Loosing Our Identity

Weekend got chance to visit, Rajastani Restaurant which is built on theme of typical Rajastani village. I was wondering if it is worth to go there since commute itself was more than 2 hrs journey. But after entering there, 2 hrs travel was worth especially with family.

Away from city chaos, you get greeted with drum beats, impersonated  horse. He guide us to the main entrance, you just feel like a VVIP!

Inside atmosphere is just fun filled, people eating, tattooing, playing ball/gun games. For kids they have many attractions like riding horse ( this time real one!),   camel, bullock card. They also have train, ship ride. I noticed in most of rides grown up were enjoying more than kids! Other section kids enjoyed was pot making, they were able to play in mud at the same time do some creative out of it.


As usual I lost in food sections. It is very embarrassing especially people with you noticing  you visiting eating stall. I liked bhakri (bread) with butter and garlic chutani. It tested great since bread was from fire oven.

Ladies were busy in shopping section along with mehndi and fortune teller section. I envied fortune teller since he was mostly surrounded by women ( just kidding). But I liked his job, he used to tell all sort of things about their husband and ladies will be awed about him since it will be correct. For married man he will tell wait for few months and things will be sorted out in his life. Any husband knows it is never going to be!

There was head and body massage as well. I noticed many husband err.. guys enjoying it. We also had good time with massage.

Most fascinating part was folk dance, folk puppet show, folk songs and music. You just wonder how diverse Indian folk culture is. You can notice family of dancers just around there. On backdrop of glittering performer seeing malnourished  kids is heart wrenching. Even performer were from remote place of Rajastan  just for living.

You just leave place contented feeling witnessed some thing indigenous in nature. While coming back I wonder how many indigenous culture we might have in India. Almost each district has its own identity. But we never bothered to look around since it is not well marketed and as well as our apathy to our own culture. It is not our fault though, for almost century we were influenced by west and before that various attacks by other invaders.

I just hope we will preserve some of our cultural folk heritage like songs, music, animist nature of our religion.

      

Pictures : Courtesy Abhinay Labade.