I use my hand to shield my eyes from the sun, as I look up at the 90 feet (27 m) long tower. I am at the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, which was inscribed into the UNESCO’s World Heritage List on 31st July 2010.
Jantar (also called Yantar/Yantra) means instrument and Mantar means formula or calculation. The Jantar Mantar is located opposite the City Palace in Jaipur. It is home to 14 devices which were commissioned by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (the founder of Jaipur) in 1728. These devices were used to study astronomy by the scholars and the King, who was an avid astronomer himself. All the instruments were made specifically for Jaipur’s location of Latitude 27° north, so even if they are exactly replicated at any other location, they would not work correctly. The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is one of five built by the Maharaja in India (the others are in Mathura, New Delhi, Ujjain and Varanasi), but it is the only one that is still in working condition.
“The level of perfection that Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II wanted in these instruments can be seen in the fact that each instrument was first made in the form of a rough model, then a miniature scaled model and finally the actual instrument was constructed” points out Jeetendra Singh, our guide. He adds that all three models of each instrument are still present at the Jantar Mantar.
The 90 feet Sun Dial (World’s largest) (also called Samrat Yantra) tells you the time with an accuracy of 2 seconds. The Samrat Yantra is cordoned off, so we head to its miniature scaled model to test its accuracy. Jeetendra points out an important fact, “The Sun Dial can tell you the exact time at Jaipur. But since Indian Standard Time is derived from Allahabad, the time in Jaipur is 11 minutes behind IST.”
The shadow of the median shows that it is 4:20 pm in Jaipur. The digital display of my Casio says 16:31.
I move on to view the other instruments, like the Jaiprakash Yantra (tells you what Sun Sign the Sun currently is in) and the Narivalaya Yantra (lets you know whether the Sun is in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere) which give readings on the basis of which part of the instrument the Sun’s rays falls on.
Further ahead, are 13 constructions of stones (in the form of stairs, triangles, etc.) facing particular directions and set at specific angles. When a person looks along the plane of the top end of the construction, he/she can see the North Star or the star of the particular Sun Sign that the construction corresponds to. These contraptions can be only tested after sunset, but unfortunately the Jantar Mantar shuts its doors at 5 pm.
Getting there: Jaipur is well connected by air, having the only international airport in Rajasthan.
The Jantar Mantar is in the Old City and easily accessible by Bus, Rickshaw and Taxi.
Entry Fee: INR 10 per person, INR 200 for a guided tour (max. 10 people)
Timings: 9 am to 5 pm, but go between 11 am to 3 pm, so you can see the working of all the instruments.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Being RadioActive
“Sumiit! Wake up! You’ll be late for your show!” I jump up with a start on hearing my mother. The digital display of my alarm reads 7:49. I curse, and jump out of bed. I must have slept through the alarm ringing at 7. I crane my head out of the window to see if the sky is overcast. Although it is mid-November and the monsoon has officially retreated, we have been troubled by sudden downpours during the last 2 days. But luckily, the clouds are sparse and the sun shines brightly.
I race to the University of Mumbai’s Community Radio Station, Radio M.U.S.T. (Mumbai University Student’s Transmission). I am a part time radio jockey with them, hosting a weekly radio show on Thursdays from 9 am to 1 pm.
Luckily, there’s an empty spot just in front of the Radio Station building and I proclaim my thanks to all known gods and goddesses as I park my Renault Logan. I race up the 3 floors to the studio, taking the steps 2 at a time. I burst into the studio as the hour hand on the wall clock comes to rests on 9. Clumsily placing the headphones on my ears, I switch the microphone on, and start my show.
“Namaste, Sat sri akaal, As salamu alaykum, kem chho, kassa kai, Hello Hi. My name is Sumiit and you’re listening to 107.8 FM Radio M.U.S.T., Mumbai University’s very own community radio. There’s no need to carry your umbrella today as the sun is shining brightly, and the weather department is forecasting a bright and sunny day with a maximum temperature of 33 degrees and a minimum of 26 degrees Celsius. I’ll be back with some stock updates, but till then you guys enjoy this song”
I flick the microphone switch to ‘off’, and let out a loud breath, as the first notes of the song start to play. As my heartbeats return to their normal pace, I wipe the beads of perspiration off my brow. Ironically, my first time in a recording studio had a similar kind of effect on me. A chuckle escapes from my mouth as my mind begins to wander.
