India Trip 2013 - Part 5 (To Bikaner)

The consensus the previous night was that the Monday morning, 6:30AM start time, was unrealistic and we would be lucky if we started before 8:00AM. The kids totally surprised us. Almost all of us were downstairs with all our bags at 6:30. The hotel staff had packed us an assortment of sandwiches; butter, jam, and omelet to go with Diet Coke. We were all ready and on the road sharp at 6:45AM! We bid farewell to Devi Niketan and the Admiral, wanting to come back for more.

There were four goals for the day; eat at Gallops, visit the Junagarh Palace, spend time at a Camel Breeding Farm, and end our day at the Gajner Palace. Again note that the number 1 item on our agenda. "Eat"; not just anywhere, but at a specific place researched ahead of time. Some people just live to eat!

The sky was clear and blue; the crowd fun loving, and the driver safe and steady. After a while we ate the breakfast and heard some Bollywood music from my IPod. After several hours, we took a break to stretch our legs at a small road side hotel and also to purchase water. The adults insisted that the children use the bathrooms. I asked Jan how clean the bathrooms were. She responded by wrinkling her nose and shrugging her shoulders. Harsha says, I was on my way to the bathroom and on seeing her response, I recoiling like a man shot and turned back!

The roads were good for most parts but there were parts that where still under construction and the vehicle ate up the miles at a steady rather than speedy pace. With nothing much to do but stare at the rather featureless desert vista the group was getting bored. So we then played a round of Antakshari. With the diverse linguistic background, this was music of the most eclectic variety; Bollywood songs, Kannada movie songs, Tamil movie songs, and Carnatic music competed with each other to be heard. When Vee was stumped for a song, she composed one on the fly!

Trouble always rears its head when the sky is blue and everyone is happy. I was reminded of the Carpenters song "... not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes, and I won't be surprised if it 's a dream  ..."

Jannavi suddenly realized that we did not have our passports with us! If you were tracking you would remember we deposited it in a safe in Devi Niketan. In our desire to be on time, we forgot to clean out the safe. I tried to point out the silver lining; if the passports are misplaced, how much more secure can they be than at a Admiral's place or residence. I failed; I have only two tasks on this trip, breathe and hold on the passports! The choices were; drive back immediately to Jaipur and get the passports; request the Admiral to send it to our next stop, Jaisalmer, request the Admiral to send it to New Delhi, and lastly, drive back at the end of the trip to Jaipur, pick up the passport, and continue to New Delhi. We decided on the last; it was a small change to our itinerary but the cost was steep; well one must pay for ones mistakes! With that decision behind us, we overcame our heart burns and enjoyed the rest of the trip really well.

At one of the gates of Junagarh fort

Our lunch was not a lot of fun; we were worried about our passports and our friends were worried about our passports. Under different circumstance we would have enjoyed it a lot more. After late lunch we walked to Junagarh fort. I explained to Sam what a moat is and this fort has a wide moat, though I wonder where they would have found the water in a desert to fill it. The fort contains many palaces and we all wished we had allocated more than the 45 minutes we had set aside. Although the consensus was that we could have spent more time in each city we visited, I felt we treated Bikaner more cavalierly than it deserved. Do not worry, Bikaner, we will come back.

We then drove to the National Research Center on Camel or NRCC.We had our first experience getting

on a Camel. Siri insisted that she would not get on a camel. Before she could run away, I picked her up and put her in front of her mom. For the next two days, she kept negotiating with Raji not to allow athimber (me) to put her on a camel the next time! But two days later when I caught her again and put her on top of one for the second time, she was so proud of herself, she reassured her athai (Jan) not to be afraid.

