A trip to Khajuraho

CBM and I drove down to Khajuraho earlier this week. The temples were magnificent and we were totally awestruck by them. But, in addition to the temples, there were a lot of experiences that we had, which I felt warranted my coming out of blogging hibernation :).
Before embarking on the drive, I spoke to a friend who had driven to Khajuraho last month. He advised against driving without having a second person who could drive, saying that the drive was painful. I also googled driving instructions and found a detailed 7 page travelogue, where the author had written that he felt as if he were driving past golf courses and that there were huts with solitary mango trees for shade! As we drove from Bhopal to Sagar, we did not see any "golf courses," nor did we see a lonely mango tree! We wondered whether there was another road to Bhopal from Sagar, which was more picturesque than this one. Not complaining, because the road till Sagar was great.
The friend who had driven to Khajuraho last month, suggested that we break our journey at "Paradise Hotel," a place en route to Khajuraho (in Sagar, MP) which had good food, but had inimitable interiors, as well as exteriors. He said the place was worth a visit. So, had kept that in mind. As we were driving out of Sagar, I saw a hideous blue building from a distance. As I had guessed, it turned out to be "Paradise." You need to see it to believe it!!

Unfortunately, we chickened out of taking pictures of the interior. The restaurant was circular. It consisted of three concentric circles. The first two had tables. The third was a pond-like structure. It had statues of angels flying in the air, dolphins swimming in the pond and a boy fishing in it!! It also had a huge dragon!! Well, its very difficult to describe. Will take snap next time and post it :). The food was great though.
The drive out of Sagar to Chhatrapur was quite a pain. For nearly 20-25 kms, the road was terrible! That bit was tiring. But there were things en route which created some humour. We came across an old man, who appeared to be taking his pet buffalo for a walk (or so he thought). It was a very funny sight seeing the buffalo running all over the place and the old man running behind it, holding onto the rope for dear life :).
We reached Khajuraho after driving for nearly 8 hours and checked into our hotel. We decided to immediately start exploring the place and see what all can be done in the one and a half days that we had. As we drove out of the hotel, we were flagged down by a man. I stopped for some inexplicable reason. The man turned out to be a guide. For the next ten minutes, he told us how he would take us around Khajuraho, what we should and shouldnt do. He also mentioned that they had a guides association and if threatened to follow me to ensure that we dont take any other guide. I thanked him, took his phone number and bid him goodbye! We then drove the main street where we spotted Raja Cafe, a place that had been recommended by my friend. We had lunch there and also spotted a board which said that the cafe can arrange for guides, as well as for trips to the Panna National Park, which was a half hour drive from Khajuraho. We spoke to the manager and he said that he will be happy to help us. We decided to look around a bit more and then take a call.
The Khajuraho dance festival was also underway, and was one of the reasons we had decided to visit Khajuraho that week. We bought tickets for it, asked Raju the manager of Raja's Cafe :), to arrange for a jeep to visit Panna early next morning and went to watch the dance festival. Having purchased the highest priced tickets (Rs. 100), we believed that we would be in one of the first few rows and would get a good view of the stage. However, the first ten rows were reserved for VIPs!! VIPs consisted of the local bureaucracy and some foreign tourists. Was quite pissed off about this. The dance performances were great and we had a good time. Once the show got over, we quickly had dinner and headed back to the Hotel.
Early next morning, we headed off to Panna in the jeep that we had hired. It was a wonderful experience. We saw various animals (spotted deer, sambar, monkeys, boar, mongoose etc). Unfortunately, we didnt spot the bears, wolves, hyenas, jackals, leopards or the tigers. But, the serene atmosphere of the place and being amidst nature, made the visit a worthwhile and interesting experience.
We returned to Khajuraho and then headed to the temples. Raju had arranged for a very good guide. We began with the western group of temples. The architecture is amazing and so is the engineering (from what our guide told us). One of the temples is definitely astounding.

The various sculptures made us wonder what had led to Indian society (especially of the region of Madhya Pradesh), moving from what it was in the tenth and eleventh century to its ultra-conservative nature in the twenty first. Another interesting thing was the depiction of homosexuality in a couple of sculptures. These sculptures found a prominent place on the wall of the temple, which makes it appear that it was definitely a prevalent practice in the eleventh century. Again, Victorian morality seems to have intervened and made homosexuality an offence in the nineteenth century. The amazing thing about all the sculptures was the details of the expressions on the faces of each statue. The one which I liked the most was Yamaraj holding a ghost in his hand :).

After visiting all the temples (which took nearly 3 hours), we went back to the hotel and decided to see the "light and sound show" in the evening. The narrator for this show was Amitabh Bachchan. Its quite good, but not as good as the other light and sound show that I have been to - the one in Golconda Fort, Hyderabad. The funniest part of the show was when it said that a Colonel Burt had been told of the temples in the mid nineteenth century and he said - "temples eh." The voiceover put on a brit accent and said this, which was ridiculous and quite funny! After the show, we went back to Raja's - we didnt eat anywhere else :), had a good dinner and headed back to the hotel. We returned to Bhopal the next morning, of course, after stopping at Paradise Hotel for breakfast :).

