Ye Mera Bhopal

 

Every city has its charm and aura, it might be architecturally beautiful or it might be culturally beautiful, it might be fast paced or it might have a laid-back kind of pace. But when it comes to Bhopal, it has the best of both worlds. Bhopal is my second home, it holds a very special place in my heart and I always keep looking for an opportunity to go there. 'The Zen City' as I like to call Bhopal because of the calmness and happiness it provides me whenever I am there. It has given me ever lasting memories and many special friendships.

So, I am going to take you on ride and introduce you to this charming City of Lakes. I might not be able to cover everything but I will definitely give it my best shot.

Let's start with the crown jewel of Bhopal, the Taj-ul-Masajid meaning 'The Crown of Mosques', it is the largest mosque in India and one of the largest in Asia. The largest Indian mosque can be found on the slender streets of Old Bhopal in the Kohefiza area and you will get to see the enormous minarets of the mosque kissing the sky in all their glory from a good distance. You will find yourself in awe when you are standing in the huge courtyard and looking at the structure, it has resemblance of the Mughal architecture because it was built on the likes of Delhi's Jama Masjid. 

Done admiring the architectural brilliance? Now let me take you to a place which apprises you of the cultural side of the city and the state of Madhya Pradesh - the MP Tribal Museum and the State Museum in Shymala Hills. If you are a history geek, do not miss out on these 2 places. The Tribal Museum is incredibly gorgeous and you will get to know about the culture and history of many tribes, it is an eye candy kind of a place and the State Museum will introduce you to the history of the state in a prolific manner. You might have to take permission and shell out some bucks for photography but it is worth it.

After some proper history lessons, time to admire the natural beauty of Bhopal and maybe meet some animals also (No! We are not going to shake hands with them). We enter the Van Vihar National Park that is also situated in the Shyamala Hills of Bhopal. It is a place of tranquility and on a good day, you can find tigers, leopards, various snakes, sloth bears, crocodiles and many birds (some migratory too) going about their lives. The banks of the Upper Lake caress and enhance the natural beauty of the place.

The trail of the national park ends and it will lead you to the Lake View Walk Path, here you can walk alongside the Upper Lake. This is the hotspot of the city and you will never find this place deprived of people, you can go for boating in the Upper Lake and there is a 'Boat Club' there for this purpose.

The evenings here are impeccable and you get a view of the lake from the vantage point.

Now, let us drive through the VIP Road which is also called the Marine Drive of Bhopal and there you can find the statue of Raja Bhoj at the edge of the lake, it is a picturesque spot and you can witness some very astounding sunsets here.

Talking about the sunsets, let me take you to my favorite spot in the city, Kaliyasot Dam and Kerwa Dam. These 2 small dams can be found in Kolar area of Bhopal. It is a lush green area with the water reservoir on the side and a well paved road passing through, these 2 places are proper chill out places specially for the youth of the city and it is also the home of some Royal Bengal Tigers. Yes! You read it right, the Royal Bengal Tigers. It is a forest area and there have been many sightings of the tigers just casually strolling in the middle of the road. 

If you have some time in hand, a visit to the famous Bhojeshwar temple in Bhojpur village which is approximately 30 kilometers from Bhopal is a must. The abode of Lord Shiva houses a 7.5 feet high lingam, it is an unfinished temple next to a gorge through which the Betwa river flows.

No matter how many times I come back, it always gives me something to cherish, it welcomes me with open hands and makes me smile.

The gentle waves of the Upper Lake at Sheetaldas ki Bagiya calms me down, the sunsets at Kaliyasot and Kerwa insure me of another beautiful day. On one of my numerous visits to Bhopal, standing at the Iqbal Maidan, looking towards the wretched Shaukat Mahal and the hustle and bustle of the Old Bhopal City, I understood that life goes on but the legacy stays.

Dear Bhopal! You were, you are and you will always be my love. You are Home.

I hope I have intrigued you to come and visit this city sometime soon and see it for yourself.

Thanks for reading, hope it was fun.

Ciao!

