Nawab Se Samraat Tak

Lucknow to Delhi

Sunday, 4th February 2007

10:00 A.M: Good morning folks. Here we are, in the lobby of hotel Ganga Maiya, checking out. We’re back on the road. Kanpur beckons and of course, we (you and I that is) are off to Delhi tonight. Waiting for us in the vehicle outside is Mr. Rajiv Pandey- remember Mr. Rajiv, who was with us when we went to Patna last June? Aye, `tis the same person. He’s now been transferred to Lucknow. He’ll be dropping us: first Arvind at the railway station, from where he takes his train to Allahabad (where we’ll be going later this month) and then Satish and yours truly at the bus stand.

And even as I speak, our check-out formalities are over. Time to go folks!

10:30 A.M: We’re sitting in our Sumo, outside the railway station. Our friend Arvind is getting off now… and here rings the mobile. Excuse me, just a moment…

A moment later: That was my friend Santosh, whom we’ll be meeting in Delhi tomorrow. He’d called up to say that we (our firm that is) have won the ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) Trophy- in cricket of course. The best part was that we smashed three multinational firms along the way. God willing, we as a people will also be able to do that in business some day. And now that Arvind has left, its time for us to make a move as well.

11:00 A.M: We’re at the bus stand folks, still in the car with heavy luggage to lug around. The bus to Kanpur is leaving- its already started. Moral of the story: we have to run for it!

11:15 A.M: We’re finally settling down. You know, the U.P government’s road transport undertaking has some lovely air-conditioned buses- like the one in which we’re sitting right now. To be sure, they’re no comparison to the Volvo buses you see in our part of the country, but they’re good all the same. And talking of buses, time for another snippet: buses belonging to the U.P government undertaking are not uniform in appearance- unlike what we’re used to in our part of the country. Strangely enough, they also requisition buses belonging to private operators occasionally. No idea why they do that- once again, I’m indebted to Arvind for this piece of trivia.

And even as I talk, they’re playing some really atrocious music folks. I have no choice, but you do- so I’ll spare you the frustration. See you soon in Kanpur.

2:00 P.M: Here we are folks, we’ve finally reached Kanpur. After so many stops and stoppages along the way, its home and dry at last. We’ve reached a historic city- a city that has had as much share in Indian history as most others. But I’ll come to that later when the opportunity affords itself. As you can see, we’re haggling with rickshawwallahs over the fare right now. I must say that Satish is better at that than me.

Anyone familiar with bus travel in this country would know that you get swamped by rickshawwallahs the moment you get off your bus and you can bet your bottom dollar that they’re looking to overcharge you. Bargaining is a quintessentially Indian passion and that’s the reason why they always quote higher than they actually intend to charge. And so if the rickshawwallah wants to charge say x, he’ll quote x plus 50% or even 2x. Then as expected, you bargain and bring it down somewhere close to x. both of us are aware of the real game and yet go through the bargaining process.

And Satish has managed to strike a bargain with a cycle rickshawwallah. Here we go.

Some Moments Later: This is by far the most extraordinary city I’ve seen to date. Looking around me, I feel as though I’m watching a period movie; this part of town (and we’re in the old city now) has hardly, if at all, changed since the British left.

And I must say that I’ve never seen such a narrow thoroughfare. You’re dead even if one vehicle were to fail here. and even as I speak, I see a vehicle that can never fail; it’s a single horsepower vehicle or more accurately, a single horse powered vehicle, which is called a tanga in these parts. Coming from a place where even cycle rickshaws do not exist, a tanga looks scarcely credible, especially in a major city like this. Our rickshawwallah is surprised at my astonishment; he tells me that horse carts are a very common mode of transport here. To be sure, on narrow roads like this, all vehicles would be reduced to the same speed.

We’re now passing by the police headquarters- the Kotwali as its called. You’re not going to believe this, but it still bears the old spelling “Cawnpore” as Kanpur was spelled in colonial days (the spelling was changed in 1948); hazarding a conjecture, I daresay this building has not been repaired since our former rulers left us alone. Actually this road itself presents a strange spectacle: its incredibly narrow and dirty with buildings on both sides in a crazy state of disrepair. Looking upward, you can see a maze of wires. The electricity and telephone wires form an incredibly complex (not to mention ugly) tangle; both, electricity and telephone wires are above ground- a common feature in these parts. Simply put, its as big a mess overhead as it is on the ground below. And yes, I forgot to mention that the residents of this place have found an unusual method of overcoming the lack of a road-divider: you have a long line of vehicles parked exactly at the centre of the road. I’ll say this folks: you actually have to come and see this to believe that places like this also exist. Sadly, I’m unable to show you a photo and you know the reason for that.

It’s hard to imagine a more stark contrast between Lucknow and Kanpur. Whereas the former is truly nawabon ka shehar, this is genuinely a third-world city. If you’ll believe it, the two are barely 80 kilometres apart. But then, drastic change like this is commonplace in these parts- so well described in the saying that goes around here:

Ek kos mein paani,
Dus kos mein vaani

Which would roughly translate as:

The water (changes) in a mile
The dialect (changes) in ten

2:30 P.M: Finally we’re in our hotel room; home and famished. Actually there was a somewhat comical bit of confusion. There are two hotels here: The Meera and Meera Inn. Apparently, the original booking was in The Meera. But later on, in an inspired moment of miscommunication (or should it be non-communication?) booked a room for us in Meera Inn as well. Fortunately, Mr. Khare (the chief accountant here) asked us to take up our room at The Meera since its more luxurious. And so, after that quintessentially Indian piece of confusion, we’re finally unpacking. But we’re famished and need to take a shower. Please give us a moment to find our bearings.

