You know that moment when you're on a vacation and you find something that piques your curiosity in that unquenchable way that only hours of digging can fulfill? Until you spend hours in one spot, sans movement or a care in the world, digging for that object of interest, it won't suffice. For almost all of my friends, it's something unique and knowingly or unknowingly, they always gravitate towards it, like some unknown force is pulling at them from all directions, and they land up in that place where they were always meant to be. The interesting part is noting the wide range of interests this obsession of digging can take: for some it's vinyls, for others it's golf equipment and merchandise, for textile aficionados like me, it's always and always will be nondescript textile shops.
The look for day 1 of roaming in Udaipur's old city: Maktub Reversible Shacket
But on this trip to Udaipur, I found something more as well. And up until now, there was no sign of this obsession taking shape. But alas, it had to materialize, and materialize it did. The love for vintage. In India with its history of years of turmoil, partition, colonization, riches to rags, and to semi-riches again, there is a replete sense of collective nostalgia that we can dwell on, and that makes vintage in India all the more interesting because of having a personal vendetta. I was left flabbergasted in some of the vintage shops, thinking of my long-gone ancestors in every photo I encountered, every coin that passed through my hands.
A hidden gem of a vintage shop in Udaipur
But this digging for me didn't come so easy. Like the indomitable spirit of the Mewar clan, Udaipur tested me. On the first two days, I enjoyed the sights and sounds but found myself reminiscing the bylanes of Jaipur and being slightly off-put by the swarms of tourists waiting to capture either themselves by the lakes or the lakes itself, of which I was part too, but I obviously think of myself as a 'real tourist' and all other tourists as 'novice tourists', if you know what I mean! My sister & I were on the lookout for the city's heartbeat, and in the first two days it did not reveal itself. And just like the plot of every adventurous story to ever exist, there it was: unassuming, standing right in front of us these two days, waiting for us to follow the scent.
Crate digging in one of many vintage shops in Udaipur
The day started with a decision to go with the palatial City Palace instead of the ruins of Chittorgarh Fort for two reasons: the travel was too much and we didn't want to waste time on the way; and simply because there was no surety it would be worth it, or would there be guides with knowledge deep enough to tantalize our thirst for the history of the fort. And that day, as if we magically woke up on the right side of the bed, we found him: right at the gate of the City Palace, my favorite part about Udaipur, the mustachioed sun.
Guard at The City Palace, Udaipur with a sun badge
The ornamental sun with its mustachioed Rajput face is the traditional emblem of the royal family of Udaipur (Mewar). The Mewars are the highest in rank and dignity among all the Rajput chiefs of India, because they are descendants of the sun God. The Sun in spirituality signifies the source of light and nourishment that sustains all living things, and the potential for illumination and understanding within oneself. By this time, I was definitely feeling illuminated with the chunky portions of royalty all around me, being engulfed in the science of the palatial palace that took multiple generations of Mewars' a whopping 400-years to build.
Image courtesy: The City Palace Museum, Udaipur
The digging for mustachioed suns and vintage shops continued well into the day post our well-deserved pitstop for food and views at Jagat Niwas Palace post the palace-gawking and in the evening we ended it with a sunset boat ride to conclude the spoils of the day with a relaxing, rejuvenating breeze. I discovered many hideouts during my walking trips in many of the narrow by-lanes for handmade in India art, curios for home decor and textiles. Like the story of Schrödinger's Cat, I was convoluted in two places at once: Jaipur and Udaipur. Jaipur being my life's first love. Up until I realized that in quantum physics, as in life: the tiny particles of my curiosity can be in each place together, and all at once, sans drawing favorites, loving each one equally, until there. As for Udaipur and I, we will be waiting to devour each other's planes of existence until the next time we meet.