Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Chapter 10 – Juna Mahal
We came to the end of the road and found ourselves outside of a faded and deteriorating wall fairly high up on the hill. The entrance to the old palace was through the doorway which was big enough for a car. Sachin made sure we were at the right place as it was his first time in Dungarpur as well. A barefoot, old and thin man met us and gave us a happy smile. He was to be our guide through the old palace. It was at times like this that I wish I could speak the local language as I could only imagine the stories he could have told us. We followed him as he nimbly began to go up the stone walkway and stairwells into the heart of the palace. First appearances in this case were indeed deceiving. First appearances suggest that it is a shabby and broken place, not worth the time or energy for a visit.
Beckoning us to follow, he led us into rooms that had small shards of mirrors covering the walls so that the room glittered with light coming in through strategically placed windows. One room was lined with round plates set into the plaster. We went through rooms which had to have been bedrooms for young children as well as work rooms. The workmanship and the colours were defiantly bright denying that the palace had been forgotten. Finally, we came to the main room which was used for both business and pleasure, the throne room.
Along one wall a set of cushions for royalty were in place. Maureen took the seat of honour and was fanned by our palace guide. After showing us each of the seven levels, some of which looked like they would soon fall down due to the ravages of time, the guide showed us a set of closed doors behind which was an extensive series of paintings showing most of the scenes of the Kama Sutra.
At different levels of the palace, we were able to view various aspects of the palace as well as the surrounding hills and city. As we looked out over the city spread out over a number of hills, we noticed that many of the homes were painted a bright blue. We also heard many horns and drums and music being played. Of course, it was still festival time in India. Standing on the rooftops of many homes, were people enjoying the afternoon. A huge number of kites were being flown by children and their parents. From the evidence of many small kites that were caught in trees, the activity had been going on for some time. As I looked out at the busy rooftops, I noticed that I was being watched with curiousity by a number of groups. They were as curious as I was.
On one rooftop, a father and his son were watching the flying of the kites as well. When he saw me, he beckoned me to come over for chai, tea. But, there was no chance to do this. There was no way from the palace to his place which wouldn't mean going a long distance back to Udai Bilas Palace and into town to circle the hills until the right valley presented itself. The gesture was enough, a positive indication between men acknowledging the other.
With the tour of the palace complete, we returned to our waiting car and driver, Sachin was ready to return us to Udai Bilas and have the rest of the day off. He had been driving since the early hours of the morning in order to meet us at the Ahmadabad airport.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Chapter 9 - Udai Bilas Palace
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Chapter 8 – Road to Dungarpur
The number of people on foot, with animals and little motorcycle taxis called tud-tuks were surprising. Goats, sheep, and cows were seen in abundance. As in Delhi, most of the cows had their horns painted red, yellow and blue. And then, we saw a camel. I knew that there were camels in this part of the world, but I never expected to see one along side a highway. I somehow expected that I would only see camels in the desert. But then again, in a way, we were in desert country. My expectations of desert country were about an unbroken area of sand and sand dunes, an image that had been fed by so many posters and stories of deserts.
After a while, the trees disappeared and the roadway became a bit rougher reminding me of many of our Saskatchewan highways. Not only were they rougher, they were narrower. And almost inversely, the traffic picked up speed and became noisier with a constant barrage of horns. It seems as though all the drivers had decided to engage in challenging each other to the road space belonging to other drivers. Little cars showed no fear of larger trucks who refused to give way. And a number of times along the way, the shoulder became part of the main highway, another lane for passing. The only time people seemed to come to their senses was when a cow decided it wanted to wander onto the pavement. Then, traffic slowed, even stopped. It was with caution that the vehicles eased their way past these sacred animals before taking on the challenge of driving as fast as possible.
Women were walking along the roadside, working women, women carrying wood, carrying bowls filled with dung, carrying branches, carrying metal pitchers – all balanced on their heads. This became the most common sight along the highway as we continued to drive north towards Dungarpur. The women at work wore multi-coloured saris which would have been dressy enough for any social occasion in the western world.
Men? Yes, they were there as well, with most of them sitting on their heels watching traffic go by, or enjoying a cup of chai at one of many roadside stops, or standing in groups listening to one of the group speaking. And occasionally, there were men leading animals, men working.
