Haann where was I? @ Thar, ok!
Sand dunes... only these prompt me ‘Oh, yeah this is Rajasthan’, a mental image we all formed ever since we studied geography. People come and go but there is not even a single mark vividly seen except those made by streams of wind. In this regard, yeah deserts are like motivational speeches! But we are not deserted though; during our camel ride, we came across two young vendors who make money by selling cold and hot beverages (at premium prices). As soon as we climbed down our camels, I spotted the vantage point at a higher elevation and ran hard towards it. We missed football, rubber ball or golf ball for that matter to play with. While some contemplated the view and as people were not interested in running races, we partly filled an empty water bottle with sand and started playing BITSthrow (different from discus throw :P) by dividing ourselves into two teams on either side of hump of sand dune. Great catches, sexy catches, blinders name them..That was playful and will be one of my fondest memories. Local children adopted the game instantly and thus we were happy that we are leaving our mark in the desert, unlike other visitors :D. Sadly for us, the sun was too shy of clouds that evening. And we missed sand dunes’ beauty under sunset. Of course, there are too many bollywood heroines to quench that feeling, aren’t they?
Back to our tents but the tap water is too salty to bath. So we carried that precious sand in our pockets, hair, cameras what not! all the way back to Pilani coz we had no bath the next day as well. I bet nobody would have. Maa hosts ni “emanna pettandra.. gizmo gadiki akalestandi, mammalni thinestantunnadu” ante ‘abhi thodi der mein Gaana-Bajaana shuru hoga, uske saath..’ annadu. Everybody was tired and sat down for some entertainment. First salt water, next some tiffin and chchoi (chiru pronounces that way) have come along. Then started struggle: Rajasthani folk music! Vaayinchesaru. We were told to wait for dancers to come who did a good job. First 2,3 songs were decent but I couldn’t stand anymore. Some 3,4 of us joined me for a chat infront of our tents while others had no energy even to move (guess, some slumbered making an awful lot of audience)
Next was dinner... At last people were rejuvenated and we divided ourselves into 3 teams: (raagam, taanam, pallavi?) for a song identification quiz. Our beloved anchor cum judge Swamy played the tracks from his sony ericsson mobile and out rightly, like all judges said that his decisions would be final. That was an amazing game. Raagam, spearheaded by Shetty (like Sehwag) cruised to 10 pts while others were searching for points @ 2, 3 respectively. Fortunately for Swamy, other teams picked up and gradually moved closer to raagam. Shetty, Raghuvar, Jeetu ( and nenu kooda)—“meerahhalanthe ga!” at last, taanam comprising of me, Raghuvar, pandari, gaali won it by a whisker. Of course, serious allegations of conspiracy against shetty’s team were made on us. A win is a win no matter how or by how many. And then, we continued to talk about ancient kingdoms, world wars ( I don’t remember distinctly coz I was half asleep) till everybody snored. A lovely night that was. Ikkada hari gadi gurinchi special mention cheyali..’laa-laa-ummm-hmmm-naa naaa naaa’ ilanti rakarakala vocalizations tho patalu gurthucheyyadaniki (maa kharma kaali) try chesadu. Btw,he got one song correct in the whole game but he revealed that he had sung that very song for 4,5 times by then already but incorrectly every time. Nobody could find that until he revealed himself.
Ahaa..what a sound and blissful sleep I had! It seems so many tried to wake me up in the morning @5:30 but I was motionless and eventually, last to get ready. Then, we travelled back to Jaisalmer bidding adieu to Thar. I’ve decided that my honeymoon would be in the middle of thar desert. All of you sighing out “How unromantic!?” lite. Is there any girl reading this post saying “how romantic!” ? plz buzz me on 9602214063. (guys, plz spread the word :) )
Clouds accompanied us throughout our journey to Jodhpur via NH. No ‘ornithology’ till now. But Jodhpur, the Sun City and the Blue City seemed to wipe away that deficit. Good for eyes. Btw, it’s called Blue City coz of the indigo tinge of the whitewashed houses around the Mehrangarh Fort. Umaid Bhawan Palace was our first stop. The most lavish palace, may be because of it is constructed most recently was segmented into the royal residence, the Heritage Hotel and a museum. Gaali gadi bhasha lo cheppalante ‘horrible!’ raja majaaka! The view of this palace from Mehrangarh Fort has been my wallpaper from 3,4 days which is indeed a longer period. As we entered the city, our cab is fined by an enthusiast police constable for not wearing seat-belt. Since then, whenever Hari saw police personnel, he started speaking to the driver in broken Hindi like “ Bhayya, aage chalo. Constable hai”, “seedha maaro” Hari, that was hilarious dude!!
All of us came to an agreement to have a blast at any decent restaurant for lunch. Sukhsaagar was the place. Orders were given table-wise. I was adamant on tasting the Jodhpuri special so ordered ‘khadki pakoda’ (if I spelt it right) but what the server brought was the yellow fluid like curry in our mess which I never touched in 4 yr industry @ BITS. What a letdown! Lucky that my table-mates tasted and consumed it fairly enough. The Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Border Security Force maintain training centres at Jodhpur as observed by some troops moving around in the city.
Next and final tourist spot of our trip was Mehrangarh fort whose location was similar to our Golconda fort, atop a hill. This is a majestic fort with tall walls and grandeur. Wonderful palanquins, royal cradles and furniture were kept for exhibition. The breath-taking view of the Blue city is awe-inspiring. Adjacent to the fort is Chamunda Devi temple constructed in the 15th century. Huge police force was instated. We wondered why..the reason is 2008 stampede (read here)in which 249 people were killed.
Next stop very near to the fort was Jaswant Thada, a memorial. That was perfect spot for taking some snaps with fort and the city in the backdrop. Guess what we left no stone unturned. Later in the evening, some of us left for shopping some debating ensuing elections and some focused on some serious ornithology. The middle category guys were frustrated and waning since we shoppers found one hour was not enough to shop and forgot about guys waiting for us in the cabs. Oops! This created some anxious moments but nevertheless, everybody except Gizmo were tranquillised after tasting the world famous (yes, marvelous taste) Lassi and Rabdi. Sandatlo sademiya la nenu malli pogottukunna ee sari mobile kadu.. oka manchi kurtha..pch! ela poindabba!
Idandi sangathi... motthaniki naa Rajasthan doola teerindi...
On the way, two good news embraced me:
1. My virtual first yr roomie Chakri got placed in some gurgaon-based s/w co for 5lpa. Can anybody believe that he dint know how to access yahoo mail till I created one for him? Njoi dude. Firstly, learn Hindi J
2. 30th is declared a holiday. So all happies otherwise I had to take an exam as soon as I return.
While returning back to Pilani, I had loads of memories to cherish. Good vibes! J
Btw, I just wanted to inform you all that Drawing money or checking balances through any ATM across the country is free of cost now.
