If I’d found the romance of India in Udaipur, then I most assuredly found the magic of this country in Jodhpur. Tetris-like rooftops sit above the crammed alleyways with a bird’s eye view of the labyrinth below and a front row seat to the ominous fort that looms over the city. Mehrangarh Fort, the backdrop for Bruce Wayne’s triumphant escape from prison in The Dark Knight Rises, creates an allure of olden day royalty and defense, a guard against any invading army keen enough to make their way across the barren desert landscape into the city.
From the walls of Mehrangarh Fort, the scene unfolds below: Bhangra music reverberates from the blue walls of the narrow lanes as children climb to the rooftops to take advantage of the sunset winds, flying their personal-pizza sized kites and playing cricket within the confines of multi-level rooftop perches. Like a real-life Where’s Waldo? book, I canvassed the town, finding worlds only visible from where I stood. Kites and kids danced with the wind, dogs found their way through the maze of steps that seemed to connect the entire city, cricket balls flew off rooftops, blown speakers roared, and adults watched it all unfold from above and below. It’s as though the seemingly non-stop chaos of the streets takes a moment to pause as the sun begins to fade away. With the completion of another day, a celebration of relief and appreciation and simple joy is in order. I’ve come to find this time of day here in India to be my favorite, as though all the pent up stresses and chaos of the day are released with the effortless dance of the kites and the innocent joy of children playing.
Aside from the impressive fort, the city of Jodhpur itself is beautiful. Nicknamed the Blue City, many of its building’s walls are painted blue, apparently to keep the city cool in the intense heat of the region, as well as to ward off mosquitoes. I’m not sure how well all that’s working out, but it sure makes for a photogenic area. Palaces can be seen on hilltops near and far, and perfectly symmetric step wells dot the city and its surrounds.
The excited waving from Indians continues, though instead of young adults staring and waving on the streets, young children find me from their neighboring rooftops as I stand and soak in the view from mine. Running from perch to perch, heads pop out from behind hanging laundry for a quick wave, before disappearing again, only to appear on another rooftop, one door over.
Once again, this country was captivating my imagination and my sense of wonder. My body stood and stared, but my mind drifted with the evening kites and my soul danced to the Bollywood beats…