Jaipur is known for its winter. Kids camp up at terraces from day to dusk flying kites, evening chai is accompanied by gajak, shoppers ditch their scooters to amble about the old city and the entire J-Town is chock full of tourists.
And amid all of this, there’s one more element that has become synonymous with Jaipur winter – the Jaipur Literature Festival. Being hosted at Hotel Clarks Amer from 30th January to 3rd February, JLF promises an interesting lineup of writers, thinkers, humanitarians, business leaders, entertainers, and cultural icons. And since many enthusiasts come from far and wide to attend this ‘Kumbha of Literature’, we say why not also experience the best of Jaipur winter while you’re here. Eat flaky pheenis, sign up for a city walk with experts to understand Jaipur’s architecture and culture, and experience art through workshops and installations at the Jaipur Art Week.
Start off with a sikora (clay glass) of piping hot milk served with a succulent layer of malai, topped with dried fruits at Bombay Mishthan Bhandar. For your mains, it doesn’t get better than a hearty meal of bajre ki khichdi, gud (jaggery), home-churned makkhan, bajre ki raab, bajre ki roti and aloo-pyaz sabzi at Anokha Gaon or Chokhi Dhani. Those who appreciate the simplicity of home-cooked food must try the winter thali by Chef Devyani Bhatnagar at Laalee – a homestay in Jaipur. Full of winter greens, lightly-spiced preparations as sweet potato chaat, aloo palak, kadhi, kairi ki launji (raw mango pickle), bathue ke raita (pigwheed curd), aloo shimla mirch and the like, the thali makes for a warm, comforting meal. Non-vegetarians will enjoy the Khad Murg at Samode Haveli – an indulgent, steaming hot meal best enjoyed in the majestic courtyard.
If you have a sweet tooth, you’re going to be spoiled for choice. Make your way to Sambhar Fini Wala to try pheenis–fried, flaky rice flour dessert doused in sugar syrup. The sizzling gajar ka halwa served only during the winter months at Ramchandra Kulfi is also unmissable. And no trip to the J-Town is complete without sampling gud ki gajak and peanut chikki at Narayanji Gajak Wale.
Jaipur is meant to be savoured slowly and preferably on foot. Sign up for the architecture tour by Bharat Singh of Jaipur Houses for a closer look at havelis – some centuries old, to understand local architecture and the emblems and symbols sprinkled throughout the city. A food walk with restaurateur and food explorer Vinayak Agarwal will take you to legacy halwais for the best of kachoris, samosas, namkeen, rabdi kulfi and aloo tikki. For those who like to capture the essence of a city on camera, the Photography Tour by The Open Space Society (TOSS) is the perfect way to explore the city. In a two-hour masterclass by ace photography mentors, you first learn the features and hacks for smartphone photography and then put your skills to practice during an expert-led heritage tour. Another interesting walk is by Shristi Shukla who looks at the city and its monuments from a woman’s lens and takes you to the oft-overlooked sites that champion womanhood like the Maharani Ki Chhatriyan.
A brainchild of Public Arts Trust of India (PATI), Jaipur Art Week 4.0 from 27th January to 3rd February is a curation of art workshops, performances, exhibitions and installations by some emerging and other established artists that take place at the most iconic locations around the city like the Golcha Cinema, Hawa Mahal, Amrapali Museum, Jal Mahal and Albert Hall Museum.
What to expect? A larger-than-life installation at the Albert Hall Museum which you can climb on, sculpting workshop by Gaspard Combes, exhibition by Manisha Gera Baswani in partnership with Gallery Espace to inaugurate PATI’s new gallery space in Jaipur, sketching workshop by Urban Sketchers, exploring postcards as memory holders, a walk inside the Museum of Meenakari Heritage, Food Culture Playdate by The Kindness Meal and more.
