SUMMER 2023 IN JAIPUR - JUNE BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER

Ruchir's plans were for a summer holiday for all of us in Italy but Akhila was not feeling quite fit, so she and I decided against travel abroad and take a break in Jaipur. 

Our main concern was the usual scorching heat in the summer of north India. But from the word go, we were treated to rain and cool weather. Rain accompanied us on the car journey from Delhi and we reached home in Jaipur welcomed by a dancing peacock on 'mori atariya' across our front lawn.. Mostly, the weather remained like that throughout our month and a half stay and the daily temperatures were about 32/24, reminding us of Singapore where all through the year, it was like that with the maximum reading a degree up meaning heat wave and the minimum degree one down indicating time for winter wear! 

My cousin Rajiv, who is settled in Jaipur and plays golf eight days a week, got me to join him a number of times and we had some enjoyable games at the Rambagh Golf Club. On one pleasant afternoon, we got talking about songs from his father and my Vinnie Mama's long playing disc collection of Rodgers and Hammerstein musical classics which I have described in my previous blog, 'Nostalgic Music Banter'. Indeed, it was June bustin' out all over just as in 'Carousel'.

Then came Rajiv's birthday and he and his sweet wife, Reena, asked us to join them for dinner They offered two choices for the venue- Meraki Kitchen and Niro's, and I had no hesitation in picking the latter, the old restaurant which is my favourite having opened in 1949, just one year before we moved to Jaipur. The decor obviously keeps changing but the basic structure remains the same making me feel at home. The present owner has followed the family tradition of studying at St. Xavier's. He proudly told me he was from the 1977 batch but was slightly shaken when I said I was of 1954 vintage. I asked my pet question whether 'Knickerbocker Glory' sundae continued to be on the A La Carte and was happy to get a 'yes'. This exclusive dessert has been on their menu since they opened the restaurant. Rajiv insisted on ordering it though we were quite full. Finally we went for 'one into two'; it was delicious but I found I couldn't finish my half. Wonder how I used to scrape the glass clean in my younger days!

In the third week of June, Shumita and her sons, Shiven and Raghav,  came over for 5 days. Shumita tried to fit in as much sightseeing as she could for the boys and we joined them whenever we could.

The famous travel writer, Paul Theroux, has said that he has travelled extensively all over the world and yet there is so much more to see. However, there was very little excuse for us not to have visited the wild life sanctuary of Jhalana, famous for its leopards, which is just ten kms. from our house. No wonder, Rambagh Palace was once a hunting lodge! So it was nice to fill in that blank by visiting the sanctuary with Shumita and the boys. 

Our safari began with a climb up on to a 'machaan' which gives a spectacular view of the whole sanctuary. When we got back into our jeep, our driver received a tip-off about a leopard whereabouts. So he drove to the spot and there was the leopard, Rana, just ten metres from us, sitting unperturbed on a wall, refreshing itself by licking its limbs. It then went to sleep while all the watchers in about a dozen vehicles waited quietly and patiently for it to move. After what seemed an eternity, it rose majestically, climbed down the wall and strolled to a water hole nearby. By now, it was almost sunset and it had been about 90 minutes with Rana. So we left it as it continued to lap up water from the pond. A rewarding trip with the satisfaction of a long, clear sighting and lots of photos.

We had a number of meals out with Shumita and the boys. As Rambagh Palace had just been named the World's No.1 Hotel by the renowned tour company, TripAdvisor, in its Travellers' Choice Awards, a dinner at the Hotel's Suvarna Mahal Restaurant was a must. The Manager offered to take us around the Hotel including the lavish Sawai Man Singh and Maharani Gayatri Devi suites- last words in luxury!

At Narain Niwas Palace, we knew about the colourful Bar Palladio and Shikar Bagh Restaurant with rickshaws and buggies serving as tables on the lawn, but discovered a new place, Cafe Orleans, set on one side of the large verandah. It is said that the founder of Narain Niwas, late General Amar Singh, who was stationed in Orleans, France, during WWI, became fond of travel and French cuisine and the Cafe was set up as a tribute to him and to preserve his legacy. Indeed, we were impressed by the coffee and snacks served, the decor largely in light blue and the view of the Palace gardens through floor-to-ceiling arched windows.

We were nearing the end of our stay and wanted to have a get-together before leaving. Date suitable to all turned out to be 4 July, American Independence Day, and we thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the fresh bonhomie between Joe Biden and Narendra Modi. So we had a dinner at Rambagh Golf Club with the weather perfect for sitting in the outdoor Hut overlooking the 2nd and 3rd fairways and the 2nd green.

Not by design but later, I realised something special about the small gathering at Dinner. The naval ranks were represented from Commander to full Admiral with an officer from each rank. (I am cheating a bit as I am counting myself as both  Captain and Commodore considering the latter is more of an appointment in the Navy. It would have been totally accurate if Capt RN Singh had not declined as he was not feeling well). Also, it was a distinguished gathering as there were three gentlemen who had reached the top of their profession: Admiral Madhvendra Singh, head of Indian Navy, Lt Gen/Vice Adm Karni Singh, highest rank in the Defence Services medical branch, and Kamal Surana, top Indian jeweller. 

Oh, and 4 July is also Akhila's birthday.

No trip to Jaipur is complete without my paying a call on the resident doyen of the Navy, Capt RN Singh. Apart from being confined to a wheelchair due to his age, he had a throat infection and we kept putting off our meeting till the day before my departure. Finally, I called on him at the Diggi Palace, a stone's throw from my house, and as usual, got talking about our fun times in the Navy. His stories need to be told in detail and I hope to compile them at a later date. For the time being let me just say that he is perhaps one of the very few people in the world to have travelled from UK to India by air, road and sea.

Delhi beckoned and we hit the road promising to come back to Jaipur soon. My favourite quote, "I haven't been everywhere but it's on my list" comes to mind with  Castle Kanota, Meraki Kitchen, Serai Brews Cafe.....