TAJ MAHAL
Last night under a moon that was almost full I saw the Taj Mahal .... my only regret is that I have not words to describe it. The air was warm and the sky steely blue, the Taj magnificent, and its mirrored reflection a translucent floating mystery. Reality came in the tomb itself, incense, a candle, and an incredible echo. The platform on which it stands is like glass to walk on and I lay for half an hour just staring up and later down to the minaretted shadow on the wide Jumna river. The majesty of the thing was incredible and the night stillness, broken only by singing frogs in the long pool between it and the magnificent gateway, transported me far away from this world. The story of the Taj Mahal is this: The king Shah Jahan, who lived about three hundred years ago, was so grieved by the death of his wife, Jaj Mahal, that he put up two hundred million rupees for a tomb. Fifteen hundred people were involved and when after fourteen years the work was complete, they all had their hands amputated to prevent any attempt at a similar monument. For the same reason the architects were buried alive. The marble is very fine, and to this day nobody knows where it came from. Back

PINK CITY
This is the "Pink City" of India. There is the old city with a wide belt of modern development around the outside built in pink stone. The country is peacock land and they are literally everywhere. Tiger hunting is also popular! After the monsoon, acres are under water but elsewhere vegetation and crops are lush green and the scene is much more verdant than I had anticipated.

After a very interesting morning and wonderful lunch at the Jaipur University guest house we went down to the college of commerce where the contingent, seated on the stage, were faced by three hundred students all firing questions about politics, student unrest and so on. It was rather exhausting but later we were garlanded with roses and fed on tea and bananas.
Bananas here are green and full of flavour. I ate twelve yesterday, and five with my tea today. They're so delicious!

JAIPUR
Our stay in Jaipur is nearly over, and we shall remember it as one of the best, if not the busiest of our lives.
We had not realised that such a full programme would have been arranged for us - we had engagements practically all day - every day. Discussions, debates and the inevitable cultural performances were part of all the meals we were invited to at different colleges and in the evenings too, we had to perform and be performed to.
Apart from these, there have been visits to palaces, museums and other places of interest.

"GOOD OLD EMPIRE STYLE"
One day we had tea with the Governor, on spacious lawns in good old Empire style, with brass band playing as we mingled with ministers and other notabilities of Rajasthan State. We ate heaps of little Indian delicacies with our cups of tea, and then were shown round his most gorgeous house - it even had a waterfall in it! After that, it was straight back to the University Guest House for a curry dinner, and then out to a lecturer's house where we sat on the floor eating more food, and drinking coffee with University staff (I was wandering the verandah til 3 a.m. with gut-rot as a result)

GIRLS MOST HOSPITABLE
There's no doubt that the girls' hostels and colleges have received us best - we are met at the door by throngs, garlanded with jasmine, or orange carnations and, at the Maharishi College, had ceremonial red spots placed on our foreheads. They are all dressed in saris, of course, and start by giving a cultural show of Rajasthani dancing and singing which is brightly colourful and very expressive, like nothing we have - unless, perhaps, ballet. Their food is always delicious, even if if isn't always suited to western stomachs.
We are then called upon to perform and with our contingent at only half-strength as a result of our sick, and our wanderers to Delhi and Calcutta; we have had a hard time! We have an eight for the eightsome, and this, with our piper, is always a howling success - we finish up teaching them the Gay Gordons! We sing folk songs, accompanied by mandoline, guitar and recorder, finishing with the inevitable Dr. Zhivago theme from me!

Yesterday we were invited to lunch by a family which we were surprised to find was of Catholic faith. There are three families living in the same house, and they all speak English to each other and play modern pop on their stereophonic radiogram! Consequently, we danced for our dinner. Cigarettes were handed round by the packet, and there were alcoholic drinks - all most unusual, because most people are Hindus, and their religion forbids meat and alcohol, and very few smoke. The intricacies of the superb luncheon were such that I can only describe them when I get home!

GEMS THROUGH OUR FINGERS
Later, they took us to a Jewellery shop owned by a member of the family. Although it was Sunday, the staff had stayed on in case we came. Here we handled necklaces etc., worth thousands of pounds, and were allowed to let loose gems pour through our fingers - quite a strain! We watched a local diamond cutter operating a wheel with a bow - the most antiquated system, but obviously the best.
After our evening "cultural performance" we came back here for a coke and banana party to entertain some of our Indian friends, and danced yet again till 2 a.m.

SCOTTISH DANCING LESSONS
Regrettably, five of us had promised to give Scottish Dancing lessons this morning to the girls of Maharishi college! Their enthusiasm is terrific (they all speak fluent English of course) and their ability equal. We were there for three hours, but they kept us going on coke, and fed us real chips before we left. When we returned for lunch, another group, which we had forgotten about, was waiting, and we took it in shifts around lunch to teach them. We could only spare them an hour and a half, and then collapsed into bed - another party is being arranged for us tonight with the same family, so some energy must be restored!
So you see what a time we have been having. We have sneaked ourselves an extra day here, but must be in Delhi to meet Mrs Ghandi by 12.30 tomorrow.
The experiences we have had, the views we have exchanged, and the sheer amount we have learned far beyond the range of text books, has, I am sure, given us all a new outlook on the East. In fact, the more I see of Western infuence the less I like it.

THERMOMETER AT THE LIMIT
The heat here is pretty bad - standing in town the other day, the coach reached 126 degrees F., the limit of our thermometer. Here we have punkahs in the ceiling blowing air, but it's not enough - even night temperatures are in the eighties! Showering four or five times a day helps, but shirts have to be washed after every cultural performance.
When you go down town, there is a choice of a three-wheeled pedal rickshaw, or a motorised one like a three-wheeled scooter. The pedal ones are very slow and it's heart-breaking to see the strain on the poor pedaller even on slight gradients. The scooter ones are quite fast, and designed to carry two. We hired three the other night, with five in each, and the drivers raced into town. They zoom in and out of traffic, and take roundabouts both ways. What with the hundreds of cyclists on the road, and carts etc., it was quite a hair-raising experience. Back