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Hereford Table Tennis Club | County Table Tennis Association | Coaching Association e-mail: jutle@btinternet.com |
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100
Mile Wye Raft Race on 29th, 30th, 31st May 1999
Day 1
I started to have my doubts about the raft race soon after starting at Hay, where the river was shallow causing us to get off the raft and carry it. This proved to be far more difficult than I imagined because when you all get off the raft, the raft starts moving and dragging you, and you have difficulty in getting on again- with your legs under water it is very difficult to run and keep up. I discovered that I had a further problem of not being able to breathe properly because my chest was constricted due to the life jacket on too tight. So I struggled on that day and we came into Hereford in 5 hours 16 min, covering 28 miles at 15th position. We finished during a thunderstorm! Munu and Mum were under the New bridge looking for us since 12.45 and we came in at about 3.30. On the whole we coped well as a team of 6 and 15th place is creditable, because the majority of rafts were 10 crew. The backup crew from Madley gave us hot soup and sausage rolls. We changed into dry clothing inside the minibus and went back to Madley to have a hot shower. Then we went to the base campsite at Huntsham where we were fed (I was starving and had 2 plates of chilli-con-carne, rice new potatoes, carrots and broccoli, followed by apple pie and custard), rested and retired for the night. We were also given burgers and onions for supper.
Day 2
The next morning I had cereal, followed by a full cooked breakfast (sausages, bacon, scrambled egg, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms and baked beans). Others could not believe how I put it all away and watched me open mouthed! We were then driven to Hereford to start the second leg. On the first day the starting order is decided at random, but then based on the positions you finish on the previous day, in reverse order, i.e. last position go first. So in reverse order I think we went in 17th (out of 32 competing). I'd been warned that this was the longest and the toughest day, but in reality I found it easier than the first (probably due to the fact that I could breathe properly, having loosened up the life jacket). We overtook some rafts, and the better ones were overtaking us, and there was lots of support from the river banks and bridges. But there was one raft that we overtook (8 man) called Sweaty Socks, which gave chase. We fought them off twice but they kept fighting back. We came to a set of 4 upright pillars and decided to take the left, and they were going for the right. Things were looking good as we almost got clean through, but then we caught a rock on the left. Our leader Nick shouted OFF, but as I got off I almost disappeared in the water, and had to cling on to the raft sideways and somehow managed to climb back on ( how I managed to hold onto my paddle and not lose my hat I don't know). We then discovered the other team ended up worse than us having gone into the pillars sideways. We then lost them for a few miles until we got stuck in the shallows further ahead. Our captain again shouted OFF, and I lost my footing as soon as I tried to stand, and again had trouble getting back on. The others were now giving chase. We paddled at a furious pace and again fought them off, but towards the end, with only a mile to go our strength gave out as they finally overtook us we could not respond. This helped us to achieve an excellent time of 6 hours 14 min over 42 miles.
One of our crew was totally exhausted and had to be helped off the raft and led back to the tent, as we finished at the campsite. Again we changed into dry clothing and went back to Madley for a shower, but we were all suffering now from "Rafters Backside", and aching everywhere. We used plenty of muscle rub ointments this evening. We found that all that racing paid off because we were now in 14th position.
Day 3
On the final day we raced all the way passing some, whilst others passed us. We again had a contest with another 8 man. We overtook them and fought off their challenge once, but were unable to contain them on the straight's. We didn't hit any rocks today and managed to avoid getting off the raft and made it to the finish line in 3 hours 37 min covering 30 miles to Chepstow. We got out 2 miles further down in the Army camp by Severn Bridge. Two of our crew appeared to be suffering as we walked back to our vehicles. One was shivering and walking a bit funny, the other said he hurt his back whilst lifting the raft out of the water. We changed and had soup, rolls, hot chocolate, cake, etc.
At the presentation later we thought we might have dropped a place or two, but managed to hold onto the 14th position, and we won the 6-man shield to receive a medal each. We went back to Madley to collect our things and to put all the stuff away, and I was dropped off home about 6 O'clock, mainly suffering from Rafters Backside, which is easing off now. So we did the 100 miles in a total time of 15 hours 7 min. The fastest was 11.5 hours, but 6 out the 10 I'm told are part of the Olympic squad.
Team and Raft position: Simon Probyn- front right (stroke man), Harry Jutle- front left, Alan Moore- middle right on day 1 then middle left, Kevin Barnes- middle left day 1 then middle right, Nick Wood (Captain and steersman)- rear right, and Eric Bohn rear left.
