I like to imagine myself as a 'Warrior Princess' of The City Palace Museum, Udaipur who has set out to achieve, conquer. In contrast, there are days when it's 'Santosh madam', forever content, as a lot of my colleagues have mistaken my name for being. P.S. my name is Chelsea Santos, and I work at The City Palace Museum, Udaipur.
I've always been a history buff so to imagine myself as being part of a historical structure is like living out pages of a history book; it is a sheer honor. Something that I've always loved doing when I'd visit places such as this is to stride along and feel the vibes, walk the walk. But with work, you'd often see me hastily gliding past the large courtyards of the Palace. It is only sometimes that I like to pace down, sit and soak in the sun and feel like a tourist.
The Museum is housed within the 400 year old Palace of Udaipur, and the way it has been built, by successive generations of Maharanas, provides ample of ways to the visitor to partake of the royal experience and enjoy themselves. Be it the landscape or the architecture; from vibrant courtyards, interspersed gardens and lawns, to the soothing waters of the lake Pichola that borders the Palace, there isn't a shortage of recreational spaces for the visitors. It's like they say, there's something for everyone! It is indeed very interesting to stop for a while, and gather what these visitors feel, how do they percieve the history, connect with the heritage and culture, and interact with the spaces and collections. For us too, there would probably be a thousand new things yet to be discovered, and that's what always has you looking forward to a new day at work.
I was 22 when I first joined; perhaps the youngest of the lot, but was at once made to feel at home. I've lived in Bombay my whole life, Udaipur was my first long venture outside home. Never thought, I'd grow to love this place so much, so quick. There's just something about the place, and it's people; it's almost as if I've known this place before. While I continue to cherish my work here, I can't help but thank my lucky stars for being provided the whole of the battlefield to explore, learn, conquer and establish to my heart's desire.