Page 70 - Demo

Moti Mahal was built in 1869 by Maharaja Vijayarama Gajapathi III, to hold court. With its Italianate marble statues flanking the entrance and grand frontage with multiple arches it was indeed fit for a king. An entire floor in this Mahal would later form PVG Raju's immense library, as he was an avid book collector from the very beginning. There was also the Alaknanda palace, a few kilometres outside the town, which PVG Raju's father had converted into an aerodrome with its runway. Occasionally for a change they could go up to their uncle Sir Vizzy's palace in Korukonda with its vast orchards, set amidst rolling hills. The family would also stay in Vizag in the family property near Lawsons Bay Colony. In Madras, they lived in their creek-side palace of Admiralty House.By the 1930s, the private tutors had done their part and laid a foundation for the young PVG Raju. The time had come to go to school. It had been decided when he turned nine years old that he would go to St Aloysius School in Vizag. It stood, an imposing stone structure by the beach that commanded a glorious view of the breakers. Run by Catholic fathers of the order St. Francis de Sales and as per the Cambridge board, it was the only English medium school between Madras and Calcutta at the time.It was not that the young prince roughed it out in a hostel. His father had a palace built in Vizag in the early 30s on a leafy upland not too far from the sea. 60