A History lesson that's actually fun

by Joohi Gadodia (India)

I didn't expect to find India

A packed bag on my shoulders, a twinkle in my eyes and I was all ready to set out. Nope! That's probably how people expect it to be. Rather, this trip that I took was more because of well FOMO. It was a last minute plan with my parents and younger brother to my village in Rajasthan, India. Yeah, doesn't sound like something anyone would enjoy a lot. I was all over the place packing in disarray for this 6 day trip just two hours before my train would arrive. Rajasthan, a state of India famously known for it's capital Jaipur aka "The Pink City". It's rightly named so after the city's obsession with the color pink because every where you turn your head to, all you would see is the color of the flamingo. But what people usually forget is that there's more to Rajasthan than just Jaipur and that's what I discovered in this trip. The whole of Rajasthan is flooded with magnificent structures like "Mahals" or Forts and Palaces which used to be the humble abode of the rich rulers and kings. It's basically the hub of remnants of the rich culture, exquisite heritage, amusing history and exceeding limits of wealth India had, bragging about it's richness and it's glory. The Hawa Mahal, an architectural masterpiece, Jantar mantar, a scientific brilliance, the marvellous fort of Maharana Pratap is just beginning the list. I, for one has always been interested in these but this trip taught me something else. It taught me that more than these monuments, the most majestic thing it could birth is the temples and rich ancestry it has. Our first stop was Bharunda, an offbeat, neat, tiny village just hidden in a corner like a shy child at a party. It was low on tourism but was fueled with temples and so called ashrams with the locals being one the most warm and welcoming people I have ever witnessed. We stayed there in a temple of Manasati Ma - an Indian goddess and guess what, it was totally free of cost from the stay to the food, open to all. Crazy right? The rooms were clean and huge enough to accommodate four people at once. The village was not really well built without any proper roads or transportation except for buses. People there lived in tiny houses, more like concrete huts neatly aligned one after the other without any major colors and the most amazing part was the fact that they didn't have doors to lock thier entrances! All I did there was gel with the locals and learn so many things that I couldn't even imagine of. It was like the opening of a new world. The main job of the females there was to fill the insides of bangles with a red colored substance called "lakh" for the longevity of the jewelry. I got the opportunity to taste the most authentic food of Rajasthan which was truly lip smacking and delectable. I learnt everything that I could about my own ancestors since my religion stems from this village which is always fun. From the stories of how brave the kings were, the local folklore and tales of the passed heroes to the religious mythology, everything helped me discover where I actually belong to a little better. It was better than any story I had heard, any music I had cherished or any tradition that I had witnessed. Every night, all the people gathered and had post dinner delectables like "paan" which is made of a leaf filled with sweet pickle, cherry and supari inside or have Jaggery as a desert. Our next and last stop was Jhunjhunu which was a city, a bit more touristy than the last one. I was here only for a day so couldn't see a lot, but I did visit the oldest fort there Badalgarh fort built in the early 16th century which had been the seat for many wars previously and was yet standing tall. I returned back home tired because of all the walking I had to do but all in all this trip taught me more than any history book could ever.