DAY 76 – In Allahabad

Friends,

Gauri Saxena, the CCM/PS and Catering of North Central Railway, had made all the arrangements for a comfortable stay in Allahabad in the ORH. After a sumptuous lunch in her office yesterday she had deputed Lal from her office to take me to the Sangam. She also made arrangements to depute Niranjan, a Chief Marketing Inspector of Allahabad Division to conduct me around the city today. Even though I had been to the Sangam last evening I headed for it again this morning as if drawn by a magnet, after feasting on Allahabadi guavas for breakfast. There were more pilgrims in the morning at the Sangam than last evening. The migratory birds from Siberia make the River look bejeweled. They encircle the boats in the hope of being fed by the pilgrims. And they are seldom disappointed. When they are not active they look like small wooden toys floating on water. When they take to flight they are a magnificent sight.

Akshay Vat means the ‘indestructible banyan tree’. The Akshay Vat near the Patalpuri Temple in the Fort has the legend of Sri Ram’s Vanvas attached to it. It is reputed to be the tree under which Sri Ram, Sita and Laxman rested and lived in the Patalpuri Temple (it is an underground temple, built into the rock) for three days. Sri Ram is supposed to have blessed the Tree with immortality. The writings of Fa Hian and Huen Tsang reportedly mention the Tree. In the afternoon, with the permission of the Army, I visited the OD Fort. The fort was built by Akbar on the banks of the magnificent Yamuna. The entire fort is today under occupation of the EME and Ordinance Depot. It is understood that the fort will be vacated for public visits in the near future. That would do immense justice to this excellent piece of history. The walls of the fort are more than 8 feet thick and near the entrances they are over 20 feet thick. The Rang Mahal is still intact in its original form but is forded off. During the course of the visit I was told that the ‘original’ Akshay Vat is in the fort premises. I was taken around to a huge Banyan Tree that has burn marks on it (Aurangzeb tried his best to destroy the Tree, in vain of course). Apparently, Sri Ram, Sita and Laxman took rest under this Tree and spent 3 nights in the Patalpuri Temple. Since the fort is under army occupation the local priests have built the legend of the Tree also around the Patalpuri Temple! The Akshay Vat was a favorite spot for devout pilgrims to commit suicide by jumping into the Yamuna, expecting Moksha. It is said that Akbar put an end to this practice. The view of the Sangam from the Akhsya Vat in the OD Fort is awesome. The flow of the two Rivers can be seen clearly and the meeting point can also be identified. The Sangam is not a fixed point; depending on the flow of water in the two Rivers the Sangam changes. Near the Akshay Vat is the Jodha Bai Gate, which was used by the Queen to bathe in the Yamuna. Inside the Fort is the remnant of a unique Ashoka Pillar. The Pillar has inscriptions dating from 250 BC to 1605 AD (Ashoka – 250 BC - , Samudra Gupta – 2^nd century AD - and Jehangir - 1605).

While returning from Lanka to Ayodhya Hanuman takes leave of Sri Ram on the banks of the Ganges and lies down at a spot on the banks, which is where the statue of Lette Hanuman is located within a temple. The statue shows Hanuman in a lying down position. Every year the Ganges breaches its banks to come up to the temple (with the exception of the past three years). To avoid the flooding of the city Akbar tried to relocate the Hanuman statue to another temple and build a bund. All attempts to excavate the statue failed and it kept on receding further into the earth. Finally, the statue was left alone and Akbar got the temple built for worship. And the alignment of the bund was changed to accommodate the temple. Outside the Hanuman Temple I found a person selling ‘Sada Jeevan’, a plant that never dies. It shrivels up and dries in the absence of water; once soaked overnight in water it regains its ‘life’. The same person was selling ‘Sree Ram Kannd Mul’, the root of a tree, which is supposed to have been the main diet of Sri Ram and others during the Vanvas. The root is supposedly available only in Chitrakoot and Nashik. The root is sweet and soothing and is good for the stomach.