Dil Dilli

 

December 2016, the Dharamshala trip had ended and I was back in the bustling metropolis of New Delhi, the weather was perfect and thankfully I did not get to experience the ''Smoggy Delhi'' which we see every winters live or on our lovely news channels. I had chalked out a small plan to explore the city as much as possible and for that I only had 3 days. I was at my Mausi's place in Rohini and she gave me a rough idea where and how to go, the itinerary was clear now and all I had to do was figure out the Delhi Metro which I later found out was quite systematic and easy.

Next morning after breakfast, I ventured out with my sole companion i.e. my DSLR and boarded the metro to JLN Stadium Metro Station. The greatest and the most important rule when you are travelling in a metro is ''carry your earphones" and I had broken that rule and had enrolled myself for a very boring journey. Finally, after changing a couple of trains I reached the JLN Stadium Metro Station and decided to walk towards my first stop of the day which was The Humayun's Tomb. Google had failed me and it turned out to be a 15 minute walk instead of the 5 minute which it was very confidently showing. After making some unsuccessful turns, I ditched the maps and asked for directions from the Rickshaw guys, a couple of them offered me to drop but I thanked them and just requested for the directions to which they obliged humbly.

I reached the tomb, got my entry ticket for 35 bucks and asked if there are any extra charges for DSLR photography (apparently in some places when you are clicking from your phone, it is free but if you are willing to use your DSLR or digital camera, they charge you extra). The guy at the ticket counter replied "Nahi Sir! aap ko jitna photo lena ho lo (No Sir! Take as many pictures as you want) and his answer made me very happy, I gave him a thumbs up and entered the huge campus surrounding the tomb. The beautiful Humayun's tomb was in front of my eyes but the first thing I noticed was the gorgeous Mughal gardens with lush green grass and the central fountain which was supplying the clear water to its many channels effortlessly. I took a round of the garden and clicked the tomb from various angles, then I went to explore it from the inside. I am a big fan of symmetry and I was so pleased to look at this monument from every angle, the sky was clear and the sun was also shining keeping the temperature in check so I decided to rest for a while in those well kept Mughal gardens.

After a 10 minute breather, I headed out for my next stop - The Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, I had always wanted to visit this place after watching Rockstar's "Kun Faya Kun" song.

Again, rickshaw walas came to my rescue and gave me the directions and I reached the dargah within 5 minutes. If you go to any religious place in India, there will be vendors who will make you go mad by continuously shouting in your ears to buy stuff from them and the same happened to me but for a change I kept my cool which I am absolutely not known for.

I made my way by dodging all these people and reached the Dargah, it was crowded and I was under some wrong expectations to see a group singing Qawwalis (Expectation Courtesy - Bollywood). Anyway, I went inside the Dargah for darshan and a huge bee stung me in the thumb and that made me shriek in pain, the priest who was taking care of the the place asked me to rub my thumb to the door and I followed his advise and that give me some extra couple of minutes inside. I paid my respects and came out holding my thumb which had turned a little purple but I ignored it for good and clicked some pictures of the holy place and ventured out.

With a paining purple thumb, my initial thought was to go home but I decided to go to The Red Fort and if possible check out the Chandni Chowk and the Jama Masjid also.

I boarded the metro and reached the very crowded Chandni Chowk Metro Station and went directly to the Red Fort which was heavily guarded, after a proper security check the entry was permitted.

Red Fort has a very huge campus and the closing time was nearing so I had to satisfy myself with just a short round of the complex, I gave myself 45 minutes and tried to cover most of it.

I came out of the fort famished, headed directly to Chandni Chowk to eat some tempting food. I found a street side vendor selling typical " Dilli ke Chole Bhature" and boy they were so good. Now, my stomach was full, I asked a rickshaw wala to drop me to The Jama Masjid. On reaching there I found that the entry was not allowed for some time due to unknown reasons and that made me feel dejected.

As no alternative was there, I asked the same guy who dropped me there to take me back to the Chandni Chowk Metro Station from where I went back home.

