It was a Friday afternoon when we decided to pack our bags and head out to Mandu, the idea was to leave the next morning at about five O' clock on our bikes and reach there by three in the evening. Very excited me and my friend didn't sleep through the night. It was time that the alarm rang, but we were already up. Hurriedly we starting packing, clothes, tooth brush, soap, my camera, everything went into our bags. At this point I was thinking that I had over packed. Two other friends also had to join us so we were waiting for them, all set to leave.The monsoon in Ahmedabad is a little funny. It drizzles throughout the day, stops in between and starts again, right when you are about to set your foot out. That day also the same thing happened. Even though it didn't rain through the night it started when were about to leave. Before we were out of Ahmedabad we were soaked and wet. I had hated getting drenched in the rains, but the hot and humid weather of Ahmedabad had taught me to love each and every drop that fell from the sky.
First we made a quick pit stop at a petrol bunk, took some money from the ATM, filled fuel and headed towards the highway. A road is always enjoyable when the tarmac is still part of the road you are traveling on. Cities have always been built in such a manner that the infamous activities always remains almost outside the city. Industrial areas are often in the outskirts. Two such industries in one such industrial area are emitting thick cloud of smoke as you read this journal. The cloud was so thick that we couldn't see for more than 3m. Initially I got excited thinking that it was fog, but as we passed through it, it left an uncomfortable pungent smell in my nose and a bad taste in my mouth. All industries are contributing to pollution in one way or the other. We cannot have a clean environment till we cut our necessities, and switch to alternate fuels. As we traveled further I kept on wondering for a solution. Carbon monoxide has been the mot important cause for global warming. In the recent times scientists have been able to isolate atmospheric carbon monoxide using a specific chemical. The question is how harmful is this chemical towards our environment. There seems to be another problem too, we do not have enough space to dump this hardened carbon monoxide. We have already damaged our environment so much that there is no safe place to store all these effluents, if we continue to do this we will perhaps have to migrate to Mars in no time.
The best way to find directions is to ask people. We were unprepared for this trip. We did not have a map, forget a map, we didn't even carry drinking water with us, but this is how it was meant to be. Before leaving Ahmedabad itself we found ourselves riding in the wrong direction. Some help from some local people we found ourselves on the right track. The sense of space is typical to human beings. There is something that tells that this is our place. There is something that binds us to nature in a natural way. Emotions are always associated with it. A local person will be able to tell every detail of a locality, if he has been there long enough. This isn't something that is taught in schools, but acquired by instincts. Information gets fed subconsciously. This is the reason perhaps why I miss Mysore, which is my home town. Temperature itself is so typical, the fragrance so unique, people so different, etc.
As we traveled further towards Dakor, the roads went bad, maneuvering from left to right we reached an over bridge from where we could see an express way below, its roads were close to perfect, it was a travelers dream. It almost seemed like it was built for the 'aristocrats'. Even though this 'system' has practically disappeared, even though we are in a democratic country, the essence of rich and poor has got engraved in our minds and hearts deeply. Development has been happening only for those who can afford it. The gap between rich and poor has been increasing at an alarming rate. If people traveling through this road could afford a toll they would diverted all their resources in making this an impeccable road. Sometimes I feel communists are far more equal towards society, but no one likes it that way.
As we traveled ahead I asked my friend who was riding the bike where we were heading next. It was Godhara, a name that rang some bell in my head, not sure why it was famous for, I asked him "what is it famous for?" before he replied it struck to me that it became infamous for the riots that happened in 2002. A train had been burnt, and a nightmare started. Hindus and Muslims had been divided. Thousands of people had been rendered homeless, countless burnt, injured, raped. It was a scene from hell that i remember from television. As we neared this city I felt a chill in my spine, I started thinking what if a riot is about to explode again right now? What would we do? How would we get out? and a lot of other thoughts went though my mind. But it turned out that things were calm at that moment, and as we passed through Ghodara I realized that it was a big, beautiful city with nice people. We stopped by to ask a couple of people for directions and they were more than happy to guide us. The fears hidden in human beings tend to come out as frustration, and then anger. I would rather attack first than defend. In a way India's nuclear policy is much wiser. Divide and rule is what the British taught us and this has left a bad stain in the hearts of our people, contributing to the stagnation of our nations growth. Civilizations need to unite, Boundaries need to be erased, for the sustainability of our planet, people and animals need to be one, even though this will not happen overnight, I think time will teach us to do this.
As we rode further the landscape around us turned greener and greener. The Deccan plateau after a wash in
the rain, looks like a huge green blanket spread over miles, with a few trees here and there. The landscape got so beautiful that it almost seemed like some one had designed it. We stopped for a short while in one such place that had a water body formed due to rain. It was the source of water for the neighboring fields. An immediate resource of water can cater to a lot of things. There was a house at a distance, may be be belonged to the land owner. This stop was refreshing, a deep breath of clean and fresh air can bring you a new lease of energy. With this energy we rode on towards Dahod.Indians have always been trying to utilize the most out of a material. The things that appeal us the most are the objects that have multiple use, or objects that can be put to their limits. These are the objects that are made for India or built for Indians conditions. Like for example, the jeeps that ferry passengers from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh carry the maximum number of passengers possible. In fact one or two passengers sit on the bonnet of the soft top jeep. There are at least twenty four fully grown people traveling in it as against the carrying capacity of twelve people.