A visit to the Anand Bhavan and Swaraj Bhavan raises goose pimples for it puts you up close with a substantial portion of India’s freedom movement. The Swaraj Bhavan was the original Anand Bhavan. It was gifted by Motilal Nehru to the Congress and the Freedom Movement. As you go around the Anand Bhavan that Motilal subsequently bought and moved into, which is adjacent to the Swaraj Bhavan, you wonder what made the exceptionally gifted and thriving barrister give up his all for the Movement. Such is the obsessive fervor of freedom. The Anand Bhavan tour gives you an insight into the lifestyles of Motilal, his wife Swaroop Rani, Jawaharlal, his wife Kamala and Indira Priyadarshini. Gandhiji, who was a frequent guest at the Anand Bhavan, had his own special room. The CWC meeting in this building had taken momentous decisions of the freedom movement. It was here that Indira was married to Feroze Gandhi. The pictures of the young Jawaharlal in the two Bhavans are striking for its remarkable similarity to Omar Abdulla, the J&K CM.

The Khusru Bagh is close to the ORH and the Allahabad Railway Station, and hence, was only walking distance from where I stay. What was originally built as a pleasure resort by Jehangir became the place to hold the mausoleums of his brother, Khusru and his mother, Akbar’s first wife. Khusru was captured, blinded and banished to this place when he rose in revolt against Jehangir. The mausoleums are quite elaborate and well maintained. Two of the four do not seem to be used as cenotaphs. The Bagh is a popular place for morning and evening walkers and small discourse groups.

It is time to move on from Allahabad.

DAY 75 – Varanasi to Allahabad

Friends,

It was after many, many weeks that I got to drive on a good surface for a reasonably long distance. The NH2 from Varanasi to Allahabad is about 130 kms and for the most part it is a good drive. Without stoppages, the distance can be done in under three hours. I made three stoppages, the first for fuel, the second for breakfast of puri and sabji at a Dhaba and the third at the Sita Samahit Sthal, which is a short detour of 8 kms from the NH, via Sitamarhi. The legend is that Sita was led to the dense forest of Sitamarhi by Laxman at the command of Ram, who fell prey to the taunts of his subjects of living with a woman made impure by her association with Ravan. Sita wandered around in the forest for a few days before Valmiki, who was living in the forest, chanced upon her and gave her shelter in his hut. Thereafter, she gave birth to Luv and Khush and they grew up to challenge King Ram by tying up his horse. Ram visited the forest and met up with Sita and his twin sons. He refuses to accept her back without an ‘Agni Pareekhsa’. Sita prays to Mother Earth to open up and give her refuge if she is pure of mind and body. The earth heaves up and accepts Sita. The spot where Sita was given refuge by Mother Earth is marked by a statue of Sita with one leg facing Varanasi and the other towards Prayag. In fact, Sitamarhi is almost equidistant between Varanasi and Allahabad. The complex also has a ‘Sita Kesh Vatika’, which has a peculiar type of grass that is believed to have sprouted from the hair of Sita. Apparently this type of grass is not found anywhere else. The place of occurrence of this legend was mired in controversy with Bihar also laying claim to it. However, after a thorough research of the Valmiki Ramayan and the Ramcharita Manas of Thulasidas, the Sitamarhi of UP was accepted as the possible location of the occurrence of the legend. The owner of Punj Lloyd has contributed immensely to the development of the temple and the complex as well as to establish educational institutions in the village. In close proximity to the Sita Samahit Sthal is a Hanuman Temple with a 250 feet statue of Hanuman, which is worth a visit.

One of the major challenges I have faced during the journey is to enter and exit cities due to poor destination signposts. It assailed me once again as I neared Allahabad. I am all for stopping and asking for directions to where you want to get to, as it helps you to your destination sooner rather than later and at times adds to your collection of nuggets. I would like to share two recent interfaces that added to my nugget collection. The first one happened as I was headed for Katihar from Purnia in Bihar. At an intersection of three roads I asked an Auto driver for the road to Katihar. He pointed to the road on the left and asked me to turn right at the next intersection. As I saw that majority of vehicles were taking the road that went straight on, I asked the Auto driver where that road led to, purely out of curiosity. The Auto driver in his own style, with a mouth full of betel and the inevitable accompaniment of red viscous liquid, said: “Ee road ma se duniya bhar ja sakath” (You can go to any part of the world using that road). My curiosity was sated! The next nugget I collected when I wanted to know the road to Gopalganj from Sivan in Bihar, en route to Patna. I rolled down the window glass and asked a passerby, “Gopalganj seedha hai kya?” (Is the road to Gopalganj straight (on)?). He replied, “Nahin Saab, thoda teda hai” (No Sir, it is slightly crooked).

