For Jane McDonald, cruising India is a spiritual experience
Claire Webb - 23 February 2019
Jane McDonald’s latest TV voyage is a trip down the tributaries of India’s sacred River Ganges. Her most adventurous river cruise yet, it takes her to some of West Bengal’s lesser-known cities, where locals are as curious about tourists as vice versa. “I’ve really taken to river cruising – I’m a convert because you go straight into the cities, whereas on ocean cruises you just go to the port,” she says. “Even on board, you get to see so much because you’re close to the land.”
The standard seven-night Ganges itinerary begins and ends in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), where Colonial-era clubs jostle with Mughal monuments, gaudy temples and slums. “It was a cultureshock. Every single sense is assaulted. The noise is unbelievably loud – drivers sit on their horns – and the smell of food and flowers follows you round. Flowers are so important in India. I visited Asia’s biggest flower market and there were thousands of garlands. Lots of households have their own shrine and put flowers on it every day. Every hotel greets you with garlands.”
McDonald’s ship called at the temple city of Kalna, at Mayapur, the sacred centre for the Hare Krishna movement, and at the erstwhile capital of Bengal and silk trade centre, Murshidabad. There she learned about a religion called Jainism, whose followers believe that every living thing in the universe, whether plant, human or animal, should be treated with respect. “I thought, ‘That sounds right up my street!’ So it was fascinating to learn a bit about that.” Another highlight was a midnight candlelit ceremony on the river itself. “There were hundreds of candles on the water, floating past us. It was quite a sight.”
Like most Ganges cruises, hers included a land tour of India’s famous Golden Triangle: Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. “We’ve all seen the Taj Mahal, but when you walk through that archway and see it for yourself… Wow.” But most memorable of all was an afternoon spent flying kites in the “Pink City” of Jaipur. The story goes that the city’s historic buildings were originally painted pink for a royal visit by Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Prince Albert Edward, the future Edward VII, because it’s an inviting colour.
McDonald received a warm welcome when she signed up to meet a local family who were celebrating a Hindu harvest festival, in which Jaipur’s sky fills with colourful kites. “We went up on the roof of their block of flats and all the other families had come out, and they all knew each other. Everybody was sharing food, all the kids were learning how to fly kites and playing together, and people were waving to us from every single block. It was just wonderful.
The standard seven-night Ganges itinerary begins and ends in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), where Colonial-era clubs jostle with Mughal monuments, gaudy temples and slums. “It was a cultureshock. Every single sense is assaulted. The noise is unbelievably loud – drivers sit on their horns – and the smell of food and flowers follows you round. Flowers are so important in India. I visited Asia’s biggest flower market and there were thousands of garlands. Lots of households have their own shrine and put flowers on it every day. Every hotel greets you with garlands.”
McDonald’s ship called at the temple city of Kalna, at Mayapur, the sacred centre for the Hare Krishna movement, and at the erstwhile capital of Bengal and silk trade centre, Murshidabad. There she learned about a religion called Jainism, whose followers believe that every living thing in the universe, whether plant, human or animal, should be treated with respect. “I thought, ‘That sounds right up my street!’ So it was fascinating to learn a bit about that.” Another highlight was a midnight candlelit ceremony on the river itself. “There were hundreds of candles on the water, floating past us. It was quite a sight.”
Like most Ganges cruises, hers included a land tour of India’s famous Golden Triangle: Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. “We’ve all seen the Taj Mahal, but when you walk through that archway and see it for yourself… Wow.” But most memorable of all was an afternoon spent flying kites in the “Pink City” of Jaipur. The story goes that the city’s historic buildings were originally painted pink for a royal visit by Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Prince Albert Edward, the future Edward VII, because it’s an inviting colour.
McDonald received a warm welcome when she signed up to meet a local family who were celebrating a Hindu harvest festival, in which Jaipur’s sky fills with colourful kites. “We went up on the roof of their block of flats and all the other families had come out, and they all knew each other. Everybody was sharing food, all the kids were learning how to fly kites and playing together, and people were waving to us from every single block. It was just wonderful.