Day 15 April 30 MP

Continuing my journey through places without network.
Rode for over 11 hrs this day.

Today, I started from Bodh Gaya, Bihar. Traveled through  Uttar Pradesh  to reach Rewah in Madhya Pradesh.
Found a place to stay.
Since my mobile is out of order, no internet connection.
:) now not too bothered about it.
Hopefully, I can enter Maharashtra tomorrow.

From my journey today.
Relentless sun and not a tree to give any shade.
Tenzing and me, we both are all covered in red dust.

Till around noon the roads were okay. After that, the roads got difficult. And exciting too. :)



As I travel I realize again that  India is a poor country.
The main problem our people face is hunger.
There is nothing as painful and horrible as hunger.
I feel ashamed that our country has not made any strides in seeing that our people have even one square meal a day.
Politics are politricks.
These poor people are tricked into voting by giving them a gift of  a utensil or two. And they take that because their state of life is so bad.
And then, they are forgotten. Until the next elections come around.

Mothers are unable to breastfeed their young ones. They have no milk to give them. How can they, when they have no food to eat. Let alone nutritious food. :(
And if a family has a cow. Whatever milk they get from the cow, the child at home is denied that too. Because unless they can sell that milk, their livelihood is gone.

Human beings sleep alongside with cattle.

I had brought some candy to give to the children.
It saddened me to see that they have not seen a candy or toffee in their lives.
Their parents are so poor, they cannot even afford to get their children even a toffee.

The whole state of our land saddens me.
I am ashamed we sit in our comfortable zones and say hollow big words about the poor and down trodden.
Maybe we mean well. But it is not at all enough.
Anything we do, will not even touch the fringe of it.
Our brothers and sisters here are suffering. And, so are our children.

Tomorrow, weather and roads permitting, I might reach Nagpur.
I will be traveling through the heart of India. Through central Madhya Pradesh.
  

Day 14 April 29 - Bihar

Destiny had new plans. I rode Tenzing to Bodh Gaya. We reached here yesterday evening. 
The land of Gautama's Bodhi tree.
Spent some time in peace and tranquility, in contemplation of inner self. This place is charged with pure energy.
Unless destiny desires otherwise, I will be staying here today. 


After a bath, refreshed..  I set out to see the place I have been waiting  to visit.  To be in. 

Travelled to Gaya.
It is 12 km to Gaya.
Now, back at Bodh Gaya.

Since yesterday, problems with my mobile. So out of touch with my friends and well wishers, and the world. Unable to update.
Now back at Bodh Gaya.
Where Buddha sat in meditation for 50 weeks before he attained enlightenment.
It is a world heritage site.  It is under the military, and there are many security checks.

There is a Saraswathi temple too.

A day in peace.
Meditated for a long time.
Feeling an immense energy.
But, that has drained me too.
I turn in for the night.

As much as I liked Bodh Gaya.
I disliked the area that surrounded it. A lot of unscrupulous people, locals who exploit the visitors.
The food provided is not up to the mark. And charges are exorbitant.
Three times or more than what it  costs anywhere else.

Day 13 April 28

I ride on................

28 April at 16:38 Dhanbad

Abhi khane ka time hai... 

grin emoticon @Nilkamal Dhaaba, Pandayawra, Jharkhand
**(This is not Dhanbad.maybe google map error this time)

Day 12 April 27 Jharkhand.

More rain.
The loss of lives, and the pain and hardships of those affected by the earthquake saddens me.

Peter Hein's photo.

27 April at 01:35 · 

The journey opens up new paths of  travel. The 9 states I had planned to travel might become 11 states. The intuition of the traveller guides him more than the plan. Reaching Kolkata, the path of my travel may become more clear to travel the neighboring states too... 

The journey is not to reach the target but the target is the journey itself. .. Awaiting the destiny of my travel.

Today I had plans to pass through two places not in my original list. Jarkhand and Bihar. 

But heavy rains made travel impossible. 

Now. taking up some respite from the heavy rain in a 'dhaba' at West Bengal - Jarkhand border.

:) am still uncertain about where my journey will take me. I might have to stay here at this dhaba to night.  

To travel to a destination.  where travel is the goal. 

I wait for my destiny.

The rainbow after the rains...

Reached Safely nw@ Dhanbad-Jharkhand 
@Poddar Regency

I heard  tremors were felt at the place I had taken shelter awhile back.
. Where I took the earlier picture..
But thankfully, the people there are safe. 
If I hadn't taken the route to Dhanbad, I might have had to pitch my tent on the road.
I am now 160 km away in a safe zone.

I rest here tonight.
Jharkhand, carved out from the southern part of Bihar.,

Day 11 April 26 Kolkata Heavy rains

At Kolkata

Yesterday, got the sad news of the earthquake at Nepal.
Heavy rains here. Strong winds.

Last evening was spent with this group of friends.
Malayali group from Kolkata. These friends are part of forward literary movement I had a great evening of discussions on various subjects with them.

Day 10 April 25. Kolkata

Day 10 , Datdun Village, West Bengal smile emoticon

25 April at 13:11 

Mission Part 1 Completed smile emoticon like emoticon
Calcutta / Kolkata. 

At the Vidyasagar Setu, the second Hooghly Bridge

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The work for the original Howrah bridge (Rabindra Setu) had started in the year 1935. Built across the Hooghly river,  it was opened to the public in the year 1943 on February 3rd.

It was built to link Kolkata to the industrial town of Howrah. 

Howrah bridge
picture source itimes.

Today the Howrah Bridge, renamed Rabindra Setu, is still the main thoroughfare for vehicles crossing over to the twin city of Howrah and other destinations across the country. The rapid increase in vehicular traffic over the last five decades have made the bridge bear a burden many times its original capacity.

The construction of the second Hooghly bridge further downstream has somewhat lessened its load, but still the amount of traffic flowing to and fro is more than what it should ideally be. As such, the condition of this bridge is far from satisfactory. Traffic congestion during the peak hours, gaping holes on the road, the approach on both the banks and the sidewalk encroached by vagrants and hawkers are frequent occurences.

While the bridge cannot be closed totally and maintained as a heritage landmark, strict regulation of traffic and maintenance works should be given top priority. Alternate means of transport like the ferry services could be increased and bulk of the vehicular traffic re-directed to the new bridge, Vidyasagar Setu. It is to be noted that although the second bridge is fully open to traffic now, most people prefer to drive across the Howrah Bridge because Howrah station is practically just at the other end of the bridge. Moreover, the roads connecting the railway station to the new bridge is not at all suited for speedy communication. Unless the condition of this stretch of road is improved, traffic authorities will find it difficult to persuade drivers of public transport to change their routes and make a detour to reach the station.

An old picture of the old Howrah bridge.
Then, it was a 'pontoon' bridge. A bridge held up by boats. 

source: Kolkata information.com

Day 9, April 24

Today I am going to a village.






With a lot of good people.

They are living a life we have forgotten.
Simple living. In touch with the land.