India Travel Diary

Indian cuisine, Indian culture and even the Indian language can change every 50 miles you travel. Having been to various places in India (UP, Bihar, MP, Karnataka, Andhra, Maharashtra, Jharkand, Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and had some incredible experiences, I created this Travel Diary (or rather traveller's diary) so that I could share with you some of those extraordinary sights and sounds I witnessed while travelling in India.

Sunday 1 April 2007

Glimpses of Madhya Pradesh

Memoirs of a Traveller
Wednesday, 10th January 2007


I’m on my way to Satna, MP with three colleagues. We’re auditing a cement company and this assignment starts off with an audit of the cement plant, followed by audits of all the marketing offices of the company. I’ll be covering Satna, Lucknow, Kanpur, Patna, Varanasi and Allahabad in this visit and needless to say, I’ll share with you whatever is worth sharing. Incidentally, I’ve got my camera with me this time round- there’ll be pictures to share with you.


And even as I speak, my friends are getting up. We’re approaching our first destination: Satna.


10:00 P.M: Here we are, finally at Satna! Thank goodness, our train isn’t too late. We’ve been on the train since midnight yesterday… been all of 22 hours, but here we are at last.


Before we get off the train, let me quickly give you a background of Satna. This city is in the state of Madhya Pradesh, popularly M.P (a literal translation of the old name Central Provinces, which also gives you a description of the state’s geographical location in India). It is the headquarters of the Satna district which comprises a wide area measuring 7502 square kilometres. The name Satna is derived from the Satna River which flows through the district. It is situated in north-eastern Madhya Pradesh, barely 100 kilometres from the state of Uttar Pradesh (U.P). In fact, the dialect of Hindi spoken here is closer to that spoken in U.P rather than the ones you’re likely to hear in M.P.


Satna is a vital railway junction from which distribution of agricultural and fabric products are carried out (handloom weaving is one of the key industries here). But the main industry in Satna is cement manufacturing. This district is rich is limestone deposits and as you know, limestone is the most vital component of cement. You have several cement plants in the Satna-Rewa belt (Rewa is another town very close by); including the company we are here to audit (no names of course).


And coming back to the present, we’re standing on the railway platform. It’s pretty dark here… no signs of a pickup. I guess we’ll have to get out into the parking lot. Incidentally, it’s not as cold as we were led to believe. I’d worn a leather jacket expecting that it would be cold; I’m taking it off now. It would also be worth mentioning that if you ever go traveling, I’d advice you to travel light. I’m lugging up two pieces of luggage up the over bridge and I promise you, it’s not fun.


Anyway, we’re in the parking lot now and I can see a vehicle with the name _ Cement Ltd. Pasted on the read window. Thank God, we’re in safe hands.


11:00 P.M: After an excellent dinner, we’re on our way to the dormitory, which is situated right in the plant. The restaurant where we had dinner, called Savera, is pretty expensive, given the size of this city. If you'll believe it, the prices are pretty much at par with similar joints in Bombay.


The cement plant where we're headed is about 25 kilometres from the city and I assure you, the road to the plant is a pretty lonely one. It passes right through the middle of a forest. There are no streetlights and I can’t see a vehicle anywhere in sight. It’s fine as long as you’re inside the vehicle. I promise you, I wouldn’t set out here on foot, or for that matter, a two-wheeler even if someone paid me a million dollars! My colleague Satish tells me that he’s traveled through many a road like this before… but he’s from a village in Rajasthan, where lonely roads like this are not necessarily unknown. This road is scary for a person like me, born and brought up in the hustle and bustle of Bombay.


11:30 P.M: We’re on the last leg of our journey to the plant. And the path on which we’re now driving (I refuse to call this a road) is terrible. We’re going along at 10 kilometres an hour and our vehicle is shaking about like a boat. It was just as bad when I came here last June; `guess things don’t change so fast in these parts.


12:00 A.M: Finally, after that rough road journey, we’re in the dormitory of _. The room’s reasonably comfortable; perhaps as good as it can get in the dormitory of a cement plant. To be honest, I’m too tired to really make out most of what’s happening around me. I promise you, I still feel as though my body were rocking back and forth in a train.


So goodnight everyone. Catch you as soon as I have something to write about.


Thursday, 18th January 2007


While there isn’t an awful lot to tell you as of now, there are some snippets worth sharing all the same.


I had mentioned earlier that it’s not nearly as cold as we’d been led to believe; I know the reason for it now. Apparently, there were hardly any rains in these parts last monsoon. In fact the Tamas River (not 100% sure if this is Tamas indeed) which is on the way between the city and this plant is completely dry. Apparently, they’re expecting a drought this year. You’d hardly think so unless someone told you- the fields in the vicinity are plush green, but that’s apparently due to ground water.