Back to Allahabad, when different people have different opinions on how you should reach your destination, you are in trouble. That’s precisely what happened to me seeking the route to Allahabad railway station. After nearly an hour of going back and forth I reached the ORH, and I actually shed tears of joy for the ordeal was finally over. The congestion in Allahabad has to be experienced to be believed. The traffic police are mere ornaments that stud the roads; they can neither enforce traffic discipline nor control congestion. While returning from the Sangam in the evening I moved 300 metres in one hour. I saw a bus climbing over a median as the traffic police had blocked the U-turn, with a policeman looking the other way and painting the road red with the liquid disgorged from his mouth. It would be a pity if the State continues to waste money on these helpless individuals who have neither the capability nor the interest in smoothing the traffic flows.

The visit to the Sangam lost its luster due to the wasted time in traffic snarls. However, I recovered in time to enjoy the Holy confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna and the unseen Saraswati. The flow from the River Ganges has reduced so much over the years that it should not come as a surprise if the next generation will have to be content with the confluence of one river that is seen and another two that are unseen! The boat men at the Sangam quote fancy prices, but after the sunset they become more reasonable. I got the benefit of this arrangement and had a good view of the Sangam. The Kumbh Mela is just a couple of years away. If something drastic is not done to augment the road infrastructure, enforce traffic discipline and prohibit the movement of non-motorised transport and animals through the city, I shudder to even imagine the nightmare that awaits the city in 2013.

DAY 74 – In Varanasi

Friends,

The city of Varanasi has become a dust bowl, thanks to all the ‘khuddai’ (digging) that is going on for installation of civic amenities and construction of flyovers. The work is extremely slow and the congestion gets multiplied with all modes of traffic doing it their own way and bovines going their own way. I started early for Saranath with Dwivedi, my guide, to beat the rush hours in the city. Saranath is the place where Buddha came to after his enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, and preached his first sermon. Along with Lumbini (the place of birth), Bodh Gaya (the place of enlightenment), Kushinagar (the place of death), Saranath is among the four most important Buddhist sites. Saranath was also known during various times as Rishipatana (a place where Rishis lived) and Mrigadava (a place where deer lived). The importance of Saranath declined with that of Buddhism in the 8^th century and repeated ransacking and rapacity of invaders laid the city to waste, till it was unearthed in the 19^th century by British excavators and archeologists.

The Damekh Stupa in Saranath marks the place where Buddha delivered his first sermon. The Stupa and monastery ruins date back to the Gupta period with some relics of the 3^rd century BC Mauryan artwork. The Stupa is solid brick work with stone covering the base structure. The park is a very peaceful place to meditate and spend some time in solitude. The park also has five pieces of the Ashoka edict pillar, which once stood over 15 metres tall and had atop it the four lion sculpture (which is in the Museum), the national emblem of the Government of India.

The Chaukhandi Stupa marks the spot where the Buddha met his disciples first and was built during the period of the Guptas in the 4-5^th century AD. There is an octagonal tower on top of the stupa with Arabic inscription. This was built in 1588 by the son of Raja Todar Mal to commemorate the visit of Humayun. One is permitted to climb right to the tower, which is about 100 ft high.

A sapling from the Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura was planted in 1931 in the Complex adjacent to the Dhamek Stupa. Surrounding the Bodhi Tree and huge statues of Buddha and his first five disciples, organizations from various countries have inscribed the first sermon in their own language. The modern temple built by the Mahabodhi Trust has large frescos on Buddha’s life, completed by a grateful Japanese Buddhist artist in 1939. The sacred relics of the Buddha are also stored in the Muagandhakuty Vihar.

My aunt, Sr Gilda Abraham, had served the mission work of the ICM Sisters in Saranath more than three decades ago. She had requested me to visit the congregation when I visited Saranath. I surprised Sr Archana, who was in the House. After a couple of cups of hot tea I went with her to meet Sukhi, who my aunt remembers with a lot of affection. This 80 plus lady was overcome by emotion when I told her who I was. I also got her to speak to my aunt, who is now posted in Dindugal, and also took a few pictures of her family.

Kerala Café was highly recommended by Dwivedi. We chose it for a lunch of idlis and masala dosas. From Venugopalan Nair, of Ottapalam, I came to know that his father had established the Café 50 years ago. The food is every bit South Indian, down to the chutney and sambar. Unfortunately we were served Nescafe and not the ‘metre coffee’.

