The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi

All India Radio Bulletin

May 13, 1969

Last night, a balcony at the newly constructed Royal Jewel Cinema in Jaipur collapsed, killing two and injuring forty-three others. Over a thousand people were in attendance for the grand opening of the much-anticipated building, a wholly modern theater with a screen to rival Mumbai’s biggest cinema house and surround-sound technology straight from the United States. In the opening remarks, Maharani Latika of Jaipur, who initiated the four-thousand-lakh project built by the renowned Singh-Sharma Construction, called the Royal Jewel Cinema “an historic occasion for Jaipur, home to world-renowned architecture, dazzling textiles and jewels, and, of course, Rajasthani dal batti.” Rumors of cost overruns and construction delays have been circulating for the past year. The palace expressed tremendous sadness at the loss of lives, one of whom was beloved veteran actor Rohit Seth. Mourners have laid flowers for him at the site of the tragedy. The other victim has yet to be identified. A formal statement is expected from the Jaipur Palace later today about possible reasons for the catastrophe and anticipated remedies. The actors Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala, who were present for the showing of Jewel Thief, the first film to premiere at the cinema, were unharmed, having left at the beginning of intermission. It’s not clear how soon the Royal Jewel Cinema will reopen for business. We will bring you further developments throughout the day.