Travel by Nivine Maktabi

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Incredible India it is!

So back to 1986, we went to Bombay via Dubai, (not Mumbaiback then) and as I was young (or should I say younger) de-tails like travelling first class for the first time was exciting.

The fascination didn’t stop there as it was only the beginning ofan exciting trip. After we landed, I just fell in love with this richmulti cultural country till this day. I was very lucky to have visi-ted important cities with my dad, like Bombay, Delhi, Agra andSrinagar in Kashmir. It was also the first time I heard of theHimalaya Mountains when my father pointed at them from theplane on our way to Srinagar. Since that day, my visits to Indiawere recurrent, be it for leisure, a wedding, a carpet fair, or for myown carpet and pashmina designs production… Recently, I visited

«Where there is Love, there is Life».Mahatma Gandhi

Room with a View at the Rambagh Palace.

Dyeing pashmina in shaded color hues. Dyeing the Cashmere fabric.This trip is very dear to my heart as it marked a bigmoment in my childhood. It was back in 1986 when mylate father planed our New Year holiday. We flew fromBeirut to Dubai, (my first visit to the virgin Dubai backthen) with only few hotels like the Intercontinental andone mall called Al Ghorair. I was curious at a young ageand everything fascinated me and that’s why I rememberthe trip very vividly. It was also my first time I sipped thetraditional Arabic Gulf coffee full of cardamom. Today thistype of coffee is still my favorite when I travel to thispart of the world and to my surprise even the CarltonJumairah hotel in London serves it in its lobby lounge.

New Delhi and Jaipur with my mother who also appreciates thiscountry that leaves great memories with my father. For those whohaven’t visited this part of the world due to the mix views theyhear be it maybe poor and dirty, I tell them they should at leastvisit once and see for themselves. Yes the country is full of contra-dictions yet isn’t Lebanon full of contradiction too? India is a ve-ry colorful and multi cultural country where people of differentsects coexist. It is also a country where they have the world mostbeautiful temples, landscape, luxury hotels. During this trip, Irealized how rapidly the country and specially the capital has de-veloped, starting from their amazing international airport that atone point I thought it was a copy of Heathrow airport in London.

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There are many places to visit in thecapital, I will state a fewThe Lotus Temple is an interesting place to visit that resembles alot like Sydney’s Opera House in Australia. I have visited the templefor the first time in 1998, a decade or so after its completion.Due to its shape, this Unified House of Worship (Bahai House),was named like the flower. It was designed by Iranian architectFariborz Sahba and completed in 1986. It is a gathering place wherepeople of all religions may worship. The lotus represents the ma-nifestation of God and it is also a symbol of purity and tenderness.

When in New DelhiPart of my trip was work related; for the new readers, I create anddesign unique patterns on both carpets and cashmere shawls reflectingmy middle-eastern roots while being fashion sensitive. India, likeIran, Pakistan and Nepal has a very skilled manpower and artisanswhen it comes to carpets weaving and sourcing the best cashmerefor my scarves. Like always, I was delighted to visit the factorieswhere the artisans are working and where I can spot check the workin progress of my signed carpets. Should you be planning your nexttrip, it is advisable to travel to India from October to beginning Mayin order to avoid the heat and the monsoon season in summer.

HotelsThere are many charming hotels with great landscape to visitand to try their restaurants. Some hotels gather selective boutiqueslike the Imperial Hotel, the Hyatt, Oberoi which is close to a golfclub for those who play Golf, the Lodhi Hotel, Taj chain hotels,among other luxury chain hotels. During this visit, we stayed atboth Leela Palace Hotel which is only 6 years old and the ImperialHotel which is an old palace with its beautiful gardens. TheLeela Palace offers a roof top pool overlooking the city and its hugeparks and a Spa by ESPA. The Spa proposes the best European,oriental and Ayurvedic therapies using only the purest natural in-gredients. I really enjoyed my stay and the impeccable service. Asfor the Imperial hotel, it has a wide selection of remarkable res-taurants; however I was a bit disappointed with the rooms’ decor.

