THE GLORY OF DARK SKIN

 It is not clear when things changed and Fair Skin came to be preferred in India, it is surprisingly true that traditional indian aesthetic was very different from how we see it now - it is evidently revealing by study of the paiting in the Ajanta and Ellora caves near mumbai, these caves were constructed during the rule of the " Vakatakas " allies of Gupta Empire one of the striking aspect is that most of the people in the paiting are very dark skinned. It certainly looks like ancient indians had a clear preference for the Dark Skin.There are several other evidence to support for example Krishna is considered to be the most handsome male in Hindu tradition and his name means " the Dark One " though later on he became Blue Skinned reason medieval artist depicted him Blue. Similarly Drupadi in Mahabharata is described as being very dark. Males significantly pampered themselves in india, they are following salon phenomenon with the singular object besides hair trimming to do facial, manicure, pedicure and waxing all to make the skin glow " Fair " the fairness cream of L ' Oreal , Nivea and host of such companies have added in their supplies dark spot reduction, skin brightening further manufacturers have added raw coffee wash ( Mcaffeine ) , Lakme and many more have boosted their image and made them look fair and attractive though temporarily. The fairness and bleach cream market in india is currently estimated to be worth nearly Rs 6500 crores. Fair and Lovely now named Glow and Lovely is one of the best selling personal care products in south asia. During our time some 50 years ago we had " Afgan Snow " a valuable dressing table possession.

 Gupta's Empire 1700 years ago gives us a vivid picture of what life was like for rich and idle. A lot of importance was given to personal grooming - a man routinely prefered to have an oil massage, bathe, shave, apply perfumes and get ready for the evening to head for saloon to trim his hair and add steam treatment particularly on face and hands to get a glowing skin. This was carried on and in nineteenth century profoundly in lucknow and bengal. Zamidars of early twentieth - century kolkata were quite similar to the Page 3 socialites now in cities like mumbai and delhi who like to enjoy a fabulous life style! 

Dark skin in medieval india was a preference; according to Marco Polo commenting about indian males  said the " Darkest Man" was most highly esteemed person and was considered better than others who were not so Dark "  Even God's and their Idols were 

Black" while interestingly Devils were shown as White as Snow.. "The Idol of Lord Jagannath in Puri  confirms what Polo meant "

ARCHU

 

RAJ MATA GAYATRI DEVI OF JAIPUR

 One of the most beautiful personality of history

Born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar on 23 May 1919 to Maharaja Jitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar and Maharani Indira Raje (Maratha Princess of Baroda). She had two brothers Jagat Deependra Narayan and Indrajitentra Narayan and two sisters Ila and Menaka. She studied at Glen dower preparatory school in London,

Shantiniketan in West Bengal and later in Lausanne, Switzerland. She later studied secretarial skills at the London School of Secretaries.

Her father passed away when she was still a child. Her elder brother was appointed King and her mother acted as regent. She was quite the tomboy in her teenagers and enjoyed shooting and hunting. She shot a tiger when she was just 12 years old. She was an avid equestrienne and enjoyed playing polo. She met her future husband when she was just 12 years of age. Sawai Mansingh of Jaipur, fondly called ‘Jai ‘by family and friends, had come to Calcutta for a Polo match.Many years later she eventually became his wife. They married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Cooch Behar. Life in Jaipur was completely different from what the young Princess was used to in Cooch Behar. It was quite orthodox and women strictly observed ‘purdah’ (not appearing in front of outsiders without a veil). She was a ‘different’ Maharani, who had bobbed hair, she wore slacks, rode horses and played badminton and polo on the palace grounds. She was a trailblazer in many ways and her husband completely supported her. Apart from the fact that she was very beautiful, she once featured in ‘Vogue’ magazine’s 10 most beautiful women list. She also actively worked and participated in modernizing education for girls. She established the most prominent School for Girls in Jaipur.

She had a son, Jagat Singh. She also ran for parliament in 1962 and won by a record margin for which she held a Guinness World Record. When emergency was declared in 1971 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, she was arrested and served a jail term for violating tax laws (which many claimed were politically motivated). After being released from jail, she retired from politics. She led a quiet life, working for the people of Jaipur and passed away on 29 July 2009 in Jaipur at the age of 90 after a prolonged illness.

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MY PARENTS

 While going through the following historical note : "Before independence the constituent assembly of India whose deliberation began in December 1946; when Sardar Vallabhai Patel wrote to the Dewans (administrators ) of the princely states urging them to ask their rulers to come to terms with the party which would now rule India. One of the first princes to come over to Patel's side was the Maharaja of Bikaner, his  Dewan was K. M . Pannikar a widely respected historian and administrator. After Bikaner success a dozen more states  accede to India many of them from Rajasthan ( several of the states were on the suzerainty of British Crown while others direct under British rule ). My father witnessed the ceremony  ( C.V.V. Raghavan ) a honours graduate from Christian College Madras got an interview call from the State of Bikaner in 1945 and was selected by Pannikar to join the State of Bikaner administrative services".

PEET COFFEE

 Memorable breakfast experience in downtown Berkeley courtesy Surendra SIRJI cannot be outdone - serving delicious Pancake cooked from coconut milk with fruit syrup along with customized Omelette bursting with flavors combining local products from the bay area with green vegetables it was simply sumptuous ; right across vine street corner “ Peet Coffee” reported having 200 outlets in west coast alone founded by Alfred Peet native of Berkeley in 1966( just two years before our SIRJI reached here to do his Masters at Berkeley ) the Peet specialty is its darker roasted Arabica coffee in various blends.

BEDOUIN

 BEDOUIN WITH HIS CAMEL: Bedouin religion represent the earliest primitive form of Semitic belief centered upon moon in whose light he grazed his flocks. Moon worship implies a pastoral society and sun worship represents a later agricultural stage .Further Bedouin belief that there live is regulated by moon which condenses the water vapors distills the beneficent dew on the pastures and make growth possible of plants and on the other hand  the sun does; creates harsh conditions  destroys  the plants , animal life and creates survival difficult.

Amer Fort

 Amer was originally a Meena kingdom town by the name of Khagong, ruled by the Chanda Meena king Raja Alan Singh, and was later captured by the Kachhwaha rulers in a bloody story of deceit and treachery. Sitting atop the Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles), the Amer Fort stands as a testimony to the valour and grandeur of its Rajput history. The construction of the fort began in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh, a commander in the army of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, and was developed further by his descendant Jai Singh I. Amber remained the capital till 1722, after which the seat was shifted to the newly built city of Jaipur.

According to popular belief, Amber derives its name from Ambikeshwar, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the town. Another belief suggests that Amber is named after Lord Ambavati.

This fort, with five other forts of Rajasthan, was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 for its outstanding heritage value.