Time's Up: Every Moment Counts

by Vasu Velamur

  All were starving, and the weather did not help in their cause. With no GPS device, the three of them were like stranded deer who looked around for the waterhole. The biggest problem was the native language. The Hindi which these millennials spoke was not something the Rajasthani could understand. It was the over bubbly actions and mimes of Vindhya that conveyed her hunger and the need to know the hotels.

  Yet how insane it was she delivered when it mattered the most, like MS Dhoni. The moment they received the directions for the place, they got a sudden jolt of energy. Their speed picked up when the windings turned into a straight and long pathway. They were sure. In their minds conceived that headed towards the center of the city, they would reach the goal. The goal was to get what they wanted urgently, a full Rajasthani Thali. A thali that starts from Churma and Ghevar to Dal Baati. Followed by a Besan Childa Sabzi to Masala Gatta. It demands to end with Jalebi and Banana Rabdi with chilled Basandhi. This was the exact image that Vindhya had in her mind as they neared the Connaught place.

  Vashist was a fair guy who also gave importance to the stomach a little. He was not such a foodie, but for sure loved basandhi a lot. It was Ranga in this group who never cared for food. Yet he used to pursue these guys and have a crunch of each item. All his preoccupied thoughts at this moment were if there was any timer set. He wasn’t sure after he had seen the Amber Fort picture. Since Ramya dealt with it the device last. This kept him on the edge, not so charged up to appreciate the meal.

  When they reached the hotel, they were in for a shock. The place was like an old Dabba that you find on the roadside along the national highways. A sizable crowd was present. It was not according to the expectations of Gen X. The small wooden stools were very low, it almost touched the ground. The table matched the height with the stools and they served only in mud baked utensils. Vindhya expected the utensils in bronze and silverware, but now expectations got fractured. Her last hope was for a good sumptuous meal. They ordered a simple meal thali. When they discovered the amount of food served, it looked more than their mouths could chew. The servings could feed half their gated community back in Madras.

  While they waited for the main course of rice to arrive, Ranga opened his mouth first and asked others. “So how do we plan to get inside the Amber Fort and what do we expect to do there?”

  “It should be easy. Ask one of these locals on how to get there and then we can figure it out” responded Vindhya.

  “Ooh” the sarcastic Vashist went again, “you are Jodha Bhai here and they will let you in without a question”

  “Enough” shouted Ranga, who lost his patience on them to go on without a break since morning. “Be practical and also we have little time here. We do not belong to this era, let’s finish this task and think of getting home fast”

  “I know why he is saying this. Ranga never likes Aloo Parathas and Dhal. He is a perfect Tambram” joked Vindhya..

  “What Ranga claims is true, let’s put our focus on the problem,” agreed Vashist

  “Then, in that case, leave the method to me,” said Vindhya. “Before you guys finish your meals I would have got all the information that you need.”

  “Done” sparked the reply from Vashist while prompting Ranga for a Hi-Fi with their left hands.

  Vindhya finished the spectacular lunch in which the finale was the finest. A tumbler that stood more than a foot long made of Rajasthani sand and Malai lassi served chill. All these items included the cost of a mere three Anaas. In retrospect, in 2020 its value would be close to Rs.60.

  She lurched into the kitchen, where they blocked her for sometime and then let her in. While these guys had lunch, Ranga looked very disturbed. The reason was about the safety of Vindhya. Vashist never cared about it and his focus got engrossed on the Jalebi and Basandhi.

  Over 10 minutes elapsed, and there was no sign of her. Both of them finally acknowledged that they should explore the kitchen to locate her. As they strolled towards the kitchen door, the door swung open and she marched out. With a bag full of desserts and an emphatic smile, she came.

  “What happened there?” asked Vashist, “and am more interested if there are any Jelebis in there?”

  “Give the Hi-Fi now”

  They all gave a Hi-Fi and Vindhya continued “Now all the facts are clear to me”

  “What facts?”

