Glimpses of Madhya Pradesh (Continued)
A Tourist in Jabalpur
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
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.
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
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