I am taking part in the BlogChatterA2Z campaign for 2024. As part of this challenge, I am required to write 26 posts within a month. Furthermore, I will be engaging with fellow bloggers by reading their posts and leaving comments. I intend to captivate you with a short story.
A love story unfolds on a serene background of steel rails, where stolen glances and whispered words paint a promise of forever. Hope your heart resonate with them!
Whispers on the Train Chapter 1: Amber Embrace and Emerald Fields Chapter 2: Broke by the Crossing Chapter 3: Comfort in Chaos Chapter 4: Downpour Disappointment Chapter 5: Embarrassed Grins Chapter 6: Fluttering Hearts Chapter 7: Glowing Glimmer Chapter 8: Hidden Laughter Beneath the Banyan Chapter 9: Impromptu Errand Chapter 10: Journeys of the Heart Chapter 11: Knowing Smiles Chapter 12: Luminous Smiles and Lingering Hopes Chapter 13: Mellowing Moments Chapter 14: Nearing the edge Chapter 15: Omen of Doubt Chapter 16: Platform Whispers Chapter 17: Quieted Whispers Chapter 18: Rain of Uncertainty Chapter 19: Separated by Steel Tracks, United by Dreams Chapter 20: Toil and Turmoil Chapter 21: Unshed Tears Chapter 22: Vanishing Tracks Chapter 23: Whispered Rebellion Chapter 24: X marks the Matriarch Chapter 25: Yardstick of Courage Chapter 26: Zape of Spice, Zing of Love
I’ll give a try! Let’s see how it goes! I’ll try to read the posts from fellow bloggers, as much as I can!
Ocean, Forest, Desert, Sky are symbolic representations of the behemoth called the cosmos. They are carnivorous creations of great power. When someone finds himself abandoned in a desert – where the massive dunes are being moved by dusty storms – he may lose his sense.
An adventure against those dunes without safety is insane. So this is my warning in the last post of #BlogChatterA2Z about any such adventures.
Desert safari is offered as a culture-coated adventure sport in Emirates. The smart drivers drive their SUV vehicles up and down, turning left and right, tilting here and there to abnormal inclinations relentlessly in the deserts of Dubai. With opened windows, half-bloated tires, these beetle like vehicles make the drivers the guardians of the lives of their guests.
Several incidents were reported about the fatal accidents in these desolated multitudes of sand dunes. Emergency services find it difficult to reach the location due to off-roading. So try on your own risk! Certainly do not risk your little ones by making them sit on your lap or shoulders or wearing unworthy seat-belts. Know what you are doing!
Your desert safari may have a shubh ratri!! Yes, Belly dancing.
Exotic belly dance in an oasis, after the sun hid himself behind the dunes, at an aura of yellow lights, is another attraction somebody should not avoid. There are tourists, who take the wise decision of skipping desert safari, but they assemble at belly dance camp. You may follow them, if you feel you are vulnerable.
Image (c) desertsafaridubaiImage (c) HabeebDeserted streets on a Friday morning (weekend)
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“Philippines is taking away our jobs”. I have heard this many times in exotic Indian IT industry since 2007. Indian BPO companies have haunting stories. It may be their work pressure, office hours, and cultural issues. Above all, customers blasted Indian BPO agents for their Indian accent. Some of them used racist comments, too.
It was at the time, Philippines became a pet of Silicon Valley. Philippines’ sales managers became am assailant to challenge the Indian sales executives. Conventionally, they exported nurses and maids. If you take Singapore, more than 2 Lakh Filipinos stay here to contribute to Singapore’s healthcare and IT industry.
When I went there, I felt I was in OMR – the IT corridor- of Chennai. But I tried to pacify myself with many ‘too’-s.
“Ok.. Manila’s traffic is so congested like Indian cities, too.”
“They, do not respect traffic rules, too.”
“Hmm… same pollution too..”
Wah.. same hot weather too”.
But there are some key points behind their rise. We, Indians, need to learn these to compete with them.
Makati, the richest city of Philippines, is the heart of outsourcing industries. Despite the low cost of Indian call center agents, Makati won many BPO projects from the US. Over the period, the outsourcing industry has changed like – Indians for development and Filipinos for soft skills (Voice based/call centers). They started winning IT development projects too.
Certainly, Filipinos’ accent was better understood by Americans than that of Indians’. It is also noted that they have better infrastructure than Indians. Though Indians rulers boast themselves, symbols of misfortune – like power cuts, water lorries, poor public transportation, increased business cost (because of too much admin tasks such as buying diesel to run gen sets, finding contractors to run company bus services, finding reliable catering partners to fill the tummies of their employees, etc) – are inevitable. Indian entrepreneurs should overcome the perils of poor Indian infrastructure before focusing on business.
One of the important factors is, Filipino kids are aligned towards American English and culture. They start reading American literature in their schools itself. Indian kids are aligned towards British English. American culture did not reach Indian commoners; it was something followed by a small group of elites. So, it is a bit hard for Indians to catch up.
Still, Indian engineers strive to deliver their best. Kudos! Alas, Indian infrastructure should gratify them!
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Why everybody rides a two-wheeler or car in Chennai? Why not we go by Bus? I thought like this once. I decided to go to the office by bus. On the same day, with a blanched face, I decided not to choose the bus once again. With horrific traffic, speedy water lorries (How long will the ‘prosperous’ Tamilnadu run water lorries?), above all, the bus drivers disregard the passengers by not stopping at the bus stops – It is one among the worst.
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One day, the chief of Hong Kong’s Metro – Mass Transit Railway (MTR) – was traveling on London’s tube. The journey stuttered like listening to music from a decade old audio cassette. It runs for sometime, then stops, then goes again. The WIFI was intermittent; finally it stopped working. Finally, there was an announcement that said, there was a signal failure. Later Hong Kong’s MTR won the crossrail project for London, which connects East and West.
