Freya’s Kuchipudi Dance performance was arranged by Sun Rise Charity. Its Australian based charity but rises funds for Nepal. They have established a school and Anadashram for Orphans in Nepal.

This was on 1st September 2007 at Bowlers club on York Street in Central Sydney, Australia. The performance was for ten minutes.Hundread’s of people attented this performance. Freya had performed Kuchipudi with this organisation in the last year also.The show raised a few thousand dollars for Sun Rise Charity’s ophans school in Nepal. Freya performed the traditional Kuchipudi dance item, Bhamakalapam. After the performance Freya was appreciated by a certificate from the Sun Rise Charity.

The presentor of the show was praising Freya very much and was expressing in her words “Its great to see a primary school girl dancing Indian Classical Dance especially wearing the Australian colours of green and gold.

Sandeep worked hard convincing Freya to take the day of school and come with us for the day- as she is very much anti bunking! In the end, we resorted to hiding her school bag and she was happy to come along with us. It was an hour and a half’s drive during which I took the opportunity to start reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Freya and Sandeep enjoyed listening to music. As we got nearer the mountains the view became more and more beautiful. We stopped at a number of viewpoints and admired the vast beauty of the valley.

While we were at one of the viewpoints, Lene got a call requesting Freya to perform at a big charity dinner on Saturday – for a Nepali Orphanage so we decided to change our plans and all head back together at the end of the day so that Freya could have some intensive traning before the performance. We quickly headed to the Jeffrey home in the mountains and admired Lene’s skills in interior decoration once again. The house is in a really peaceful location and is surrounded by lots of beautiful trees, blossoms and plants.

By the time we left we were pretty hungry, so we headed for lunch at “The Hattery” which we were told serves a very tasty veggie burger. The burgers were indeed great and calmed us down for the journey home. But of course we couldn’t possibly go home without visiting Freya’s favourite sweet shop which stocks almost every variety of sweet and chocolates ever invented! So finally, after stocking up, we headed home to Guy and a lovely Mousaka in the oven…

Fun in the Sun

This morning Guy took Sandeep and I to Chatswood shopping centre where I finally found a pair of flip flops in my size – its really funny – I never felt like I had small feet until I came here – where it is impossible to find a UK size 5. Sandeep got some Poloroid sunglasses which he had been after for ages, and after much persuasion he purchased a lovely pair of beach shorts.

Sandeep has been taking lots of classes for Freya, her cousins and another keen student – they just can’t get enough of the dance and the lessons! One girl wanted a 12 hour class. Guy is calling him the “Baby/ Kid Magnet”!!!

Since our last post we had a lovely walk around china town, our weekly trip to the market, bhajans with the yogis, dinner at Guy’s sister and her husband’s house and lots and lots of dance classes!

Today was really great as the sun was shining beautifully. It was really an ideal temperature so Lene took Sandeep and I around the city. Sydney harbour is just beautiful – as you will be able to see in the pics. And the Opera House is really awestriking. We took a walk around the harbour, past the Ferry docks up to the Opera house while eating very tasty Gelatos. After getting tickets for a dance performances in the Drama Studio at the Opera House for tommorow, we headed for some lunch via the botanical gardens (where we spied a flying fox [which I thought was a bat] sleeping in a tree. It felt so good to be out and about in the sun and appreciate Sydney properly! After reaching home, Sandeep took his normal dance class while I started reading the latest Harry Potter book until evening…and now Lene is cooking some delicious pasta with home made pesto and jacket potatoes – the smell is making my mouth water far too much now so I had better go and eat!!!

After waking up pretty late we had a delicious breakfast prepared by Lene and pondered over what we could do in the rain. We took a relaxed approach to things and during a brief dry period we headed to Chatswood to buy some jumpers and shoes. We found a few lovely wool sweaters for us both, enjoyed a very chocolaty ice cream. After a beautiful collective meditation Freya started her dance practice. Kamal and Lene were meanwhile in the kitchen cooking dinner to the familiar sound of the Nattuvangam.

The next day we went to see an art show at Killara High School – it was very impressive and we were surprised to see how similar an Aussie school is to an English school. In the evening Freya’s friend Nisha came over to start learning dance, Freya gave a mini performance of a few select items and Kamal remembered how good she actually is! We all sat down for some tasty veg lasagne and sweet butterscotch pudding and after a lovely long chat we retired to bed.

When we woke up the next morning Guy had already prepared idly, samber and chutney for breakfast. Kamal started her second Mangal Gowri Puja as a newly married woman, she and Lene collected flowers from all around the garden and we sat down collectively with Grandma, Radha and Arjun. Mangal Gowri (Shri Mahalaxshmi Puja) was originally done by the Goddess Parvati for the long life of her husband, the God Shiva. It was really simple yet beautiful.

