This tall structure with numerous openings is a chabutra (Hindi), a chabutro (Gujarati). It is build to provide nesting places for pigeons. In Gujarat, one can see many of these. Their shapes differ but they all serve the same purpose.
You might wonder why pigeons, which are regarded as pests in the UK, should be provided with these wonderful living spaces in India, especially in Gujarat. Well, you can find out about pigeons in India in my book “88 DAYS IN INDIA: A JOURNEY OF MEMORY AND DISCOVERY”, which can be obtained from Amazon ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/88-DAYS-INDIA-JOURNEY-DISCOVERY/dp/B0FKTFBFM2/ )
A DARGAH IS a shrine enclosing the grave of a (usually) Sufi saint or ‘pir’ (a Sufi spiritual guide). During my travels in India, I have visited many dargahs. Today (27 November 2025), we came across a dargah close to the Imli Ghat and the city wall by the shore of Pichola Lake in Udaipur.
The tree growing within the dargah
The dargah was contained in a decoratively perforated stainless steel enclosure. Part of the shrine is the trunk of a tall, growing tree. A gentleman who has a shop nearby showed me that part of the trunk is hollowed out. This space is covered by a decorated cloth such as can often be found draped on Muslim gravestones. Fresh flowers were scattered at various places in the dargah.
What interested me is something I have noticed before in dargahs. That is the presence of smoking agarbatti (incense sticks), similar to those used at Hindu religious shrines and temples.
In the case of the dargah near the Imli Ghat, another feature that caught my attention was the tree growing within it. Maybe, it was not significant, but it reminded me of the multitude of Hindu shrines located around the trunks of trees.
In my book “CORACLES AND CROCODILES: 101 TALES OF INDIA”, I have written about practices shared by both Hindus and Muslims in India. Although the two religions differ considerably, it seems to me that some rituals (rather than beliefs) are commonly used by Indian adherents of both of them. Some other commonalities related to religious rituals are also described in my book.
THE FATEH SAGAR is one of the 4 lakes within the city of Udaipur in Rajasthan. It is man-made, having g first been established by Maharana Fateh Singh of Mewar in the 1680s. Two centuries later, the dam holding the lake was washed away. In 1889, a new dam was built, the lake enlarged,and given its present name. The lake is a little way outside the centre of the city and is surrounded by hills. It is a peaceful place.
At Nehru Park
Electrically powered boats ferry visitors to and from an island in the lake. This island contains the well-maintained Nehru Park, which was established in 1967 and named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
The small park is beautifully planted with trees and other plants. Various paths criss – cross the island and one runs around its perimeter. The perimeter path is punctuated by circular domed pavilions that provide shade. There is also an elaborate fountain system that was out of action when we visited the park one morning.
Refreshments can be obtaine at a small cafe behind which there is a very clean set of WCs. We spent a very pleasant hour on this small island, and while we were there we spotted some interesting birds which neither of us could identify.
Nehru Park is a lovely refuge: a place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the historic entre of Udaipur.
THE ENTRY TICKETS to the City Palace in Udaipur (Rajasthan, India) were reduced in price today (25 November 2025) because parts of it were closed because a major wedding had just been held within them.
The palace, which is perched on a hill high above Pichola Lake, began to be constructed in 1553. Over the next 400 years, its construction continued. Overall, it is an example of typical Rajput architecture, sharing features that can be seen in other royal palaces in Rajasthan.
On entering the palace today, we confronted with a sea of debris, the remains of temporary structures used during the wedding. It looked as if a bomb had exploded. The crowds of tourists had to avoid bumping into the numerous workmen carrying boards and planks that were the remains of the demolished temporary structures. It was not a pleasant way to enter a historic building.
Visitors to the palace are obliged to follow a route through its various rooms and courtyards. The passageways co necting these are narrow, featureless, airless, and crowded. Moving through the palace was an unpleasant experience.
Was it worth the effort? I think it was not. Evenif there had been no debris and workmen, the palace would not have impressed me. The City Palace in Udaipu is no way as elegant and beautiful as the royal palaces I have seen elsewhere in Rajasthan, notably those in Amer (Amber near Jaipur), Jodhpur, and Bikaner.
Well, after having seen the City Palace, one of the main ‘attractions’ of Udaipur, I would certainly give it a miss should we ever visit the city again.
A MAJOR ATTRACTION in Udaipur (Rajasthan, India) is its Lake Pichola. There are plenty of hotels and eateries close to the water. One of these is Jheels Ginger café. This small establishment is next to the waterside and has great views of the lake. Also it has a small bookshelf. On it, my wife found a book that aroused my interest.
An entry in the Canadian dictionary
The book, which was falling to pieces, was “Compact Dictionary of Canadian English” edited by Thomas Paikeday, and published 1976 in Toronto. It was the first Dictionary of English as used and spoken in Canada.
