Perhaps Mark Twain, the American novelist and humorist described India best: “the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.” Think of the subcontinent and the mind rocks: the hot pink and searing orange palette, the extravagant royal residences where maharajas ruled and nautch girls danced, the rich layering of cultures West and East, strutting peacocks, and the alarming, unbelievable, and magnificent chaos. AD’s first AD Access Journey to India, a unique partnership between the magazine and Indagare, the luxury travel group, takes place from October 4 until October 11, 2019, and it promises to be a Twain-worthy trip.
Since India is the seventh-largest country and home to more than 1.3 billion people, a number that makes it the second-most populous country, Melissa Biggs Bradley, Indagare’s founder and CEO, and myself, AD’s decorative arts editor, will focus on two of India’s essential destinations. For three days—reservations are limited—we’ll plunge our guests deep into Delhi, a rambunctious, mazelike metropolis with roots in the sixth-century B.C., where earthy traditions meet fast-forward modernity. The itinerary will be one of splendor and surprises, with behind-the-scenes tours of palaces and holy sites, an insider's stroll through the monumental Presidential Palace—British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens’ 1920s masterpiece—and its extraordinary Mughal Gardens, one of the most important landscapes of the 20th century. Our days will also include exclusive visits to the private homes of art collectors and trendsetters who have been featured in the pages of AD and its international editions, as well as one-on-one visits with leading designers and artists, such as celebrated jewelry impresario Hanut Singh and renowned AD subject Olivia Fraser, whose hypnotic take on traditional Indian miniature painting has stunned collectors and museum curators around the world.
Delhi devoured, we’ll then spend three days reveling in the romance of Jaipur, the 18th-century capital of the state of Rajasthan, a royal domain where the streetscapes are lined with so many rose-tinted buildings, from palaces to havelis, that it is known as the Pink City. Here, elephants rumble, mirrors sparkle, façades made of carved sandstone rise like pink lace into clear blue skies, fountains splash, and hedges are clipped into the shape of giant stars.
AD-featured homes will be on the Jaipur agenda, too, such as those of tastemakers Marie-Anne Oudejans, an expatriate Dutch fashion designer who has become one of India’s star decorators, and the jewelry designer Marie-Hélene de Taillac. Says Taillac: “Color is everywhere in Jaipur. Between blue and turquoise, there are 50 variations, and each has a name—some untranslatable because they don’t exist anywhere else.” Want to see them all? Then join our October AD Access tour and prepare to be dazzled.
For more information on the next AD Access trip to India, which will run from October 4 through 11, 2019, please visit: indagare.com/ad.
