I had been to Jodhpur recently.. for a friend's marriage. It was a very nice experience!
Visiting a new area, meeting new people, and facing a different climate..
It was just a 3 day trip , but it gave me new eyes, a different view - of myself , of others, of what I have been knowing and doing.
The toughest part of the trip was explaining my country's traditions to foreigners.. I realised that we being brought up in India, have known things implicitly.. Like an Arranged marriages, wearing turbans, etc. But they are puzzled!. Its amazing for an American girl to understand how can any Indian girl get married to an absolute stranger and go with him only becoz her elders, her parents have chosen the guy for her. It was difficult for theAmericans to understand, why some rituals are auspicious..Lighting a fire and going round it in Marriage seemed to be a source of pollution to them .
It made me think, do we Indians know why we do it? Do we ask questions and find that these rituals have meanings and significance of their own or we just blindly follow them? IF its blind faith , its superstition, but yes .. if I understand it , it isnt!
Snaps for the trip in two links..
One with the purpose of visit and all people involved
http://www.esnips.com/web/HemendrasMarriageinJodhpurand the other with the Places we watched in Jodhpur
http://www.esnips.com/web/JodhpurPalaceandFortTheres lot more to be written about the trip and people met.. Some other time !