Shopping TherapyTunics, Kaftans, silk Sarees, ethnic garments, Papier Mache articles,Indian Jewelry, costume jewelry, Cotton fabrics & bed linens,handpainted Indian paintings of different Gods, Indian spices areamong the items one should look for as souvenirs from India. Irecommend browsing these malls and markets i.e.: Khan mar-ket, Dilli Haat open crafts & food market, GK market, EmporioMall for couture & evening wear by local impressive Indian de-signers, Promenade Mall, Select Citywalk mall, Connaught place…For affordable and good quality garments check Fabindia store,it has many branches all over the city. Ogaan is a high-end in-teresting shop showcasing modern local talented Indian designers.During your stay, I highly recommend watching an Indian danceperformance: the Kuchipudi Indian dance colorful show with theirtraditional artistic costumes. As for restaurants, of course thereare many, for a souvenir picture with the biggest Indian flag,I would say enjoy a meal at QBa on their outdoor terrace, inConnaught place (built by the British) considered the center ofDelhi. Among other good restaurants are: Le Cirque at Leela Hotel,360 at Oberoi Hotel, House of Ming in Taj Mahal Hotel, Amici,Town Hall (my favorite) and Good Earth café, all in Khan Market.

India Gate in Delhi.

Dandi March view at night.

Garden at the Leela Palace Hotel in Delhi.

Indian Kuchipudi dance performance by children.

Hauz Khan Complex view.

India GateThe smaller version of Marble Arch in London and Arc de Triomphein Paris: India Gate is a War Memorial, built in 1931, designed bySir Edwin Lutyens. This 42 meters high stone arch of victory has thenames of the 90000 Indian soldiers who died in the First World War.

Dandi March Gandhi is considered the father of the nation. The Dandi Marchstatue represents an important part of the Indian independencemovement. It was a direct action campaign of tax resistance and non-violent protest against the British salt monopoly, directly followed thePurna Swaraj declaration of independence by the Indian NationalCongress on January 26, 1930. The Salt March was also called theWhite Flowing River because all the people were joining the proces-sion wearing white khadi, travelled continuously on foot for 24 days.

More places to visitOne should also visit the Red Fort in Old Delhi and experience itscapturing colored market. Qutb Minar represents the Tower ofVictory for it not only commemorated the ruler’s conquest of Delhibut served to proclaim the power and prestige of Islam. Built inred sandstone and decorated with superbly carved quotations fromthe Qoran, the tower rises 86 meters high. This shows how the coun-try is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices.

Traditional Indian Mirror Work on Garments.

Traditional Auto Rickshaw Tuk Tuk Taxi in India.

Overlooking the largest Indian flag onConnaught Place from QBA rooftop.

as a hunting lodge and expanded in 1925 as a Royal Palace thatwas converted into a luxury hotel by Maharaja Sawai Man SinghII in 1957. The landscape is absolutely stunning and breathtaking.The 300 peacocks or so are just exceptional. The dining expe-rience is also outstanding. And the Yoga morning classes are high-ly recommended. The Jiva Grande Spa, just like everything elseat the palace, is a window back to the days of pampered royalty.It is indeed a fairytale ambience, along with its signature Spa the-rapies. The décor is unique, wooden floors, glowing royal chan-deliers, regal Indian love swings and of course the famous massi-ve indoor swimming pool where the Maharani used to swing andjump in. A golf course is also walking distance to the premises.The main attractions of Jaipur are: the Amber fort, Hawa Mahal,City Palace, Albert Hall museum, Jantar Mantar, Jal Mahal,Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh Fort…

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Amer Fort Pronounced Amber, the fort is located high on a hill, built byRaja Man Singh I. The fort with its large walls, series of gatesand cobbled paths, overlooks the Maota lake and its forefront.

Hawa MahalA must do Postcard picture opposite the Palace of Winds. Itwas built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Sign and designed inthe form of the crown of the Hindu God, Krishna. The exte-rior looks like the honeycomb with its 953 small windows thatare decorated with intricate latticework. This unique flat sur-face served as a peephole for the royal ladies, allowing themto observe everyday life in the street below without being seen.

JaipurMy second stop was Jaipur, the land of Kings, the land of theMaharaja, also known as the Pink City because the Maharajaordered the buildings to be painted in pink to welcome Edward, thePrince of Wales in 1878 since pink denotes the color of hospitality.Jaipur is famous for its unique architecture, forts, monuments, palaces,art & crafts and jewelry collection. You may reach Jaipur either byplane which is less than an hour flight or couple of hours by car viaAgra, allowing you to stop by Taj Mahal and witness the love storyof Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal was built byMughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz. Theconstruction was completed in 1653 after 21 years of hard work, em-ploying thousands of artisans from Iran and Italy… overlooking theendless sea as a sign of the Emperor endless love. In 1983, the TajMahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as «thejewel of Islamic art and one of the universally admired masterpiecesof the world’s heritage». We stayed at the Rambagh Palace Hotel, partof the TAJ hotels resorts and Palaces and former residence of the Ma-haraja of Jaipur. Guests are welcomed warmly making us ladies feellike a Maharani with petal of roses falling upon arrival. RambaghPalace is home to history, heritage and heroic folk fare, built in 1835

City PalacePart of it is the current residency of the Maharani. The lastMaharani is Diya Komari who is an Indian politician, managesthe family heritage and resides in a section of City Palace.City palace is a palace complex in Jaipur, including the ChandraMahal palace which is partly a museum and partly the royalresidence and Mubarak Mahal palace. The best part of thispalace was the immense royal hall showcasing the biggest outs-tanding chandelier and the gigantesque Persian floorcoveringcarpet resembling to the Ardabil in V&A London museum.