I headed out again the next morning and took the metro to Qutub Minar Metro Station and this time I had not broken the "Rule of Metro." I got my entry ticket and went inside the complex and clicked some pictures. While I was busy clicking pictures, a guy with a thick Australian accent tapped on my shoulders and asked "Mate! Can you help me?" I asked him whatsup and he asked whether I can click a picture of him and his girlfriend. I took his camera and clicked their pictures and they seemed to like them. He thanked me and we introduced ourselves, his name was Alexander and his girlfriend's name was Selena, they were on a 2 month long vacation trip in India.

He told me how much he liked India and after a 10 minutes discussion we were talking about Cricket, he was a hardcore Ricky Ponting fan and absolutely hated me when I said "We have Virat Kohli now."

Finally, that conversation ended and he asked where was I headed to, I told him I am going to Connaught Place (CP) and then Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. Selena asked me of any Starbucks nearby and I told her that there is one in CP but none nearby. The couple asked me if we can go to CP together, I agreed and we went to CP Starbucks directly. After an hour of chit chats, I bid adieu to them and went to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib.

The sermons were going on, the vibes were very positive and after a good cup of brew I was feeling content. It was not a very busy day so getting the darshan was easy, I paid my respects and sat down in a corner listening to the sermons which were going on, I do not understand punjabi but they seemed so soothing to the soul. I sat there for half an hour, ate the very delicious prasad and went back home as it was evening already.

On the final day of my Delhi History Walk, I was supposed to meet one of my long lost friend. We met at CP again and went to Agrasen ki Baoli, it is a historical step well built beautifully. Since, we were catching up after a long time, an hour passed very quickly. She said let's go to the India Gate and then we can go back home, I agreed to her and we took an Auto rickshaw to the India Gate.

It was a crowded evening and after clicking a couple of pictures at the India Gate, I asked her let's go back to CP.

We came back to CP and I told her whether she wants to go to Palika Bazar but she had to leave as it was getting late for her, I said her goodbye and went to Palika Bazar. I was strolling around in the Bazar when a guy asked me to buy something from his shop, I said I am just walking around but he was very adamant and said to me "Sir! Hum Dilli wale hain, Dil bohot bada hai humara. Aap nahi loge kuch bhi to bura nahi maanenge" (Sir! We are Delhites and we have a big heart, if you won't buy anything, I will not feel bad). I said Ok! Show me what you got and in an excited manner, he showed me some t-shirts and stuff, I hesitantly said that I do not want anything, he replied "Koi baat nahi sir, aap aaye accha laga" (It's Ok Sir, it felt good that you came).

He shook my hand and that is when I saw a poster in his shop, it was written "DIL DILLI" in it and I told him "Dil hai to bada Dilli walo ka" (Delhites do have a big heart). That put a smile in his face and he said Thank you and Bye to me. I came out of the Palika Bazar with this little encounter thinking about all the happy faces that helped me whether I was asking them for directions or anything, no one shied away and helped me with a smiling face.

With all this on my mind and many fond memories, I said to myself "Dil to Dilli Hi Hai" and boarded the metro again and went back home and my 'Delhi History Walk' came to an end.

Ciao!

Kalsubai - Conquering Maharashtra and a Broken Fibula

Trekking has always been one of my favorite activities and being an outdoorsy person I am always excited with the prospect of going to a trek. Since, 2017 when I had moved to Mumbai for work, Kalsubai was on my to-do list but I was not able to go for it and finally in April 2019 (thanks to Instagram) I decided to go because it was like a now or never kind of situation. I told my office friends about the same and two them decided to join me. So, I made the bookings for myself, Rutuja and Tejas for the coming weekend of 14th April.

Kalsubai is a mountain in the great Western Ghats and its summit is the highest point in the state of Maharashtra at an elevation of 5400 feet and after trekking Triund which is at an elevation of 9350 feet, I was pretty confident about it despite it being a moderately difficult trek but I did not know what was going to unfold in front of my eyes.

I informed my friends that it is a night trek and provided them with the details of necessary stuff which needs to be carried like flashlight, water bottles and some energy bars etc. 

Saturday came and we reached Thane station from where we had to board the last local train to Kasara which was the meeting point for everyone but when I saw Rutuja at Thane station, my first observation was her shoes. She was wearing red sneakers which definitely did not qualify as trekking shoes and I immediately asked her about the sneakers but that conversation did not last long. Finally, Tejas also reached Thane and we boarded the train and reached Kasara at 1 in the morning and were ferried on a taxi to Bari village from where we had to start our ascend.