Arjun, Lene and Guy’s 2 year old nephew, was our live little Ganesha – he was sitting there with a big box of dried fruit; with three pieces in his mouth, he was reaching for more! He looked very content ☺. Guy took me to the Northshore gym after the puja while Lene and Kamal sat down for breakfast. The gym was great and I was happy to get my membership card. It was a very nice gym. My personal coach Mr. Guy Jeffrey was very supportive and helped me to go in the right direction. It was a very good experience, especially as I stretched my body after such a long time. I think I am going to get in to my dance shape perfectly in four weeks with the help of my personal coach. Later in the evening I gave a dance class to Freya and then her friend, my new student, Nisha started learning dance. Nisha’s mum was very happy and full of joy that her daughter is enjoying her dance class and wants to put her other activities on pause. Then it was time for pizzas. Myself and Kamal went to the super market at the end of Lene’s home street. We bought fresh basil, bread, apple juice… and was very surprised to hear about myself and my wife from a working employee at the supermarket Mr. Kumar. He is Lene’s “family friend” but not really!!!

This is Sandeep Bodhanker. After a long time you are seeing an update from Myself and my wife Kamal. It was a kind invitation from Lene and Guy with their generous sponsorship.We started from Hyderabad on the 15th August after hoisting our National Flag. We flew with Thai Airways which landed back in Hyderabad after 20 mins flying in the air due to the “Serious Engine Problem”. It was the first time that we flew together as a newly married couple.

It took five and a half hours to re-board the plane. We landed in Bangkok airport at 10.30am (Thai Time). We were planning to go around Bangkok city, but as the queues were all too long we decided to spend the few hours looking around the airport. Bangkok airport was just amazing. It is a contemporary designed.We had been planning to go around Bangkok city but as the visa-on-arrival queues were all too long we decided to spend the few hours left looking around the airport. Bangkok airport was just amazing. It is a contemporary design with lots of ornate statues depicting Thai costume an Hindu Gods. The most beautiful is below. It depicts a scene from Hindu mythology where the gods and devils are churning a river in order to receive primordial amrut (nectar).

After a very long walk around the airport we rested at our gate and had a long sleep during the final leg of the journey. On arrival we raced through immigration and passport control as fast as possible in order to see the wonderful Jeffrey family as soon as we could! It was great for us all to be together after such a long time; a dream come true! We (and our three large suitcases) fitted very comfortably into the Jeffrey’s new Peugeot and headed towards Linfield where we are to stay for the next month or so. Our dear hosts were so warm and welcomed us into the home in a traditional Indian manner. They settled us into their own beautiful bedroom and are still refusing to let us sleep anywhere other than their beautiful four-poster bed! We really feel like royalty. After Freya and Casper raced to school, the four of us had a good old catch-up. Kamal and I sat for a short meditation and went to surprise Lene with the diamond we had bought her for her Birthday…her reaction was a picture (which we didn’t get a photo of, unfortunately). Guy was equally satisfied with a couple of boxes of Karachi biscuits and Dadu’s sweets.

After lots of chocolates and Danish pastries we headed to Flemington market with Lene for her weekly vegetable shop. Both I and Kamal were struck by the enormous size of all the vegetables – which Lene assured us were totally organic. Very impressive! After filling our trolley with lots of exciting ingredients we picked up some cheap socks (to protect our feet from the uncharacteristically cold weather here) and headed home. It was soon time for Casper and Freya to come home from school so Lene and Guy got started on making home made pizzas. They were soooo delicious and we went to bed feeling very loved, totally full and eager for day two to begin.

Our second day started when we both woke-up at 12.30 in the afternoon. We were jetlagged but we were not too tired. We were very excited about the evening that day, as there was a party arranged at Hyderabad House restaurant by Guy and Lene to meet all of their family.We were happy to see Guy’s two sisters and their families, Lene’s sister and her boy friend, Lene’s lovely parents.

We ordered varities of food. I was very busy playing with the kids Freya, Nisha, Radha (she was silent and calm as she was sick) and especially Raj, who I spent maximum time palying with.

Guy’s sister Ann has a cute baby boy with really chubby cheeks, named Arjun. Lene was so suprised that he came into my arms as he normally shys away from everyone. Guy’s brother-in-law’s Sitaram and Rakesh comes from India. Myself and Sitaram had small chat in Marathi and in hindi with Rakesh.