Kalbelia

Maa joins the Kalbelia

Most of us were very tired by the time we got on the bus for our final destination, Gajner Palace. Situated 30 miles from Bikaner, this was once upon a time, the hunting resort for the Raja of Bikaner and the palace was decorated with hundreds of pictures of hunted tigers. An artificial lake behind the palace made a natural watering hole for the wild animals and bird.  A few decades ago this palace had been converted into a hotel. As we got out of our vehicle we were welcomed royally by several members of the hotel staff and garlanded. We could see a Kalbelia performance going in the courtyard behind the main entrance. We really liked this particular show, in particular an 8 year old child belonging to this troupe was absolutely stunning dancer. Maa tried to join them for a song but could not get in tune with them. We were all tired and wanted to get up very early to be by the lake in time for the sunrise. So after a quick dinner, we called it a night.

India Trip 2013 - Part 4 (Still in Jaipur)

Inchara and Raji had to go back to the conference for the first half of Sunday the 17th. The agenda for the rest of us was start leisurely, get the kids ready, and go back to the old city and see some of the sights. Then Raji and Inchara would meet us all for lunch after completing the meetings finally and starting their vacation in earnest. After lunch we would then head out to see an interesting handicraft museum called Anokhi, see the Amer fort while we still had daylight, and end the day with a light show near the fort.

We executed on our plan really well. The Admiral's staff provided us with a wonderful breakfast comprising of toast, butter, eggs, omelets, paranthas, with a variety of pickles, topping it off with a choice of coffee and masala chai. Delicious and a great way to start the day.

Samrat Yantra - World's Largest Sundial

We rode on the hired tempo traveler back again to the Pink City and parked near the Jantar Mantar, a nearly three century old astronomical observatory. During my trip I observed a several groups of students on field trips. I learned that the months of October through February are ideal for field trips in India due to limited rain and temperate weather. When I was a kid, our school went on a field trip to the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. I did not learn much then, but this time we had a learned guide and I think I gleaned more knowledge than before. This particular Sundial to the right is supposedly accurate to 2 seconds!

A digression; one other overarching theme during the trip was the improved cleanliness of the various tourist spots. It is not that all of India is clean, but that these sites now are maintained much better than before. We did not see dirt or trash on the premises.

Traditional Rajasthani Meal

Back to the story; we went to a local temple which was overflowing with pious people that had come to pray on the full moon day, an auspicious day for Hindus. So we did not go into the sanctum but ended observing the people around us. From there we went to a famous local restaurant called LMB in Johari Bazar.

Therein lies yet another digression. Raji and Navin did the bulk of the planning for this trip. Raji spent a lot of time thinking about the places and shops to visit. Navin on the other hand spent his time researching on the various places one could eat during this trip. We were steered well by both of them.

A souvenir plus sample blocks

From LMB we went to Anokhi museum. I learned more about

Intensely observing the master at work

textiles, traditional handicrafts, block printing, and bandini in one day than all the previous 47 years put together. The children, under an artisan's guidance, worked using various blocks and colors in creating nice prints. The kids had a field day but the adults were no less eager to print! At the end he cut up the cloth and gave each child a handkerchief as souvenir. We had spent close to an hour at the museum.

Sheesh Mahal

The jeep we had hired took us from the museum to the entrance of the Amer fort. This imposing fort sitting on top of the surrounding hills, is built on a grand scale and casts a long shadow on the city below. It was the original city of Jaipur before the Pink City and later the modern Jaipur. We wandered around the fort and as expected, Navin found a restaurant at the top of the fort. The ambiance was soothing but we only ordered tea as we wanted to go next to the light show. It was the most expensive tea we all had consumed in our lives!

The light show was set with the fort at the center of the story of the royal family of Jaipur. It was a well told story with the sound and light accentuating the majesty of the fort. The one part that I did not like was (in my opinion) the put down of Rana Pratap. In this version of the story, Raja Man Singh was wise and far sighted (which he probably was) but Rana Pratap the sanctimonious (sic) king of Chittor.

From Wikimedia

After having dinner at a fast food restaurant, Kanha, nearby, we made our plans for the next day which was the first day of our travels. The goal was to leave as early as possible. With that in mind, we requested the Admiral if he could pack us some food for the road, so we could save time and eat while on the road. We also requested the driver to be ready at 6:30AM.