Secondly, I’d been to Chitrakoot last weekend… I fear the place was a bit of a disappointment. The only real highlight was a place called ‘Gupt Godavari’, where there exists a second source of the river Godavari. You have to walk through a couple of pretty narrow caves to see the place where the water comes gushing out… though not the source. No one has been able to locate the source yet- which explains the name (Gupt in Hindi means secret). It’s an amazing cave, though there are some spots where the rocks underneath your feet are sharp and as you can imagine, incredibly uncomfortable to walk on.


I'd been through one of the villages in the vicinity of the plant. If ever you wanted a study of contrasts, here you are. The village is unbelievably backward- far more backward than any of the villages I've ever seen on T.V. There is no electricity. The village school is an incredibly small, one-room structure. The road passing through the middle of the village is... well not a road! There's just a rough path with stones strewn all over. You can't get any quicker than 10 KMPH on that road. The houses are crudely built, with thatched hay roofs. Should you ever see the place, you'd be forgiven if you thought that you had somehow gone two or three centuries back in time- and all that within two kilometres from a state of the art cement plant. I remember someone once telling me that India is a land of contrasts. He hit the nail right on the head.


For the people living in these villages, the cement plant came as a Godsend. Most of these people work in the plant- which gives them the benefit of a fixed monthly income, apart from the fact that most of them have already made quite a bit of money by selling their land to the company for mining. I'm told that these people were living in utter poverty until a generation back; but with this plant now, all of them are at least able to make ends meet. Hopefully, they'll be able to take a step further- which will need education. Fortunately, the company has set up an excellent school here.


So my friends, if you ever wondered what the solution for India's massive poverty is, one of them is industrialisation. Its no coincidence that U.P, Bihar and West Bengal, the three states where poverty is the highest, are all states with relatively low levels of industrialisation. It is also no coincidence that even in the states where poverty is lower, the worst poverty affected areas are the non-industrialised areas.


But my colleague and roommate Arvind (with me on this trip too) is getting impatient to switch off the lights… it’s about 11 in the night. But before I go, I ought to share another interesting piece of information. If you ever happen to visit Chitrakoot, make sure you get out of here before half past four or five at the very most: the jungles around Chitrakoot are very unsafe- lot of dacoits thereabouts (people describe it as mini-Chambal). Whatever you do, make sure you’re not on the road once it gets dark: return early if you can, or stay back but venture not here in the darkness.


Lights off folks… good night!


Sunday, 21st January 2007


Finally, we’re off for some action today. Six of us today: the four of us on this audit and a couple of employees of our clients joining us. What’s more, all six of us are bachelors... do I need say anymore?


8:30 A.M: Our vehicle has arrived. We’re all set to leave for Khajuraho among other places (and I’m not yet sure what places we’re going to visit). We’re off to ‘the den’ first. In case you’re under the impression that we’re into wildlife photography or something like that, it would be worth clarifying that the den is the name of the living quarters where the bachelor employees of the company stay… but wait a minute, I’ve forgotten my camera! Well well, the old habit still lingers. We’re getting late. I’m rushing to get the camera.


Jeez, the air beating against your face is certainly discomfiting! It’s not cold, but it’s certainly uncomfortable. Anyway, here we are, in the vehicle, with the camera. Off we go!


9:30 A.M: We’re now outside Satna city limits. Let me clarify that when I use the word ‘city’ as a generic term. I know you’re wondering what I mean. Well it’s like this: Satna is just a district headquarters and no more, and I’d be hard pressed to describe it as anything more than a town (and a pretty small one at that). Satna is terribly underdeveloped. You’ll be hard pressed to find any structures more than one storey high. As for the city itself, I won’t bother to spend time in a description… just not worth it! In fact, there are no good colleges in Satna and this place does not even have a university!


But coming back to the present, we’re ascending a hilly area. I must say that hills in these parts are not steep- at least, not even nearly as steep as the hills in my part of the country. Of course, the hills in the west coast, where I stay, are fold mountains; these are not. And even as I speak, our vehicle has come to a halt; the reason? There’s a small temple here by the roadside. Just why we stopped here, I’m not sure…


…it took just a moment to pray and return. We’re across the road; time for a snap. Now I’m sure you’re wondering why we’re taking snaps of a place like this, with nothing extraordinary. The reason is this: just behind us (I say 'us' even though I’m not in this picture) is the Panna tiger reserve.





