Street art – a day in Mandawa

I am no art connoisseur! I photograph as a hobby, but it sort of ends there. I can’t tell the difference between a Picasso and street graffiti. In fact, it’s because of people like me that Mr. Bean can break eggs over Whistler’s mother and still get away with it! But that shouldn’t stop me from appreciating art in my own individual way. After all, isn’t art the right-brained introspection and reflection of all of society’s left-brained rules and conventions?  However, Shekhawati doesn’t really adhere to either side. It’s more a reengineering of the canvas, lateral thinking and innovation.

'Kuan' or well in Mandawa

Entrepreneur’s club

The semi-arid region of Shekhawati is made up of the modern day districts of Jhunjhunun, Sikar and Churu in Rajasthan. Its claim to fame is the numerous entrepreneurs that have their roots here. But then again Shekhawati has had a long tradition of trading – old caravan routes, some starting at the ports of Gujarat others from China passed through these parts, creating an affluent Marwari community.

Public art gallery

Shekhawati is regarded as ‘the open art gallery’ of India and the village of Mandawa is probably the best example on display. It is touristy enough for you to have access to comforts yet rural enough to allow your senses to experience the freshness and authenticity of the place. Indeed, Mandawa has no masks.  There are no information boards or placards, no directions to the tourist spots.

Locals

Walking in Mandawa is quite an experience

The main attraction here is the havelis – old decaying structures, now a fragment of their former glory, when their owners still occupied them. You can easily stay at a haveli in Mandawa. There are a few of them that have been converted into hotels, but they still retain their feeling of grandeur. And what’s more, they aren’t that expensive either. I myself stayed at a haveli known as the Shekhawati hotel – not the most glamorous, but a haveli nonetheless.

Inside the Jhunjhunwala haveli

Street Art

So what is a haveli?

When translated from Persian, ‘haveli’ means an ‘enclosed space’. It is in some ways, a south asian mansion. Havelis are typically 2-3 storeys with the higher storeys having balconies supported by carved and painted brackets. The windows on these balconies that are generally plain wooden panels hinged on the sides are conspicuous by their stark contrast to the decorated walls .The building is built around a rectangular courtyard which might have a fountain or a small artificial pond. The haveli contains several rooms with possibly certain areas especially for men or women. The walls outer and inner are frescoed and decorated. Some might even have antiques on display.

(http://www.havelirestaurant.co.uk/about-us/meaning-of-haveli/, http://www.sarahglynn.net/The%20Haveli.html)

Vibrant colours of Rajasthan

Among the notable havellis are the Goenka double haveli, the Gulab Rai Ladia haveli, the Mohanlal Saraf Haveli, Murmuria haveli and others. There is also the Mandawa haveli now turned into a hotel. With their original owners moving to India’s metros over time, most of them are now looked after by caretakers employed by the original families. The havelis demonstrate a community’s desire to preserve their showcase of art; but unfortunately, this showcase is in a slow state of decripitation like many of India’s monuments. With paint peeling off and moss encroaching in from the corners, the liveliest thing you will find are the fluttering clothes on strings in the courtyard. But don’t get me wrong, even the frescos that are left intact are a feast for the eyes. Most themes revolve around Hindu mythology and royalty. Also apparent is the colonial influence, with paintings of Europeans and the advances they brought to the subcontinent. Renovations are on in most havelis and one hopes that the former elegance of these buildings is fully restored.

It is highly recommended that your see Mandawa on foot – it is small enough for you to cover the entire village in a few hours and it is worth every minute! Some of the best work on display is not inside the havelis, but outside. Murals and paintings will accompany as you walk through the village- street graffiti of a different kind!  Add to this, a touch of regular Rajasthan – the striking  colours of local attire against the sandstone coloured walls, the equally colourful and animated puppets on the corners and the calm, self coloured camel who doesn’t quite seem to bother if you exist or not – and you have a visual treat.

