Saris and sixes in Rajasthan

Tim Bouma recalls one of his favourite experiences whilst travelling through colourful Rajasthan.

‘It was 10 days in to our Gecko’s Backroads of Rajasthan tour and after spending two relaxing days in the beautiful lake-side city of Udaipur, we arrived in the ‘blue city’ of Jodhpur, with the mighty Meherangarh fort towering high above us on the steep cliffs.

My girlfriend, Candy, had just bought a beautiful bright pink and gold sari in the bustling market and had it casually draped around her as we walked up the hill, winding through narrow streets amongst the beautiful blue buildings.
 
We came out of an alley to a small courtyard where a group of women and children were sitting in front of their house. As soon as they saw Candy in her sari they all smiled and laughed, then dragged her into their home to wrap her sari properly, do her make-up (including the traditional bindi), brush her hair and generally make sure she looked her Indian best.
 
Whilst all this was going on, with some encouragement (all too aware of my lousy cricket skills,) I played a game of cricket with the boys hanging out in the courtyard – backyard cricket Indian style! After being laughed at for my hopeless bowling I ended up hitting two 6’s and a 4, sending the plastic ball through the courtyard, past wandering cows and down the steep streets.

The game ended when Candy emerged from the house with the women, smiling and looking thrilled. I took heaps of photos and they all wanted to pose with Candy and have her hold their babies. I sent copies of the photos to one of the families and hopefully they received them. They were all so kind and friendly – it was a fantastic experience.’

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