  “Remember on the way to this hotel I asked you why there are no pink buildings in this city. While the Jaipur which I experienced two years back was full of pink colour. That mystery is solved now”

  “Tell me how?” Vashist could not bear even a second of mystery. Knowing him, she was also very cryptic in her messages.

  “The pink colour comes from you know what?”

  “Don’t go around the bush, Vin, please tell me fast”

  “OK, OK, the play stops here,” showed her thumbs up. “We are in October in 1875. The king of Jaipur is…” she paused for an answer.

  Both of them drew a blank face, and it was that final lassi for this blank reaction.

  “I know you guys are weak in this subject” she continued. “The king currently ruling is by the name Maharaja Ram Singh.”

  “So what, carry on” said Vashist, but still not admitting his lack of knowledge in history.

  Vindhya smiled and went on “Sawai Ram Singh II is his actual name. He is currently wants to make Jaipur equal to that of Kolkata”

  “Why so?”

  “In 1875 Kolkata considered itself as the capital of British India. So he wants to build another city as equivalent or better than that. So he is very busy in constructing a better city.”

  “What does this have to do with the pink then?”

  “Next year, which is 1876, there is going to be a visit by the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria. Before that visit the Maharaja wants the entire city to be painted pink to receive the guests.”

  “What significance does pink have with the visitors?”

  “Pink is a colour which represents vibrancy. According to this part of the world, pink also denotes hospitality. Rajasthan has always been a delightful host to all its travelers. So now they are building what is in the future named–the PINK city”

  “Now this history is easy to get” quirked Vashist “then why the big smile on your face”

  “The Raja is about to hold a council meeting tomorrow for strategy. A strategy on how to welcome the guest and what programs do they perform to entertain them”

  “What is that got to do with your smile, are you planning to dance?”

  “No, we got to get into that meeting as outsiders who can give the Raja some important tips. In that way, we sneak into the palace”

  “Good show Vin,” said Ranga as he pointed to the exit. His hurry and irritability were because he wanted to know how to get inside the place. “Do you have all the required facts with you, Vin?”

  “Yes Boss”

  “Then let’s head to our place and then assemble a plan and start work. I guess we have less time”

  “Now that you mentioned time, I remember one more important thing. We need to be inside the palace by tonight since they will allow no one inside tomorrow.”

  “Good, you told me that now. C’mon, guys, we are back on a time-based task. Can’t see where it is going to end”

  They somehow traced their way back to the room and got some rest before exploring the plan. As Ranga was very paranoid, he opened up the device to check the timer. He found it was 30 hours, which meant they had time for rest.

  Sunday 04:37 PM

  A small rest at first continued into a full-blown sleep. All that got magnified because of the jumbo meals which they had and also the heat took its toll on them. Vashist was the first to wake up and noticed the time was around 4:30. He panicked and woke Ranga up. They let Vindhya enjoy her sleep while they thought of a plan on how to enter the fort.

  “At least last time we had some name to refer to and this time we only have a photo of the Amber Fort.” Vashist thought alo
ud, “we don’t know whom to contact or what the task is going to be this time?”

  “Stop thinking of the what and why Vashy” snapped Ranga “let’s concentrate on how to enter the fort”

  “Can we get some local dresses to blend in and then get inside?”

  “I don’t think we have that much capital. All spent all that towards lunch.” Ranga counted what remained in the cloth purse “we have to dress up Vin and get her inside first and then she sends for us”

  “Might as well write suicide on our heads. That’s a better plan”

  “Don’t be so sarcastic and judgmental. We only have limited resources on hand and we need to play with them. No use in strategizing for resources that we do not have or frowning over what we have”

  “OK, I guess that we get her as a grand ghagra choli and a nice decorative pot and send her in”

  “Good idea but she must agree to it”

  “Why not?”

