AN OUT OF THIS WORLD PLACE-RAWLA NARLAI

It was in the December of 2007 that my brother planned a trip to Narlai in Rajasthan. We were driving from Mumbai to Narlai. I had never heard of the place and so was wondering about what to expect.

Was I surprised? Wait , read and then decide for yourself.

We set out in the morning and went past a lot of towns and reached the beautiful highway in Gujarat, which evoked memories of highways of USA and motorways of UK. I was amazed to see this fast road, without bends and turns and a stretch of road where one could speed. Oh yes, we too can have good highways in India!

After speeding on  that road, we came back to terra firma with a thud and relaxed back in the security of bumpy roads, slow traffic, towns and villages by the roadside and the usual drive on the roads of my India with camel carts, scooters, cycles and tractors vying for space with trucks, lorries, buses and cars.

Soon there appeared a lovely fort on the horizon. We moved past and I realised that was not our destination. More bumpy roads were crossed, and then we slowly took more turns on almost kutchha roads and reached a sleepy little town, with few houses and a hillock. We had reached our destination! There was a huge gate and some walls in front of us. When the gates were opened, some nagadas(kettle drums) started beating and we were given a welcome fit for royalty. The gates transported us to another era in another world. From 20th century India we got transported to a mix of 16th and 21st century India.

A lovely palace stood infront of us. Beautiful green plants, flowers, small little water tanks with beautiful patterns, niches in the walls to hold lamps, wicker chairs, all emerged in front of me. Tired after our journey we waited to be shown our rooms. I was delighted with the thought that I was at last going to sleep in a palace where lived Ranis and Ranas and all those shoor- veer( brave) Rajpootana people, for whom honour came before everything else!

The garden

 To my dismay, we walked past the palace and crossed many doors and emerged from the last huge door into yet another world. There was a designer's swimming pool,  and colourful fluttering tents with wicker chairs in front of them. Oh my goodness...was I to live in a tent? Entering the tent I was delighted to see the comfortable beds, the comfortable chairs and beautiful linen! There was an attached bathroom but no door! Only a curtain was there, although the facilities inside were of 5 star quality. The swimming pool was designed by Raghvendra Rathore a famous designer and also a scion of the royal family of Mewar. The tiles on the bottom of the pool have been arranged in a paisley pattern and looked amazing.

The tent and the Swimming pool

There were no call bells in the rooms. I was wondering  how to manage to get some tea. I came out of my tent and saw an attendant standing a few feet away with is hands behind his back and eyes looking down. The moment I began to walk towards him he looked in my direction and waited for my instructions. He took my order for tea and left his post. I was later told that someone or the other would be waiting around always to obey our orders. Royalty?...Indeed!

There was no TV, no phone, no bell, nothing but beauty, farmabardaars(people to look after your needs),serenity and tranquility. This is what a holiday is all about. A place to detoxify your mind too! No news, no newspaper, no mobile phone! Sheer bliss, and a time to enjoy being just you with your own self

Rawla Narlai was an amazing out of this world place. It was a destination to remember.

Every day the food was served in style, on time and without calling out to a waiter. Everything worked like clockwork. The waiter would actually wait for your order, and come quietly to attend to your needs. They were like dumb waiters, with eyes down and mind alert.

The room

There is nothing much to do in Narlai except climb the hill and watch the sunset. Here again someone takes you up the hill on your little adventure, serves you tea on top of the hill and takes pictures of you .

On the last day of our stay we saw a performance of the famous kalbelia dancers. They dance on thaals( large plates), and there are a lot of acrobatics involved in the lovely dancing and  balancing acts. We heard beautiful folk songs sung about the valour and history of this part of Rajasthan. Every day the food was delicious and different.

As my brother had some friend living nearby, we visited that family. Once again we were transported into the 14th century. This was a joint family with a huge haveli. We went into the house and as our host walked into any room, the women of the house would immediately swirl their skirts and quickly sit down on the floor. It was sort of customary for the women never to face the men of the house. It was sort of purdah( hiding)I couldn't believe that this was hapenning in this time and date.

We went in the backyard of the house and saw that it was decorated with lights and tables were laid out for a feast. We ate splendid Rajasthani cuisine and listened to the folk music. Later we were invited inside by the women who showed us their beautiful jewellery and dresses. They all danced the ghoomar for us.

Rawla Narlai was like a world waiting to be discovered. It is amazing, unique and beautiful.

It was one of the most  delightful holidays that I have been to. The total experience was absolutely out of the world.

One can reach Rawla Narlai from Udaipur to experience what Mewar and its culture is all about!