Padharo Mhare Des

The Land of Kings. Just the name mesmerises me.

I visited Rajasthan last year. It was epic. I didn't mind the searing winter sun as I climbed up and down endless staircases and roamed corridors of ancient forts and palaces. I didn't mind pesky co-travellers who talked in full volume inside museums and art galleries; while I admired portraits of pot bellied maharajas and their formidable looking maharanis. It was peak season at the time, so the usual spots were literally crawling with tourists, more foreign than Indian, completely at ease in Indian clothing like salwar kameez and kurtas. 

Sign to a loo in Chokhi Dhani in Rajasthani dialect: it says "For Ladies"

Even in today's modern age, the Rajputs still reminisce about the glorious days of monarchy and revere their kings as they would God. People still mourn for Rajmata Gayatri Devi. Memorable reigns are fondly recalled time and again by tourist guides speaking smatterings of English, as they lead you through the labyrinthine corridors of palaces and forts. Members of the erstwhile royal families are affectionately referred to as "our king/queen/prince" and still regarded with the utmost respect.

It was an experience of a different kind, to be a part of the state's glorious history, to be able to walk the same land as its illustrious ancestors.

Logo of the House of Mewar

Rajput hospitality is unparallelled, especially when it comes to food. Fourth and fifth helpings are encouraged, as are huge dollops of ghee on all food products. At Chokhi Dhani, a replica of a traditional Rajput village on the outskirts of Jaipur, I was treated to the most lavish spread ever. And mind you, it was served on dried leaf-plates, not even in plates of steel or brass. One of the most memorable meals of my life :)

No wonder I couldn't get up after I was done!

It rained while I was in Jaisalmer, located right in the middle of the desert. Imagine it raining profusely, that too in the middle of November! It was beautiful. I was thrilled to bits to witness such a rare occurance in a place which gets rain every three years. And sitting atop a camel, touring the desert, with the winds blowing all around me, it was peaceful, albeit with the intermittent shouts of excited children getting on and off camelback.

Rainclouds over Jaisalmer Fort. Amazing, no?

I've received it all. Stares from curious onlookers in the bazaars at 7pm (just how a lady can venture into public in the evening, unescorted, alone?) to the helpful ladies in Bikaner who went out of their way to help me find a sweet shop. (Kahaan se aaye hain aap? Bambai se? Arre nahi, ghewar abhi nahi, Sankrant ke samay milenge!)

Kathputlis. I love!

Never before have I seen people so firmly rooted to their past and to tradition. An NRI, on homecoming, will still go to pray at the Karni Mata temple in Bikaner to his ancestors who he believes have been reincarnated and reside there as rats. And a scion of the Jaipur royal family will still dedicate her life to the upkeep of her great grandfather's palace. 


What strikes me most is the juxtaposition of colour and against the bleak and unyielding landscape. Flashes of a desert dwelling woman's bright pink ghaghra and thick silver anklets in the endless sea of sand.

That's me! 

I was like a child in a toyshop all over again, in the bazaars of Jaipur and Udaipur. Patchwork jholas, silver and beaded jewellery, colourful dupattas and scarves *dreamy look*....and even ker saangri pickle did not escape me!

...and still I cannot have enough of it. A considerable amount of space in my music collection is occupied by titles like "Colours of Rajasthan", "Tunes of The Dunes", "Discover India: Rajasthan" etc etc, . A pair of brightly clothed kathputlis (wooden puppets) hangs in my room. I know the lyrics to all the famous folk songs. When I get married someday, I've decided all my jewellery will be polki and kundan, from the best jewellers in Jaipur. (See how hopeless I am :P)

Payals!

I hope to to live in a haveli someday :D

With folk songs about a necklace meant to adorn a camel; and  the swirl of a seven-colored skirt, Rajasthan is all about colour and exuberance for me. Through song and dance, a celebration of life itself.