bls31
March 17th, 2013, 06:47 PM
Exactly one year to the date we are once again on the road driving to Dehradun. Last year it was the fog that we had to battle now it is the pot holes in he road, that had a short life of one year, and the usual Amm Admi in perpetual hurry: on foot, on cycle, in buses, in Santros, I 10s and of course the ramshackle 800s, the scooters, motorcycles not forgetting horse driven carts and the tractor trolleys.
Small shops in small towns, (Murad Nagar, Modi Nagar) that we pass, overflowing shops- the amm admi (Mango Man) buying and the amm admi selling
.
From Rurkee on to the Hardwar -Dehradun road, the preferred route from earlier forays, was a nightmare of driving, the earlier heady feeling of driving through forest now missing due the extensive falling trees to broaden the road and with all type of traffic, who seem to have found it lately, choking it.
At last Dehradun and we stop at the turn towards Balbir road, a the mandatory stop, to pick up Samosas and hot Jalabies from Agarwal Sweets.
We, I and Ranjeet arrive at 15 Balbir Road for my brother’s birthday the next day. Madhu, his daughter from UK is already there to organise the activities. Unfortunately Mridula the other daughter is shuttling between Bombay and Banglore for treatment and KV the son in Delhi with Knee trouble.
At the age of Ninety seven, my brother, though fail and bent has a target of hundred set for himself. Yoga in morning , a walk within in the house, watching TV, reading the Newspaper Headlines with his bad eyes: all activities regulated by the clock.
Though with a faded memory he does recalls and narrates incidents from past, some repeated more than once, even the punishments mated out for his peccadilloes from his childhood.
Saintly with an aura around him he looks overwhelmed for all the attention and adulation being shown during the Hawan ceremony.
Post Havan lunch scheduled for One PM: guests keep turning up till Three expecting to be served lunch and also two helpings of Sweets.; Indian punctuality!
Next day we drop at Kumar, it used to be Kumars, who is looking a bit desolate and lost not having reconciled to the loss of his wife, Ruby, ill prepared for running and managing the house .
Dilaram Bazaar, of yore, then known for a roadside establishment selling Samosa and Jaleebis has morphed in to a maze of Hotels, Malls and shops, catering to the Amm Admi, a veritable nightmare, spread on either sides of the road running to Rajpur and on to Mussoorie.
Every one seems in hurry with an urge to over take and go ahead, the cacophony of the medley from horns honking and beeping: where does one park , how does one do business a question remains un answered.
Ahead of the diversion Rajpur- Mussoorie Road suddenly and unexpectedly a short patch of peace and tranquillity with large bungalows and houses, surrounded by hundred year trees, on either side nesting in the foot of the Mussoorie hills.
At Rajpur one leg of the road climbs steeply through the town leading to the mule trail to Mussoorie. Back in 64 then a student of Class ten of Govt School, Saharan Pur I had traversed the same along with other students of the class on a trip to Dehradun.
On the corner where the other leg , the old Mussoorie road takes a sharp turn to left is a shop making Pakoras always crowed in the evening with customers from as far as Dehradun. I along with Jeet, my late wife, had also taken numerous evenings trips to savour the pakoras.
We turn left on the road , Zig Zaging on the old Mussoorie road with power steering is fun soon turning back to Dehradun to once more to merge
with the Chaos.
For our way back we decide to try the Mohand –Chutmal Pur road which proved to be a better option. As advised by Neeloo, on crossing the Canal at Rurkee we turn right and by travelling parallel to the canal by pass the town, a big relief from the chaos that is always there in the town.
Reaching the toll Road we feel a big relief from the drive, till now on the, single lane potholed, road. However it has it own perils: suddenly a motor cycles appears from the side or a tractor trolley from the opposite direction keeping one on tows.
Half- way we stop at the two shiny Glass and Steel Buildings standing side by side -Haldiram and Macdonals where the chef gets separated from the grain: the young moving to Macdonals and the not so young to Haldiram.
