Sunday, August 28, 2016

Touching the Capital city..Delhi


 Paris was a place among the stars, and also like the proverbial story of the little child crying for the moon. travel was not among my hubby's priorities, hence the travel bug loses out and is never persuasive. Until one day I received a wedding invitation from my cousin in Paris..
on our way..

A beautiful card, glanced at it, marveled at the romantic image of the couple and left it at that. Time flew and a casual encounter with the bride's aunt at a store sculpted my trip...Chandini.."aren't you coming for the wedding? We are going and can't wait go see the castle wedding" .honestly...had not even bothered to look up the venue of the wedding...and the word castle opened up a million memories. ?my Enid Blyton days...and the adventures in the castle and the pictures of them had always fascinated me..google speared and chiseled the rest of the way..Thibery Castle came into view and I asked myself "Am I gonna miss this? Next was putting it up before the Council....My Husband. He was in no way intrigued by the castles I usually spin in the air, and Castles were not among his favorite subjects, he would rather dream of another business project, but he saw my point....Life is a network of experiences.and this would be a platter of events which he knew money alone cannot buy. Though the mundane is his comfort zone..he yielded and murmured a Yes...Sarang, my elder son said that he was going to Greece to attend his friend's wedding and so he opted out. so it was decided that  my younger son, Sanyanth three of us wd go..Switzerland..the snow clad mountains beckoned..the gondolas of Venice..a dream..the gladiators of Rome. The bull fights in Spain, Athens and Greece..where the beautiful Cleopatra reigned and the Trojan War was fought... the ceramic and tiled walls of Morocco. Wanted to roam the streets of Amsterdam..I wanted to see them all.k..so sent hours browsing nd haggling on the places to go..and zeroed in on the Swiss Mountains, Rome and Italy..but a business opportunity appeared and Santhosh opted out. He needed to be in Dubai.. so even thought of cancelling the trip..but thank my stars, or stripes..I had the good sense to opt going with my son..Hurraayy..




  When we were small, my great uncle (the grandfather of the bride), had presented me and my brother a toy television, which would show us all the sights of Paris, and those sights are going to be live before me... Days flew by, and I was on the flight to Delhi, and I was delighted to see the airport of the capital city...A good three hours to browse through the stores...  Massive Yoga Mudras which adorned the walls put up a spectacular sight, thereby,  the great culture and the essence of ancient Indian culture which dictates a healthy lifestyle  and which the world has embraced...greets you when you enter the country..felt waves of patriotism surge up and felt proud to be an Indian..though I was always a proud Indian, I had never felt the pangs of patriotism except on Independence day.. Slogans of Swacch 'Bharath was everywhere..hope slowly at least, the dream of a clean India blossoms into a reality, than stay on slogans and posters.. Indian art and culture displayed beautifully by the various stores..The Ishaana store by the Isha foundation was spectacular...books and cds, teachings OF THE VARIOUS Gurus... we sure should be a peace loving country..a waterbody which said the water was energized, a doctor to prescribe a massage that suits your health and fits your budget,, ethnic jewelry, health foods and ayurvedic cosmetics, a palm reader, which made me involuntarily pull my hand back.. a coffee shop, and exquisite figurines which will chase you in your dreams. Soft therapeutic music in the background,  subtle and soft lighting..a stage was set for music and dance.  Bells tinkle and chime.. Bharath in a nutshell..in a glittering capsule to take back home..what it stands for and how it guides you to a healthy and holistic lifestyle, Pashmina shawls worth a fortune, spices for which we had to pay a heavy price..Just think of it…if it was not for the spices, would the foreign powers sail in? The British would have left us alone…


note the mudras






ivory elephant studded with gems

color and more color

energised water... a cafe behind


chimes and charms

The  visual appeal is given much thought.. note the intricate bangle stand

The figurinessteal your heart

Indian tea
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the departure lounge

In Paris soil..