No eclipse on royal tour: Roti, rabri for Charles

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla got a taste of the villages of Rajasthan during a carefully guided journey to Artia village near Jodhpur on Wednesday.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla got a taste of the villages of Rajasthan during a carefully guided journey to Artia village near Jodhpur on Wednesday. During his three-hour stay in the village, in the company of the former royal family of Jodhpur, the celebrity couple broke bread with a local family, had a swig of the Rajasthani rabri a curd drink laced with bajra flour, learned the art of laying cow dung floors and walked away with gifts from the local artisans.

8216;8216;After returning to London you all will remain in our hearts,8217;8217; the Prince told the villagers. Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, who are currently in India, made the brief visit to Artia on the invitation of the Jodhpur royals to have a look at the water-harvesting structures built by the villagers with the help of the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation. The foundation is run and managed by Jodhpur8217;s Maharaja Gaj Singh. Charles is also participating in a two-day international seminar in Jodhpur on water conservation.

The visit planned before the onset of the solar eclipse, keeping in mind the reluctance of villagers to come out in the open during the celestial event, gave the couple ample opportunity to see almost every facet of a picture-postcard village. Hundreds of villagers, many from adjoining areas, had come to the village to have a glimpse of the visiting royals. Several handicrafts peddlers had also set up makeshift shops in the village.

A song and dance routine announced the royal family8217;s arrival. To underline the importance of the water-harvesting efforts, the women performed a sequence that showed them carrying pots filled from a revived pond, in which two men splashed around merrily. The Prince also went from house to house, speaking to people, eating with them, quizzing them on their means of livelihood. He also raised a few questions about their attire. When told that many of the villagers managed with one dhoti and two shirts, the amused Prince queried: 8216;8216;Do they also wash them?8217;8217; The women of the villages had their own enquiries: 8216;8216;How are you, sir?8217;8217; The Prince replied with a namaste.

Not everyone was amused with the visit though. The handicapped children of Manaklao, who were promised a revisit and an invitation to London by Charles during his visit three years ago, were upset that Charles had forgotten both promises.