Sarah and I had started planning our next holiday while we were still in Kerala, but took some time to decide on a destination. I had camel treks in Rajasthan on my mind for a long time but was surprised she was interested as well. Sarah is transferring from Kolkata to the Middle East so it was our last big hurrah before she goes. Two others from MCC Bangladesh decided to join the camel brigade as well, and we had a team.
My trips to India always start with the overnight 13 hour bus ride from Dhaka to Kolkata as this is the $12 option rather than the $150-200 but o so pleasant (I’m imagining) flight. So I arrived in Kolkata at 8:30 am, going through customs very quickly as foreigner lines are short! I got to Kolkata in time for an afternoon meeting which ended up being postponed until evening but was still productive. I was meeting with a lady who does dance therapy with people, which I think will be ideal for Bengali women coming from trafficking/prostitution who have experienced unimaginable trauma but for whom a therapist’s couch is too foreign and traumatic in and of itself.
A few hours in a bed were welcome but it was a 4:30 am trip to the airport for Sarah and I to fly to Jodhpur. There we were to meet Jodi and Dave and although I imagined any numbers of complications, it worked like a dream. We hurried to the Mehrangarh Fort…. Wait, I actually took notes of this one… I know, I’m a nerd…. Or just pragmatically aware of the limitations of my memory!
So the Maharaj here no longer have power of state but they are developing the trust to keep the heritage alive in the area… and to keep themselves in the manner to which they are accustomed, I presume! The current Maharaj was just four when he was crowned after his father’s death in an air crash in 1952. He said he doesn’t clearly remember other than being a solemn and important occasion, but an onlooker told a story of how, as people passed, they gave him money as tokens of their esteem. As they did so, he began to give the money received to the next person and they saw this as a sign that he would be a great leader.
As with some of the other forts, the entry way has a sharp turn so elephants could not gain momentum to storm the gates. Next to this gate are handprints of women who performed Sathi. This is when a widow throws herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. This proved to be a common thing among the Rajput rulers… When they died, their women went with them. When they knew that defeat was imminent, the women would prepare themselves all night and go into the fire in the morning, after which the soldiers would ride into the enemy troops to their death. This way, the castle was never stormed and they were never taken by the enemy. They also felt the sword was chivalrous while guns showed weakness. Needless to say, a massacre eventually ensued by those feeling otherwise.
The tradition was for women to keep purda (not showing their face) so there are ornate women’s quarters with specially carved wooden screens so the women can watch the goings on but not be seen. The grandmother of the current Raj kept purda, and, when she once visited London, the journalists, quite intrigued, were all after a picture of her. They never saw her face, but someone did get a picture of her ankle. The Jodhpur contingent was so riled, they reportedly bought every issue of the paper in which the photo appeared.
The women would play polo, believe it or not, and this is where Jodhpur’s (riding trousers) and they had these dumbbells the women would use to keep in shape! There was a gallery of Marwar Miniature Painting which is amazingly intricate. I would have bought some samples but didn’t fancy dragging anything extra along on a camel trek!
Jodhpur is an especially picturesque town as the Brahmin caste traditionally paints their houses a lovely indigo blue. Now it’s not restricted only to Brahmin, and the hills are littered with these lovely houses. There is also a palace in the distance where the Maharajah and his family live and where people not restricting themselves to the budget accommodation section of the lonely planet can also stay!
After the fort we had saffron lassi’s which were incredibly rich and refreshing and nothing like what we call a lassi in Bangladesh or the US. Seriously, amazing. This was followed by me going on a quest for a functional ATM (I’d found 4 previously that were not functional), and then to discover why it is essential to destroy your outdated cards so you don’t inadvertently use the old one and curse the bank when it doesn’t work, when in fact, you are the idiot. Luckily I had some dollars to exchange which tided me over until I could recognize my folly and try again with a current card.
After a dinner on a guest house roof it was time to pack up and head to the train and on to the next day. photos: view of a woman in purda/ Mehrangarh Fort
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