3:15 P.M: Finally, lunch has arrived! But, I have to wait for Satish to arrive; he’s just gone for his shower. And so as usual, I’ll tell you something about this city as I wait.

Kanpur is an important centre for the leather industry. It is known basically as an industrial city, once known for its textile mills- so much so, that it was once known as the “Manchester of India”. The textile mills have mostly vanished, as have most manufacturing units, due to problems related to power supply in this city. Mr. Pandey (who belongs to Kanpur by the way) told me that this city is rapidly decaying right now, notwithstanding the fact that it has an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology). I may also mention that the holy Ganges flows through this city. I remember reading about the beauty of the Ganges as it flows through this city, or rather, as it once flowed through this city. Today, I’m told, the river is incredibly toxic and polluted.

But whatever the present, Kanpur has a proud past and a significant place in the history of India. There are two theories as to how Kanpur came to have its name: One goes that the name is derived from ‘Karnapur’, as it was called in the age of the Mahabharat, after this region was gifted to Karn by Duryodhan. The name Karnapur somehow contracted to Kanpur over the centuries. Another theory is that the name is derived from “Kanhaiyapur” (city of Lord Krishna), which was later shortened to Kanhapur (Kanha also being one of Lord Krishna’s several names), which in turn was truncated to Kanpur.

Whatever the actual genesis of the name, both theories indicate that the origins of this city go back to a few thousand years. Strangely enough, little is known about the progress of this city from those times to the thirteenth century or so is lost in the mists of time. But Kanpur makes a reappearance in the early 13th century, when Raja Kanti Dev of Prayag established a village called Kohna along the banks of the Ganges. By 1579, by which time it was under the control of Sher Shah Suri, the village was called Kanpur- the first known use of the name. But Kanpur remained a village until sometime in the late 18th of early 19th century, when British industries started making their appearance. It became (and remains) one of the major military stations in India sometime in the first half of the 19th century.

And of course, Kanpur was one of the several areas of disturbances during the uprising of 1857. This city was besieged by the mutinous troops, led by Nanasaheb Peshwa in 1857. After a 3-week siege, the British were promised a safe passage. What happened afterwards is subject of some controversy, suffice it to say that the native sepoys massacred the retreating British in mid-water. Historians seem to have little unanimity in this matter and given their genius for spin doctoring, I’m impelled to take most of what British historians claim with a pinch of salt; the massacres they perpetrated in these parts would have done the Nazis proud.

Kanpur today is home to several industries, especially the leather industry. Pollution levels in this city have apparently reached appallingly high levels. Most of the industries that abounded as recently as the late 70s or early 80s have apparently shifted to Noida or Gaziabad in the NCR (National Capital Region).

And even as I speak, Satish has come out and readied himself. Well excuse me folks, its lunchtime now. But don't go too far, remember, we also have to go to Delhi tonight. So see you soon...

5:00 P.M: We’ve had our lunch and as you can see, I’ve finished my packing for the trip to Delhi, more accurately, unpacking and packing since I’ve jettisoned all that was inessential and only taken whatever is indispensable for a 2-day trip. As I’ve told you, I’m off to a very close friend’s wedding, which will be spread over two days. Needless to say, I’m taking you with me so that you can witness it yourself. Personally, its going to be my first experience of a Punjabi wedding. Incidentally, Mr. Bhat, the accountant here, called up just a few moments ago that he’d be coming to pick me up; he’ll help me get on a bus to Delhi… so much the better since I had no idea how I was going to get there. I only hope there’s an air-conditioned bus. Believe me, you just can’t travel by an ordinary bus in these parts- just perish the thought!

5:30 P.M: A knock on the door; it is Mr. Bhat indeed. Time to make a move folks. Chalo Delhi

6:00 P.M: We’ve been really lucky folks! as you can see, I’m sitting inside an air-conditioned bus, identical to the one in which we came to Kanpur in the morning. You know, we got here in the nick of time; there’s only one air-conditioned bus to Delhi in the evening and we got here to the bus stand just as it was about to leave. 5 minutes late and… I have no idea what I would have done!

So folks, ab delhi door nahin (no use translating, since the words have a historic connotation). See you in our capital tomorrow.

Glimpses of Uttar Pradesh

In the Land of the Nawabs

Saturday, 3rd February 2007

9:30 A.M: We are now fast approaching Lucknow, the capital of U.P. As you can see, I didn’t disturb you early this time and I’ve already brushed my teeth and freshened up, unlike the other day. We’re still pretty much at the outskirts of Lucknow- some more time to go; the timing was quite intentional of course, so that I could tell you something about this city before we set foot there.

Lucknow is an ancient city, said to be part of the Kosala Kingdom (modern day Ayodhya) in the days of the Suryavanshi dynasty. It was the seat of the Nawab of Avadh (anglicised as Oudh), after the Mughal empire exploded into splinters in the 18th century. While I don’t know much about the Nawabs of Avadh, its fairly obvious that they were patrons of arts. The Nawabs came under the trap of the Subsidiary Alliance System, eventually surrendering their fiefdom to the British, who grabbed it in 1856 under the plea of misadministration. The last years of the Nawabs of Avadh saw Delhi usurp the role of the cultural capital of Hindustan (which of course, did not include regions south of the Vindhyas in those days).