Kilometre after kilometre, the scenes continued to shift as we moved closer to our destination. After about four hours of driving we came alongside a lake, Gaibsagar Lake. We turned off the secondary highway to follow the road into the small city. Well, it really wasn’t into the city but along the edge of the city with the lake on the left side and a narrow strip of buildings on the right side. Along this side, we saw number of interesting temples, with ordinary buildings for businesses and even farms interspersed. Looking out to the left we saw a small island that was covered in small domes pavilions near the west side of the lake. The streets of the town, along the waterfront, were busy with people, cars, bikes and animals. We slowly made our way through the throng and then left the town to head south along the west side of the lake. At last, we came to Udai Bilas Palace, the home of the current Maharawal Singhji.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Chapter 7 – Delhi to Ahmadabad
With the book now in our hands, we continued on searching for a place to eat now walking away from the hotel area down a busy street past a number of restaurants. Because the restaurants were unknowns to us with menus offering choices we couldn’t understand as there was no English on the menus, we returned back to our hotel where we tried out the small bar which also served food. Much to our surprise, the food was excellent! Since we were the only customers in the bar, the waiter spent some time with us talking about India. He was particularly talkative when we told him we were going to Rajasthan next as it was his home province.
En route we passed an elephant being ridden along the roadside. I couldn’t believe my eyes, an elephant walking the streets of a city! And so much more, scenes that have become almost familiar: people standing in the darkness waiting for buses, small fires just off the edges of roadways along long walls around which figures huddled for warmth, and traffic. Even though it was so early in the morning, the traffic was heavier as we neared the airport.
The flight, like so many others we have taken over the years, was basically uneventful, in other words, a good flight with no excitement. Clearing the arrivals area we were met by our new driver, a man called Sachin, a short and fairly young man that wore a perpetual smile from when we met until we were well on our way from Ahmadabad to Dungarpur, Rajasthan. He led us to his car, a small modern car, which was to serve as our transportation for the next three weeks. In the car with only music from the car’s radio breaking the silence, we began the long drive to our first destination in this north-western province of India which shares a border with Pakistan. Why the quietness? I am certain it had to do with the lack of sleep and a significant dose of culture shock.
Though tired from the flight and a short night of sleep, we both kept our eyes wide open trying to catch everything, trying hard not to miss anything. And then, we left the outskirts of the city heading north for Rajasthan, heading for a small city called Dungarpur.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Chapter 6 – Raj Ghat
Mixed in with the street traffic of Delhi were animals. It was hard to imagine how wooden carts being pulled by cows with painted horns could fit in the same picture as expensive cars and a never-ending stream of taxis, buses and trucks. It defied logic. The pace of transport was centuries removed from modern day. And yet, here it seems normal, just another ordinary occurrence.
Crossing from the central part of Old Delhi, we came upon an area of green, a large park-like expanse. We had arrived at Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mahatma Ghandi, the father of modern India. Ghandi stood for all that I held as proof that man can rise above personal selfishness. I saw my early days as a flower child as a personal memorial to this tiny man who changed the face of the British Empire. The belief that love, respect and non-violence could work miracles in the lives of the ordinary masses, as well as exert a powerful influence upon the privileged and mighty was proven in the life of Mahatma Ghandi.
In the park, we followed a path to the entrance to the memorial site which was through the side of a hill. We decided to first walk around the top of the hill enclosure to get a better sense of the place as well as to better prepare myself for approaching the memorial flame that burnt within the holy site. I walked slower than M. and our guide, taking my time for photographs of people as well as the memorial, not that the two could easily be separated. Having finally completed walking all four sides of the protective hill, it was time to enter into the open-air sanctuary.
As at Jama Masjid, it was necessary to remove our footwear before entering. We then joined a line of people who were walking around the altar that held an eternal flame which marked the tomb of Gandhi. On the four corners of the altar, marigold flowers were placed within white circles, a contrast to the black stone of the tomb. Another white circle held more marigold flowers. And, on a stone step before the altar were placed more marigold flowers. The evident respect that Gandhi still inspired in India was heartening for me. As I finally came near the centre of the tomb, an Indian family asked me to take their family photo with the memorial as a background. For an instant, I was a part of it all, not a stranger, not a foreigner, but a fellow human.
I finally was able to take a photo of the memorial, a distraction free photo. M. knew that this was the highlight of our time in Delhi for me, so to honour that, she took my photo with the memorial in the background. With a last look at the memorial, it was time to leave, time to return to our hotel for the evening and prepare for our travelling to Rajasthan in the morning. On the drive back to our hotel, we passed an impressive statue of Gandhi leading a line of other people on the voyage to an independent India. Talk about synchronicity, a meaningful coincidence. Delhi had delivered its promise to me.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Chapter 5 – Jama Masjid
What I found was, instead, a place for people. Some were simply resting in the sunshine, sitting on ledges along the wall surrounding the courtyard, sitting on ledges around a central shallow pool in front of the main entrance where a prayer podium waited for call to prayer. Some of those found in the courtyard were sitting quietly, others were visiting with family or friends, some like ourselves were studying the architecture and taking photos – tourists, a few were stretched out sleeping on the stones.
