irst, it was the change of entire itinerary and then a surprise stay of extra three nights in Jaipur that made my lone guest Janice somewhat furious in Delhi.
But the change was not without any pleasant reason.
I did this to make her stay in my village home to witness wedding of my close cousin.
Any other tourist I wouldn't have dared change her program without permission but Janice had traveled with me a year ago and I had the liberty.

The Participants

Introducing my family and relatives to her became a long event. Even at the time of her farewell after overstay of two more days, she was still meeting someone new to her. We have a huge undivided family with several of my uncles with dozens of relationships off-shooting from relatives and wives of each of them. Clearly make my family-members 300 plus! As usual the whole village stood invited. Nevertheless privacy was the commodity Janice couldn't afford to have. Always surrounded by my cousins, she was being cared more than she could demand. Who needed the privacy anyway when something is happening each hour of the day?

Entertainment

And she witnessed it all. Our house as the scene of multitude of activities. Inner courtyard reserved for the ladies. Women from all homes coming and going, sharing all the works- cleaning grains, grinding spices and applying henna.
Songs being sung in local dialect, lyrics and tunes superbly known to every lady- an oral treasure passed through generations.
Women have own way of entertaining themselves- dancing in elegant swirls and imitating the men.

Outside, were the men gossiping and doing the fine job of meeting every new guest.
Several rounds of tea, hot milk and snacks in-between went on with discussions ranging from anything to everything.
Some supervise the enormous makeshift kitchen which had been on job since more than 48 hours now.
The sheer magnitude and variety of food-items (Sweets top the list in importance) to be prepared was to be grand.

A social responsibility

For the wedding is an event for all. It is noticeably not a personal affair at all; definitely a social and community event.
The musicians auspiciously playing shehnai now since past many days outside the main gate have their own share of personal involvement.
Neither the village women collecting everyday at our home singing in chorus shy away from their collective social responsibility.
In the same way sweepers, barber, potter, priest, cows, horse, each and everyone in the village is involved in the celebration with their roles discreetly, distinctly, colorfully and meticulously wrapped up in a ritual or another.
Hospitality, the kind which most learned hotel management graduates may learn a few tips from, is extended to one and all.

Things go on and on in the house full with flurry of activities.
The celebrations go on for days, songs for weeks and preparations for months. Nobody knows who started it all, who remembers hundreds of these customs so carefully and who makes these actually happen.
But combination of these makes it a grand spectacle.
Possibly, the scale and magnitude of such events is an emulation of Rajasthan's great princely past*.
But this is not merely a show of splendor; it is a realistic display of social and community bonds- a classic case of expert event management.

As a matter of fact, making tour arrangements in Rajasthan is a sort of wedding arrangement- colorful, spectacular and soulful; above all an expert event management.
More than anyone, Janice knows this as she certainly didn't regret her overstay.

* The Princes and Maharajas have been renowned for their life of great luxury and style.
The stories of their elaborate pomp & shows, opulent palaces, fine hospitality and most expensive wedding arrangements (in the world!) are narrated even today.
No doubt such closely watched splendors have been a fantasy for ordinary people with princes and princesses as their role models. This influence is best visible in Rajasthani wedding ceremonies.

RAJASTHAN TOUR PACKAGES:
A tale of beautiful cities || History & the wilds || The lasting impressions
Rajasthan's living heritage || Deep in India || Jewels of India
The Rajasthan fascination || First footprints
The Lost World || Eternal fairy tale

RAJASTHAN TRAVEL ATTRACTIONS:
Safari Tours in Rajasthan || Wildlife Sanctuaries in Rajasthan || Heritage Hotels of Rajasthan
Luxury Train Tours in Rajasthan || Villages of Rajasthan || Tribal Visit to Rajasthan
Adventure in Rajasthan || Yoga, Meditation And Rejuvenation in Rajasthan
Fairs and Festivals of Rajasthan || Shopping in Rajasthan

RAJASTHAN DESTINATIONS
Ajmer || Alwar || Bikaner || Bharatpur || Bundi || Chittaurgarh || Dungarpur
Jaipur || Jaisalmer || Jhalawar || Jodhpur || Kota || Mount Abu || Nagaur
Pushkar || Ranakpur || Ranthambhore || Shekhawati || Udaipur