PEACOCK

The Marudhar Express has a somewhat notorious reputation for being late and waiting for hours on the platform, being accosted by Hijdas (transgender/men dressed as women), is part of the experience.  But after a 2 hour wait, boarding the train and finding a window seat in AC class, promised a modicum of relief and expectation.

All journeys between cities seem to take about 6 hours and traveling between Jaipur and Jodhpur was no exception.  Observing life and landscape from the window, provided a perspective on this part of India and stopping at Junctions every few miles, created a slow, timeless, inescapable and mesmerizing rhythm.

But one of the more surprising sights out of the window,  as it chugged slowly through Rajasthan, apart from camels and a lake of flamingoes, was a field of peacocks, pecking away in the dirt of the arid, semi desert, in a run-of-the-mill, everyday, sort of way - this prosaic setting was shockingly different from the usual romantic image, of a fabulous bird seen at a distance, beyond the spray of an exotic palace fountain, or hauntingly glimpsed, in the shadows of a cusped colonnade - illusive, distant and unapproachable.

It's the National Bird of India and protected - its beautiful feathers may not be exported and sometimes one reads in the Times of India,  of bulk packages of feathers being dramatically seized at airports, with heavy fines for perpetrators - though feathers which fall from the bird naturally, can be traded locally, where they are regarded as a good luck talisman.

In Renaissance paintings, the peacock was tucked away discreetly, into images of the Birth of Christ, to remind us of his resurrection and immortality, as it was believed, according to ancient mythology, that the flesh of the peacock was incorruptible !

PINOCCHIO FRAMED !

Gepetto - has he gone too far this time ?

THE JHOOLA

There was a subtle rise in the pre-summer temperature in Gujarat - a foretaste of the soaring heat of the months to come and the monotony of endless days of sultry sunshine.  Apart from the brief monsoon months, the weather provides the same recipe of blue skies and unimaginable heat - clouds are a rarity in the perpetually indigo sky.  But the morning of 16th February was different.  There had been a fresh fall of snow in the Himalayas, a sprinkling of unprecedented overnight rain and rarest of rare, a gentle cool breeze had arrived to fan Gujarat.  The pleasure of this phenomenon was remarkable - to feel the wind in your face and see leaves moving on the trees, defined the day, from the start, as extra special !

In the unchanging climate of Gujarat, where the year becomes a succession of identical days of sunshine, the people have had to be innovative - each and every home or apartment has at least one large metal hook in the ceiling, usually the lounge, from which hangs an indoor swing - some are shaped like baskets but some swings on the terraces or verandahs, are freestanding handcrafted and elaborately decorated, jhoolas.  What better way to idle away a long hot afternoon, than to gently sway back and forth, on this piece of essential home furniture ?

IDIOMATIC ENGLISH

Headlines in the local English language newspaper are certainly eye catching:  "Murderer 'nailed' by son" or 'Farmer 'did himself in' by hanging self"   "robbers 'nabbed' ", "the thieves were caught 'red-handed' in the 'wee hours'!

Interestingly, the use of written English in this idiomatic way, negates the seriousness of the crimes or the tragedies, being reported, reducing them to no more than comic strip reportage !

Most of the reporting of crime is done in this matter of fact tone.  The horror of reading these stories is compounded by the light-hearted way in which horrific detail is treated.  After reading some of these headlines, one turns with trembling fingers to the inner page with the daily homily by 'The Speaking Tree' writer,  urging his readers towards compassion and spirituality, with the reassurance of the existence of Infinite Love. 

PATANG

The stalls lining the main roads are stacked with kites of every colour for the patang festival - the frame is made of bamboo and the thin paper is then stretched tightly over this shape.  I watched the kite string being prepared - it's dipped in a mixture of glue and powdered glass and then spun and rolled into large balls of either pink or yellow.

The Society organised an evening party to celebrate the two day Uttarayan kite festival - the children will be up early on the 14th January to prepare their kites and everyone will crowd onto all available terraces to compete with each other and try and cut the string of their opponent.  Patang sweets have been available for days - square blocks of peanut and sesame seed brittle, which is a treat eaten only at this time of year !  The Old City on the night of the 14th, is spectacular with the evening sky filled with kites and also lit, chinese paper lanterns, which float gradually upwards on the air currents.

Of course the patang festival of Uttarayan celebrates the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere and the end of winter.  Since the winter only lasts about 4 weeks in Gujarat, celebrating the return of the scorching days of summer, is a questionable pleasure.  The little gap of cool weather, makes this state of India bearable, even if it is far too short !  But the atmosphere of carnival and colour is beguiling and carts selling brightly coloured party stuff, add to the celebratory atmosphere.

Interestingly, many festivals cut across the cultural divide, corresponding with similarly timed festivals in other countries, like the Carnival in Italy, which begins on 2nd February,  preceding Lent on the 13th.

A TORNADO OF MONKEYS

This seems an appropriate collective noun for the troop of monkeys which tore through the quiet suburban gated complex.

A winter afternoon in Gujarat - the unaccustomed freshness of air was welcome after 11 months of searing heat.   Although the temperatures hover around 25 C, the local people are usually kitted out in sweaters, balaclavas and even ear muffs, while those of us from Europe, find the temperature pleasant enough for a T-shirt and switch off the fans for the first time in the year.

The afternoon is a quiet time for enjoying the warm sunshine, but this troop of monkeys saw otherwise - like a gang of destructive teenagers, they exploded onto the scene, racing up the thin stemmed garden shrubs and trees and using the swaying branches to pole-vault and trampoline onto the rooftops of parked cars, making as much noise as possible, fearful of nobody and game for anything.  Tearing branches off trees, scattering leaves every where in rampant destruction and making a mockery of the morning spent sweeping and cleaning the porches and forecourt.  Their energy and flexibility was a spectacle of sheer audacity. Leaping from iron gates to upper floor terraces and then thundering down onto the concrete below, in a show of acrobatics and athletic antics.

With a final burst of speed, they wrapped up the 20 minute show and shot off.

                                       
                                         "Mum's the word, but where did I get my ears from?"

2 RUPEES = 0.028 EUROS

"Have you got change", a familiar cry in India - but what is strange is that it is usually the shopkeeper who asks the customer for change !  Frequently, when small change is unavailable, you are offered toffees, or sometimes even a small piece of dairy milk chocolate, instead !

But today I was handed a 2 rupee note - I hadn't seen one before - the coin is more common currency.  This beautiful little note, about half the size of a 10 rupee note, has the image of a magnificent tiger on the back.