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!

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Agra - memories galore

My chat with a friend about visiting Agra, took me down memory lane once more. We went there for a 10 day tour, my parents, and us, kids, during our winter vacation. We explored the city right down to every nook and cranny. It's all still so clear in my minds eye...I can, and have relived the experience many a time. Our visit to the Fatehpur Sikri, in particular, occupies a coveted corner of my memory lane. It was at the fort here, that some foreign tourist clicked a picture of two little girls dancing in the middle of Akbar's Divan-e-khas--they shied away, when they saw the flash go. Yes, that was my elder sister and I! How kids take delight in such simple pleasures! One of the finest chambers in the Fort, the magnificent Divan-e-Khas, is dominated by a massive carved pillar that supports a capital, which in turn is support to a balcony. Panch Mahal, the five-storied palace, is another favorite at the Fatehpur Sikri fort.

Some years ago I came to know that the Agra fort is now under the army siege - most parts of it. Oh! what a pitty! I remember how much I'd loved being there...it transported me into the world of Mughal regalia, what with those elaborate structures, built with great attention to detail - Sheesh Mahal et al.

This can go on, there's no end to the tales of the city's splendor and my rendezvous with it. You'd wonder why I didn't mention the Taj Mahal at all. Well, I liked the Taj a lot too, in spite of that overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia, that first time, when I went down into the tomb chamber there. I have seen the Taj three more times since then - my fifth one's on on the cards, in the near future, for I have yet to see it at its glorious best - on a full moon night.

But, I'd rather talk here, of these other places - abounding in magnificence, and endless tales - yet so less talked about, and my memories of them. The umpteen climbs up the minarets of Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, to see the Taj and the rest of Agra from the top, marveling at the pietra dura inlaid, and exquisitely carved marble work of the Dayal Bagh Temple, (where, it is believed construction work should never end, to make it a living monument), being amazed by the architectural illusion of the darwaza (doorway) to Akbar's Mausoleum at Sikandra...