Needless to say, Lucknow was pretty much in the eye of the storm when the uprising broke out in 1857; the diposition of the Nawab of Avadh was one of the main grievances of the mutinous soldiers, many of whom belonged to this region. The famous siege of Lucknow was relieved at first by the Company armies under Sir Henry Havelock and Sir James Outram, before Sir Colin Campbell’s forces dealt the coup de grace. Here’s a photograph of Lucknow in the immediate aftermath of the fighting.

Lucknow was included in the territories of the “United Provinces of Agra and Oudh” in 1902 and became the provincial capital in 1920, when the capital was moved from Allahabad. After independence, it became the capital of the present day Uttar Pradesh… and tell you what, we’ve arrived! Time to make a move folks… I’ll tell you the rest of it later, as and when time permits.

10:30 A.M: Here we are, sitting in Room No. 107 of Hotel Ganga Maiya (yup the name’s genuine). Why this hotel is called by this name, I’m not sure, since they have their own river here- which I’ll come to in a moment. As far as the hotel is concerned, you can guess the quality thereof by the name; I’ll say no more. Incidentally, Satish has gone in for a shower, which means I can tell you the rest of it while we wait for him to come out.

I’ve already told you about Lucknow’s past. Lucknow today is well known for its “Tehzeebwaali Urdu” (cultured Urdu) and it’s kotis, made famous by Rekha in Umrao Jaan, and much else besides. Of the lot, the Urdu survives to this day, but the Kothis have long since vanished- except in Hindi movies. Talking of movies, Lucknow has also produced legends like Talat Mahmood and Naushad Ali. It is also famous for its handicrafts- time permitting, I’ll also get myself a Lucknowi kurta… though I doubt if we’re going to have the luxury of time.

Lucknow is situated about 500 kilometres south-east of New Delhi (where I’m going tomorrow). This city enjoys, if that’s the word, extreme weather, with summer temperatures in the high 40s (a singularly ghastly prospect, I promise you) and winter temperatures in single digits- sometimes close to freezing point. It was estimated to have a population of about 25 lakhs in 2006. As I was mentioning earlier, Lucknow even has a river, the Gomti, flowing through it. The Gomti is a tributary of Ganga, meeting the Ganges somewhere in Gazipur district.

Apart from being nawabon ka shehar, Lucknow is also the constituency of India’s former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who I believe, is considered unassailable here. to be sure, U.P is currently governed by the Samajwadi Party (SP), which would roughly translate as the “People’s Party”. From what I know (and I’ve been here last June as well), the party has pretty much come to power and sustained itself on brute power. A lot of people told me last time round (and still say by the way) that the party has instituted pretty much a Gundaraj (rule of gangsters) here, unlike what’s being claimed in an ad featuring a legendary actor that

UP mein dum hai (U.P is on the go),
kyonki yahaan jurm kam hai (because crime here is low).

And even as I speak, my mobile phone is ringing. Tell you what, I think I’ve troubled you enough for now. I’ll come back to you as soon as we make a move.

12:00 P.M: Finally, we’re about to make a move. If you wonder why it took so long, its on account of the ‘collective inertia’ that sets in when you’re in a group. I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced it, but things tend to get really delayed when you have to move in a group- more accurately, when more than one person has to move. I really wonder how huge armies are mobilised. I remember reading sometime that as late as the second world war, 10-15 miles a day was considered excellent progress; I now have some idea why it was so.

We’ve got into an auto by the way. We’ve managed to strike a deal with him, to take us to the office of our clients located at Gomti Nagar for fifty rupees. You know, the system of charging fares by the metre is virtually non-existent in India. I’ve seen it only in 3 or 4 cities so far and I’ve visited nearly 20 different cities across India.

And even as I talk to you, I can see to my right a huge equestrian statue of Prithviraj Chauhan, seated on his legendary horse, Chetak. Satish is incidentally, from Chitod district in Rajasthan. I won’t trouble you about him… too long a story, his.

We’re now going over a bridge… in fact our rickshawwallah tells me that this is not really a bridge, merely a road that’s at an elevation. You too would be fooled into mistaking this for a bridge, since there are railings on both sides and treetops beyond them. I must say that this road is surprisingly broad and clean and is in excellent condition. Assuredly, this road is much better than most roads in Bombay where I live.

We’re now passing through a remarkably wide road, extraordinarily wide for this part of the country. The road is superb and I can see state of the art shopping malls and multiplexes on both sides. Geez, its hard to believe that places like this also exist in U.P. You know, people in Allahabad claim that their city should be the capital of U.P- since the high court and the famous university are located there. Having been there and having also seen this city, I’m convinced that Lucknow is indeed the capital of U.P and deserves that position. This folks, is a real city, not an apology of a town, unlike the places we've seen so far on this trip!

And even as I speak, I can see a magnificant building. Its an amazing building, presumably constructed by the British. Our rickshawwallah tells me that’s its Vidhan Sabha- the seat of the state legislature. Sadly, I exhausted all the reels in the camera at Jabalpur and consequently, am unable to show you a picture. If only...

