We were in Bhubaneswar (located near the east coast of India, close to the megalopolis of Kolkata formerly known as Calcutta) for only two days. Bhubaneswar is a medium sized city and is very different compared to the hurried, impolite bustle of Delhi. Anwar was here to meet with his business partners and so his meeting chewed up a lot of time. Nevertheless, we both managed to see different things in different ways.
Anwar went with his business partners to view some temples and caves in the area and I begged off, went to the hotel, rested and took a auto-rickshaw or tuc-tuc to find an art gallery set up by several colleges of art in the area. This was my first time ever in a tuc-tuc and so, just the ride to the gallery was a new and great to experience. The gallery was located in a converted house but was nevertheless very nice. I liked a piece showing two women wearing plain but colourful sarees. Unfortunately, the price 15000.00 Rupees (Rs) was a little too steep and the artist, when we finally found him on his cell, was unwilling to bargain. I left empty handed and hired another tuc-tuc to head back to the hotel. The cost for a 20 minute ride of something like 8 kilometres was Rs 70. I gave the driver Rs 100. One hundred Rupees amounts to $2.50 at current rates. I've paid more for rides at the CNE -- and they don't even take you anywhere!
I was absolutely tired, exhausted, tapped out, so, I went to the infinity pool and loitered. The water temperature was deliciously warm. After stepping out of the pool it took only ten minutes to get dry with the help of the all pervading heat. The hotel, Bhubaneswar Trident, was wonderful for the atmosphere and hospitality of all the staff.
This morning, Tuesday, September 22, 2009, we took a flight from Bhubaneswar to Delhi, then, from Delhi to the state capital of Kerala, the city of Kochi (Cochin). The changeover of the names of cities (Kolkata (was Calcutta), Mumbai (was Bombay), Kochi (was Cochin) is a part of a process which started with the Independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and is still spinning out.
The Independence movement, and this latest sign of seeking distance from the bad old days of the British Raj, are seen to be positive assertions of statehood; The British gave much to India that helps to make it the modern and cohesive state that it is today: English is chief amongst this list -- it is the lingua franca of the nation and the language spoken by the elites (politicians, scientists, literati, bureaucrats and the armed forces). It allows for the obvious exchange of ideas between otherwise disparate peoples and (by not having any association with any region or group) rises above the sectarianism which is still very present in India today; The railroad system which criss-crosses the nation helps to bind it together and is also a bequest of the British; And lastly, the system of national governance, that is, a democratically elected parliamentary system is also an influence left over from the days of the Raj.
But I digress.
Arrived in the south western state of Kerala today. Weather is hot, humid and hovers, even at midnight, around 30 celcius. The city, Cochin, is essentially built in a mangrove which must stretch the entire ten kilometres from the nearby coast of the Arabian Sea.
Travel advisor directed us to go to a little hole in the wall known as, Dal Roti (Desi Khanna). The owner, Ramesh, was present as the maitre d' and is a gregarious man filled with cheerful energy. The food was excellent!
The cab ride from the hotel cost us Rs 1200 (return) with a wait period for the taxi of 4 hours. Which brings me to this: Everyone here is on the take. Here's how things play out: we start with my wallet. The concierge orders us a cab, the cabbie will pay a certain amount to the concierge for the fare. On the way to the destination, the cab driver asks us to pay for the bridge tolls. As we are about to leave the restaurant, the cabbie says, 'I would like to eat also.' In other words, 'feed me!' So you hand over a few rupees towards the cab driver's dinner. Later, if you decide to go for a short walk, as we did, the cabbie may direct you to a handicraft emporium and on your way to the emporium as you are only 20 metres from the entrance, an auto-rickshaw driver says, jump into my rickshaw...if I drive you to the front door, I will get 100 rupees. Meanwhile, the cabbie is yakking about losing his 100 rupees from the emporium and on and on it goes. The guy in the emporium will try and sell you a 'real kashmiri silik' (sic) rug for 1000's of rupees more than it's worth, plus taxes, and shipping costs of only $150.00.
Tomorrow, I will relax at the hotel and maybe visit a gallery/cafe suggested by the owner or Dal Roti.
No comments:
Post a Comment