An attempt to capture my travels - the diversity of the places I visit, the people I meet, touch & feel, sound & sense...
Often, this helps me, express the satisfactory experiences of life, & at times, the not so good experiences too
My own visit to Jaisalmer last year was rather horrifying. Loved the desert and the music and the food and the sight of the fort from afar, but once you get inside, the story changes completely. It's filthy, water-logged, smelly, crowded; no one seems to give a damn about illegal construction, water seepage (the fort was never designed for water flowing in open gutters, people bathing in courtyards and housewives literally washing the walls of the ancient, crumbling havelis with buckets of water!) or restoration. There's some half-hearted pretense of making bits and pieces for replacement of the dilapidated walls and towers and battlements, but at the rate they are going, they might just be able to make a dent in about a couple of hundred years.
We all just tend to allow ourselves to be captivated by the romance of Rajasthan and the first impact it makes on your senses, but even a slightly closer look reveals the suppurating sores that lie right out on the surface, It makes you ashamed of our sheer indifference, as a people, to our history, our treasures - and even the considerable revenue we earn from tourism, and which will simply die out once places like the Jaisalmer Fort, the Amber Fort and even the Taj succumb to the uncaring deluge of rapacious humanity that India seems to produce relentlessly. Unlike you, Meenakshi, the sight of every such monument simply ends up making me sad and hopping mad. We don't deserve them.
I remember spending one wonderful January at Jaisalmer, during the Dessert Festival. The tourism ministry had a put out a play based on a folklore on a moonlit night on the dunes. Thanks for bringing the memories back!
OMG, I have to visit Jaisalmer. funny thing we were in Delhi in December and went to Dharamsala to freeze out rather than doing this long due one :) Have heard so much about the over night desert safari where the camel and the camel guard wait for you the whole night and escort you back. hope my Jaisalmer trip happens soon enough :) Pray
22 comments:
Beautiful.
Sometimes it is breaks like these that help steady our feet and find meaning all over again - it can only be seen by the eyes of Love:)
Says it all- lovely.
loving your blog, and beautiful pictures
Shekhar
You post some of the most beautiful pictures. And we love the same places! :)
wow. i'm your fan. the pigeon and the sand dune photos simply bowled me over. keep traveling, and inspiring!
My own visit to Jaisalmer last year was rather horrifying. Loved the desert and the music and the food and the sight of the fort from afar, but once you get inside, the story changes completely. It's filthy, water-logged, smelly, crowded; no one seems to give a damn about illegal construction, water seepage (the fort was never designed for water flowing in open gutters, people bathing in courtyards and housewives literally washing the walls of the ancient, crumbling havelis with buckets of water!) or restoration. There's some half-hearted pretense of making bits and pieces for replacement of the dilapidated walls and towers and battlements, but at the rate they are going, they might just be able to make a dent in about a couple of hundred years.
We all just tend to allow ourselves to be captivated by the romance of Rajasthan and the first impact it makes on your senses, but even a slightly closer look reveals the suppurating sores that lie right out on the surface, It makes you ashamed of our sheer indifference, as a people, to our history, our treasures - and even the considerable revenue we earn from tourism, and which will simply die out once places like the Jaisalmer Fort, the Amber Fort and even the Taj succumb to the uncaring deluge of rapacious humanity that India seems to produce relentlessly. Unlike you, Meenakshi, the sight of every such monument simply ends up making me sad and hopping mad. We don't deserve them.
Sangeeta Bahadur
Beautiful :)
xxx
FM
Lovely pics..
Kavita B
I remember spending one wonderful January at Jaisalmer, during the Dessert Festival. The tourism ministry had a put out a play based on a folklore on a moonlit night on the dunes.
Thanks for bringing the memories back!
Rema
simply AMAZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZING!!!!!
UG
This is beautiful
- Sonu
@R Niranjan Das, @ashish, @Shekhar,@Dr. Sohrab Arora, @FM, @UG, @Sonu - TY:)
@Sanjiv - you say it so well:)
@Payal - heheee is tat a good thing or..?:)
@Sangeeta Bahadur - do pls read my previous post on the Fort
@Rema - glad to have sparked it:) Hope to meet soon
OMG, I have to visit Jaisalmer. funny thing we were in Delhi in December and went to Dharamsala to freeze out rather than doing this long due one :)
Have heard so much about the over night desert safari where the camel and the camel guard wait for you the whole night and escort you back.
hope my Jaisalmer trip happens soon enough :) Pray
@Sneo - Inshallah:) Its a beautiful city. A 'raw energy' state. Blessed. Sure you'll go soon:)
Amazing pictures!
Such raw beauty... desert, snow, mountains, grand rivers... incredible india!
@Neeraj - Indeed Incredible India:)
ONLY if we could market it well, and look after our tourists well (both domestic and international)
One of the finest work ever seen.... These shots are amazing and the best one is that of pigeon. Great Work.....
@LG Refrigerators Price - many thanks:) very curious to see u here!:)
Thank you for sharing.
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awesome...........
awesome,,,,,
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