Whisky tale from Udaipur - Rajasthan - India

My rickshaw driver looks blankly at me when I make my request. "What you want?" He asks. "Whisky," I make a drinking motion. He looks puzzled, I repeat 'Whisky."

Then, from his jacket he pulls out a small bottle with a lemony colour liquid. "You want drink?" "Yes" I affirm. "Come", he says, finally understanding. "I like drink," he says.

He drives me out of the old city, the rickshaw splutters unhealthily. The other side of town is more typically Indian, rows of small shops and dusty streets.

Photo. A woman on a bridge in Udaipur leading a donkey laiden with bricks (which not shown on the photo). © Joe Gill.

We arrive at a liquor stall and I buy a quart of Indian whisky. 66 rupees, or 90 pence. He wants to stop and drink so we have a tipple. He talks to me about God, pointing to the scuffed pictures of Shiva and Krishna on his dashboard. "I no like God. No God," he waves his finger at the faded idols disapprovingly. "One God - man," he points to me and himself.

He points to a picture of a Maharana, a Rajasthani king by his mirror. "King, no God," he says, thumping his chest. He looks proud. The more whisky I drink the more profound the rickshaw driver becomes.

Photo. The Jain temple surrounded with flowers. © Joe Gill.  This temple is called Ranakpur. It`s located 60 kilometres north of Udaipur, and is set in verdant hills and gardens.

We drive on to another bridge and stop to enjoy the view of lake and ghats. "America, England, no world - India, Asia whole world." I agree. He offers me some strange dry spicy balls, I need to wash them down with whisky. He has a tipple. "You, my brother, me grandfather," he laughs. "Brother and grandfather," I say. "No English, Hindi," he says, as I apologise for not speaking Hindi.

He drives me back to my hotel after one last swig. "You problem?" he asks. "No problem." "You problem, my problem." I assure him all is well. We share the last of the whisky. I offer him 50 rupees. He shakes his head and says "my problem," and gives me back 10 rupee. "Ten rupee, no problem."

He wants to drive me somewhere else, but I say I must go to bed. We shake hands and hug, like old friends. We are genuinely sad to part, it is a union of whisky philosophers. "One God," he salutes, "one God," I reply.

He yanks at the rickshaw clutch leaver and it sputters into life. I stumble back into the hotel, past a dog and a cow munching in the garden in front of my room, waving to the man smoking on his steps and feeling generally at one with the world on a balmy Indian night. All I need is one more whisky, but alas it's all gone.

Joe Gill, 23 October 2005

Additional information
Rajasthan is the largest state in the Indian Union. It has through thousand of years played an important part of the development of Indian culture.

The two largest tribes in this region are the Bhils and the Meenas. Other tribes are the Garasias and the Sahrias. All the tribes in Rajasthan are a part of the the Hindu social order.

As Lonely Planet describe India: "Nothing in the country is ever quite predictable; the only thing to expect is the unexpected, which comes in many forms and will always want to sit next to you. India is a litmus test for many travellers - some are only too happy to leave, while others stay for a lifetime". For more information, click on the link: www.LonelyPlanet.com.

Information sources for India:
www.webindia123.com
www.rajasthantourism.gov.in

Presentation of the author: Joe Gill is a freelance journalist working in London, specialising in the non-profit sector, international development and Latin America. Photo. Joe Gill from England. © Joe Gill.

Contact details:
Joe Gill, journalist, London 44 207 607 4120.
(M) 07748597168
(H) 0207 6074120
E-mail: joegill00@hotmail.com.