Rural India.

The Countryside

We make our way through the Rajasthan countryside, bouncing and jostling over the rough roads. It does not help that our driver loves to pass on the right driving on the curb of the road, half off the broken pavement. He weaves in and out of traffic like an Indy 500 driver.

 

The countryside here reminds me of the Prairies almost a century ago. The small dusty fields are tended by hand. Here they grow crops like chick peas, mustard, lentils on small plots of land. In the fields men and women hoe the dry, dusty soil. There is some irrigation because it is near the river and the water table is quite shallow.

 

 

In one area the people throw the cut crops into a pile with pitchforks. A machine that resembles a small threshing machine sits nearby. On another farm loose hay is stacked on an old hayrack. We notice small huts on most pieces of land. We are told the walls are made of cow dung mixed with clay and this hut is where they store the cow pies used for fuel in the cold season. I remember my dad talking about doing that in the 30’s.

 

Women and girls, orange saris wrapped around their heads to protect them from the hot sun, squat in the fields picking some type of vegetables in straw baskets.

Men guide little herds of goats or water buffalo to the river for water.

It is not unusual for a cow or water buffalo to be wandering alongside the multilane highway as vehicles honk their horns and screech by. They seem to know they are safe.

 As we near our destination in rural Rajasthan we pass a gypsy camp, also commonplace here.

 Finally we arrive after a gruelling 7 hour bus ride. But it is worth it as we pile out of the bus and are greeted by the welcoming staff of the Talabgoen Castle, our home for the night.



It is a real castle, built 200 years ago and is still owned by the same noble family. When India declared independence the nobles lost their positions and much of their land. The smart ones became entrepreneurial, turning some of their estates into museums and heritage hotels to preserve them and have a source of income.

 

We gather in the inner courtyard where are treated to a refreshing drink while our luggage is gathered and we are assigned our rooms. I am in 207. The room is spacious with a large luxurious bed draped in rich fabrics. Windows surround on two sides draped in heavy silk draperies. Pulling these aside I see that I am facing west through the magnificent arches of the front gate. A window seat is nestled into the alcove of windows on the north wall. Rich woolen rugs line the wooden floor and a massive antique wardrobe graces the opposite wall.



My boudoir at the Castle... La De Da!



 

I nestle into the cozy alcove with a cup of steaming tea and a plate of cookies and pull a soft woolen wrap around me. It is deliciously quiet after the day spent in traffic and I feel like a princess, or perhaps an Indian Maharani.

 

Come With Me......