  “That dress is too traditional and is a lot different from those we pick up from FabIndia”

  “It is 1875 and not 2020 where you get away with denim and Kurtis. We need to convince her” said Vashisht and rushed to wake her up.

  “Stop it. Let’s buy it and then wake her up. If she is up, we cannot even buy one with her colour combination and trials. We do not have time for it.”

  “If you say it is a fact but If I say the same thing it’s sarcastic. Good friends, I have” fumed Vashist as he sat down with the device.

  “I do it once in a while, which is why it is fine; you are doing it way overboard”

  “OK, I will stop till we reach there”

  “Where?”

  “2020”

  They locked the room and went in search of the ghagra choli. It is a full-length, embroidered, and pleated skirt that comes in a variety of colours, prints. Those are the famous ones found in Rajasthan. When they reached the shop they got enveloped by the vibrant colours and the accessories. The accessories were available even in those times. They enquired about a traditional dress and found it was a Kalbelia dance dress. It included an Angrakhi worn on the upper body. Sleeves of the Angrakhi can either be half-length or full-length. An Odhani or dupatta covers the head of the dancers. The major attraction is the long skirt on their lower body called a Lehenga or a Ghagra. It has a wide circumference. The whole dress is black, adorned with colorful decorative laces. It also employed both silver and white threads sewed in an assortment of patterns.

  The boys did not know what colour combination would go complimentary with Vindhya. They decided on this one dress, the first one which they explored and walked out of the shop. They had hardly spent 10 minutes at most. What would have taken an eternity if she had also accompanied them. They had a little extra cash which they purchased a few bangles and Kolhapuri slippers. They had made rough estimates of the size and came back and found that she was still asleep.

  Once inside the room, Vashist pleaded with Ranga, “Can I do the honors, please?”

  “OK, but don’t take it too far and spoil the plan”

  Excited, he went near Vindhya and bent down and whispered gently in her ears, “Hey Vin, Snacks have come”. He then massaged her head and rolled his fingers over her head. She got up in a jerk and sat upright, looked at Ranga, and shouted “Where is it?”

  “What?”

  “The tiffin”

  “What tiffin”

  “That’s what he said in my ears” pointed at Vashist “it has come”

  “Don’t you know him? Vin” he dismissed the entire story, “but you getting up is also good for us. Let us go over the plan now”

  “I will get my time” she sneered at Vashist “this time you win”

  “Calm down and listen. From the inputs, I found we need to start by 6 PM sharp. So that we reach the entrance before closing time.” He paused and looked into the device. Then continued, “Once there we will send her as a dancer for rehearsal. When she is inside, she sends for us as accompanists.”

  “Why me as a dancer?”

  “Imagine me in this dress” gleamed Vashist and pulled the dress out of the paper bag.

  “I resent to this idea”

  Ranga explained “This is the easiest method with the least effort and highest returns. You need to help us out here, please”

  “Imagine me in a sherwani, it’s not a pleasing sight at all” said Vashist mimicking Shah Rukh Khan. ‘So it’s only you who can do it”

  “Still, I want another colourful dress, at least. This is all black, looks like the New Zealand team dress. Awful, looks like vomiting.”

  “We don’t have time or money. It’s only for a few minutes” pleaded Ranga. “Once inside the fort you can change into whatever you are comfortable with”

  “OK, but how do I get into the fort with all the security processes?” asked Vindhya, who looked at the black dress laid over her body and checked the fit.

  “We get there and see how other dancers are entering and then somehow sneak in with one of the group.” He also winked at Vindhya.

  “Before all this, let me first try it out and you guys let me know how I look in this costume?” she said, rushing into the other room to dress up.

  After a few minutes, the door opened. The guys got overwhelmed. The dress was a perfect fit, and she looked gorgeous. Vindhya spun around to let the ghaghra up in the air. It was a beautiful sight. She realized that the dress was a hit from the silence or lack of comments from Vashist. He got enthralled by the moment and for once he was out of words, his sarcastic words.

