In the elegant atmosphere of the ARGO Gallery, I was delighted to give a lecture on India with the subject: “When Fantasy meets Reality”. Not only was the audience fascinated by the splendid colours, the stunning landscapes and the majestic palaces of the Maharajas, I, myself, was once again wrapped up in its seductive aura and it felt as if I was narrating a fairy tale.

My words flowed effortlessly, but it was India that spoke through me, unravelling its Arts and History and revealing its treasures. From the Mughal emperors in Old Delhi, down to Agra with its romantic mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. From its legendary medieval fortresses in Rajasthan, to the pink and blue cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur, far up in the Thar desert where caravans had once crossed, on their way from Persia and where Rajput tribes still live today, to end up in the mythical collections of the Maharajahs of Udaipur, and finally, we sailed up to the peaceful, exquisite Lake Palace, which we saw being borne through the water.

Imagination and reality, dream and life, all mingled within us. Step by step, we let India give us its splendid lesson through its great contradictions and exaggerations, and we completed the lecture at the buffet with a delicious pilaf curry with tiny shrimps to get a last, lingering taste.

Learn more: INDIA and my Persian garden

The author at the ARGO Gallery