If you are an Indian, a sweet tooth has to be a part of your anatomy. With taste buds allocated specially to Indian sweets made of milk, sugar and other flavourings.
That is why the mawa business is so big in the country. A key ingredient for most Indian sweets, the Mawa Bazaar located just off the Banthiyon Ka Chowk in Bikaner is the biggest wholesale market for mawa in Rajasthan after Dholpur according to Laxmi Narayan Raj Purohit, one of the vendors. Made from cow milk around Bikaner, and buffalo milk around Dholpur, villagers make these at home and sell through wholesalers. A drop of poisonous hydro gives it the solid, granular look; current prices when I checked were Rs. 80 per kilo at the retail level. The distributor would have bought it for Rs. 74, the difference being his profit. [continue reading…]
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bikaner,
Dholpur,
Mawa,
Rajasthan,
Sweets
Bikaner can get anorexics to start questioning their own resolve. The city is full of food, all in your face, being prepared afresh and looking so sumptuous that you may have little choice but to try it all.
Take your pick from kachoris, samosas, jalebis and ghevar straight from the frying wok. Or choose from all kinds of Indian sweets and savouries from menus that read more like encyclopedic compilations rather than offering of a single eatery. Go a level below and join the crowds ordering hot dogs and tikkis simmering in oil. [continue reading…]
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Bazaar,
bikaner,
food,
Rajasthan,
Shopping
Someone needs to send Wee Willie Winkie to put the people of Bikaner at bed on time. They simply don’t want to call it a day – keeping their bazaars bustling with activity till late into the night.
Not that travellers would complain. It just means more to do and see; beats retiring to the hotel early. So you have men getting a shave at ten in the night, while some others try out the traditional Rajasthani shoes or Kolhapuri Juttis. You could buy stone mortars and pestles in various shapes and sizes from a roadside vendor, or buy lingerie from a shop called Shanti (meaning peace, wonder where?). Another shop, Matching Point, promised to match silken laces with lingerine for women. [continue reading…]
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Bazaar,
bikaner,
Rajasthan,
Shopping
When in Jaisalmer, do pay a visit to Doctor Bhang. Everyone knows where to find his ‘clinic.’ For a different kind of a high.
Prepared from the leaves and buds of the female cannabis plant, Bhang can be taken in many different ways. The most popular in north India is mixed with Thandai, a cool milky drink, or in pakoras taken on the festive occasion of Holi. The Government in Rajasthan has even made its sale legal. In fact, it is a source of revenue from those who successfully bid for the vending rights. [continue reading…]
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Bhang,
bikaner,
Cannabis,
Doctor Bhang,
Jaisalmer,
Rajasthan
Eunuchs dancing at the festival. The one in the forefront, Raju Gori, works as an office boy in a Government department and performs when called upon to.
For two days and nights in January every year, the little known village of Ladera becomes a magical place. Venue of the Bikaner Camel Festival, it is host to a kaleidoscopic display of Rajasthani culture and tradition in just the perfect setting: a huge sand bowl, with clear skies and a bright moon above. And the entire area resonating with only the sounds of the festivities, far removed from the madding world we live in.
The first day of the festival this year took place at the Dr. Karni Singh Stadium in Bikaner city itself before the action shifted to Ladera, 45 kilometers away. “Rajasthan is known as the cradle of great warriors,” announced the compere as the royal guards on camels led the inaugural parade. These forces may only be symbolic now, but the riders still display the same pride as their predecessors may have when the elite camel corps, the Ganga Risala, existed and fought in the two World Wars. [continue reading…]
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bikaner,
Bikaner Camel Festival,
Rajasthan
Click on image for a larger (no pun intended) view
This sign for a body fitness centre was spotted by me in Bikaner. Looks like a gym started by someone at home. Seen on the terrace was a family member going about her daily chores. But does she look like she patronises the in-house facilities for that ‘perfect fitness?’ Are you thinking what I am? Naw, not trying to be mean here. It’s just a harmless dig!!
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bikaner,
Rajasthan,
Shop Sign
Click on image to view a larger version
To appreciate this shop sign in Bikaner in Rajasthan, you will need to be able to read Hindi. The translation just cannot do justice to it. [continue reading…]
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bikaner,
Rajasthan,
Shop Sign
Shop Sign: Two Brothers Garments (reads in yellow), Two Brothers' Shop (in red)
While in Bikaner, I noticed something peculiar: many shops had signs stating the shop belongs to brothers. Sometimes two, sometimes three and sometimes no number – just brothers in plural.
The signs seemed to be telling the world of there being brotherly love amongst the partners in the family retail business. It’s a good sign one would say. The world can do with greater bonding in an environment where most people seem to be at loggerheads with others – including within families too. [continue reading…]
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bikaner,
Rajasthan,
Shop Sign
If you plan to go from Delhi to Bikaner by road, you could follow the route I took. I have presented it in the form of my actual time sheet, and it may vary for you. Of course, there may be alternate routes too or your may set yourself a different pace, but this could serve as a benchmark (don’t get inspired by the speeds I clock though – give me a good road and I can really rev the engine up). And all distances may vary by a few miles depending on your own starting points and detours taken. (Don’t call me from the middle of nowhere if you lose your way either!!) [continue reading…]
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bikaner,
Rajasthan,
Route Planner
Fire Dancers at the Bikaner Festival in Rajasthan in January 2009
I was lucky to have been in Bikaner to witness their annual camel festival held from January 10-12 this year. One of the most fascinating events was the fire dance performed by members of the Siddh who are known to have a special vardaan or divine powers to be able to walk and dance of burning wood and coal. See all the images on Flickr. [continue reading…]
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bikaner,
festival,
Fire Dance,
Rajasthan
Anyone who has spent time in India knows street dogs are everywhere. It may be the cows on streets that catch the fancy of those from outside India, but dogs are much more ubiquitous than the bovine species.
When I reached Bikaner two days back, I was advised against venturing out on foot late at night as the dogs can turn ferocious, and bite people. Who said barking dogs don’t bite? In Bikaner, the dogs don’t seem to believe in this at least. [continue reading…]
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bikaner,
dogs,
holiday,
india,
Rajasthan
If you are in India, and miss those highways where you can rev up those fancy cars of yours, head out to Bikaner.
It is one of those great drives where you can actually cover the Delhi – Bikaner distance of about 530 kilometers (330 miles) in seven hours which I did (plus an additional one hour coffee break). Except for certain stretches between Kotputli and Sikar, the roads are almost as good as any in the world. Not just your Ferraris, even your normal Honda or Suzuki sedans will feel like mean machines. [continue reading…]
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bikaner,
Delhi,
guide,
holiday,
india,
Rajasthan,
road trip,
travel
If you are an Indian, a sweet tooth has to be a part of your anatomy. With taste buds allocated specially to Indian sweets made of milk, sugar and other flavourings.
