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Sleeping Jiva – 08/02/05
I think I left you last time leaving Gokarna, ready for an almighty long train ride to Pune. I was impressed with Pune, one of the big technology centres it has a similar modern and Western feel to it, with many Indians wearing jeans and t-shirts, browsing in posh, clean fashion shops and malls. In the opulent area of Pune (Koreagon Park) the roads looked newer and flatter than those of most parts of England, certainly Hainford has never had roads like it, and the presence of traffic lights means an effort really is being made. It was Republic Day whilst I was in Pune and so all these modern call-centre Indo-yuppies had to endure a day without alcohol as, in a similar vein to Thailand, holidays in India are celebrated by not drinking, quite the opposite to the usual Bank Holiday in England which is normally spent in the pub.
One of the most famous “attractions” in Pune is the Osho commune. I was cynical at first, I had heard stories of the ‘sex guru’ and what went on inside his commune, and seeing the crowds of westerners in their maroon robes (although with trendy trainers on their feet) didn’t help this pre-conception. I took a short tour and was pleasantly surprised. It is basically like a University for middle-aged workaholics. There are courses you can take at the Multi-versity (although all meditation based and expensive) and there is also a range of sports and leisure activities and, apparently, India’s most advanced and hygienic kitchen. A lot of people call it Club Med (as in Club Meditation) and the Wall Street Journal describes it as;
“a 32-acre five star meditative Disneyland in this city south of Bombay, where frazzled execs come for a physical and spiritual tune-up.”
Although listening to Oshos mission and meditation it seems all about finding self-respect and reaching self-actualisation, something that I think can be achieved far more easily by travelling in India and not locking oneself away surrounded by other stressed accountants. Attached to the commune is a beautiful five-hectare Zen garden and this is open to the public at certain hours of the day in order to escape the hubbub of Pune.
My next stop was Aurangabad further north in Maharashtra. The town itself is dirty and unremarkable but nearby are the caves of Ellora and Ajanta. The Ellora caves are a mix of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain. The Buddhist caves are very peaceful and minimalist in design whereas the Hindu ones are far more decorated, covered in scenes from the Ramayana and other historic stories. The centrepiece is the Kailasha temple, but this had a $5 entrance fee so I only looked from the outside. Finally, the Jain caves were a bit of a disappointment, especially after the long walk, but who cares about the Jains anyway! I got a share-jeep back to Aurangabad. First we had to stop because everybody got out and they needed to find more passengers, in 15 minutes all they managed was a deaf-and-dumb boy. They finally filled it up, including two goats, one of which promptly fell asleep on me. By the time we were halfway home we had 21 people, four in the front, 17 in the back and then we stopped for a farmer and his giant urn of milk! We eventually squeezed 25 in the jeep before bouncing back to Aurangabad, after some women made it stop so they could have a swap around of seats! The caves at Ajanta are purely Buddhist and far more elaborately decorated. Of course this means you are supposed to pay for the privilege, $5 for foreigners, 20 rupees for Indians in an example of the economic racism perpetrated by the government. Of course I tried to sneak in, scaled a cliff, got caught, told the guard I was looking for the toilet and was allowed to walk right in. Stupid man!
Kailasha temple, Ellora caves
A transfer in Manmad the next day and I was in Bhopal. Most people will only know Bhopal from the massive accident at the Union Carbide (an American firm of course) factory in 1984 that resulted in over 16,000 deaths, three times that of 9/11. It occurred due to neglect in the management and the sacking of the safety officer when she discovered the potential dangers of the acid. Anyway there is nothing now to remember the victims by and the factory is hidden behind tyre shops, tea stalls and a big wall with barbed wire. I had to climb this wall to get a good photo. Bhopal also sports a giant mosque, the Taj-ul-Masjid, and a peaceful (yes, peaceful) lakeside seating area. The people of Bhopal were extremely friendly and I chatted continuously, often I could not get where I wanted to go without being stopped by someone, and all without any ulterior motive. My favourite was the middle aged guy with the kite on approximately 3 feet of string who made me try it out and say “Indian Kites are best!” Bhopal was also my first re-acquaintance with paan, the mixture of strange herbs, pastes, betel nut and other ingredients wrapped in a betel leaf and chewed until the flavour has gone before being spat out unceremoniously. Since then I have become slightly addicted so I am expecting my teeth to resemble the aftermath of a drunken brawl anytime soon (a result of the staining qualities of the betel nut).
Close to Bhopal are the Buddhist structures at Sanchi. Again it required sneaking in, again I got caught, again I lied and again I was let in. Whereas sneaking into places in Latin America required stealth to avoid the lazy guards, in India it just requires quick thinking and a quicker tongue! The ruins were impressive, a mix of stupas, monasteries and temples. Even more impressive were the families of monkeys racing around them. A group of Hanumans disciples livens up any historic site I reckon.
Children of Sanchi
Next stop Indore, but only for long enough to transfer to Mandu. A very relaxed town amidst an old fort and palace enclave. There were a lot of travellers around and it was a nice place to chill out for a couple of days, eating corn flakes, drinking chai and talking travellers talk. The ruins here required sneaking in, a feat made harder at all these places by the sheer inquisitiveness of the locals, usually small children. It is especially hard to be discrete when you have five kids behind shouting “hello, one rupee, one chocolate” continuously! The Royal Enclave was impressive, the Ship Palace and Swing Palace being highlights and the lake in the middle providing a great view.
I had a brief transfer through Indore and spent an afternoon there. It is probably the worst place I have ever been in India, both on this and the previous trip. The people were unfriendly and it seemed they all were trying to rip me off, a far cry from the friendly nature of Bhopal. So it was without sadness that I got a night train out of there, the only redeeming feature being a gleaming statue of Ghandi, but most cities have those anyway.
I am now in Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujurat. The people are nice and the food is good but the traffic has to be the worst I have ever experienced, it is just chaos anas a result I am now a nervous wreck! Highlights of Ahmedabad include the Dada Hari Wav, which is a giant well that you walk down steps to get to the bottom of, surrounded by intricate carvings and sculptures, and the Sabarmati Ashram which was set up by Ghandi, and he spent a lot of time here, which has now been transformed into a very informative museum and library and, refreshingly, free of any admission cost. I also gorged last night on a delicious Gujurati thali (the all-you-can-eat meal that many Indians eat on a daily basis consisting of rice, chapattis, and often poori and papadum, along with a variety of chutneys, pickles and gravies) washed down with a complimentary
lassi.
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