Impressions of cities and states

You can get a good feel of a place even when you pass through it - you don't even need to stop there. Below are roughly what was going on in my head as we passed through different places.

Maharashtra - Getting out
It was around 4 or 5PM on Thursday (Day 0) by the time we wrapped up everything and left Mumbai. You feel fresher and can see better as you get out of the city because the pollution and smog levels dramatically drop - the air is clean and the monsoon makes life look greener and more beautiful than they do in a dry summer. We stopped near Manor as the rain got really bad and we were both tired with the activities of the day that began at some 5.55 when Bhaskar's flight from Hyderabad landed. Manor didn't make any particular impression on me - we stopped at Vittal Kamat's hotel and the guy refused to bargain (we paid some Rs.400 for the night) and had beer at a neighboring bar - from what I recall now, we were clearly still in the city mode and conversations were confined our busy lives - kinda catching up and sometimes infused with excitement of the upcoming ride. Once you get to some 100km or so out of Mumbai, Maharashtra shows off its Sahayadri mountains and is mostly an agricultural land - dotted with villages. The men either dress like suburbans or in their dhotis...depending on where they are economically and mentally. The women too are sometimes like city dwellers but sometimes sarees wrapped in a traditional styles with no accompanying blouses (and interestingly how the saree traverses changes from state to state). I wondered if this type of dressing kept the men folk perpetually horny in those villages! Bhaskar clarified with his own gyan from his cooks and staff (who come from all over the country) that indeed they are!

Surat - A traffic jam of 5,000 trucks and Vadodara
How is this even possible?! As approached Surat, we noticed that trucks were lined up one after the other, one after the other and as we navigated through the narrow openings in between the stalled trucks, we realized it never seemed to end. We traveled some 10km on the extreme side of the road with the trucks parked (they were not even moving!) to the right. Trucks and cars were stalled even on the other side of this 2-lane highway. Finally after some 30km of driving and navigating, we got into Surat and were really curious what the source of this traffic squeeze was - it was the construction of one single flyover - just one! How can the local government be so, so silly? It took another 10km after the flyover for the road to open up. We lost a lot of time here. Surat as a tier-2/3 city option for operations is definitely out - for now.

The young people in Vadodara definitely looked 'hireable' - I can't pinpoint and say why I'm saying this but you can get a sense. They are eager and enthusiastic - and seemed interested in doing something - sounds like a lame way of saying but trust me they are hireable.


Ahmedabad - City of no-lights
It was nearly dusk by the time we reached Ahmedabad and we were both surprised and disappointed with what we saw - or rather didn't see. You are welcomed to a city that doesn't have enough juice to power its own traffic lights. Added to that it's crowded and unruly (of course nothing compared to Agra in UP). It's also very dusty and has all the ill-effects of an industrialized city. Ahmedabad as a tier-2 destination is also out. You get a very clear signal that there's an ineffective government.

Anand - Lush green

Anand is the birthplace of India's white revolution that made the country one of the top producers of milk globally. It's a lovely place. The air is fresh and clean. The highway crossing Anand is marvelous - not only is the road really smooth and is laid with trees on either side for miles and miles. Bhaskar's butt-travails started somewhere here (pic)...I took it lightly but little did I know what was to come the next day.

I thought of Dr. Verghese Kurien's dreams and ideas (incidentally, he went to Michigan State) and also about Amul's latest innerwear ad (where a washerwoman gets excited washing someone's Amul innerwear) as we drove by - what must've gone through his head back then and now(!). People have interesting goals, different goals - they may not be meaningful to everyone but it does become so when you get to the platform - when Dr. Kurien must've started his efforts in consolidating milk production from various farmers, it must not have appeared as a big deal but he must've known it all along. With focus and relentless action a thought or dream becomes a reality - a big reality - something that can change the situation of a whole country - not only make it self-sufficient but put it right on top - even if the top is milk production.

Gujarat - A vibrant state
Despite what I felt about Ahmedabad and Surat, you can't deny Gujarat its firm spot as one of India's vibrant and entrepreneurial states. Unlike Maharashtra where there are pockets of industrialized activity or development, you can sense continuous activity in Gujarat. The state seems developed (in a modest sense of the word where basic development is complete) and in a different league. None of the cities I saw are there yet and may not be for quite a few years but the state as a whole is more developed than other states as a whole. To put in an other way, if you were offered a choice of putting your finger anywhere on the eastern side of Gujarat and anywhere in Maharashtra - its much more likely that your finger will land in a developed area as far as Gujarat is concerned. At one point, Bhaskar scream, "Hey, Manikchand Ghutka" - at another, we noticed another known name and so on. NH8 highway in Gujarat is mostly smooth and good - except near the cities. Gandhiji's state is also very pretty in pockets (you can't sometimes really tell which state you are in on the eastern belt - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan?). We stopped for lunch at Ankaleshwar and had an ok, ok Gujju thali (you get better ones in Mumbai). At sunset we were on a bridge on the Wartak river (pic). I spoke to a villager carrying grass on his back - despite his obvious fatigue and sweat dripping through his mustache, he smiled warmly (I still remember his face) and responded to my queries on the river and his village etc. We had driven nearly for 12 hours on Day 1 (Friday) and stopped on the border of Gujarat-Rajasthan in a place called Shamlajee and stayed at a hotel that looked like a fort (pic).


