PADHARO MHARE DES!

Which state does this quirky headline reminds you of? If you are an Indian, then definitely you will recall, "The desertland - Rajasthan". It goes without saying that Rajasthan is one of the most sought-after state in India due to it's majestic Palaces, historical significance, inhabited deserts and mesmerizing beauty. This month I along with a batch of 40 students got a chance to travel to this beautiful state in order to celebrate the "Jaipur Literature Festival" which is among the largest literature festival in the world. We were going to go there by Garib Rath Train commencing from Bandra Central Terminus. Initially, the Garib Rath Train was going to stop at Jaipur and we were directly going to go to the hotel but due to some reasons, the train's apparent station was changed from Jaipur to Ajmer. Someone popped up the suggestion of visiting the Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Ajmer, which was applauded by everyone. Now let me take this blog forward by writing about each day in detail. 

Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Ajmer

City Palace

DAY 1, 24th January 2019

Amber Lights and Sound Show

We started our journey on 23rd January at around 1 pm and reached Ajmer on 24th January at 3:30am in the morning. The train journey went by more quickly than expected. The Ajmer Sharif Dargah was about 15 minutes away from the railway station via bus. The pious Persian Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti who is well known for his secular preaching is enshrined here. The atmosphere in the dargah was very calm and relaxing. However, outside the Dargah, I found a lot of beggars which irked me a bit. We paid our tributes and also offered a 'chaddar' which is a traditional  Muslim ritual. It was a very peaceful experience.
After the holy dargah visit, we departed towards our hotel in Jaipur. The Crimson Park Hotel is a 4-star hotel in Jaipur. It is a very comfortable hotel with a relaxed ambience. After freshening up and having lunch, we left for the Jaipur Literature Festival at 1 in the noon. The festival this year was held at Diggi Palace and different events were going on in different sections of the palace simultaneously. Many well-known writers, as well as revered people from different sections of the society, were present there for the event. After attending an event of a revered Author, Urvashi Butalia, the weather started changing abruptly and it was pouring in no time. It was a light shower at first but then gradually the intensity increased. As Diggi Palace is an open arena because of which we all got wet. We all went to the hotel immediately. After some time the rains stopped. Then we were taken to the Amber Lights and Sound Show in the evening which was close to our Hotel. This show happened at the foothills of the Amber Fort and it tell you about the history of the fort using light effects and sound. It was freezing cold over there yet I enjoyed the show. We returned to the hotel by 7:30pm, had dinner and after a hot bath(which felt like heaven in that weather), I went into deep sleep.

DAY 2, JANUARY 25, 2019

Jaipur Literature Festival

Jantar Mantar in Jaipur

We had a hearty breakfast in the morning and at  9.30am we left for the 'Jaipur Literature Festival' . There was a line up of very interesting events on that day. I sat for 3 events which featured Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Charles Spencer. We ate our lunch in the bus itself and left for City Palace at around 2:30pm. City Palace which also includes the Mubarak Mahal and Chandra Mahal among other buildings is a sigh to behold with its beauty. It was the seat of 'The Maharaja of Jaipur, the head of the Kachwaha Rajput Clan". Currently, the Raja is Padmanabhan Singh and he was residing in the Palace at that moment. There is a system of knowing whether the king is there in the palace or not as their traditional flag is unfurled when he is in the Palace. The City Palace has many interesting things about the olden times and it was fulfilling to know about the life and culture of the kings and queens of that time. From City Palace, we went to Jantar Mantar which is just a 2 minutes walk from the palace. Jantar Mantar is a astronomical observatory built by Raja Sawai Jai Singh the second. The observatory contains different astronomical instruments which allow us to watch the astronomical positions with our naked eyes. Jantar Mantar expresses architectural innovations in a very engaging manner. From Jantar Mantar, we went to Bapu Bazaar for shopping at around 5 pm. Bapu Bazar is very vibrant and diverse having huge collections of various day to day items. It is a shopping paradise for women especially, and the rates are also very reasonable. We returned to our Hotel at 7:30 and prettified ourselves quickly for the DJ party arranged by the hotel in the Hotel lawns. Then Feeling exhausted, everyone went to their hotel room to pack for the next day's Journey

DAY 3, JANUARY 26, 2019

Amber Fort 

This was our last day at Jaipur. We assembled in the dining area for breakfast, took some group photos and left for Amber fort at 9:30am. It takes about 20 minutes from the foothills of Amber fort to the main entrance. The fort is built in a mountainous region and is very strategically planned with beautiful architecture and adornment of costly jewels and stones. It's history adds an even more intriguing touch to it. We all felt the historical vibe in the fort. Now, we departed from Jaipur and there began our return journey from Jaipur to back home. We returned in Jaipur- Mumbai Superfast Train which started at 2 in the noon. We were back in Mumbai by 7 am with our bags full of Shopping and loads of sweet memories.