My best woman's day message....

Receiving this inspired me to actually put it here....especially so because it came with a personalized "you are already that"

Monica, thanks pal......so touched. Also loved the art work. Rest of thanks through what's app :)

Mount Abu - Street Side Shopping

While I pretty much detest shopping.......street side shopping, especially in Rajasthan......that's a whole different story.  

The ethnicity, the colour, the baandini sarees, the junk jewellery........all my kind of stuff. Even my mom's patient, yet consistent looks of disapproval didn't deter me :)

To share that experience:

Baandini sarees, one of my favourites.....

What a riot of colour.....you can barely see the shop keeper amidst all those pretty bags

I got my silver stuff here....deepak in full pose after a good sale

Mom waiting....she'd find some place to sit and patiently wait :)

Some interesting moments after and inbetween the shopping. This was one curious langoor exploring the trash can....looked almost like he's reading the label

Had to catch that dog on the cart

Our pit stop....garam garam chai

A cute kid sitting there as I drank my chai. It was also this moment when Diksha called to say "ma, I got into Deakin !!!!! ". It's not often that I hear that level of excitement in her voice...making it a moment to be captured :)

Mastaan singh who was happy to pose for me in full style

The rock formations there are so intriguing

Mom waiting again :)

Stuff I bought. Diksha's like, "don't they mostly look the same ma?" :)

Mom actually discovered a 'jain saatvic bhojanalaya' for our lunch....was an interesting eating experience

That was a satiating morning in all senses !

Dilwara Temples

Breathtaking.............. Awe inspiring.............Amazing

These temples inspire all these feelings at a whole different level. Even the recall is giving me goosebumps.

It's the architecture. It's so intricate and exquisite........that it's no longer just visual, you kind of feel something of it in your bones. You feel in the presence of god, of where man has achieved something of such immense art and beauty that you can but stand and gape in awe and respect.

The Dilwara temples built on Mount Abu, the only hill station in Rajasthan, is actually five temples built between the 10th and 12th centuries. They are dedicated to five of the thirthankaras of Jainism. 

While now the town of Mount Abu has grown around the temple, it is said that when it was built and until quite recently too, the temples were the only structures atop the mountain and surrounded by thick forest. Can only imagine how that would have felt or looked like.

We're not allowed cameras into the precincts( and this is one place I could totally understand why), so the pictures here are all courtesy Google. 

The pictures only give an idea of the place. For the feeling, I'd say it's a once in lifetime must visit.

Road to Mount Abu

Well it's on the road, so I'll do it with pictures all through:

Setting off. The rock formations along the way are so distinctive that they by themselves make taking that journey worthwhile.

A chat with the chaat guy........ possibly the best chaat I've ever had

One farmaish fulfilled, of an authentic Rajasthani thali. Their thali is a 'dal, bhaatti churma', very interesting, which was part of our larger thali.

They have a few tunnels on the way, and even their tunnels have architecturally designed entrances and their own names too. This one was Ukhaliyat.

Got a nice picture inside the tunnel......making true the adage 'there's a light at the end of the tunnel' (and light within if you can have electricity :)

Our chai pit stop, and mom pulling out biscuit packets and bananas for the dogs and cows around :)

This little girl so caught my attention, as she looked at me with such a blatant curious look as I was feeding the dogs. Iminya or meena her name was.....the picture was with her permission and ofcourse with a packet of biscuits for her (mom seems to have endless supplies of them :)

The Aravalli ranges are with you almost, no actually all the way along.... after all Mount Abu is atop one of the Aravalli mountains

There were tons of langurs along the way

Arriving at Sterling in the evening...the view from our room

As always, I loved the road drive.....I find them just so invigorating, almost meditatively so :)

Udaipur - Mimosa

We land at Udaipur, and I'm frantically opening Google Maps. Our stay was at an Air b&b, and as that's a residence, it's a whole different experience. 

The airports about an hour away from the city, so first the drive there.....into the city,....by it's innumerable lakes and havelis........ almost sunset time, so getting off for a couple of pictures enroute.  Then we drive into a nice quiet colony of independent houses.....some asking around and finally, we arrive at this fancy sprawled out bungalow. It has a high compound wall, with an imposing gate, so we open with some trepidation... and on ringing the bell, there's a gentleman at the door. 