I’m standing with them now, barely a yard from the wall and I assure you, I have not the slightest intention of getting closer. On the other side of this wall is a sheer drop into the tiger reserve. In fact, there’s a board here warning riders not to stop here for too long. We heed the advice. Photo clicked; time to move on.

11:30 A.M: We have arrived at Panna, one of the oldest living cities, referred to in ancient texts like the Ramayana. Archeological excavations have established that primitive man also inhabited this city in pre-historic times. This place was apparently known as Padmavati Puri in ancient times. The word panna in Hindi means a gem. This city is of course, known for its diamond industry and was, until 1866 or so, the largest source of diamonds anywhere in the world. Now whether the city derived its name from the precious stones you find here or vice versa, I haven’t the foggiest.

We’re here to visit the Jugal Kishore temple here. I’m told the temple is an incredibly old one, constructed sometime in 1760s or so. It would be worth mentioning, that there are scores of narrow by-lanes in this city, reminiscent of Banaras (or Varanasi, where I’ll be going shortly). We’ve stopped our vehicle outside one such by lane which is so narrow that the car can’t get in.

And guess what? The temple doesn’t open till 12:00! that means we have a bit of time to kill. Someone is suggesting that we might as well visit the Prannathji temple while we’re about it. Suggestion taken; we’re on the way.

It would be worth mentioning that there’s a tendency to add ‘ji’ to the name of every God or Goddess in these parts. It’s a suffix that denotes respect- a very respectful form of address, which has not equivalent in English or any other foreign language I can think of (and for the record, I speak French and Russian fluently). It's also pretty common to add the suffix ji when addressing strangers, professional acquaintances or someone senior to you as a mark of respect.

12:30 P.M: Here we are, inside the Jugal Kishore temple. It’s magnificent, I promise you. There are temples which are also there and temple which are there and this one falls into the later category, I promise you. I’m no fanatic, and mystic I’m surely not. But this temple has incredible atmosphere. Should you ever visit these parts, you really must visit this temple.

As for the idol itself, it’s quite dark in there and so I could hardly venture to give an accurate description. But what strikes any casual visitor is that shining diamond on the lord’s crown. The Prannathji temple was incredible, but this one’s even better I promise you. Do check out the temples of Panna if you ever come visiting these parts.

And having seen the leelaein of Vishnuji (Jugal Kishore and Prannath are both Lord Krishna), we’re off to see the leelaein of Kamdevji- at Khajuraho (and with due apologies to the non-Hindi reader, I’m unable to find a satisfactory equivalent for the word ‘leela’ in English).

1:30 P.M: We’re here at Khajuraho, after a long drive. We stopped to have lunch somewhere, only to be told that we’d have to wait half an hour after placing the order; net result: we’ve not yet had lunch.

And I’m sure you’re wondering why we didn’t bother to wait, it was just half an hour after all. Well, that’s a cultural thing. Basically, we Indians in general and the people in these parts in particular have this dangerous tendency to understate things. When someone talks about half an hour, you can safely assume that it’ll at least take an hour. Remember; don’t take everything that people say in these parts on face value: people here have a problem in saying no. perhaps foreigners are right when they say that we Indians are a very ‘soft’ people.

We’ve decided to have a drink before we look up the place- lunch to be taken afterwards. In fact, we’re sitting on the roof of a small joint. We’ve asked for vodka. The intention was to have one of our colleagues enjoy the experience- he’s never experienced anything like it. As I feared, he’s chickened out of it. Anyway, that’s his choice- we’re going to taste vodka, which I’ve never tasted. while we wait for the Vodka to arrive, I’ll quickly tell you something about Khajuraho.

Legend has it that the name ‘Khajuraho’ was derived from the two golden date palm trees that once decorated the gates to this city (Khajur is of course, Hindi for date palms). In all probability, the name was really derived from the date palms growing abundantly in the vicinity of the city.

Anyway, name apart, this place is well known for its erotic sculptures; the temples are built on the sculptural scheme, that is to say, the sculptures form a part of the design and are not superimposed decorations. Apparently, there were 85 temples during the heydays of this city, out of which only 22 survive today. As for the rest, they’ve either been destroyed or perhaps still to be excavated- I haven’t the foggiest.

The temples of Khajuraho were built somewhere between 950 and 1050 A.D. I do not know when they went out of use, but the fact is that these temples completely vanished out of all memory until they were re-discovered sometime in the 20th century.

2:30 P.M: But coming back to the present, we’ve finished our vodka. Luckily, I diluted my vodka heavily with Sprite and am much the better for it. I can hardly recollect anything more bitter. And it appears I didn’t have too much of it, seeing as I’m still feeling normal- at least I think I am. No point asking the others of course- all of them (barring one) has had it!

