The Discovery Of India

Image by sreeji.. via Flickr

The land which Goddess Samaleshwari looks after, the land of diamond trade then and now land of the black gold trade.. we can put in lot of sobriquets to this city in western Orissa but none of those will strike as truth once you step into the city of Sambalpur. This dry city with dust laden roads, rickshaw walahs, cows and cyclists jostling with the motorcycles and cars, small shops which are also covered with dust, the biggest shopping complex only big by virtue of building but also a collection of small shops, a whole array of hotels, Indian, Chinese, Continental et al which leave you wondering whether these guys know what they have written! This was my first impression anyway.

I reached Sambalpur in hot time of the day, and before I knew I slept off. Inside the hotel itself, I got my first jolt,, there was no coverage for vodafone. Only my trusted air-tel was showing range. After getting up in late at night, I started out. Eight O'clock in the night, the city was still bustling which is a good sign because many good cities start putting half shutters by that time. I decided to try out some food, and I had seen some real good signs on the hotels in afternoon. Hotel Saket had an adjoining fast food joint, pizzas and burgers were written, and photos also showed good ones. I went inside and ordered a paneer pizza and a coke. No coke, sir. (Oops, Sambalpur doesn't have coke at all, not in this hotel, not anywhere else) Ok, then Thumps Up. And I started my wait. There came a Muslim couple(a really good looking girl) and another typical Oriya couple. Was I in a metro? I was ruminating on the people outside. All the guys had a typical attire, low waist jeans with fancy embroidery and even the older generation were wearing jeans itself. The girls were wearing mixed wears, couldn't point out anything special but then it was either modern wear or traditional Punjabi's. I was waiting to see typical oriya design sarees and dressing. By that time, my pizza came – a mass of mayonnaise and fried paneer mixed on top of an old bread whose crust was not made proper. Well, so much for junk food. I somehow finished my stuff and went off. I walked on marking out a levi's store and couple of other branded stores. I will check them out later but I couldn't find the sambalpuri sarees which I was looking for. At the end of the road, I found a South Indian restaurant, established in 1956! I loved it. I shall eat there tomorrow. That was enough for the day, time to go to bed, I had come for work not sight seeing. It was 930 and still the city was alive.

Next day, I had to go to Bhushan Steel plant, which was near to Jharsuguda. That was nearly 50 km from here. I took a bus and the half of that was filled with Bhushan employees itself. In the evening, I again started out. This time first to the South Indian restaurant. I had dosa, but then it was all customized for Oriya taste. Not good for a South Indian. After that, I started my exploring again. This time I was into the main area. There were laptop/computer houses and a multitude of gadget houses for the men and women together. All were small houses, just not big enough to make a statement for these big brands. I saw it after a few more hours. It was the people! Oriya people were simple to the core. The public were not flashy, but not hiding also. They were truly down to earth. A guy who sat next to me took my number and offered me any help at BBS. Another guy was impressed just by the fact that I am from Kerala and more by the fact that I am an engineer. A small help will fetch you a friend. Only I couldn't gage whether this would be for life or their memory will be less. I could see one thing, the people were true, had very little haughtiness and had humility as humanly possible.

I had looked for the Oriya design sarees and saw a huge variety. There was a mix of Odissi and Bengali designs. The sequence laden sarees and the colorful designs were truly exotic. The ladies were also beautiful. I would say they had an earthy look. With all the short blouses and other designs which I can't name but surely caught my eye, the ladies of Orissa will find a million mention in any fashion magazine. I decided I will buy one Saree but that was one thing that eluded me. I couldn't find a shop which proclaimed ethinic sarees inside :). I searched a bit. I didn't get any luck except in a Oriya hand loom Saree house which had Bomkeri design sarees. There was not much selection. So I left it. That night also came to an end.

The eve of Durga puja was grand day in Sambalpur. The whole street was laden with lights and pandals. The people were enjoying with their families. There was many new cars and bikes on road. The glitter of the city in the evening sharply contrasted the dreary look in the daytime. I walked along the streets savoring the pandals and paraphernalia. This was my second Durga puja in the east, but as with the last time. I had to move on, just before the ninth day of Navrathri. Twice shy of the target.

The end came abruptly as I had a certain tryst with destiny. On that eventful day, I was there in the temple of Lord Jagganath of Puri! The unstoppable, all powerful God, the parabrahm of Lord Krishna, the lord who will grant all your wishes! I have a story to tell, my friends. Words are yours, story is mine, and in the end we all live for one another!

