Hawa Mahal
Willful enthusiasm and robust tales of adventure are the prerogatives of defining a trip to a new city. The juncture of its trains and the frills of its air commemorate a visit in the best way possible.
Jaipur, along with its Literature Festival glamourises the above definition. A city that sleeps at 8pm, witnessed the ethereal debate: Man has replaced God; in the light of Salman Rushdie's controversy at the JLF this year. Rushdie's absence was further highlighted when the Diggi Palace gardens were barricaded and police was deployed around the entire lawns. Segregtaed applauses were what prejuduced the entire debate when it was meant to support freedom of speech. The entire session opened a plethora of even more questions for me. Does Rushdie's liberty to write supercede my religious sentiments? And to what extent do I allow a man to express or not express his opinion in a counrty that we both belong to? And, in a state where issues like muslim education and employment fill the barrel of conundrums, how can I let a problem like this affect me? These are the questions that I'm still baffled with and solutions don't really seem to look that easy. A debate like this has no end since we are governed by laws that Rahul Bose stated is- "the grey area", that we need to simplify and define properly. As I attended poetry and book reading sessions, it was clear to me that this city was like a Jaipuri quilt whose layers had been compressed, but still it had lots to offer.
If the Jaipur fest was a brewing cauldron of controversies, the Hawa Mahal in the heart of Jaipur turned out to be similarly interesting. The endless number of windows and 'mandirs' architectured in a beautiful way with sprawling staircases, this palace is like a structured painting. You climb the constructed crevices or look over to the Ajmer Fort situated at a mountain 11 kilometres from Hawa Mahal, it's one experience that you shouldn't miss when in Jaipur. Apart from the palace, the surrounding markets with all the colours and sounds weave a colossol picture of a singing toucan. This pink city's beauty is weaved into a myriad of emotions- from the loud cries of shopkeepers inviting you to have a look at their artefacts, to the gusty sound of pigeons flying in the city. The night is calm and peaceful, and people from metros will sense unusual noise-less streets in the evening hours. Walking on the streets at 11:30 pm, one realises people might just wake up hearing human noises outside. It's the houses with just one floor, and streets that are not hounded by innumerable cars, that make one enjoy a stroll in the street lights. And Jaipur makes one experience that.
A visit to Jaipur to relive the Rajasthani royal history is an excuse. It's an exuberant celebration of the sun, its warmth and its shadows in every nook and corner of the city. The gleaming bangles to the mirror encrusted kurtis, this city is a shopper's delight, but more than that a photographer's paradise. You gleam,you shout, you rejoice, just make sure your voice is heard. Exactly the way you want it to be. Rajasthan, are you listening?
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