Udaipur, the water kingdom of India is a very romantic place to be in. Numerous beautiful lakes filled to the brim with water makes every other spot in the city an ideal location to be in romantic mood with your partner. The bustling colorful bazaars add an aura to the overall environment. So before I delve into the city’s own romance with Octopussy, I did make it a point to steal the moments of love spread everywhere in this lovely city. Whether it’s enjoying chaat at the lake side or enjoying beautiful drive up to the Monsoon place, this city is a fun place to be in.
I wonder how much Roger Moore would have imagined his huge popularity even to this day in a land far far away when he shot Octopussy in Udaipur in early 1980’s. The narrow streets leading to the City Palace are keen to entice their diners with a show of Octopussy on a projector rather than a specialty meal. Hilarious.
Udaipur is a city with a sense of humour and as shall become obvious it is not only because of its fascination with Octopussy taken too far. The reigning deity of Udaipur is Eklingji. Now the city palace of Udaipur would be a very fascinating place if it was not for the heavy fee imposed for every activity. Nevertheless it is an imposing palace with Lake Pichhola providing a very picturesque background. In the courtyard of the City Palace every evening is held a light and sound show. The show has great production values and the lighting is also pretty good. This show is a private production rather than a state, and so the producers who in this case are the descendants of the erstwhile Maharajas have taken the liberty to describe history from their perspective.
A heavy voice welcomes the viewer to the show and proclaims something like “By the divine grace of Eklingji we shall rule upon Mewar as a custodian only.” Now, if you gotta rule you gotta rule. What’s there do be shy or coy about it.
Another bit of oddity was the story behind one of the rulers of Mewar not attending the British durbar in Delhi. The story painted the ruler in a brave light, unfortunately the artifacts in their own museums gave the secret away.
And coming to the famous battle of HaldiGhati and the story behind its main two warriors Maharana Pratap and Man Singh. What triggered the war was undoubtedly personal ego clash between the two warriors. However who did what to trigger it off depends upon whom you listen to. Out here obviously Maharana Pratap is the hero who made Man Singh run for his money.
History as we all know can be a matter of perspective. More so if the egos are fragile and pride is at stake. The same historical event listened from Amer fort had different heroes. We shall get there too. For the time being enjoy a nice cold beer while watching the one and only ‘Octopussy’.
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