Tonight it’s you and me,

leheriya dupattas, bandhej & Johri bazaar,

a favourite threesome

somewhat quiet tonight.

ebbing winter’s quiet winds lead

their rhythmic swaying.

simmering lights of Hawa Mahal.

Twilight is special in Jaipur.

Honking bikes & rickshaws few,

still play hard upon my nerves,

I ask for a virgin Toddy

at LMB, now quieter than I know.

a single fat aaloo tikiya

costs me a pretty penny.

you stare aghast, I say,

it’s not two for one, it’s one for two.

we laugh foolishly at how

naïve we are.

Twiddling plans on giant twin beds,

the following day may loosen

our purse strings we reckon.

bring it on we whisper,

as fatigue claims us.

Nahargarh fort, its designer ramparts

no longer twinkling,

beckon in flashy sunlight.

It’s day two in the morning.

I stare up at zigzag lines

Of the past or the present,

matters not.

the toddy, meddling virgin it was,

notions of present & past a royal mess.

Jaipur, you’re into

Magical Realism, are you not!

Rajasthan lays it on thick, and fast,

forgotten esthetics rise and shine,

antique silvery streams,

men and women

colours interwoven, entwined,

betel-chewing rickshaw drivers

lure us to ‘cheap’ factory outlets,

we struggle to refuse,

an overbearing stance welcomes

grounded airplanes,

they speak of empty streets,

lack of commerce and tourists.

Our hearts hurt, we give in,

again and again.

we look where they ask,

we see what they wish us to see,

we don’t bargain, we buy.

Jaipur, your specialness I embrace,

your simplicity in its pink glory,

standing proud and tall.

withstanding storms

a Citadel, you weather it all,

giving of yourself,

singing Rajasthani folklore.

Never a curtain call,

you enthrall.

©knmarch2021