Jaipur: The Rajasthan chapter of Stories of Indian Cities, an initiative by Cartist documenting local art, culture, heritage, food and community stories, concluded on September 23 outside the Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur after a 20-day journey spanning more than 3,500 kilometres.
During the trip, the Cartist team visited more than 45 destinations across Rajasthan, interacting with local communities, artisans and residents to document traditions, occupations, food practices and everyday stories from different parts of the state.
The journey began in Jaipur on September 4 and travelled through Mandawa, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jawai, Ranakpur, Nathdwara, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Bundi, Kota, Bharatpur, Deeg and Alwar, among several other locations.
While Rajasthan’s forts, palaces and monuments remain its most visible calling cards, the project focused substantially on the people and traditions that exist beyond the conventional tourist trail.
The team documented folk arts, handicrafts, traditional occupations, regional food and the daily lives of local communities, with an emphasis on stories that may otherwise receive limited public attention.
Speaking at the culmination of the journey, Cartist founder Himanshu Jangid said the experience offered an opportunity to view Rajasthan through several different perspectives, particularly through conversations with the people encountered along the way.
Among the interactions highlighted by the team was a meeting with Khemraj ji and his family in the tribal region of Banswara. The project also documented the story of Kanaram ji, associated with traditional patchwork and local embroidery in a remote part of Barmer.
The journey additionally explored Rajasthan’s culinary diversity and regional flavours. Members of various royal families were also interviewed as part of an effort to understand royal traditions, heritage and their continuing relationship with the state’s cultural landscape.
“This was not just a journey of 3,500 kilometres. It was a journey of reaching people and understanding Rajasthan through their stories,” Himanshu Jangid said.
The material collected during the Rajasthan journey will now be presented through photography, films and digital storytelling under the Stories of Indian Cities initiative.
The Rajasthan chapter was supported by Rajasthan Tourism, Nippon Paints Auto Refinish, Bikaji and Nasher Miles. Cartist also acknowledged the local communities, artisans, storytellers and partners who participated in the project.
For a state frequently photographed through the familiar lens of palaces, deserts and heritage architecture, the initiative attempts to broaden the frame by placing everyday people and living traditions at the centre of Rajasthan’s story — proving that sometimes the most revealing destination is the conversation that happens along the way.