“Are you ready?”, she asked. I looked up and nodded while trying to muster up a smile. This was RJ Malini, one of the city’s finest RJs, and she was going to take my audition. I had met Malini at a common friend’s party a week ago, and had expressed my interest in becoming a RJ. An opening had come up at her radio station for the 12 am to 2am slot, and so there I was, getting ready to audition.
I had never been in a studio before, and my only knowledge about radio jockeying was from what I heard on the 6 radio stations in Mumbai. Malini led me to the studio and introduced me to the sound engineer, Vijay, who was sitting in front of a machine, which at that point I could only identify as “the one with too many volume control sliders”.
I was directed to the recording studio. In the studio, I sat down in front of the microphone, having no idea what else to do – hoping that maybe the microphone would be kind enough to make sure that I sounded good during the audition. My prayer to the microphone God was interrupted by Vijay frantically waving at me through a window on my left. He gestured for me to put on the headphones lying on the table. I sheepishly obeyed. Over the headphones, he told me that the computer was recording and that I should start whenever I was ready.
The audition didn’t go well – I was too nervous and made too many mistakes. At the end of it, I walked out of the studio with my head down, mumbled a ‘thank you’ to Malini and Vijay and sought the quickest way out.
The dip in volume as the song fades out, stirs me out of my daydreaming. That dark cloud did have its silver lining. Shortly after the audition, I signed up for a Radio Jockey course which taught me all that I needed to know about the profession. It’s been 2 years hence and my patience, hard work and will to become a RJ have led me to where I currently am.
I recollect reading a saying by a famous personality; something on the lines of using your failures as stepping stones to success. My lips turn upwards in a slow grin as I switch the microphone on.
I race to the University of Mumbai’s Community Radio Station, Radio M.U.S.T. (Mumbai University Student’s Transmission). I am a part time radio jockey with them, hosting a weekly radio show on Thursdays from 9 am to 1 pm.
Luckily, there’s an empty spot just in front of the Radio Station building and I proclaim my thanks to all known gods and goddesses as I park my Renault Logan. I race up the 3 floors to the studio, taking the steps 2 at a time. I burst into the studio as the hour hand on the wall clock comes to rests on 9. Clumsily placing the headphones on my ears, I switch the microphone on, and start my show.
“Namaste, Sat sri akaal, As salamu alaykum, kem chho, kassa kai, Hello Hi. My name is Sumiit and you’re listening to 107.8 FM Radio M.U.S.T., Mumbai University’s very own community radio. There’s no need to carry your umbrella today as the sun is shining brightly, and the weather department is forecasting a bright and sunny day with a maximum temperature of 33 degrees and a minimum of 26 degrees Celsius. I’ll be back with some stock updates, but till then you guys enjoy this song”
I flick the microphone switch to ‘off’, and let out a loud breath, as the first notes of the song start to play. As my heartbeats return to their normal pace, I wipe the beads of perspiration off my brow. Ironically, my first time in a recording studio had a similar kind of effect on me. A chuckle escapes from my mouth as my mind begins to wander.
“Are you ready?”, she asked. I looked up and nodded while trying to muster up a smile. This was RJ Malini, one of the city’s finest RJs, and she was going to take my audition. I had met Malini at a common friend’s party a week ago, and had expressed my interest in becoming a RJ. An opening had come up at her radio station for the 12 am to 2am slot, and so there I was, getting ready to audition.
I had never been in a studio before, and my only knowledge about radio jockeying was from what I heard on the 6 radio stations in Mumbai. Malini led me to the studio and introduced me to the sound engineer, Vijay, who was sitting in front of a machine, which at that point I could only identify as “the one with too many volume control sliders”.
I was directed to the recording studio. In the studio, I sat down in front of the microphone, having no idea what else to do – hoping that maybe the microphone would be kind enough to make sure that I sounded good during the audition. My prayer to the microphone God was interrupted by Vijay frantically waving at me through a window on my left. He gestured for me to put on the headphones lying on the table. I sheepishly obeyed. Over the headphones, he told me that the computer was recording and that I should start whenever I was ready.
The audition didn’t go well – I was too nervous and made too many mistakes. At the end of it, I walked out of the studio with my head down, mumbled a ‘thank you’ to Malini and Vijay and sought the quickest way out.
The dip in volume as the song fades out, stirs me out of my daydreaming. That dark cloud did have its silver lining. Shortly after the audition, I signed up for a Radio Jockey course which taught me all that I needed to know about the profession. It’s been 2 years hence and my patience, hard work and will to become a RJ have led me to where I currently am.
I recollect reading a saying by a famous personality; something on the lines of using your failures as stepping stones to success. My lips turn upwards in a slow grin as I switch the microphone on.
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