We reached Bari and after a quick rest and some instructions, we started the ascend. It was a group of 15-16 people and everyone's flashlight was out, the initial stages were pretty easy and it took us no time to reach the first halt for a quick breather. The weather was pleasant and it was a starry night, while we were catching our breath, Rutuja saw a shooting star or at least she claimed that. We began again and the climb started to get a little tough, the absence of any physical activity in my daily routine started showing its signs and I started getting a bit tired but I did not let that thought stay in my mind for long, also some motivational quotes painted on the rocks pumped me.

It was dusk and we had completed almost 90% of the climb, we could see the glimmering lights of nearby establishments. I was ecstatic, my energy was back and the only thing that was going on in my mind was sunrise and the pictures I will be clicking. Finally, we reached the summit and three of us sat on a ledge, talking and clicking pictures, a cool breeze was blowing and it was very pleasing.

The sky was showing its colors, from the dark blues to the bright golden hues, it was surreal.

 

The sun was up and shining and after some rest and a little breakfast, it was time for us to descend, we told Rutuja to take extra care while descending and stay between myself and Tejas because going down is always the most trickiest part of a trek. The soil was loose and slippery, our dear friend Rutuja was in no mood to follow the instructions and 20 minutes into the descend, Rutuja, who was in her own world made a mighty mistake. The foot placement got wrong and her sneakers did the rest, she gained momentum going down and after dodging 2-3 boulders she finally slammed into a massive boulder.

Tejas and I were shocked, we looked at each other and ran towards her with an "I told you so attitude."

Rutuja was lying down in pain, initially we thought that she will be fine but after giving her a pain killer and spraying the affected area, she still was unable to stand. This sight scared me and I could only think of a broken leg but I did not say anything as absolute honesty isn't always the safest or the most diplomatic form of communication with emotional beings. We encouraged her to at least stand up but she was not able to do that. The worry factor was surging as we had a long way to go before anything could be done, the sun was starting to warm up and she was in immense pain.

Then we found 3 saviors within the group: Rishikesh, Lloyd and Jayesh. The former 2 were coming from Pune and they said that we will have to carry her all the way down and honestly speaking there was no other option available. Rishi took the lead and carried Rutuja over his shoulders and we started to walk again. We were cracking jokes to keep her encouraged and even she was singing. Rishi and Jayesh switched lifting Rutuja and we were carrying their bags.

We had almost covered the descend but the heat and the pain started taking its toll on Rutuja so, we decided to stop under some shade, gave her whatever water was left. We asked Tejas to keep going and ask for some help as our trek leader had abandoned us and had reached the base village. Tempers were running high but we had a dehydrated and injured friend so we had to calm ourselves down. I was constantly talking to her because her being conscious was extremely important for us, finally Tejas came up with some help. The trek leader also came with a sheet and we lay her down in it and carried her to a nearby point from where she can be taken on a bike. I held her firmly on the bike because the balance was very important and the things were not going our way, falling her again from the bike was not an option. Thankfully we reached the base village  and I carried her inside the designated place and after a while the rest of the guys were also there. Rishi and Lloyd said that they will drop us Mumbai and we instantly agreed to it because carrying her in a local train would have been a gigantic task. After all this drama, we finally left from Bari village and dropped Rutuja to her home. She had not informed her family and the sight of me carrying Rutuja to her home along with 3 other guys must have shocked her little sister.

We came back to our respective places after dropping her home, next day we called her to know about the condition of the leg. The impact from the boulder had broken her fibula bone and she got operated in the same week, she is fine now but she has a screw in her leg now which is holding the bone together.

The experience of this trek will always remain ingrained in my mind, the sense of achievement and the euphoria of climbing the highest peak of Maharashtra to immense shock and fear, it was a proper package. In a way, this accident made us meet some very humble and lovely gentlemen and I think it is safe to say that this friendship will remain with us for a very long time.

Till the next trek or the next journey, Ciao!