India Darshan. Review on General Tips on Travel in India

Well, when I was first offered a trip around the country in just 20 days - I wasn't really thrilled. The reason being that the entire travel had been planned by train. Not that I am stuck-up or something - it is just that I had never travelled by train and so extensively was kinda freaking me out. I however took it on as a challenge.

The first stop was Ahmedabad. 9 hour journey. A simple city which can be distinctly divided into two. The old Ahmedabad is rich in its historical monuments and the new Ahmedabad is like any other modern city with multiplexes and shopping malls springing all over the place. The weirdest encounter we had in Ahmedabad was at Akshardham. A polite request to shoot the temple from inside was impolitely turned down by the cops patrolling outside. Then while we were shooting from across the street, we were asked to pack up and leave. The officials were not only rude but also their demand was ridiculous. An incident that happened almost two years ago has led them to not trusting people from their own country is quite a pity. The other pleasant experience was of course visiting an old mosque almost half an hour away from the city. The beauty of the place and the peace one felt there is indescribable in words.

From Ahmedabad - we left for Jaipur. 14 hours journey. Jaipur like most other cities in Rajasthan is famous for its forts and palaces. The lake Palace is one of the oldest and has about four floors buried under the lake - literally. The Jaigarh fort we visited has the biggest cannon which was cast in 1720 during the reign of Maharaja Jai Singh. The cannon was fired only once for testing and has never been fired again. In the evening went to Choki Dhani for a cultural fiesta. Right from the entry till the meal served inside everything is authentic Rajasthani. Also while in Jaipur don't miss the Jantar Mantar and the pink(rather peach) streets of the city which give it the name of the Pink City.

Jaipur to Delhi was a comfortable ride. Only for 500 bucks a comfortable AC Volvo takes you in about six hours or so. Delhi however is a different tale altogether. Except for the historical richness of the city there is nothing else to talk about. Especially for people who are from Bombay and not used to being stared at. Back to the historical lineage the city has to offer is incredible. Be it the Lal Quilla inside which is even Akbar's throne. Or the Kutub Minar and the other one which never could be a minar. Or the India Gate. They are all worth a dekko. Also if you want to shop till you drop do go the Sarojini market. It is much like the Fashion Street of aamchi mumbai.

A 5-hour drive from Delhi to Agra is not scenic or anything but the anticipation of getting to Agra is a great thrill. Taj Mahal is Taj Mahal. You might have seen pictures of it or seen it in videos but the real thing still manages to leave you dumbstruck. We managed to get to the other side of Taj as well. A lake and a boat ride in it was quite an experience too.(If you've seen Bunty Aur Bubli - there is a shot of the backside of Taj in it). Also the Red Fort in Agra is definitely worth a dekko. Our next stop was Dharamshala.

Back to Delhi and a 12-hour deluxe bus ride to Dharamshala broke our backs to say the least. But getting there and a look at the scenic beauty kind of makes you forget everything else. Maclaudgang is rather the place. Dharamshala is the base. Maclaudgang is the ideal place if you want to do some serious soul searching or thinking. With practically nothing to do except for couple of shops and restaurants - you have all the time in the world to yourself. Also the Dalai Temple is quite a treat. Not that the temple has a great structure but the devotion of the devotees there is incredible. There are people who do the bending down ritual in the temple all day long. Back in the bus it takes about 8 hours from Maclaudgang to Chandigarh.

Chandigarh is one place which has practically nothing to offer to tourists. There are no great locales to visit, no great restaurants - practically nothing worth mentioning. Probably the Rock Garden - which is made with utter waste and is designed quite neatly. EVery passage in the rock garden is just about 4 feet in height which means you have to bend down everytime you cross it. A kind of analogy to remind people that we have to bow down in front of nature instead of abusing it. Which again I am sure not many people get it!

Again back to Delhi and from there to Kolkata. Only 20 hours journey. Kolkata is by far the most conjusted city I have been to. The city has no roads only streets. The nicest thing in Kolkata however was the night life. The city has some amazing restaurants and pubs. Not to forget the dhaba made famous by M F Husain which is open till the wee hours of the night. The story goes like . Husain saab had tea there and liked it so much that on the insistence of the owner agreet to paint a muriel for him then and there. And since then the dhaba is everyone's favourite joint - rich, poor alike.

Kolkata to Guwahati is a day's journey by train. Guwahati is a quiet destination except for the Brahmaputra river and the Kamakhaya temple. Caught the site of a sheep being offered to God and the pujari just chopped off its head - just like that! Another temple worth mentioning is the Umananda temple which is in the middle of the Brahmaputra river. A 10-minute boat ride takes you there and the boats are pretty frequent too.

Kolkata to Ernakulam was the craziest train journeys of all - 46 hours! Yes, can you believe that. Inspite of being in a 2-tier AC coach it sucked. I remember the last two hours just standing near the exit hoping the train would soon come to a halt. Ernakulam too can be divided into two sections - the city side is quite boring. But then the other side of the town is Fort Kochi which has a very portugese feel to it. The churches, the market, the Jewish synagogue and of course the beach with the chinese fishing nets. The sunset we caught there was just amazing.

And finally we finished the trip with our last destination being Goa. Thank God! Goa as always is very refreshing to visit any time of the year. Stayed in north Goa at the candolim beach. Visited the old churches and baga and south goa - it was a trip well ended.