“I think someone important is coming.”
“Do you think it is SRK?”
“No, it must be the Maharaja himself.”
“I’m telling you it must be some firang (foreigner).”
I can’t help overhearing this excited chatter and squeals of anticipation as I step out of the Museum of the Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur. A group of 20 somethings is standing to one side and craning their necks over a barricade to see something that I cannot. I am intrigued and join them as do some other tourists. And soon we are looking at the entrance to the Umaid Bhawan Palace Hotel, which was abuzz with some activity. What happened next is not really an unusual sight in a 5-star hotel, but as a tourist in a touristy place, I couldn’t help be one myself. 😀
A bright red silken canopy is being unfurled and readied.Who is the visitor, I wonder? So do others and the guesses are flowing fast and thick.
And now they are almost ready to unfurl it… Who is the visitor? The group that has collected to watch this ‘welcome’ is now placing bets.
As the canopy is unfurled, a hostess comes down the steps and almost on cue a car comes up the long and curving driveway to a smooth halt. The guessing game has reached feverish pitch now. Who is it? Who is it? The car door opens and a firang steps out
And then another firang emerges from the car. The hostess is all smiles now …
She welcomes the guests with a handshake and a smile.
“What ! No namaste, no garland? Whatever has happened to the Indian traditional welcome”, someone comments rather loudly.
And the canopy holders welcoming committee look back to see if the guests are inside…
And the, in the blink of an eye, the red silk canopy is folded…
…taken inside and then …
Never knew being a canopy holder could dirty my hands, is what the person on the right seems to be saying to the person on the left 🙂
I’m not sure what I enjoyed more: the comments of those watching this canopied welcome unfold or photographing the actual welcome as it happened. When I photographed this series of frames, it was a fun thing and I never really thought much about it. It is only when I was organising my photographs that I saw the narrative emerge as a photostory. And that’s how this post came about.
I ‘d love to hear what you think of this maiden attempt of mine. So please, please do leave your comments:-)
My Favourite Things 
Loved the commentary with the photos 🙂
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Thanks, Jas. I enjoyed writing this one 🙂
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this must surely have been fun to watch!
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Oh it was 🙂 And the best part was that the welcoming committee were very much aware of the interested crowd watching them !
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I wish the firang sees your narrative. Hilarious….
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I wish the firangs, the welcoming committee, the hotel management, and the group gathered to watch the welcome would all read it 🙂
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hahahahah! thats adorable Sudhagee…I loved the way you have commented on it!
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Thanks RM. It was really one of those things that happened. I guess the firangs must have loved the canopied welcome and all. I would probably have cringed or gone red with embarrassment if welcomed like this. At the hotel in Bikaner, I almost ran away when they came to welcome with marigold garlands and tikka. 😉
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Awesome..I especially loved your comments on each photo!! 🙂
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Thanks, Pooja. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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You had me intrigued, wondering about the visitor who as getting such a grand welcome. 🙂
Neatly done, Sudha! 🙂
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Hey, Deboshree. Good to see you here after so long 🙂 Glad to see you liked this one.
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Fun! We could have had more of the conversation you heard around you built in, to make it more like the real thing! How wild were the guesses? How critical were the comments?
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Yes, I could have added more of the conversation. Thanks for the suggestions. The guesses for who the visitor(s) could be were SRK, Brangelina, the Dalai Lama, the US President, a rich Arab, the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Anil Ambani, Madhuri Dikshit, Dhoni …
The comments were not really critical, they were more light-hearted and with a wish to be received like that. 🙂
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Entertaining to be in such situations. I overhear the most hilarious conversations on the Delhi Metro. One lady telling the other how to manage her boss, relationship advice, political discussions, once an entire gang of Indians who have lived in Russia as students talked about their experiences…..could make for a book actually!
Love your posts!
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Thanks, Mukta 🙂
I’m actually amazed at how much people share their private lives in public. My daily bus commute is highly entertaining and I’m actually working towards a blog post on that sometime next month.
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Look forward to that one 🙂
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The comments along with the pictures of the unfurling canopy were hilarious…..Well! I notice that the firangs travelled by a Toyota Innova. If the visitors were Indian celebrities, most likely they would have arrived in a BMW or Mercedes or Audi etc. Now, that may have been much more fun to watch. Imagine Preity Zinta sending one of her aides to check out the wash rooms ahead of her….
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And you know that I do not notice a car unless it is a Volkswagon Beetle or a vintage. 🙂
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Loved the photostory. 🙂 Please do more of them.
Sometimes, little incidents like these make our trips so much more memorable and fun. 🙂
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Glad you liked them, TGND and thank you so much for the appreciation 🙂
I would like to develop the Photostory into a series, but this will depend on when I can spot and shoot potential narratives. Let’s see 🙂
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This was fun but write about the palace & the collection of CARS
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The collection from the Palace museum will feature sometime in my Museum Treasure series. As for the cars, let;s see 🙂
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Ha ha!! What fun this must have been ! 🙂
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Oh yes, a lot of fun it was 🙂 I enjoyed it thoroughly !
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This is really interesting! I wish instead of handshake she had garlanded them and said Namaste, that would have made the traditional indian welcome more complete.!!
A visual treat! 🙂
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Welcome here, Kislaya and thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. Maybe this was only step one of the welcome process. Maybe there was a garland and namaste and tikka and aarti and welcome jaljira or whatever 🙂 Who knows what happened once they entered the lobby !
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Yes that is one aspect you have rightly pointed out, who knows what else happened once they entered the lobby! 🙂
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Am glad am not that rich. Would have felt very awkward being welcomed like that 😛
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A welcome like this would have seen me running off ! But I wouldn’t mind spending a night or two at the Umaid Bhavan, if nothing for the experience 😛
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That was funny Sudha, and I loved the style. Do write more of this kind.
P. S. Being married to a hotelier and knowing some of the Umaid Bhawan traditions through him, I know that the Indian style welcome of namaste, garland, tikka happened inside. There also might have been some sprinkling of itr or rose water on the guests..;)
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Thanks, Atula. I enjoyed writing this one too.
Thanks for this info. But tell me why the canopied welcome? Is it specific to the Umaid Bhawan or other Taj hotels as well?
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The canopied welcome is specific to Umaid Bhavan, where royal guests were welcomed in similar style in the era of the Maharajas. It is practical too, knowing the scorching heat of Jodhpur. Someone already prespriring from thoughts of meeting His Highness, might not want to show it one the face too…;-)
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So, it looks like I have captured something unique and specific to an iconic place like Umaid Bhava. Thanks for sharing this piece of information, Atula 🙂
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So, from travel posts to photo stories 🙂 And, re one of your replies, I too feel that embarrassment in the Club Mahindras and hv this irresistible urge to say “Dispense with the garlands and the tikkas and get me that cool drink” 🙂
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Well, this one just happened. 🙂 Not that I’m complaining. I have a couple more lined up in the coming weeks.
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Hahaha…very funny. Enjoyed your comments about the photos.
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Glad you enjoyed it, Ranjana. I had a great time writing about it too 🙂
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🙂 haha …nice photo story!
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Thanks, Mansee 🙂
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I remember seeing one more post after this one. Or wasn’t there one? :O
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I just posted one yesterday after 25 days
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