A first peek at the Pink City of Rajasthan

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FOR VARIOUS REASONS, we hired an autorickshaw to give us a first glimpse of Rajasthan’s Pink City: Jaipur. Although the Pink City is the oldest part of Jaipur, its main thoroughfares were laid out centuries ago in a grid pattern typical of modern cities. A complex warren of narrow streets and courtyards lead off from the main roads. We have yet to explore these byways.

The city is so-named because its buildings are all painted with various shades of pink paint. Apparently, this has been done since the structures were first built in order to hide the inferior quality of the stones used in their construction.

After our elderly Bihari driver, Ganesh, had driven us along the straight main roads of the Pink City as well as some of the twisty, narrow lanes leading off them, he took us to see two factories. At one, we were shown men at work making the silver settings for precious stones. At the other, we were shown the way block printing on fabrics is carried out by hand.

At both factories, after we had been shown how the goods were prepared, we were (not surprisingly) invited to make purchases. We bought a few small objects. After leaving each factory, Ganesh asked us how much we had spent. This was not idle curiosity. He told us that he received 1% of whatever his passengers had spent. He told us that the factories, which sell their goods at wholesale prices, give him a much smaller commission than retail outlets.

I am glad that Ganesh took us to the factories rather than the retailers because it was interesting to watch the manufacturers at work.

Tomato soup in the tandoori oven by the roadside in Rajasthan

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WHEREVER I HAVE BEEN in India, both in big cities and in small rural places, tomato soup is often available at eateries be they humble or grand. What is more, everywhere I have consumed this soup in India, it always been flavoured differently. It always tastes of tomato, but the detailing of the taste is never the same. This is because the soups are prepared in the kitchens of the restaurants, and not in a factory.

Makrana Raj restaurant

Today (29th November 2024), we were travelling along the six lane highway between Jaipur and Ajmer when we stopped for a light lunch at the roadside Makrana Raj restaurant. This unpretentious, well-run place is not far from Ajmer. We ordered a light lunch including a paratha stuffed with cauliflower, a garlic naan, and a bowl of tomato soup. The excellent paratha was served with a garlic chutney and butter churned in the restaurant.

As usual, the tomato soup had a unique flavour. It tasted slightly smoky and was delicious. We asked the waiter how it was prepared because we had never before come across smoky tomato soup. He told us that the soup is cooked in the wood fired tandoori oven, which is why its taste reminded me of the flavour of charcoal-grilled meats and fishes.

While I would not recommend making a special detour to visit the Makrana Raj, if you happen to be travelling by road between Ajmer and Jaipur, then look out for the place, and have something to eat there.

Charles Dickens and a house in Berkshire

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BASILDON PARK IS an 18th century stately home in Berkshire. Now managed by the National Trust, it has had many owners including the Sykes family. Sir Francis William Sykes inherited the place from his grandfather. When his wife had an affair with the artist Daniel Maclise, Sir Francis disowned her and publicly humiliated her. Now, Maclise was a close friend of the author Charles Dickens, and at the time when Sykes was being unpleasant towards his wife, the author was working on his novel “Oliver Twist”. Dickens created the nasty criminal character called Bill Sikes to take his revenge on Sir Francis (see http://www.basildon-berks-pc.gov.uk/basildon-berks/basildons_past-20268.aspx)

Fagin

We visit Basildon Park regularly. For this reason and because of its connection with Bill Sikes, I had decided to read “Oliver Twist”. It is the third of the Dickens novels that I have read recently. It was one of the first that he wrote. Compared with the two I have already read, “Nicholas Nickleby” and “Martin Chuzzlewit”, it flows easily and is very exciting.

The first thing that struck me was how early in the book the famous “Please Sir, can I have some more” scene occurs. It is an important episode but one that people seem to remember more than the rest of the book.

“Oliver Twist” is full of wonderful characters, both good and evil. Amongst the latter, Sikes, Bullseye (a dog), Fagin, Mr Bumble, and Monks are particularly well portrayed. There is a host of characters who see the best in Oliver’s personality. Oliver and his troubled young life is brilliantly narrated, and as I turned the pages, my heart was in my mouth as I waited to see what misadventure would next befall him.

I found the novel to be fast moving and exciting. As the saying goes, it is a real ‘page-turner’. I had no idea that Dickens’s writing could be so thrilling. Having come to the end of “Oliver Twist”, I am next embarking on “Barnaby Rudge”, which I have chosen because it concerns the Gordon Riots of 1780, about which I have read in history books.