Traditional Welcome at the Rambagh Palace Hotel in Jaipur.

Inside Palladio Restaurant in Jaipur.

Royal Welcome at the Rambagh Hotel in Jaipur.

Albert Hall Museum.

Inside City Palace with an Antique large carpet.

City Palace Guards.

Hawa Mahal high screen wall.

Ganesha most worshiped God in India at the entrance of the House.

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For your shopping in Jaipur, the concierge at Rambagh Palacewas very efficient and handed me a list of their recommended

shops according to ones interest, whether you are after jewelryi.e.: Amrapali, Gem Palace or textile…in that case I would suggestAnokhi for their block print garments and home accessories anda light lunch at their cute café.

There are many interesting and modern concept stores aroundthe Hotel Narain Niwas Palace that I very much enjoyed brow-sing around for unique items and gifts. While you are walkingaround these stores, I propose you have a bit at Palladio res-taurant, a very nicely decorated Bar/Delicatessen not to bemissed. You may also try Nerouz, a local restaurant servingtraditional Indian and multi cuisine frequented by mainly locals.

Gem PalaceA must stop if not for shopping at least for the pleasure of theeye and to enrich your brains with culture, art, history and sim-ply enjoy detailed work of the Indian rose cut and flat diamondsin all shapes and sizes and the «mina-kar» enamel work…Samir Kasliwal, son of Sanjay, the third generation in this fami-ly business, was my story teller. He explained to me how every-thing around us is from the 1850s, be it the wallpaper that hasn’tchanged color, the electric switches for the lights that are alsofunctional to the impressive building as a whole... I am a bigfan of the Indian rose cut diamonds and fell in love with theglamorous collection. I was lucky to see and wear some of theirmasterpieces and museum pieces he has in his safe. It is worthnoting that the Kasliwal family was even behind the impressiveoutstanding wedding gift necklace and headpiece that thedaughter in law of Amir Qatar wore on her wedding ceremony.

The city is known as number one in the jewelry business,second comes textile i.e.: block printing that one has to ex-

perience and see the work live, carpets come third in place andlast but not least marble mine for gardens, houses, floorings…

On the streets, you cannot but notice the sacred animals walkingaround you like the elephants («the elephant-headed God» ShriGanesh), monkeys (the god of power and strength) or cows, oneof the most worshiped animals in India. They are considered holyanimals in the Hindu culture. The symbolic significance of animalsin India is as vehicles of God. Hence, you may visit the Gold ele-phant temple built by the Maharaja in the elephant village in Jaipur,or the Money Temple… It is interesting to learn about the differentGods, I will state few Gods names that we hear and see in paintings,inside the temples and at home: Ganesha, Shiv or Shiva, Ram,Hanuvam, Balaji, Godess Laxmi, Godess Saraswati… it is nice tokeep from your trip for good luck, blessing or just a nice souvenir.

In brief, the story of the Kasliwal family dates back to the XVICentury, during the Mughal Empire when the Maharajas, «greatkings’of India, represented a vision of splendor and magnificence.»And since then the Kasliwals first established their status as le-gendary jewelers. This is how, in 1852, The Gem Palace was born,nestled in Jaipur. Today Sanjay Kasliwal creates sophisticated,opulent pieces of jewelry that impressively reconcile his Indiancultural heritage with Western inspirations. He effortlessly fusesthe techniques of the world’s best goldsmiths, juxtaposingcontemporary Italian style with ancestral Indian heritage intohis designs. The store is a gem in itself and holds a beautifulcollection from what I call affordable luxury to museum pieces.

I am sure you will enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed livingthese moments and look forward visiting India again. I am happy toannounce that I got inspired by Gandhi and designed limited editioncashmere shawls depicting one of his quotes «My Life is My Messa-ge» and «Where there is Love, there is Life»: Mahatma Gandhi

Antique swing outside the Yoga class in Rambagh Palace.

Carpet making.

Final touches and quality control on a modern handmade indian carpet.

Block Print Art Work on Cotton.

Drawing of the Headpiece necklace for the Qatari Royal Wedding.

New Museum of the Gem Palace Jaipur in progress.

Checking the colored raw stones.With the Kasliwal family and their art works.