Image (c) SCMP
MTR was known for its efficiency. MTR chief – who leads a train service that runs the trains at 2 minute intervals; who leads a train service which provides uninterrupted WIFI to all its users – might have compared the efficiencies of both systems. Could you imagine? A rail comes in 2 minutes interval. When I missed the first train, the next train arrived immediately. For someone, who waits at Chennai’s local railway station for 20 minutes or 30 minutes, it was a stunning scene. It is something, world train services can not deliver even today. In addition, the number of interchanges reduce the travel time considerably.
One more sequin that dazzle MTR is its earnings. Train companies are making losses. But MTR is making huge profit. But not by running the trains alone. It has a real estate business as well. Malls are built on top of train stations. The shops pay for rental, too. In addition, before building the station MTR used to buy land around the station, to generate revenue. In addition to Hong Kong’s railway, they won a project to run London’s crossrails. They have operations in China, Australia too. They wanted to work on Kuala Lumpur – Singapore metro project too.
In addition to MTR, they have trams and buses too. Passengers used to pull the rople to wield the ‘ding ding‘ bell, which became an important part of Hong Kong’s culture.
One more notable thing – to avoid chaotic traffic like Chennai – Government encourages people to take public transportation and discourages owning private vehicles.
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MacRitchie reservoir has plenty of nature trails of different distances and different difficulties. I had been there a couple of times to take the smaller trails. I had the courage to run my Decathlon Run 2021 there. One fine day Kannan and I went to the full stretch of 11Kms.
This attraction has a haunting tale of love behind the screens. A lady whose last name was renamed as Fann and a guy, whose last name was renamed as Lok, fell in love. Macritchie viewpoint was their meeting point. At that time the reservoir was not built. Fann’s father was a ProBritish business man. Lok was the leader of a local Communist clan. Obviously there comes a conflict.
Fann’s father arranged her marriage with another person, whose last name was renamed to Tai. Fann did not like it. But Tai loved her (One-side). At one point in time, Fann was identified as a dead body, near to the place, where she used to meet Lok.
Despite his refusal, Tai built a tomb for her. Everybody might be praising him for building a tomb, on the MacRitchie hill itself to value his one-sided love. Actually, there was a twist. After a few weeks of Fann’s death, Lok was killed in a riot. His tomb was built at the other side of the hill, on which Fann’s tomb was also built.
Later Fann’s family and Tai’s family were found to be guilty of murdering both. Seems to be Tai murdered Fann. Later, a plot was conspired to kill Lok in the riot, with the support of his Communist leader and built the tombs on opposite sides of the same hill, so that they would not join.
Fann’s soul realized about the deception. It is believed that she used to come out on the water surface during the night to roam around!
Don’t worry. She didn’t harm the trekkers. May be, the trekkers help her not to feel her loneliness. 🚶🚶♀️🚶🚶♀️🚶🚶♀️🚶🚶♀️ We had the cross-country, nature walk, and tree-top walk all on the same day! To feel and enjoy the ekantham (loneliness/tranquility), you should start your hiking early in the morning. Put on your walking shoes, take your walking sticks, and carry enough water. Be careful about the food items, as it may attract Hanumans 🙂
The tree-top walk may require some waiting time. If you go with kids, plan accordingly. Water stations are rare. There is one near the tree top walk. But it is almost the peak of the hill. You may not be able to relinquish your hike just because you are thirsty. You will be stuck.
Jersey is a small and autonomous island under the shadow of the UK. It is part of Channel Islands. But it is not part of United Kingdom. St Helier is the capital town.
This small water-locked country, has a close connection with India. Lal Bahadur Shastri wanted to transform a milk-deficient India into the world’s largest milk producer. National Daily Development Board was formed and Dr Verghese Kurien (Amul man) became its chairman. As the Jersey cows were adaptive to hot climates, they have been imported from Sweden and Germany. In Nepal, these cows are called drought animals!
It is a well-known financial hub. They use English as their main language. They have their own currency. At the same time, Pound Sterling is also allowed at 1:1 value. It has lovely beaches on all sides too! I went there on a sunny morning. After my commitments of the day were over, I used to walk around the streets of colonial buildings. That is how I crossed their Liberation Square.
France and Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, as it invaded Poland. They knew Germany was trying to reach them. German army was known for its valor and efficiency. After Poland, Germany wanted Western Europe. By 1940, France had surrendered. Followed by that, Channel Islands started vacating as they were prone to attack.
Despite Channel Islands being at its door steps, the UK remained indecisive. (But the irony is, they had a clear vision of splitting India and Pakistan 😉 ) Germany occupied the islands in 1940. German press orated their victory. It appeared to that world like ‘England was finished’. But it is not 100% false. The UK lost a place, where its flag was flown for eight centuries, without firing a shot. The UK was questioned for demilitarizing the islands.
1941 – UK radio asked the islanders to put up ‘V for Victory‘ sign boards. Some of the islanders joined in that movement, which angered Germans. It was not an organized protest. Individuals and small groups did it. German’s imposed curfew and censorship of press to safe guard their interest.
While Germans fortified the islands heavily, there started a scarcity of food. The West, who destroyed colonial India by their man-made-droughts, sent Red Cross ship to deliver food parcels.
A girl of Jersey, Edna Loftus Channing, was unhappy with the brutal ruling of Nazi forces. She was working as a launderer. She had no other choice except adapting herself with the new rule. She received an identity card, which is to be possessed by her at all times. She has been warned to adhere to German rules.
Their driving rules were changed. Time is adjusted to Berlin’s. German currency was hailed. The Germans looted Jersey’s garment shops to send back to their German girl friends. German soldiers wrote letters with Jersey’s British stamp, which contained the king’s face. Singing National anthem was restricted. Public entertainment were screened for Anti-German propaganda.
Edna was happy when the British Liberation Army came for rescue.
German’s influence declined after they lost in D-Day landings in 1944. Jersey took one more year to get itself liberated in 1945. The Royal Navy and British Army liberated the island. British flag returned to Jersey Island after 5 years. Islanders cheered it on with joy and gratitude. This is where Liberation Square was established on its 50th anniversary.
