The Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, is not an easy monument to access. Numerous security checks, loads of guides hassling you, and if you manage to dodge the first wave, you then have to face the music from the hawkers. Both Radhika and I have seen the Taj before and we were keen on experiencing the Taj from the point of view of a brilliant photographer we both admire, Raghu Rai. His images of the Taj from where the Yamuna flows are absolutely unique and breathtaking. We went around the back to escape the crowds but to also discover what drew Raghu Rai to this location.

Following a parallel track across the river, we arrived and walked the last two hundred meters by foot and when the tree cover broke, we were faced with a view of the Taj that very few people get to see…. The unhindered view of the Taj with the river Yamuna flowing beside it.

The Taj is much more than just a monument. The tourist who comes there might view it as such but the locals realize that the city of Agra is built around it. Agra exists because of the Taj. Life around the Taj is just as interesting as the Taj itself. Lives still depend on this monument that was built so many centuries ago. It has a power that cannot be comprehended and an economy that runs around it. Apart from the obvious, there is the unusual. Looking at the life that slowly appeared before our eyes- the cow herd bringing the buffalos back home, the boa that was sliding through, locals sitting by the banks enjoying the view without all the chaos that accompanies the regular entrance, a group of water birds that were using the river as a feeding ground- we found this invisible thread that connects all of the life around the Taj. 

Did we manage to reach the spot where Raghu Rai had photographed the monument? Times have changed, visitors are no longer allowed near the banks of the Yamuna. The ripple effect of the Mumbai terror attacks 26/11 can be felt through out the country and this place is no different.  But the next time anyone travels to the Taj take time out to travel to the back, away from the madness and you’ll get a feel of what it is to see the Taj free of the chaos and get a sense of how it nurtures the city of Agra.

Points to remember when visiting: Only a basic camera is allowed in. No extra batteries, no food or water bottles, no music players and other electronic gadgets, no books. Especially no books. 

Keen to see an artist who is so much a part of Jaipur history was our story for today.We knocked on his door only to find that he had passed away last year. His daughter, Meenakshi, still continues the tradition of pottery that her father had revived…

Blue Pottery, started in China somewhere in the 15th century, and was brought into India by the later Moguls at RamSinghs time, where it had trickled in from China into Persia.The art initially used for architecture went to flourish as a form of pottery from Kashmir into Rajasthan and then became confined to being a speciality of two local artists named Bholaram and Chudamani. The art started fading post independence.

Commissioned by the late Rajmata Gayatri Devi to revive the art, Kripal Singh set up the Shilp Kala Mandir and then devoted the rest of his life reviving and reinterpreting the art of blue pottery.

The glaze of blue pottery is made from fuller’s earth and is a combination of Chinese and Persian styles. The design is essentially geometric and floral with a combination of the blue-green palette used, though touches of ochre are sometimes brought in.The palette derived from the oxides of cobalt, cadmium and chromium are used for the glaze and fired in a wood kiln. Being a very fragile and delicate form of pottery the artist needs to work very carefully because it cannot be retouched.

Trivia: The moguls used blue pottery to test food for poison. If the glaze changed colour it meant the possibility of the food being poisoned!

We have so much of art in this country that is slowly fading away…this travel with GDC has made me realise over and over that there is much to see and to understand about people like Kripal Singh who dedicate their lives reviving secrets of the lost arts.

Our Lonely Planet appears to be well traveled. A true veteran in terms of travel experience. Dog eared and well worn, it’s a miracle that all the pages are held together. The book has made its way through many locations and helped us get out of or get in to places. It has been used to find hotels, a good café, places of interest, or even distances.
Though some of the information has been amended we’ve added numbers of new places, made corrections to old numbers, written down details of interesting people we met along the way.
The book is now 5 years old and has information which in completely out of date. Some hotels don’t exist anymore, phone numbers have changed and new places of interest have been added in subsequent editions.

The heights of the passes in Ladakh are different between the book and the markings at the top of the passes. There are roads marked on the map which exist only on paper.
Andamans has a few Islands that do no longer exist.

Why do we hold on to our copy? On page 322 you’ll find an entrance ticket to the Jama Masjid in Srinagar and if you happen to flip to page 1044 you’ll find special permission for Ross Smith Island in Andamans. Page 427 has a leaf from the Bodh Gaya tree.

For every traveler there is one object that they carry with them wherever they travel- A notepad, a pair of shoes, a well worn pair of jeans, maybe even a torch. These are our constant companions who have experienced everything that we have and are part of the memories we bring back from our travels. They are also the objects that we turn to or the objects that remind us that it’s once again time to put on your travel shoes and head off on the open road. This is our Lonely Planet.
 
P.s: For some inexplicable reason there is a parking ticket from Bhutan hidden in the pages.   
P.P.s- will have to think about replacing it at some point, but for now, we shall continue to add to an already bulging collection between the pages.
   

Sitting in the Ganges View, I noticed a betel cutter on the side of a small table. I hadn’t seen one of those in years… My grandmother used a betel cutter which was always by her bedside. The beetle nut with the tobacco wrapped in the betel leaf had a very curious smell to it and is a smell I still associate with her. Her betel cutter was in steel and plain and I had never given it any more thought until I saw some of the extremely well designed collection at Ganges View.

Derived from the Malayalam word vettila mallu, this one hinged instrument holds an important role in entertainment, marriage and other rituals.Dating back to about 2600BC, chewing the betel nut is a part of the tradition in India and other parts of Asia. Having started as a part of royal customs the betel nut and its paraphernalia slowly became a part of the local culture in Asia. These instruments made of brass and iron(embellished with silver or ivory) with a cutting edge of iron have a variety of designs ranging from plain, embellished to grotesque.  They mirror the wealth and taste of the owner and like Shashank,  form a part of heirlooms especially in North India.

P.s- The culture of chewing the betel nut is slowly dying out in most parts of the world. With this tradition slowly fading away so will the betel cutters.