Rajasthan- The Land of Kings

-Joanne Lobo

Indeed, Rajasthan was home to many Maharajas like Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar but that doesn’t mean our Maharanis were any less. The most esteemed jewels of Rajasthan, the glamorous Queens of this very kingdom had set their foot down to reign the glorious land. So many names come to mind and were I to name a few the list would still be long. One that caught my eye was the remarkable Maharani Gayatri Devi- the Rajmata of Jaipur. She was an avid equestrienne as can be seen in her exceptional riding skills which were also demonstrated when she played Polo. She greatly regarded cars, having imported the first Mercedes-Benz W126, a 500 SEL to India which was later shipped to Malaysia.In addition to that she owned various Rolls-Royces as well as an aircraft. She was once included in Vogue magazine's Ten Most Beautiful Women list. Her story isn’t restricted to these materialistic desires. She established many schools in Jaipur of which the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ Public School is the most prominent. She also revived and promoted the dying art of blue pottery.

The history of Rajasthan is vast and each grand monument has an incredible backstory to it. For instance, if we looked at Jal Mahal in Jaipur, one would not realise its essence in the deep history it conveys. You might’ve heard of Hawa Mahal, Chittorgarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort and Amer Fort but Jal Mahal? It is in plain sight in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake but have we really understood its value? This architectural marvel, built in red sandstone, is partially submerged in water. Of its five floors, only the top floor is exposed.

No matter what you say, there can be no argument over Rajasthani food. Considering Rajasthan's realm ranges from arid deserts to greener eastern areas, there exists a rich cuisine of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. A few appetising khana khazana’s include dal baati churma, laal maas, onion kachori and the supreme Rajasthani thali.

During my stay at Jaipur, a local revealed one of Jaipur's treasured breakfast items- Doodh Jalebi. I have heard of jalebi with rabdi but soaking it in milk instead was a relatively new concept. This delicacy doesn’t necessarily need to be eaten at the beginning of your day but it is definitely one that I would recommend you to savour.

Apart from the food, Rajasthan is also known for its widely renowned festivals. To name a few; the International Kite Festival, the Jaipur Literature Festival, Pushkar Camel Fair and the Rajasthan International Folk Festival are some of the vivacious celebrations that are rare to find in the world. The Pushkar Camel Fair is one of the most traditional festivals in Rajasthan where numerous camels are gathered for trading. Carnivals devoid of entertainment are the perfect recipe for boredom which is not the case here. This unique celebration enompasses music, dance, magic shows, acrobats, snake charmers and carousel rides. The Rajasthan International Folk Festival is no less with its magnificent traditional folk music and art. This 2007 established festival takes place every year on the Sharad Purnima at the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur.

Dances. What can be said about dances other than the fact that the folk dances of Rajasthan are exceptional? We’ve all seen Deepika Padukone dance in Ghoomar from Padmaavat but have you heard of the folk dance called Ghoomar? It is one of the most popular folk dances in India. The Bhil tribe used to perform it to worship Goddess Sarasvati. The dance used to be performed by veiled women wearing ghagras. Another beautiful dance is the Kathputli dance, an ancient form of puppet dance originally performed by the Bhat tribal community. Today Kathputli art is one of the most popular performing arts of Rajasthan after Ghoomar. This dance form is truly an art, one to which I can personally vouch as I have danced to it when I was in school. This dance form can be performed by both puppets and real living beings, each adding its own uniqueness to the Kathputli dance.

Arts and crafts in Rajasthan depict a varied, diverse culture. One of the most popular forms also has reference to what we had discussed in the beginning where we spoke about Maharani Gayatri Devi having revived and promoted the dying art of blue pottery. Rajasthan still holds its blue pottery in high esteem in this modern day and age. The name 'blue pottery' comes from the eye-catching blue dye used to color the pottery. The Persian Art of blue pottery came to Jaipur from Persia and Afghanistan via Mughal Courts. The biggest advantage is that blue pottery does not develop any cracks, and blue pottery is also impervious, hygienic, and suitable for daily use.

Moving on to the final part of this journey through Rajasthan, we have reached its economy. This mineral-rich state has a diversified economy expanding over sectors comprising agriculture, mining and tourism as its main source of revenue. The state mines produce gold, silver, sandstone, limestone, marble, rock phosphate, copper and lignite. It is the second-largest producer of cement and contributes one tenth of the salt produced in India. This may come as a surprise but some of India’s top businessmen hail from Rajasthan. Lakshmi Niwas Mittal is a chairman and CEO of world's largest steel making company ArcelorMittal and owner of Karrick Limited. According to Forbes data, Mittal became the third richest person in the world in 2005. In 2008 he was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan award. Another such personality is Anand Piramal, the Executive Director of Piramal Group. He studied at University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School. He was honored with the Young Business Leader of the Year award in 2018. Anand established Piramal eSwasthya in 2012 with the aim of promoting health care.