Edna, too, joined the gathering to welcome the British soldiers, who landed in St Helier and St Peter Port. Nazi Swastika flag was replaced by Union Jack. The islanders rejoiced and partied.
Few days after the liberation, she crossed a sentry post where she found a soldier with charming face. He smiled at her and said a ‘hello’. He was Silas Martin. He was one of the British troop. Edna and Martin fell in ‘love at first sight’. Both of their minds might be arrested by each other. Because Martin did not go back to his home country. He worked as a builder and and Edna worked in a guest house near by. Their endrance made them as a great couple. They married and lived together happily.
Edna died at 68. Martin died 6 weeks later.
***
2011-09-02
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Liberation SquareCrowds welcome British troops on Jersey during the liberation of the Channel Islands. Picture (c) mirror.co.ukV for Victory – Winston Churchill. Picture (c) mirror.co.uk
Mr Jaggu missed his sister and nieces. They too missed a cranky-chatterbox like Jaggu. Jaggu should catch the first bus at 4am to go to her house, which was far away from his home. But he decided to take his Gladiator bike – his new toy! He thought he could start by 4am early in the morning and reach there around 7 or 7-30. Else during the peak summer, Tamil Nadu will roast him like the peeled potato of finger chips. He kept an alarm at 3am, safely getting up around 04:45. He has a strange habit. He will never blame himself for his own faults. He blamed his phone first as his mummy was just watching him. Then he blamed the low volume of the alarm. Finally, he blamed his mummy for switching off his alarm.
Furious mummy looked like Kannagi who argued with Pandya King. She started shouting to reveal the root cause
“You , donkey, sleeping like lazy buffalo. You snoozed the alarm twice and slept like an arrogant donkey. For every snoozed alarm, your dad and I used to wake up. But you never did, Kumbhakarna. Finally you blame me ah. I’ll kick you out of this house, irritating donkey.”
He was wondering, how many types of buffaloes and donkeys she knew. She was still shouting at him like Vishnu sahasranamam chanting, while spraying water mixed with cow dung at the entrance. In their custom, no one should leave the house before spraying. Buffaloes and donkeys seem to be the national animal of his house. Jaggu was wondering, what’s wrong with other animals like dinosaurs, elephants and horses? WTH she call him buffallo and donkey always. She should change her partiality attitude among those poor animals.
Hearing the ‘laksharchana’, Jaggu took a lovely shower and got ready in 30 minutes. He tried to take his bike outside. Mummy came there with another round of shouting.
“How many times I told you, donkey? Not to go out with empty stomach.”
“maa too early ma. I’ll take later.”
“Drink this neeraharam (rice-water, usually kept overnight) at least! When you go out of house, your stomach should be cool. As long as I am here, I’ll give it to you, foolish donkey. If you get married, your wife will not force you…”
“Ok Ok. do not shout ma. Your hubby may shout at me as well. Instead of shouting at me, search for a good girl for me to marry. righto?”
He put his bike on morning warm-up mode while drinking what she gave. He switched on the headlights, clicked the gear shaft to first position by 5-15. On the way he got some money from an ATM. The poor security man was still sleeping inside the A/C ATM room. Jaggu was wondering if he could insert a piece of straw into his nostrils.
The route was very simple. Pudukkottai to Manapparai (state highway) – enjoy NH 45 till Dindigul – then take NH 210 till Oddanchatram and come back!
It rained the previous night, so the journey was very chill. The road was good and bad, like the human rights policy of western countries. Construction of bridges was in progress. He enjoyed a spectacular sunrise. Peacocks and snakes crossed his way.
He reached Manapparai at 7-00 (58 KMs @ 1 hr and 30 mins). Manapparai was famous for Murukku. But the quality of the Murukku sold at the bus stand was not so good now a days. It lost its taste. It’s too oily as well. He stopped there for nature’s call followed by a phone call.
After Manapparai, he joined NH-45. He needed to ride for the next 60 KMs. Four lane work was in progress. So there were many take-diversion plates. He kept on riding on his left for some time, then on the right side for some time. This patter was repeated multiple times. So keep-the-right is not a fault, when the road is under construction. Does it mean, we can break the rules if we have valid justification? His face was smiling inside his helmet.
The completed road was as smooth as Aavin butter. He could go up to 80kmph (his limit always!! ). There was no sun. The road was smooth. He was enjoying his ride while he opened his wind-shield now and then to get fresh air.
He reached Dindigul bypass – Palani junction at 08-15 AM. (Manapparai – Dindigul 69 KMs @ 1 hr and 15 mins). He should turn to the right on NH 210 to reach his destination. There was a twist in screenplay. The cool weather and the lovely wind made him so crazy. He wanted to ride for some more distance. He doesn’t want to end that chilled journey in another 20 KMs.
He called his sis.
“ka, I won’t join you for breakfast. But I’ll be there for lunch. Do not wait for me.”
“What da? Where are you now?”
“You too? do not start your ‘archanai‘ (blasting). I had enough from your mummy already. I want to ride in the hills. I’ll come soon.”
“Whattt? It is dangerous da, you know. I’ll complain to mummy.”
“Such an obedient daughter, you postpone your responsibility for few hours. I’ll be there soon hee hee.”
Dindigul – Batlagundu
He did not turn to the right as planned. He resumed straight on Dindigul – Madurai road all the way until Kodaikanal Road junction. He took the right to continue his lovely journey on NH 45 Extn. The road was not as smooth as that of earlier. The sun was raising slowly to become more and more horrible. He didn’t have enough petrol to ride on Kodai hills. He stopped at Sempatti to top up the fuel. The petrol staff was so funny, he was asking why Jaggu placed the number plate above the head lamp (Yamaha’s foolish (a) stylish design!)
