Padharo mharo Desh part 3

 As we stepped out of the City Palace, the guide and a few locals we spoke to all more or less said - "Hawa Mahal mein kuch nahi hai sirf deeware aur hawa (cue forced laughter). Andar se dekhoge toh rasta dikhega bahar se dekhoge toh khidkiyan dikhengi, samne ek café hai wahan jake photo lelo baharse aur kya chahiye". However, my attitude of "flight ka kharcha vasul honeke liye jo hai sab dekho" took us inside Hawa Mahal and I definitely liked it more than the stuffy palaces.

The palaces and exhibits and guides almost all showcased the stories of bravery of their kings and the riches they collected. The women folk were like an after thought till ofcourse we reached Chittor and the tales of Rani Padmini, more on that later. 

Hawa Mahal, they have just let be and that's what attracted me. Without being fed any information I could let my imagination run wild. This five storied honeycomb like building made of red and pink sandstone has several small windows (jharokhas) with lattice work. This was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen. The breeze and cooling effect here was remarkable even on a hot afternoon. 

I especially loved the second storey "Ratan mandir" with glass work on its walls. The stained glass cast magical reflections on the floor as if calling you to put on colored glasses and have a peep into the past. 

As I strolled through the terraces and peeked through the small windows, I tried to imagine what kind of lives the queens and princesses must have lived. Were they enchanted by the glory surrounding them or trapped amidst the riches? Did they feel grateful or superior peeping through their little windows into the exterior world or did they feel suffocated? 

Have things really changed? The invisibility cloak on women may have been lifted now but are we still not boxed inside a honeycomb? Only the parameters of judgements have changed. Judged whether we are single or married, divorced or gay, have four children or none, have a career or not, judged on our clothes, mannerisms, way of speaking, our choices everything! We are on the street now rather than peeping out of the small windows but the windows still stay with millions of heads peeping out, ready to judge every move. 

That unexpectedly took a rather different turn, quite unintended. Anyway, gyaan kafi ho gaya lo photus dekh lo...

For more photos -https://www.facebook.com/share/p/g64jhwWd3E8DtBbo/?mibextid=oFDknk