Author: sutirtha

The Mystique of 6 yards of cloth

Posted on by sutirtha

The Mystique of 6 yards of cloth

The captivating images of Rajmata Gayatri Devi in her pearls and chiffon saris caught the imagination of the world and for years, she embodied the style, spirit and beauty of Indian womanhood.

Saree is 6 yards of cloth, to be simply wrapped around. How this simple, cloth transforms to a graceful and lovely costume is magical!

Now, when guests visit the royal city of Jaipur, they have an address to go to for an interesting class by women on how to drape a saree with elan!

Hotel Arya Niwas is a popular hotel in downtown Jaipur, close to the walled city and M.I. Road, that is the main road and shopping area at Jaipur. With a day’s prior appointment, guests can book a session on the art of wearing a saree here.

The instructors are ladies. They will teach you how to wear the same 6 yards in different styles, popular in different states of India. Yes, there is a different style on how to wear a saree in North India, Maharashtra, Bengal and so on!

The clothes given, including Saree in traditional designs and colourful hues, blouse and petticoat are brand new. AND at the end of the session, along with a beautiful Bindi, are given to the guest as a memory to take home along with some pictures of the beautifully draped person in the 110-year-old heritage hall and gardens of this Haveli turned into hotel – Arya Niwas.

It is a short, hour-long session but the memories made are for a life time and so topical of a visit to India. Fully recommended, this is a must do class at Jaipur.

Guests may contact Arya Niwas to book an appointment at +91-9829040549 or see www.jaipur-diaries.com for more details.

Count the Spots

Posted on by sutirtha

Count the Spots

Jaipur is a city of 4 million human beings, and growing! Somehow, in the middle of the din of a youthful, busy town there still remain protected pockets of surprisingly rich natural life and diversity.

The hills around the city of Jaipur are green, wooded and surprisingly rich in flora and fauna. A lot of effort, of a lot of unsung heroes from the forest department and local population and timely government intervention have made Jaipur the proud owner of small but significant mini forest that are connected or are being connected to each other and hold great potential.

Two such forests are:

  • Jhalana
  • Amangarh and Galta

I remember going on treks to Jhalana, and then on birding treks. I remember wishing that such lovely forests may somehow be saved from the rapid growth. And luckily for Jaipur they were!

Today these forests are well managed and protected. Have year around water and camera coverage. AND this protection has magically transformed Jaipur to the Leopard capital of the world!

Prey base is increasing, land management means these forests have more and more endemic plants and shrubs, exotics are being removed, grasslands developed, species like chital deer being reintroduced…

And as a result, Jaipur is now the home to more than 40 leopards! And counting!!

Hyenas are coming back, jackal numbers are going up, Nilgai is becoming a pest rather, peacocks strut around in their hundreds and langur monkeys jump about in their thousands.

These forests have becoming important and valuable birding destinations, especially when the raptors come and return from Indian subcontinent back to their cold steppe homes.

If you visit Jaipur, visit these parks. They are maybe an hour or less from your hotel. They are promising examples of how man and nature can co-exist. And flourish.

And when you visit these gems, don’t just go for the leopards, go for the fantastic views, for the fresh air, the greenery, the other animals and the amazing bird life too.

Arya Niwas Hospitality and their travel division can help you arrange a comfortable safari to the parks, including pickup from your hotel / home and drop back. Their guides and drivers are reliable and will be happy to share their knowledge on the parks, its flora and its residents with you.

For details you can visit www.jaipur-diaries.com or call on +91 9829040549

Bollywood dance new

Posted on by sutirtha

Bollywood dance

India is a ‘soft’ power. A much-loved phrase that Indian delight in. It signifies how we want to rule the hearts rather than minds.

A big contributor to this popularity or emotional pull of India is the appeal of our films. From Egypt to Japan, Kazakstan to Namibia, our films, our songs and the fantasy world of our fictional larger than life stories rules the hearts and minds of nations and societies. Greece can groove to the popular song Madovala – a ode to perhaps THE most beautiful Indian heroine – Madhubala who was all the rage in post war Greece and Japan can delight in the gyrations of Mithun. Old USSR nation states still sing Awara hun and Egypt swears by Bachhan.

Our films may be escapist, loud, full of bling and miles from reality. But despite these facts or perhaps because of these facts, they have a unique appeal.

And a lot of this appeal comes from the songs and dances that are an integral part of the films. Why do our heroes and heroines break into a dance number is inexplicable, but by Jove it is attractive!!

So is the appeal of learning to jive like our much loved actors. Live a little bit of that fantasy in our own lives. This is the reason why ladies sangeet on weddings have become these huge glitzy affairs where everyone right from the age of 6 to 60 and beyond for a few minutes of their lives, at an occasion of happiness for themselves, wants to dance and sing, shake and shimmer!

Now, guests coming to Jaipur can learn some steps and realise the mad fun our filmi songs are – at these special classes on Bollywood dance that can be held by appointment at Hotel Arya Niwas. A centrally located, popular Jaipur landmark, Arya Niwas offers hour long classes where trained instructors can teach you a few steps from popular hindi film numbers.

Look at the pictures below that speak for themselves. These classes are great fun, and a super memory to take along with you. After all what is tourism if not the art of making memories!

To book a class you can contact the travel desk at Arya Niwas on +919829040549 or visit www.jaipur-diaries.com to know more.