Batlagundu – Pannaikadu
He continued exploring. Before he crossed Batlagundu, he was about to slip as he was following a mini-lorry. It is the rule. A bike rider should not follow a heavy vehicle at a close distance. They will leave pits and dents between their wheels. Bike riders won’t have time to react. Sometimes, they may apply sudden break as well. The rider may lose balance. After Batlagundu he reached the Ghat road junction. He took the right to go to Kodaikanal. Yes, he did not have a second thought.
After riding for some more distance in the plains, (The road looked like an avenue covered with shadows of tamarind trees on both sides), he touched the ghat road. His up-hilling started there in 4th gear. (Dindigul to Ghat road – 43 KMs @ 1 hr / 09:15am).
Batlagundu – Pannaikadu
The road was smooth. He saw very less numbers vehicles moving slowly, since the summer vacation was over already. He stopped here and there to take a few photographs. The sun was hot enough, but the mountain wind and the shadow beneath the trees subsided the temperature.
There are few other routes lead to Kodaikanal. But Batlagundu – Kodaikanal route is the safer one. In addition, it was the older one built by British. The hair pin pends are less.
He was driving between 30 to 40 KMPH since he felt it was comfortable. He continued at 60kmph on the plains. There was a place called ‘Dam Dam Paarai’ (paarai – hill in Tamil!), where he got a charming view of the valley and an Eli-vaal (rat tail) falls. The water was gushing out slowly. He throttled again. He was very much eager to enter into ‘the road not taken’ – Pannaikaadu – Thaandikudi – Paachaloor – Oddanchatram
He reached the Pannaikadu tri-junction. Kodaikanal is just 20 KMs if you go straight. The ‘road not taken‘ was there on his right. He turned right on the deviated route. That road was hardly taken. Mostly it is used by public transports which connects the villages to different cities like Kodaikanal, Dindigul, and Oddanchatram. He stopped at Pannaikadu for a short break!
Pannaikadu to Thandikudi
You can see, the road was damaged considerably. Even the concrete at the end of the road was also worn out.
Pannaikadu to Thandikudi
Being hardly used, the greeneries were not spoiled there. The greenish bushes and trees decorated both sides of the road. Some of the places on the road seemed to never see sunlight due to those densely covered trees! The bushes with blooms on the side of the road formed a lively-flower-compound-wall. No body should miss it. But the road was bad. Sometimes he brought down the throttle below 20 kmph.
Pannaikadu to Thandikudi
After Pannaikadu, the next destination is Thandikudi. That stretch of the road was much better. He was all alone on that single road. He was the only rider exploring that hill. The horses, horse boys and other jeeps stopped at Pannaikadu. He liked that ekantham (loneliness)! But he didn’t know, the same ekantham would worry him at the later point of the trip!
He saw a view of the green and cloudy valley and dam on the way. (10-25 AM)
Pannaikadu to ThandikudiPannaikadu to ThandikudiPannaikadu to ThandikudiPannaikadu to ThandikudiPannaikadu to Thandikudi
He reached Thandikudi soon. He was very cautious about the roads and its branches. So he stopped when ever he got confused, to enquire the route correctly. He took a right turn there.
Next target was Thadiyan Kudisai via Mangalam Kombu. Another 10 KMs! The names of the villages were funny. There were lot of uphilling and downhilling with dozens and dozens of many U-turns. Some times he switched to second gear for steep uphilling. Wah.. It was enough in two places, he switched to 1st gear!! In the deep forest, the road divided itself into two. Nobody was there except a teashop, and its owner. The owner-lady looked like God Jakkamma to him.
“Akka, How to go to Pachalur?”
“You should continue to go straight. It will take you to Kuppamma-patti, KC Patti and Pachalur”
He got confused since what she told was different from his earlier enquiries.
“Thats ok akka, But people suggested me to go through Thadiyan Kudisai”
“This is Thadiyan Kudisai”
Then he realized that he had reached Thadiyan Kudisai already. So his next target was Pachalur. Thanking her, his leg started clicking the gear shaft. The downhill and uphill started again. The road was very bad due to rains. The way was dark due to shadows and very hiiiiiiighly grown trees.
On the way He understood from few locals that 1 liter of petrol was 70 rupees there..! (It was 52 in Delhi in 2010). He was interested to see the Churches in those villages. Interesting!
There was a twist at ‘Kuppamma patti’. The locals suggested to take a short cut which can skip KC Patti and lead straight to Pachalur, which may save around 5 KMs. The option to save 5 KMs in hills is simply superb. It is equivalent to 10 or 15 kilometers on the plains. But the shortcut was even steeper. His Glady was vrroooming much while downhilling at 2nd gear. Then again uphilling.. downhilling.. uphilling… oofff.. Finally, he reached Pachalur on time (12-00 noon).
His final target – Oddanchatram – was at 30 KMs from here. The road becomes smoother now, as that road is widely used by Transports. Mostly he was in downhill mode, which indicated that he was reaching the plains. A lot of U-turns reduced the elevation. Bamboo forests decorated the way!
He was flying like a bee as he reached the plains! Alas, he felt like the chicken inside the grill due to the hot sun.. Yes, elevation came down to 500 meters from 1600 and 1200! With a non stop ride surpassing Vadakadu village, he reached the destination with utmost pleasure at 01-00 Noon! (30 kms @ 1 hr)
His sister was scolding him non-stop like an RJ. After her turn was over, his mummy called him to take over.
“What do you think, donkey? Such an irresponsible buffalo. If something happened somewhere, what to do?”
6th Day of June 2010
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The Tower of London is located on the bank of River Thames and it is near to the iconic Tower Bridge. The ancient construction was being used as royal residence, treasury of jewels of the Royal Family. I went there on a cloudy weekend break. Before reaching that place, I had a pleasant walk on the streets near the London Bridge. That’s the day I realized London Bridge and Tower Bridge are different!
Tower of London is where the Kohinoor diamond – which was looted from India (India’s version) and gifted by Punjab king (UK’s version) – was kept. Interestingly, it had also been used as a torture house, jail, and slaughterhouse.
