Another face of
India:
On November 2016 we landed
at Ahmadabad airport for an ambitious journey through Rajasthan. The prospect of
walking along the Gujarat former capital city thrilled us because it was claimed
to be the model state ruled by the erstwhile Chief Minister and the present
Prime Minister. Quite contrary to our expectations the city was not different
from any North Indian city: dusty, crowded, unkempt streets, littered slums and
poverty stricken dwellers. My Hindi in tits and bits was more than enough to
locate a mediocre hotel, an eatery and back to the airport the next morning.
Twenty six people joined us flying from Chennai and together boarded an air-conditioned
bus for a seven day tour across the state of Rajasthan. Our first stop was the
only hill station in the state. Mount Abu situated at a distance of 235 kms
from Ahmadabad was about six hours drive of which one hour was on winding hill
road. When we reached the top at sunset we knew that some interesting places
were inaccessible. However the famous 11th century Dilwara Jain
temple with its intricate marble carvings and architecture opened its gates for
us. No belts, no leather bags or cameras were allowed inside the temple. An old
guide who spoke non-stop in Hindi went on elaborating the nook and corner of
the temple. Some Hindi speaking friends
among us were patient enough to explain some features. Marble stone was supple
for the artisans to make incredible shapes and marvelous designs everywhere.
The whole temple was deliberately hidden inside a huge fort like structure to
mislead the invaders. Thanks to the farsightedness of the builders the site was
very much there to give a visual treat to thousands of visitors everyday. Our
tour operator pacified us that there were no more places that would entertain
us and led us to the bus quickly because his destination was Udaipur where we
are to be lodged and fed. 
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