Sunset over the Gadi Sagar in Jaisalmer

A shop in Rajasthan

We went to Rajasthan in 1995 to see the total solar eclipse. As we so often do, we traveled with a tour group until after the eclipse, then we wandered off on our own.

Rajasthan is hot. Most of it is the Great Thar Desert, which stretches from west of Delhi into Pakistan. We were happy to swim at our hotel in Jaipur, and a theme began to emerge.

We went to the town of Nawalgarh, in the Shekawati region, to see the eclipse. Most of the tour group stayed in tents on the grounds of the Roop Niwas palace outside of Nawalgarh. We stayed in a palace suite. (We just asked the tour group operators, and no-one else had expressed a preference!) The palace, built in the 1930s, was a crumbling, charming place with a swimming pool surrounded by wild parakeets and peacocks.

A Temple in Nawalghar

In one of the palace garages, a young man from Jaipur named Banty had set up a small shop to sell souvenirs and artwork to eclipse viewers. We struck up a conversation with him; business was non-existent and he wasn't happy. He was spending Divali away from his family.

Later that evening, when we returned from a stroll through town, Banty came out and profusely thanked us. Apparently our's had been the lucky purchase, and afterwards business had picked up. We agreed to meet Banty in Jaipur later on our trip.