Playful prince who'll be king

SANAND: He has clocked 200 kmph, trained falcons, had his crushes and once wowed a pretty bank employee in Texas who took him to be from Sicily for his sharp Italian features and impeccable English.
At 41, life is still on the fast lane for this dashing prince of Sanand, Jayshivsinhji Vaghela. As his land stands on the cusp of history, the playful prince of yore is today the Raja who has to lead his people as Nano rolls in a revolution in this sleepy hamlet off Ahmedabad.
Jayshivsinhji, fondly called Tika Bapu, feels his moment of reckoning has come.
���My mother prayed to Lord Shiva for a son and I was born on Mahashivratri. It is no coincidence. Lord sent me to this world to do something good and my time is now. It is a historic moment for Sanand and all are looking up to me for guidance,��� says Tika Bapu, sitting on a charpoy in the courtyard of the more than 500-year-old Darbargarh, as yet another villager walks in, does namaskar and rattles off his troubles.
If he is a man possessed today, devoting his entire time to ensure that Nano has a smooth ride in Sanand, Tika Bapu has had his fill of life.
���There wasn���t a single party in Ahmedabad that I did not attend. My father had given me a Fiat and I had my fair share of fun and a carefree life. Maine zindagi ka har lutf uthaya hai. (I have lived life to the hilt). Or else you are not a complete man,��� says Tika Bapu, who has schooled in Rajkumar College in Rajkot and Mayo College in Ajmer.
Like a king, he had his flights of fancy - training falcons to wildlife photography and fast cars to sharp shooting. ���My affair with wildlife began in an interesting way. Being a Vaghela, I wanted to see the ���bagh��� (tiger) and was thrilled by the majestic animal during a visit to the Corbett National Park. BBC took my rare photographs of lions mating in the wild,��� says Tika Bapu.
���I have touched 200 kmph on the Udaipur-Chittorgarh Road, illegally. I have set a national record in 1981 in trap shooting. My passion is the tabla and I have accompanied Pandit Jasraj, who was a disciple of my grandfather late Jaiwantsinhji, during his recitals,��� he says.
���Now, it���s also time for my family,��� he adds, as he looks forward to his son Dhruv and daughter Katyaini to return for their holidays from Ajmer. Outside his home, he is the king of all he surveys, with massive land holding in Sanand. Tika Bapu is, at present, busy giving shape to his dream - a heritage hotel that he is creating out of 110-year-old British era building next to Darbagarh.
And then, there are his ���subjects���. It���s afternoon and Darbargarh is already overflowing with people.