Essays

The last holiday that I had was in Udaipur. Last monthmy parents and I went to Rajasthan by car. We decided in drive through the various states so that we would get a good feel of the places that we passed.

It was to be a four-day holiday, so we planned itcarefully. We booked ourselves into a great looking hotel called Shikarbadi.

This hotel was once a hunting resort for the Maharaja and his ministers. Even today it belongs to the 'Maharana' of Udaipur and he has converted it into a hotel.

The rooms of the hotel were made of stone. The paintings were exhibits of various birds and animals Which had been hunted in the past? There were horses and deer and peacocks all around the hotel and at night onehears the sound of jackas from afar.

The day we reached was spent in absorbing the peace and quiet of the place as this was a great change from the hectic life of the big city that I had just left.

The next morning we left for the City Palace Museum which has some of the most precious possessions of the late Maharanas exhibited and preserved.

The history of Rajasthan and especially Udaipur isdepicted in the miniature paintings that adorn the Walls of the museum. There is also the old furniturethat was used by the Maharajas. All these speak out The language of the state and repeat the story of thedead kings and queens.

We saw the 'Sahelio ki Badi' which is a beautiful gardenwith fountains. It was built by the old Maharana forhis wife who belonged to a rainy area.

There used to be no rain in Udaipur sometimes and thefountains produced the sound of rain and recreatedthe atmosphere of her paternal home. The garden isindeed beautiful and we spent many hours strolling there.

The 'Shilp Gram Mela' was on at Udaipur when wewent there. This was a fair where various artisans fromdifferent parts of the country had brought theirproducts to sell.

There were dances from various states and theaudience sat on steps in an open air theatre. This wasone of the most memorable experiences of my life.

The holiday was about to come to an end but we tooklong walks around the Fatehsagar lake and the Picholalake. We saw the Lake Palace and Nehru Park, all ofwhich have become a pleasant memory today. I cannever forget the fun that I had at Udaipur.