In Rajasthan

by Royina Grewal

The author recalls her journey through the region and the people she met along the way

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, India

264 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

Reviews

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rajasthan is an area of northwestern India; in this book, the author, who had recently moved to Rajasthan, writes about her travels through the region.

There are three things Grewal seems particularly interested in:

1) the lifestyles of Rajasthan's various tribes, many of them historically nomadic, and in the early stages of abandoning their traditional ways.
2) visiting the palaces and forts built by the Maharajas; onetime local princelings whose descendants no longer enjoy the power they once did, but still command respect and wield influence. Grewal likes to seek out and meet these descendants.
3) the changing status of women. Some of the upper-class women Grewal meets spent most of their lives in 'purdah' (secluded from contact with the outside world), only emerging fairly recently; this creates an interesting contrast with women from the tribes, some of which have cultures which nurture female liberty to a surprising degree.

Grewal also visits a variety of religious shrines, wildlife reserves, local artisans, and so forth; an impressive range of experience condensed into a fairly small book. Definitely worthwhile for people curious to learn more about the region, or curious to start learning about the differences between India's various provinces.

[Kim Stallwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book during a recent trip to Udaipur in Rajasthan and finished it after my return home. The premise is that the author, Royina Grewal, has moved to Rajasthan with her husband to live. She wishes to explore the state. Each chapter is dedicated to a city or town that she visits. I enjoyed the book mostly because I had just visited Rajasthan -- but not all of the places she writes about -- and it revived fond memories of my time there. It's an easy read. She writes well. There's enough description to light up my recollections and imaginations but I'm not so sure readers who approach this book from the same perspective as me will have the same reactions. In short, I enjoyed and recommend it to anyone who has visited Rajasthan or wants to or doesn't want to but wants to learn more about this part of India. The beginning of the chapter on one of my favourite towns, Udaipur, begins: 'It is 6.15 on Monday morning, the day sacred to Shiva. The setting sun hovers above the edge of Udaipur's Pichola Lake, and sky and water merge in the flaming reds and pinks of Rajasthan.' This brief extract, albeit unrepresentative of the book, suggests the chaos and order of life in India, and is all the more charming for doing so.

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much potential.
Fascinating snippets of conversation - the sapera (snake chalmers) at Udaipur, the fire dancers at Bikaner, the Desert National park in Jaisalmer... heaps of others. The author had brief discussion with them all - and for me that is the downfall of this book - every discussion she has is brief. Each chapter (there are eight, covering Alwar, Jaipur, Ajmer, Chittor, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Binaner and Jaisalmer) is a whirlwind of interview or discussion, probably 10 to 15 people each chapter. Grewal just seems to get started on an interesting topic, or person, and she is off to the next one.
If the intent was to keep the book short (which it is), it would have been preferable to me to limit each chapter to two or three interviews and explore the themes in better depth to satisfy the reader a bit more. Otherwise take this 250 page book and expand it to 500 or 600!
A quick, easy read, but for me ultimately not a satisfying read.