I am writing after 2 weeks now; one week was spent in being pissed as I was and the second week was spent on my trip to my village. I had not been there for almost 3 years now, so i wanted to see my relatives, my place, my people and everything. Also I wanted to enjoy my status of having a good job, US return and an awesome eligible bachelor, LOL. I mean the last time I was there I didn't have this nice job & stamp of US return and I had the excuse of being young (for my relative's aspirations of getting me married, I don't know why but ur relatives always seem most interested in getting you married). Its fun to get appreciations from people you love and get there good wishes & blessings (& be praised n flattered!!!).
My own village is located in Distt Ambedkarnagar of Uttar Pradesh (UP). My uncles & aunts, my grandma and some other relatives live there and around. It's a small place which is around 60 KM east from Ayodhya (A holy place in Faizabad where Lord Rama was born) and 7 KM west from Akbarpur. Our whole area is known as Shravan-Kshetra of Awadh-Prant. The local language is Awadhi, the language of Ram-charit-manas of Tulasidas. My 'NANIHAAL' (my mom's parent's village) is in Sultanpur Distt. I had plans to go to Nanihaal first as their was my cousins marriage. And then I was planing to go to my own village from there.
I was not getting a confirmed reservation in a train to get to my village. I was trying like a week in advance but there was no confirmed reservation available in Sleeper, AC, Chair-car or anything. And it's close to hell traveling in Indian railways without reservation (could be hell with reservation too though). I guess the rush was because of Bakreed coming in the same week. Later I even tried TATKAL reservation but that was full too. TATKAL is a emergency kinda reserved quota of seats in Indian railway which just opens 5 days before the travel date & you have to pay 150 extra for sleeper & 300 for AC. Also to let people know, you cannot officially board a train unless you have a confirmed reservation or atleast RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation). However you might board a train in India with waiting or even without a ticket if you have the green-ticket (Money-Money!!!). I tried to check online reservation in Flight and it showed the fare as just Rs 125 + TAX. I was so happy that this is what I needed, just Rs 125 & awesome journey through plane. So I decided to check the complete fare with tax; it was just Rs 4375. Yep, the tax was freaking Rs 4250, WTF!!
So I decided to board a bus till Lucknow from Delhi & then take a bus further to Sulatnpur & village from there. The buses to UP run from Anand Vihar ISBT Bus Station. I heard there is an AC bus to Lucknow and I wanted to get that. But I was late as per my habit and I missed it, it runs around 10pm. So I had to board an ordinary UP Roadways bus at 12 in night. It's a 12-14 hrs journey with some stops every 3-4 hours for people comfort. I got seat in the last row of bus (as you might know how much a bus rocks at the back, and i mean rocks in a bad sense) in the cold winter of New Delhi, where the roadways bus' window hardly close. With in 5 mins I was feeling that I am in hell and I am gonna regret it really-really BAD.
I was wearing my Track-Suit I bought in US. It's really well insulated to wind & pretty warm too. I used to wear it in sub-zero weather of US and it used to work great; it worked great here in the bus too. I had 4 stinking (not really, but they did look like that) guys sitting around me and a old Mullaji sitting besides me who was leaning over me every time falling asleep. If it was some pretty girl, I could let my shoulder stay steady all night for her support, but damn a second for the old man. How could he sleep in this kinda bus and that too on my shoulder. Then the bus stopped in some time, it turns out that we have just covered 20-30 KMs in one hour. The drivers & conductors of the bus get free food at these roadside dhabas (desi restaurants) as they are bringing customers to them in buses. I was feeling more and more doomed.
We got in bus again and I somehow I started feeling sleepy this time. I didn't realize when I fell asleep and by the time I woke up it was morning. I didn't feel as bad as I was thinking, more than half the time was spent without much trouble. Mullaji was off the bus and I had enough space to sit comfortably. I had a tea at the next stop, stretched my self a bit & was ready. I got in the bus & fell asleep again. I don't sleep that much on flights but it was working well in the bus somehow. I was in Lucknow by 1pm (13 hours journey) and most of the journey was spent sleeping, it really wasn't that bad. More like an adventure, which i enjoyed sleeping. Then I boarded a bus to Sultanpur from Lucknow and then to my Nanihaal from there. Also the buses aren't that bad anymore, They have cushioned seats which are not push-back but still okay. Roads also have improved so the ride isn't that bad either. Things are getting better...
