Deogarh Delights
Deogarh Delights
Deogarh is a small town as Indian towns go. The town -population 20,000- is located 135 kilometers from Udaipur, on the eastern side of the Aravali Ranges on top of a small hill. A small pond rests at its base. It is a typical Rajasthan town with dry earth, rocks, animals, forts, and warm people who smile at you for no reason.
An unenterprising traveler that I am, I would have never have visited this town on my own. I am an urban soul by choice. Give me throbbing metropolis any day as opposed to a small, silent town. But a dear friend was setting up a huge destination wedding there and I had no choice but to go. I am also a poor wedding participant. People gawk at me when I narrate my ultra-simple wedding 42 years ago.
Anyways, here we were, my wife and I, at magnificent Deogarh Mahal Palace, the wedding venue where we stayed. This was only a second destination wedding I was attending. But what I realized is that such a wedding is more fun for the guests than the hosts. This wedding had a unique feature that there were no wedding planners or event managers. The family and friends of the groom planned and executed this amazing feat of doing everything right, make everyone happy, reflecting how much they cared for the people who were there to attend the wedding.
My only role in the entire affairs was to look good and pause for the pictures when hosts wanted me to. So I really enjoyed being myself, spending time with few friends, resting my perennial sleep-deprived body, and consuming those lovely miniature bottles of whiskeys that save my life when I travel.
Since the wedding is all about looking one's best, I witnessed a vast range of designer clothing, all matching with smiles and delights of being alive and being there. I witnessed the humongous energy level of young people who danced morning, noon, and night and yet turned up for a breakfast fully awake. I witnessed meticulously planned wedding rituals to realize how deeply entrenched are Indian traditions in a family living 10,000 miles away from this remote Rajasthan town. And lastly, I witnessed how well the third and the fourth generations of a family connect although separated by vast distances of land and sea.
To my simplistic mind, it felt like a miracle that such an elaborate wedding event went so smoothly and efficiently. Hight of the planning was the presence of a groom's elephant, arriving at the hotel doorstep full two hours ahead of schedule, delighting children among us.
A small sidebar event must be mentioned here not because of its unlucky occurrence but because of a happy outcome. Another dear friend's wife missed a step and fell. Perhaps fracture was caused but no way of knowing it at midnight. A kindly doctor among us fixed this as best as he could, creatively using a mobile cover as bandage support.
The next day, skipping some fun events, this friend, his wife, and I traced what is known as referral hospital which is really a primary health care clinic in the village. The happy outcome I mentioned came in the shape of Dr. Shekhawat a resident doctor, a trained Orthopedician. The hospital itself was another surprise. Clean, silently efficient, villagers being served as they should be. Dr. Shekshawat took us in his wings and over the next two hours displayed his skills, care, and friendship to three strangers. For a Mumbai dweller like me, used to seeing doctors with an appointment only, carrying out multiple tests, spending thousands of rupees, such an effortless and easy medical care was nothing sort of a shock. A happy one though.
My wife and I were the last guests to depart to the wedding venue. As I looked at the palace grounds, I could still see those dancing figures of boys and girls, smell the fragrance of wedding flowers and hear the laughter that boomed here for the past three days.
And as I passed the referral hospital, I paid silent tribute to kindly Dr. Shekhawat and the staff of the hospital. I may never go back to Deogarh but the palace and that hospital will remain in my memory for a long time.
Deogarh is a small town as Indian towns go. The town -population 20,000- is located 135 kilometers from Udaipur, on the eastern side of the Aravali Ranges on top of a small hill. A small pond rests at its base. It is a typical Rajasthan town with dry earth, rocks, animals, forts, and warm people who smile at you for no reason.
An unenterprising traveler that I am, I would have never have visited this town on my own. I am an urban soul by choice. Give me throbbing metropolis any day as opposed to a small, silent town. But a dear friend was setting up a huge destination wedding there and I had no choice but to go. I am also a poor wedding participant. People gawk at me when I narrate my ultra-simple wedding 42 years ago.
Anyways, here we were, my wife and I, at magnificent Deogarh Mahal Palace, the wedding venue where we stayed. This was only a second destination wedding I was attending. But what I realized is that such a wedding is more fun for the guests than the hosts. This wedding had a unique feature that there were no wedding planners or event managers. The family and friends of the groom planned and executed this amazing feat of doing everything right, make everyone happy, reflecting how much they cared for the people who were there to attend the wedding.
My only role in the entire affairs was to look good and pause for the pictures when hosts wanted me to. So I really enjoyed being myself, spending time with few friends, resting my perennial sleep-deprived body, and consuming those lovely miniature bottles of whiskeys that save my life when I travel.
Since the wedding is all about looking one's best, I witnessed a vast range of designer clothing, all matching with smiles and delights of being alive and being there. I witnessed the humongous energy level of young people who danced morning, noon, and night and yet turned up for a breakfast fully awake. I witnessed meticulously planned wedding rituals to realize how deeply entrenched are Indian traditions in a family living 10,000 miles away from this remote Rajasthan town. And lastly, I witnessed how well the third and the fourth generations of a family connect although separated by vast distances of land and sea.
To my simplistic mind, it felt like a miracle that such an elaborate wedding event went so smoothly and efficiently. Hight of the planning was the presence of a groom's elephant, arriving at the hotel doorstep full two hours ahead of schedule, delighting children among us.
A small sidebar event must be mentioned here not because of its unlucky occurrence but because of a happy outcome. Another dear friend's wife missed a step and fell. Perhaps fracture was caused but no way of knowing it at midnight. A kindly doctor among us fixed this as best as he could, creatively using a mobile cover as bandage support.
The next day, skipping some fun events, this friend, his wife, and I traced what is known as referral hospital which is really a primary health care clinic in the village. The happy outcome I mentioned came in the shape of Dr. Shekhawat a resident doctor, a trained Orthopedician. The hospital itself was another surprise. Clean, silently efficient, villagers being served as they should be. Dr. Shekshawat took us in his wings and over the next two hours displayed his skills, care, and friendship to three strangers. For a Mumbai dweller like me, used to seeing doctors with an appointment only, carrying out multiple tests, spending thousands of rupees, such an effortless and easy medical care was nothing sort of a shock. A happy one though.
My wife and I were the last guests to depart to the wedding venue. As I looked at the palace grounds, I could still see those dancing figures of boys and girls, smell the fragrance of wedding flowers and hear the laughter that boomed here for the past three days.
And as I passed the referral hospital, I paid silent tribute to kindly Dr. Shekhawat and the staff of the hospital. I may never go back to Deogarh but the palace and that hospital will remain in my memory for a long time.
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