The human rights of the selected prisoners – who went to the Tower through Traitor’s gate – were blown in the chilly breeze of Thames. The heads of those unfortunate souls lost contact with their bodies. Those disjointed heads were pierced with spikes and kept for public display as a ghastly warning to others.
Anne Boleyn, drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1534–35; in the British Museum, London. Image (c) britannica.com
Anne Boleyn was born in 1507. She was the wife of King Hendry VIII. She was the mother of Queen Elizabeth – I. Before he married Anne, he ditched his first wife Catherine. She desired to marry Lord Henry Percy. But the King prevented her marriage diplomatically, as he himself loved her. I compare this with the influence of Tamil actor M.G. Ramachandran on Tamil actress Jayalalitha. More than his wish for a male heir, his desire for Anne drove him to break his marriage relationship with Catherine.
Henry and Anne married secretly. She gave birth to a female child. Soon, the king lost interest in Anne, too. He started hunting for other white girls. Still, she gave birth to a male child in January 1536. Just after 5 months, Henry sent her to this Tower of London on a charge of adultery. A new-mom, pacha-pulla-kari in Tamil, will be nourished and taken care of very well in India. She will get better nourishment from her mother, utmost love from all relatives. Despite being a queen, Anne did not enjoy these human rights. On the other hand, she was facing the slaughter house, at the age of 29, while her breasts were still producing milk for her 4 month-old baby boy. A girl was married and murdered after getting a male heir!
After two weeks, Henry married Jane!
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The upper berths of Indian railways are like attics without a window! He appreciated himself for his philosophy and lying with crossed legs in his ‘attic’ of Devagiri Express bound for Mumbai. Travels – especially traveling alone – were the moment of dhyana for him. He used to get dazzling ideas during such travels. But he will forget all of them when he gets down at his destination. Disturbing his contemplation, TTE knocked on his legs and asked for his ticket.
His chauffeur Easwar had dropped him at Aurangabad station after visiting a bustling attraction – Ajanta. He was so punctual since Saturday morning. He came at 8am sharp on Sunday morning, too, to take him to the promenade that day! The driving time to Ajanta was more than that of Ellora. Instead of any distractions, they went to Ajanta. The view point on the way to Ajanta was an important attraction, he did not visit.
Aurangabad: The journey to Ajanta begins, Aurangabad-Jalgaon-Indore Highway. Approximately 100 km from here.Aurangabad-Jalgaon-Indore Highway.Trail from hill to hill! They say Japan paid for that roadFrom the view point. (c) columbia.edu
If we look at the very old Indian paintings, we have no significant evidences. Paintings of Sigiriya of Sri Lanka, Kanchipuram of Chennai, Sittannavasal of Pudukkottai and Brihadeeswara temple of Thanjavur belong to 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th centuries AD. The paintings at Ajanta help as evidence of Indian painting from the 2nd century BC till the 6th and 7th centuries AD.
Painting at Kailasanatha temple, Kanchipuram – 7th century AD (c) blogvirasatehind.wordpress.comPainting at Brihadeeswara temple, Thanjavur – 11th century (c) Benoy K BehlPainting of Jain ascetic, Sittannavasal – 9th Century (c) Prof S SwaminathanPainting from Sigiriya, Sri Lanka – 5th century (c) lankapura.com
The discovery of Ajanta is an interesting tale. John Smith, Madras Presidency Officer, went out for a hunt in Ajanta hills. He might be an explorer like Jaggu. But Jaggu hates hunters, but that is not our topic of discussion today. John did not find a tiger. But he find a rock-cut-cave on a distance from a hilltop in the midst of the dense forest; there must have been the light of the Buddha – glowing on the banks of a Waghur river, flowing in a horse shoe shaped path – identified itself and asked him to bring to the attention of outer world. The art treasure was later nationalized and became a feast for our eyes and topic of research for our minds.
Jaggu reached Ajanta around 11:30. He needed to escape from the ‘compulsion selling’ of tourist shops from there. Easwar had warned about them earlier. He just kept quiet and passed through the shops. Still, there was one rogue who tried to pull him out to sell something.
No. It is not Pilgrimage to Sabarimala. ‘Explorimage’ to Ajanta
By the time he entered Ajanta, he felt as if he had done a time travel and reached the 10th century. The view was breathtaking.
Caves have been carved here during the time of the Satavahanas (2 BC) and the Vakatakas (AD 6, 7). All are Buddhist monasteries. Their side-walls, canopies or wherever you touch them were filled with impeccable paintings. Buddhist Jataka stories were painted as well. Are you interested in Jataka stories and archeology? Mark my words, you will not be able to visit Ajanta in one day.
Despite the morals of Jataka tales, many granular details, such as costumes, musical instruments, and birds, continue to amuse researchers even today. Analysts are amazed at the continued tradition since the Ajanta painting period till the contemporary period.
The first two caves themselves will show the most important paintings to fill your mind with immense pleasure. That was a place of humble Buddhist monks. Those caves, sculptures and paintings are where their souls are frozen, though they are deceased already.
Cave 1
Bodhisattva is any human being who is on the way to enlightenment or path towards ‘Buddha’. Padmapani is a Bodhisattva with compassion. Jaggu was familiar with this painting through books.
Padmapani, Cave 1
Similarly, Vajrapani – holder of thunderbolt – is a God of protection.
Padmapani, Cave 1 (Right side of Sanctum)Padmapani, Karuvarai, VajrapaniMurals, Cave 1Cave 1Cave 2Treasures at Cave 2Cave 2Miracle of Sravasti – Cave 2Cave 2: The sanctum and the muralCave 2: The floral designs. Still we use such type of decorative elements.Cave 6Cave 7
Large symmetrical caves could be seen here, like a tall palm tree, dating back to the 2nd century BC. One of these caves, number ten, was what was discovered by John during the colonial period.
The first-century Chaitya-shaped cave – Cave 9Cave 9Cave 9: There were sculptures depicting the daily life of humansCave No. 10 is probably the oldest of the Ajanta Caves. This majestic look identified itself to John during his hunting. This cave has another specialty. It has the oldest painting of India, that belongs to 2nd century BC.