12:30 P.M: Here we are, finally at the office of _ Cement Ltd. Time for work folks… sorry to do this to you, but I have to leave you for the time being. Catch you in the evening.

8:00 P.M: Geez, its really late…finally got done with the days work. Fortunately, Arvind had done an excellent job- I only had to take care of the presentation and discuss the report with the marketing manager here. anyway, there’s isn’t an awful lot of time now. We have to have dinner and go to watch the 9 ‘o clock show of Mani Ratnam’s Guru… time to hurry folks!

8:30 P.M: We’re having dinner in a shopping mall in Saharagunj. As the name itself suggests, this area has been developed by the Sahara group- best known as the sponsors of the Indian cricket team. Believe me folks, this area is truly breath taking. It could easily compare with the best areas in Bombay or Delhi and this mall is every bit as good as any mall in Bombay that I’ve seen. What’s just as remarkable, is that this city also has an FM radio station; I’m hearing FM for the first time since we left Bombay on the 9th of last month.

Anyway, I fear I don’t have time to talk to you- we’re getting late. Got to finish dinner and rush to the cinema…

12:00 A.M: Whew, what a movie that was! Truly breathtaking! Wonderful potrayal of the life of Dirubhai Ambani and a supreme performance by Abhishek Bachchan. Guru is a wonderful throwback to the bad old days of the license raj when you needed the Government’s permission to do anything. Thank God we did away with those draconian rules… and the cold, nippy air blowing against my ears suddenly brought me back to reality. Its surprisingly cool here and its also a bit foggy right now. The weather is simply breathtaking, I promise you. You never get weather like this in my part of the country- though I’ll gladly trade that weather for the summer in these parts.

And even as I speak, we’re passing through the Vidhan Sabha. Its well lit and believe me folks, this building is simply incredible. I’d be guilty of no exaggeration if I were to say that it looks like a nayi-naveli dulhan (can’t satisfactorily translate it into English). For those familiar with Bombay: the splendour of this building would easily compare with that of the clock tower at the University or of Victoria Terminus. Granted that I’ve seen very little of this city and perhaps the best parts too, I must say that if you ever visit this part of the country, you really ought to look up Lucknow. Having seen this place, I’m convinced it is indeed nawabon ka shehar.

You know, I can see a massive convoy of vehicles- all in blue lights. Time for another snippet: a car with blue lights (neeli batthi as its called in these parts) is a pretty common sight. You have two varieties: Blue lights for people who’re in the civil services and Red lights (lal batthi) for people who’re in police service. I’m told that such a long convoy can only be of the chief minister and that Mulayam Singh Yadav, the current chief minister, is seated in one of them. Interestingly (I’m told) there’s no fixed rule as to which car he could be in. he could be in the first today, the third tomorrow, tenth the day after… nothing is sure.

Arvind tells me that people in these parts hanker for the civil services. For one, there is precious little industry in these parts and so Government service is the most sought after profession. And of course, the neeli batthi holds out tremendous attraction to the youth, who get to see little else besides. You know, I’m really indebted to him for all his inputs on U.P. He’s given me priceless inputs on the mentality of people here, the culture of these parts and much else besides.

12:20 A.M: We’ve stopped by the road-side, not far from our hotel. The reason? Our good friend Arvind (whom you’re already familiar with) says that there’s a guy here who makes excellent tea and some snack made of bread- something he’s never had before. Apparently he operates only by night. I can see a surprisingly big crowd here- I never suspected that there would be so many people outdoors at this time of the day (or rather night)- its already the third pehar of the night. For the uninitiated: in Indian tradition, the day is divided into 8 pehars of 3 hours each- 4 pehars of the day from 6 A.M to 6 P.M and 4 pehars of the night from 6 P.M to 6 A.M.

12:30 A.M: Just finished my tea `n bread. The tea was superb, I promise you. Its by far the best tea I’ve tasted since I left Maharashtra; I scarcely expected to find such lovely tea outside my native state. As for the bread, it is exactly the same as bun-maska (literally bun and butter)- you can get it in any of the Irani restaurants in Bombay.

But I fear I’m getting a bit sleepy. Its time to get back to our hotel… Arvind’s off to his homeland Allahabad tomorrow morning while I and Satish are off to Kanpur. I’m of course, going to Delhi as well- to attend the wedding of a very close friend… I fear its really late and we have to leave early tomorrow.

My apologies friends, but that’s all I could show you of Lucknow… some other time I hope. For now, I have to make a move but stay with me and I’ll take you around to Kanpur, Delhi, Allahabad, Varanasi and Patna over the coming weeks. But for now, good night- or rather, good day.

Glimpses of Madhya Pradesh (Continued)

A Tourist in Jabalpur

Monday, 29th January 2007

5:30 A.M: Drat this alarm! Oops! Sorry for that. But it’s so annoying having to wake up so early. Well, please excuse me for a while. I need to collect my wits…

5:45 A.M: here I am, having brushed my teeth and had a quick wash. If you’re wondering why I’m so excited- it’s because we’re leaving the plant and we’re leaving Satna. We’re off to Jabalpur. Geez, I can’t describe in words how relieved I am to be pushing off from this place. If you’ll believe it folks, this dormitory is as good as jail, `cuz you have nowhere to go. You’re 20 odd kilometres from the city and the recreation club they have here is best not spoken of. You can’t go out for a walk here- cement everywhere! Moral of the story: all you can do here is work, eat and sleep.

