Sketchbook India — Catherine Parker

Delhi - Nawalgarh:
November 2024

Shekhawati - Rajasthan
Welcome to my first travel blog!

After almost 10 years I finally returned to the graceful town of Nawalgarh. Rising early for the 6:30 am train from New Delhi to Nawalgarh - arriving at the train station in the dark, negotiating the correct platform and working out where my carriage might be…with a platform that appears to be almost half a mile long. It’s important to arrive early and be ready for when that train pulls in. And when it does, I pull on the door handle but it won’t budge and knock on the window but no one responds, so run to the next door which, thankfully opens easily and step up the foot or so landing to the compartment.

Once on the train, it’s just a case of finding your allocated compartment - pop your suitcase under the seat and settle back for a visual and cultural insight into India. No trip to India is complete without train travel! It’s the life blood of the nation…

The beautiful thing about train travel is meeting strangers, striking up a conversation and also seeing families gathering for holidays, children running down the aisles and chai wallahs (vendors carrying a hot urn of sweet tea and little cups) calling out in quick succession in a monotone distinctive chai wallah way (!) ‘chai chai chai.’ with no gaps - I part with my 20 rupees and with my packet of sweet biscuits bought on the station settle in to the gentle rhythm of the train. I strike up a conversation with a fellow passenger and we share chai and my biscuits. We travel through miles of slums close to the train tracks with barely stable shanty homes, stagnant water, people washing with buckets at the well, piles of rubbish, dusty parked tuk tuks that at times serve as sleeping quarters, pigs, dogs and children playing. And yet there is cohesion and a pulling together of resources.

We pass through various urban landscapes and then I see the rugged, ochre coloured Aravalli Mountain range (the oldest mountain range in India) and I’m happy - I haven’t seen them for so long and feel like I’m greeting an old friend. The congestion of Delhi and the urban outskirts gives way to rice fields, and marigolds, wheat and mustard. Straw huts, cows and Water Buffalo, small shrines dedicated to the ancestors and local deities placed in small groups are dotted around the fields. Small, earthy compounds of houses and straw animal huts give a peaceful, cloistered feel. And having spent so much time in small villages, I know that at the end of the day a meal will be cooked on a simple clay oven, cows will be lovingly tended to and the family will rest on charpoys - woven stretchers that are wonderfully constructed and super comfortable.

The train chugs along and as we pass through stations it becomes abundantly clear I have entered Rajasthan: brightly coloured sari clad women, farmers in variously coloured turbans indicating caste and profession sit in circles on the platforms sharing food from tiffins (metal food carriers).

As the time of arrival draws nearer I start mentally preparing for my stop - I edge closer to the door and try to ascertain which side the train will pull in. One of the train staff who prepares the beds, clears rubbish etc decides to fall asleep right in front of of the door and with my suitcase I’m trying to work out how to step over him. Fortunately the train conductor comes along and wakes him up.

I have arrived to Nawalgarh and a friend collects me. We hop into a tuk tuk and I arrive at my friends family home - chai is served as is customary and I am shown to my room

Nawalgarh is famous for its myriad Havelis (mansions) - often referred to as the ‘city of Havelis’ and the ‘Open Art Gallery’

Embellished with exquisite frescoes from the base to the rafters, they contain various scenes and stories from the religious (Lord Krishna and Radha) to domestic, quaint travel scenes, social gatherings, fighters and vehicles, elephants and horses, local folklore, mythology and hunting scenes. Many are in various states of disrepair whilst others are being meticulously restored - it is overwhelming to say the least, the significance of this cultural and artistic legacy.

As I wander the backstreets, memories resurface and I’m happy to be back…the vibrant market is easy to negotiate, old school trades still thrive - a shoe peddler sits cross legged surrounded by a humble display of flip flop inserts - the V shaped toe insert and a small box of tools, along with locksmiths, spice traders, farm utensils like sickles etc

My sketchbook is sitting in my bag but first I must reacquaint myself to the place I have loved for so long but have also been absent for too long..

I will be sharing this beautiful little town on my upcoming Sketchbook tour - if you would like to know more and are interested feel free to click on the Art Tours India tab…
X Catherine X

**Sitting in a Haveli with frescoes in Nawalgarh, that’s occupied by a local family**

**Departing from Delhi Sarai Rohilla station**

**As we move further from Delhi we enter Rajasthan and the clothing changes and the pace of life**

**It’s a common site for families to sit togther on the ground on train stations - and for people to jump the tracks!**

**A quiet backstreet in the Muslim Quarter of Nawalgarh**

**A classic 19th century Haveli (mansion) with frescoes in Nawalgarh**

**A quiet street scene late afternoon in the Muslim Quarter in Nawalgarh**

Shoe Peddler in market — **Shoe peddler in market**