KEY POINTS:
During the height of the tourist season Jaipur, which is already chaotic and crammed with life, can be an impossible place to spot a familiar face.
That is unless that face belongs to Pushpinder Singh, six-foot plus of henna-haired Rajput of warrior stock.
In Delhi, someone asked me if I
knew Pushpinder. I said no. They look incredulous. "You MUST have seen him at least, "they said proceeding to describe him. It turned out I had, the previous year. Pushpinder is not just literally head and shoulders above almost everyone else, his personality is also larger than life.
Rajput means children of kings and this ancient warrior community is synonymous with the Indian desert state of Rajasthan.
Kr Puspinder Singh Rathore (known to many tourists simply as Push) is justifiably proud of his heritage. "All Rajputs are over six foot," he says. There is not much it turns out that did not originate from the Rajputs, from the paisley pattern to the word verandah.
It also appears he knows just about everyone in Jaipur, including, rather usefully, the current (and last) maharajah of Jaipur. We had been standing in the public part of the maharajah's palace when Puspinder exclaimed: "Quick, it's the maharajah. Go quickly and take a picture of Jaipur's last maharajah."
Several men had emerged from an arched doorway and were clustered around a new 4WD marked "Demo Vehicle". Having just seen portraits of past maharajahs wearing silk jackets, turbans and strings of pearls I was struggling to recognise royalty among the grey trousers and white shirts.
I hastily took a photo - it turned out I'd immortalised the maharjah's chauffeur. The man himself was a well-built older man in wrap-around sunglasses. He inspected the car's interior, the engine and was then given a demonstration of the efficacy of the horn. (Horns are second only to brakes in terms of essential equipment for Indian vehicles). Before he left the courtyard he gave us a cheerful wave.
"A very nice man, very genuine," said Pushpinder. He should know. Up in the Amber Fort he told me that his grandfather and father had attended parties in the beautiful sheesh mahal (or palace of mirrors) where dancing girls carrying trays of oil lamps whirled and twirled around a room encrusted with tiny mirrors.
The fort also contains a striking piece of restored stained glass - the work of Pushpinder, who is a recognised stained glass artist. Stained glass was adopted by the Rajput rulers over 500 years ago from the Europeans but the art fell into disuse after Indian independence. Pushpinder has been integral in reviving it and even trains young women and men in the art.