So in the end I had to cut short my exploration and start my travel back to Kochi! Before that, my tryst with Puri Jagganath.

Labels: Durga Puja, Hinduism, India, Orissa, Sambalpur

# posted by Rajasekhar @ 10:05 AM 0 comments

Image via Wikipedia

I had dreaded going to certain places in India, and fortunately I was forced to go to those very place itself. One of those places was Assam, and more than a year ago, I was there. I was there in Gauhati 2 hours before a serial blast took place in market place. I was at the same market two days later too. Life is different for people over there. It changed my outlook towards life too. From then on, I never had the dread of traveling anywhere.

I had always wished to go to Orissa, and I also had a very specific impressions. These had been fostered by those countless conversations with my colleagues who had been in and out of Orissa steel/sponge iron plant belt right from 2002-2003. They were seeing only half the picture! Or maybe they don't have my lenses :)

Right from the trip from Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur(I slept off till I reached BBS, a miss), I was wonder struck by the beauty of the land. Both sides of the track was green, filled with cultivated land and those small canals which irrigated them. Afar I could see groves, (of mangoes?) I couldn't identify them from the leaves, and the sparse palm trees on the boundaries separating those farmers land. The train was running really fast, and in each half an hour at least, I could see ponds full of water lilies(aambal as we call in Malayalam). Ah, that is a sight to behold if you could imagine the beauty it will be in full bloom. The 290 km trip from BBS to SMPR took around 4 hours, 4 hours of getting a feel of the beauty of Orissa.

I took off without telling about the real thing. I reached BBS in the wee hours of morning and in true style of mine, called up my colleague(and friend) asking him about the train. I was looking lost I the new place I guess, because when I asked a guy over at platform about where reservation counter is, he came along with me. He also took ticket for me, while I looked over both of our belongings! Now I had company, for the trip ahead. His name is Vardhan(also an electrical engineer like myself), I didn't ask much about him because I was really travel weary. World is a small place, and life is unpredictable, maybe I will get to meet him again, hopefully. We waited in the platform, freshened up(first time:)) and gave good company too.

The dawn was breaking and a Howrah Jan Shatabdi came. Suddenly the platform which was filled with beauties and wannabes, emptied. I was getting fidgety and told him, we will go to our platform, maybe there will be the better people. We went, but then, the train we were waiting for was in orissa, not the biggest metro in India. And the people were obviously different. I took to general compartment only to enjoy the culture there. There was a train there:P. For the first time in my life, I saw a train going in opposite direction :) confused?? Yeah, it happens in Orissa! I got into that train, after troubling my colleague again:). First comment I heard, after settling myself, oblivious of hullo bullo of the generals marshaling their troops(fathers/uncles/boyfriends rounding their folks), was “These dirty Indians,(pause, heave) no manners at all”. I looked to find a fat man, pushing forward towards nowhere with his luggage, all sweaty and don't know what else. And he was an INDIAN too :P.

I was in Orissa! The people are the best part of any place/state/country. And we have a wealth of them. Each state, each region is rich with them! I saw the beauty of the place right from the train itself. After initial bustle with many sitting, then getting their arse up again, and getting down, there came the first whistle. Many decided that this compartment was too crowded or may be they had better options and started to get off. I let Vardhan sit, and stood watching the drama. There was a group of students(Orissa girls are beautiful:)) and the guys behaved perfectly gentlemanly, making seats for their friends and also for a lady with a small kid. I was going to see first of many of signs of good natured people of Orissa. The guys who didn't know each other were helping out like brothers. After an hour Vardhan got down, with a shake of hands and wishing each other good, I settled down in his seat. The person next to me was having pan like a kid having chocolate:) in the 4 hours of travel, he had least 20-24 pan! He was putting it inside without spitting a bit. I was wondering what he had put inside. At last, he spit the chewed remains inside the compartment itself, a few charred remains(luckily I was getting down or else..)

