Beyond the Dunes

Book excerpt: A Must-Have For The Armchair Traveller And Perfect Incentive For A Weekend Break In The Desert The Many-Splendoured Tourist Mecca, Legendary For Its Romance, Royalty And Undulating Sand Dunes, Is Explored And Examined In This Sparkling Account Of The Author S Many Rendezvous With Rajasthan. In Her Many Avatars As Starry-Eyed Tourist, Harried Producer Of Documentary Films, Lover Of Music And Someone Who Realizes That There Is Much More To The Desert Province Than Picture-Perfect Palaces, Juhi Sinha Travels To Forgotten Towns And Cities, While Also Discovering Unseen Facets Of Familiar Destinations. What Emerges Is An Affectionate Portrait Of A Land And People Who Simultaneously Live In The Past And The Present. The Author Recounts In Vivid Anecdotes The Highlights Of Her Numerous Journeys As She Traverses The State On Holidays And Film Shoots: From The Murals Of Shekhawati To The Sonar Qila Of Jaisalmer, From The Luxurious Heritage Hotels That Dot The Map, To The Barren Wastes Near Pokaran, Stopping Along The Way To Relate The Ballads Of Moomal The Princess Whose Doomed Love Story Is Still Recounted And To Introduce Us To Unforgettable Characters Like Padam Singh, The Rickshawallah Who Doubles As A Bird-Watching Guide, And Nek Muhammad, The Folk Singer And His Troupe Who Star In Her Film. Erstwhile Royalty, Feisty Actors, Colourful Guides, Friendly Shopkeepers, Obstinate Bureaucrats Come Together In This Part Travelogue Part Personal Memoir, Keeping You Entertained Till The Last Page.