I was at my nanihaal by 7 in evening. My Nana-Nani (mom's dad & mom) and Mama (mom's brother) were really excited and very happy to see me. It was a cool surprise for them to see me. There were many other relatives there due to the occasion of marriage. All of them were glad to see me after so long and so was I. I enjoyed the marriage food and slept all night. Next day woke up little late and then met all my relatives there. Everyone was asking 2 things, my experience in US & plans of marriage. I was able to answer first but was speechless to second. The answer has been same for years,'I am not ready, I would like to wait few years'. I don't know why relatives are sooooo interested in getting us married, they must be getting some commission or something out of it. Specially the grandparents are always more interested than even parents in getting there eligible grand children married. the line is,'We want to see you married and settled before we die, we want to see your bride and possibly children too'. Why, why should I do something like this just for their wishes and pleasure. They and all the relatives try to torture you to get married, its painful and FUN!!!!
Also, a cow had given birth to a calf on the same day and I got to eat fresh 'Inri'. When a cow gives birth, for the first few days the milk is kinda stuffy and thick. If you boil it, it curdles itself and turns into kinda paneer (cottage or farmer cheese). Sugar is added to make it sweet and it tastes pretty good. The new born calf starts standing & walking in few mins after he's born, they jump a lot though. I also tried my hands on milking a cow, I have done it earlier too and I am okay at it. I wonder who was the first guy that look at a cow and said," I think that I'll drink whatever comes out of those things when I squeeze them?", sick people LOL. Also I wandered in woods near the village and also the fields & farms. I'll put all the pics up soon, got some pretty cool ones. (link to pics I hv uploaded on Orkut: http://www.orkut.co.in/ExternalAlbum.aspx?uid=14373366021617571617&aid=1229595165)
I went to my village from there. Met my uncles & relatives. It was fun hearing them praise me & feel proud of me . They might be jealous inside, i mean you never know but it was still fun. I hope they really are proud of me though, I have been good and done good. Best is yet to come. I saw my beautiful fields & farms, the canal near my farms, the railway line crossing in between my village; everything was fun & filled with memories. We used to climb & jump from trees to play different games, run in canal, take the cattle to field for grazing grass... lots of memories.
There was SHRAVAN-KSHETRA Mela (Fair) on Dec 12th which happens once a year for 3 days, I went there to. It was kinda stupid and totally village-ish but fun. There were small & big jhoolas (rides), lots of CHAAT & sweets (filled with oil & fat but YUMMY!!!) to eat and different kinds of stupid stuff selling all around (starting form house hold item, to clothes, to utensils to gifts, almost everything). Also there were magic shows & 'maut ka kuan' kinda stuff which is gr8 FUN. I enjoyed the mela with my cousins and then went to SHIV BABA. It's a holy auspicious place in our area which is very famous, I do visit it almost all the time when I go to my village. Shiv-bab ki Jai!!!
Then I went to Lucknow to my other uncle's place. I like Luknow, it's clean, organised and nice looking. Specially the areas of Indira Nagar where my uncle lives & Gomti Nagar etc. It does looks like a nice metro. I love to visit it but can't stay there, i guess its because of people with old mentality and all that. Also I guess people & government are the reason taht a nice place like Lucknow is not turning into another hot-spot for IT & MNCs like Gurgaon, Banagalore, Hyderabad or Pune. But i would still say that it does seems safer & cleaner & nicer than Delhi. Delhi might be the most unsafe place with the rising crime in the city. But still, Dilli is Dilli, Dilli hai Dil waalon ki...
Yeah, I came back to Delhi after Lucknow trip. Getting a reservation was not easy again. I tried the reservation online & got RAC in BSB Delhi Spl somehow. I like the online reservation system of Indian Railways, its pretty cool and it does works. However I was not able to get a seat inspite of my RAC. I was told on inquiry that the reservation got confirmed but there was no chart on platform or the train. The train came late by 3 hours without information & the TTE did not know anything about seats. He must have sold the seats & filled his own pockets. I travelled sitting on a seat next to the door in this cold winter all night. But again I fell asleep, sleeping adventure... LOL. The train arrived late by 4 hrs next day. Few things never change I guess!!!
Anyways, coming back to home was a great relief. Delhi always feels like HOME sweet home. & It's cool that you can catch Metro from Both Old & New Delhi Rly Stn to your destination. Few things are changing, for good. Delhi weather is getting cold, lets see how it goes. FYI, I installed Airtel Digital TV and seems to be working pretty good for now. I saw Transporter-3 today, okay movie. Lots of action & stuff & Jason is pretty good. I am also looking forward to see RNBDJ very soon. Not much to do anyways as I still don't have work yet...
Alright boys n girls and dear friends, that's it for now. This one's a HUUUUUUUUGE blog, my biggest (blog entry) I guess. So really have to thank you for reading it (till here!!). I tried my best to keep it small (and this was the result, either i didn't try well or my best needs to be better) but then it would have been what I told all my friends earlier,"It was a gr8 fun village-trip however tiring too"... that's it, lol. Please keep blogging & keep reading my blogs (please COMMENT to let me know of your views too). This is RAHUL again saying, Good Bye & Good Luck!!!!!