As we crossed the toll booths we realized that we had crossed the border. A border is defined by an imaginary line that separates two lands, but between the border of two cities this line becomes so evident that changes can bee seen in literal terms. The language on the boards change, the quality of road changes, the way people look change. Even though the landscape remained constantly green when we reached Madhya Pradesh it became quite evident, the roads went from bad to worst, we could see a bar right after the check post, people were dressed slightly differently, the quality of air had changed slightly.
India is one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world, we have a fast paced economy that is climbing up the charts. But these changes are happening only in numbers. It is 2011, and still the rural population lives in the darkness. As we drove through the country side of Madhya Pradesh we realized that a lot of villages have been neglected by the government. There was no infrastructure at all. all you can see are some self built thathed houses. People look poor and hungry without even proper clothes to wear. In spite of all these things, when you stop by to ask for direction or to have tea, their hospitality seems unadulterated. They do not seem to be angry about being poor. Working in the fields for hours together have made them tough, it shows in the way they are built. 'Athithi devo bhava' even though mentioned in our ancient texts seems to have found its way into the 21st century. Culture has been engraved in our souls. It is the day to day activities that we perform, in the way we perform it, has rooted our culture in us sub consciously. Some rituals are performed without being questioned. One example that can be directly related to architecture is Vaastu shastra. A lot of it may seem stupid, but each thumb rule had been put down for the conditions existing then. Some of those thumb rules can be found useful even now.
With growling stomachs we headed out for out next stop for lunch. Uncertain weather we would find food, we decided to stop at the next dhabha or a restaurant. We were lucky enough though. To find something that we are in need off, gives us a great sense of satisfaction. Take hunger for that matter, eating food seems always satisfactory with an empty stomach. Even if the food tastes ok, hunger would have driven our taste buds to an economy mode, and what ever that is just about ok seems very tasty.
What we wear, gives people a first impression of where we stand in society. As I entered the restaurant with dirty clothes to find out about their menu and the rates, I noticed that people in the restaurant were giving me stares, as if to say in their minds "From which zoo has this animal come from?". Well with pants covered in mud, gloves on my hands, and glares on my face that sported a stubble, I thought I would be greeted with respect. To be precise I had thought that I would be greeted like a king who had won a battle, but never the less they soon found out that we were a bunch of college kids going out for an expedetiotion, on our motorcycles, and soon found ourselves with a treat. The food had tasty paneer butter masala, with roti. To top it all as they callin icing on a cake the slightly fermented chass gave us a sense of a complete satisfactory meal.
After the meal and a little bit of streaching we continued our journey toward Dahod. Climate plays such an important role in human emotions. The harsh climate of Gujarat had made me enjoy the rains for the first time in my life. The light drizzle that we got almost all along our way was way too much fun for me than ever. As we reached Dahod the rain got much stronger, like the song 'riders on the storm' by The doors, we found ourselves riding on the highway but with a lot of potholes. As we reached a deviation which headed to mandav we stopped by an empty shack probably built for some tea stall, but momentarily unoccupied. The beauty of our country side buildings is that people do not hire any professionals to build their buildings. Using simple techniques they build their own shelters. Thatch, scaffolding, cowdund treated walls and floors, bamboo structure etc. are some of the archetypal features of Indian country side architecture.
With roads getting from bad to worse and the tyres burning faster, with an edge over danger, jumping all potholes, we sped towards mandav our last stop where, the beauty of Mandu as explained by our friends had built an image of heaven in our minds. As we were in close proximity to our most awaited destination we could see the ruins all along our path. It sent a sense of excitement. As we entered Mandu through the narrow curving roads, actually meant for a fort entrance, our bodies came to life. The long bike journey had no impact on our excitement. Slowly our image of mandu kept changing as we proceeded further. At one point it seemed like the deccan plateau had suddenly vanished. The valley seemed too deep and unreal. It was as if someone had split open the flat lands to make way for a valley surrounded by waterfalls and a river right at the centre. Unknowingly we had actually climbed the mountain range gradually, It was a gradual climb from over a distance of perhaps 25 odd kilometers, which went unnoticed.
We reached at dawn just as planned. The drizzle had turned into rain, and the temperature had dropped. As informed by our friends we headed to search for "the place" to stay. Ajooba lodge was the name of the place. It was as peculiar as its name. A place looked like some ones house, with a cattle shed. A family had extended their house to make space for a few individual rooms with a cozy bed and quilts. Even though the finish of the rooms were not of top class, in fact it was bare minimal, stripped to its basics with a metal sheet roof, the quality of the bed and the quilt made up for everything else. With alcohol, the cold and those quilts we called it a day finally after a long ride to Mandu. We had just got a glimpse of Mandu as we entered it at dawn and everyone were excited to see what this place was actually about. Planning to get up early we hit the beds. The sleep that awaited ahead was one of the most peaceful sleeps ever.