Around the central pool, a few were washing their feet, a ritual that was to wash away the dirt of the outer world so that one would be purified before entering the holy place of prayer.
At the end of the hallway, I was able to look out on a district noted for car parts, a place called Chor Bazaar or “thieves’ bazaar”. It is in this area that stolen cars are taken apart and sold for their parts. It was a busy area. Strange, how such a place was so industrious. Even with all knowing its role, it continued to thrive. Where was law and order?
Looking back from the Chor Bazaar to the steps leading back into the Jama Masjid, a curious gathering rested on the steps. Some were visiting while having a lunch; some were almost unclothed except for a few rags. These tattered, dirty and lost souls had a space around them like some sort of protective zone around which others flowed. A few of these unwashed, untouchables slept on the hard steps in the full sunshine. It was hard to understand, too hard. Turning aside and walking back towards our original entry, it was time to leave.
Descending the steps from the Jama Masjid, we entered Chandni Chowk. Not too far from the mosque we climbed into a bicycle rickshaw for a ride through Old Delhi. The rickshaw bounced over the uneven pavement, slowly threading a narrow path through the crowded narrow streets. Chandni Chowk was a warren’s nest crowded with pedestrians, bikes, motorbikes and the occasional car. Overhead, electrical wires and telephone wires appeared to be on the verge of falling into the streets below. How workers were able to sift through the mass of wires to do any repairs was beyond comprehension. The streets were just as chaotic as the wires nested above, as chaotic as it is possible to be and still have people move through it on the way to their various destinations. The rickshaw finally came to a rest, back at the base of the Jama Masjid.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Chapter 4 - Qutab Minar
Almost as soon as I re-entered the hotel, breakfast was brought to our room. We had pre-ordered a light Indian breakfast of masala omelette, toast and masala chai tea. The food quickly disappeared and we found ourselves back in the hotel lobby in anticipation of beginning our day of touring around Old Delhi. We didn’t wait long for the guide and his driver for the day. Climbing inside the small car, we bumped across the parking lot passing a small group of cows which had come to investigate the rubbish hill. As we passed, one man was offering a small amount of food to one of the cows. Ah, yes, this is the country of the holy cow. Turning the corner we passed a horse drawn wagon that was all decorated in bright colours and tinsel. Pointing it out as I took a photo, our guide told us that it was a marriage wagon, used in traditional wedding ceremonies.
My camera was kept busy as we drove down various roads. I was struck by the sharp contrasts of modern and ancient, of wealth and poverty. Large expanses of real estate were set aside for military purposes such as officers clubs for various different groups. Then crowded onto a roadside hill were shacks festooned with laundry hanging to dry with children oozing out of every nook and cranny of the dilapidated structures they had for homes.
Our destination was called Qutab Minar. As we approached our destination, our guide, a tall elegant man who had a gentle aspect, began to talk to us about the history of the ruins we were to be visiting. I have to confess that I didn’t listen very well, not because I couldn’t hear him, but because my mind was still racing from all that I had seen en route. I knew that I could find out all about the ruins later by using the Internet. My partner became the listener and asked questions to keep the stories coming.
I don’t know what it is about ruins that capture my attention. Perhaps it is decay that mourns for a time long gone. Perhaps it is the silence that lets one know that previously voices had been heard here, that lives had been lived here. Ruins are like magnets pulling one to trespass and to enter into a different space, a different time, a different way of being. Barely had our car stopped when I was out wandering taking photo after photo trying to capture some of what my imagination was sensing.
Of course, we weren’t alone at the Qutab Minar. However, we were the only obvious foreigners present. Thankfully we didn’t become the tourist attraction like we had experienced as we travelled in China. Perhaps the ruins were powerful enough to keep the attention of all who wandered through broken buildings and stone littered fields. One powerful site was an incomplete minar, or tower. The unfinished testament tells a story of unfulfilled hopes and dreams.
It was curious to note that many of those present were young, likely university students. Here and there throughout the grounds I could see them sitting quietly with books on the grass or in sunny corners leaning against a stone wall. Finally, one of them, a young woman had the courage to approach my partner, hoping for a photograph opportunity with the two of them together. Strange, it always works this way no matter where we find ourselves. There is something magic about my partner that draws others to be near her. Somehow, others unconsciously believe that to share a moment with her, to be photographed with her is a portal into good luck.
A final walk through the grounds with a final few photos taken took us back to our waiting car. It was time to visit our next destination, the Jama Masjid.