The traveller at heart

My Rural Homestay

priyankadas — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

My rural homestay!

The experience of riding in a classic Ambassador car and travelling in the famed local trains of Bengal, appear in the to-do list for anyone travelling here. The picture perfect sights of the various fishing boats and people swimming in the sacred Ganga shall remain etched in my mind. Several of my co-passengers paid their reverences by touching their foreheads with their fingers and closing their eyes. I did not forget to buy some of my favorite sweet-spicy lozenges.

Stepping onto the Bishnupriya -halt station which instantly transports one into another time period. The small little shops preparing hot tea and serving in mud/clay pots which have been used from times long gone. The only way to reach my relatively remote destination was by hopping onto a motor van ,misleading as it was basically a bike attached with a cart .All safety measures were forgotten. I felt like a bird wheezing past the paddy farms. Breathing in the cleanest air I just felt elated. The drizzle did not dampen our moods. Of course my mother yelled quite a few times in fear, it was an amusing sight.

Finally we reached the village our destination. The quaint little homes were made of mud, bamboo and had thatched roofs. The materials were indigenous and easily available. There were no gas stoves but the traditional “chulhas” were used to make amazingly crisp puris and potato sabji. The hospitality of relatives I had never met earlier overwhelmed me.

After exploring the rice granary circular in shape with a beautiful conical top and playing some gully cricket with a homemade bat. I cycled away to the farms with little Arijit my cousin. I was a little nervous about the roads but eventually got used to the terrain. We stopped at the mustard fields and having grown up watching Bollywood movies I felt like I was a part of some film. Later I picked some cucumbers and wandered about the sesame, gourd, and green leafy fields. The visual field was a pretty shade of green. A sense of peace and calm reigned. We got back.

For lunch we picked the plantain leaves on which we were to eat. The next morning was extremely entertaining as I woke up to the rustling of the mango trees. Before I could realize catapults were being used to chase the gibbons/langurs away. A sudden adrenaline rush filled my body as I started running behind them as they tried to camouflage amongst the bamboo thicket.

Later in the day I sat down with my new companions beside the pond situated next door admiring the ducks, chicken and cattle. Pebble throwing (frog leaps) was fun to learn and I realized I was doing not so bad after all. Some firsts included petting a pair of 5-day old baby goats and preparing maggi on a kerosene stove. I observed the hard work that the inhabitants put in with a smile every day, their political affiliations and the innocence of an 11 year old compatriot who embodied the philosophy of ‘sharing’, which is forgotten by most of us city bred individuals. As I left; the idea of it as a sustainable village and more remains.

I shall return when the mangoes have ripened and explore again

An Unforgettable Evening

priyankadas — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:44:00 GMT

While I had packed clothes fit for the expected summer, heavy hailstorm ravaged the area! Hailstones it out violently over and into the homes as well. A couple of them hit my knee and toe. What followed was unusual for someone like me, sweating it out to fix the path leading to the puja pandal by laying bricks. The summer heat had dropped. The excitement prevailed as the youngsters left to get the idols home.

Our path lit by the moon, torches and cell phones. Braving the slippery grounds the transportation arrived, a “rickshaw” one of a different kind though. A cycle attached with wooden planks (a sort of a cart) which is usually used to carry goods and in these parts people too. Reluctantly I sat onto it, my legs dangling and mind in a flurry of thoughts. The ride did not seem very appealing as I occasionally closed my eyes in fear especially while going over the various speed breakers!

We got the idols via the same mode of transportation into their temporary home, the pandal in our courtyard .An amazingly eventful evening went by as in retrospect I remember the hot tea after the back breaking work that I immensely enjoyed. The unconventional ride .The weather had taken an instantaneous pleasant turn which left everyone dumbfounded .The elders recalled how they had never seen the streets this white due to the hailstones. A miracle perhaps, which saved me from the torturous heat!

A Local Encounter that Changed my Perspective - A journey with my Dad

priyankadas — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 03:55:17 GMT

“A local encounter that changed my perspective”

The early morning wait at the bus stop. A spiritual man, applying a mix of sandalwood and vermilion on my forehead, the ‘tika’. Offering me ‘Prasad’, chanting away all the while. Getting the front (the best seats) all due to a 10 minute long conversation with a well connected individual! Students cycling to schools and farmers carrying the best cabbages and other vegetables. The Spartan looking houses, each with a pond .The quick meals. Leaving the plains and ascending the hilly terrain of North Eastern India.
A happy group of people preparing meat, covered in leaves right on the middle of the road. Drinking beer straight from the bottles. The sudden application of brakes at the curves, the screeching sounds and a speed that would shame even the motor sport lovers. The bus breaks down .An army post a couple of meters away. A little waterfall right behind the spot, where the bus lay. The light fading away with every passing minute.
Little kids giggling away and splashing water on each other, while I watch them pluck the local spinach”saag” to be sold in the market and for personal consumption .Learning the simple recipe. Speaking, playing, sharing mischievous laughs and smiles with them, I wander into the orchid sanctuary. The green moist ground, wooden branches and a riot of the endangered species of flowers I have ever seen. A light drizzle transporting me to another zone, and the eerie silence accompanying me.
I walk out to see my father looking for me .The bus is fixed. The fellow passengers “relieved” get in. We see in amazement the the bus that had left an hour ahead of us and whose help was being anticipated, during the breakdown arrive only now. Smiles all around some scared ones follow and we leave for our destination “Bhalukpong”.That night I slept with a lot of images of my country that I did not expect to witness. The breakdown turned out to be a ‘blessing in disguise’, at least for me!