Incidentally, the 22 temples I mentioned have been enclosed in the same compound, fenced from all sides. Fortunately, there are no restrictions on taking a camera with you inside the place. That means, of course, that I can show you some pictures.

2:45 P.M: We’re walking up the stairs of the Vishwanath Temple. By the way, these temples are not temples in the normal sense of the word. True you’re required to take off your footwear outside, but there are no ceremonies conducted here, or prayers read. I have no idea when these structures were last used as temples.

There’s a huge Shivling in here. Unfortunately, it’s so dark, that I can’t show you a photo- this would surely be beyond the weak flashlight of my camera. But here’s a view of the temple from the outside.


There’s a temple of Nandi the bull bang opposite this one. Apart from the exterior, which I’ll come to in a minute, what surprises me is that there are no bats in here, unlike in my native Maharashtra, where you’re certain to find bats inside most ancient places. Apparently, the MP Government is a little more active in preserving its tourism locations (Khajuraho is a world heritage site by the way).

And talking about the erotic sculptures on the outside (and incidentally, also on the outside portion of the inner walls- some temples have two layers of walls), not all the sculptures are erotic. A majority of the sculptures depict day to day activities… and even as I speak, I can hear a guide talking to a group of Japanese tourists (or Chinese, I’m not sure!). One of them seems to know English and he’s translating the guide’s just about manageable English into his language.

Interestingly, I hear the foreigner (I’m not guessing his nationality) repeatedly alluding to ‘surya’. As you know, Surya is Hindi for the sun and I did hear the guide refer to the sun. Apparently, their language has a few words in common with Sanskrit… makes you think.

The erotic carvings, which form about 10-20% of the total carvings, are incredible. It’s hard to believe that someone could have sculpted anything like this in a prudish society like ours; perhaps there was an age when we were a lot more open on these matters. Interestingly, none of the erotic sculptures are of deities. Intentional or not, even our ancient people appear to have been politically correct. Some of these sculptures are… well have a look and decide for yourselves.

3:00 P.M: We’re actually seeing the Western group of temples- there are two groups. We are currently just ouside the Kandariya Mahadev temple, the biggest in this group. It’s a huge temple- over 100 feet high… incredible for its period. No doubting the artistic merit of it, but I won’t trouble you with a description; all the temples here look exactly the same. If there’s a difference, I fear it escaped me (and all the others with me as well). Sadly, I’m unable to show you a pic- the temple is way too big to fit into the frame of my camera. Unfortunately, we're unable to step into this temple; they are doing so restorative work.

3:30 P.M: Just seen the Matangeshwara temple. This one’s built slightly different from the rest- at least, so it appeared to a layperson like me. This temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is still a place of worship. Lovely temple this- the triangular steeple and a Shivling that’s about 10 feet high are both spectacular, given the technology available about 1000 years ago when this temple was constructed.

One simple piece of advice: do see this temple if you come to Khajuraho. As for the other temples, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen all. To a layperson, they all look exactly the same from the outside. The carvings are truly unbelievable and it’s amazing that someone could have managed to make all of them by hand; which goes to show that there were far better artists among our ancestors than in our generation, unless they had some form of technology which was lost in the mists of time.

We’ve decided to go around the gardens and then proceed to have lunch… no point going for the Eastern group of temples. Jitu (first from Right in the pic below), who has been here before, says that the temples there are also more or less the same.

4:00 P.M: We’re standing in the middle of the huge lawns in the environs of the temples. I thought it would be worth showing you these huge cacti.


I confess that I have never seen such huge cactus plants. I have seen some on T.V, but never suspected that plants such as this also exist in India. The stems are filled with water- if you happen to shake the stem, you’ll get pretty much the same sound that you’ll get if you shake a narrow bottle. Poor Sachin (second from right, in the black T-Shirt), who wanted to demonstrate it got a thorn in his flesh- more accurately, in the index finger of his right hand.


I can’t help standing here and admiring these huge cacti… but its really late; the others are getting impatient… and hungry. We haven’t had lunch yet!

5:00 P.M: finally, lunch over! Jeez, the service in these parts is excruciatingly slow. For people like me, accustomed to the instant service you usually get in Bombay restaurants, the service is, well, terrible (for want of a better word).

We’re in the parking lot and there are a whole lot of guys selling books on Khajuraho and a whole lot of wares, the likes of which you certainly wouldn’t like people of home to see! I guess, most of it is intended for the foreigners who, I daresay, outnumber the Indians here. In fact one guy looked to con me with an overpriced book. I couldn't help but tell him yaar videshiyon ko toh thagthe ho, Hindustaniyon ko toh chodo (for the benefit of non-Hindi speakers: "you anyway con the foreigners, at least spare Indians").