Version of the event by Harry Jutle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The day for the trip is not far away now. After many discussions and different plans myself and my 7 year old son Munmohan (Munu for short) are to fly out on Tuesday 12th October 1993. Originally I was planning to go round about this time last year accompanied by my parents. This plan had to be cancelled because of my father’s illness. Then myself and my sister Harjinder were planning to go in April ‘93, but this also was not to be because as the time came closer my sister said she could not afford to go - having just had a holiday in Greece on spur of the moment. After this I made plans to book the trip and declared that if somebody wanted to accompany me they can, but I am going.
I made enquiries about "THE FARE" and was quite shocked to find that agents were quoting about £475 on average for the popular airlines. My Sister-In-Law Jasminder inquired in Southall and said she has been quoted £415 with THAI AIRLINES - consequently I asked her to book the tickets giving her the dates for leaving to be between 12-14 October and the return to be between 15-17 November. She came back saying that we were to fly out on 12 October and return on 15 November. I booked my leave to 17 November and informed Munu’s school.
A week to go and I have not yet received the tickets. Jasminder has been popping into the agents office for the last few days and they keep fobbing her off by saying that they will be here any moment. Friday 8 October - Jasminder said the agent has just dropped the tickets off. She said the outgoing flight is on Tuesday at 0915 from Heathrow, and the return flight is on Wednesday 17 November instead of Monday 15 November. This news of return date is not good - as I have promised to play a Table Tennis match on that evening. Also I was hoping to recuperate before launching myself back into the NORMAL HUBBUB. I told her to keep the tickets as I will be seeing her on Monday evening. My Mother-In-Law who resides in India, is also there having flown in one and half weeks ago. She’s to travel with us.
Monday 11 October:
Having finished nights at work at 0815 this morning I slept till about 1pm. Popped into town later to collect travellers cheques and cash. On the way to the Abbey National Building society I heard a voice saying "Hello Harry". I turned around to find the voice owner to be Pauline Mace, and she had the car bonnet up with a bucket and a jug in her hand. She told me the radiator had leaked causing the car to heat up. Said she has poured in radweld and topped up with water and hopes the car will be ok (I did is well otherwise I might have to get my hands dirty). I went into the Building Society and came out to find she had left.
Munu and I left Hereford at about 6pm in my
car and arrived in Southall at 8.30pm at Jasminder’s-In-Laws. My sister
Harjinder and her husband arrived 10 minutes later to pass over a parcel, which
we were to take to my Uncle in India. Later Jasminder’s husband Tersaim
arrived. After dinner my sister left to return to Barking. I had to shuffle the
packing and give an allowance of one hand luggage to my Mother-In-Law. The
tickets were handed over and I discovered that the flight is at 10.15am, not
09.15am as I was told - Jasminder had looked at the return flight! ( and this
girl works for the Government). Went to sleep after that.
Tuesday 12/10
Up at 6.30am and left for Heathrow Airport at 7.50am. Tersaim is taking us in his car. Passengers are Jasminder, her 4 year old son, my Mother-In-Law, Munu and myself and off course the luggage (good job he has a Mercedes). Joined a long snaking queue for luggage check-in at 8.15am in Terminal 4 Thai Airlines. Interesting to see lots of people milling around and having a shock at discovering how long the queue is - its doubled in length in 15 minutes. Also seen people push in when others in the queue are too busy talking and not paying attention to keeping up. By 9.15am checked in ok, although all non-smoking seats are gone, have to settle for smokers area. The luggage was exact of 20Kg suitcase + 5Kg hand per person for the 3 tickets. Went upstairs and heard the call for boarding, so said our goodbyes to Tersaim, Jasminder and Govinder (the 4 year old), and went in for passport checks (had to show my old passport as well so it’s a good job Gurmit told me to take it along), then another long queue for security checks. Passing these obstacles we reached a lounge. From here popped into a duty free shop and bought 1.5 litre of Whiskey and 1.5 litre of Bacardi rum - had to show my boarding pass at the checkout. Then a big trek to gate 31 for Thai aeroplane. Boarded at 10.00am and the plane eventually took off at 11.15am. Time difference is +5.5 hours in India, so its 4.45pm there.
Munu fascinated by everything, i.e. being aboard the plane, up in the clouds, watching Jungle Book, listening to the radio on headphones, etc. We also played games such as chess, snakes and ladders, ludo on the compendium I had brought along. Munu and Mother-In-Law had vegetarian meals, whilst I had a chicken dish. The vegetarian meals must have been booked by Jasminder upon purchasing the airline tickets, because I had not ordered them. Munu did eventually fall asleep. Mother-In-Law amazed at seeing my maps of India and impressed, although they are now 12 years old. Plane landed at about 11.30pm. Walking from the plane to the checkouts noticed a man lurching and a bit unsteady on his legs. He appeared to be totally under the influence of alcohol. An older man was trying to guide him onward with some difficulty.