And you’ll have to excuse me for a moment here… you don’t want to see me changing, do you?

6:00 A.M: Here I am all ready to quit. But hold on a moment, I’m calling up the operator. Why, you may ask. The reason is, our train (Mahakoshal Express) is notorious for being late. Although the scheduled departure from Satna is at 7, we’ve been advised to have our breakfast and leave at leisure. What astonishes me most is that everyone here seems to know the reputation of our train- everyone without exception!

5 minutes later: And guess what? Our train doesn’t arrive before 8- subject to possible further delay by the way. Moral of the story: our night’s sleep has been ruined. What to do now? Watch T.V, what else?

7:00 A.M: I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced this, but its incredibly exasperating to be all set to leave, all prepared for a journey, only to find yourself waiting for it to begin. Here I am, fully dressed- right down to my shoes, to leave. But goodness known when I’m going to be out of here… can’t describe how keen I am to get out of here. And yes, add to the list of exasperating things, the sound of the T.V early in the morning. Yup- you guessed it right- the T.V in my room is off.

And talking about having the T.V on, I think I ought to share this with you: one irritating habit I find common with guys is this penchant for keeping the television on until an unearthly hour. And I say ‘keeping it on’ because they do not view any particular channel- just switch from one channel to another meaninglessly. Having shared rooms with so many colleagues, I find it a common habit among males- don’t know whether its common among females. Don’t ask me why men have this annoying habit- I’m a lucky (if at times unhappy) exception.

And before you kick me for boring you, I’ll leave you alone…

7:45 A.M: Well excuse me for disturbing you again, but its hard to describe how bored I am; I have to talk to SOMEONE! Fortunately its time for breakfast- an opportunity to relax a bit. And yes, I forgot to mention that the expected arrival of our train is 10 A.M. that means its going to be another hour and a half of dragging heels here.

Incidentally, this trip to Jabalpur was not there in the original itinerary. As it happened, we discovered that this company’s business has grown dramatically in the that region in recent years. I asked my boss if we ought to cover Jabalpur and you know the rest. And yet, in spite of all that, this trip almost did not happen. The reason? There were riots in Jabalpur a few days back and apparently, some parts of that city are under cerfew. In fact, we have been assessing the situation there twice a day- my boss even asked me to play safe. but then, I wasn’t going to let slip this opportunity of seeing another place, was I? Though under the current circumstances, I can’t help wondering when, if ever, this trip is going is going to happen.

9:00 A.M: No more updates on the train, but I’ve asked the operator to send a vehicle to pick us up anyway. I’m sure you’ve guessed the reason for that; I’ll gladly wait on the railway platform than sit here in the dormitory with nothing to do and no sign of movement. If you’ll believe it, I’m so excited about getting out of this house arrest that I’ve already kept all my baggage outside the door… all set to leave this dormitory- if not get out of Satna.

10:00 A.M: here we are at last, in the station, at the heart of a…town! At least, there’s some movement, some sign of activity here… which should make the wait better; the train isn’t expected before 11. So here we are, sitting on the platform. I fear, its going to be a replay of the morning of 3rd july last year, when Arvind and I waited seven hours for our train in the dressing room in this very platform. There’s that sickening feeling of déjà vu.

10:30 A.M: Here we are, still waiting on platform No.1 of the Satna railway station. Latest update: all trains on this route are running 4-5 hours late. Under the circumstances, you can safely assume that our train is not going to get here before twelve.

Incidentally, such delays are a routine affair in this part of the country- in respect of trains coming from U.P that is. You see, Satna is barely hundred kilometres from U.P. The first station in U.P, when you cross over from M.P to that state is Manikpur and you have only a single line starting from Manikpur- which means of course, that trains arriving from U.P or beyond always arrive late and similarly, all trains heading in that direction tend to fall behind their scheduled time, once in U.P.

Let me also tell you another interesting fact which railway officials have told me (and I’ve met quite a few of them in the course of my travels): once your train falls behind schedule, it’ll only get worse. That’s because those in charge of the signalling will have to assign priorities for giving clearances to a plethora of trains, since there’s only a single track; trains which are on time or only marginally behind schedule get first priority. The others are delayed even further. So if you’re ever travelling by rail in these parts and your train is delayed, your travails have only just begun.

12:30 P.M: My friend Satish and I have been rotting here (I’m unable to think of a better expression) since two hours and more. So many trains have come and gone between then and now! I promise you, its incredibly exasperating to see so much movement around you while you alone are sentenced to such an excruciating wait. They’ve already announced that our train is arriving on platform No.1. This announcement has been on since fifteen minutes or so… but hey, I can see a train on the horizon… it is our train indeed! Finally, finally we’re on the way. Jabalpur ahoy!

4:00 P.M: its been a pleasant journey so far- the countryside is excellent in these parts. Surprisingly, its been raining outside; rains at this time of the year, if you’ll believe it. My window (and I’m in the second a/c compartment, insulated from the rains by the way) is still spattered with raindrops.

