The Folly of Love

|| 7 ||

18th May 1994

On entering the porch, one of the servants approached Jaiprakashji "Sir, would you like to head to dinner right away or a little later? I will advise the kitchen staff accordingly." Nanaji glanced at his watch and Sameer. When his grandson shrugged not specifying a preference, Nanaji replied "It's already close to 8:30, I think we will eat now. Anyway, we had a light lunch today." As the servant started leading them towards a staircase he explained "We have set up a table in one of the terraces. It's a beautiful evening, and now that the sun is down, eating out will be very pleasant."

Naina lingered behind a little hesitantly. Surely, she couldn't join the clients in their private time. She called out to Jaiprakashji "Sir, please enjoy your evening. I will see you both at breakfast tomorrow. Hope you are okay with the visit planned to the village and the main palace for tomorrow morning?"

As Nanaji nodded, Sameer asked her confused "Won't you have dinner?" She asked the servant "Where will the driver eat?" He replied, "He will eat with the other palace servants." She remarked to Sameer "I will join them too." He exclaimed "Don't be silly Naina. Why would you eat with the servants?!" She replied awkwardly "I will be fine eating with the others. It doesn't feel right..." He cut her off impatiently "Come on! Surely we all are way past that age-old class system. I am certain you will have more to talk about with us, than some villagers here."

Naina was still not convinced "I don't want to intrude. Please carry on. I am sure you both have much to catch-up on."  Nanaji spoke up "Naina, Sameer is right. Join us for dinner. We will have ample time for chatting later on." She gave in and advised the servant to inform Shambhu that she would meet him after dinner to finalise the plans for the next day.

The dinner table had been set up in one of the numerous small terraces adorning Dasi Mahal. A few potted rose plants lining the parapet wall were delightfully perfuming the cool breeze. An assortment of olden style lanterns had been placed strategically, to add to the ambience. While Nanaji nodded in satisfaction, Sameer tried to capture some shots of the palace grounds trying out the night photography settings on his camera. Naina stood looking around wide-eyed. It was all too dreamlike.

The servant enquired before he left "Sir, would you like us to serve any drinks?" Sameer was deliberating if he could ask for a beer when his grandfather replied, "Some rose sherbet for me." When the servant looked at Naina, she replied softly "I would like the same please." Seeing his grandfather's choice of drink for the evening, Sameer rethought his idea about a beer and added "A cola for me, thank you." The man smiled and left them to themselves.

Nanaji and Naina discussed the beauty of the area surrounding the dam from their earlier visit. Nanaji then started reminiscing about the time he had visited the Sasan Gir National Park with some friends a few months back. He described the old guest house from the days of the British raj that they had stayed in, and the wildlife spotted during that trip. Naina listened to him happily and asked him about his other travel experiences.

The conversation flowed, as their drinks and dinner were served. Sameer spoke a little about his recent trip to the Santorini Island in Southern Greece.  Naina listened in wonder, as he described the white villas with blue roofs that lent the palace its distinctive character. She realised that for someone so young he was very well travelled. Reading about all the exotic locations was one thing but listening to the first-hand account from a visitor quite another!

She asked him about his best and worst memories as a tourist and what he believed were the most desirable qualities in a tour guide.

He first went on to list the qualities he detested "I find it a big turn-off when the guide comes across as pushy and constantly presents a one-dimensional view of the place. It gets rather tiresome when they are trying to over-sell the place and its charms. I mean, the tourists are already there... just show them a good time now!"