It is awe-inspiring to see the paintings of the caves of 2nd century BC. Yes. Really. Those paintings have the most perfect measurements for face, makeup, jewelry sets, despite being very old!! Who’d drawn this? What’s his/her name? Was he/she short or tall? That was the land where so many intellectuals lived at those times!!
2nd century BC painting. Neat. Belonging to the Hinayana period The costumes found in those paintings, surprise us. These should be the most interesting paintings for girls.Cave 10Cave 10The cavesDying princess, cave 16Elephant story – Cave 17Indra flying in the clouds Cave 1The Waghur riverThe drinking Couple, Cave 17Cave 17: Decorated entrance to heaven 🙂Cave 17: A feast for the eyes. What kind of place was that? The wall and the canopy of enormous height were filled with painting – everywhere! Jataka tales glittered in paintings!The caves should be visited after a rainy season for a better view!
In addition to the paintings, beautiful sculptures could also be found there. How decorative the arches were! How perfect the elegance of the sculptures were!
Cave 19: This shrine belongs to the late Mahayana period. Chaitya type. The most beautiful and elegant sculptures were found in the cave.Cave 19: A feast for the eyesCave23: Tell me. Which is perfect? the design at the top or the one at the bottom? Cave 19: NagarajCave 23Cave 23Cave 23
When someone dies, his/her unresolved karma passes on to a new birth instantaneously. However, when a person attains nirvana, they are free from rebirth. When such a person dies, it is the end of his/her rebirth. He attains the mahaparinirvana, the eternal divinity.
This cave 26 is the result of your search; the rise of your soul.
Cave 26: This was the last chapter of the Ajanta trip. Exterior decoration and The sculptures will take your time here.A man stands on the right side, helping to infer the height of the caveThis shape is simulated to the sternum of the BuddhaCave 19hmm. so many caves! so many paintings!
Was there no one to disturb the Buddha?! Mara was there. He was known to be a king, who had the contrasting view of life to that of Buddha. Buddha pulled the people towards eternity. Mara liked to pull them towards worldly pleasures. Mara was drawn in cave 1. He has been sculpted in cave 26.
Buddha and Mara. The painting in the first cave was sculpted hereMara climbed on the elephant and came with his evil forces to attack the BuddhaMara climbed on the elephant and came with his evil forces to attack the BuddhaMara’s daughters: Despite the large relief, each of these small sculptures in it is very realistically carvedThe answer to why Jaggu could not be a Buddha was clear. This stone-shaped Mara daughter itself had captivated his mind! How could he practice penance elsewhere! What a dynamic posture it was!Mahaparinirvana: My leader was with us.. walked with us.. shared food with us.. told moral stories.. Performed miracles.. Defeated the evil that resisted. He solved the misery of poor people. Here is where he left me. He quits his job and falls asleep. Om mani padme hum.The final moment. Siddhartha, you came to uplift us, the poor. Let your compassion be with us – ever.
For Jaggu, who hails from Tamil Nadu – the land of small-rock-cut temples carved out of granite rock – Elephanta, Ellora and Ajanta are like swargapuri (heaven). If someone can go with some preparation, like gathering a quick knowledge of Buddhism & Jainism, Indian paintings and Jataka tales these places will be wonderful.
Tiresome early morning at Dadar station.
The Mahan Buddha born on this earth, left his kingly life, abandoned Rahula, and Yosodara, to demonstrate us…. the compassion! Let’s be compassionate with each other! Om Mani Padme Hum!
End of travelogue – Jaggu’s search for cave temples.
I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z 2022 with theme Yātum ūrē!
Jaggu was anxiously waiting at one of the platforms of Dadar station. He looked like a lost child at a temple festival. He was waiting for Devagiri Express bound for Secunderabad.
It was a tiresome day at his iron scrap company. By the time he left the godown, it was almost 7pm. His train was scheduled for 9pm. He rushed to Borivali to take dresses for 2 days and rushed to Dadar station like a 108 ambulance.
Boss of his very first company was a master in Ajanta and Ellora. Jaggu called him a couple of weeks back to get his suggestion to visit those places.
“What a kollan (scrap iron seller) is going to do in an artistic place? Are you going to dig any iron mine there?”
“Ayo sir. No. Just to enrich my..”
“Enrich what?”
Our hero Jaggu removed all his ornamental romanticisms in his words and put it in black & white.
“No sir. I have a weekend. I’d like to visit Ajanta and Ellora”
He suggested reaching Jalgaon first. It is easier to reach Ajanta from there. It was not convincing for Jaggu. It was true. Ajanta is nearer to Jalgaon. But Ellora is far away, more than 200 KMs. Travel time will ruin his plan. Mumbai to Jalgaon; Jalgaon to Ajanta; Ajanta to Ellora; Ellora to Aurangabad; Aurangabad to Mumbai. Jaggu decided it wouldn’t work out. He finalized one option finally
Mumbai – Aurangabad (1 night trip by train – onward)
Jaggu found good reviews about the travels on Wiki Travel site. He dialed them from the dusty and rusty phone of his iron scrap company. Pankaj picked up the phone on the other end. Jaggu spoke to him few simple sentences.
“I will come to Aurangabad after one week. Hindi and Marathi letters are like Karasev and Seenisev (sweet sev) for me. I can not speak both of them. I like to visit Ajanta and Ellora. I need someone who can pick me from railway station on Saturday morning, take me to those places, and drop me the same railway station by Sunday night. Could you help me?”
Pankaj was so confident, “You just come over. Don’t worry”.
Jaggu asked for one more assistance, “Could you book a hotel room as well, please?”.
“No problem”.