Udaipur - City rooted in past
We were itching to get into Rajasthan the night of Day 1 but finally did 10km later on Day 2 (Saturday) morning. I had different images of Rajasthan - ones that formed with constant brain-washing through ads, glossy magazine photos, movies etc. - that of a desert, camels and Lambadi women swaying with their backs open. What I saw was a bright green Mewri and Aravali mountain range, some camels that dragged load on the highways and women with their backs and faces completely wrapped with their elongated sarees. We reached Udaipur (pic) a little before lunch. Udaipur is one of the many Indian cities that is firmly rooted in its past. The city seemed lazy and very laid back. Bhaskar said, "Everyone seems to have a lot of time and nothing to do." Eagerly they pointed us to the City Palace. On the outside, the palace deceives one of its real size and complexity. It looks like a simple building from the outside but has a complicated and well thought-out architecture inside (pic - taken by a couple from Barcelona).
You can get lost easily - guess, that's the idea. It's impossible for an outside to find his way through the various quarters (particularly the queen's quarters) and find his out of the palace once he gets in. There's a big terrace that almost looks like something on the ground floor. On top, you can see the entire city of Udaipur in its bone-white marvel. There's a museum that details the entire Mewri dynasty - the longest living ruling dynasty it says. More entertaining than the palace was finding the best local place to eat and that was Santosh Dal Bati near Saroj Paul (or something that sounds like it). We snaked through the city's twists and turns and finally reached Santosh restaurant - a small non-descript place that was bustling with the local population. We went up to the 33 year old first floor and had a thali. In the neighboring kitchen, I could see some 500 rotis being taken out of the tandoor. Dal bati is a wheat based dish (bati is like a wheat laddoo) - they drown it with ghee and pour dal on it and then watch and wait for you to eat it. Udaipur like Agra is all to do with tourism and the past. It's an India that is unable to let go of its past - forget letting go, it doesn't want to find out about the future - it relies on its fantastic past and that's about it.

Ajmer - Land of peace
I will write separately about my experiences at the Darga. But the net-net is Ajmer has all the dirt, pollution (less) and crowds of a tier 3 city but yet -- but yet, it is enveloped by a mystique charm and peace. There's a lot of energy that covers the city and makes it very calming - something like a large rock in a rough ocean - the waters are rough and bustle about incessantly but the rock is there - stable and calm and unnerved by the commotion - it's something like that. We had breakfast at a not-much-to-speak-of restaurant called Swad inside Pravasi Palace (never make the mistake of asking a local which is the best restaurant in the city -- they'll point you to the most decent looking -- not the best tasting and the one that the locals frequents). On the way out of Ajmer, I saw a donkey lying nearly dead after being knocked down by a moving vehicle. It's neck had been cut and it was struggling for breath, jerking its head intermittently - the eyes already seemed dead. We aren't supposed to think twice about donkeys right? - in fact, even calling a donkey, a donkey almost seems demeaning but yet - seeing that donkey waiting to die was something else - it brought into perspective a lot of things - Upanishads say tatvam asi - you are that - or in other words and in more scientific words (my own interpretation of course), all matter is made up of atoms and therefore, you are the donkey, the donkey is you - all these thoughts ran through my ahead in that single instant. Ajmer neither stands in the old nor the new India - it has a well known university and seems to occupy its own distinct place. We spent the night of Day 2 (Saturday) in Ajmer.

Jaipur - Surging ahead
We passed through Jaipur and it's distinctly impressive. The Ajmer-Jaipur highway is the best on NH8 - as good as a I-95 on the east coast. It's a 3-laned highway on either side - so smooth that could comfortably read my book as a pillion rider. Hardly any animals on this highway. Despite its glorious 'pink' past, Jaipur is surging ahead and building a modern future. The government seems interested in creating a spot for the city in the new India. They are taking full advantage of its proximity to Delhi and have already laid out a quick, seamless highway. The roads and infrastructure in the city are pretty good.

Agra - Is this world #1?
We decided somewhere near Jaipur to go to Agra instead of to Delhi. 220km - we thought the highway would be like that of Ajmer-Jaipur. It was far from it. UP is a different ball game altogether. If I had said Vapi, Gujarat is unruly earlier - I was mild - Agra and UP is takes the first spot in unruly and symbolize the baggage that India has to carry if it has to move forward. The entrance to the world of Taj is narrow and pothole ridden with bad directions. Once you enter the city - if you make the mistake of talking to anyone - they are likely to hound you to stay here or stay there, how the cops will get you into trouble etc. The traffic is bad, bad, bad. As we got closer to the Taj (dusk had fallen and we wanted to "see" it before finding a hotel room), there are no traffic lights - it's not like there's no power - it's just that the traffic lights have been cut off. Whole of India voted online etc. to rig Taj into the #1 spot of world's top 7 wonders - and neither the central nor the state government don't have the money to light the Taj on a no-moon night! I mean, how is this even possible?! There's desperation and disappointment among its people. And they have a natural dislike towards the government. More than one person commented - oh, the government can't take care of itself, forget the Taj and the roads and water and electricity. Our guide said, Shah Jahan made the Taj Mahal and gave us all a big burden; Agra can't progress because no industry is allowed. But is that true? No one stopped Agra from educating it folks and joining the software bandwagon? I was deeply disappointed. The Taj itself is spectacular - more on this later.

Haryana - Damn Good
Haryana has beautifully exploited its proximity to Delhi with cities like Gurgaon. It's much like what New Jersey is to New York or what Virginia is to DC. The highways are great and the state is a good blend of villages and modern life- you can almost see the building up towards to Delhi.

After more than 1,700 km of driving, we approached smog-filled Delhi - it's really surprising how visibility drops as you near big cities everywhere. It's the price of development - how much we keep squeezing out of Nature and how patient Nature is in spite of everything.