Encounter with Pandit (Ride to garadiya mahadev)

A banker on week days and rider on weekends, that’s the introduction he has. But 6 days office a week does not really give scope for long rides, but you don’t really need long rides when In Kota Rajasthan, not at least for few months, there are lot of places to explore within a day and night.

How you plan to travel when time is limited? He had his own plan and it wasn't very creative one but worked very well for him. Chase the sun, explore places while chasing and find perfect place for sunset.

Enrout Garadia mahdev

Saturday was half day work and it was already 2.30, he did not have plan yet but one was coming soon. Till now, the plan was to take bike out of town. He already knew lot of places around that could be explored, direction had to be decided spontaneously, then he would decide how fast bike had to go to reach the destination for sunset. It was time and he needed to move.

Folded his last file, packed his calculator, pens, stapler, stamp few loose papers inside drawer, clicked shutdown button on desktop and walked into the cabin of his boss which was just beside his cubical. She was staring at one balance sheet, may be it was fraudulent case or she was too busy calculating this loan, he didn’t know and right now did not care either. He would have asked about it on any other day but not on Saturday at 2.30 pm.

“Mam its Saturday” he said with smile.

“Yah I know I can keep track of days” she replied without even looking at him.

“Mam sun is going down” came a bit firm voice.

Even that I realize, that’s what sun does daily, doesn’t it ?

Yah it does and …

“I already saw your system is off and it’s time to hit road”.  She said interrupting him (her chair was placed the way she could look at his computer through glass covered with blinds.)

But he had already started and couldn’t just be interrupted and not say the master punch that was just framed. Most of things he could let go, if it gets him what he was going to ask for. But not now, not his words, not his lines that had to be said, he had just come up with a line that would show his creativity, superiority and it would feed his pride, and once again it was time to impress with words. The lady was master of her work, she knew inside out of the job she was doing, and he had just joined it, she wasn’t easily impressed with anything and he couldn’t let it happen, so words had to get out, they had to reach her ears, they had to make her think. It makes his work easy, once impressed with his work and words she would let him go and do whatever he likes, even on weekdays if there is no work in office. And that’s what he wished for, not at cost of his work but he couldn’t just sit and work at cost of his alone time.

So he went on “ yah mam sun goes down and being a poet, a photographer, a learner and more of it a chained traveller    it’s my moral duty to chase the light, embrace it and watch it when darkness takes over. In process to become a brahmin of vedas in kaliyuga".

First time in whole conversation she looked up, put off her glasses passed a smile and said "get out of here you corrupt Brahmin of kaliyuga".

He knew it had worked, she was impressed by his lines once more, so it was time to turn back take his bag and hit the road.

He was about to close the door behind him when she said, “listen you blah blah blah baman (slang for brahmin) I have been keeping this wallpaper (the photo he had given her from last trip) for long need a new one and don’t come back on monday if don’t have one.”

He smiled and replied "let’s give you a wallpaper on Tuesday then, they chuckled and he left for his room".

All was ready, his regular stuff that had to be packed for every short ride were waiting on big wodden table. A knife, Cigerate pack, lighter, wallet with Rs 200 cash and without cards, some cash in bag and pocket. In case someone robs him. Kota wasn’t very safe and it does not hurt to be cautious.

It was already 3.30 before he could hit the road, still ample of time before sunset.

The city road which lead to  Dabi-chittorgarh road to Garadiya Mahadev wasn’t the one to be taken until and unless it was really important. Whole road was dug, few kg of dust fell on helmet with every 100 mt you passed. Hundreds of trucks used to pass from there. It took him one hour to cross a town which didn’t extend more than 5 km one side and his estimate was already in bad shape, before he could even hit NH76 leading to Dabi, or chittorgarh more notably. He always preferred to reach his destination one hour before sunset so that changing colors can be enjoyed. Nh76 was different story as compared to road that leads to it. Its broad beautiful highway, even if you were going at 90Km/hr you would feel slow and threatened by cars passing by. God bless you if it was a SUV passing close to you. The sound it makes and air it repels towards you can shivers even the deepest bone in your body. His bike wasn’t a heavy one but Yamaha FZ16, which looked heavy but it wasn't. 

One Toyota fortuner passed by and he decided not to go below 100Km/hr himself. There were two reasons for it,

First sun was going down and he still had to ride in jungle without road for 8 km which wiould take time

Second and lifesaving one was, if you go fast none will cross you and you won’t be thrown down the road, even if someone crossed the repulsion won’t be that strong.

Anyway going fast served him well ,and this was the day he recorded his fastest speed 118 km/hr on yamah FZ 16, at that speed  the bike was shaking a bit so was his heart.

Finally highway ended and pathway came, it was time to enjoy the serene beauty of nothing but barren jungle and yellow stones. If you were lucky you could spot few deers too.