A reliable business man like Pankaj are the Gems of Indian tourism. If Jaggu was the president of India, he would make him a tourism minister. Jaggu’s colleage said that the travel agent may get a commission for booking the room, etc etc. So what? He work for Jaggu, right? As long as he helps his guests to have a memorable journey, nothing wrong with giving him minister post! No. Not to get more commission; but to establish trusted tourism environment. It’s rare to see such sincere guys in India – or at least in Jaggu’s native place.
The next step was to book the tickets in Devagiri Express, all within 15 minutes! The search for caves would be sweet like a jilebi only if there was no travel problem!
All was well, except that Dadar station, where Jaggu was waiting for his train then. There were plenty of platforms like Chennai Central. There was a parade of night trains. They came and stopped on the platforms with a screeching sound one after another. At no time, they left the platform with a paaang horn. In between, they wait for 1 or 2 minutes to board the passengers. Miserably some of the trains do not have name boards at all. Jaggu enquired here and there, and finally he was waiting on that platform. Despite being a nationalistic, he was blaming himself.
‘Indians do wonders; sometimes blunders too.’
Was it that difficult to keep the name boards and arrival and departure screens? Indian railway should learn to serve its guest like Pankaj!
The train arrived late by 10 minutes. The crowd of passengers started running back and forth on the platforms like the warriors running in war fields in Baahubali movie. Jaggu saw all passengers start running back and forth furiously, like the Kaalakeya-s of Baahubali movie. He, too, ran across the mob to find his S8 coach.
Representational picture (c) Wikipedia
Jaggu was sitting in his aisle seat. There was a white lady sitting in the opposite seat with an North (or east) Indian guy, who looked younger than her. With an oily face and a kadukkan (ear ring) he looked weird. It was like Pakoda Kathar (a comedian in old Tamil movies) and Padmini (Leading heroine in old Tamil movies) acting in the lead roles. Whatever. It is up to an individual.
There was an elite-bald-gentleman sitting besides Jaggu. He took out baby cucumbers, a knife and a plastic plate. While he started cutting the cucumbers, he tried to socialize with the white lady. Bored Jaggu eavesdropped into their conversation.
“Haaai”
“Haai”
“Are you a tourist here?”
“Ya. I’m a traveler” *smiles*
“Interesting.. Which country are you from?”
“Belgium”
“Oh you travel alone? That’s great. European ladies are usually bold in nature..” (The discussion was not annoyed by the tuk tuk sound of cutting the cucumber in plastic plate).
“Na Na.. He is my companion.” Her fingers pointed at the kadukkan guy with the oily face. Kadukkan guy smiled at the elite for the sake of doing it.
“Oh.. Wonderful. “. (To the kadukkan guy) “How do you know her?”
“…”
(To the European) “How do you know him? You need to be careful while traveling alone”. Jaggu understood the elite man got suspicious.
“He is my Facebook friend”
Jaggu felt he should jump out of the train immediately.
The elite-balded-head took out a bottle and glass. A transparent liquid with a savor smell was poured into the glass with bup bup sound.”
“You want to have some wine?”
“No Thank You. I have mine”.
Jaggu stood up to push his bag on his upper birth. Like an angry monkey, he jumped to his birth at no time. He could not tolerate the discussion any more as he was so jealous of the kadukkan and elite. Still the discussion was going on, like the one between Indian and Chinese armies.
“Why don’t you have some salads”
The kadukkan boy was still looking out side the window on the opposite side.
“No. Thank you. I don’t like cucumbers”
She might be bored as well. She too got up and came up to the opposite upper birth. She smiled at Jaggu and thanked him, as he helped her to switch on the fan. Before she completed her odomos coating, Jaggu went to a deep Zzz mode with a light snoring.
While he was asleep, he woke up on hearing the noise of stone pelting on the train. Aurangabad was marked as a district of concerns due to naxalism.
There are two unsolvable problems in India – one is diabetes; the other one is stone-pelting!
As promised, Pankaj’s driver was waiting with a name plate early in that cold morning. It was written as JAGGU, Mumbai. Jaggu got goosebumps. He became a Mumbaikar in just 3 weeks :-). A nice room was reserved for him in a nice hotel as well.
At Aurangabad station
The punctual driver Easwar told Jaggu, “You take a nap first. We may leave at 8 a.m. Hotel breakfast may not be suitable for you. I will take you to another South Indian restaurant for breakfast”.
Jaggu slept for two hours. He still felt the jolting of the train compartment. He went to the reception at 7:50. Easwar came on time, as promised. There was a hotel nearby. Easwar preferred to have Kesari after Jaggu compelled him to give him company. On his recommendation, Jaggu ordered for dosa. Actually, it was not that good. Jaggu should have ordered local food.
They started after breakfast. Easwar liked Aurangabad very much. He kept on praising his town. Jaggu was not amused as it was like Trichy or Madurai in Tamilnadu. They came out of the city and joined the beautiful highway in 15 minutes.
The attractions started from Khuldabad. They visited Aurangzeb’s tomb. It was a wrong choice to have a tomb as the first stop; that too belongs to a tyrant. Jaggu asked Easwar to avoid the local attraction as he wanted to spend time at Ellora.
The high way was like any other Tamil Nadu highway (of 2007). It had pits like the dents of Moon. There were mountains, ridges, and bushes all over. Jaggu was wondering, if there were a bunch of mountains, it would be surprising only if Ellora had not been constructed!
Daulatabad was another town on the way. It had a fort with artillery. It became the capital of Mohammed bin Tughluq. Later that place was abandoned due to water scarcity. Devagiri was its old name. Changing Devagiri into Daulatabad is secular and renaming it back to Devagiri is communal in India!
Jaggu avoided that port, as his time did not allow him. The road contained different entrances; they might have been the entrances to the old fort. The ghat road starts immediately after Daulatabad. Ridges of fort walls were seen even on the hills.
Daulatabad FortChamber of guards?!The ghat road beginsSecurity chamber?Travel through dry land on a breezy morningGrishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple, sometimes referred to as the Ghrneshwar or Ghushmeshwar Temple, is one of the shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva that is referenced in the Shiva Purana. It was on their way.