The next destination was the Benaras Hindu University; the entrance gate proclaims it as the ‘Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalay’. This is probably the only University which has all the faculties within the same campus, be it IT, Management, Social Studies, Medicine, Nursing – you name it, you have it. There are Halls of residence based on the faculty you are attached to and faculty residences within the campus. You realize the vision of the founder, Madan Mohan Malaviya, when you drive through the humongous campus set in 5 sq kms and established in 1916. The New Viswanath Temple in the campus is a masterpiece.

I then headed for the Assi Ghat, which is the southern most of the main ghats presently (another ghat is being made further south through the patronage of the CM of UP) and is a favorite place for boat rides. It is one of the largest ghats and the Sangam of the Rivers Assi and Ganges is not very far from here. Pilgrims do go out to the Sangam. The local sights were rounded off with a Benarasi Paan and a farewell to Dwivedi.

The Vijayanagar Market is a favorite with the people who come to the railway station, as it is just opposite it. I went there scouting for something to eat. The smell of egg omlette hooked my olfactory sensors in an instant and my mind was made up. I headed to a way side shop that had a bench to sit on. The proprietor asked me if I wanted a two egg omlette or a four egg one. I asked him to make me two omlettes of two eggs each, sandwiched in a bun. When I had the first one my gastronomic memory was yanked back 32 years to the ‘bun-unda’ of Delhi University, near the Hindu College. The years have gone by in a trice, but memories remain fresh.

DAY 73 – Gorakhpur to Varanasi

Friends,

I had two alternative routes to get to Varanasi from Gorakhpur – the route via Azamgarh and that via Mau. I plumbed for the latter as it is nomenclatured NH29. Pradeep had warned me the previous evening that the ride up to Dohrighat would be rough, and it turned out to be so. When I crossed the River Saryu and the Muktipath I thought I would ride on in comfort. It did not turn out that way. Intermittently the road condition used to worsen to the point of wondering if I will ever get to a continuously good stretch. The road was better after Mau and more so after Gazipur. However, the minute I came into the vicinity of Varanasi, I hit a bottle neck. The mix of traffic was so astonishing and agonizing. I was ‘stampeded’ by buffaloes in a small road, where traffic was diverted to. I could do nothing but watch the whole episode with a smile and a prayer on my lips. I wondered if I would ever find my way to the Varanasi railway station, where Pradeep had arranged for Dwivedi to meet me and conduct me around the various local sights. I suddenly happened to be in front of the railway station – the façade of the station is very striking – and I cannot explain the relief from 45 minutes of the most excruciating drive. I would strongly suggest a DDr, a doctorate in driving, to be awarded to those who can drive in the cities of Patna and Varanasi for 24 hours each without being grazed, driven into or even mauled. However, honking produces results in Varanasi, unlike in Patna. Those it is intended for glance at you, show you a hand to mean that they will continue on their merry drive and seek your indulgence! No wonder, Varanasi (Kasi) is arguably the most continuously lived in city in the whole world. Tolerance levels are very high and everything and everybody has a place on the road.

After lunch we set out for the Durga Temple, to start our local sightseeing. The Temple, as most other temples in Varanasi, are out of bounds for non-Hindus. The Temple was also under heavy guard, with the recent bomb explosion at one of the ghats. There is a history of bomb explosions in Varanasi in the recent past. The gated tank offers very good views of the temple from the outside. The Sankat Mochan is a Hanuman Temple and it is believed that praying here is a sure way of relieving yourself of tensions and grief. The Kasi Viswanath Temple, built in 1776, is the most visited in the city. The temple has 800 kgs of gold on its domes and tower. The temple is heavily fortified and security is extremely heavy. Next to the temple is a huge mosque, which was built by Aurangzeb over a razed temple. Post Babri Mazjid, the mosque is heavily protected. The Kasi Viswanath lane leading to the temple is one of the most colorful you can be to with all sorts of religious and personal effects sold in the shops there.

The next destination was the ghats. We went to the Dasawamedh ghat first, primarily because it was in the news just a few days back for the bomb explosion at the ghat. The two Dasawamedh ghats have the most eye catching Ganges arthis; they are the most popular spots to visit in the evening. Before witnessing the aarthis I decided on a boat ride. Fortunately I got Sonu and his boat. The young fellow was a wonderful guide for the ghat visit. The Ganges is full of boats, powered and non-powered. Theer were quite a few foreign tourists too. The stories and facts behind the establishment of the numerous ghats are educative and illuminating. A few of them are:

·         Harishchandra – Believed to be the ghat where he undertook cremations after collecting his dues. it is second in importance to the Manikarnika ghat for cremations. It also has two electric crematoriums for the poor.