  “Wow, Vindhya never thought it would fit you so well” clapped Ranga and gave a Hi-Fi to her.

  “Once done, I would like to take some more of these back. They are exceptional.” She already jumped and spun like a coin in a rather small room.

  “OK Vin, pack up what you need while he will take care of our other items”

  “I’m almost done, only the device and our money bag. It is anyway close to empty”

  “It's done,” she said. She picked the new dress and folded it into a cloth bag that was lying near the bedside table.

  After a few minutes or 29 minutes whichever came earlier, Vindhya announced “I’m done and ready”. She came out dressed like a dancer and looked picture perfect. She was looking grand and charming. There was a reason both the guys plunged into selecting this dress. They have never seen her in a traditional dress since their primary school days. All they have seen is her in denim and shorts and a few times in a sleeveless churidar. In this magnificent dress, she looked gorgeous. She was like someone else and it was a pity that they could not take any digital remembrance of this costume.

  The guys signaled their readiness by the thumbs-up signs. The time was right for them to walk to Amber Fort. It was roughly around 4 KM and by Ranga’s estimate it would take them around an hour to reach. So they planned to be there by 6:30 PM sharp. On the dot at 5:30 PM, they left the building. When Ranga looked into the device, it flashed a photo of the fort. Nothing had changed while the timer ticked itself down as usual.

  It was a long walk and nothing eventful happened. They were in deep thought of three distinct things which would not interest the others. Vindhya thought of how to make money here and purchase more dresses and where she can get time to shop. Vashist contemplated on how to make it inside the fort with ease. Since the last time when he visited with his family for a vacation, the fort remained closed because of a movie shoot - Jodha Akbar. Ranga for his part thought of how to solve this photo puzzle and finish this time travel adventure. Unlike in Thirukoshtiyur, here it was a fully functional fort.

  ∞∞∞

  Chapter-9

  Make The Royals Talk

  Sunday 06:22 PM

  The journey to the fort was a nice, long one, according to Vashist’s stamina levels. He huffed and puffed as they neared the foothills of the palace. It had taken them exactly 52 minutes for this 3.6KM walk. The best part was total silence, as they were in a mood to fight. They saw a b
ig queue of people, which forced the boys to send the girl to scavenge for data.

  Vindhya went towards the last group standing in the line and greeted them with a hello “Ram ram Sa”. The group responded with “Tha kaisan ho sa?” [Translated: Fine, thank you]. When she heard these words, it sealed the fact that she couldn’t continue the conversation. It was better to ask them in English, and she switched back to her comfort zone.

  “Sir, why are you all standing in this line? What line is this for?”

  “Beti, this is the line for the dancers’ audition” the group leader responded kindly. “I see you have also come for the same. Get into the line and stand next to us”

  “OK, sir,” she said and waved at her friends to come behind her. She showed that this was the line for the entry.

  The line was big, but it moved fast. To know more about the protocol, she reached out to the leader again “Sir, how do they check for the entry? Do you have any pass or token?”

  The startled man said, “Beti, I have no idea of what a token is or a pass. Simple, stay in this line and answer the question and get in”

  “What question do they ask?”

  “Oh, so this is your first time?”

  “Yes sir”

  “The questions keep changing. How we manage is to look at the groups in front of us and figure it out”

  “So we can hear every group’s question and answer?” intruded Vashist

  “No beta, you can hear only the two groups before you. So be sharp and answer spontaneous else the entry will get blocked”

  “Thanks, sir, but one more doubt I have”

  “Yes beta, what is it?”

  “What will happen if we give the wrong answer? Will they throw us into jail?”

  “No beta, you have 2 chances. After that, the group will get disqualified. That’s all they do. Our king is an amiable person so will not harm people”

  “Thank you, Sir,” said Vashist. He then turned to Ranga “Hey Ranga, keep a good watch of the previous 2 groups and deduce the answer fast”