Dwarka/Nathdwara
Aug 21st 2008
As I come to last leg of my pilgrimage that sees me based in Nathdwara, the past few days have been quite eventful. Having started from Dwarkadish when Janmashtami wasn’t that far, the celebrations hadn’t taken the boisterous route. Do temples/sacred places also go through different set of emotions? A place where one tries to connect with the Lord takes different form of appearances during the course of the day? If during a particular period the trickle has turned into a flood, then there are some that have been bereft of cacophony of voices. Well, the terror tidings may have effected a small turnout but there were occasions when the surge was huge as Lord Dwarkadish came face to face with the devotees. But still the refrain was the rush of the past was yet to be seen.
In the past the travel mode to Dwarka was through an early morning train from A’dabad. In 2000 and 2001, this mode was preferred. But that used to consume over 12 hrs and you were completely drained out. THis time round, the road route appears to be more appealing. In fact, the commute lasts close to 11hrs and there is something to cheer about by the time you reach the Lord Dwarkadish’s abode. The sea of humanity converging at the temple site, mirrored by the fact that it being a Sunday, the momentum had begun to build up towards the big celebrations. A new wave of enthusiasm envelopes the congregation - including those waiting in attendance to go inside and those who have come out blessed. THe temple crowd ensemble has a big representation of rural folks. A large women group is seen huddled together outside the precincts of the temple waiting for its chance. They are big in numbers yet not boisterous to a scale. Quite and subdued, a strong indicative of their state of contentment. AS they make their way in with another group trooping out, there is no escaping the fact that the sea behind the temple has seen its level rising consistently give the fact that there have been intermittent rains for the past fortnight. As I write this now, WITH just another two days to go for Janmashtami celebrations, the tiding of slow and steady would have given way to a frenzy mood in Dwarkadish. This is quite evident in Srinath, Nathdwara.
Other places to be explored in Dwarka are Byet Dwarka and Nageshwar. If possible, visit the OKHA beach. The bluish content has turned to muddy water but still the sight has something to cheer about. The Okha station may look to be a secluded spot with fewer arrivals and departures but then then this is a much-needed breathing space that stations in the metros need.
All in all, the Dwarka odyssey takes you through Surendranagar, Rajkot and Jamnagar - the pivotal points of State’s continuing momentum. And the places that would continue to draw interest from varied constituents.
Cell and the lady
The ride to Porbandar is tempered with an episode where a lady is in a babbling note for hrs together. On occasions she strains her vocal cords to get her point across when her talk is lost in the whirling movement of the vehicle. The ride mostly comprises of rural folks, all drawn from nearby belts. As the vehicle begins to move, with fewer seats to ccupy, the audience that listens to her in rapt attention is limited. But her extempore speech is not deterred by this fact and this conduct of hers is enough to believe that she may have taken a lesson or two while running for a panchayat seat. She speaks in a local dialect proving to be another hurdle for those who are tryig to get a drift. The strangest part of the talk episode is that she is the sole speaker and the audience not willing to mingle with her. Particularly the lady to whom she gives her mouthful has no idea that it is a two way street. For the next two hrs, I am awitness to a ferocious specie out to prove herself in the art of public speaking not even bothered to see the public willing to crosscheck her facts.
When the final destination comes and she exits there are others aswell who follow suit as her finesse to ramble on conversation for long has impressed them to a point where they would like to have more outings with her.
There were some queries that had not been settled even after her departure. What made her go on and on. Was she slighted by someone before she boarded the bus. Or entirely miffed at the way the life moves on. Suspense continued. But one thing was crystal clear. Something was bothering her . Later I figured out the sole culprit. It all boiled down to a cell. Had she been a cell freak, she wouldn’t have strained her vocal cords for such a longer duration. So what a cell can do to you and me. The transition to insanity begins from here.
The review has been done after having left Dwarka a fortnight ago.
With best wishes
Puneet Rajhans
Nathdwara
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.