Hyderabad House restuarant comes from India. It has a delicious veg curry, Bagara Baingan, one of my favourate; it was a great night.

From there we went to an Indian sweet shop which was quite near to the Hyderabad House. I had an yummy rasmalai. It was very soft taste than Indian taste. As my stomach was tight after having delicious food at Hyderabad House I could not take any other sweets. From there we came back to home and had a long chat.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Sandeep is getting married today!

Our most heartfelt congratulations to you dear Sandeep and Kamal on this your beautiful wedding day. We wish that we could be there with you right now, sharing this most memorable day in your lives. We send you all our love and very best wishes for a most blessed, long, prosperous, creative and joy-filled life together!

From your Australian family

Guy, Lene, Freya & Caspar

How everything came together for this wonderful and most memorable event still remains a miracle to me, as the planning process only began about 10 days prior to the 25th! The truth is, that without Sandeep working 24 hours a day while Freya and I were ‘swanning’ it in the 40+ temperatures in Pune, it would never have happened! Sandeep was typically seen in the middle of the night climbing high posts and verandahs all over Nizamabad in order to secure the numerous banners he had got printed to announce the free programme all over town. At one point a bystander came up to him and said Are you not the person on this poster?…Then why are YOU climbing the posts?!

On our pre-program trip to Nizamabad, where I must mention that I drove our beloved Hyundai a small section of the way on the highway(!!!!), we had to meet with numerous local dignitaries, and wait in the heat of the day for them to let us into their air-conditioned inner sanctum, where we officially invited them to be honoured guests at the dance concert. Most of the important local figures we met were extremely encouraging to us, which springs out of their high esteem for Sandeep. He managed to negotiate a large discount to the cost of the auditorium hire, which required many meetings with many people. So we took this to mean that the programme should indeed go ahead.

Back in Hyderabad we had to arrange a fast photo session with Freya and Sandeep, in order to have some fresh pictures of them to put on the posters. Sandeep’s lovely friend Pavan came to the aid with the most incredible face make-up for Freya, which made her look around 25 years old – NO kidding!!! The poor man had to wait until midnight to finally be given a meal which he and Sandeep went out to get- his words to Sandeep were Don’t you ever eat here? And I guess we really did not have much time to think of such mundane issues at the time!

Sandeep took a lot of care to write a beautifully worded invitation, with the long-distance assistance of Kamal in the UK. The day Freya and I left for our 4 day trip to Pune, Sandeep spent until midnight in the print shop looking at the final proofs and making small corrections. In the days while we were away he and his family personally delivered around 300 invitations to important persons in Nizamabad and surrounds. Sandeep’s father had the idea to ring Dasmohapatra, the organizer of the International Children’s Dance Festival in Cuttack Orissa, and invite him for the evening. Incredibly he immediately said yes, my wife and I will be there, and so we were very honoured that they would take the 24 hour train trip to join the other special guests on the night.

After our return from Pune on the 23rd evening, we had one day to recover before again packing up and heading north out of Hyderabad to Nizamabad on Saturday the 24th, in time for the press conference that afternoon. Sandeep was very calm and made Freya feel very relaxed about the press, telling her to just be natural. There was quite a turnout, and we gifted to the press people lovely handcrafted bags which contained a CD of information and pictures to be used in their publications. This came at a bit of a price to us, as my computer hard-drive had a complete meltdown after burning too many CD’s in a hurry- which I did while we travelled in the car. Freya danced a section of her programme, which was filmed, and which we later saw on several TV stations the same evening. So the programme ended up being extremely well advertised. The next morning Sandeep woke me up with a stack of newspapers with many prominently placed articles on the evening programme. It was indeed exiting. I was getting somewhat nervous about all this expectation, but soon the heat was so biting, that my only worry was how to stay sane and on track for the big evening.

Late morning we went to the hall, where Freya and Soumya (sandeep’s sister, who was also performing 2 items) had a tryout of the stage. We decided on the final requirements for flower decorations etc, and with the help of many of Sandeeps Family members it all came together in time. Sandeep’s mother was cooking the most delicious food for us, and this really helped keep Freya’s energy up and keep her fuelled for the evenings performance. Srikanth and Santosh, Sandeeps senior students, were travelling in a hired jeep with the invited guests from Hyderabad and beyond, making sure they had a pleasant journey to the programme.