Looking out from Ganga Mai temple, Nawalgarh

Gaurd at Mandawa fort

I end the day at a handicraft store – on sale are bedsheets, pillow covers and paintings with exquisite Rajasthani work, but none of them say ‘Mandawa’. My attention turns to a particular painting – a very generic theme of an elephant in a procession, but the paper is different, something else seems to be written on it, and I mean handwritten! The shopkeeper tells me that it is used stamp paper. I notice the seal at the head. The shopkeeper, noticing my excitement pulls out a few more – the trend is the same – a lot of the writing has faded away, but you can tell that they are of the neighbouring provinces – Jeypore (Jaipur) or Kishangarh. What’s more, I got mine in a thousand bucks! It resembles for me the outlook of the locals – the indomitable innovative spirit that gave India some of her best businessmen and gave Shekhawati a new canvas.

A peacock in Nawalgarh

Excursions from Mandawa

People often wonder about the best base to explore Shekhawati is – for me it’s easily Mandawa. Some of the other cities/towns in the region like Jhunjhunun, Nawalgarh and Sikar are crowded, dirty and more expensive. The exhibition continues but the homely and unadulterated feel is missing. Other village/towns worth a mention are Churu, Mukundgarh, Dundlod and Fatehpur.

Pointers

• “On the merchant’s trail in Shekhawati”, a concept paper is an excellent read on the region and the architecture (If only I found it before going there!). It can be downloaded at http://portal.unesco.org/geography/en/ev.php-URL_ID=7765&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
• To explore Shekhawati, you should pick not more than 3 towns/villages – it can get repetitive and boring
•  Look out for peacocks – India’s national bird

Lively puppets

Ladakh - Photo tour

After a course at Photosensitive (http://www.photosensitiveworkshops.com/), I travelled to Ladakh on a photo-tour with photosensitive again. So I guess the most appropriate way to describe the experience would be through a photo post. More photos at http://photobucket.com/ladakh

Many Thanks to Joginder Singh and Shailan Parker for a great time and all the lessons on photography!

Leh

Nimu-the confluence of the Zanskar and the Indus

Pangong lake

Chemrey monastery

Ladakhi homes

Stakna monastery

Shanti stupa, Leh

Puri

Pictures of Lord Jaganath and other items (including a mini Ashoka chakra) being sold near the Jaganath temple

Gurudongmar -Three's company

The engine refused to start! The driver relentlessly repeated the ignition sequence, but the sound of the engine died down each time and with it, our hopes of getting to Yumthang. Not only are our travel plans in jeopardy, but our safety – we are over 13,000 ft up, in the middle of nowhere. It is close to midday, but outside the vehicle, the rain assists the temperatures in plummeting to single digits. Worse still, the closest form of civilisation – the village of Thanggu – is about a half hours drive away. Our driver it seems has tried everything and is now beckoning us out of the car. I look around towards RM and JC. The anxious look on their faces expresses a similar disappointment.

Lachen to Gurudongmar lake

Ice breakers on the road

RM and JC have been acquaintances of mine for about 40 hours. They on the other hand have been friends since school. Our decision to travel through north Sikkim together mimicked an effort of coalition politics rather than a happenstance meeting of friendly, similar minded beings. A trip to Gurudongmar and Yumthang valley was proving to be too expensive for either of us, separately. But lady luck was on our side that evening, and all three of us stepped into the travel agent’s office on MG Marg, Gangtok at approximately the same time, making the suggestion a no-brainer for the travel agent.  It was weird, that first meeting, each one trying to figure the other out - like two dogs introduced to each other by their owner – sniffing each other for any signs of danger– the accent, attire, unnecessary body marks. But the foremost fear in my mind was whether or not these guys were really travellers! Will they keep puking out the car window throughout the journey? Would they buckle under the heights of Gurudongmar? Will they expect a better hotel at Lachen and cry foul? But as always, the predominant urge to travel allowed me look beyond all possible shortcomings.

