A childhood travel revisited...

We'd look forward to our school vacation each year, like all kids do, be it the shorter winter vacation, or the long summer vacation, for, they always meant traveling as a family, to beautiful places!

That we traveled in our car, made it even more fun, for, our dad would stop each time he saw something interesting that he wanted to show us. And especially, to collect 'pahaad ke pathar' (rounded pebbles from the mountain streams, in all shapes and shades of white and grey). Yes, this was one of the best features of our trips, that made us look forward to going to Rishikesh! Papa always, always let us collect them, even became part of us, encouraging us, indulging us...it was sheer fun! He'd tease us sometimes, and not stop near any of the piles of them on the road side, in spite of our requests that turned a little more into 'whines' of "papa, pahaad ke pathar dila do!" with each passing pile. But, he'd always stop after a point. One one such trips, he kept teasing us, and soon realized that we'd gone past all of the piles of 'pahaad ke pathar' and there weren't any to be seen any more. He actually turned back and and went a few kilometers until we were a few piles down, so we'd have the option of going to the next pile, just in case! His reward--our shrill cries of happiness that rent the air, and big hugs that he got! Yes! My dad is the best! (Let each kid's parent be the best for him/her!)

A number of such trips were headed to Rishikesh, with halts at Haridwar, and overnight stays at Roorkee, if not in Rishikesh or Haridwar. Once stationed in Rishikesh, we would head off early morning, either for local sight seeing or to drive down to nearby places. We saw the beautiful mountain villages like Chamba, Agrakhal, looking at the peak of 'Mt. Everest' (as we called it) growing a little bigger, as we went higher. It looked so beautiful from Tehri! The farthest we'd go. Narendra Nagar, with its magnificent palace, was another unforgettable treat on one of our trips to Rishikesh.

However, one the most memorable of our experiences was a dip in the Ganga, for my two brothers and me! Each holiday, we'd go to Haridwar and Rishikesh, we'd go almost every evening, to bathe in the Ganga. This particular holiday, we had a longer than usual stay in Rishikesh. Papa had dropped us there with mom, at our uncle's place, and gone back to return in a few days. Aunty, her daughter and mom took us kids around the town each day. Though we had lots of fun, each day, bathing in the Ganga wasn't even a mention any of the days. That, this bothered my brothers and me alike, struck us, when we happened to 'discuss' this among the three of us! We decided to raise the topic at breakfast the next morning, and we did. It came as a shock to us that mom, aunty, her daughter, our older sister, were all averse to the idea for some reason! No matter how much we insisted or pleaded on it, it remained a 'No'! A bigger 'no' each time...but we were at war by now! We wouldn't eat or budge from our monotone of 'Ganga mein nahaanaa hai!' (we have to bathe in the Ganga!) By afternoon mom had had her fill. She actually, really said 'yes'! Victory! We happily packed our towels and were all set to go! The river flowed by at a walking distance from the house, and there we were--having run ahead of the others. First step in the water, and we got the answer to our "why aren't you taking us there this time?" (that had gone on all morning)! The water was freezing cold, and just one moment of our feet being in it had made us lose all sensation of having feet at all! Yes, this time we'd come to Rishikesh during our winter vacation! So, one step into the water, and our drone changed to "mummy, Ganga mein nahin nahaana!" (mom, we don't want to bathe in the Ganga) that came through chattering teeth! But mom had had her fill, and was out to teach her adamant kids, a lesson in obedience! And she did! We were literally dragged and dipped into the freezing cold water, before being duly clothed in layers of warm clothes, and served hot milk! Yeah, we learnt (I'm not sure if it was for a life time, though) that it's 'no' when mom says 'no', for she surely has a good reason lurking behind it!

That we complained of it all to dad when he returned to Rishikesh, is another story! "They could have told us that the water will be sooo cold" being our best argument!

This entry is a part of the contest at BlogAdda.com in association with imlee.com

Hastinapur

My trip home this March saw me travel to Hastinapur, which is about an hour and some minutes' drive from our place. We set off early morning, with a picnic lunch of poori-aloo, chhole and munchies stocked up in the car boot, to explore the land of the great Mahabharata! I was as excited as the kids were, for, it was after ages that I was actually 'traveling'! Almost like a 'first' time! And to top that, traveling to the land that's home to countless historic 'tales'!

I looked on with bated breath, as we entered the archway that read 'Hastinapur' Then one Jain temple lead to another...and we were yet to see the Hastinapur of yore!
Studded with 'money' in the name of makrana marble and Dhaulpur sandstone the Jain temples though, lend great architectural wealth to the entire area, have completely altered the landscape of Hastinapur!

It was nothing like the Hastinapur I had vague memories of, from my childhood, where old walls from ruins of forts and all peeped through thick woods, adding mystery to it all, not to mention, historical glimpses that aroused curiosity!

