On the road: Three days, three states

On an impromptu invitation from friends to join them on a road trip from Mumbai to Ajmer, I find myself zipping along Highway No. 8. We travel through Gujarat, to Udaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur and back, in a little over three days. Truly, there is no better way of acquainting yourself with the culture of this vast land than by driving cross-country.

Changing landscapes and lifestyles outside our windows have us glued to the scenery as we race past the grimy outskirts of Mumbai to the Gulmohar-dotted outskirts of Ahmedabad, and on towards Udaipur.

The 246 kms from Ahmedabad to Udaipur is stark. Only cactus shrubs punctuate the barren land and garland the bare, brown hillocks. The hillocks increase in number and almost crowd us in before we enter the town that was made the capital of the Mewar kingdom after Emperor Akbar attacked Mewar’s erstwhile capital, Chittor, in1568. The hillocks give way to the Aravalli range that gave the new capital, Udaipur, a natural barrier, making it difficult for invaders to gain victory over Mewar. But, while the hills protected the Rajputs from enemies, we are unguarded against touts.

Shaking them off, we are lucky to zero in on a beautiful limestone structure, opposite lake Swaroop Sagar. The traditional ambience of the hotel, replete with arches, wall murals of Rajput valour, and brass urns, makes us sink into our beds feeling quite royal ourselves. Outside our room, we have a mango tree, laden with fruit and we stretch out our hands to pluck a few, for the sheer pleasure of doing so. After a luxurious night’s sleep, we hit the road again at the crack of dawn. Driving past the shimmering waters of lake Fateh Sagar, where young and old are seen taking early morning walks, is balm to our frayed Mumbai nerves as we head for Ajmer.

Dignity lost
Temples and forts are abound on our way to Ajmer, with hoards of villagers in vibrant finery on their way to shrines like Srinathji’s at Nathdwara. We stop at one of the most revered religious spots of the country — the tomb of the 13th century Sufi saint, Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti, where the poor and rich, ordinary folks and celebrities come to pray, believing that every wish from a pure heart is fulfilled if you pray here. But I find it impossible to communicate with the divine, surrounded as I am by touts and musclemen who bark orders at us like we are escaped convicts from Tihar jail. Dignity, equality before God, aesthetics — these are non-existent here and I wonder why devotees like film stars don’t use their celebrity status to bring some order here. Just like I wonder why Hindu bigots don’t clean up Mathura and Vrindavan, instead of baying for the blood of other communities. Shouldn’t religious centres be pristine, pure and clean?

Leaving behind Ajmer, once ruled by a Rajput, Prithviraj Chauhan, and then by the Delhi Sultanate, after Mohammad Ghori defeated Chauhan in battle, we head for Jodhpur.

Shopping in Jodhpur
Jodhpur is a welcome contrast to bustling Ajmer. We go past stone-clad homes to locate a heritage hotel, built in the 1930s. A quick round of the touristy shops opposite the Umaid Bhavan Palace sees our car dicky filling up with a painted wooden palna (a swinging cradle), ornate chests, a carved wooden mirror and even stylish Jodhpur pants.

Alas, since ours is a whistle-stop tour, the following noon sees our reluctant selves on the road again, heading back to aamchi Mumbai. On the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway, the dhaabas decorated with fairy lights and bustling with activity even at 2am. We enter Mumbai just as the sun rises from behind moth-eaten looking, denuded hills.

Back in my own bed, in my matchbox-sized flat, I fall into deep slumber, a montage of images morphing one into the other…three days, three states, highways, dhaabas, palaces, temples, dargahs…