Day 4 - Jodhpur

As you go up the winding road, you wonder if you are in no man’s land. On the left, the barren land stretches to as far as the eye can comprehend. A few houses and a water tank break the monotony. But a look to the right takes your breath away. From inside the wall that borders the road rises the massive dome of the Umaid Bhavan Palace, one of the newest and the most beautiful palaces in India. Far away behind you, the majestic Meherangarh Fort towers above the blue houses of the old city. Welcome to Jodhpur!

Meherangarh fort takes your breath away. The massiveness and enormity of the fort walls become more evident as you climb up the fort. On the outer gate can be found, the marks of cannonballs that once bombarded this fort. Major portions of the fort are currently under renovation, but overall, the place is beautifully maintained. From up the fort you get a bird’s eye view of the beautiful blue houses of the old city to one side and the ugly structures of the modern city on the other. In the far distance, Umaid Bhavan rises up from Chittar Hill.

Our sightseeing in Jodhpur was aided by Pappu, an auto rickshaw driver who drove us around town. As with everywhere else, he was vociferous about where to shop and where not. We had just one day in Jodhpur, and our schedule was not helped by our train being late by more than 3 hours. Scheduled to arrive in Jaipur at 12:15, it finally turned up at 3:30 in the morning, and till the time, we sat shivering in the railway station. But more adventure was to come our way at night.

Jodhpur railway station is impressive. Deemed a model station, it is kept immaculately clean. At 10:00 PM, workers were hosing down the platform. Our train to Jaisalmer was on Platform 2, ready to depart at 11:00 PM. There were only two reserved coaches and the lights were off. Our coach was crammed with people. As I approached the door, a child yelled out: “Andar nahin jaa sakte. Darwaze pe sab log baithe hai (You can’t go in. People are sitting at the door)”. We headed for the other side, where the situation was the same.

Inside, confusion reigned, thanks to the newly installed side middle berths. Seat numbers had completely changed and nobody knew which was theirs. The most vociferous debate was for seat number 50, with two gentlemen claiming that the chart contained their name, neither of them willing to budge an inch. In the end it turned out that both of them were named Amrit Lal! Thankfully they were not of the same age.

The TTE was trying his best to evict the unreserved passengers from the coach – even resorting to holding up the train from leaving. Standing in his way were numerous army soldiers. “Bheed hai, aur kahin jagah nahin mili (It’s crowded. There’s nowhere else to go)”, was their excuse - A valid one except for the fact that they were travelling ticketless! To add to that crime, they were boasting about how they escaped being caught the various times they’ve travelled ticketless. These are the heroes who save our country.

Pic(k) of the Day:
Waiting for the next ride...