As usual, I got down at wrong station( a practice which helped me explore more of the place I was going to). You can't blame me for my mistake – I will narrate what happened. I saw the station name Sambalpur City but the station was very idle. Outside the station, I didn't see anything except a road far away and fields around. Now that was not a promising sight when you have had the information that you are going to one of the prosperous cities in Orissa(also a few searches by self have revealed certain information about diamonds being mined here long ago). I called up my friend and asked him, he said get down and I did, but then I didn't listen to all he said – like, of the over bridge and auto stand outside the station. Anyway I got down and train stated moving. No auto stand was there outside this “city” neither was there over bridge near the station. I started asking the only person outside the station where is hotels and all. He said I got down at wrong place directly, I should have got down at Sambalpur town, not Sambalpur city. Here town is bigger than city! Ah, Orissa! I was enjoying myself! I shouldered my bags and started walking. My luck, an auto came and asked me if I was going to town(a lift). This guy told me about how to go to my hotel. With all these happening, and few changes of vehicle I reached my hotel. Settled down! I had to see the place. Fist Impressions were not that good. For now, I decided I will sleep and do the exploring later in night.

Labels: Bhubaneswar, India, Orissa, Travel and Tourism

# posted by Rajasekhar @ 10:03 AM 0 comments

Image via Wikipedia

Russian Revolution! And the revolution inside me!

My brother gave me a video compilation of Russian Revolution, a revolution which had been forefront of changing the world, making it realize that there is another society! This video was through the eyes of sailors of Kronstad. True to the name, the whole focus of the show was on the sailors. I could not help believing it though I for one will not be able fully convince myself that this is what happened unless I get first person account. So I will leave myself to the temporary idea that sailors were the ones who initiated, helped and the somehow mysteriously disappeared from the whole scene, their voice nowhere in the scene of the revolution after their much needed help was obtained. And it is voiced in the program that the sailors were an educated lot!

The point of me writing is not because of the sailors or the program being 'colorful'. I couldn't digest what the speakers, many of the professors in various universities in USA, UK and Russia (and are they really professors?) spoke of Lenin. I had always great respect for all the leaders, regardless of the country and ideology, who lead their country through turmoil or a new era. No person can judge them unless they face the same situation. As for Russia, the country so vast and vibrant with a history so rich, everything is different. I will surely compare Washington and his legion with Lenin and his followers. I will not for once compare them on their paths taken but on their motive. I will not compare them on the situational decisions they took but on the goodness of their decisions.

I will surely say the situation which Lenin had with discontent in people at peak (time ripe for revolution) and war on fatherland taking his beloved sons and daughters, was not a thing which Washington had to handle. The enemy which is miles away from shore and fighting in your territory is very different from your fence-neighbor fighting with you claw and nails. I will also ask the Americans where are the Indians and their culture now. Where have the Mexican Indians and the Cherokees and the Yukons and the rest. Were they not forced to change, by force, to the new way of life. A way of life which the settlers thought were good for the natives. Were they given a choice? Is there any account in the history of world where people had every right to choose freely. If the real ideal of revolution was a success then it would have happened. People had to understand the real meaning. Humans for one need to let go of their sense of superiority and be equal with the weak and the ignorant and the disabled. This has happened in the history once. For a period of three years, world united against an evil which sought to be superior. I will not say here also that Hitler was right or wrong but surely he was wrong in the end and that made the sane people fight. Again if he had not sought the world then, world would have ignored him and he might have proven to be worst ever for Germany after all the good he has done for the fatherland.

Would there be any thing more worse than what the Imperialist nations did to entire continent of Africa till the end of 20^th century! Will it be less said that China, so proud and great had to be weakened by opium because UK and others who had a share of Chinese melon didn't have the guts to fight them toe to toe! I remember seeing a Merchant- Ivory movie called savages. It asks only one question, and seeks answer from those who may think that it is their duty to answer, that why do we think we are better and all others, only because the way they did was different, are inferior. The African Americans had a single word which symbolized every freedom seeking humans in the world – respect! If this is given to every single person as he/she deserves for being a human, for being a living being which can sense love, peace, hatred, anger, deceit &c., then there will be a lot more life in this beautiful planet of ours!

I can speak freely of my country, how free we are. I can say that people are biased here, I can say that there is great amount of corruption in every sector, I can say that people have hatred towards biasing and not towards another human being. I can say a lot more and everything which I say will be true for every country! I am in a country where people have natures as different as the colors of setting sun differs on any two given days! I hope for a day where people can think everyone as their kins. For this everyone should be educated. Educated in history, to be proud of their past and to preserve the present for the future.

Intellectuals have put the name Utopia to that land. It will be millions of years before this land is achieved! I hope it will be in a few centuries!

Labels: China, History, Russian Empire, Russian Revolution, Soviet Union, United States

# posted by Rajasekhar @ 6:59 AM 0 comments