A very sweet and gentle make-up artist came from Hyderabad to do Freyas makeup, while I milled around trying to remember my starting note for the small Carnatic musical item I was going to start the programme off with. My music teacher, Gopinath Sir, arrived with the Jeep, and very sweetly came and assured me and gave me a few last minute tips. When the specially invited guests finally all arrived, and this was only 1 tasteful hour later than planned, the hall was full to the brim and people were spilling out into the doorways. The specially invited guests lit the lamp as per tradition, after which I managed to pull off my act of singing the small Ganesha item without a hitch (Apparently the reaction from the audience was that they felt very ‘ashamed’ – ashamed that here was a foreigner in their country singing a very traditional song, which they did not even know how to sing). Freya danced her first item Bhajamanasa and it was a good item to warm up with. By the second item she was well warmed up, and in her third item was exploding with energy, as she just flew across the floorboards and bowled everyone over with Neela Megha, a beautiful tarangam (plate dance) piece on Shri Krishna. I had wished that she would dance as well on this night as she had done in Pune just days earlier, because it was like a new dimension to her performance had been switched on, with her expressions becoming so much more vivid and alive. To our disappointment Sandeep had not seen her Pune performance, but I knew that if she danced with the same energy as she had in Pune, that he would be well pleased. And indeed he was.

While the honoured guests gave their speeches, Freya was interviewed for Z-channel, a Telegu news channel which is broadcast internationally. (It was a bit puzzling that the cameraman could not speak any English at all).
In the second half Freya danced her favourite pieces Bahamkalapam and Mahalaxmi Asktakam, and they were very much enjoyed by all. I summed up my courage to give my speech of thanks, in which I thanked Soumya, who has been like a real sister and great support to Freya, and also the many people we love so dearly, and who have been such a great support to Freya in this dance adventure. Sandeep also spoke beautifully about the thrill of giving back something to his home town, which has been such a great support for him in his career. It was with great joy and relief that this wonderful evening ended on a very high note. It was still a few hours before we had packed up everything in the hall, departed, and as we hit our beds quite hard Sandeep was still busy making sure our guests from Oriassa were being fed and looked after.

The next morning there was a wonderful article in The Hindu, one of India’s English language newspapers.

The next morning we leisurely and sadly departed for Hyderabad, where we delivered our dear guests Mr and Mrs Dasmohapatra at Secunderabad railway station in good time for their 5 pm train back to Cuttack. From there we drove with Srikanth and Santoah following us, to the movies, where we enjoyed a nice long Namaste London movie in the blessed coolness of the magical air-conditioning. It was a good chance to ‘chill’ literally and rest on our very tired laurels for a few hours, before the pack-up for our journey home would soon start…

The truth is that he was frantically busy finding a venue for his wedding, and also organize all that goes with a beautiful wedding celebration. So we were in his hometown of Nizamabad on the day, and it was lovely for his family to spend time with him on his special day. Freya and Soumya made birthday cards for him the night before.

Soumya did a sweet little puja to her brother in the morning which included an oil rub, and Freya and I honored him with a traditional shawl presentation. Freya got to share his kumkum with him…

While Sandeep was busy organizing so many wedding related things, we were invited to a wedding of Sandeep’s mothers colleague. It was a very traditional South Indian wedding (of course), and it did put Freya and I into the mood for weddings! At the end of the ceremony the bride and groom poured large quantities of rice, and colored styrofoam balls on each others heads, which was very lovely and joyful. We got to go with Sandeep and give our best wishes to the happy couple.

I was getting into quite an embroidery frenzy while we were in Nizamabad, as everyone was busy, and Soumya kindly taught Freya a really lovely dance item on Shri Ganesha, even though she was busy preparing for her year 11 exams. Sandeep’s mum took me to a wonderful shop which sold amazing beads, sequins, and embroidered sari borders- and it got me even more inspired. Here is an example of a beautiful dress a neighbour had embroidered after getting inspiration from Sandeep’s mother.

We had the most beautiful home cooked food prepared by Sandeep’s mother, and the celebration was not complete without a visit to the famous ice-cream parlour which makes the best fruit salad with custard and ice cream, unmatched anywhere! We hope Sandeep enjoyed his birthday, even if it was busy for him. But we know for sure he LOVED the ice cream!

We wish Sandeep every blessing for the year ahead, which we know is going to be very great and life changing for him, as he enter the new phase of married life! We know all his birthdays will only get better from now on, and we hope that we may somehow be able to celebrate more of them with him in the future!

I have been taking Carnatic vocal singing lessons for a week now. Sandeep’s vocal music teacher just adores Sandeep, and I almost feel like my lesson is an excuse for Sir Gopinath to see Sandeep, whenever he brings me for lessons in the mornings. Sir Gopinath is fiercely protective of Sandeep, and always asks him how his wedding preparations are going, offering him help and advice (calling him many times daily)!

