I judged a ‘book by its cover’ and life proved me wrong

During the Christmas break, my dear friend from Germany gave me a surprise visit. She had always wanted to experience India or as she would say, “I have lived in many places my friend, but now I want to live the crazy, beautiful life in India”. So, she was elated to be in my hometown, Jaipur, the city of palaces.  I remember her musing, “don’t you think how ingenious were these historic architects! They built so much from so little technological help. I wish we could achieve the same level of greatness today.” She aspired to become an architect herself.

Next she expressed her desire to see the infamous colourful Indian bazaars, that she once saw in a magazine spread that had instantly caught her attention. The first time she tried ‘lehnga’ (Indian skirt and blouse) she couldn’t contain her joy and bombarded me with what felt like a million questions ranging from “what is this my dear friend? And how do I look in it?” to “shall I buy it? what colour should I choose? I can wear it to some wedding sometime!”

Next on our hit list was Hawa Mahal, also known as the Palace of winds. When we arrived there, we were greeted with a hub-bub of the busy market surrounding the palace. There were all sorts of shops, tiny ones where we could see little statues of Indian deities sitting on window panes, enticing tourists to buy them, then there were the food stalls, that sold the delicious street food. She tried ‘paani-puri’ (a type of snack) for the first time and I could see the glee in her eyes. At first she gulped her food, not realising the intensity of it. Though as soon as she did, she said, “Dear friend, though this food is hot and I may look all red-pink but worry not! This is the best food experience I’ve ever had. I’m sure when I tell my sister, she will be immensely jealous!” Then after filling our little tummies we went inside the Hawa Mahal.

It was a sunny winter morning and the area was crowded. The jingle of holy bells could be heard in the street adjoining Hawa Mahal. The intersection of roads at the ‘Chaupar’, the street vendors, the honking of horns and the traffic congestion made the scene feel even more lively and active. We took our tour, clicked pictures, and did all those touristy things. Then we had a little competition. We decided to count all the windows present in the palace and who-so-ever was nearest to the actual count gets to pick our next stop. She won and we made our way towards the market once again. The aroma of the spices from the shops was in the air. She was zapped at the scene. The colourful ‘chunri’, the shimmer of bangles, the traditional block printed skirts, the handicraft and the puppets in an amalgam of rich colours caught our attention. Passing through the noisy colourful bazaars and marvelling at the shops was an enriching experience for us. We met a wealth of people, the owners of small shops, who came from a lineage of craft, as well as young Indians who were interpreting Rajasthan’s culture in contemporary ways.  

I felt a tingle of sparkling black eyes and stealthy steps follow me. It was a young boy in shabby clothes carrying contrastingly beautiful ornaments. I had not purchased anything but was still exploring the market place. The boy was trying to catch my attention and as soon as I looked at him, he unexpectedly started speaking in English, telling me about the wonderful things that I could buy from his shop. I was amazed with his intellect. His knowledge about the city and handicrafts was class apart and surprised both of us. Intrigued, we followed him to the shop.

Understanding that his multilingual ability has caught our attention, he started flaunting it. He spoke in Chinese, French, even Spanish! The skinny young boy appeared to be hard working so I asked him about his family and source of living. He was a contract guide and had been hired by the shopkeeper to attract tourists.

Shopkeeper took this opportunity and started telling my friend about the beautiful handicrafts of Jaipur which she could carry as souvenir to her family and friends. My friend was also fascinated by the motivating voice and skills of the boy who had brought us to the shop and we eventually purchased a lot of goods as I wanted to favour that boy who would at least get some earnings for his efforts.

This incident was an awakening experience for both of us as it changed her vision about illiteracy and poverty in India and for me it was an eye opener about the dedication and passion in youth who wish to achieve their dreams but at times have to compromise due to lack of resources and their life.

Knowledge knows no bounds and learning is infinite. One should flow with life and put in dedicated efforts to achieve their dreams.

NOTE: Created as part of course assessment in 1st year at university; so its main focus was on the feature writing and producing effective magazine layout; instead of ensuring use copyright free images.