Bon Voyage!

India Trip 2013 - Part 3 (Jaipur)

On the morning of the 16th we got up around 4:15AM to get ready for the early morning train to Jaipur, on the famous Shatabdi Express. The drive to the station was smooth almost all the way and our taxi-wallah brought us to the station via Chelmsford Road Entrance with time to spare. Due to the traffic jam around the station entrance, we all got off in the middle of the road and walked into the station dragging our luggage! The journey of 4 hours started auspiciously on time from Platform 2, with the train stopping at Patel Nagar, Delhi Cantt, and Gurgoan stations, to pick up passengers on the way. We victualed on  two rounds of breakfast comprised cereal with milk, cookies, idlis, upma, sambar and rounding it off with tea. Food was clean and the service very professional. The overall journey, although very comfortable, was not otherwise noteworthy.

L-R : Admiral, Jan, Maa, I

We arrived in Jaipur with time to spare and were taken by taxi to the place to stay during our stay in Jaipur; the beautiful Devi Niketan. Our host is the former Head of Indian Navy, Admiral Madhavendra Singh. Devi Nikatan is his ancestral home with the Admiral tracing his Rajput ancestry to one of the Navratna of Emperor Akbar, Raja Mansingh! It should come as no surprise to anyone that several positive adjectives apply to the Admiral including handsome, educated, well-informed, friendly, sophisticated, and articulate! We had a great time here and we recommend it to everyone.

L-R : I, Amar Singh, Maa, and Sarika

After check-in, we secured our passports in the safe conveniently placed in the room (an important point we will come to later), we cleaned ourselves of our travel grime and went to meet a friend of mine from my days in Lucknow during the late 80s. Mani Mama, whom I introduced in my previous post used to live in a large Bungalow in the heart of Lucknow along with several other family including Amar Singh and Sarika. At that time Bhai Sahib and Bhabhi (I address Amar Singh and Sarika by the honorific "Bhai Sahib" and "Bhabhi" respectively as is customary in North India) were newly married and were starting their family. I was particularly friendly with bhai sahib's younger brother who was an exercise fanatic. I was meeting them again after a gap of nearly 25 years! They were as affectionate as I remember them. It should also come as no surprise to all if I say that bhabhi  is a great cook. I know I put on at least 1 pound just because of the lunch I ate that afternoon at their place.

Johari Bazaar

From there the driver took us to the Johari Bazar in the heart of Pink City, India's oldest planned city. Ostensibly Raji and Inchara were at a conference, but it seemed more like they were Whatsapp-ing with Jan images of various jewellery they were buying or recommending for Jan. I call Raji a vicarious spend-thrift! Maa was bored but I enjoyed the teeming humanity. It was colorful, loud, crowded, lively, and I could not get enough of it. After a couple of hours of shopping we went back to the hotel.

We arrived in time to see Naveen and his daughter Siri along with Harsha and his children, Sam and Vee arrive from the airport. A few minutes later Raji and Inchara also came back from their meeting. We were all finally together, the entire group would travel together for the next 6 days. The picture on the right shows the whole group, as eclectic a group as one could get; doctors, scientist, software professionals, and a lawyer. At the bidding of the kids, we had dinner at a nearby Italian place called Little Italy, where we made our plans for the following day which was Sunday the 17th.

India Trip 2013 - Part 2 (Arrival in New Delhi)

Jan left for India on the 8th. After spending time with her family and meeting various friends, she flew to New Delhi on the 14th evening and checked into Thikana, a boutique Bed and Breakfast. B&Bs are a relatively new concept in India. A few years ago India hosted the Commonwealth Games and when it was clear there were not enough quality hotels, the New Delhi government, gave generous breaks for folks to convert their homes into B&Bs in time for the influx of visitors and tourists. Our host was one of the early adopters.

