Adventure of Two Elderly Souls @ Jaisalmer

Tripoto
13th Aug 2016

The princely city of Rajasthan greeted us with the breathtaking sight of the massive sand-castle of Jaisalmer soaring high like a mirage from the ancient days from the far-stretching sandy prairie.

Being a Bengali, the passionate turmoil of experiencing the ‘Sonar Kella’ with all my active senses, knew no bounds. The nostalgic enticement of Satyajit Ray’s Feluda’s brain-twisting adventure at the Jaisalmer Fort was acting like a magnetic enthrallment for me.

Photo of Adventure of Two Elderly Souls @ Jaisalmer 1/3 by Debasmita Das

But, this story is not about me!

It is an adventure of a couple, aged more than 65 years old; my to-be parents-in-law, whom my fiancé and I decided to surprise with a weekend gateway to the Golden City.

Photo of Adventure of Two Elderly Souls @ Jaisalmer 2/3 by Debasmita Das

An opportunity to shower our love and gratitude for all the sacrifices and hardships they took upon them with a smile, making their seven children capable of kissing the success of life; To celebrate the true spirit of commitment towards each other till the last breath of life; To acknowledge the wanderer within us, that tries to break free of the daily routine life; To give them an excuse to relive their long-left juvenescence openly without any reticence. The Liveliness & Excitement of the couple was too beautiful not to capture through my lenses. Their Energy bewildered me; Age is no bar for savoring in the experience, delight and ecstasy, which the city of Jaisalmer has to convey through its whole enchilada.

Photo of Adventure of Two Elderly Souls @ Jaisalmer 3/3 by Debasmita Das

I will narrate in details the most memorable part of the trip – the 6 hours long Camel Safari pre-booked by us. We began our journey late afternoon in one of the Mahindra Jeeps with one jovial driver who was never tired of filling us up with all the regional tales and history of every place and castles we came across. After exploring one of the natural oasis, we halted beside one stranded castle overlooking an ancient deserted village. The mystical story of an ancient curse by one of the villagers (whose daughter’s beauty enchanted the contemporary king of Jaisalmer so much that they were forced to leave the village overnight) preventing any further inhabitation in hundreds of years left us with Goosebumps. I was thrilled how my father-in-law was so enthusiastic in exploring the haunted village on my insistence and it didn’t take him much time to convince my mother-in-law to join us for a frantic walk amidst the ruins.

Finally we reached the Thar Desert, the congruence of exotic colors and the calmness of the hills of desert sands.

Photo of Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India by Debasmita Das

We all set out to experience the wondrous rush of adrenaline on an Open Jeep, up and down the various sized sand dunes towards the Sam Dunes. My parents-in-law’s power of endurance left me in awe. While I was struggling hard to keep my balance on the speeding vehicle, they were highly composed; enjoying to the fullest. I should really apologize that I underestimated their efficacy owing to their age. That was one ride to be remembered through the lifetime.

With a thumping heart, as we stepped down barefoot, feeling the soft fine-grained sand beneath our feet, the happiness and the naked thrill on their face was undimmed.

Photo of Adventure of Two Elderly Souls @ Jaisalmer by Debasmita Das

Next in line was the unforgettable camel ride amidst the vast desert plains.

Photo of Adventure of Two Elderly Souls @ Jaisalmer by Debasmita Das

The ride was very satisfying, the rhythmic movement of the animal brought out a soothing and charming feeling on their faces. Truly speaking I struggled a bit to find the appropriate balance on the top of our camel but my parents-in-law seemed to be oblivious of any difficulties or mis-balance and got perfectly synchronized with the dance of the movement of their camel.

Photo of Adventure of Two Elderly Souls @ Jaisalmer by Debasmita Das

With the desert wind swathing around our faces, we strolled up and down the sand dunes towards the horizon, drinking in the unfeigned magic of the Thar Desert.

After enjoying an angelic desert sunset lying atop a sand-dune, we set out the camp to relish the undulating dance of the regional gypsy girls to the sounds of music stemming from the phenomenal strings. I was bewildered and amazed to find my parent-in-laws dancing together to the magical tunes, heartily without bothering any concerns of judgmental eyes that might stop us from opening up in our everyday life.

It was a day of re-discovering two persons whom we are so close to; but their responsibilities and duties had made them sacrifice all their yearnings.

Day 2

We ended our trip with a memorable visit to the Golden Fort, Bada Bagh and Gadisar Lake, but the evening out in the desert was left us with a new found revelation.

Photo of Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India by Debasmita Das

It was the magic and incantation of the city of Jaisalmer that made those two persons, my fiance owes his life to, heartily relive some special moments. I am writing this piece to try my luck in winning another chance to present then with even greater amount happiness, with a trip to Pushkar Mela.