Prince in Udaipur

In November,08 I got an opportunity to visit Udaipur, princely town in Rajasthan for a day and was mesmerised with this quaint little town. The Mewaris are known for their chivalry and honour and I have a mewari, Gajju, to give me this experience everyday in my life.
We had just returned from our Amritsar trip and preparations for udaipur had begun as we landed in mumbai.
Gajju had enticed us, me and Ashish, by booking our air tickets as we were going there to attend his younger brother Manish's wedding, accomodation was taken care of. I had no reason left to miss this wedding, for these very reasons I had missed out on so many weddings in the past.
Ashish had not opened his cards till the last moment and there was an element of doubt, whether he would attend the wedding. After his return from Lahore he had become reclusive for a few days, in the end he chose to come and made up for his isolation by re entering our lives and we were overwhelmed...
We reached udaipur in 3 hours, and headed to Gajju's house. We were welcomed by the women from the Rao clan in a very tradional way by singing songs and Gajju at the entrance taking pictures.
I was not new to such welcome, had experienced this before when I had visited my in-laws for the 1st time after marriage but my reaction was the same... I ran away of embarrassment.
I know that the Rajput women welcomed their men in a similar way on their return from battles they had fought in the glory of Mewar and in my Uttarakhandi tradition when a son in law comes to his sasural or when the newly weds come home, but here the case was neither.Nevertheless the honour was touching.
The house was full of marriage festivity and celebration was all around. Everyone in the house was waiting for the baraat to return, they were all waiting to welcome Manish's bride into the family.
After lunch I and Ashish went to our hotel room, our suite was spacious and panoramic and we experienced being special to Gajju and the Raos. In the evening I and Ashish headed to the Lake Palace and spent couple of hours there. I had never been to any such place before, it is nothing but luxury personified. Its paradise built by Maharana Udai Singh, an oasis in dry Rajasthan. The air in Udaipur exudes romance. I realise why it is the favorite location for marriages.
On our way back we shopped a bit, I paid thrice the price, as the shop wallah was a fan of Ashish.
We reached the wedding reception on time. All the men in the family including me and ashish wore pagdis a rajput tradition and honour. Women had their face covered in ghunghats. I did not dare to ogle at them knowing well any such deed would invite the rajput wrath.
The weather was perfect and I was craving to have a drink but abstained though was offered by few guests.
Ashish was enjoying his moments of being mobbed, being photograhed and annoying me.
After the reception we left to the hotel room and picked up a bottle of Vodka but as Ashish had paid for the bottle he kept it with himself alongwith the tv remote. He robbed me of a great evening in the perfect ambience.
Gajju joined us little later in our room and I quietly listened to their elitist conversation. As Ashish and Gajju were engrossed in their conversation, I could hear Gajju's jubiliation of succesfully playing the role of an elder brother, a son to his parents, a nephew to his numerous uncles and aunts, an uncle to his nephews and nieces, a father and to-be father, a loving and caring husband, an awesome friend and a host to all the invitees, with perfection and elan.
Next morning I and Ashish checked out from the hotel at dawn and met up with Shankar da over breakfast of jalebis, kachoris and poha , raaste ka chai and the early morning bliss that the nature offered.
Travelling with Ashish gives me an opportunity to get present to these real joys of life.
After breakfast I and Ashish parted ways and moved around in the city to do things that we wanted to do, after a brief separation we got together and in this couple of hour he was heavier by 20 kilos, he bought furniture which he will never use and gifts for our people back home. As Ashish was not there the car was with me and for me, I saw the city.
We all met up and headed to the airport to catch our flight back home. Inside the aircraft we were divided in two groups, business and economy and I was in row 26F,I had entrusted Ashish and Gajju to collect my boarding pass.
In Mewar business class travellers are called hukum and I had travelled with my hukums... like a prince.