Anyway, Gopinath Sir is a senior lecturer at the Telugu university here in Hyderabad. He has a deep knowledge of Carnatic music, which stems from his father, who was a famous Veena player. He has many beautiful Veenas in his home, where his brothers and their families occupy the various floors of the building. When we first went to meet him Freya first did her obligatory dance performance, and I sang a few songs in Hindi, Marathi and English, which the whole family seemed to enjoy. Then his 12 year old daughter sang a Carnatic piece, which just happened to be one of my favorite songs of 2006 from a Remember Shakti album – it is called Giriraja Sudha Tanaya, which is about Shri Ganesha. She rendered it so beautifully, and I am hoping I may get to the stage where I can learn it too.

But maybe that is just wishful thinking. He is giving me a crash course, and I have so far learnt a lot about the theory behind Carnatic music and the very complex total of 35 different rhythm cycles. I am trying to master the main 7 patterns, which I have to learn by heart and sing in normal (1st) speed, as well as double and quadruple speed, while firmly beating the rhythm with hands and fingers in an equally complex pattern, which sometimes seems to mis-match. It is quite logical really, but can only be mastered with LOTS of practise. Also I am working on singing exercises in a scale with several flat notes, by which you learn to jump automatically in 1 1/2 as well as 2 1/2 note intervals, which really requires a lot of practise and dedication! Last class he told me to ring him and organize the next class for when I have done some serious practise – I think the message is clear…. not sure how far I will get with it, but it is a fascinating science indeed. Better get practising….

At the Salar Jung Museum in central Hyderabad, is a visiting exhibition of the Jewels of the Nizam. It was meant to finish one month ago, and the exhibits were to go back to the vault in the Central Bank Of India, but due to some bomb scares in Mumbai and Delhi, it was decided the jewels were safest in Hyderabad for the time being. So this was our luck, and we braved the high security and the price tag of 500 rupees entry for foreigners, to take a look. We were not allowed to take anything in but our tickets, and had a full body search twice before entering the exhibition.

The jewels were sold to the government of India from the 8th Nizam in 1996. He had inherited an powerless empty throne from his grandfather the 7th Nizam in the sixties, well after Indian independence. His forefathers had for 7 generations ruled the area with the British, and were close allies. But now the 8th Nizam had to fund the paying back of some of his debts, which included a run down cattle station in WA, where he resided for some time. There was an ancient prophecy that the lineage of the Mogul Nizams would last until the 7th Nizam, and thereafter would cease to be. Certainly the 7th Nizam was the last Nizam to reside in his court in Hyderabad with his 156 wives and hundreds of natural and adopted children. He was a simple man, who ate of basic metal plates, although he was swimming in silver and gold cutlery. He also wore the same shirt for up to one week. (I guess his only excess was in the wives department). In sharp contrast his son, the 6th Nizam only ever wore the same shirt for one day in his life. He owned the worlds largest wardrobe, which is located in the Chowmohalla Palace in Hyderabad. He had in his time of rule purchased the South African Jacob Diamond, through a secret deal in Europe, which resulted in a court case.

At the start of the exhibition there were some fascinating photographs of some of the many wives of the 7th Nizam at court, bedecked in their incredible jewels, made principally of gold, diamonds, emeralds and pearls. Each wife has a complete set including huge necklaces, bangles, earrings, hair ornaments, and gigantic gold and diamond encrusted anklets. The jewels were originally stored in anything from huge crates to cardboard shoe boxes, and there was literally truckloads of the stuff. In fact the last Nizam found the Jacob Diamond, one of the largest diamonds in the world of more than 250 karat, in his fathers shoe, where he had placed it for safe-keeping. The new Nizam then used it as a paper weight for a long time, not knowing its full value. This diamond was on display in the exhibition. It is even today difficult to put an exact value on it.

Apart from the display cabinet containing the Jacob Diamond, there were around 30 cabinets, each filled with kilos of gold and diamond jewels. The diamond mine on the outskirts of Hyderabad, at Golconda, was famous for its diamonds, and it is from here that most of the diamonds in the jewels originate. But the Nizam’s purchased rubies as far away as from Bolivia. They would not pass up on good gems if they could find them. Most of the jewellery was made of gold with encrusted diamonds, many of them raw and uncut, which was interesting to see, as they really very much resembled glass. They were so huge, that had someone worn a necklace today, I am sure I would have thought that this was a bit gaudy, and not real.