Our conversations in the Maxx, the next day were limited to small talk – our work, education, families. None wanted to make any bold comments or suggestions. Inevitably, though as it would seem, conversations drifted onto travel itself. A few weeks before, the duo had travelled to Lava which is about 30-odd kms from Kalimpong in North Bengal. The excitement in their narration of the events was apparent. And as they described, with an air of wonder and devotion, the glimpse they caught of Mt. Kangchendzonga through the clouds, I laid to rest my fears of my companions. They certainly weren’t just dreamers.  I, in turn, having been to Kalimpong and Pedong earlier in the year eagerly exchanged notes with them. It was now their fears that were to be allayed with tales of pursuit of a lost Bhutanese fort (which I never reached, by the way), the leeches, the clouds and all things hidden in the forgotten hills that would gladden a wanderer’s heart.

Lachen (“Big Pass”)

The village of Lachen

The ice was now broken! In the assurance that none of us would by inclinations or frailty endanger the journey, the chronicles of our ramblings and experiences unfolded – from Kolkata to the North-east to the nation’s capital and my home city of Bombay (Mumbai). Anecdotes that took us past the dusty district capital of Mangan , the beautiful and meandering Teesta, the reticent village of Chungthang at the confluence of the Lachen and Lachung and finally into the village of Lachen just after dusk.

Lachen was oddly comforting – beating my expectations, there were double and triple storeyed houses and hotels, with satellite dishes protruding from the sides giving you that feeling of being connected to the world you have left behind. Darkness however kept from me, her bountiful surroundings – of green wooded slopes, with patches of autumn yellow, of stealth clouds and the silent but ever moving Lachen river. In any case, exploration of the town was to be deferred – not only because of the curbs of caliginosity, but also the requirements of the next day. Vehicles are not allowed to the lake after 12 noon as the conditions then deteriorate and make the place inhospitable. An early dinner and early start in the morning was due.

Gurudongmar-water on the moon

Thanggu

An Army run cafe on the way- apparently the world's highest!

The drive from Lachen began before sunrise at around 4:30 in the morning. The landscape around that was sparsely peppered with fields and single houses, appeared in shades of grey under the awaited sun. Only the tops of the mountains, usually the first to feel her warmth, could be seen albeit through filters of orange. We made an early stop at the village of Thanggu, where we are guided into a local home for breakfast – bread with hot, molten butter poured over it, to be eaten hot before it froze back again.

Yak herder's hut

Thanggu is at 14,000 ft and after the village the tree line recedes to give way to the vast desert plateau.  It’s a concoction of comatose gravel and stone stretching across acres, with the icy mountain ranges on the sides, standing tall and firm like organised battalions. If only a herd of horses were to gallop across the vast space, with purpose and freedom, so that movement, life and sound may render this portrait complete! But alas, the only four legged animal you are likely to spot is the Yak. You will find them grazing on the patches of grass that miraculously found a way to survive here or near the herders’ huts – crude stone structures with attached enclosures.

The lonely, desolate road to Gurudongmar

Back in the Maxx, RM’s head was tilted back. He was trying to sleep off the mountain sickness that has gripped him. Later, at lower altitudes, he spoke of the flashes of tragic events and nightmares that he experienced during his sleep – the oxygen levels must have really been low.  

When we arrived at the lake, a few moments later, it was similar to desert voyagers sighting an oasis. Gurudongmar lake might have gallons of water, but it’s not bodily thirst that one quenches here. Her demeanour is more spiritual - the placid waters, the remoteness of the mountains, the strings of prayer flags that adorn her banks and of course the Sarva Dharma Sthal (House of worship for all religions) is a good representation of her past.

Gods of the lake

Gurudongmar lake gets its name from Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche). Sikhs believe that Guru Nanak (also known as Guru Dongmar)was known as guru Rinpoche to the Tibetans. Either way, both are believed to have passed through these parts.