Maa, our younger daughter, and I caught a flight out of Dulles on the 13th. The 3-4 days prior to our departure was packed with action items for me. It turns out I was more vital for the successful operations of the company than I believed I was. Go figure! I helped the team with enough knowledge transfer to tide over the days I would not be in the town.

Our onward flight was uneventful with the first leg half empty. Maa and I stretched out in the 4 middle seats and had a restful flight. At Frankfurt, we had an early experience of India. At the gate, there was almost no semblance of order. This is normal in India but very strange for the folks that coined the phrase "Ordnung muss sein". Passengers were milling around the gate as if they would be left behind unless they were the first to board the plane. I watched this with amusement and waited for the traffic jam to clear. The plane left with us after all! The entertainment on Lufthansa flights leave a lot of to be desired.

In New Delhi, my friends Sandeep and Sanjay came to receive me. Considering it was past midnight, it was really very nice of them. By the time we got our bags and left the airport, it was past 2AM in the morning! I too checked in to Thikana. The rooms were spacious, the bed very comfortable, the bathrooms clean, and our hosts Atul and Sheetal very friendly and hospitable. The B&B itself is located close to a metro station and is within 30 minutes of Connaught Place, New Delhi Railway Station, and the International Airport.

After texting a few people about our safe arrival, we popped 1/2 a tablet of Melatonin and slept soundly for 6 hours and woke up at 9AM fully refreshed. Melatonin was a savior, during this trip as well as on my return back. I did not suffer a single day of jet-lag although I used it no more than 3 nights. At least for me, it reset the biological clock was nicely.

Mani Mama and Jannavi

I had two items on my agenda for that day. First item was to meet my father's friends who are in some sense an adopted uncle and aunt of mine, in fact far more closer to me than anyone in my family. Mani Mama, as he is addressed by me, is a very handsome octogenarian, with a strong resemblance to Kishore Kumar. I could write an entire post about mama but not today. Lalitha Mami is a beautiful woman, young at heart and looks, a great grandmother, and a wonderful cook. They were staying with their son Raju and his wife Latha.

L-R : Maa, Jan, Mami, Mama, Raag

We made a late start and reached their house a little past noon. Latha had cooked a delicious and wonderful lunch, the details of which sadly elude recollection.We spent several hours reminiscing about the days I lived in Lucknow with them. Things were going great when Maalini accidentally dropped my phone and shattered the glass cover. I am proud to say, I did not even flinch much less lose my temper.

For the second item on my agenda, we left at around 4PM to go to Janakpuri to meet the parents of my best friend from high school. Although we were very dissimilar in temperament, we were quite close during the senior years at high school. My friend's father was away from home, but his mother and his niece were at home. She made tea for us and served us savories and sweets, enough to feed an army. Oh how I wish I were 15 years of age and tuck into food with verve! It was obvious aunty was very happy to see us. After meeting them, we went back to the B&B to rest and get ready for the journey next day to Rajasthan.

India Trip 2013 - Part 1 (Planning)

A sad freshman in college

A few months back, my brother-in-law Naveen, and his wife Raji asked us, Jan and I, if we would like to vacation with them in Rajasthan, India. Raji, it seems was to attend a conference in Jaipur along with her colleague, Inchara. At the end of the conference, we, along with Raji's and Inchara's family would join them in Jaipur. Thereafter we would rent a Tempo Traveler that could seat a dozen persons along with their bags and travel and sight-see three of the famous locations, namely, Jaipur, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer. We got on-board once we found we could get cheap airline tickets. The only black cloud in all this was, Devi our older daughter, would not be with us for this trip as she was still adjusting to her freshman year in college.



After many back and forth and few more detours, we finally came up with this plan.

