Shravan Express

As much joy there is in parenting your offspring there lies greater joy and good fortune to parenting parents. Vittobha was asked to wait on a brick patiently (hence the name The "Vit" (brick in Marathi) and "thal" (standing), signifying the Lord who stands on a brick )by Pundalik because he was caring for his parents, even though he knew that God is waiting at his doorstep in rising flood waters to Shravan carrying his infirm parents on a pilgrimage( didnt end well for the poor chap but the event was the start of unfolding of great things that shaped Bharat vansh).Our culture prescribes pilgrimage and taking parents for one scores more brownie points. Also I have always lived vicariously... buying toys that Adi never wanted, my career as an anesthesiologist,enjoying the spoils of being Mrs Nephrology and now finally this pilgrimage which I wanted very badly and Amols parents are too sweet to refuse. Amol planned 4 Jyothirlings over a week. We landed in Kolkatta and utilised the 4 hours to catch a sound and light show about Subhash Chandra Bose in the Victoria Memorial-the best I have seen so far across the world in terms of quality and content. Also the sight of the lighted VM at night and its reflection in the water body on the east gare is lit.

Chelo kebabs at Peter Cat and dessert at Flurys. We would have got an A for Kolkatta well done. Driving over the Howdah bridge took me back to my childhood days of travelling with my parents.Being able to go back to a happy memory which can never again happen in your life no matter how big and smart one has become is eerie and nice at the same time. Howdah junction has car parking parallel to railway platforms. Off load from the dickie to your berth and one has given a slip to Lapierres City of Joy. But our joy was robbed by the IRCTC app which flashed the wrong platform. So we had to haggle with the porter, Mummys knocked up knees were no match to run behind his sinewy speedy legs, hapless Amol (who kicks up- hates authority but kisses down-saps up sob stories) was relieved of an amount more than negotiated for work less than promised by the coolie.On a normal day we would have argued in safe precincts and immediately gotten to the next thing that can be a potential skirmish. But in the company of my inlaws we let it simmer.Now my in laws are very kind. But to witness their son being drawn into a verbal slug fest which he always loses must weigh down on them. I have asked Mummy so often how much does it bother her to see her sons get hassled by their respective wives and kids I just get a silent wistful smile as an answer. We reached Jasidih at 5am and the sun had already risen over the Mayurakshi river. I was now incharge of all the local ops after Howdah hustle. The railway retiring room guy helpfully warned us about the crowds for the Purnima tithi and that VIP darshan also took 6 hours the previous otherwise normal day and to be wary of touts/Pandas. We reached the VIP darshan gate @ 7Am. An overhelpful guy directed us to a Panda who was giving out plain plastic cards as tokens for VIP darshan. The ticket counter official mumbled nithing useful. All the scam alert buttons in me got activated all at one. I was glowing red and picked up pace to join a Dharma Darshan queue 2kms away. Barefoot. If there were any protests I didnot hear any. A policeman said it will take 2 hours for this line to get to the sanctum sanctirium.Baba Baidhyanath Dham is where Satis heart fell. So it is a combined Shakti Peeth and Jyotirling. The cardiac anesthesilogist in me was stoked. There was a holding area where we spent close to 3 hours. Amol embarked on his' I told you so' rant and my inlaws trusted me too much to complain but visibly in discomfort. Strike 1 for Amol. I still held my ground which was pretty much what everyone was doing as the line was not moving. With frenetic slogans from kavadis of Bum Bol we started moving through a dirty corridor starting from station number 30. Even Jesus Christ had to only endure 14. Assuming we had to get to station 1 my resolve started to wear down. I apologised and each sorry made evil Amol stronger. Amol vs Divya 2/0. We got ushered into a caged steel lined humid hall. The floors were wet so standing was yucky. A lady ahead of us was getting sick every 10 mts so we walked through vomitus for a bit and full fetid body odour. The scenes were straight out of The boy in the striped pajamas where they are lined up to get gassed. Mummy started to feel faint. This ordeal lasted 2hours. Amol vs Di 4/0. The line merged with the VIP darshan guys with the blank fake cards( which was indeed official by Jharkand standards) They were in this ordeal for only an hour and their queue had courtesy and deodorant and ventilation. Amol vs Di 8/0 .Garba griha was the final straw. We got pushed in, thrown at the Shivling, grabbed by the arm for alms by the Pandas and pushed out in a total of 60 seconds. Amol vs D 10/0.I was scared and defeated. We visited the Parvati temple which is the Shakti peeth in the premises. While I was waiting behind 2 ladies who were doing some ritualistic things on the idol I felt a flick on my back. And I flipped. I started to scream and howl at the policeman who dared do it to me. I stirred up a commotion demanding an apology. A lady police came to yank me out and a senior policeman to pacify me and the Pandas to appease me. All those 8 hours of frustration laced with guilt came to fore and in that sanctum sanctorium I was fierce. I got an apology from that policeman and I walked out much lighter.

We got back to the room and a hot water bath and a loud wail cured the day. I saw the blood moon eclipsed that night and wondered if it was the eclipse that eclipsed my common sense for the day and I was not to be held responsible for my actions. The moon has made many a lunatic.... We boarded the train to Kashi and this time I promised to behave.Kashi darshan was prebooked online and the electoral manifesto of cleaning up the Ganga really showed. HHM Ahilyabai has restored the Kashi temple vandalised by Aurangazeb. I wonder what farmer tilling the Holkar land thought about the tax money being donated to temple building and other acts of generosity by the HHM because I have mixed feelings about 23000 crores on rejuvenating a river. The temple visit was quick and easy even though the Pandas were replaced by Shastris. Since Amol was incharge big denominations were exchanged and i was too feeble from the previous days fight. Kashi is where Shiva appeared as an infinite column of light to end the bickering Brahma and Vishnu. Vishnu ate the humble pie while Bhrahma lied and got his 5th head cut off by fierce form of Shiva aka Kaal Bhairav or svasvah - the dog rider as punishment. Kashi is supposed to rest on Shivas Trident and the spiritual capital of Hinduism. My take is that Banarasis have capitalised the Spiritualism here. There are 1008 ancient temples in the precinct and apparently 27000 in the city. The Nepali Pashupatinath temple in the premises was quaint and peaceful. The wood work is intricate and detailed. The Kasi Vishwanath Dham and corridor leading to the Ghats is nice.

