Visit to any architectural monuments from the erstwhile days, always strikes one with wonder and nostalgia. It is not very surprising to associate certain architectural elements with certain scenes that are embedded in our consciousness, either some scenes from a period movie or paintings. The Red fort (Lal Qila) in Delhi is one such place where one’s imagination goes wild. The scenes of the great Mughal emperor giving audience to courtiers and dignitaries dressed in their glittering brocaded attire to the swirling skirt of the peshwaz of the ladies in the harem; there is no limit to the canvas we can paint.

My visit to Jaipur, popularly called the ‘Pink City’, surrounded me with such pleasures to the eye. Its beautiful palaces and forts set amidst glistening lakes and formidable hills was a trip to the pages of history. In the Amber Fort, I came across many elephants dressed in bright coloured trappings with their mahouts. When these elephants started entering the grand gateway carrying tourists on their back, I was instantly teleported to a miniature painting from the Jahangir’s period, depicting a scene of Nowruz festivities.