(http://www.east-himalaya.com/sikkim/gurudongmar.html, http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurudongmar_Lake)

Gurudongmar Lake

Tibetan prayer flags add to the spiritual ambience

There isn’t much to do around here, except for soaking in the tranquillity and taking wonderful pictures. After we are through with that, we scampered to the Maxx for a quick return to Lachen and then onward to Lachung and Yumthang. But, now about two hours later, we are huffing and puffing as we try to push the Maxx into life – she doesn’t. We spot an army post up ahead and request some engineers to have a look.  The fuel filter is detected as the culprit – it must be the fuel that was bought from the makeshift station right after Gangtok. In desperation, the filter is removed, but the Maxx still refuses to co-operate. There is now no hope of getting to Yumthang.

Rescue

Finally, after options are knocked off, the army generously offers us a ride to Lachen. A truck would be crossing the village en route to another post and we are offered a lift. It’s an interesting turn of events, a chance to ride with our armed forces in one their vehicles, even though it’s as peaceful a mission possible. As we clamber into the back, one of the jawans yells to us with a smirk, “You will remember this ride for the rest of your life!” as he gets behind the wheel.

The ride is as rough as it gets – we find ourselves tumbling from one end of the truck to the other, first in shock and then with playful frolic as with a roller coaster. Outside, humans are still scarce, but life as we know begins show up in patches of green, yellow and orange amidst the conifers. The lichen and rhododendrons sprinkle more colour on the canvas. These are the vistas that I lost in the morning, partly to the darkness, partly to my reclamation of sleep. We are closing in on Lachen. I suddenly realise that our travelling group is now four – in the corner, is the driver of the Maxx, anxious as ever. He needs to find a mechanic from somewhere and take him to the point where we left the vehicle. He is looking at severe losses of repair, time and opportunity. I wonder if he has any travel stories –perhaps now is not the right time.

Pointers

•      Whether Indian or foreigner, you will be travelling close to India’s borders and you require a permit to cross Mangan. These permits can be attained from recognised travel agents which can be found in plenty on MG Marg, Gangtok. However, no agent is willing to just deal in permits – you will have to make all arrangements of travel through them.
•      You will identity proofs and photographs of yourself for the same. Foreigners should carry their passports.

North Bengal

Football match at Pedong

Pipe organ an St. Theresa's Church, Kalimpong

Ghum, the highest railway station in India

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ("Toy train") at Batasia loop, Darjeeling

The fight for gorkhaland goes on! (pic taken in Kurseong)

Tea plantations in Kurseong

Along the Ganges - Sunderbans

The waterways of the Sunderbans

Stopover in Lahaul - Keylong

It was thrilling to peer down at the panorama below – the green canopy dotted with tiny houses, the fields and the winding roads on the mountain slopes -a somewhat familiar yet satisfying experience, especially since I wasn’t looking at river fed plains from just another hill station – this was the Kullu valley, already at over 1,500 mts! We are taking the last few curves in the road before we cross Rohtang la (3998 mts) into Lahaul. (This time with a colleague of mine, SP)

You follow the Chandra river (above) till Tandi, from then on it's the Bhaga

The Rohtang pass is often visited by tourists in Manali – It is a sure way to touch and feel snow, which for largely tropical dwelling Indians is a fantasy in itself. But, today I want to cross over to the other side of the pass. A quick glance towards the end of the road before it turns left and down into Lahaul, reveals snow capped ranges with mountain sides barren and bereft of life. We were now moving into the famous cold desert of North India, which stretches from Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh.

After stopping briefly at the pass to watch the setting sun turn the mountain tops orange, we hasten in the descent – the roads aren’t the best and we need to make the best of whatever light we have. We arrive at 8pm in a half-shut Keylong and make a beeline for Tashi Deleg, one of the better hotels near our drop off point and the marketplace.

