but he had no choice. “I realised that it was a blessing in disguise because I would hardly have got Rs 10 lakh now which would not have been enough for anything,” was the candid confession of Wadiyar in one of his recent interviews.

The perception of Wadiyar in the public eye is however, mixed. On the one hand there is that awe and respect for the royalty which the people of this country naturally have. On the other hand, there is also the feeling that since it is a democracy he is now one among us. Wadiyar himself has no issue on this as he has come to terms with this life. The insulation that a Maharaja enjoyed, like his own famous father or his equally famous grand-uncle Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar had is no longer there.

He has to come to the ground level and interact with the masses. As a first step he has almost achieved it by winning the KSCA elections against a very popular opposing candidate in the inimitable G R Vishwanath. He has promised to work at the grass-roots level to encourage moffusil talents and see a Dhoni or a Pathan emerging. But these are early days and one has to closely wait and watch.

His foray into politics is not so pleasant, for even after being elected for four-terms he has not achieved anything significant to showcase that would benefit the common man. However, he has set his sights high now and is waiting for a chance to do something for the people, like his grand-uncle or his ancestors have done that are standing monuments to this day.

Will the real Wadiyar stand up and be counted or will he cocoon himself in the world of fashion enjoying creative moments?