And as you’ve already figured out, I’m still in the train. Assuredly, talking about the pleasantness needed a bit of sang froid, since we’re now stuck at the outskirts of Jabalpur (‘outer’ as the locals call it). More delay; are we ever going to get there? And as if to rub it in, they’ve switched off the air conditioning. Fortunately, there are only 4 of us in this compartment- which makes it just a little bit better than it would otherwise be. My colleague Satish has really lost it; I’m in the process too. Anyway, instead of ranting about it, let me tell you something about this city to pass our time.

Jabalpur is the headquarters of a district of the same name and is one of the bigger cities of M.P. The city has a population of about 11 lakhs. The origin of the name Jabalpur is not certain, but it’s believed that it’s derived from Jabali Pattanam- a saint who is said to have lived in these parts in the Ramayan era. Apparently, there are references to this region even in the Mahabharat. It was known as Tripuri in the ninth and tenth centuries during the era of the Tripuri rulers. It was part of the Mauryan empire between the Mahabharat and the Tripuri eras. The Mughals too attempted to overrun this place from time to time before it finally fell to the Marathas in 1789- while revolution was breaking out in France. It was taken over by the British in 1817, when they beat the army of the Bhonsle of Nagpur (the Maratha Empire was dissolved in 1818). It was here that the historic Tripuri session of the Congress was held, in which Subhas Chandra Bose presided for the first and last time, and which ended in the exit of Bose from the Congress.

Today this city is well known for the Ordnance Factory and the military cantonments. Jabalpur is a city largely dominated by the military. It may be mentioned in the passing, that Jabalpur is also home to Tilwaraghat- the spot where the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were immersed in the Narmada…

4:30 P.M: … and even as I talk, I can see the platform. Finally we’re here! After so many uncertainties and endless delays, we’re finally in Jabalpur. If you’ll believe it, what should have been a 3-hour journey has taken 4 hours, apart from the 6 hours or so, lost in waiting- which just shows how much further India still needs to go.

4:35 P.M: And hey, here’s our pick up; I can see the poster of _ Cement Ltd. pasted on the rear window of a Sumo. Thank goodness for that- I might have just about been impelled to take an auto. If you’re wondering why, its because of the number of rickshaw-wallahs urging me to take a ride with them. I counted a dozen of them in the short space of 2 minutes from the platform to here. Its pretty commonplace for auto drivers to pile on to passengers at railway stations in this country, but the rickshaw-wallahs at Jabalpur are a lot more aggressive than any I’ve seen so far. They’re swarming like flies here; all to take you for a ride- literally and otherwise.

4:45 P.M: The guy who’s come to pick us up is a chap called Pappu (most people call him Pappu Bhaiya). His actual name is Rajiv Singh and he’s original from Banaras. As you must have guessed by the name, he’s a thakur. Although I’m no expert in this matter, I think Thakurs are basically a land-owning class next only to Brahmins in the social scale and are the ones who more than anyone else, enforce the caste system. Perhaps I would not even have thought along those lines back home, but when you come to these parts of the country, you realise how deep the caste system is embedded in the minds of the people here.

We’re still on the way to our hotel. Although its one of the biggest cities in Madhya Pradesh (behind only the capital Bhopal and Indore I guess), Jabalpur is a peaceful and dreamy little place. At least, that’s what a person accustomed to the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan city like Bombay feels. Unlike most Indian cities, this city is not too congested and gives you feeling of openness- although Pappu tells us that living space is constrained here; you would hardly believe it. My guess is that instead of spreading out, people must have crowded up in a few areas in a quintessentially Indian manner, leaving the rest of the place largely untouched. And if you think that those areas have been deliberately left untouched for future development, perish the thought; we Indians just don’t have the foresight to think beyond this very moment, leave alone today.

Well I seem to be talking a lot! `cuz even as I speak, our hotel has arrived. We’ve been put up at The Samdariya, which is apparently one of the best hotels in Jabalpur. I’m told that the area around this hotel is one of the most active in this city. For the benefit of those who know this city, our hotel is close to Russell Chowk (as I can see on my mobile phone). I’m told that its one of the main shopping centres in this city.

5:00 P.M: Finally, we’ve got the keys and now we’re in room no. 203; time to have a wash and freshen up a bit.

And now comes the most difficult part folks- leaving you. After all the day’s activity (and inactivity), I’m too wary to continue. Time to say à demain folks.

Tuesday, 30th January 2007

8:30 P.M: Sheesh, `tis really been a pretty long day. I had to get a haircut and buy some essentials to start off and then we had a really busy day. And if you’re wondering why I’ve suddenly disturbed you at the end of the day, and that too at this hour, its because we’re off to see a movie. Which movie you wonder? Its Salaam-e-Ishq, a multi-starrer and more importantly, a Salman Khan starrer; my colleague Satish is a major Salman Khan fan. We’re going to a theatre called Jyoti, which locals tell me is the best theatre in this city… lets see.

12:00 A.M: Movie over, we’re walking back to our hotel room. Of all the movies I’ve ever seen, few movies have left more questions… it could have been a wonderful movie if he had put in a fewer characters and concentrated on them. What could have been a pretty good movie ended up a highly forgettable one (and that’s putting it pretty mildly).

But I must say that the theatre was even worse than the movie. I find it hard to believe that THIS theatre could be the best in Jabalpur and if indeed, it is the best, I shudder to think what the others theatres in this city must be like. It is dirty to say the least. The paint is peeling off at many places and the seating is primitive. It reminds me of theatres in Bombay in the 80s and 90s when I grew up. Its fairly obvious that malls and multiplexes are unheard of in this part of the country.