Sarnath was nice...To see the 4 headed lion and the Ashoka chakra in flesh and stone gave me goosebumps. Touts to explain Buddhism and Benarasi silk weaving showrooms get annoying after some time. If we had to hear the names of Buddhas 5 disciples once more I would have screamed. Benarasi silk weaver said taana - vertical wrap comes from Bangalore , baana - horizontal weft comes frome Bombay and the paan in his mouth is the only thing from Benarus- he said in a lilting lyrical way and before my laugh subsided he was milking bakshish from Amol. It is discomforting to say the least. Thailand sponsored Arunachal craftsman sculpted 89 feet Buddha was struck by recent lightening and his curls were damaged a bit. It was undergoing surgicalreconstruction.The Sarnath Stupa with the Buddhist relics and the excavation site is a good place to spend the entire day if the weather was not such a bummer.Benarasi paan, hing kachori were excllent. Jalebi and Ganga ghat Aarti was just a hype.I have had better jalebis in Vasco Saptah and seen better Ganga aarti in Haridwar n Rishikesh.We got overpriced tickets to veiw some phony Aarti being performed on a terrace (due to rising water level in the Ganga) from another terrace which didnit even have a direct view.Ramlila in Ramnagar was crowded.All 4 of us just felt a lot let down but didnot want to be the one to whine. I am a proud Indian. Middle class upbringing, lived in Govt hostels ,a always strike a good bargain while shopping, street shopping and food are my jam.travelled sleeper class, unreserved even ... . but it didnot prepare me for the Hindi heartland.They are very different people with very different circumstances. Kashi express (originating from platform 10 in a railway station with only 9 numbered platforms- even the trains were mystical in Benarus) Some trouble. More anguish from the porter bhaiya and some more from entitled fellow passengers, we were Ujjain bound.

Ujjain, the erstwhile Avantikapuri was a breather. We got a kind taxi driver, cleaner surroundings and honest priests. We did a whirlwind half a day tour of Ujjain. The Kaliyadeh palace by the Shipra river is picturesque. The Kaal Bhairav temple famous for alcohol Bhog (Banned from April2025) has a granite life like black dog as the sentry is fragrant with the scent of red roses. The Sandipani ashram where Krishna Balram and Sudama studied is a must visit site. The 64 life skills( surprised to know that it included bed making, embroidery, rangoli making, flower arrangement , grooming besides singing , dancing, playing dice) that boys learnt from the Guru and Gita Updesh are represented as wall murals in a dung, mud and sandalwood mixture plastered roof shelter to beat the heat. The place was fragrant and very cool. The next stop was the Bhartrihari caves . The history of this place is laced with more infidelity than modern soap operas. Fed up of this which supposedly has a tunnel leading to CharDham. Few minutes in the tunnel makes one hypoxic, I wonder if anyone has dared to verify the CharDham tunnel veracity.

Ujjain Jyothirling is the only south facing of the 12. Brahma granted Tarakasur"s sons the boon of 3 indestructable flying cities Tripura. Power corrupts all and demons some more. Shiva with Brahma as charioteer, sun and moon as chariot wheels, Meru as bow, Vasuki as bow string and Vishnu, Agni and Yam as arrow heads shot down Tripura in a csmic battle from Ujjain. Hence its significance as Shivas power centre. Also Sati"s lip fell here , making it a Shakthi peeth. The Mahakal darshan energising, walk down the Mahakal Lok corridor with the big statues informative and the 6D virtual Bhasma Arti darshan extraordinary. Omkareshwar by the banks of River Narmada is set in the most picturesque of surroundings. The 7 km parikrama by foot was the highlight of this spiritual trip. 10 century temples, fort ruins, Gods of all sizes and hues along the path, Gita verses every 10 feet(The Devnagri script was painful to read but we used it as a welcome break to rest our tired legs while I made Amol read it for me sloooowly),Narmada Kaveri Sangam, and the people one meets along the way is an experience not to be missed . We met a aluminium vessels foot vendor carrying the weight of his wares on his head and selling along the parikrama path. He lives 20kms away, gets here by a ST bus, walks a minimum of 15km everyday to make a living.He reminded me of the Bangle sellers poem by Sarojini Naidu..."Bangle sellers are we who bear,Our shining loads to the temple fair..."

Holkar Rajwada - a visual and architectural treat for history buffs. HH Ahilya Bai Holkar-Handpicked by HH Malhar Holkar to be the princess for her piety, Widowed at a young age,dissuaded by her father in law from commiting Sati, commanding armies, encouraging small scale indistries( Maheshwari weaves are her gift), easing pilgrimages by construction of Dhams and Ghats across the sub continent... finest female ruler of her times. To wrap up this travelogue- Kolkatta is like their Macher Jhol-spicy and rich but fishy never the less. Jharkhand is just wild and one needs to be a braveheart to embrace it.Banaras is like their Jalebi- sweet but stucky and crazy twisted.And Madhya Pradesh is like the Indori Poha- humble, healthy and the shev topping is its oomph...