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| Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur |
It’s a busy workday for Mahavir Sharma. The 45-year-old entrepreneur is in deep conversation with a group of men at the Jaipur Polo Ground. He is working out the modalities of a polo match to be organised for an upcoming wedding function.
“Elephant polo matches for weddings are a real trend,” says Sharma, CEO of Swishin, an event management firm in Jaipur. This year he has organised four polo matches and a few more are in the pipeline. The 45-minute match, one of the events during a pre-wedding lunch, will cost the bride’s family around Rs 8 lakh.
“When a British supermodel like Naomi Campbell comes to Rajasthan for such parties, others follow,” he adds.
It’s not polo that’s caught on — it’s Rajasthan. Once known as a desert state with forts, the place is now the newest party hotspot for the rich and famous.
“Rajasthan is the new Taj Mahal of India. It is now a must-visit destination on every foreigner’s itinerary,” Sharma stresses.
And spearheading the trend are international celebrities who have been going to Rajasthan for parties, shooting films and holidays. In November, Campbell organised her beau Vladimir Doronin’s 50th birthday bash at the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. The two-day affair saw around 250 guests from all over the world.
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“Apart from celebrities, domestic guests too have started sending us requests for parties,” says Karni Singh Jasol, director, Mehrangarh Museum Trust.
Puru Sethia, son of UK magnate Nirmal Sethia, recently held a lavish wedding do at the Jag Mandir Palace in Udaipur. Earlier this year, DLF chief K.P. Singh’s 80th birthday bash — for which Colombian singer Shakira was flown in for a private concert — was held in Rajasthan. In 2008, Union minister Praful Patel had a grand wedding party for his daughter.
“Celebrities create news, they create curiosity,” reasons Abhimanyu Singh Rathore of Travel Plan, a Jaipur-based tour company. “Now I get requests from foreigners that they want to attend an Indian wedding, if not have one.”
The international celebrity’s romance with Rajasthan was renewed sometime in the middle of the last decade. Much earlier, of course, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had been floored by Jodhpur. “I have seen the eighth wonder of the world,” she famously said after a 1984 visit.
What brought Rajasthan to the international celeb’s map was possibly the grand wedding of actress Elizabeth Hurley with businessman Arun Nayar at Mehrangarh in 2007. Three years later, pop star Katy Perry and actor Russell Brand were married at a luxurious resort in Ranthambore.
“Their wedding was the biggest publicity for Ranthambore, till then known for its tigers. Now people are looking at it as a wedding destination,” says Himanshu Rathore, owner of Pratap Bhawan, a homestay in Jaipur. Rathore quit his job as a naturalist in the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh when he saw the immense tourism potential in Rajasthan.
The figures tell their story too. The number of foreign visitors to Rajasthan, around 9.7 lakh in 2004, shot up to 14.7 lakh by 2008. “There has been a 25-30 per cent increase in the number of hotel rooms every year for the past five years,” says Rakesh Srivastava, principal secretary, Rajasthan Tourism.
There are many reasons why the spotlight is on Rajasthan. For one, it’s the aura of the state. Ayurveda may have worked for Kerala and beaches underlined Goa — but Rajasthan is happy selling mystique. “Be it our craftsmen, folk artistes, sand dunes, lakes, museums, monuments or hospitality, everything has a magical aura attached to it,” says Princess Diya Kumari of the royal family of Jaipur. “An internationally well-connected royal family too has had its advantages,” she muses as she recalls how Prince Charles visited Jaipur in the 1980s to play polo.
Rajasthan has always been seen as the home of the royals — which adds to the lure. “The royal families of Rajasthan had the foresight to turn palaces into luxury properties,” says Ram Rathore, director, sales and marketing, Jaipur region, Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces. The Rambagh Palace, owned by the Taj group, was the first royal residence in India to be turned into a private hotel.
Its high-end hotels are among the best in the world. In 2007, Time magazine voted Mehrangarh the best fortress in Asia. In 2012, it was conferred with the International Fassa Bortolo Domus Restoration and Preservation Award. In 2009, Conde Nast Traveller voted the Taj Rambagh Palace in Jaipur the world’s best hotel. In 2012, it ranked the Oberoi Vanyavillas in Ranthambore second in the Top 15 resorts of Asia. Travel + Leisure gave Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur the fourth position in the Top 100 hotels of the world in 2012.
The international spotlight on Rajasthan has helped locals in many ways. Officials point out that it has reduced the rate of migration. Once-dying art forms are being revived, new cultural festivals have cropped up, international luxury chains are entering the state and old havelis are being spruced up. And all of this has generated employment.
“Every new room created in a hotel gives rise to four jobs,” stresses bureaucrat Srivastava. “Every tourist brings with him 12 jobs,” adds Randhir Vikram Singh, general secretary, Indian Heritage Hotels Association.
“The celebrity bashes in our fort has provided business for travel agents, hotels, guides, folk artists, and craftsmen,” stresses Jasol of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust.
Folk dancer Gulabo Sapera seconds that. “Earlier I used to roam around aimlessly for a livelihood but now I am busy through the year with performances,” says Sapera, a Kalbeliya artiste who has also participated in the reality show Bigg Boss.
The boom in high-profile events has led to a rise in incomes. “Ten years ago artistes earned Rs 150 for a performance. Today they are paid around Rs 4,000 for a four-hour show,” says Shyam Singh Panwar, owner of the Amrit Hotel Resources in Jodhpur, one of the firms that handled the Campbell bash.
Festivals have done their bit too. Tourists are planning their itinerary around events such as the Jaipur Literary Festival, Pushkar Mela or the folk music festival Jodhpur Riff. This year, the Jaipur Shopping Festival made its debut. “This festival will be built on the lines of the Dubai Shopping Festival,” says Sharma.
Location is on Rajasthan’s side too. An international airport in Jaipur and proximity to Delhi facilitate travel. “Also it’s a safe state known for its hospitality,” says Singh.
Not surprisingly, among those who have holidayed in the state are celebs like Madonna, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Michael Douglas and Mick Jagger. Films such as The Dark Knight Rises, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Mission Impossible 4 have been shot in Rajasthan.
The state is now waiting for its next cele- brity. Halle Berry is expected sometime soon. And Rajasthan is getting ready with its welcome song.
Who came calling
Nicole Kidman
Mick Jagger
Julia Roberts
Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie
Steven Spielberg
Michael Douglas
Flourishing businesses
Elephant polo and horse polo
Homestay at old havelis
Dying folk arts
Luxury properties as wedding destinations
Trained guides
