This was posted by me on a/o as Msg # 5772 on 27 Jan 2005 as `Indian Odyssey -2`:
Actually, we found Mumbai to be surprisingly clean. Yes,
I too had always carried an image of the mirky, stinking and smelly waters around
the Gateway of India, but this time there was a complete absence of such pollution. The vicinity of the
Gate was well secured and policed. Our trip to the Elephanta Island was a
pleasant outing and again everything was very
efficiently handled. The stall holders all along the way up the Island were a
disciplined, business-like lot and the various groups of visitors were properly
escorted.
This time, also, we found few beggars about and those that there were did not pester us much. My impression was that Bombayites have turned on their poor and want them to disappear from the scene. The municipal authorities, having recently demolished a large number of shanti settlements which used to be such an eyesore along the route to the airport, had just started implementing a programme of ridding the city of unauthorized buildings, amidst allegations of corruption and favouritism. But driving from and to the airport, on dual carriageways and flyovers, with skyscrapers and shopping malls lining the streets, you feel as if this is another international city, and that is exactly what Mumbai is aspiring to be. We did not see any obvious evidence of ungainly sewers or anyone actually fouling pavements, buildings or open spaces. This was a particular feature of Ahmedabad also, and most of Gujarat: they have, uniquely in India, a network of underground drains, not gullies open to the sky.
It may be recalled that a few weeks ago, we had a number of exchanges about Mumbai, under `Memorable Indian Food`, a thread started by Abdulrazak Fazal, following which I posted an item, through Dinesh, entitled `Revisiting Mumbai` on 5 December. Well, I am so pleased that the prospect of the visit that had thrilled me so much, even though the anticipation was mixed with a certain degree of doubt and certainty, has been amply fulfilled despite my circumspection at the time. The charm and romance of the Churchgate / Fort and Kolaba areas that had so captivated us on our first visit in 1968 have remained undiminished. The places that we had remembered with fondness, The Gaylord Restaurant, The Sea Green Hotel, The Ambassador Hotel, the Eros Cinema, The Flora Fountain and above all the Jehangir Art Gallery - these are almost as they were 36 years ago, even better. We had a splendid lunch at the Gallery (where the dahi vadaas were a speciality, and still are) twice and likewise twice had a meal at the pizza place at the corner of Marine Drive and Veer Nariman Road. We also managed a thali dinner at Thackers on Chowpati and a western style snack meal in an atmospheric pub-restaurant in Kolaba. The most pleasurable and enduring part of our stay in Mumbai was strolling along Marine Drive, early in the evening and even as late as midnight - one could do so in complete safety and there were lots of single women doing just that. Of course the menace of the traffic is ever present, but somehow people and vehicles manage to avoid colliding. For me Bombay is as exciting as Boston, Bangkok and Barcelona.
Ahmedabad however is a different kind of city. Its crowded squares, roads, lanes and backstreets are not exactly models of order or cleanliness, but we had a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic young man, a PhD student and a local historian, as our guide and he took us through the urban maze to show us a whole lot temples, mosques and other monuments. He pointed out the elements of Hindu influence in the architecture of some of the mosques, and the reverse is true of many of the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples. We met up with an old school friend of Kanchan`s and Bhadra`s and we also had the pleasure of being treated to dinner by Dr Kumarpal Desai, a leading academic and authority on Jainism, a most unassuming and hospitable man.
Travelling through rural Gujarat was an eye-opener. I had never imagined the countryside to be so fertile, with large tracts of open spaces, fields, woods etc. There is no doubt that Gujarat has made tremendous strides and is quite prosperous. The roads are generally good. (As an aside, just think of how the road and transport infrastructure as a whole in the East African countries has remained in an undeveloped state, possibly even regressed - whereas in India it is appears to be improving).
Our next stop was Palitana. As we have been saying to everyone, this was not a `yatra`; we were visiting these places out of a sense of cultural history, not for religious reasons. Ironically however Palitana proved to be a test of endurance, of sorts, because the only hotel around there that we had been booked into proved so unsatisfactory that we had to move out and into the Oshwal Dharamsala, where the accommodation was far better. We did the climb to the hill-top of the Jain temple complex very early next morning (though Kanchan had to have a `doli` for most of it). There was an unmistakeable air of spirituality around the pilgrims – that was curiously lacking at the Somnath temple on the southern tip of Saurastra pillaged by, among others, Mehmud of Gazni in the 12th century.
