Indian Yatra

There used to be a time when traveling long distances by Indian Railways at least twice a year was a normal routine for me, but no more. That too, for almost a decade now, even overnight travel had become a rare event. So, one can easily guess my excitement when planned to go on a package tour specially one wherein I could discharge my duty as a dutiful daughter sending all my elders on their way to ‘Moksha’. The preparation and packing provided great scope for fun for my daughters (At my cost, of course!) with the roles reversed and they mothering me with the ‘do’s & ‘don’ts’.

The sounds and smells typical of Chennai Central wafted towards me pulling me into the great chaos of the station on the morning of 11th, March. I was reminded of another time, different mood and people and felt nostalgic. (It was after about 26 years I was going to board the Coromandal Express.)

When we got down at Khordha Road, it looked like the end of planned travel with comfort. It was early morning and still there were traces of winter and which pepped me up. But the ordeal of transferring our luggage from one platform to another with the accompanying climbing up and down still remained. Added to that the connecting bridge ended in one platform and we had to cross the tracks to the next one. Any one who has traveled in our trains would know that it is not easy to jump down and climb up to the platform from the tracks unless the person is young and agile. All the Mamas and Mamis did that (with their luggage) of course puffing and panting. We decided to walk down to the other end of the platform where, presto! the platform had a downward slope and we could walk easily.(Thanks to our enthusiastic ‘group captain’) We boarded a Passenger Train which was slower than a bullock cart and finally reached Puri.

Two days we traveled in Orissa, been to important temples in Bhuvaneshwer for worship and Darshan of Lord Jagannath at Puri gave me yet another insight into the social cultural and religious fabric of this great land. I tried to remain objective, studying the typical architectural style and observing people from different corners of the country converging there. After a while, I became part of the whole and for a moment there, I was one part of the Brahman- completely in sync with the Whole. (Don’t worry, folks! The ‘enlightenment’ didn’t last for long!)

Two young priests of the temple climbing the 170ft tower daily evening to change the flags is a ‘must watch’ action not only for the tension and excitement but to feel the complete faith and unwavering conviction of the devotees that Jagannath will take care of every thing. The presiding Deity there, is believed to be fond of food that food is offered to Him seven times a day.( some foodie, He is!) The kitchen where the heat never appears to cool off, nor the Chula idle- may be for centuries? Seven times new set of earthen pots are used, I believe. The food is then distributed. I have read that the Rath used for the famous ‘Rath Yatra’ is a one time affair. Like any other temple of this land, this temple sustains one entire community.

Coming out of the temple, the shops arrayed on both sides of the broad road beckoned us(ladies, to be precise!). Shopping becomes compulsive when we are out of our place and most of us end up buying things normally available in our place. I suppose it is the thrill of bargaining and the false satisfaction that we have made a smart buy. The shop keepers are expert in reading human mind and pull the wool over the eyes of even a seasoned shopper. With much difficulty, we prevented our captain from buying sandal wood pieces from pavement shops and she thought that we lost a good bargain! Will it be that easy for those small vendors to stock authentic sandal wood pieces with some official seal?

I was awestruck the first time I set my eyes on Konark Temple. The imagination and aesthetic sense of the architect, the sculptor moved me so much that I wanted to run atop one structure and shout with joy; to sit in a corner and try to contemplate the thoughts and creative urges of those artists.

When I found out that it was an engineering marvel too with specific mechanisms to focus the Sun’s rays on to a point in the sanctum, when I realised the power emanating from the temple affected the vehicles on the road and hen I saw the proof of the Colonial rulers’ apathy and scant regard for anything Indian in the way the sanctum was boarded up I felt a sense of dejection and a helpless anger. Even now, our people refuse to look into our scientific and technological legacy with an open mind from behind a western viewpoint and thoughts such as these gave the monument a melancholic aura.Going from a Metro like Chennai to Bhuvaneshwer and travelling on that city roads gave us tension. (It does not of course mean disciplined traffic on Chennai Roads! But it was worse there.)

The next phase of the travel took us to ‘cow country’ and U.P where the religious rites have to be performed and we all would be doing that duty of every one born in this land, specially Hindus- taking a dip in the holy Ganga and the ‘Sangam’. The experience was profound and the people, the life, the attitude everything demand a separate analysis and thus a different article.

I am still unable to concretize those emotions and reactions of mine to put into words. But they will definitely evolve into an article!