He moves with the sun on Jewellers Street in Bangalore

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JEWELLERS STREET RUNS in a north/south direction. In the morning, the sun shines on the west side of the street and in the afternoon, on the east side. As its name suggests, the street is lined with many shops selling jewellery.

Jewellery breaks sometimes, but it can often be repaired. K is a jewellery repairer. In the morning he sits working in the shade on the pavement on the east side of the street, outside a particular shop. In the afternoon, you will find him outside a shop close to a silver and hold plating shop on the west side of the street.

K squats bare-footed alongside his trays of tools and materials, and mends a wide variety of jewellery. When re-threading necklaces and bracelets, he uses his toes to hold one end of the thread. We visit this friendly, highly skilled man whenever we are in Bangalore, usually with items if jewellery that have broken since our last visit to the city.

Made of paper in the north  of India

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A naqashi bowl

NAQASHI is a traditional handicraft practised in Jammu & Kashmir.  It is papier-maché hand painted with Mughal inspired motifs. The objects created with this technique are lacquered  to produce a shiny finished surface.

[The word ‘naqashi’ means ‘painting’]

An alarming purchase at a supermarket in London

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A TRUE STORY

I entered one supermarket and purchased a bottle of gin. I paid for it, and as I left the store, the alarm rang. I ignored it. Nobody stopped me.

I took a bus to another area, where I  entered a different supermarket.  Once again, as I  left the store, nobody, not even the store’s security guard, stopped me.

When I got home, I  discovered that the anti-theft device had been left on my bottle. It should have been removed when I paid for the gin.

I tried removing the tag, which was tied to the neck of the bottle with tough metal cable. I realised that without breaking the glass bottle,  I would not be able to reach the gin.

In the end, I  retraced my steps and returned to the shop, which was a 10 minute bus ride away. I explained what had happened, showed the shop assistant the receipt, and demanded a fresh bottle, but with the security tag removed.

This episode made me wonder why so much effort is put into protecting goods when the security officials at the supermarkets take so little heed of their alarms when they are set off.

Ageing bungalows in Bangalore (Bengaluru)

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BANGALORE IS A CITY which changes rapidly. Sadly, much of the change involves the demolition of buildings of historical interest – so-called ‘heritage’ structures.

So, it is wonderful to come across residences (bungalows) that have been standing for many years. Some of these bungalows appear neglected and will most likely be demolished soon to make way for architecturally indistinguishable office blocks and blocks of flats. Others are still being used as homes and can be seen in varying conditions of repair. And, fortunately, some have been beautifully restored and are either being used as dwellings or for a new purpose.

2 Berlie Street

One of the restored bungalows is number 2 Berlie Street in Langford Town. It is now being used as an art space (for exhibitions) by an organisation called Kaash. We visited it today (22nd November 2024) to view a temporary exhibition about contemporary designs of devotional objects, mainly diyas (oil lamps used on Hindu ceremonies) and also some almost abstract depictions of Devi created by Jayshree Poddar. The artworks were tastefully displayed in some of the rooms in the Bungalow. The other rooms contained folk art from various countries in Africa.

It would be great if most of the remaining heritage bungalows could be preserved, but this is unlikely because the land on which they stand can be sold for enormous sums of money.

All of the photos are of Kaash in Berlie Street unless otherwise labelled.

A magnet for bookworms in the heart of Bangalore (Bengaluru)

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I HAVE VISITED BANGALORE regularly over the past 31 years. Each time, I have been impressed by the city’s numerous well-stocked bookshops. Many of them are now located along the short Church Street, which runs parallel to a stretch of the much longer MG Road. At the last count, I found 9 bookshops along Church Street, which is less than half a mile in length.

Bookworm

One of these shops that impresses me most is called Bookworm. Its location has changed several times since I first found it in 1994. Now, it is housed in a former mansion set back from Church Street and reached by a tree shaded pathway. It contains many rooms, each of which has walls lined with bookshelves filled with books from floor to ceiling. Much of the floorspace in these rooms is covered by piles of books. The books range from the latest releases to out of print and secondhand volumes. Recently, a small room has been added to display rare antiquarian editions. Despite this, there are many old and interesting books within the other rooms.

Bookworm is an ideal place for browsing if you have plenty of time on your hands. If you are pressed for time or know what you are looking for, the helpful staff will either know where to find what you are seeking, or will search for you.

When you have selected what you wish to purchase, some of the newer titles are subject to a discount at the cash desk. The older books and secondhand editions are priced very reasonably.

Although there are other superbly stocked bookstores in Church Street, notably Blossom Book House, Bookworm is my favourite. It is truly a magnet for bookworms.