Desert capital

Keylong, at over 3,000 mts is the capital of the Lahaul-Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh. She sits timidly on the banks of the Bhaga waiting to be discovered by travelers. The truth is many travelers do stop here. Given that it is a district capital, you will get mobile connectivity, a hospital if required, plenty of shops and hotels. It therefore becomes a convenient night halt for those going from Manali to Leh. But unfortunately, that’s how it remains – a night halt. That shouldn’t take anything away from the fact that it is a really picturesque little village. But before we explore Keylong and her people, we head out for a rendezvous with one of the highest lakes in India – Suraj Tal

Barren Lahauli landscape

 Water on high

When you are travelling through the hills, you inevitably end up following a river which is natural considering the landscape that it creates. Today, we travel along the Bhaga, still on the Manali-Leh highway. We soon leave the fields of Keylong, there isn’t any green to be seen anymore, only shades of brown with fine blue lines of the Bhaga creating a vein-like pattern over the land. After crossing the check post at Darcha, the climb gets steeper and the terrain still harsher. Landslides are more common and we are halted several times. This lifeless spectacle will continue for the rest of the journey. 

Landslides are common (Darcha down below)

For an urbanite, brought up in the one of the most populous cities in the world, the isolation is absolutely exciting.  It makes we wonder how much of a risk we are taking, traversing these parts in a Maruti van.

You can get some great reflections at Deepak Tal

Our first stop is at Deepak Tal near Patseo. It is just large enough to not be called a pond, but is definitely worth the visit. It’s crystal clear and the still waters are a photographer’s delight.  It’s also a nice place to stop before you ascend towards Baralacha La.

Baralacha La is one the higher passes on this route and the ascent can be taxing on your lungs, but it’s worth the effort. The scenery now starts to turn white – frost covers the sides of the road and the snow covered peaks that complete the horizon of the lower villages now seem closer than ever. We never really reached the pass – Suraj Tal, our real destination is just short. The L-shaped lake springs up on you without warning – not that you need one to appreciate its pristine settings. But the lifeless nature of the surroundings continues- we are the only ones here and it doesn’t seem like a much frequented spot anyway.

Suraj Tal

Khardung monastery

There are a few treks around Keylong - to her monasteries that sit atop her high mountains. We find ourselves heading towards the east bank to the Khardung monastery that overlooks the town. You pass the hospital, cross the prayer flag strewn metal bridge and begin climbing towards the monastery. The route takes you through Lahaul at its best. Away from the hotels, the bus stand and the main market on the west bank, Khardung village is a picture postcard of Lahauli village life with potato fields, cubical houses with flat roofs storing hay for the harsh winters, narrow dusty roads devoid of tire marks and the scampering of children and sheep alike in between. The people are friendly and will gladly engage you in conversation. Even the women are fairly bold – we had a bunch that stopped us to ask us for some chocolate!

Potato fields in Khardung village

This man claimed that the original Khardung monastery was down in the village and that he  was  its keeper. 

Got any chocolate?

1.5 hrs of climbing and we are finally there. Khardung monastery is a dainty white building with the front façade decorated with images of animals and men. The courtyard is lined with flower pots, a statue of the Buddha and prayer flags. Apart from that, it was quite the expected - monks solemnly moving around, prayer wheels, prayer flags and pin drop silence. One of the monks comes out to give us a tour of the monastery. The monastery belongs to the Drukpa Kargyud sect and is adorned with paintings on all sides. It also houses some ancient artifacts. But this isn’t the original building – the monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt several times before.

Khardung monastery

The highlight though, is the eagle-eye view of Keylong, right across the river where she lies nestled on the banks,  waiting for the next traveller to Leh to stop by– a perfect fusion of human life, marketplaces, quaint houses, terraced fields and a lifeless desert in the background with God himself standing guard over her!

Keylong from the monastery

Pointers

• If you are taking your own vehicle, tank up at the Petrol pump at Tandi. It is the last one until Leh.
• The roads are often washed away due to rains, melting snow etc and inspite of frequent repair remain in bad shape – account for plenty of time for travel (Manali to Keylong took 6 hrs for a distance of 120kms)
• There are plenty of hotels in Keylong of which the Chandrabaga is probably the best. However, it is not the closest to the market place. You can also choose to stay at the hotel Ibex at Jispa.