On my way...

I hit the road with few ambitious people in a car... on a trip to Leh. 
The journey was 'more than just physical' as I would say...On my way, I was presented with the charms of the whole of the North India on a platter...
And I relished each gain.

I saw a very different Rajasthan this time.
The core of the life. The rural scheme of things. The villages and the narrow streets.
I wasn't a typical tourist this time. But a sister, a friend and one of them.

The life of truck drivers, their veiled wives, scanty water and hungry cattle... red turbans and the 'bhang' competition. 
Dal baati, makkey ki roti aur sarso da saag.
Arid land, but moist eyes. Darkened skin but bright skies.
A place full of colours outside and within.

A land where forts and palaces is just a part of life as air and water. 
Where the 'juttis' mark protection from the evil eye and the "nimboo' just a part of the heavenly taste...

My stay in Rajastan was a brief one. But wholesome. I am left with some lasting impressions about the place which now seems very much to be my own...
Their hospitality has struck some cords within. 
It is indeed "Padharo mhare des" ...