·         Dasaswamedh – Brahma is supposed to have sacrificed ten horses at this place, which gives the ghat its name.

·         Munshi – used by Munshi Premchand.

·         Mansarovar and Man mandir – built by Raja Man Singh of Amber, Rajashtan.

·         Kukat Ganga – the temple slants into the River; believed to be a mother’s curse. Two restorations failed to correct the slant.

·         Manikarnika – Shiva is said to have laid a curse on the ghat, when he could not retrieve the earrings of Parvathi, that there would be a body being cremated at the ghat all through the day and night. It is said that at this ghat, the principal cremation ghat, fire has never gone out, even in the monsoons. Dead bodies are handled by ‘doms’.

·         Narada – The dirtiest and a totally deserted ghat is the Narada ghat. It is believed that Narada left ‘chuglis’ at the ghat after a bath there, due to which even the best of friends and the closest of relations will fall out with each other immediately after a bath at this ghat. Hence, neither does anyone bathe at this ghat nor does it get cleaned.

The Maha Aarthi between 6.15 and 7.15 pm is a must see. It is done on both the Dasaswamedh ghats, one has five aarthi bearers and the other seven. The ghats are jam packed on the shore and in front of it by boats. The rhythm and the grace of the aarti bearers has to be seen to be believed. The aarthi can be enjoyed on the ghat as well as from a boat. A wonderful end to an eventful day.

DAY 72 – Patna to Gorakhpur

Friends,

JD Goswami is a ‘solid’ friend from my early days in the Railways. My initial interaction with him was when I was posted in Madurai as Senior Divisional Operating Superintendent on my return from South Eastern Railway. Goswami was in Trivandrum in the same capacity. He was a wonderful senior neighbor to have, very accommodative and always helpful. I had a habit of taking the operating position fairly early in the morning. I used to speak to Goswami if I felt that some matters needed his attention, and that was quite early in the day. One day he told me that he was being ‘screwed’ by the ‘Nephew’ on one side and the ‘Uncle’ on another. It so happened that his counterpart in Palghat was my Uncle, AP Tharakan. While I harassed him early in the morning, Tharakan exasperated him during the day with his ‘stately’ responses.

A story about Goswami was told to me by my father. One day when he had gone to the Trivandrum railway station to receive someone, he found the station building full of posters against the Sr. DOS. He was stopped by a short, goateed person who could barely reach the poster wanting to know the contents of the poster. My father explained to him that it is a diatribe against the ‘dictatorial’ Sr. DOS. My father also remarked to the person that he resembled the caricature in the poster. Goswami acknowledged that he could not read Malayalam, the language in the poster, and that he indeed was the ‘villain’ mentioned in the poster.

Our friendship grew as the years went by. His penchant for cooking and travel to way off places always amazed me. His keen sense of observation of human and societal behavior is sharp and at the same time he sees the humorous side of things with an open mind. So when I told him of my plans to visit Patna, he declared that I would be staying with him. I welcomed his ‘order’ and landed up as appointed. The way he took care of me almost embarrassed me, but at the same time, made me feel totally at home. He had thought through every detail for my stay and had even arranged to get my car parked in a secure neighboring residential complex. Every morning he made tea and cooked me breakfast – his order was that I stay out of his kitchen. He laid out elaborate dinners two of the three nights that I was in Patna. Most important were our discussions ranging from Kachins to Sachins over a few Mechins. I enjoyed every minute of my stay in Patna largely due to the hospitality of Goswami and it was tough to take leave of him. He wished me well and I hit the highway to Gorakhpur by 6.30 am.

The route to Gorakhpur was interspersed by bad stretches and very congested village pass throughs. The 300 km drive took me over 8 hours and by the time I reached the ORH in Gorakhpur I was dead beat. All that I wanted to do was to sleep. But BN Shukla, my batch mate who is now with KRIBHCO, would have none of it. I even told him that I do not have anyone locally to guide me, even though Alok (CFTM, NER) had deputed an inspector to look after my requirements, including that of local sightseeing. Shukla immediately called up Amritanshu, the CCM/FM, who was having his round of golf. After a while Amritanshu walked into the ORH with Pradeep Kumar, a very good friend from his days of probation in the Railway Staff College and early days in Southern Railway. I did not know that Pradeep is posted as CSTE/Construction in Gorakhpur, but when he heard my name from Amritanshu in the Golf course Pradeep accompanied him to meet me. The ‘invisible hand’ at it, all over again. We went to meet Alok and had a cup of coffee, while catching up on railway news. It was decided that I would sup with Pradeep and Amritanshu in the former’s house after I visit Gorakhnath temple.

