Djin Villiers

As a child, my name was Jeanine Rikh, but I didn't like my first name. In India, my family and close friends called me Tocoo. When I came to England with my mother and stepfather, I had an Irish governess who was very fond of me and nicknamed me Djini. It is this nickname that I kept. When I married your grandfather (François Villiers), they called me from now on Djin Villiers.

I was born on April 19, 1931 in Hamirpur, India.

I had a brother Rollo Rihk, born in 1929 and Robin Baypai (half-brother), born in 1945, died at 23 of cancer. I took care of him like he was my son.

My father was an Indian prince, his name was Raj Kumar Lionel Rikh Singh. He was the chief of police of the village (Bedao), but also of the whole district of Uttar Pradesh.
We lived in a big one-story house with lots of servants. Our villa was surrounded by a colonnaded veranda, to give more freshness. In the evening, my father took his two daily whiskey-soda there, next to my mother who drank a “nimbupani” (lime juice).

On the front of the villa, a porch extended the veranda, so that one could get out of the car without exposing oneself to the sun. There was a large garden surrounded by a high wall, and a gravel driveway connected the porch to the gate (guarded by policemen). I have no recollection of moments of physical tenderness with my mother. Besides, it was not mother who raised and cuddled us, but my ayah (governess, nanny) and my aunt (my mother's little sister). I will always remember the drama caused by the passionate love of my mother and the district judge (Mr. Mehta).

How did this round little man, who seemed very ugly to me, manage to make my mother madly in love with him until the last day of his life, to make him leave my father, who was the beauty on earth, and her two children! The last vision I have of her is on the veranda, sitting in a rocking chair. My mother looked sad because she knew she would not see her children again. I was three years old and that was the last time I saw her, before I was 10... Three months after my mother left him, my father sent my maternal grandmother away. I didn't see my grandmother again until my aunt died!!! My aunt died at the age of 22 from tuberculosis... I never found out why my mother left. When I saw her again, at the age of 10, she introduced me to her "new" husband and that's when I understood everything...

As a child, I dreamed of being an actress, singer or dancer. I learned Indian dance when I was 10 until I was 14. I danced with my cousin in a theater to earn money to give to the soldiers (during the war).

We had a governess who gave us lessons at home (from six to nine years old). I went to the school run by the Sisters from 10 to 14 years old. When I left my country, I went to London with my mother, then to Geneva and Paris. Then, I took courses at the Sorbonne (in continuing education) in Paris. I got pregnant soon after meeting your grandfather on a film set in Paris when I was 17. I dropped my plans to become an actress after a discussion with your grandfather who explained to me the sacrifices involved in acting and that, if I wanted to have a career as an actress, I could not have a family life.

My favorite leisure activities are riding horses in India: my father gave me a pony when I was three years old; and skiing in France, I did it every winter and I took my children too.

My favorite song is Ebony and Ivory by Paul McCartney, I'm a Beatles fan.

My favorite color is ochre.

My favorite dish is lamb curry and my favorite dessert is Gulab Jamun, one of India's most popular desserts. It is made from wheat semolina and Koya (condensed milk) fried in oil and soaked in sugar syrup flavored with rose, cardamom and saffron...

The smell of nature is my favorite smell. That of the pines, when you walk in the forest.