After two year hiatus, I finally found myself back in India once again. This was a whirlwind trip packed into only one week, a stark contrast to the 2-3 week journeys we’d done in the past. But it was wonderful to reunite with old friends and colleagues, catch up on work and gossip, and to just generally soak in the bustle and beauty of Delhi and Jaipur again after so long.
Returning to Jobner Bagh felt like a homecoming, and even though it seems like our days staying here may be numbered, I’m glad I got to soak up a bit of the magic.
We were welcomed back to our main factory with an incredible amount of fanfare, both because it had been so long since they’d gotten to host visitors, but also because it was Leo’s first visit and he had done so much to support them throughout covid. We were greeted by a party, complete with a full band, dancers and a painted elephant escort traditional to Jaipur, their massive trunks delicately placing flower necklaces over our heads.
And we had the privilege of visiting their screen printing facilities, one of my favorite field trips (there’s nothing more fulfilling than getting to see my designs being printed).
It looks like we’ll be traveling more regularly again (as long as things stay stable pandemic-wise), and I couldn’t be more grateful.