My own village is located in Distt Ambedkarnagar of Uttar Pradesh (UP). My uncles & aunts, my grandma and some other relatives live there and around. It's a small place which is around 60 KM east from Ayodhya (A holy place in Faizabad where Lord Rama was born) and 7 KM west from Akbarpur. Our whole area is known as Shravan-Kshetra of Awadh-Prant. The local language is Awadhi, the language of Ram-charit-manas of Tulasidas. My 'NANIHAAL' (my mom's parent's village) is in Sultanpur Distt. I had plans to go to Nanihaal first as their was my cousins marriage. And then I was planing to go to my own village from there.
I was not getting a confirmed reservation in a train to get to my village. I was trying like a week in advance but there was no confirmed reservation available in Sleeper, AC, Chair-car or anything. And it's close to hell traveling in Indian railways without reservation (could be hell with reservation too though). I guess the rush was because of Bakreed coming in the same week. Later I even tried TATKAL reservation but that was full too. TATKAL is a emergency kinda reserved quota of seats in Indian railway which just opens 5 days before the travel date & you have to pay 150 extra for sleeper & 300 for AC. Also to let people know, you cannot officially board a train unless you have a confirmed reservation or atleast RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation). However you might board a train in India with waiting or even without a ticket if you have the green-ticket (Money-Money!!!). I tried to check online reservation in Flight and it showed the fare as just Rs 125 + TAX. I was so happy that this is what I needed, just Rs 125 & awesome journey through plane. So I decided to check the complete fare with tax; it was just Rs 4375. Yep, the tax was freaking Rs 4250, WTF!!
So I decided to board a bus till Lucknow from Delhi & then take a bus further to Sulatnpur & village from there. The buses to UP run from Anand Vihar ISBT Bus Station. I heard there is an AC bus to Lucknow and I wanted to get that. But I was late as per my habit and I missed it, it runs around 10pm. So I had to board an ordinary UP Roadways bus at 12 in night. It's a 12-14 hrs journey with some stops every 3-4 hours for people comfort. I got seat in the last row of bus (as you might know how much a bus rocks at the back, and i mean rocks in a bad sense) in the cold winter of New Delhi, where the roadways bus' window hardly close. With in 5 mins I was feeling that I am in hell and I am gonna regret it really-really BAD.
I was wearing my Track-Suit I bought in US. It's really well insulated to wind & pretty warm too. I used to wear it in sub-zero weather of US and it used to work great; it worked great here in the bus too. I had 4 stinking (not really, but they did look like that) guys sitting around me and a old Mullaji sitting besides me who was leaning over me every time falling asleep. If it was some pretty girl, I could let my shoulder stay steady all night for her support, but damn a second for the old man. How could he sleep in this kinda bus and that too on my shoulder. Then the bus stopped in some time, it turns out that we have just covered 20-30 KMs in one hour. The drivers & conductors of the bus get free food at these roadside dhabas (desi restaurants) as they are bringing customers to them in buses. I was feeling more and more doomed.
We got in bus again and I somehow I started feeling sleepy this time. I didn't realize when I fell asleep and by the time I woke up it was morning. I didn't feel as bad as I was thinking, more than half the time was spent without much trouble. Mullaji was off the bus and I had enough space to sit comfortably. I had a tea at the next stop, stretched my self a bit & was ready. I got in the bus & fell asleep again. I don't sleep that much on flights but it was working well in the bus somehow. I was in Lucknow by 1pm (13 hours journey) and most of the journey was spent sleeping, it really wasn't that bad. More like an adventure, which i enjoyed sleeping. Then I boarded a bus to Sultanpur from Lucknow and then to my Nanihaal from there. Also the buses aren't that bad anymore, They have cushioned seats which are not push-back but still okay. Roads also have improved so the ride isn't that bad either. Things are getting better...
I was at my nanihaal by 7 in evening. My Nana-Nani (mom's dad & mom) and Mama (mom's brother) were really excited and very happy to see me. It was a cool surprise for them to see me. There were many other relatives there due to the occasion of marriage. All of them were glad to see me after so long and so was I. I enjoyed the marriage food and slept all night. Next day woke up little late and then met all my relatives there. Everyone was asking 2 things, my experience in US & plans of marriage. I was able to answer first but was speechless to second. The answer has been same for years,'I am not ready, I would like to wait few years'. I don't know why relatives are sooooo interested in getting us married, they must be getting some commission or something out of it. Specially the grandparents are always more interested than even parents in getting there eligible grand children married. the line is,'We want to see you married and settled before we die, we want to see your bride and possibly children too'. Why, why should I do something like this just for their wishes and pleasure. They and all the relatives try to torture you to get married, its painful and FUN!!!!