The Toll road has sounded the death knell of ‘Cheetal Grand’ which used to be the mandatory stop of the traffic from either side by taking the road far away from it.
It is the price of progress that some one has to pay for it . BLS31
Small shops in small towns, (Murad Nagar, Modi Nagar) that we pass, overflowing shops- the amm admi (Mango Man) buying and the amm admi selling
.
From Rurkee on to the Hardwar -Dehradun road, the preferred route from earlier forays, was a nightmare of driving, the earlier heady feeling of driving through forest now missing due the extensive falling trees to broaden the road and with all type of traffic, who seem to have found it lately, choking it.
At last Dehradun and we stop at the turn towards Balbir road, a the mandatory stop, to pick up Samosas and hot Jalabies from Agarwal Sweets.
We, I and Ranjeet arrive at 15 Balbir Road for my brother’s birthday the next day. Madhu, his daughter from UK is already there to organise the activities. Unfortunately Mridula the other daughter is shuttling between Bombay and Banglore for treatment and KV the son in Delhi with Knee trouble.
At the age of Ninety seven, my brother, though fail and bent has a target of hundred set for himself. Yoga in morning , a walk within in the house, watching TV, reading the Newspaper Headlines with his bad eyes: all activities regulated by the clock.
Though with a faded memory he does recalls and narrates incidents from past, some repeated more than once, even the punishments mated out for his peccadilloes from his childhood.
Saintly with an aura around him he looks overwhelmed for all the attention and adulation being shown during the Hawan ceremony.
Post Havan lunch scheduled for One PM: guests keep turning up till Three expecting to be served lunch and also two helpings of Sweets.; Indian punctuality!
Next day we drop at Kumar, it used to be Kumars, who is looking a bit desolate and lost not having reconciled to the loss of his wife, Ruby, ill prepared for running and managing the house .
Dilaram Bazaar, of yore, then known for a roadside establishment selling Samosa and Jaleebis has morphed in to a maze of Hotels, Malls and shops, catering to the Amm Admi, a veritable nightmare, spread on either sides of the road running to Rajpur and on to Mussoorie.
Every one seems in hurry with an urge to over take and go ahead, the cacophony of the medley from horns honking and beeping: where does one park , how does one do business a question remains un answered.
Ahead of the diversion Rajpur- Mussoorie Road suddenly and unexpectedly a short patch of peace and tranquillity with large bungalows and houses, surrounded by hundred year trees, on either side nesting in the foot of the Mussoorie hills.
At Rajpur one leg of the road climbs steeply through the town leading to the mule trail to Mussoorie. Back in 64 then a student of Class ten of Govt School, Saharan Pur I had traversed the same along with other students of the class on a trip to Dehradun.
On the corner where the other leg , the old Mussoorie road takes a sharp turn to left is a shop making Pakoras always crowed in the evening with customers from as far as Dehradun. I along with Jeet, my late wife, had also taken numerous evenings trips to savour the pakoras.
We turn left on the road , Zig Zaging on the old Mussoorie road with power steering is fun soon turning back to Dehradun to once more to merge
with the Chaos.
For our way back we decide to try the Mohand –Chutmal Pur road which proved to be a better option. As advised by Neeloo, on crossing the Canal at Rurkee we turn right and by travelling parallel to the canal by pass the town, a big relief from the chaos that is always there in the town.
Reaching the toll Road we feel a big relief from the drive, till now on the, single lane potholed, road. However it has it own perils: suddenly a motor cycles appears from the side or a tractor trolley from the opposite direction keeping one on tows.
Half- way we stop at the two shiny Glass and Steel Buildings standing side by side -Haldiram and Macdonals where the chef gets separated from the grain: the young moving to Macdonals and the not so young to Haldiram.
The Toll road has sounded the death knell of ‘Cheetal Grand’ which used to be the mandatory stop of the traffic from either side by taking the road far away from it.
It is the price of progress that some one has to pay for it . BLS31