This time, also, we found few beggars about and those that there were did not pester us much. My impression was that Bombayites have turned on their poor and want them to disappear from the scene. The municipal authorities, having recently demolished a large number of shanti settlements which used to be such an eyesore along the route to the airport, had just started implementing a programme of ridding the city of unauthorized buildings, amidst allegations of corruption and favouritism. But driving from and to the airport, on dual carriageways and flyovers, with skyscrapers and shopping malls lining the streets, you feel as if this is another international city, and that is exactly what Mumbai is aspiring to be. We did not see any obvious evidence of ungainly sewers or anyone actually fouling pavements, buildings or open spaces. This was a particular feature of Ahmedabad also, and most of Gujarat: they have, uniquely in India, a network of underground drains, not gullies open to the sky.
It may be recalled that a few weeks ago, we had a number of exchanges about Mumbai, under `Memorable Indian Food`, a thread started by Abdulrazak Fazal, following which I posted an item, through Dinesh, entitled `Revisiting Mumbai` on 5 December. Well, I am so pleased that the prospect of the visit that had thrilled me so much, even though the anticipation was mixed with a certain degree of doubt and certainty, has been amply fulfilled despite my circumspection at the time. The charm and romance of the Churchgate / Fort and Kolaba areas that had so captivated us on our first visit in 1968 have remained undiminished. The places that we had remembered with fondness, The Gaylord Restaurant, The Sea Green Hotel, The Ambassador Hotel, the Eros Cinema, The Flora Fountain and above all the Jehangir Art Gallery - these are almost as they were 36 years ago, even better. We had a splendid lunch at the Gallery (where the dahi vadaas were a speciality, and still are) twice and likewise twice had a meal at the pizza place at the corner of Marine Drive and Veer Nariman Road. We also managed a thali dinner at Thackers on Chowpati and a western style snack meal in an atmospheric pub-restaurant in Kolaba. The most pleasurable and enduring part of our stay in Mumbai was strolling along Marine Drive, early in the evening and even as late as midnight - one could do so in complete safety and there were lots of single women doing just that. Of course the menace of the traffic is ever present, but somehow people and vehicles manage to avoid colliding. For me Bombay is as exciting as Boston, Bangkok and Barcelona.
Ahmedabad however is a different kind of city. Its crowded squares, roads, lanes and backstreets are not exactly models of order or cleanliness, but we had a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic young man, a PhD student and a local historian, as our guide and he took us through the urban maze to show us a whole lot temples, mosques and other monuments. He pointed out the elements of Hindu influence in the architecture of some of the mosques, and the reverse is true of many of the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples. We met up with an old school friend of Kanchan`s and Bhadra`s and we also had the pleasure of being treated to dinner by Dr Kumarpal Desai, a leading academic and authority on Jainism, a most unassuming and hospitable man.
Travelling through rural Gujarat was an eye-opener. I had never imagined the countryside to be so fertile, with large tracts of open spaces, fields, woods etc. There is no doubt that Gujarat has made tremendous strides and is quite prosperous. The roads are generally good. (As an aside, just think of how the road and transport infrastructure as a whole in the East African countries has remained in an undeveloped state, possibly even regressed - whereas in India it is appears to be improving).
Our next stop was Palitana. As we have been saying to everyone, this was not a `yatra`; we were visiting these places out of a sense of cultural history, not for religious reasons. Ironically however Palitana proved to be a test of endurance, of sorts, because the only hotel around there that we had been booked into proved so unsatisfactory that we had to move out and into the Oshwal Dharamsala, where the accommodation was far better. We did the climb to the hill-top of the Jain temple complex very early next morning (though Kanchan had to have a `doli` for most of it). There was an unmistakeable air of spirituality around the pilgrims – that was curiously lacking at the Somnath temple on the southern tip of Saurastra pillaged by, among others, Mehmud of Gazni in the 12th century.
After Palitana, we had a relaxing two-night break at the Ghir
Lodge Sanctuary, with dawn and evening jeep-rides into the jungle to look at
game. We were not lucky but other guests did see the lions for which Ghir is
famous. While everywhere else one had become accustomed to Gujarat being a
`dry` state, here is where I missed the beer most.
From Ghir we went to Gondal, via Junagadh where again there was much to see. At Gondal`s Orchid Palace where we stayed there is a unique collection of vintage cars (26 according to my count) dating back to 1907 through to 2001. We were also fortunate among the other guests staying at the hotel were the Indian director (Truti Majmuda) and American producer of a film which will probably hit our screens next year and so we were taken on a tour of the movie-set at Navallakha Palace which was being especially made up. The film `The Memsahib` is about a Maharajah-to-be at boarding school/ college in Victorian Britain who falls in love with and marries an Englishwoman and how she faces life in India when they return. And the surprise was that the Maharajah is played by Parvin Dabas, the star of `Monsoon Wedding`, whom we also met. Indeed we had a very lively evening at the hotel, with some traditional dance performances which were shot in rehearsal right in front of our eyes.