And having said that, I may add that the crowd was pretty much what a theatre like this deserves. Perhaps the better (more accurately, cultured) elements of society do not attend the late-night show. Whatever the reason, the viewing public were remarkably badly behaved. Never before have I seen so many groups talking so loudly while a movie is in progress, nor have I seen so many people talking so loudly on a mobile phone with such frequency while a movie is on. If the movie wasn’t bad enough, it was made worse by the fact that I missed several dialogues because of the unruly mob here. While its true that we Indians in general lack the most basic public etiquette, based on this experience, I must confess that the cinemagoers in Jabalpur are obnoxious even by Indian standards.

And tell you what: Satish and yours truly have lost their way. I fear we’ll have to retrace our steps. Surprisingly, there still are signs of activity here… which makes it a little less scary. Anyway, I don’t want to be disturbing you anymore at this hour. So bye for now folks and good night (or should it be good morning)…

Wednesday, 31st January 2007

10:00 A.M: We’re waiting in the hotel lobby, waiting for Pappu Bhaiya to arrive. We’re off to Bheda Ghat now. Bheda Ghat is the most famous tourism spot in Jabalpur. It’s the place where the river Narmada (the main river in this part of the country- referred to by the locals as ‘Narmadaji’) is at its strongest. There even is a waterfall there I believe. We’ll soon know.

10:30 A.M: We’re here. Pappu asked us if we wanted to drive down there or walk it down- there’s a long walk up the ghat. We opted to enjoy the walk. Personally, I prefer taking the longer route, because it gives you the opportunity to feel the atmosphere, to soak it in, to feel the place.

And finally I can see Narmadaji. The current is pretty strong I promise you- you certainly don’t want to be swimming or boating here. I can see railings here… and lo! Here’s the waterfall. Geez, its simply awesome… I just can’t describe it in words. So I’ll eschew with words and let you form your own judgement.

That’s the best view I can give you and I promise you, it’s breathtaking- this picture does little justice to the magnificence of the waterfall. I’m told that the depth of the fall is sixty feet or so. The haze you can see in the background is the foam created by the flowing river. If you’ll believe it, I can feel the spray standing at this distance.

Pappu tells me that a lot of people have committed suicide here over the years. There’s a spot here where you can jump- pretty close to the falls. Unfortunately, I can’t show you a picture of that spot; the sun’s coming right on the camera lens. I promise you, even the very thought of being sucked into this falls is ghastly. Pappu says that one or two bodies were found several kilometres downstream; I’m not surprised at all- if anything, it’s a miracle that the bodies were even found. Since I’ve never gone to sea (eventhough I live barely 10 kilometres from the sea), I’ve never seen such a strong water current.

And we’re moving further down to the place where rocks end, towards the hills upstream- you can see those rocks in the background of the picture, towards the left. One thing I can’t help commenting on, is the weather here. It’s surprisingly warm for this time of the year. It almost feels like summer! In fact, there’s a huge difference in weather between Satna and here. satna was really cool and I confess that I loved the weather there. Just about 200 kilometres from there, I feel as though I’ve walked away from winterland to summerland!

We’ve taken off our shoes and socks and have both our feet immersed in water. Its incredibly refreshing, I promise you. Sadly, I can’t share the feeling with you, but I can share the photo! So here goes.

for all the talk about the heat here just a moment ago, I’m feeling cool now. Pappu Bhaiya tells me that having your feet immersed in cool water helps you beat the heat. So if you ever feel oppressed by the heat, here’s one formula to cool down: get yourself a bucket of cool/cold water and immerse you feet in it… simply awesome!

12:00 P.M: Oops! I never realised it was so late… just one of the things which happen when you get involved in a conversation. We discussed several topics over the last hour and a half. Most of it, I would scarcely dare to put up here. Too much bachelor’s stuff or politically incorrect discussion- you don’t want me to get myself into trouble do you?

Pappu bhaiya suggests that we go boating. Everyone tells us that boating is mandatory, should you ever come to these parts. Apparently, there are limestone rocks of several colours here. anyway, we’ll soon know.

12:30 P.M: We’re cruising down the Narmada admiring the rocks and listening to the wisecracks of our boatman. His brilliant utterances would give Navjot Siddhu a run for his money. Needless to say, his wisecrack-a-sentence stuff is well rehearsed; I wonder how many times he’s used these same old lines. In fact Satish suggests that we could think of going again, just to see if he’s got any variety up his sleeve.

To gave you a sample of his wisecracks (translated for your benefit of course): “…photography is prohibited. Only those who have a camera are allowed to take photos.”

And talking of photos, let me show you a couple of them.

As you can, there are blackish and yellowish rocks in the background. Assuredly, the difference in colour is not on account of the camera. Sadly, the cloth roof overhead and Pappu’s inefficiency in using the camera does little justice to the magnificent view here. there are enough colours to make a rainbow- greenish, reddish, yellowish, golden, sand, blackish... I could go on.

And believe me, until a couple of hours back, I could have never imagined that places like this exist in India. One wonders why these places are not developed better and promoted internationally. Everyone in the world knows about the Grand Canyon or the Niagra Falls or mount Rushmore, but most Indians (leave alone foreigners) are unlikely to know about such amazing places as this. Believe me folks, you really ought to look up Bheda Ghat, should you ever visit these parts- even if it means visiting Khajuraho (and this coming from a bachelor).

