On The Road With Ramona

Udaipur... An Awakening

I awoke happily, had a light breakfast and made my way towards Gangaur Ghat Road. I walked through the narrow and rather empty alleys and winding streets, admiring the little old buildings, shops and carts.

I was rather surprised at how friendly the locals were. Everyone smiled and said 'hello, how are you?'. People on bikes would wave, even rickshaw drivers passing by would smile and wave. I'm used to being thought of as a foreigner in India but this was different. None of them actually bothered me, followed me or pestered me to buy anything. There was no ulterior motive. They were just happy and being friendly. It suddenly occurred to me, perhaps I was jaded, that this was the warm and friendly India people speak of. The smiles that touch your heart. And that this is the essence of my India. It's too damn bad a few rotten apples have taken advantage of this good natured kindness of the general public bringing this beautiful and rich country to ruin, poverty and shame. Anyway, I decided to enjoy it, so I took full advantage of it, smiled, waved back and said hi!

I stopped at a street shop to buy me some water and chocolate. The shop keeper and a few old men sitting around were surprised to hear me speak in Hindi. They were fascinated, wanted to know where I was from and why I chose to learn Hindi. And they made their best efforts to ask me all of this in English. They refused to believe I was Indian, telling them I was from Mumbai didn't convince them either. Some ten minutes later, I blurted out a lie. I told them I was from Mumbai but then married a man in Jaipur, where we've been living for years. That seemed agreeable to them, they now understood why I speak Hindi. I smiled at the simplicity of it. Little did I know, I'd be using this little lie of convenience through out my trip - even answering the whereabouts of my husband at this moment, if he misses me, if he didn't have a problem with me traveling for a weekend without him, our children etc. This fantasy world of Rajasthan just stepped up a notch - and how!!!

After bidding them adieu, a few metres down, I saw this very pretty white kurta. I'd been looking for one so I walked into the little shop. The shop keeper turned out to be a sweet, chatty chap who is a devout Sai Baba follower and tells me of his excitement to make his 15th odd trip to Shirdi. I bought the kurta and a bangle, wished him well with an 'Om Sai Ram'. Delighted, he wished me a good trip and he pointed me in the direction of the Jagdish Temple.

Ah the Jagdish Temple. I walked in through the side entrance, was amazed at the carved structure, as I bowed down and prayed to the mini shrines on the four corners of the complex. I wanted to enter the main Temple but thought it best to check if women were allowed lest I offend anyone. The watchman told me (in broken English again) that I'm free to enter. The moment that followed, made Udaipur truly magical for me.

She stood there looking at me, skinny with a big smile, all of 7 years, wanting to take me in herself. Her name was Manisha. I introduced myself and she looked at my camera. I clicked a picture of us and showed it to her. She was so tickled! She held my hand and took me into the temple. Made me sit below a picture of Shiva and Parvati. There was a satsang going on, I felt blessed to be a part of it. Manisha went and got 2 sets of bells for us to contribute to the hymns. She said so much, I didn't understand everything. She fascinated me, amused me... I just wanted to hold her in my arms and hug her. And then, I burst into tears. I felt such a rush of love and care for her. I feared for her, wondered if she was safe, what her life is like, what her future would be like. Would she have opportunities? Would she get an education? How long before she'd be married off? Would she have the chance to bloom and blossom? I prayed hard to God to protect her, keep her spirit alive and happy, to never let the sparkle in her eyes fade. She looked at me. I didn't want her to see me crying. I opened my bag, took out my chocolate and gave it to her. I took out some money and made a donation from her and me. I smiled and said good bye.

I walked down the stairs of the main entrance to the Temple, made my way to the spectacular City Palace (again so impeccably maintained with a great audio guide and very helpful and friendly staff). From there I proceeded to Machla Magra, on top which is Sunset Point and the Karni Mata Temple. You can reach the top by cable car, known as 'Ropeway'. It's a gorgeous spot with a breathtaking view over the entire city of Udaipur. A perfect sunset to bring a fabulous day to an end.

As I went to bed that night, I thought of Manisha. Where she was sleeping, what she ate for dinner, how I could protect her, how I could help her and then I thought of all the countless number of children in this country, just like her. And I wanted to scream at my government, lash out at them for not doing their duty and serving our land and its countrymen. Population control and education are essential requirements that go hand in hand for any sort of progress. The day every Indian person stops accepting things as 'destiny', 'fate', 'bad luck', 'Gods'will' and starts to use basic logic to question, is the day things will change and the 'mighty' will fall. And they know that. The powerful Taliban knew that too, why else would they feel so threatened by a little girl?

Will things ever change? I don't know, no one does for sure. But I've realized that is not the question. The question is, can I make a change? How can I, in my capacity, make a difference? What can I do to help people? My search for the answer thus begins...