Around the World with Hardy(T)Around the World with Hardy(T)Three days on camels in the desert had certainly taken their toll and, quite naturally, members of the group wanted to get cleaned and dressed up for dinner at our reasonably swanky hotel that night. What was quite bizarre, however, was that virtually every member of our party had gone into town and bought, quite independtly, some local Rajasthani clothes to wear that night! The prize however, had to go to Steve who not only went the whole hog and bought a baggy white silk suit and turban, but also a couple of ceremonial swords for his collection!
Our
entertainment that evening was certainly quite a surprise - a dancing eunuch!
I learnt some very interesting things about eunuchs that night. Apparently
they are born eunuchs rather than become them, and their families have to
give them away to 'the eunuchs' when they are born. Within this separate
society of eunuchs they learn the skills we normally associate with eunuchs:
domestic service (apparently not of a sexual nature), music, singing
(soprano is quite popular, we hear) and dancing. Tonight's show consisted
of a eunuch dancer. 'He' was very good - extremely agile, beautifully dressed
and a proper primadonna to boot. He stormed off in a huff whenever his drummers
strayed even the slightest bit out of time. As a drummer myself, they had
my full sympathy!
The next
day we headed on to Jodhpur, but not before we'd
had a chance to stop for a quick look at the Gadi Sagar Tank. This lake
is famous for the gateway built beside it by a famous whore. The king wouldn't
let her build it because he would have to pass through the 'whore's gate'
whenever he wanted to visit the lake. But she built it anyway, and topped
it with a temple so that the king wouldn't be able to knock it down!
(left) Would you buy a used camel from this man?