Many of the necklaces had large set stones and drops made from raw emeralds, from where I imagine green became a favorite colour of the Moslems. The ladies anklets were incredibly huge and heavy, and encrusted with diamonds, and had pearl edging, and enamel patterns on the reverse side. One ceremonial belt (very useful) of the Nizam weighed 1.5 kilos, and was completely covered in diamonds. Another favorite design theme is the 9 precious gems, which is still very much in fashion here in India. It is thought that these 9 gems are very good for the whole body if worn against the skin. The 9 gems include diamond, pearl, red coral, emerald, ruby sapphire, moonstone and 2 others, which I have not yet worked out. I see many people wearing rings with these, but in the Nizams collection there were HUGE bracelets, and brooches. It was very interesting to see all the designs, as I can now clearly picture where the origin of many contemporary Indian jewelry pieces have come from. It is now easy to see why they call Hyderabad the City of Pearls – they should really add gems to that as well!

The whole collection was so dazzling, that we almost had sore eyes when we finally emerged from this real-life Alladin’s cave. Sandeep said I am a bit sick of looking at diamonds!… A friendly tour guide then told us that what we had just seen was only 2% of the entire jewellery collection of the Nizams! We were wondering if the rest was all hiding in Swiss vaults, and as the 8th Nizam left Hyderabad often having no great interest in the place, the palace was most likely looted by courtiers and anyone with access. Many people come to the exhibition claiming to be grandsons and daughters of the Nizam, which is easy to believe, but difficult to prove no doubt. Some of the wives now live in the US, probably benefiting from the wealth of their jewels. A fascinating exhibition indeed, and it was easy to imagine how everyday it must have felt to be drooping in diamonds, pearls and emeralds in the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Who was Salar Jung?
Salar Jung was a prime minister to the Nizam (king) of Hyderabad. He was a nobleman who owned lots of land, and collected lots of taxes. He was a very good friend of the British colonial rulers. Together they ruled Hyderabad and its surroundings. Salar Jung loved collecting art and artefacts from all over the world. The Salar Jung museum displays all his possessions. In the museum there are photos of him near the pyramids of Egypt. He was also a member of the British Masons. He was awarded a medal by Queen Victoria of England, and was given the title of His Exalted Highness.

What did he collect?
His enormous 35,000 piece antique collection includes: pure gold-rimmed wine glasses, English tea sets, silver cutlery, European furniture, Venetian glass chandeliers, European paintings, a vast collection of clocks and many other European things which filled his palaces. He also had a wide collection of Asian arts including: mogul miniature paintings, old brass and stone sculptures, carved South Indian furniture, Chinese and Japanese carvings in ivory, wooden toy soldiers, weapons, daggers and several types of carriages.

What I saw in the Ivory Room
It was sad seeing a whole set of chairs made from ivory, which was a gift from King Louis the XVI of France. There were boxes with very intricate carvings, and beautiful figurines from Japan. I also saw three statues of Jesus on the cross. It was very surprising to see a mat woven with thin strips of ivory. Outside there was a whole carriage made of ivory!

Salar Jung’s Swords and Daggers
Salar Jung’s ceremonial swords and daggers were displayed in the Jade Room. There was a sword with a jade handle covered in diamonds, and another encrusted with rubies and emeralds.
There were also cutlery sets with jade and agate handles.

The Clock collection
The Kings and the Queens of Europe loved collecting clocks, and so did Salar Jung. Salar Jung had so many clocks you need one whole massive room to display them all. There were at least five or more large grandfather clocks in the room, and also three different cukoo clocks displayed. Some of the more interesting clocks showed the day, date, month as well as the time.

My favourite part of the museum was the seeing the furniture of England and France from the 18th century and the palanquins that carried the Royal families around.

It took us one whole day to see just half of Salar Jung’s enormous collection.

Freya in a turban! Applied by Kamal’s father, Vimal.

On Saturday February 10, Kamal and her father arrived from the UK, to meet with Sandeep and settle on arrangements for their engagement and upcoming marriage. We prepared our home and got it looking nice, and before we knew it it was time for Freya and Sandeep to literally race to the airport, where our guests arrived earlier than expected. I was at home cooking pasta sauce, just in case they were hungry (after eating on the plane all the way). I still looked hot and bothered when they arrived at our door much sooner than expected. It was a very happy reunion for Kamal and Sandeep, who had not seen each other for quite some months. It was also great to meet her father.