At Gondal, I made contact with Dr Sanjay Bhagde of Jamnagar (some of whose informed writings have appeared on this forum).We met up in Rajkot the next day for lunch at his in-laws and at his insistence accompanied him to Jamnagar for an overnight stay there with his extended family who received and entertained us most warmly. They had had to leave Mwanza in early 1970s (his grandfather was the local Indian leader Lalji Bhovan Karia) when Nyerere nationalized land and properties. Jamnagar too had changed, for the better, since our first and only visit there in 1968.
From Jamnagar we drove to Bhuj, through the lower end of the Runn of Cutcch. All of Cutcch is fast developing, with a lot of foreign and Indian capital and other resources pouring in. Bhuj is a hotbed of construction works, but while some roads have been upgraded, most of them are no different to the rest of India - dusty, uneven, congested, with no sidewalks or shelter. The post-earthquake buildings (and there are a lot of them) have retained their shine for the moment, but in the next 5 years they too will begin to look weather-beaten, in need of repair and redecoration. We stayed at the Prince Hotel, one of the best, but situated in a grotty looking street with not much of a frontage.
From Ghir we went to Gondal, via Junagadh where again there was much to see. At Gondal`s Orchid Palace where we stayed there is a unique collection of vintage cars (26 according to my count) dating back to 1907 through to 2001. We were also fortunate among the other guests staying at the hotel were the Indian director (Truti Majmuda) and American producer of a film which will probably hit our screens next year and so we were taken on a tour of the movie-set at Navallakha Palace which was being especially made up. The film `The Memsahib` is about a Maharajah-to-be at boarding school/ college in Victorian Britain who falls in love with and marries an Englishwoman and how she faces life in India when they return. And the surprise was that the Maharajah is played by Parvin Dabas, the star of `Monsoon Wedding`, whom we also met. Indeed we had a very lively evening at the hotel, with some traditional dance performances which were shot in rehearsal right in front of our eyes.
At Gondal, I made contact with Dr Sanjay Bhagde of Jamnagar (some of whose informed writings have appeared on this forum).We met up in Rajkot the next day for lunch at his in-laws and at his insistence accompanied him to Jamnagar for an overnight stay there with his extended family who received and entertained us most warmly. They had had to leave Mwanza in early 1970s (his grandfather was the local Indian leader Lalji Bhovan Karia) when Nyerere nationalized land and properties. Jamnagar too had changed, for the better, since our first and only visit there in 1968.
From Jamnagar we drove to Bhuj, through the lower end of the Runn of Cutcch. All of Cutcch is fast developing, with a lot of foreign and Indian capital and other resources pouring in. Bhuj is a hotbed of construction works, but while some roads have been upgraded, most of them are no different to the rest of India - dusty, uneven, congested, with no sidewalks or shelter. The post-earthquake buildings (and there are a lot of them) have retained their shine for the moment, but in the next 5 years they too will begin to look weather-beaten, in need of repair and redecoration. We stayed at the Prince Hotel, one of the best, but situated in a grotty looking street with not much of a frontage.
Our excursions into the villages within a radius of 80 to
100 kms of Bhuj were the real highlight: we visited several where there is a
thriving cottage industry of intricate embroidery, carving, dyeing,
pottery and other forms of handicrafts. The village folk were very welcoming
and thrilled that we `foreigners`, particularly my wife, could speak to them in
Gujarati and Hindi. The Mutwa family of
Banni particularly come to mind. Cutcch is now used to many diasporans who come
there seeking their roots. We made acquaintance with one Ismaili couple from
Toronto who were staying at our hotel and who had been most touched by the
experience. There are others who come out of a renewed sense of religiosity. At
Gondal, for example, we met a South African Indian family from Durban, who apparently
are devotees of a certain guru and who have been going there every other year;
he is a renowned lawyer and we found that we knew one or two people in common
across the world!
Bhuj to Aurangabad - gosh, what a contrast from the dry sparseness of the desert to the rich, almost semi-temperate, greenery of the Deccan plateau and the magnificent Ajanta and Ellora caves. And finally back to Mumbai, where one more reunion was awaiting Kanchan - an old school friend whom she had last seen 45 years ago!
In the last part of this account, I shall be offering some conclusions.
RAMNIK SHAH
Surrey England
Bhuj to Aurangabad - gosh, what a contrast from the dry sparseness of the desert to the rich, almost semi-temperate, greenery of the Deccan plateau and the magnificent Ajanta and Ellora caves. And finally back to Mumbai, where one more reunion was awaiting Kanchan - an old school friend whom she had last seen 45 years ago!
In the last part of this account, I shall be offering some conclusions.
RAMNIK SHAH
Surrey England
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