Also, a cow had given birth to a calf on the same day and I got to eat fresh 'Inri'. When a cow gives birth, for the first few days the milk is kinda stuffy and thick. If you boil it, it curdles itself and turns into kinda paneer (cottage or farmer cheese). Sugar is added to make it sweet and it tastes pretty good. The new born calf starts standing & walking in few mins after he's born, they jump a lot though. I also tried my hands on milking a cow, I have done it earlier too and I am okay at it. I wonder who was the first guy that look at a cow and said," I think that I'll drink whatever comes out of those things when I squeeze them?", sick people LOL. Also I wandered in woods near the village and also the fields & farms. I'll put all the pics up soon, got some pretty cool ones. (link to pics I hv uploaded on Orkut: http://www.orkut.co.in/ExternalAlbum.aspx?uid=14373366021617571617&aid=1229595165)
I went to my village from there. Met my uncles & relatives. It was fun hearing them praise me & feel proud of me . They might be jealous inside, i mean you never know but it was still fun. I hope they really are proud of me though, I have been good and done good. Best is yet to come. I saw my beautiful fields & farms, the canal near my farms, the railway line crossing in between my village; everything was fun & filled with memories. We used to climb & jump from trees to play different games, run in canal, take the cattle to field for grazing grass... lots of memories.
There was SHRAVAN-KSHETRA Mela (Fair) on Dec 12th which happens once a year for 3 days, I went there to. It was kinda stupid and totally village-ish but fun. There were small & big jhoolas (rides), lots of CHAAT & sweets (filled with oil & fat but YUMMY!!!) to eat and different kinds of stupid stuff selling all around (starting form house hold item, to clothes, to utensils to gifts, almost everything). Also there were magic shows & 'maut ka kuan' kinda stuff which is gr8 FUN. I enjoyed the mela with my cousins and then went to SHIV BABA. It's a holy auspicious place in our area which is very famous, I do visit it almost all the time when I go to my village. Shiv-bab ki Jai!!!
Then I went to Lucknow to my other uncle's place. I like Luknow, it's clean, organised and nice looking. Specially the areas of Indira Nagar where my uncle lives & Gomti Nagar etc. It does looks like a nice metro. I love to visit it but can't stay there, i guess its because of people with old mentality and all that. Also I guess people & government are the reason taht a nice place like Lucknow is not turning into another hot-spot for IT & MNCs like Gurgaon, Banagalore, Hyderabad or Pune. But i would still say that it does seems safer & cleaner & nicer than Delhi. Delhi might be the most unsafe place with the rising crime in the city. But still, Dilli is Dilli, Dilli hai Dil waalon ki...
Yeah, I came back to Delhi after Lucknow trip. Getting a reservation was not easy again. I tried the reservation online & got RAC in BSB Delhi Spl somehow. I like the online reservation system of Indian Railways, its pretty cool and it does works. However I was not able to get a seat inspite of my RAC. I was told on inquiry that the reservation got confirmed but there was no chart on platform or the train. The train came late by 3 hours without information & the TTE did not know anything about seats. He must have sold the seats & filled his own pockets. I travelled sitting on a seat next to the door in this cold winter all night. But again I fell asleep, sleeping adventure... LOL. The train arrived late by 4 hrs next day. Few things never change I guess!!!
Anyways, coming back to home was a great relief. Delhi always feels like HOME sweet home. & It's cool that you can catch Metro from Both Old & New Delhi Rly Stn to your destination. Few things are changing, for good. Delhi weather is getting cold, lets see how it goes. FYI, I installed Airtel Digital TV and seems to be working pretty good for now. I saw Transporter-3 today, okay movie. Lots of action & stuff & Jason is pretty good. I am also looking forward to see RNBDJ very soon. Not much to do anyways as I still don't have work yet...
Alright boys n girls and dear friends, that's it for now. This one's a HUUUUUUUUGE blog, my biggest (blog entry) I guess. So really have to thank you for reading it (till here!!). I tried my best to keep it small (and this was the result, either i didn't try well or my best needs to be better) but then it would have been what I told all my friends earlier,"It was a gr8 fun village-trip however tiring too"... that's it, lol. Please keep blogging & keep reading my blogs (please COMMENT to let me know of your views too). This is RAHUL again saying, Good Bye & Good Luck!!!!!
5 comments:
wow, thats a long comment (like my blogs)... thansk for visiting though guys!!
apologies for being late!!!but this experience is something which i would love to experience...kabhi chalte hain.
thanks for taking time to read this huge blog ;)
yeah, we should definitely go some time, will be FUN
I advise to you to look for a site, with articles on a theme interesting you.
Hi,
I begin on internet with a directory
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