Kamal arrived with one whole suitcase full of pasta, pasta sauce, sundried tomatoes, pesto, Swiss chocolate, Nutella and countless more treats. We were all exited. Freya was soon showing Kamal’s father what she had been learning, and he was very thrilled and delighted at her performance. He did not know very much about Kuchipudi at all, so we were eagerly filling him in on all our experiences, which was quite a handful of information for him I am sure. As everyone was feeling quite energetic we went for a drive into town, and to the IMAX theatre and shopping complex. Unfortunately it was one of the busiest Saturday’s of the month, the second Saturday of the month being a holiday. This was a little overwhelming, and so too the driving style of India. Sandeep has incredibly quick reactions, and drove the car very confidently, but as happened with us before we became accustomed to the Indian driving style, the imaginary brake came out quite a few times. I was a little worried about how this would be seen by his father-in-law to be. I think everyone slept like logs after that.

After a very early departure from Nizamabad, Sandeep’s parents arrived here the next morning to meet and greet, and they had a nice talk with Kamal’s father, eager to get to know each other. We took some lovely photos of the new family, in which Freya was very much included. They left again in the afternoon, and by evening the subject of an official engagement party had been discussed; and after talks over the phone with Kamal’s mother at home in England, it was discovered that for Kamal the best time astrologically to be engaged was before 9pm the following day. For Sandeep the best time would be starting around 9pm that same day, and so at 10pm they reached the conclusion that everything had to be done within 24 hours! That included arrangements for the engagement ceremony. I think Sandeep was very busy on the phone all night…

So on Monday morning, when we were all finally washed and fed, we headed off to shop for engagement rings and sari and clothing gifts for all parties in the families. Shopping is always a time consuming exercise, and especially finding suitable rings in the right size. Sandeep chose a beautiful traditional South Indian engagement ring and sari for Kamal, and she chose a ring (She actually had to buy a ring shaped piece of gold, which would later be made into a ring, as they did not have Sandeep’s size ready made) and suit for Sandeep, which was very sweet indeed. By the time this was finished it was already late afternoon. We headed North out of town at about 5pm, and stopped for Domino’s Pizza (Sandeep had not eaten a scrap all day at this stage) and also at the amazing Dadu’s sweet store, where we bought many beautiful cashew based sweets. Once we were on the highway Sandeep started to fade severely. The tiredness after all the excitement, as well as lack of sleep hit him, and he could hardly keep his eyes open. After a 20 minute pit stop, during which I was seriously considering taking over the wheel, he managed to perk up, and helped on by all of us singing Bhajans (devotional folk songs) in the back of the car we made it to Nizamabad at 8.30pm.

As we parked the car I looked up and saw the whole apartment block leaning out to catch a glimpse of Sandeep’s bride-to-be. The Shennai player was in full swing, and at this point it was clear (as I had suspected) that Sandeep’s family had really gone to town over this very happy occasion. In fact 100 people had been patiently waiting for 2 hours on the rooftop, where the engagement was to take place. Kamal accompanied by her father were seated at the rooftop in 2 chairs, where they were welcomed, after which they exchanged sari and suit during a Brahmin ceremony, with mantras recited at break-neck speed. I got the feeling the priest wanted this over and done with rather quickly… Kamal’s father requested that the mantras be said with feeling or not at all – this was attempted, but soon the Brahmin was back to his verbal overflow. Freya really enjoyed her role as engagement-bridesmaid but had trouble staying part of the ceremony, as she got continuously swamped by a lady in a pink sari.

Kamal and Sandeep went back downstairs to get changed, and we enjoyed seeing Kamal in her beautiful new green and red sari, which suited her so well. A stunning fresh flower ornament had been made for her hair and plait, which looked stunning with her attire. Sandeep also looked very dashing in his long suit covered in embroidery.

While this was happening a huge feast was being served to all the guests upstairs, and I took some photos of Sandeep’s grandmother, and other close friends who had made it to the event at such short notice.

When the happy couple returned, the rest of the long Hindu ceremony was thankfully simplified, and Kamal and Sandeep sweetly presented 2 beautiful flower garlands to each other, and then the rings. There was much clapping and a steady stream of well wishers came to hug them, and throw flower petals on their heads. After the ceremony, Kamal’s father requested we all sit and meditate together, and this was really a magical part of the evening, connecting us all with each other in a beautiful silence.

We were all out like little lights after such an incredibly eventful day, and everyone was happy.