1. Leave USA for New Delhi on 13th of November.
2. Spend 15th in New Delhi meeting some friends and family.
3. Travel by train to Jaipur on 16th and meet our fellow travelers, meet an old friend from my Lucknow days in 1980s, and finally sight-see the Pink City.
4. Spend 17th seeing more of Jaipur.
5. Travel to Bikaner on the 18th; see the Junagarh fort; visit the Camel farm; and stay overnight in Gajner Palace near Bikaner.
6. Travel on 19th to Jaisalmer and check-in at Suryagarh.
7. Spend 20th and 21st in Jaisalmer. See the fort, abandoned village, and ride on a camel.
8. Drive on 22nd to Jaisalmer and fly back to New Delhi the same day.
9. Meet friends from DCE and sight see New Delhi on 23rd and 24th
10. Fly back home on 25th.

After these dates were decided, Jan felt that she would like to spend a few days with her parents in Bangalore. So we decided to travel to India separately. Maa and I went as planned and Jan went a few days earlier to Bangalore and met me in New Delhi on the 15th. I decided not visit my parents in Chennai as they had been with us for 3 months from early August to early November. In fact their departure to India was timed to be just a few days earlier than our own.

We were excited!

I was held up ...

The year was 1994. The locale was inner city Detroit. The specific address, Deroy Apartments at the Wayne State University Campus.

My friend Subbu and I came back late from the sports building called MATTHAEI to have dinner with my wife and a couple of friends. I had been taking swimming lessons and Subbu was my teacher. The friends were already at my home and were deep in some conversation with Jannavi but obviously waiting for us to come back.

Subbu and I apologized for being late saying, "we were held up".

They said they understood.

And we again said, "we were held up"

And they wisely nodded their head and assured us it was OK.

"You do not understand, we were really held up"

My friends assured us that they did no mind waiting for a nice dinner; my wife was known as a good cook.

We were clearly not communicating - so we acted it out. I made a gun with my hand and put it next to our head and pulled the trigger and said - we were held up! Get it?

Yawn. No one believed us. We were just making a excuse. So we pull out the business card of the police office. Then we told them the complete story

After the completion of the lessons and the showers, we walked out of the sports complete. And as we reached the parking lot, someone wearing a hoodie walked up to us, pointed something at me and asked us for our money. After nearly 20 years, I am unable to recollect the actual words he spoke or gestures he made. I distinctly remember a small, shining, probably golden color, gun. The gunman pointed it at me first and asked me for my money. I did not have a penny on me. Frustrated, he turned to Subbu and asked him for his money. He also did not have any. He asked us empty our pockets. I had only my student ID, but Subbu unfortunately had a copy of ATM receipt. The guy put the gun next to Subbu chest and ordered us to take him to an ATM, but with difficulty we assured him that we did not have the ATM card on us. Much frustrated, the gunman was a little unsure. It was a dangerous moment; he decided to walk away.

We were lucky. It could have ended tragically. From that day onwards, I always carry at least $20 always in my pocket.

Going Mainstream in USA

I came to this country in the late 80s. Except in the major metros, being Indian implied that one stuck out like a sore thumb. It meant answering the same question again and again; Are you a Hindi? Do you speak Hindu? Are there really 300 dialects? How come you eat meat? Is it not a taboo? What part of your name refers to your village?

Then came Y2K and with that a sudden influx of varieties of Indians. The tide slowly turned. The number of questions dwindled and the few inquiries you received were intelligent. Around the middle of last decade, I felt that being Indian was no longer unusual when I saw the Inside Man, starring some main stream Hollywood stars. As the opening credits rolled, I was surprised to hear this super hit song Chaiyya Chaiyya by the peerless AR Rahman.

Fast forward to today and I was completely shocked. I had some time to kill and I was watching Eternal Sunshine of the spotless Mind starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Fast forward to around 11 minute mark.

Here is the challenge. Identify the three Hindi songs you hear in the back ground and tell me the name of the songs and singers.

Do not look in the Wikipedia.

I still have not yet seen the movie. I was just so thrilled to hear those songs that I dropped everything to write this post.