Regal.....Forts.....Nostalgia.....

"Jaipur has changed so much and I will show you the forts and bazaars", said our driver cum guide. During our visit to Delhi we also planned a trip to Jaipur. I am going back to Jaipur almost after 20 years.  My sister and I began our journey by road. The quiet villages once around Delhi with blooming yellow mustard flowers have become technology parks within the last 10 years. There is a feeling of  joy to see the development yet sadness to see those beautiful fields have become concrete structures.  The road from Delhi on to Haryana and to the state of Rajasthan presents a colorful landscape where both the BMW and camel carts pass amicably!. A classic example of culture at the cross roads or melting pot!

Maharaja Jai Singh was instrumental in building the city and the Amber Fort in 1727.  The royals of Rajasthan played a major role in the history of India in preserving the culture and religion from the Muslim invaders inspite of the waves of internal conflicts, deceit and rivalry. During the colonial period, the same waves continued but the royals started adopting the western education and culture. The buildings in this pink city show case the blend of western and eastern elements in its architecture.

Today,  The ancient forts and the roads are given a face lift . Beautiful gardens and bougainvilleas on the road side welcomes one to this historic city. We stayed at the hotel Trident in the Amber Fort Road with a beautiful view of the palace on the lake. We also visited the old city and the bazaars famous for its gems and jewelry. The palace "Hawa Mahal" with its numerous ornate windows stands majestically in the middle of the old city as a reminder of the past glory. In Jaipur, one finds modernization is just an extension of the past and have to co-exist.

The crimson sky and the rising sun brought yet another stroke of color to the city when we started our palace tours.  A beautiful decorated elephant was walking on the road stoically without worrying about the lost pomp and splendor of the regal past!

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Delhi....Schmaltzy....Celebs....

Arrived in Delhi on the foggy cool morning of October 28th.  Kumkum was at the airport with a big smile to recieve me and my sister. We were quite excited about Mashima's (Kumkum's Mother) birthday celebs on October 31st. Mashima is such a caring person. It is always fun when she is around.  Age never matters to be friends with her. How can I ever forget the yummy Baingan Bhartha (egg plant curry with a special gravy) that she makes for me.  Guess what... I had my  favorite dish this time also when we had lunch.

On October 31st we attended the Rabindra Sangeeth concert at the India International Center followed by the  cocktails and dinner honoring Mashima's 75th birthday.   We enjoyed the evening with familiar and new faces full of smiles and laughter. Kumkum has organized it beautifully and asked the guests to donate to a charity instead of presents and gifts. She also wrote a lucid and humorous chronicle on Mashima that was distributed to the guests.

I also met some good old friends. It was great to meet Balu and his wife Rama almost after 5 years.  Kumkum arranged a luncheon with JNU buddies. It was great to share some happy memories with Kumkum, Suchetha and Maithri.

Overall Delhi visit was fun filled with the highlight of October 31st. Delhi was also getting prepared to welcome Obama on November 6th. It was  great to see the admiration for Obama in India.  When you are outside America, hearing good comments about our President does matter. Inevitably I felt proud!


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Stonehenge.....Bath.....Patterns....

The 2010 vacation began with a stop-over in London for 5 days on my way to India.  It was great to be in London after 4 years of gap.  Nothing has changed much except for the makeover of some of the buildings and a little more securtiy measures.  The change of guards ceremony and the palaces looked as if the time had stood still. Actually Buckingham palace need a new coating of paint.
 My sister suggested that we must visit the Stonehnge to energize and to see whether we receive any new vibes to figure out the origin! So a day was allocated to go to the Henges and also the Roman Bath.  These pre-historic monuments stand in a field out of no where as there are no mounds, hills, or mountains nearby. Yet the massive stones that are gathered and arranged in a kind of a circle makes you wonder about the reason behind it.  The question is mostly towards one's sub-conscious trying to dive into the depths to find an answer. Ultimately the mind stops questioning or stops resisting and just absorb what is in front of it and immerse into it. There you go... it is Nirvana! not to think, not to question, yet be a witness to that grand patterns in that beautiful green meadow.

We hopped into the tour bus to move from the pre-historic to the Roman period.  The Romans knew how to tap the hot springs from the earth to have a nice cozy public bath.  Bath is a beautiful town with many relics from the Roman conquest.  I was thinking....Is it not the same pattern that we see throughout history. A belief, a counter-belief, possession of resources, conquest,  power, a time frame of peace, time when art and technology flourish and patronized. Then another belief system or power takes over and the cycle continues. 

The street musicians in the city square played lovely melodies. With a cup of hot chocolate we enjoyed the music and started going towards London. 



All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.