Early the following morning we left Freya, the little night owl, asleep in bed and headed a few kilometres out of town to a beautiful place called Sarangpur. Here is a temple built in the side of a rock face, where a swayambu (self-created) image of Shri Hanuman (devotee of Lord Rama) is carved in the rock. We had already visited this place with Guy and Caspar, and I urged Kamal’s father to see it. He is a beautiful spiritual person, and he really only enjoys places where spirituality is found. He has retired from his work as the Assistant Director and Chief Inspector for Birmingham schools, and spends his life devoted to teaching the science of Sahaja Yoga Meditation to whoever is interested and has the desire to learn. He writes the most moving poetry (which made me cry every time I heard them – so sweet were his words) and every morning we would wake up to the sound of his devotional singing, which was so lovely. It did not take long after arriving at this beautiful place, before he was inspired to meditate. He suggested we get the young temple priests in to join us. Sandeep called out to them, to see if anyone was interested, and one lovely looking youngish man came out. He suggested we go up through the gate to the top of the rocky outcrop, and sit there in the cool breeze. On the way Kamal and Sandeep’s sister Saumya picked 3 beautiful red hibiscus flowers growing naturally there. We sat down on the rock, and Kamal’s father explained the process to the Brahmin. Soon we were all glued to the rock in deep meditation, from which we did not come out for 2 hours! The peace was incredible, and the priest’s face looked so serene and blissful. They were truly magical moments sitting on those beautiful rocks, not wanting to move at all from the spot.

After this wonderful start to the day, we went to the best ice-cream parlour in town, for their very special fruit salad with ice-cream, which everyone loved. Kamal’s father bought a 1/2 litre pack of ice cream to take home for Freya, which she had for breakfast at around midday! In the afternoon we went on a big shopping expedition to the pearl shop, which gave a great rate, and Kamal and her father created many pearl necklaces for everyone in their family. We too could not resist buying a few more strands. In the evening Sandeep’s family invited all the local Sahaja Yoga practitioners over for a music evening. We had a powerful collective meditation, which Kamal’s father lead in a great fashion sending us all into deep state. We had many songs after this, and it was very joyful. Sandeep’s family particularly enjoyed it very much.

On the Wednesday we waited for the newly made pearl necklaces to be delivered, and after lunch we said our goodbyes and headed back towards Hyderabad. We stopped on the way at a lovely spot, in a kind of pit, where slate and rocks were being cut out of the ground. While the rest of our gang meditated, Freya had to find a place to go to the toilet. But there was no completely private place, and I was no longer bothered, so I showed Freya how one can wave and do one’s business at the same time. Freya was in deep shock. The light was fading casting an atmospheric light over the highway.

The next day was spent roaming Hyderabad, and Kamal and Sandeep spent many hours ordering tailor made suits for Kamal’s four sisters. After this we struck many a bargain at the 50% off happiness sale at Hyderabad’s biggest shopping mall. It was 10.30pm by the time we realised we were starving, but just then all the food halls were closing. We headed home, lamenting the fact that we had missed all the restaurant timings, when Sandeep had a brain wave. He took us to Hotel Shadab, where Guy had his most favorite byriani in December. The place looked darkened, but inside the leavened breads were still lined up in the hundreds ready for cooking in the tandoor. So we really enjoyed this late night visit to Hyderabad’s best Byriani house.

Friday we all went into town to show Kamal’s father the Birla Temple, made entirely of marble on the hilltop in the centre of the city. From here onto FabIndia, and clothing and homewares store created for the Western audience, which explains the lack of friendliness and service. Sandeep found some organic pasta, and sauces, which we took home for later testing. We then moved onto the government craft emporium LePakshi, which has an incredible range of arts and crafts as well as clothing. Outside the shop as Sandeep was getting us all into the car, Kamal’s father spontaneously grabbed him, and gave him a big hug saying “You’re going to have to get used to this”! It was so sweet. After an afternoons lassi at the Taj Mahal Hotel (not the expensive Mumbai version) we headed back for a much needed rest. Kamal and Sandeep picked up some lovely veg curries with hot breads for out dinner which we ate after a lovely collective meditation.

Saturday was a sad day, as a whole week had already passed, and it was already time for Kamal and her father to depart. In the morning Vimal read more of his incredibly beautiful poems to me, and again I was reduced to tears of joy. Soon sandeep’s parents arrived and we had a lovely time with them. Saumya decorated my hand, in fact my whole arm, in beautiful henna designs, while the families were busy settling the final arrangements for the wedding. Before heading to the airport Kamal placed Sandeep’s newly made engagement ring with her name inscribed, on his finger, and off they went to catch their flight back to England. Sandeep’s mum prepared a light potato and eggplany curry for dinner which we ate before they too caught the bus back to Nizamabad.

It had been a beautiful eventful week, and it had been such a pleasure to get to know Vimal, who is a gem of a personality, that we feel privileged to now know. We already miss the sound of his voice in the mornings, and it is really quiet here now…better get back to dance and keeping ourselves busy again.