Now today (23/10/05) on my onward journey from Bhubaneswar, it’s as usual a time for reflecting upon the events and happenings of the past one week which has been a different type of experience altogether but nothing of the sort to qualify as a truly memorable, unforgettable or simply splendid. However overall this trip does have everything to be noted as a successful and fruitful, one that certainly had its moments of joy, pleasure and surprising revelations and lastly one with an exceptional degree of coincidence when I bumped into Mr. Sharma at Bhubaneswar Railway Station just before boarding the train to New Delhi!
On day first after visiting the sun temple of Konark and a days’ visit to Puri, when I returned Bhubaneswar, I had this satisfying feeling that this was the best I can do to utilize my Sunday at BBSR when I don’t have much to do, officially.
Trip to Konark was great, Temple was really fascinating and truly deserves a full hearted applaud on every aspect of its architecture—site, plan, layout, design, transforming the idea into real form, the vividity in the expressions of stone carved sculptures depicting so many of the subjects provoking one’s imaginations to the wildest extremes as well as assuaging the outgoing nature and support from the king at that time. It again strengthens the thought that worship/ religion belief system has always been lot to do with physical pleasures and how so ever we deny this fact such ancient monuments stage the inextricably entwined nature of human physical desires and physiological needs that has always been there and will remain with us.
Puri, as I was expecting wasn’t able to register any long lasting imprint and I could not see any point of visiting the place again except for when I go insane and desire to be a part of very hugely crowded annual procession of ‘Rath Yatra’, when the place boasts of everything of maddening proportions with lakhs of hysteric so called believers for whom humanity is left a long way behind in the pretension of searching the GOD.
On Monday I met Mr. Peters, our Orissa State director who was an energetic and helpful person and tried his best to provide me with all sorts of support and made the required arrangements for it.
As Tuesday morning was decided to be the day to leave for field, I set out to explore BBSR on Monday evening. I visited Khandagiri and Udaigiri Caves, an ancient assemblage of rock cut caves with ornate pillars and motifs. It is UNESCO heritage site and I was not a disappointed, although I could not believe everything narrated by the thin and lean fellow who volunteered to be my guide for a meager sum of Rs 20.
Evening was interesting as the turn of events resulted in the meeting of an old School mate, ‘Ashish Khanduri’ after more than 10 years. It was interesting that even after so many years down the lane, both of us found each other relatively unchanged. I found him excited and enthusiastic and to be honest he was far more vocal than what I was expecting from what he used to be in school days. After playing that prank of me being ‘Gaurav Chaurasia’ he seemed to patch up all that embarrassments with more zeal and compassion than what it would have been initially, or so I perceived.
When we started off for Kendrapara, it was already 8 am, and when we finally reached at People For Animals (PFA) Kendrapara unit office, it was 3 pm and the journey was anything but normal. First, bus met with the empty diesel tank, then after switching buses and then on Motor bikes we met rains. Rain, as its been since July, has religiously followed me during all my trips/ journeys, here leaving me alone was not on the cloud’s agenda. I completely wet and so were my companions. Once we reached to the last point on the metalled road, I realized that walking in rain has its own pleasure when you are barefoot, 6 inches deep in the fine slippery mix of clay and water, flooding paddy fields along both sides and occasional sounds of cracking shells of snails (Pila) while crabs were too fast to escape any casualty that might incur as we tread that lonely path. I was wet, deep inside (you know what I mean) and changed quickly as we reached the medical office (PFA centre). Opening of my so called water proof bag revealed a horrible fact. All my belongings were actually in a flooded situation, as if my bag has been simulating a microcosm with lots of books and important papers/letters constituting the symbolic biodiversity as in the shape of texts and rest being the structural and functional component of the system.
When we sat down for food at around 1630 hrs, I found the home made simple basic food on the banana leaf very delicious and fulfilling. I experienced what I have never felt before. My belief that if there is something intoxicating, it’s the delicious food experienced a major boost here again. Finding the rural counterpart of what I have always known as urban Tomboy, impersonated by ‘Chhunnu’ was truly unprecedented. She was so indispensable for the functioning of PFA centre; I was reminded time and again all during my stay over there.
Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning passed mostly as the rains were unwilling to give way for us to visit either Rajnagar or Jamboo. However, on wednesday afternoon we could make our visit to Jamboo. We were 5 people on 2 iron horses (motor cycles). This outing from the sort of ‘house arrest’ to the profusely watered surroundings of the north-eastern district of Orissa came to me as a great relief. The roads were degrading and uniformly distributed small and big pot holes suggesting that at some point in time they too were metalled. Finally we reached Forest Range Office—Jamboo and met the forester posted there, ranger however was not available. Meeting turned out to be very casual and nothing interesting came out of it except the fact that department officials at Nandankanan zoo are getting some allowance while the one undertaking the risky sea patrolling (without much of training) at Gahirmatha are doing their job just out of dedication or plainly as a duty to adhere to the official orders. On our way back, we passed through a busy market place of a village that was bustling with people of all kinds as probably evening is the time to purchase necessary items and to exchange even more necessary individual thoughts/ideas (daily gossip in plain terms). Here I saw local fisherman selling crabs kept in aluminium utensils, this time with a lid on top. Another memorable sight was of the little girl with her smaller younger brother, who from somewhere carried Rs 10 note. Their appearance showed they were decrepitly poor and don’t have full clothes to cover them up, but this Rs10 in hand has given her enough strength and courage to order some snacks at local restaurant and then be seated comfortably on the bench, waiting to be served. Is this the sort of empowerment we envision for the poorest of the poor, when we talk about the financial security of the down trodden sections? The thought still lingers on…
On day first after visiting the sun temple of Konark and a days’ visit to Puri, when I returned Bhubaneswar, I had this satisfying feeling that this was the best I can do to utilize my Sunday at BBSR when I don’t have much to do, officially.