THEY JUST PLAY AROUND

This road without road leads you to a dead end on bank of Chambal but you cant see it until reach to a temple almost hanging on stones looking down to river. From here Chambal is almost 100 ft down. The mighty river with greenish water takes almost U turn here and makes shape of a snake in wavy motion. On both sides were walls of yellow stones with lot of bushes and small trees on the bottom near river, lot of monkeys moving around and peacocks and few birds flying from top to bottom, lot of birds chirping but none of chirping one will be seen. Temple is nothing like huge ones you find but it blends beautifully with surrounding nature. He thought of a huge temple there and replacing the same with this small one where Shiva might reside one day. He always doubted sanctity of humongous concrete temples.

golden wall

He sat there on top looking down while yellow stone kept on changing color from dull yellow to shining golden with sunset, 

then came the moon with reflection in dark still water of Chambal. Only regret he had there was not having a good camera with wide lenses. But that ddnt mean he caouldn't capture the moment. He did in his phone, he carried it along with thought, he thought of writing a poem about this place, he knew what had to write but never got words to complete it. But that’s what he was now a days, leaving things unfinished to keep connection with past, to keep it all alive so that it all could be cherished one day. When he grows old and intelligent, gathers enough word to tell as beautiful stories as that place was. He always carried beauty from present for future, for those days which would not bright, the days which would need some motivation, some light from past, some rays from future. The poems he didn’t complete today will be completed tomorrow with thought of today, that will cheer him a bit.

.

when moon rises

Sun was almost going down and he could smell it, wind was singing in synergy with birds but chirp of birds was fading away while sound of wind was getting stronger, he could listen to universe making sound of damru (The sound universe makes resembles to sound of damru that shiva plays.), he was thinking of crocodiles swimming in river that looked nothing more than a emerald sheet protected by gold walls and a cover of lush green velvet between gold and emerald. It was perfect place for any animal in world, he thought of power this still water holds, the beauty of plain stones contained. 

How beautifully dangerous this river is, it urges you to jump in it, this river is like vishkanya of Chankya. You embrace it and don’t come back, Vishkanyas had poison chmabal has one of the highest density of crocodiles, they both are defined as beauty that can’t be rejected. He was thinking why Chambal isn’t  a holy river in country like india, where every river is worshiped, why people get scared of it, then the sound of one animal disturbed him, it was sound of priest asking him to leave from here before it’s too dark. 

It wasn’t safe there, wild animals could attack you.

Baba mahadev yaha kese aa base kashi aur kailash kam the kya?("baba how did Mahadev come here to reside, wasn’t Kashi and kailash enough for him "he asked to the priest)

Beta Mahdev to srvavyapi hai ham jaha basa dete wo bas jate hai ('Son, Mahadev is omnipresent, he will reside anywhere we want him to".)

He did not want to leave yet so thought of conversing with baba a bit, before they both leave.

He asked baba kuch der baithiye mai chhod dunga gaon tak. (Baba sit for some time, I will drop you to your village.)

Baba did not reply to dropping part but sat there.

Conversation started

He asked “have you ever been to kashi, since you are priest in Shiva temple, and that is one of the holiest city for shiva beleivers.

Pundit’s reply amazed him and he thought of asking more about Chmabal in anticipation of getting some fresh perspective about Chambal and whole region.

Pundit Replied “ Beta Pakhand ki umr hua karti thi , Sare jyotirling gaya sare dharmik sthal gaya sab dekh kar umr nikal gai tab gyan aya, mahadev yaha bhi hai mahadev waha bhi hai lekin wo mandiro me nahi rahte ab, kabhi rahte honge”.

 (Son I was in age of hypocrisy too, have been to all jyotirlings, many religious places, spent my life seeing it all then learnt, Mahadev is here too, mahadev is there too but he does not live in temples now, maybe he used to back then.)

He did not expect a word like pakhand while talking about kashi to a priest.

He asked again “ baba Chambal se log darte kyu hai “? (Baba why people are scared of Chambal)

Baba came up with one more reply to surprise him “Beta chmabal se darte hai tabhi Chambal sundar hai, yamuna  ganga ko pyar kia to dekho unka  kya hua?  ham to pyar me sab barbad kar dete hai. Wese Chambal se darte hai kyu ki Chambal darati hai, Shrap Hai, purane jamane me Chamravati bolte the, bahar ke log chmabal paar kar ke kabhi akrmaan nahi karte the. Tab ke jamane me baliya chadhai jati thi chmabal kinare par, fir unke chamde ko inki kinaro par sukhate the, bali ko Chambal me pravahit kar dete, kinare pathar hai jaldi garam hote aur chamda jaldi sukhta tha, bali chadhate to ghariyal ko bhojan mil jata aur wo insan ko nahi marte. In sab wajaho se chamabl hamare liye ashudh ho gayi aur bahar walo k liye darwani.  Nam chamravati pad gaya fir dar hi dar bas gaya. Wo nam hata to dkait aa gaye aur kitna dar chahiye, saikdo salo se to unhone dara rakha hai gharialo ke sath. Kal ko koi aura a jayega. Isme dharmik tark bhi hai vaigyanik bhi tumhe jo manna hai man lo.)

(Son people are scared of chmabal that’s why it is beautiful, they all loved Yamuna and ganga and now look at them What happened? we destroy everything we love. By the way people get scared of chmabl because Chambal scares them, It has curse, In old ages people used to call it Chamravati (Derived from skin) none from outside ever dared to cross chambal and attack. Back then people used to sacrifice animals on bank of Chambal and skin were dried on its bank while meat was offered to chmabal. Banks of river is of lime stone and sand stone so its gets very hot that dries leather very fast, while meat provided food for crocodiles and they did not attack humans. This gave her name of chamravati, that is why it became impure for us and scary for everyone. Once name became chamravati then only fear was left. Then name was changed and gradually dacoits came, after that they have been scaring people along with crocodiles. Something else will come tomorrow. It has both scientific and religious argument, accept whichever you want.)

Wese beta ab jungle se chale jao mai chalta hu (By the way son you should leave jungle now, I will be leaving), and priest left with a smile without accepting his offer of ride.

 More rides to follow..........................