Riding Through Rajasthan
The story of Penelope’s magical trip through the wilds of Rajasthan, our stays with the incredible SUJÁN team, and the exquisite collection these travels inspired.
Our journey through Rajasthan started at SUJAN Sher Bagh; a safari lodge created by its owners Jaisal and Anjali Singh, as a little piece of paradise within the jungle of Ranthambhore, where tigers roam wild. Indian tigers are a seriously endangered species, but in the last decade, thanks to the dedication and efforts of SUJÁN and their support of their local partner NGO The Village Wildlife Volunteers, along with the efforts of the Forest Department of Rajasthan the number of tigers has nearly doubled to more than 82 today.
This magical safari lodge with its pristine white, luxurious canvas tents and mission of conservation, inspired the design of our SUJÁN SLIPPER. Made from deep green velvet to reflect the leafy jungle, and embroidered with a tiger stitched in gold, the Dandy slipper was made especially to be worn here in Ranthambore, around the crackling campfire and is available for both men and women. On our first night I arrived for candlelit cocktails, excited to be wearing the slippers on my feet, and thrilled to find I was not the only one wearing them! To my delight there were many twinkling in the moonlight, and no doubt the beautiful beast they represented was not faraway, enjoying protected freedom in his own wilderness as king (or queen) of the jungle.
Travelling with SUJÁN is all about big, beautiful surprises and rare sensory experiences you couldn’t dream up in a thousand years. To be greeted by a pair of trotting Jaisalmeri camels on arrival, served breakfast under a tent in an enchanted kitchen garden - a secret in itself - or to be driven by jeep to a sandy mount one evening, for a fabulous party in the dunes, and joined by talented musicians in the heat of the desert. All this would be more than enough, but there is still more - after a long day exploring ‘the last city of India’ we returned to a ‘TV dinner’ (but in spectacular SUJÁN style) on a huge screen, under the darkest desert sky, to watch Omar Sharif and Peter O’ Toole in Lawrence of Arabia and to scrutinise with new interest their camel riding etiquette and technique! Nearby is Gold City of Jaisalmer, a city within fort, and one of the living fortresses left in the world. Now a UNESCO protected site. it is built from sandstone and carved into lace, with its old specialist shops where I discovered the smallest shoe shop in the world!
SUJÁN JAWAI, is the most exotic of all the safari camps and perhaps the only one I felt I could get away with wearing red suede Jodhpur Boots, because this is the land of the Rabari tribe where men traditionally dress in huge red turbans, wrapped in embroidered red blankets to roam these ancient hills.
@anjsingh has created a dream-like world for all who spend time in this wilderness camp. Her creative vision pays homage to the Rabari by weaving strong reds throughout the camp, from the stable’s saddlery to the fabrics in our tent. These colour palettes were the inspiration for our SUJÁN Riding Boot, an exquisite design, built to last and completely at home riding through this edenic landscape, or stepping out across the city pavements back home. I wore mine as we rode out and watched the sun rise over the Aravalli mountain range (the oldest geological feature in the world) feeling ‘at one’ with this bucolic landscape, reminiscent of a Giovanni Bellini painting. What Anjali and Jaisail have created is a place that is awe inspiring, whilst managing to hold onto a sense of an understated elegance. And our safari pieces are designed to do the same, to celebrate beauty and magic, but to camouflage and blend with nature too. Representing the harmony between the wilderness, the local communities and the leopards and tigers SUJÁN have set out to protect for generations.
Indian tigers are a seriously endangered species, but in the last decade thanks to the dedication and efforts of @thesujanlife, the number of tigers has nearly doubled to more than 82. The team have set their sights on leopards too, recently restoring over 100 sq km of local leopard habitat, whilst also protecting over 70 species of native flora and fauna. Our conservation collection seeks to celebrate and support this amazing cause and 10% of our sales from the Sujan collection will go back into supporting their incredible rewilding restoration project.
Our conservation collection seeks to celebrate and support SUJÁN's conservation efforts for the tigers in Ranthambhore and the leopards of Jawai. 10% of our sales from the SUJÁN collection will go back into supporting their incredible rewilding project at SUJÁN JAWAI and support the antipoaching tiger conservation efforts in Ranthambhore. For more information about SUJÁN's work please click here.
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