Trip to Konark was great, Temple was really fascinating and truly deserves a full hearted applaud on every aspect of its architecture—site, plan, layout, design, transforming the idea into real form, the vividity in the expressions of stone carved sculptures depicting so many of the subjects provoking one’s imaginations to the wildest extremes as well as assuaging the outgoing nature and support from the king at that time. It again strengthens the thought that worship/ religion belief system has always been lot to do with physical pleasures and how so ever we deny this fact such ancient monuments stage the inextricably entwined nature of human physical desires and physiological needs that has always been there and will remain with us.
Puri, as I was expecting wasn’t able to register any long lasting imprint and I could not see any point of visiting the place again except for when I go insane and desire to be a part of very hugely crowded annual procession of ‘Rath Yatra’, when the place boasts of everything of maddening proportions with lakhs of hysteric so called believers for whom humanity is left a long way behind in the pretension of searching the GOD.
On Monday I met Mr. Peters, our Orissa State director who was an energetic and helpful person and tried his best to provide me with all sorts of support and made the required arrangements for it.
As Tuesday morning was decided to be the day to leave for field, I set out to explore BBSR on Monday evening. I visited Khandagiri and Udaigiri Caves, an ancient assemblage of rock cut caves with ornate pillars and motifs. It is UNESCO heritage site and I was not a disappointed, although I could not believe everything narrated by the thin and lean fellow who volunteered to be my guide for a meager sum of Rs 20.
Evening was interesting as the turn of events resulted in the meeting of an old School mate, ‘Ashish Khanduri’ after more than 10 years. It was interesting that even after so many years down the lane, both of us found each other relatively unchanged. I found him excited and enthusiastic and to be honest he was far more vocal than what I was expecting from what he used to be in school days. After playing that prank of me being ‘Gaurav Chaurasia’ he seemed to patch up all that embarrassments with more zeal and compassion than what it would have been initially, or so I perceived.
When we started off for Kendrapara, it was already 8 am, and when we finally reached at People For Animals (PFA) Kendrapara unit office, it was 3 pm and the journey was anything but normal. First, bus met with the empty diesel tank, then after switching buses and then on Motor bikes we met rains. Rain, as its been since July, has religiously followed me during all my trips/ journeys, here leaving me alone was not on the cloud’s agenda. I completely wet and so were my companions. Once we reached to the last point on the metalled road, I realized that walking in rain has its own pleasure when you are barefoot, 6 inches deep in the fine slippery mix of clay and water, flooding paddy fields along both sides and occasional sounds of cracking shells of snails (Pila) while crabs were too fast to escape any casualty that might incur as we tread that lonely path. I was wet, deep inside (you know what I mean) and changed quickly as we reached the medical office (PFA centre). Opening of my so called water proof bag revealed a horrible fact. All my belongings were actually in a flooded situation, as if my bag has been simulating a microcosm with lots of books and important papers/letters constituting the symbolic biodiversity as in the shape of texts and rest being the structural and functional component of the system.
When we sat down for food at around 1630 hrs, I found the home made simple basic food on the banana leaf very delicious and fulfilling. I experienced what I have never felt before. My belief that if there is something intoxicating, it’s the delicious food experienced a major boost here again. Finding the rural counterpart of what I have always known as urban Tomboy, impersonated by ‘Chhunnu’ was truly unprecedented. She was so indispensable for the functioning of PFA centre; I was reminded time and again all during my stay over there.
Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning passed mostly as the rains were unwilling to give way for us to visit either Rajnagar or Jamboo. However, on wednesday afternoon we could make our visit to Jamboo. We were 5 people on 2 iron horses (motor cycles). This outing from the sort of ‘house arrest’ to the profusely watered surroundings of the north-eastern district of Orissa came to me as a great relief. The roads were degrading and uniformly distributed small and big pot holes suggesting that at some point in time they too were metalled. Finally we reached Forest Range Office—Jamboo and met the forester posted there, ranger however was not available. Meeting turned out to be very casual and nothing interesting came out of it except the fact that department officials at Nandankanan zoo are getting some allowance while the one undertaking the risky sea patrolling (without much of training) at Gahirmatha are doing their job just out of dedication or plainly as a duty to adhere to the official orders. On our way back, we passed through a busy market place of a village that was bustling with people of all kinds as probably evening is the time to purchase necessary items and to exchange even more necessary individual thoughts/ideas (daily gossip in plain terms). Here I saw local fisherman selling crabs kept in aluminium utensils, this time with a lid on top. Another memorable sight was of the little girl with her smaller younger brother, who from somewhere carried Rs 10 note. Their appearance showed they were decrepitly poor and don’t have full clothes to cover them up, but this Rs10 in hand has given her enough strength and courage to order some snacks at local restaurant and then be seated comfortably on the bench, waiting to be served. Is this the sort of empowerment we envision for the poorest of the poor, when we talk about the financial security of the down trodden sections? The thought still lingers on…
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