This place was not in Jaggu’s plan. Still, he respected his driver’s choice as he insisted “How come you come to our place and refuse to see this?” :-). That was one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Lingam temples. It is located in the village of Verul, very close to Ellora.
Siva Siva!
They went down and down like a cobra moves among piles of straws to reach Ellora at 11am.
Elluru village
Upon entering, Jaggu saw the Kailasanatha cave and screamed in joy. But Easwar did not stop the car.
“Hey, Stop Stop. where are you going?” Jaggu shouted. Easwar got worried if he would jump out of the window.
“Wait. Look the way I suggest you” Easwar replied with a determination. He stopped the car in one place. Jaggu will look at the nearby caves and return. Both of them will drive to the next cave. Thus he was able to see all the caves in 4 hops.
A total of 34 caves. Hindu caves, Buddhist caves and Jain caves. It is a treasure trove of art.
It will become a book, if the caves are explained one after the other. Readers can enjoy the pictures below.
The journey begins, directly to the last cave 32. This is called Indra-sabhaThe kodi-maram or dhwaja sthambham (flag pole) had grown tall. Taller than you and Jaggu.The stone elephant – opposite to the flagpole.Caves carved like bird cages, beside the dhwaja sthambham
What made me so excited was the grandeur of it! Floors and canopies in the cave. Very fine sculptures. And, its size! WOWW!! Massive!
TerraceDecorated entrance.34th Cave, Jain Acharya and his disciplesWhat a cave, not at all. It is a palace with multiple attics!Cave 33 – Indrani (There was a connecting path between the caves. Jaggu played hide and seek)The majestic pillar, in which the wavy ornaments and small and large reliefs are sculpted elegantly. I do not know what to say, adornment for stone, adornment for God Himself?Possible to do in a stone? Yes!Is it to support the roof or to soak us in dreams?Cave 33 – Indra Sabha.Is this an unfinished art work?? Even so, it looks like appeared and dissolved in the stoneThe reminiscences of paintingThe reminiscences of paintingAcharya-sCave 33 – Indra Sabha. (50 pictures over already, but still we did not finish 2 caves). Multi story caves is something we can not see in Tamil Nadu.கண்களுக்கு விருந்தாகCave 33 – Indra SabhaCave 33 – Indra SabhaCave 34Cave 33 – Indra SabhaThis cave appeared as Jaggu roamed around leisurely.. What a strange place! What a treasure! Eyes were given just to view this, dear readers; just to view this!Cave 29. Lord Siva was boiling with anger. It is of the height of two men. You may see the face only if you stand on Jaggu’s shoulder!Cave 26 – Ravana and Mount Kailash. This sculpture can be put up as a treasure hunting competition. You can find it so many places across the Ellora caves.Cave 26 – Siva Parvati weddingCave 26 – The kailayaHmm.. seems there is a path here.Wow. there are some caves on the other side..Later, he ran to the other side and came back. The path is a bit difficult. Make sure you do not fall off the cliff. This is where the waterfall is located during the rainy season. It may pour for six or seven months. Jaggu is not lucky to view that.The same place during rainy season. Picture (c) tripotoCave 27 – Balarama, Sri Krishna, Seshasai VishnuCave 27 – VarahaCave 27 – The hall with all the sculptures seen above, starts from Mahishasura MardiniCave 26Cave 26Cave 26, 27Cave 25 – Sanctum, (Bass relief of Sun god in the canopy),23, 24A, 24BKannika-s / Kannimar-s / Saptamatrika-sCave 21 – EntranceCave 21Cave 21Cave 21 – Ganga standing on a crocodile. This sculpture glistened in the afternoon sunlight.Cave 21 Cave 21 – Ganga and other women standing in a lotus flower to welcome the devotees. This is the most beautifully carved cave in Ellora.கைலாயம்Cave 21 – Ananda thandavaCave 21 – Is it a rock or clay? They rendered the hair style like a beautiful drawingCave 21Cave 21Cave 17ACave 17ACave 17ACave 17A – it may look like an mediocre. But it is a heaven of sculpturesCave 12. Rows and columns of caves -3 storiesCave 12. Rows and columns of caves -3 storiesCave 10 – The only cave in Buddhist Chaitya structureCave 10. The ornated cave is said to be dedicated to the divine engineer Vishwakarma. What has he got to do with Buddhism? Mahayana is inclusive. It says ok-lah!Cave 10Cave 14Cave 14Cave 1: The origin. The first cave. It is said that the cave was probably built for lodging and then started to be used by Buddhist monks. 6th century AD
To this day, Kailasa Temple is the reminiscent of the Ellora caves. Why? Because of its beauty? But everything there was beautiful! Its structure made the difference. It did not belong to West Indian architecture. The temple belongs to South Indian architecture. The big temple was carved out of a single rock, from top to bottom. Not from bottom to top! Remember the monoliths of Mahabalipuram.
The Kailasa Temple is a fine example of South Indian-Rashtrakuta temple architecture. Rashtrakuta King Krishna-I – ruled in the 7th century – extended his rule until Karnataka. It is said to have been built in the form of the Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal.
The awful work of rock carving. South Indians may feel at home, on alien soil. As if in a trance, you may be wandering in and out of that temple. It may be one of your enchanting moments, in which you burst into endless soliloquy.
On the way back
Did those caves get carved into the rock, or were they sculpted in our minds? Jaggu’s mind was overwhelmed with Ellora. This is our address, our identity, our ancestral home. Jaggu’s desire was that everyone should go at least once in their life time. Perumal thirumozhi renders a beautiful line ‘கோனேரி வாழும் குருகாய்ப் பிறப்பேனே’, that expresses the poet’s eagerness to rebirth as a stork in Venkata hill (Tirupati). Jaggu wondered, what if Ellora rejuvenate itself with all the monks of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism pursuing their duties. If that happens, he wanted to rebirth as a rat, that can steal the ghee of the lamps of these cave temples and eat it secretly 🙂
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