On quite some asking around and and going around in circles, on wild goose chases, we did come to some structures like a 'Karan mandir' said to be the the temple frequented by none other than the great warrior Karan. A small (insignificant looking) one room structure that looked quite recent especially with the dark 'pink' paint! I still can't believe it to have history! And if it does, it'll be lost soon, with the construction of attachments adjoining it, in progress, as part of it's restoration and beautification plan/project. Why would one need construction new rooms added to a so called historical 'building' to restore it?! Why do we need to 'renovate it?!

We also arrived at 'Draupadi Ghat' a small, agian--recent looking one room temple like structure with a sewage pond/tank to one side, with some dilpidated steps leading into it! A very narrow brick lined 'road' with farms on either side, led to 'Draupadi Mandir' the temple Draupadi probably visited, having bathed at Draupadi Ghat. Again, a very small structure--too small to be associated to the mighty Pandavas, just like the Ghat and Karan Mandir! The 'shiv ling' nested within, is said to have emerged naturally, in its current form/shape, being a part of a huge rocky hillock below the ground.

We some how missed exploring the 'Pandav Paul' which looked equally recent, with the same recent dark, reddish pink paint...it was nearing sunset, and we didn't want to undergo any risks, for the disappointment we were sure, was in store, for us, there!

We did have a great time picnicking in the monkey-infested lawns of Jambudweep, (with monkeys aiming at our food on all sides!) and visiting various structures there, especially climbing up the tall minar (tower). Visiting some other magnificent Jain temples including Kailash Parvat temple, (Kailash Parvat/hill is the salvation place of the first Teerthankar Bhagwan Rishabha Dev), Astapad temple and the old Digambar Jain temple added on to out happy day at Hastinapur, not to mention clicking loads of pictures wherever allowed.

Meeting Ravi, an affectionate kid who helped ward off the monkeys, and later became our tourist guide was another highlight of the day well spent! We drove back to Meerut, past dusk, playing antakshari--kids and grown-ups alike, lending more color to the beautiful day we spent (though 'walking into the history of Hastinapur' remained a disappointed dream)!

Golconda Fort

The fact that I've witnessed the light and sound show at the Golconda fort countless number of times and that I'm never able to decline visiting the place, I reckon, is proof enough of my fascination with it all! That I couldn't visit there for the last couple of years is entirely another story...

I got lucky once more, however, when my friend decided an outing for us on a balmy Sunday evening, and and we found ourselves headed to Golconda Fort! Once there, we climbed right up from the 'Bala Hissar Gate', to the summit of the fort--to Bala Hissar, the baradari as it is called, and the darbar hall or deewan-e-khaas (where the king held his private courts) passing by the 'aslah khana' (armoury), the offices of 'akanna-madanna' (the two officers of the court) the palaces, the mosques, the Mahakali temple from the times of the Kakatiyas, with frescoes of Godesses Kali and Durga, 'Ram Mandir' (a prison house of Ram Das, a revenue official jailed by Abul Hasan Tana Shah for misusing state funds, who carved images of Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman on the rock surface in the cell.) among others, on the way. The journey up the 380 steps was also a journey down the memory lane! I reveled in each moment there, and relived my associations with the place.

A descent down steep narrow steps brought us from the Bala Hisar to the zenana quarters 'Rani Mahal' palaces that are built on massive platforms, have high ceilings, and walls covered with decorative niches, alcoves and cornices, essentially Persian in design. Our tour of the Fort culminated in the main Rani Mahal courtyard, and my visit to the Fort in the light and sound show that completes our journey into the past glory of Golconda! This courtyard of the Rani Mahal area, adorned with an ornate metal fountain in the center, hosts the famous light and sound show, that commences with the beautiful Ghazal rendered by Jagjit Singh, and features the breathtaking baritone of Amitabh Bachan, that add manifold to the beauty of the show and to the glory that was!

Ek Gulshan Tha...

A rant...

More than a year! Ya, one year and a quarter since I came here and wrote...surprised?! Not me...it's been more than two years since I 'traveled!' More than two years! Can you beat this! You'd think I've given up eh? Never! Never would! Just on the hold...waiting...And what about the rarings and the longings? Well, they put up the best they could...ya, for very long...even bringing in the pinings and whinings. But how long could they hold on to the fortress...they had to give in, and they did! 'Accepting' what seemed like their 'command'...so it seemed. But did they really? Nope! Aren't they still waiting to raise a hood at the first instance? Sure are! There's this whimper from here or a whine from there, every now and then...that subsides of its own...thankfully! They've gotten used to it--the placidity of it all, and the giving up! Why whine then, you'd ask...And why not?! I'd say...two years is a very long time! And it's been more than two, to be precise, and, there's yet no end visible...yet no end to it all!

Ah!! the ordeal! There! There we go again! The whimper yet again!