Saturday, June 25, 2011

Pink City and its myriad colours


Neo Jaipur:)
The colourful aridity once again played host to me. This time as Jaipur.  As I saw during my stop over, though the Pink City has adopted the colours of modern times, the culture and ethnic feel have pretty been preserved :) Tourism flows in the veins of Jaipur and so those dhoti pants clad tourists carrying their world in their backpacks with a map in their hands and coins in the pocket are no novel sight! They are part of the City.


Moti Dungri in the backdrop
Jaipur still has the ROYAL charm retained. You may try to turn your eyes from the architectural abundance, but you cannot successfully do it. While streets bustle with traffic and routine chaos that makes it a CITY, you will end up seeing the richness of art everywhere- at cross road circles, Government offices and on distant hillocks carrying a lace of fort wall!

Fair skinned foreigners are a common sight
There is a suaveness that cannot be put in words and which I find going amiss in Ahmedabad these days (Pardon me, if I sound harsh). Modernism is growing quite responsibly in Jaipur- at least in the first sight it appeared so. And for those of us, who love rich vocabulary, Jaipur is the place. Their Hindi can boggle you down. Each proficient statement would make you fumble and insistently look for a Shabd Kosh :)
Hawa Mahal

The best part of the city is the food and the Forts and Palaces. Pyaaz ki Kachaudiya and Lassi- Malaai maar ke are two yummy things one should never miss during their Jaipur visit. We managed it during our return journey and that made it super enduring while our bus decided to rattle throughout and halt at an odd hour at a super odd food joint.

Jaipur from Nahargarh fort
There are several tourist places; each expanded enough to allow spending long hours without getting back to the watch. However, the RTDC craftily fits them all in a day trip, where half of the places are finger pointed while passing by. It’s a sheer streak of luck, if you happen to be sitting on the window seat and manage  craning your head out bang on time and thus recognize the place :) 
Fort wall laced hillocks


However, they are all uniquely structured- ranging from Hawa Mahal, City Palace to Jantar Mantar to Amer Fort to Birla Temple and many others. Each can be described in an independent blog!

Nahargarh Fort view
Nahargarh Fort, which is atop a hill and invigilates the city, has got its due ever since Aamir Khan et al in Rang De Basanti have had their foot falls and bottle falls at the place ;) Yes, during the day, flocked by tourists, once the sun dips down through those Limestone blue houses beneath, the palace surrounding sees boozers with liquor and savouries! Lot of  hungry bats, skin lovers and liquor lovers provide enough business to Bhel pudi wallahs to hang on till late :) 

Star studded Jaipur
However, if one stays through till the lights turn on, from Nahargarh, Jaipur looks star studded. It is a super fun to see the huge Hawa Mahal going of the Match Box size with the Jantar Mantar and sundry palaces :) The city, from Nahargarh looks like divided into a perfectly planned one where each area has enough greens to keep the aridity balanced. You gotttttaaaa see it to believe it!

I wish to go again to Jaipur, with my tourists’ cap on and return with my camera loaded of pictures capturing the stills and feeling the action of the city. We will meet, yet again, Jaipur!

2 comments:

  1. beautifully written... place and photos are like icing on the cake... :)

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  2. Lovely words, wonderful photos mam! Will keep an eye out for more :)

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