One thing you’ll find is that these hawkers (or whatever you’d like to call them) are after foreigners to con a quick buck. A simple piece of advice (should you ever happen to go there), you can safely assume that whatever price he quotes, you can easily get it for half that price (if not lower) and yes, don’t be taken in by the price mentioned in print- that too is negotiable! Apply 50% discounting.

But I fear I talk too much! It’s getting dark and we still have to see Raneh falls, which is about 20 kilometres or so from Khajuraho, and it’s getting very late. Remember, its winter and it becomes dark by about 6:00 P.M in these parts.

5:30 P.M: we’ve finally reached Raneh falls. This place, unlike what the name suggests, is not just a waterfall. Actually, there’s a huge canyon here, through which flows the Ken River. The canyon ranges from 50 to 100 feet in depth. Here’s a picture of the canyon for you.


We’re throwing stones into the water right now and the sound of the stone hitting water is spectacular. I can’t see where the stone landed; only hear the sound. Let me show you a picture of the fall .


It’s quite a steep fall as you can see. Luckily, you’re in no risk of falling over. There is, God bless, a fence here for safety’s sake. As you can see, there isn’t an awful lot of water below. That’s on account of the scanty rains last monsoon and the fact that the flow of the Ken River is now tamed by the Gangau dam.

The canyon, incidentally, was not created by the flow of the river. Our guide tells us that it was created by a volcanic eruption here some 500 million years ago or so, which explains the variety of rocks you see here. The colours of the rocks range from pinkish to black. I can even see reddish and grey rocks here. Let me give you another view of it.


Sadly I don’t have a video camera- for this entire place is worth showing. Believe me, this place defies description. Surprising as this may sound, I think this place is far more beautiful than anything I saw at Khajuraho. Until I came here, I never knew that you had rocks of so many different colours in the same place. Hard to understand why this place is not so well known- I hadn’t even heard of it until a few hours back.

We asked our guide the shortest route from here to Satna. A couple of guys, who were with our guide, are suggesting an alternative route. Incidentally, the dialect they speak here is very different from the one they speak at Satna- you only have to hear the Hindi here to realize that you’re now in M.P. our guide tells us that there’s a considerable variety of wildlife in these parts; I daresay, none of us have the stomach for all that now: its nearly six- the light is fading rapidly even as I speak and there's no shortage of felines in the jungles that abound here, through which we'll have to pass on the way back… time to make a move.

7:00 P.M: Its pitch dark now. The road is completely deserted, barring the odd vehicle that zips by; there are no street lights as well. If you’re a person accustomed to the hustle and bustle of a big city and you want to test your courage, just step out of your vehicle here in the dark and walk down until the vehicle goes out of sight… which I have no intention of doing by the way!

We’ve been having quite a bit of fun here by the way. Sadly, most of it is bachelor’s stuff- can’t reproduce them here. As is usually the case, one of us is the butt of a whole lot of jokes. Fortunately, its not me!

And even as I speak, I can see a deer on the road! Would you believe this: A full size, grown up deer in the middle of the road? Belonging as I do, to a city where one only gets to see people, plople and more people every square inch, the sight of a deer in the middle of the road seems surreal. Unfortunately, we’ve already passed by, and we moved too fast for me to click a photo.

7:30 P.M: We’re still some distance away from Satna… time for a break. We’ve stopped by a roadside tapri (with apologies to non-Hindi speakers, I can’t translate this word into English) to have tea. Don’t know if there is electricity in this place at all; if there is, the supply is currently off now. The place is lit up using lanterns.

There’s a wide shed with an asbestos roof and there are a whole lot of cots (the wood and choir cots you see in the countryside) laid out here. What’s interesting is the number of posters on the wall- all of film actresses… the atmosphere here isn’t particularly bad, for a bachelor at least!

And as I sip tea, Sachin tells me that there are some villages nearby (I couldn’t get the name) where the poverty is so crushing that all the females are into prostitution. And if you’ll believe it, their fathers and brothers themselves act as pimps!

I might not have believed this a year ago, but having seen glimpses of the poverty in these parts, I can definitely believe it. If you ever believed all this talk of India being or becoming a superpower, I trust this would have been a reality check. THIS, my friends, is the harsh reality. For all the progress we’ve made as a country, facts like these remain equally true.

8:15 P.M: On the way back… but it’s too noisy here to concentrate and I promise you, I’m really tired.

We’re nearly back in Satna. No more adventure for the day folks. This is the most difficult part guys, but its time now to say adieu. And thank you from spending time with me. Come back with more experiences when the opportunity afford itself.

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