I feel sorry that I could not visit the Gita Press, which has been responsible for bringing out religious texts and other books at low and affordable prices. They are sold all over the world. The visit to Gorakhnath Temple was quite interesting. The present Mahant of the Temple is a four term MP of the area. Pradeep lives in a huge independent villa. He has utilized every bit of the area around the house to grow vegetables and is now trying his hand at corn. The organically grown vegetables were prepared for dinner and the food was extremely tasty. Pradeep is an achiever in every sense of the term. He is excellent at his work with a ‘can do, will do’ approach. He has authored three books on the railways and has a wide network of friends because of his infectious positive attitude. Dhoni, the Indian cricket captain, is a personal family friend. Amritanshu and Pradeep spend their evenings together and indulge in their pet sport of Golf. Forced bachelors both, they were wonderful company for me in an evening when I had nothing but sleep on my mind.

DAY 71 – In Patna

Friends,

Santhosh, the driver of JD Goswami, Member Technical of the Railway Claims Tribunal, passed on the following wisdom to me yesterday, while driving me to the sights of Patna.

·         “Patna mein sab ghunge aur behere hain” (In Patna, all are deaf and dumb).

·         “Gaya mein bina ped ka pahad, bina dimag ka aadmi aur bina pani ka shehar hai” (Gaya has hills without trees, people without brains and a town without water).

·         “Hit the auto before it hits you”.

Spitting, pissing and honking are the most visible to an outsider visiting Patna. The gents of this city indulge in these three without remorse, regardless of the situation, environment or company. In fact, many times one will mistake these to be group activities. It is not uncommon to see the driver of an auto or car, duly opening the door of the vehicle in motion, to disgorge a small waterfall of red liquid, the result of a severe pounding of beetle leaves and nuts in a constantly engaged mouth. Just as in urinating, the place or the company is totally irrelevant. The city of Patna must be the most noise polluted city in the country, with the cacophony of horns to be heard for miles. It must be conditioning for the honking produces absolutely no results as the human beings and cattle on the roads behave in just the manner they wish to and are unmoved by the sounds generated. There is not even a glance to see the reason for the honking. The mix of traditional and modern means of transportation makes the navigation through the city torturous – hand carts, carts drawn by bovines and horses, cycle ricks, autos, all crowd the same road. One thing that strikes you as you cross over to Bihar is the simplicity of the people and the respect they have for others. All through my stay in the State I did not hear a ‘Thum’ or a ‘Tu’ in a conversation; it was always ‘Aap’. The respect with which a boss treats his subordinate is another remarkable feature of this State; the welfare of the latter and his comfort is always the concern of the former.

I experienced this with KD Sharma, the officer deputed by Deepak to take me around the sights outside Patna. We had decided on a 7 am start to be back before dark. However, the driver Raju arrived an hour and a half late; his excuse was accepted without any exchange of hot words. On the way, Sharma enquired of Raju if he had had his breakfast. When Raju replied in the negative, Sharma took a break at Dhaniyawah (despite being late), for a cup of tea and to provide breakfast for Raju. The shop of Sanjay Kumar is where we stopped over. He claimed that the ‘Litte and Chowki’ that he serves is ‘international’. Raju accepted it to be very good and the tea was definitely good. Sanjay Kumar was a driver for many years and got ‘grounded’ due to kidney disease.

PK Mishra was our guide for the Nalanda tour. He explained that ‘Nalam’, Lotus, stands for the power of learning and ‘Da’ is ‘to give’. Hence, Nalanda was the place where the power of learning was passed on. The excavations till date provide proof of the existence of Nalanda between the 5^th and the 12^th century AD. Belief is that Nalanda is much older, but the fragility of the area does not permit further excavations to prove its correct vintage. The excavated area of 1 sq km gives a fair idea of the life in the great seat of learning at the time. It is reputed to have been host to 10,000 monks and 2,000 teachers at any time. The rooms of the inhabitants, the teaching centers, the prayer area, the walkways, the temples are all remarkable structures in brick. The Great Stupa is the centerpiece of the ruins. The Chinese traveler Hueng Tsang lived and taught here for 6 years in the 7^th century and reportedly transported 657 Satras to China, thereby spreading Buddhism in that land. The libraries in Nalanda were so extensive that they burned for 6 months when it was ransacked and put to flames in the 12^th century by Khilji.

