Day 1- Ticket to ride- Sunday- 18 Feb 07
I am still recovering from my road trip to Rajasthan, Gujarat and the day trip to Agra at my halt in Delhi, i finally wake up do some research and figure out a basic plan for my cultural extravaganza back-pack trip. Lucknow- Varanasi- Ayodhya- Allahabad-. I figured out that this was a circle so i could begin my trip from any location. My best bet was the Shatabdi to Lucknow but that was full too. I checked more than 30 trains on the internet going to Varansi, Ayodhya and Lucknow that night and can u belive it all were wait listed so i couldnt make a reservation online.
After a quick lunch at mall, and rushing the maid to iron my wet clothes i pack my stuff in a back-pack and leave in the radio taxi to New Delhi station. Radio Taxis are newly introduced in Delhi, they come within half hour of calling and charge 15rs per km its a electronic meter.
As i drive through Delhi, i admire the wide roads and the monuments, i pass by, i also love the feeling of not knowing which destination i am headed to as its completely dependant on the ticket i get. When i got of at New Delhi station at Ajmeri Gate- Ticket booking counter its about 4:30p.m and i am just amazed to see the huge lines in every window. No one knows anything, there is total chaos, i stand in a ladies line just to find out i cant get tickets in sleeper class or AC from this line. I move to another window, shatabi and rajdhani counter, the guy tells me all sold out, he advices me to just get into Rajdhani train standing on platrom 12 going to Mughal Serai and then ask the tC to make me a ticket. I think its a crazy idea coz it would reach Mughal Serai at 2 in the night and i would have to wait at the station and then take a bus or smthg to Varanasi. Anyways for the heck of it i enquire with the TC standing next to the train, he tells me its possible for 2500rs.
I go to Paharaganj ticket counter , which is again very crowded,i move from one line to other with no sucess, i also speak to a tout who is ready to give me a ticket in Shivganga Express for 1500rs, thats again a risky propostion both costwise and realiability wise. I finally get to something which seems like a right counter, i request the guy to give me a ticket to any destination varanasi, Allahabad or Lucknow, he laughs at me and tells me Magadh is full and for lucknow Mail i can try at 8pm,its full right now, i ask him to check for other trains, he asks me for train names, i dont remember them now, i remember my navigator friend at this time
In the middle of all these chaos i end up meeting two students from Banaras university, they are going back to banaras, they have one extra female ticket to magadh in sleeper class, i offer to buy it from them. They explain to me that the ticket is complicated, it belongs to a friend of theirs and has diffrent names and it cannot be canceled due to tatkal and if the TC is not ready to change names, so they advise me to buy a local ticket to Mughal Serai and then later adjust in the train. Later the two boys keep arguing about something in Bengali, i think its a better idea to part ways with them and figure out my own thing.
I enquire with a couple of TCs and they tell me that i can easily get in to the General compartment of Ladies in Magadh express. I didnt know wearing toe rings easily qualified one to be called as married women. As i chatted with the TC, he obivously was curious to know who i am and immediately told me that i was married and he guessed that by looking at my toe rings as in UP its a custom that only married women wear toe rings. Well i didnt say anything and will use this to my advantage as far as possible.
I wait at the platform, the train is late by two hours and all the platforms are crowded with humanbeings, there are numerous announcments of trains going to allabahad. Lucknow, Varanasi. I just wonder where do so many people go and come in UP. Inspite of having over 30 trains across 3 destinations you cant get a reservation in any class.
Finally the train arrives at 9:50 p.m and honestly looking at the crowd on that platform, i just thought i would have to go back home that night, but somehow i managed to get in and that two a window seat.In no time i had children and mothers sitting and then later sleeping in every inch of place around. Some Men managed to climb in to this compartment. For some reason the ride didnt seem to long and at about 8oclock i was at Alahabad station
Day 2 - Alhabad & Varanasi
One very good rickshaw guy leaves me to Sangam. The area from where i need to take the boat ride to watch the Triveni Sangam. The chacha warns me not to pay too much to the boat guy and comes all the way with me, inspite me asking him not to come. i like the way he calls me betiya,its sounds very sweet
I negotiate the price and for 300 bucks i take a boat ride from Jamuna river upto the Triveni Sangam. Its beautiful in the morning, so calm and peaceful, the river seems to be still wrapped in the winter fog. The triveni sangam is a mixture of three dharas(rivers) Jamuna which is green in colour,Saraswati which is yellow in colour and Ganga which is white in colour.
The boat rider is informative and he shows me the places around. The ride from Sangam Ghat to Triveni Sangam is beautiful, with ducks and flamingos for company. First he tells me about why the place is called Prayag, apparantely the fort which Akbar had built on the banks of the jamuna always kept falling down, he had a dream that if he sacrificed the Prayag Maharaj a wellknown priest and two elephants, it would stop from falling. RIght here on the banks of this river he was sacrificed and the fort stoppped from following. There is also an outlet from the fort where Akbar wife Jodhabhai would come for a dip in the river.
As we go further,my boat rider insists i do the three cocunut sacrifice in the water, i tell him, i am not too keen on doing it as it pollutes the water, but before i could say anything a pujari with a boats come closer and he gives me the coconut,he makes me say a couple of prayers and i give him some 20 -30 ruppes. I am very angry with him and boat rider when they try to force me to do a 10 kg bhog to ganga which would cost somthing 600 rs. I guess i have just got alert with the touts around.
I walk through the city of Allahabad, its much more alive now. The architechture of some of the temples here have a lot of Islamic influence, the domes are very similar to mosques. I notice a lot of gun shops on the way,but first i decide to freshen up by going to the best hotel in town. The Grand- Intercontinental is the only luxury hotel in Allahabad, its located in civil lines. I use the bathroom and have some breakfast and then decide to go and see the famous Allahabad university.
Its a long walk, but nice walk through old colonial houses. Allahabad has some very nice British houses and lot of modern bunglows in Civil lines area. After a lot of walking i finally reach the university. Its huge and its architecture again has a lot of islamic influence. A lot of domes around most of the building. But the best part are the lovely classrooms with carvings inside and the huge lawns where a lot of young boys and girl spend there so called studytime together:). The campus is spread across diffrent diffrents and simply magnificent with its beautiful buildings.
I am tired of the walking and ask a rickshaw guy to take me to Harivanchrai Bachchan`s house, we go through various small lanes only to find out it doesnt exist anymore, i sort of dont believe that ,but anyways i have to get to Varanasi before night so i forget about it. A stop to gun shop is a must
I visit ths gun shop called Shastralaya. The old men sitting at the shop are more then happy to show me around. They tell me that they sell guns only to those who have a license. A license can be availed from a DM and its takes about a month to get it. He showed me guns ranging from 25,000 rs to 2lakh rupees. He told me they are supposed to sell it to criminals but usually its ends up going to them
I reach the bus stand at about 3:00pm and i get on to the bus to varanasi. Its a 3 hour ride from Allahabad fopr Rs 75.I reach Varanasi and as i have read in the book am tired of getting rid of the touts and guides then come behind me. I want to stay at the ghat so i rickshaw, and this is where i see a sea of just people and rickshaws. its chaotic. I run pillar to post to find a hotel, but cant, its getting dark and almost every individual on the street is interested in knowing where am going, its difficult to keep them away. Finally i manage to find a room in a guest house run by family for 150 rs. I atleast have a roof now. I look forward to morning on the banks of ganges tommorrow
No comments:
Post a Comment