The best city

Asking someone which is the best city is like asking which of your neighbors children you love most. This analogy has a reason. Except in the rarest case, you would not the person responsible for the creation- of the city or the child. And then, the growth and development of the city depends on the surrounding environment- much like the children. Most importantly, you have as much wherwithal for solving the problems of the cities as much you have regarding the neighbors children-of course so long as you are not their problem!
I have, over the years, visted so many places- the 4 metro centrs, state capitals, smaller towns, even one horse towns. When I sit down and wonder- the doctor has advised me not to exercise my mind standing up because simultaneous activities cause double energy depletion- which city would be my No.1 favourite, I am unable to come to any decision. Each city has its own flavour. Delhi is rife with political machinations big and small, Mumbai is money and trains, Kolkata the fount of unionism, Bangalore the truly commercialised city with cinema hungry hordes, sleepy towns like Gwalior, Morena, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Nainital, Shimla, Pune, Nagpur, which have suddenly woken up to rampant commercialisation and dont want to retain the old world charm that we city slickers insist they do.
Once, while travelling to Nainital, I alighted at a place called Haldwani which is the second last stop. I had some lugage which I wanted to check into the cloak room. Unfortunately, the cloak room was closed. So I went to the Station Master's cabin. He wasn't inside. On reaching the booking counter, I found a person writing the accounts. Rather impatiently I asked where I would find the Station Master. He looked up, smiled & asked why I wanted the SM. I said because I wanted to okeep some luggage and the cloak room was closed. The smile was getting on my nerves.
He said that both the clerks were on leave and he being SM, was attending to three duties!
I felt bad-not about him working for three people, but about my impatience. Life is a learning experience.

Jodhpur

I was in Jodhpur recently. Before you start thinking that I am a wandering mendicant from Rajasthan, let me explain. I was in the city on official work. The city is in a valley with the Mehrangarh fort on one hilltop and the Jodhpur Palace on another. It is a dusty city that has grown and grown while the town elders slept, or waxed their curling moustaches. The city was once a princely city state. Built on the feudalistic design, it had the king's fort/palace on the hills, then the markets and residences of the traders and finally the rest of the populace on the fringes. Like any other city in India, this city too, has grown without any forethought. It is a tourist centre and hotels abound. The primary occupation is fleecing the tourists. Since my experiences in Jaipur, I was extra careful while venturing into shops for purchasing things. I went to a shop called "Rajathali". The shoes which are available all over the city for Rs.50/- were available for Rs.125/-. It was time to turn tail and scoot, leaving even the hard nosed salesmen wondering where they had gone wrong. There a shop called "National Handloom" which has several branches in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ahmedabad. I would recommend it for buying anything from a pin to a camel. Honest prices, wide variety, and pleasant sales staff. So dont go and ask them whether they are the descendents of royal family or of the camel riding desert bandits.
April to September is off season and the hotels offer upto 30% discount on published tariffs or full meals in lieu thereof.
There's not much to see, a fort, a burial ground called Jaswant Thada, the Jaswantsingh palace which is now a heritage hotel cum part museum. Night life ends at 6.00 p.m. so you can return to your room and watch telly.
So what does this tell you about Jodhpur?