HYDERABAD: The tale of siblings Akshita and Mrinalika Bhanjdeo of the Mayurbhanj royal family in Odisha is inspirational, a journey from being born into royalty to turning into entrepreneurs while being rooted in their nativity, heritage, history, art and culture.
The duo, speaking at a session titled ‘Palaces to Boardrooms’ organised by Ficci Ladies Organisation (FLO) on Saturday, detailed their success story of turning their 18th-century ancestral property, the Belgadia Palace, into a boutique hotel.
Mrinalika said that while she wanted to be an investment banker, Akshita was a PR professional. They returned to their hometown to go back to their roots and embrace their ancestral origin, which inspired them to give back to the community.
Mrinalika, then aged 22, came up with the idea of transforming her ancestral home into a luxury hotel but faced several roadblocks.
“I had no knowledge about the hospitality industry but I always believed in my instinct. The urge to bring Mayurbhanj on the map of well-known travel destinations drove me to shape the project as it looks today. As somebody who comes from a long-dated history and royalty, I felt all the more responsible to preserve the local culture, heritage, arts and history,” she said.
Akshita spoke of how she broke out of the image of being a princess and tagged along with her sister to make Belgadia Palace a sustainable business and to make her mark as a woman entrepreneur.
“We had to work hard in multiple ways — to realise our project and also to come out of the image of being princesses. At the same time, as our responsibility, we extended our project to the local community by engaging with local artisans and supporting them in reaching a larger platform in the country and beyond,” Akshita said.
The Belgadia Palace Luxury Hotel, which started three years ago, is a well-known destination for travel enthusiasts and art lovers. With Mayurbhanj also being listed as one of the world’s greatest places of 2023 by Time Magazine, the sisters can be proud of a goal well reached.