Thomas Paikeday was born in Thiruvananthapuram, India in 1926. He completed his studies at Madras Christian College (1958) and the University of Madras (1960). Then, he became a lecturer of English at the University of Delhi. In 1964, after studying in the USA at Boston College and the University of Michigan, he became a lexicographer.
Paikeday was a pioneer in the use of computers for collecting and analysing data for compiling dictionaries. He became highly respected amongst lexicographers, linguists, and other scholars. He died in 2019 at Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
It was strange discovering a dictionary of Canadian English lying discarded in a café in Udaipur. But given that it was in India that its editor was born, it seemed quite both appropriate and really amazing.
KRISHEN KHANNA CELEBRATED his one hundredth birthday in July 2025. The NGMA (National Gallery of Modern Art) in Bombay is currently holding a superb exhibition showcasing his paintings. The show is beautifully displayed and the artworks are skilfully illuminated.
Khanna was born in Lyallpur, now in Pakistan. After the Partition of India in 1947, he worked as an official in Grindlays Bank in Bombay. However, before Partition, he had already begun painting. The bank job was just to help keep him and his family going after they had left/fled what became the Pakistani part of Punjab.
Soon after arriving in India, Khanna began associating with members of Bombay’s Progressive Art Group that included notable creators such as FN Souza and MF Hussain. Thereafter, his painting career took off, and his reputation soared.
The exhibition at the NGMA surveys Khanna’s extraordinary range of paintings. Their subject matter ranges from political to historical to religious … and much more. The show, which demonstrates the artist’s amazing versatility and great artistic skill, continues until 12 December 2025, and should not be missed if you are in Bombay.
Just before leaving Bangalore (for Bombay), my friend Mansoor Ali took me to see the BLR Design Centre. It is located on the top floors of a building on the corner of Church Street and Museum Road, and is a fine example of good modern design.
According to the centre’s website, the institution is: “A collaborative workspace focussed on transforming urban living environments through architectural partnerships, cultural dialogue and design-driven solutions.”
The views from the centre’s roof terrace are wonderful. What particularly intrigued me were the reflections of buildings that can be seen on the glasswork of the Sobha Mall, which is across the street from the BLR Design Centre.
WHEN OUR DAUGHTER was about two years old and able to walk unassisted, she often wore overalls (jump suits), rather than girlish frocks. One day we were walking in London’s Kensington Gardens when we passed a couple of elderly ladies. One of them looked at our child, and said to us: “What a cute little boy you have”
We replied:
“Actuually, she is our daughter.”
To which one of the ladies said to her friend: “it’s so difficult to tell one from the other these days.”
The former Men’s Bar at the Bangalore Club
Some months later, we were in India at the Bangalore Club (in Bangalore). In those days, the late 1990s, the club had a Men’s Bar, to which only men were admitted. Its wood panelled walls bear hunting trophies and archaic weapons.
One day, I was having a drink in that bar with my father-in-law, when our daughter arrived in the adjoining room with my wife. Excited to see us, our daughter, dressed in her overalls, dashed into the Men’s Bar. An elderly gentleman, seeing a child in the bar, said to our daughter:
“You are too young to come in, young man. When you are 21, you will be welcome here.”
To which, my wife standing close to the entrance, said: “She’s our daughter.”
The gentleman then responded: “In that case, you will never be able to enter our bar”.
How wrong he was.
Sometime during the early twenty-first century, the rules changed: now both men and women can use what had been the Men’s Bar. Now, this bar has been renamed: it is simply The Bar.
Today, almost 28 years later, nobody would have any difficulty identifying our daughter as a young lady.
KALIM REPAIRS JEWELLERY in Jewellers Street in the Commercial Street district of Bangalore (Bengaluru). He sits on the pavement on the shaded east side of the street in the morning and in the afternoon, he moves to the west side to keep out of the sun. He can mend almost every kind of jewellery. When restringing necklaces, he uses both his hands and his feet, to keep the thread taut.
Kalim at work
Kalim is one of many people we visit in the Commercial Street area to get repairs done. These craftsmen include tailors, a bag repairer, dyers, darners, watch repairers, locksmiths, and jewellers. We have known all of them for years.
The great thing about these skilled workers is that they will skilfully repair almost anything. On the UK, people like this are few and far between.
You can read about these wonderful people in and around Commercial Street in my book “88 DAYS IN INDIA: A JOURNEY OF MEMORY AND DISCOVERY”.
GEORGE GLAESER MUNNIK was a Boer during the first Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). He was captured by the British and imprisoned in the south of India. During his time in India, he was taken to Bangalore briefly and was put up in the West End Hotel.
In his autobiography, Munnik recalled:
“We arrived in Bangalore early in the morning and went to the West End Hotel. This hostelry stands in extensive grounds and consists of about half-a-dozen bungalows, each a hundred yards apart and holding six visitors; each has its own cook, butler, etc…“
The hotel still exists and is one of the finest in Bangalore. Although enlarged since Munnik stayed there, it stands in beautifully maintained grounds.
yamey 