Jodhpur and the rest

On my run run run spree again, have decided to check out Rajasthan, cities chosen are Jodhpur, Jaipur and Jaisalmer. Reason being, a lot of miscellaneous information and notions thrown in together as well as the fact they are almost in a straight line, Jodhpur falling in between the other two is approx. 5-6 hours from both by bus, and to cram up max touring in less time you could utilize the night time by doing slow (approx 7 hrs) traveling by train during night.

Before embarking on the tour-de-tricity I had sworn I would be well equipped with a camera, I can’t let any other beauty pass me by without having a tool to capture it.

First lap: Pune-Mumbai (buy camera)-Jodhpur
I am leaving my flat at Viman Nagar, its not day yet, everybody sleeping, feels strange, I realize though I can any time return to Pune, I guess this chapter is closed, I keep looking around the room for some time and stare out of the balcony for a little more, I guess the balcony was the best part of it, waking up (to sleep again) to see the rising sun tinting the sky red, coming back from office early in the morning, this was the part which would give away signs that another day had dawned and I thought I could stretch time by extending night into forever.

This is the first time I am traveling to Mumbai by train, seems lovely outside, but I unfortunately chose ac chair car, so I feel a little locked out and doze in between, blaming it on packing stuff, though I didn’t do much of it physically, but I seek excuse in mental exhaustion and the fact that I had been running around, meeting people, climaxing it with as always lovely dinner with the Mennon family, this time Meera didi’s mother also was with us, though it was one of the low spirited ones.

I reach Mumbai VT, it is almost nearing 11, and my train leaves from Bandra terminus at 3:00. Cannon S1IS is what I am looking for, realize it has been recalled, though I find a vendor who claims he can get it for me, I do a little more search, nope nowhere else is S1IS being offered, get online do a little comparative study of prices, check up with official cannon dealers, little more to an fro calls with shopkeepers, I finalize, go to ATM withdraw cash, shit now my wallet would not fit into my jeans, what am I whining about it would not even fold. The whole episode wraps by 2, standing at the cloak room I just confirm with the cloak room people the best way to get to Bandra, though I had already bought a ticket for Sion, they exclaim, no no, a definite no no, that is ridiculous, the guy gives me step by step instructions, go cancel the ticket, get a new one to bandra, take an auto from bandra to terminus, OK? Oops, I run back, the guy at the ticket window is confused, thinks I am getting it cancelled because he gave me a sion ticket by mistake, no time to correct him, though I can clearly see the guy is not happy with the thought.

It is 2:10 by now, I get onto the train to Bandra, which is scheduled to leave at 2:20, I realize it is a slow local, holding the poles at the entrance of the local train I scan the crowd, start questioning two 30ish guys , ask them whether I can catch a fast local, they tell me there are no fast ones to bandra on this track, one suggests I should catch a taxi, the other one just looks unsure of the suggestion, wow he is confusing me, I am aware taxis are a no no for long distance quick travel, but this guy keeps muttering, “taxi, taxi”, damn, on my repeated stressed questioning of his confidence in the valuability of his suggestions, he goes and asks a man standing nearby. Now let me impress upon you right now, when in a new city, or on travel, when asking for directions, you can get little one sentence facts straightaway without cross-questioning, but if your next course or route requires even slight amount of personal decision making then you have to first satisfy your helper’s curiosity, why do I have to rush, which train do you have to catch, in Mumbai and in other big cities I guess its less, but in small towns, be prepared to open up.

Coming back to the gentleman standing with the lady, so he asks me for some necessary information, as to how much time I have, what is the train I am catching, where do I go to, he realizes the shit I am in, but shakes his head and addressing those two guys and me says taxi would be a sure way to miss the train, wow, and these guys almost had me jumping onto a taxi, anyway after seriously considering all the options out loud he imparts me the information that I cant do anything but sit in this local train, he says there are no options at all, and says I might make it by a narrow margin. I get into a self reproach, coupled with little panic triggered imagination of me on my way to jodhpur sitting on the floor or standing in a crammed sleeper. I just sit there and let my thoughts go in a circles of self-reproach, when I realize the lady who was standing with the uncle has come running to my window, sees me and says “there she is” and happily beckons somebody, there comes the guy and he tells me that the train on the next platform leaves four minutes earlier. Cool, I jump onto it, I guess by now I have the harassed look on my face cause the moment I enter, I am asked where do I want to go, when do I have to reach there, and given reassurances that I will make it just on time, well just the thing I am hoping for. Isnt Mumbai amazing??? Although, there is no coach or compartment reserved for a community, but looking around this one, I sense these are all Muslims, but in every way true Mumbaite, compassionate reassurances and instructions are sent my way.

The second the train halts at Bandra, I jump onto the platform, run to the entrance, hot into an auto, at Bandra … the moment I start sprinting towards my platform, I can hear some dear spirits screemin “oh ho …. Express to choot gayi” , panting, though stil not carrying my luggage I realize I am following a coolie, I board the train after having run for miles, sitting in the compartment I can hardly believe my luck. The train finally started 1 and a half hours later.

Next day
I will be reaching Jodhpur by 9 or so, nothing appealing happening out of the window, pretty monotonous, there is a lady in my cabin, who keeps moving a lot, more like hopping from the bottom birth to top with amazing ease, and yes doing it a lot, she has a lot of luggage distributed over top berths and of course under the birth, is dressed in typical marwari style, when I am brushing my teeth I notice her sitting at a seat near the door, which you find in some of the coaches, she seems to be enjoying her tobacco. Back to my seat , after some time, I am somehow in conversation with her, she tells me she is going to a ceremony of some sort to her village, says since she is going after quite a long time, hence a lot of luggage. My natural curiosity of as to how is she going to mange, she says the usual coolie, auto etc; I realize not an issue with her at all. Pretty unusual for a married woman traveling alone, not that it is a big deal, but I have never met anyone like her before, all of them even consider traveling alone a big thing as well, even though you they would have somebody seeing them off, and somebody waiting for them at both the ends. In some time I realize, the ceremony is no usual ceremony she is going for, she is going fro her niece’s ‘niksa’, which she explains as her renunciation of the worldly things. From now on her niece, will have no family, will travel by foot, will never board a bus, train, bullock cart, or any mode of transport in short, she will move cities, she will be heading to Kanyakumari from here, she will never even touch a man, I am a little foggy about this but as to her food I guess she said, she can not eat something that was cooked specifically for her, she can only consume leftovers, only if there is something going to waste.

I am tentatively bugging the lady now for more details, this is news, till now I was only aware of one name, Gautam Buddha, who had left every worldly possession just like that, and now the lady in front of me seems to know dozens who do it around her. I am amazed, I ask her and in turn am trying to wonder what this society is like, in which several households seem to have let their dear ones depart from them in this fashion. She states is as a matter of fact, though with a little grimness, “agar aatma palat jaaye to koi kya kar sakta hai”.