I'm like "are you Suman?", and he's like "ek minute"

We're looking around the garden, and are then greeted by this petite, distinguished looking lady with an " Hi, I am Suman.....I've been trying to contact you to ask when you were arriving". 

ooops....I'd booked almost two months ago, and hadn't contacted them since......so I'm muttering "sorry....my bad".... and that's how our acquaintance with a most interesting person began.

Mrs. Suman Bhatnagar has served with UNICEF, and retired twelve years back. Post retirement she decided to write, and she's now an author of two published books. 

She recently decided to renovate her house and start an Air B&B, which started just last month. And what's more, she's  running it single handed. Starting something, anything.... at seventy, that's surely a commendable spirit. She was a wonderful guide too....  helping plan our itinerary for that short duration stay, cab numbers, places to eat, anything we needed. And with so much warmth and enthusiasm....adding a wonderful dimension to the whole experience.

Mom and she even got to more long and personal conversation, and that's the big plus of home stays....it builds quick bonds..... and there's the irreplaceable personal flavour of the place. 

She joined us for tea in the morning, and was talking to us about how in just one month she's gotten to meet guests from not just within the country, but also Spain and Greece.....and how she's decided that her third book will be about her experiences with her guests, and that's why I should send her pictures I've taken. So fascinating.

This is her with mom:

She was giving a guided tour of her garden, saying "your breakfast today was methi from here, and lime pickle from this tree". In that little patch she has palak, methi, lemon, chillies, tomatoes, bananas, beans and more. Wow !

On the right is Altaf, who helps run the place...I sadly don't have a better picture of him. Behind them is our room...... while she has bigger rooms on the first floor, we took the ground floor so mom could avoid the stairs.

The front garden

That leaf on the building is from the Mimosa plant, after which the place is named. When we asked what it meant, is when we got the story of how she'd brainstormed a lot to figure out the appropriate name. I loved that little bit of detail :)

Inside her house, mom proudly displaying her book :)

With me too...

Our heading out to Mount Abu

By the end of our visit we're telling her what an inspiration she is !

Suman ma'am....thanks much, it was an absolute pleasure staying with you, and even more knowing you :)

Nathicharami

Poignant, thoughtful, sensitive, bold........

It's a Kannada movie, and especially for that, I'd say it's a great effort at breaching existing boundaries. 

It's a story that revolves around a woman who is caught between her inability to get over the loss of her husband, yet accepting and dealing with her emotional and sexual desires.

She's a successful corporate professional, bold enough to acknowledge what she wants, be what she is......have the courage to say 'No' when needed, and ask for what she wants when needed. And this in a society that is yet not mature enough to handle her. 

The male protagonist is a down to earth guy, caught in his own expectations of himself in terms of a job and wife, unhappy with both. 

The complexity of the situation, the emotional dynamics between the two through the varying dimensions of the space.....how they evolve to understand each other through the relationship, is gently and sensitively handled. 

I also liked that they have a therapist and how the casual sessions between Gowri and him provide perspective that enables her to resolve core internal conflicts. 

For taking on the woman's perspective, and handling it so boldly and sensitively....well done Mansore !!

Udaipur City Palace

The Udaipur city palace is said to be an architectural marvel of Rajasthan. It has a total of eleven palaces, making it the largest palace complex..... built over 400 years, with each king adding his own palace to the complex. 

It's so complex that I had no sense of direction or level as I walked along the innumerable narrow corridors and staircases. It's picturesquely situated on the banks of lake Pichola, and with its very many towers and courtyards and pavilions, it towers over city and lake. 

I was amazed, above all, at courtyards with fully grown trees at a level that offers  panoramic views. 

Rest in pictures, as you can only describe so much:

The famed Jarokhas

From inside a courtyard

Had to take a picture of the slippery narrow staircases, to show mom why her decision to not come in was such a good one :)

There's art pretty much everywhere

Narrow corridors that connect the different palaces

A palace feel....

Had to get a picture in this courtyard.....just to get those full grown trees, as the next three pictures are views from this level

A view of the monsoon palace in the middle of lake Pichola

Of the city from another side of the same courtyard

A view to show the Aravallis skirting the entire city

The beautiful lattice work and again the jarokha, which I so love

As we exit....the palace on the opposite side that's out of bounds for public....the royal family still lives there

Mom, patiently waiting outside as I finished my tour of the palace.... thanks for letting me do that ma :)

The palace and a little imagination, and you can almost see and feel the Rajput grandeur of the times (and I guess Jodha Akbar and Padmavati do aid imagination)....making it an overall wondrous experience.