Rajgir is an important destination for Jains and Buddhists with Mahavira and Buddha having spent a lot of time here. The ‘Sona Bhandar’ is reputed to be an impregnable double locker of Bimbisara. The caves show definite indications of doors; they cannot be opened, even cannon balls had no effect. There are some inscriptions in the caves, which is supposed to be the ‘key’ to the doors – a la Indiana Jones. A short distance away is the Chariot wheel marks and shell inscriptions. The Chariot is reputed to be that of Krishna and the inscriptions date back to the Mahabharata period.

The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya is divine. This is where Buddha attained enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree. The original was cut down by Ashoka’s wife, being jealous of his attention to it (nothing new?). However, a sapling of the original tree was carried to Anuradhapura by Sanghamitta, the daughter of Ashoka. Later a cutting from the tree provided another at the site where it now stands. The site of Buddha’s enlightenment is known as Vajrasan or Diamond Throne. The original temple was built by Ashoka over which the present temple was built in the 6^th century. Devotees and pilgrims from all over the world have congregated at the temple for the ‘Tipitaka Chanting’ under the Bodhi Tree between the 2^nd and 20^th of December. The entire temple premise is an ocean of red and yellow, with rhythmic chanting resonating all around. The Temple area has a large garden with two huge bells and facilitates meditation. While leaving the temple I got my name inscribed on a grain of rice.

The 80 feet statue of the Buddha is awesome. The statue has 10 of his disciples standing in attendance all around the Buddha. A couple of samosas and tea was what was required to start the return journey to Patna. After that we travelled through Jehanabad and its surroundings where people would not venture out after dark till five years ago. Today the road is busy and there is traffic all through the night. One could also see police patrols all along the journey. One more reason to toast the CM. Sharma stopped at a small shop at Dhanruya to make me sample ‘Lai’, the local sweet. I was hooked instantaneously and bought a half kg of it. Litte and Lai are definite takeaways from the Bihar sojourn.

DAY 70 – In Patna

Friends,

Last evening I had done a round of the city, during when I visited Mahendru Ghat. In the past, ferry services used to bring passengers from Sonepur to Mahendru Ghat for onward train journeys. The premise also houses the residence of the General Manager of the East Central Railway.

Today was earmarked for going around the local sites in Patna and to meet up with my batch mates working in East Central Railway. Patna Sahib was first up as my driver said that the place would be inaccessible later in the day due to congestion. My search for a guide unearthed Rattan Singh, who has been serving the temple for over 25 years. The birth place of the 10^th and last Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, is the second holiest shrine of the Sikhs. The present temple was built in 1957 out of donations made by the father of the former CM of Punjab, Capt Amrinder Singh. The temple houses a well (which was used by the mother of the Guru), holy books written by the Fifth (Arjun Singh) and the 10^th (Gobind Singh) Gurus, a muslin cloth of Guru Gobind Singh, sword and arrows used by the Guru, etc. I was told that the Sikh sangattan had decided that the height of the flag pole of a gurudwara should be as high as the temple. The flag pole at the Patna Sahib is very high. Rattan Singh took me to the kitchen which prepares langar food for more than 2000 people daily. The kitchen is neat and clean – roti, sbaji and dal was being made for the langar that begins at 11.30 am. Anyone is welcome to the langar in the afternoon and evening. If a need is felt for extra food, it is made immediately. The gurudwara has 300 rooms to be provided free of cost for devotees. Another 48 rooms are available for visitors at Rs. 100 per day, with three cots and linen, quilt, etc provided free of cost. The ‘Prasad’ is halwa and laddu, with the latter more suitable to be carried for friends and relatives.

The Patna Museum has rich collections of stone artifacts, terracottas, bronzes and copper displays unearthed in excavations in Bihar and Orissa. The collection that ranges from 3^rd century BC to the 12^th century AD is best taken through by the services of a guide. He explained that while Charles Darwin had articulated his theory of ‘The Origin of the Species’ in the 19^th century, the theory of evolution was already known in ancient India through the belief in the ten avatars of Vishnu – from fish to Kalki. The Yakshi is the centerpiece of the Museum. The terracotta pieces are excellent guides to the lifestyle details of the times, such as the hair styles of women, dance forms and human features. The Museum also has the fossil of a log believed to be 250 million years old, Humayun’s dagger and a special gallery that houses the ashes of Buddha. The gallery of stuffed animals also has a freak goat kid with 8 legs and 3 ears.

