rjmcollection

I love the presentation of  Masala peanuts at the bus stop in Jaipur, and yes the taste is equal to the presentation. A blend of roasted nuts,spices then topped with raw onion and tomato with a squeeze of fresh lime served in a cone of newspaper, delicious.

Beside the office we often have a herd of goats wondering around. Husband and wife keeping an eye on their herd. He was very proud and  insisted I photgraph the goats grazing.

Jaipur has been under a shroud of dust all of the past week, at the start of the day,daybreak, a dust blanket is hanging over the city. Still experiencing very hot weather my local knowledge told me the monsoons were coming in about 3 days time, the area blanketed in dust clouds is a sure sign apparently. When the rains do come they will be around all of July. Ahhh,heat  relief.

Sangeet is part of the celebrations of ‘marriage’. Usually on consecutive evenings the Sangeet is hosted by the grooms family followed by the marriage ceremony the following evening. I enjoyed the evening so much even though I did not know anyone, only my friend I attended with, being out in the cooler evening air was gorgeous, I wore a Saree for the first time, the place looked so pretty with thousands of little lights and ladies in sparkling bejewelled Saree’s, all this in a crowd of 2500 people.The gardens it was held in was about half the size of a football field. There were dancing presentations by family and relatives to modern Indian music, then later in the evening the guests get to dance to the beat of rhythmic drums, very feverish stuff! Food was Indian traditional as well as Italian, drinks were cold flavoured milk ,lemon juice and water blend and cold water.No alcohol or cigarettes in sight.

Yes,what is a Jadula Celebration? This is the first hair cut of a boy child, the child being Yash 18 months old. On Sunday afternoon I came from the office over to the house and saw a van being unloaded of plastic chairs and a large roll of plastic green grass. Entering the house I said ” is there a party on here tonight?’ Quickly informed that 250 relatives are coming for the Jadula Celebration, the lady of the house showed her  beautifully decorated hands and feet in Mehindi, whilst I was working they were all playing, not fair. Beside the house I then noticed 6 men gathering around open fires with very large open pans stirring and tossing what was to become the traditional Rajasthan vegetarian meal for 250 peoples. All this creating done in 44+c heat. As the heat dropped when the sun went down the crowd did swell. Ladies in their beautiful Saree’s, hands and feet adorned with Mehindi,children everwhere,elder ladies and men receiving Charan Sparsh-a gesture of respect- and all other males attending to the final preparations for the feasting. A noticable social change from home, men did all the serving of food, which was traditional Rajasthan vegetarian food served in traditional Rajasthani style, Desert Style, sitting cross leg on the dirt, or in this case a stretch of fabric over the dirt to save the Saree’s.There were 4 sittings of approx 60 in each, the men serving, clearing and doing all over again,drink  served throughout the evening was cool water, plenty of it. Something I had never tasted before was Churama which is wheat it has been dry roasted, then ground to flour, to that you add sugar, ghee and on occasion dried fruits. Very unusual, the sweetness, almost a desert  dish but eaten with dahl,rice and other ,in my vocab,unknown dishes.

We have been experiencing dust storms about each second day here in Jaipur. Wild winds, lightning and about 6 spots of rain come blowing  into the city late afternoon and at times on through the night. Last night for the first time in our area we received the rains as well.This has had no effect on todays heat, expecting 44c

One of the things I love here in Rajasthan are the vibrant colours the ladies wear in their Saree. 7  meters of natural fiber cloth wrapped and worn with grace. In everyday life style here ladies  embrace colour in their dress style, the geographical area is colourless due to being partly in the Thar Desert,  harsh heat and winds, they proudly inject colour  through their dress as well as  accessories.

Camels are still used allot here in the city as well as in smaller towns,villages and farms.

No shortage of fruit and vegetables in the city.Unfortunately can not say the same for water, electricity and land line telephones.

In the area where I am living homes have flat roofs,brick/cement constructions and are always ready for another level to be added when the family extends, yet again. Mornings I awaken to the sound of peacocks, loud mewing sounds as they strut around the neighbourhood, at dusk they return,stepping out of shaded spots where they have been hiding from the hottest part of the day. The family I am staying with informed me very proudly on my first day here months ago that ‘it is most auspicious madame to have the peacocks in our area’. Lucky me.