1:30 P.M: boat ride’s over and it was a thoroughly memorable hour. I promise you, along with Raneh Falls, Beda Ghat is the most awesome thing I’ve seen on this trip- which just goes to show that mother nature is a far greater artist than man.

And well, we’re really late! Sorry to leave you so abruptly folks, but we really have to rush. We still need to have lunch and then rush to work… this promises to be a loooong day folks.

Thursday, 1st February 2007

10:30 A.M: Good morning folks. Here we are, back to take you around Jabalpur. Pappu Bhaiya asked us to be ready by half past ten at the very most. But then, his concept of punctuality is quintessentially Indian; needless to say, there’s no sign of him yet.

While we wait for him, let me tell you something about this hotel. The Samdariya is apparently the best hotel in Jabalpur. Its owned by a jeweller famous in these parts- the jewellery shop Samdariya Abhushan is in Russell Chowk. I must say that this hotel would hardly compare with the hotels I’ve seen even in cities like Allahabad. This hotel would just about compare with some of the more ordinary air-conditioned hotels in Bombay or Pune- which would perhaps charge the same room rent as this one. Considering the significance of this city, I must say that this hotel is unjustifiably expensive. The general impression I have of Jabalpur, having seen a bit of it over the last couple of days, is that developments that have swept the bigger cities seem to have bypassed this one. Jabalpur is like an average provincial city in the 90s- no malls or multiplexes here and as far as I know, no discotheques as well.

And Pappu Bhaiya has already arrived. My friend Satish is pestering me to get a move on. I couldn’t just leave you so abruptly, could I?

11:00 A.M: We’re heading towards Bargi Dam. This dam took 16 years to complete, finally being finished in 1990. apparently, as is the case with all damn development projects in India, this one too had a considerably adverse effect on the life of the villagers who were affected by it. I’m told that over 150 villages had to be evacuated- they were all submerged by this dam. Pappu Bhaiya tells me that this dam has 8 gates (or did he say 4… I wasn’t listening carefully!) and that if more than 2 on this side were to be opened, Jabalpur would be submerged.

Anyway, on a more positive note, I must say that this place is absolutely magnificent. The dam is spread over 260 odd square kilometres and I can see a part of it from my window. The amazing thing is that the air here is really cool; even a blind man would know by the coolness in the air that there’s a water body in the vicinity. And assuredly, there’s no breeze blowing here- its just the effect of the water.

11:15 A.M: Here we are, in the administrative premises. You have the option of taking a motorboat or go pedal boating. The motorboat will cover a limited area within 5 minutes. You can, for a lesser fee, go pedal boating. The guy at the counter recommended the motor boat. I put my foot down: good things in life take time; what’s the hurry anyway?

11:45 A.M: here we are, pedalling away to glory. I and Satish have been pedalling for about 15 minutes now and as you can see from our expressions, we’re both tiring now.

Let me tell you this folks, if you ever go pedal boating, don’t overexert yourself in a hurry. Half an hour may not sound much, but it seems an eternity when you’re pedalling really hard. The worst part is, we’ve come so far from the jetty that we’ll have to push that much harder to get back home! Geez, why was I in such a hurry to get on with it?

11:55 A.M: You know, it’s a bit hot out here in the mid-day sun and I’m sweating a wee bit and panting a lot more. Satish has reached the end of his tether- which means I have to do all the pedalling to take us to the shore.

12:00 P.M: Puff…gasp… geez I’m outta breath…please wait a moment.

Whew, that was something! I’ve still not completely recovered my breath. You know, half an hour of pedal boating is really exhausting- at least, for a person who’s unaccustomed to it. Off comes the life-jacket. You know, it was singularly uncomfortable with it on; its so stiff that your movements become quite badly restricted… wonder whether I should have struggled with that thing on, since I’m a decent swimmer anyway. I promise you, I certainly wouldn’t fancy myself swimming with that thing on.

And even as I speak, Pappu suggests that we take a photo of the jetty so here goes.

The reason why I put up this picture is to show you this cruise boat in the background. The capacity of this boat is some thirty odd… not sure. I wonder why this thing was introduced, because they have to wait for thirty something people to turn up before starting it off; just not viable otherwise. When you consider that its about the number of people likely to turn up in a day, you can’t help wondering if it wasn’t a particularly harebrained idea. Pappu tells me that this cruise boat isn’t proving profitable and there’s talk of doing away with it… so my hunch was correct!

And looking at the watch, I fear its getting really late! Whole day’s work ahead folks; so its time to say à bientôt. Catch you as soon as time permits…

Friday, 2nd February 2007

8:00 P.M: Well well, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve bothered you so late in the day and why I’m panting like this… sorry, but there’s isn’t too much time for explanations. Suffice it to say that we’re rushing to nawabon ka shehar (which would roughly translate as City of Kings)- Lucknow. We’re leaving by Chitrakoot Express. And so after 23 days here in M.P, we’re headed to the capital of U.P- the erstwhile United Provinces, now called Uttar Pradesh (once again a tranalsation of the old name, as in the case of M.P). our colleague Arvind, whom I sent to take care of the work at Lucknow awaits us. And I fear, our train's about to leave and that means I'll have to leave you now. See you tomorrow morning at Lucknow.

U.P ahoy!