The Golghar is a huge domed structure built in 1786 to serve as a granary to ensure that famines such as the one experience in 1770 are not repeated. The granary was never used. It has two sets of steps for workers to go up on one and come down by the other. I did not have the legs to climb the 250 steps to the top of the Golghar and capture the sights of Patna and the Ganges.

The Khuda Baksh Oriental Library has fascinating collection of manuscripts, paintings and porcelain. The dagger of Bairam Khan, poison detection plate and glass of the Mughal period, Nadir Shah’s sword, a walking stick given by the Prince of Wales to the Superintendent of Police in 1921 and a small Qouran – just 25 cms wide – strike the eye. The library also has reference books on Khuda Baksh and his family, which makes interesting reading.

I was invited for lunch to the East Central Railway HQ by my batch mates, Deepak Chhabra (Chief Safety Officer) and SK Nayak (Chief Commercial Manager/PS), along with Mr. N Jayaram, AGM. The reception to the office was overwhelming, with many garlands of marigold. The lunch itself was a rich fare of chicken, rotis, rice and vegetable dishes. Deepak insisted that I visit Vaishali in the company of the Chief Public Relations Officer, Dileep Kumar, who had worked in Spouhtern Railway for a while. The drive to Vaishali was not unlike a drive through some places in Kerala – it was green on both sides with cultivation of bananas, mangoes, guavas and litchees. The Malbhog banana grown here reportedly melts on hot bread. The Raja Vishal Ka Garh at Vaishali is representative of the prominence of this provincial capital city, which flourished for almost 15 centuries. The proxy caretaker of the heritage site, Manjay Singh, an 8^th class student, is a proud recipient of a cycle. The government of Niteesh Kumar had introduced a scheme a few years back to provide cycles to school going girls. This captures the essence of the change that has come over Bihar – an empowered child, with access to education and health care. The scheme has been extended this year to provide cycles to boys reading in the 8^th class. The Japanese Peace pagoda was all I could manage due to the constraint of time. There are temples and rest houses built by Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, Myanmar, etc in Vaishali. I was late for the Kolhua complex – repeated entreaties to permit a late entry fell on deaf ears.

The Sonepur Cattle Fair is a month long annual fair starting on Kartik Purnima. The preparation for the fair lasts almost a month, where stalls are put up by all government departments and the Indian Railways. The Fair is primarily for buying and selling of animals – not just cattle, but even ‘donations’ of elephants take place - appreciating the incentives offered by the government and modern farming methods and entertainment. An ‘item number’ is a essential part of Bollywood films these days. These are virtual straight ‘lifts’ from the ‘Nautanki Theatre’ of Bihar, which has gaudily dressed women dancing to loud music. The lyrics of the song are filled with double entendres. The Sonepur Fair has 7 ‘Theatres’ advertising over 100 artists each. I visited one of them for a ‘taste’ of village theatre. The theatres have Special (Rs. 50) and Super Special classes (Rs. 100).Between 7 and 10 in the evening all the artists perform in a group for the people watching from a collapsible gate to decide on which theatre to visit when the show starts. These dances have been accused of being indecent and vulgar; the question is: are the Bollywood ones any less? People who come for the Fair have a full 24 hours engagement at the Fair. The entire daylight hours are taken up in assessing, bargaining and buying animals, the evening is for entertainment and the next day early morning they bathe at the ‘Sangam’ of the Ganges and the Gandak and leave for their homes.

Dileep insisted on a cup of tea at his house before I join my batch mates for dinner. The company of Dileep was invaluable in getting a fair insight into Bihar society and the changes that have happened in the past years. He introduced me to ‘Litte and Chowki’, the standard snack in Bihar, which is healthy and nutritious. Apart from the excellent cup of tea I was presented with a music album rendered by Mrs. Kumar. The dinner at the Chanakya Hotel was a fantastic get together of four of us – including GP Srivatsava, the DRM of Danapur – who had not spent so much time together after probation. The comfort that one finds while in the company of batch mates and railway colleagues cannot be described in mere words. It has to be experienced and felt.