There were two other interesting things we saw at Khajuraho. One was a resteraunt which said that it had an "Italian Cook and Dutch Supervision" - heights of globalisation :). Incidentally, it had opened in 1991.

Another interesting thing was that there were two hotels - a hotel "Sanrise", which I suppose should have read "Sunrise" and a hotel "Sunset", which incidentally were on the same side of the road, around 100 metres apart! I guess in Khajuraho the sun rises and sets on the same side everyday :).
All in all, Khajuraho and Panna were amazing and are definitely worth visiting. The only painful experience were the hundreds of touts and guides, who were always trying to attract your attention outside the temples. But, I guess that cant be helped!

The Saga of an Umbrella

Continuing with the theme of rains and umbrellas - there is one story involving an umbrella, which I never will forget. Here goes:

When in the US, CBM and I decided to buy this big, yet nice umbrella, which was also to double up as a souvenir. It served us well through our stay in the US. We decided to get this umbrella back to India, since it was expensive, very useful and was also of senti value. The only thing that had to be checked was whether it would be allowed on board an aircraft.

We were travelling Air India (my first time with Air India, which I had diligently avoided till then because of all the horror stories). One reason why we booked Air India was because it promised to be a "direct flight," with a stopover at London. What we believed was, that like any other hopping flight, it would stop at London for refueling, the flight would be cleaned etc and basically, we wouldn't have to get off the aircraft. Seemed a good deal!

I went on to the Air India website and checked the list of articles not allowed in the cabin. There was no mention of an umbrella. It infact said that an umbrella could be taken on board, though the sketch was of a parasol. I then checked the US ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives and Firearms) website, which also did not mention an umbrella in the list of prohibited items. Hence, the umbrella was with us when we lined up at the check-in counter. We checked in our luggage and the rude lady (Air India!!) at the counter said that the umbrella wouldn't be allowed onboard. I asked her whether that was an Air India rule, to which she replied that it wasn't and that it was an ATF rule and if the ATF had no problem at security check, we could take it onboard. I promptly walked across to the ATF officials. They had a look at my umbrella and said that I could take it onboard. First battle won, CBM and I were kicked. We got on to the aircraft, umbrella in tow, kept it very carefully next to us.

Early next morning we landed in London. Just as we had been warned by some of our friends who had taken this flight earlier, the purser informed the passangers that we were required to get off the aircraft, get into Heathrow and security check once again and re-enter the aircraft. The process had to be completed in 30 mins and so, everyone was expected to quickly run to security check and re-enter the aircraft (which was going to be parked at the same gate!!). All cabin baggage also had to be taken, which meant umbrella had to be taken as well. We didn't anticipate a problem. If the US ATF had permitted us to carry it, why would the British stop us!

We got to the Security check counter. There was this police woman, (who reminded me of Jane Goody) at the security check counter. She had one look at the umbrella and said, you cant take this. I argued that I was a transit passanger and it was unfair to tell me now that I cant take it. She said too bad, you either go into England and check it in or throw it. CBM and I looked at each other and said that we hear right. Did she say enter England?? I decided to re-check.

Me: "You mean you want me to go through immigration and check this in?"

Policewoman: "Yes," (with this evil look on her face!)

Me: "I dont have a visa, nor do I have the time"

Policewoman: "Too bad for you then..Throw it."

Me: "Can I ask Air India if they are willing to check it in at the boarding gate, if you check and ensure that it is not dangerous etc etc"

Policewoman: Yes

That was the break. We begged and pleaded with the Air India staff there and one saving grace of the flight, was that one of the guys agreed. He said he would check it in. It would not have a baggage tag - but would have a sticker with my name and seat number on it. They wouldnt be responsible if it got lost or destroyed and he was doing it as a personal favour, considering the stupidity of the alternative and because we were on a transit flight! We agreed to all his conditions and thanked him. He escorted us to the gate, gave the umbrella to someone and that someone disappeared. We didnt have too much hope that we'd see the umbrella again, but it was better than giving it to the Jane Goody look-alike.

We landed in Delhi around 7 hours later and it was time to get to the conveyor belt to claim luggate. We had 6 pieces + umbrella. None of the 7 pieces came for around 20 mins. Then, they started appearing. 1, 2, 3, 4..no umbrella yet, 5.."I guess we have lost the umbrella..a lost battle!" and suddenly, there comes the umbrella!! :). We were ecstatic. Except for some grease and a tiny tiny tear, the umbrella was in one piece. We had won the battle :).

