Memories of India - The Culture

Yesterday morning my colleague and I did the unthinkable and relaxed in the hotel for the morning. I had a chance to catch up on the news and drink a lot of coffee. But by 1:00 or so we became restless and decided to head out to Shilparamam, a large lot the government has set up as a cultural exhibit and market for indigenous crafts. We expected to be there a short time and wound up spending the afternoon, it was a wonderful place to meet people, shop and relax.

Our car dropped us off at the gate. When you arrive at the gates of Shilparamam you enter through a large arch that has hanging lanterns at the top. Inside are well groomed areas representing various parts of India. It reminded us a little of the San Diego Wild Animal Park and even had some amusing fake figures representing villagers in the countryside in typical activities like drawing water or fishing. There were thatched huts arranged in groups, some of which had religious statues arranged among the flowers. I had my photo taken in front of a large Buddha figure that had a silly dog next to it, not sure what this was supposed to represent but I doubt Buddha would have gained enlightenment if his pet dog needed much attention. While we were wandering around the grounds we met an Indian family that wanted their photos taken with us. Their daughters wore beautiful red saris and had wonderful smiles. Although we see a lot of Westerners in the hotel, most there for work engagements, we don't see as many in the places we've visited. I guess we just blend in among the enormous crowds, but it was interesting to be a topic of conversation. There were two men in this group and we were asked the usual questions, where we were from and how we like Hyderabad. I felt very welcomed.

At the front of Shilparamam is a shopping area where they mark out small booths and sell lots of different kinds of things. The sellers hawk their wares as you walk down the aisles, we arrived in the heat of the day and were early visitors for them. We saw all sorts of things including painted pottery and furniture, textiles, clothing, carved and metal images, bangles and jewelry, food and painted miniatures. The miniature booth was the first one to get some of my rupees, I really liked the art. The shopkeeper's father had painted a number of the pieces and the shopkeeper was following in his father's footsteps. They both had real talent and although I told him I could not afford his finer pieces he showed them all to me anyway. He handed me a magnifying glass to see them more clearly and the quality of the work was amazing. Some of the scenes represented great figures from Indian history, others were of animals and birds. There were elephants, hunting parties, women in their finery, and too many other things to name. All of these were painted with tiny brushes and took a long time to finish. I bought three pieces which I felt I could afford and would look great in my home. Two of them are companion pieces with birds painted on old historical documents from the Kingdom of Jaipur. The birds have graceful necks that curve inward and the pieces will face each other when displayed. On each document are old official stamps from Jaipur and some writing. My father should enjoy framing these and I can't wait to get them home. I also bought a small verticle miniature with six circular paintings of animals including a tiger, elephant and some others. Around the edges is an intricate painted lattice of green. His more expensive pieces were surrounded in finely carved frames and the ones I liked best were a pair of figures from history, a king and queen in all the traditional spendor. The detail in these pieces was stunning but he wanted 16,000 rupees each. Although I felt they were worth the money I didn't have that much in my pocket (fortunately).

We both bought some clothing for ourselves, I purchased a long traditional tunic and shirt. I also bought some fabric for a friend in San Francisco, two embroidered sets that included a veil and enough matching fabric for a nice outfit. Hopefully she can find an Indian seamstress who can do these justice. Hyderabad is known for embroidery and this material is a good example. I also bought a skirt and top for my girlfriend's daughter and a sari set. The couple in who sold me the sari were nice enough to let me take their picture and its the best one I've taken so far in India. Another man sold me three beautiful scarves and also let me take his picture as he folded them. There are bags full of merchandise in my room but I spent less than 100 dollars on the entire day, money well spent.

After shopping we rested for awhile and then headed out for dinner at Chutney's in Bandara Hills. We picked up our other colleague on the way and I'm ashamed to say I was unable to finish my meal due to the enormous lunch of tandoori I ate earlier in the day. But the Mango Lassi was delicious.