Rain - Lovely Rain

I know CBM will kill me for borrowing her idea, but I was so in awe of the natural beauty around me, that I just had to post! Thats a good enough reason I guess.

When it comes to seasons, I love the winters. Its the time of the year when I can sip a hot beverage and really enjoy it; sit around a fire or an angethi chatting with friends; and most importantly, I dont need to iron my shirt! Theres always the sweater to hide the crumpled shirt :). Of course, I love the snow and always looked forward to the Met Department predicting sub-zero temperatures for the next week. In short, I love the cold!

When it came to rains, the first rain with the hail and thunder, were good times as kids. I'd also hope that it rains in the areas where I have some plantations, so that I got some extra pocket money :) But, most of the times, rains brought inconvenience. As a teenager, I was into tennis and whenever it rained - there was no tennis for a few days. In college, it was pain to walk to class in all the slush. I still distinctly remember my first day at work. Boss tells me to leave early on the first day and go enjoy myself. I walk out of the office and lo and behold - its raining cats and dogs and I dont have an umbrella! I wait for around 45 mins for the rain to stop. Then, since I am on Dalal street and they dont sell umbrellas there, I dash to Bombay store (yes yes - I was young and foolish then) and buy what will probably be the most expensive umbrella that I have ever purchased! (On the issue of umbrellas, there is another story, which I reserve for later). There was also a time when I nearly missed a train (which I really really had to take for a variety of reasons) because of the Bombay rains. Later in life, when in Bangalore, I remember being stuck in traffic day after day, because the entire city was waterlogged or the time when it took me 2 hrs and 45 mins to get to the airport, when it should have taken just 45, because a few roads here and there were waterlogged. So, I was indifferent about the rains.

Not so this year. It maybe because I have never experienced temperatures of 45 degrees celsius consistently for weeks at end and hence, was really looking forward to the rains to bring the temperatures back to normal. But, I think it was more so, because of the natural beauty that surrounded me once it started raining. I have always loved nature - be it forests, greenery, birds and animals. As a kid, I used to love giving shelter to lost (as I perceived them to be) toads, squirrels etc (much against the wishes of my mum). Now, much to CBM's displeasure, I love following birds and animals when out on a vacation and photograph them! So, in the summers, I missed the migratory birds flying over my office, every evening at 6 PM or of the birds chirping overhead or outside my window. All that suddenly came back the day it rained and it felt normal! There is also the light mist all around and the smell of the earth, soaked with water.

So, this year I have a very different perception of the rains and yes - it is definitely a wonderful world :). I guess the pictures better convey what I am trying to say.

PS: CBM took some of these pics!

Jury or Judge?

In the last nineteen months, I have grown older and wiser. And if I were asked today I would scream at the top of my voice - jury please..i would prefer 12 people applying their personal views rather than having one do so!
More later!

Murder at Cape Cod - The Mc.Cowen case

I first got to know about the Mc.Cowen case, when I switched on my TV and saw reports of jury deliberation in the case. Watching the discussions on Court TV, i was curious to know what had happened in this case and I did some research into it. I found out that Christa Worthington, a fashion writer, had been allegedly raped and killed by a garbage collector, Christopher Mc Cowen. The crucial piece of evidence was semen found on the deceased's body. A DNA test showed that the semen was that of the accused. The accused claimed to have consensual intercourse with her and said that he had no clue of who had murdered Ms. Worthington. As the jury deliberated, I was wondering what I would do if I were asked to decide the case. I felt that there was an element of doubt here. Arguing that a high - society fashion write, a white female would not have consensual intercourse with a garbage collector, an African American man was not a theory that I was convinced with. Just on the basis of this evidence, if I were to decide the case, I would have acquitted the accused. There is more than an iota of doubt as regards his involvement in the crime.
The jury must have had a tough time. They deliberated for around 30 hours, were then sequestered. Then, there was a controversy Juror No. 4 having spoken to her boyfriend about the case, leading to her removal from the jury. I expected the jury to take ages again. But, lo and behold, they had reached a decision within a few hours! The accused was found guilty of first degree murder, aggravated rape and aggravated burglary and sentenced to life in prison, without parole.
I was aghast. This could not have happened. Media reports say that the case will be appealed and there is likelihood of it being reversed. But that brings the question as to whether the jury system is appropriate. The United States Constitution provides for a jury trial. Inspite of cases like that of OJ Simpson (who now is publishing a "hypothetical" account of how he could have killed his wife and her boyfriend), the jury system continues. The Judge, in criminal cases, is in my opinion, unfortunately only like a clerk. With no role in decision making and no role in sentencing, with the emergence of guidelines, why does one need a judge at all? I am sure that if the accused here had waived his right to a trial by jury, he would have found himself acquitted. The jury just seemed to be reflecting the stereotypes in society and relying on one picece of unconvincing evidence to convict the accused. Time will only tell whether they were right in deciding the way they did.