Wednesday 13/10
At the passport checks it was a good thing that I had got a letter for Munu from the High Commission stating that he does not require a visa (since he has a British passport), because the passport officer wanted to see it. Mother-In-Law had already gone through before us. Now to recover our luggage. The revolving luggage platform is completely surrounded by people trying to spot their luggage. Recovered Mother-In-Law’s first. Ours came quite a while later. Now to Customs. I showed my pentax camera + lenses and stated that I was going to take it back with me on the return journey. He asked how much it was worth and I said I don’t know, and that I had bought it a while ago and even then it was second hand. He indicated that I can go and had not written the item on my passport. We headed towards the exit and the Mother-In-Law increased her speed and was gone in a flash - reminded me of someone dashing around a supermarket when they’ve won a competition to take as much stuff as they can within a time limit. There were still a fair number of people walking out so I did not rush as I also have Munu with me. After walking out into a corridor I could not see any sign of the her. I was a bit apprehensive as we carried on to the exit. She was waiting outside.
The time is now 1am as we wandered over towards the taxi rank, pushing our trolleys. Stopping near a pillar she said that it’s not safe to travel at night so we will wait here for daylight! She took out a thick sheet from her bag, laid it down on the pavement and we sat down to await dawn (WOW). All around us most people were asleep on the pavement, and all the chairs at the airport exit were taken. What an introduction to India!
Mother-In-Law said refreshments are available, and a lounge exists inside the building but she cannot recall the location. She tried asking one of the many policemen around who answered that he does not know of any. So I decided to do a bit of scouting. I walked along the front of the Air terminal building, all glass fronted and came to the conclusion that such a place cannot be on the ground floor, so proceeded up a dark staircase. I reached the next floor without any mishap and found a fairly big lively crowd gathered in the front of this part of the building- this is the departure terminal. There are some ticket booths here, unmanned, displaying tickets for Rs.10- I cannot read what they are for as I cannot read Hindi. The small door entrances to the building are manned by policemen. Walking along to the end of the block I discovered a stall for refreshments. Trying the staircase nearby I came downstairs to our place for the night. Mother-In-Law gave me Rs.50 to buy something (had to borrow as I do not have any Indian currency yet). For Rs.48 I was able to buy 2 cokes, 2 teas, 2 vegetable pasties and a large packet of crisps (known as chips here)- crisps were the dearest at Rs.14. Not bad for a quid!
Munu’s excitement began to abate round about 2.30am, and he was tired and consequently went to sleep. He was woke up an hour and quarter later when the Mother-In-Law declared that it was time to leave. Caught a local bus which arrived at the main bus terminal an hour later. Munu had slept the journey and had to be woken up once again. A Kuli was hired who carried 3 suitcases on his head and 3 large bags on his arms, weighing some 75 Kgs, to take the luggage to the appropriate bus stop for Chandigarh- our destination. The charge was Rs.60. I carried Munu and we had trouble keeping up with the Kuli. It took about 5 minutes. This bus terminal was certainly lively, like a budding market as the conductors shouted above each other vying for passengers.
There were a lot of buses leaving at frequent intervals, but Mother-In-Law wanted one that would take our luggage in the boot, where as all these buses carry the luggage on the roof. We were to catch the De-Luxe bus which according to the Mother-In-Law should be leaving at 5am, but were told that it leaves at 5.30. Whilst waiting I purchased more refreshments. Munu now was really suffering from lack of sleep - I had trouble trying to comfort him as I also had to look after our luggage whilst Mother-In-Law was making enquiries. Then Munu was sick and poured out everything he had consumed earlier - I don’t remember him eating carrots and peas!
The bus came at 5.15 and left at 5.30. Munu fell asleep as soon as he got to his seat and stayed that way until the end of the journey. In fact he does not even remember being on the bus. I dozed now and again. The bus arrived at our destination at 11am. Here we found Father-In-Law near a tea stall. He took us home in his Fiat Premier 1300 car, about 10 minutes journey. We met 2 of Mother-In-Law’s sisters who were staying here. Lila is about 40+ and unmarried, although rumour has it that she’s married to her job. Muni is the youngest aged about 30+ and has just had her fist baby.
After lunch Father-In-Law took myself and Munu around the town pointing out various locations and landmarks. We visited a mini-zoo where a few small animals and birds were kept. A few cages had monkeys in them and then we noticed that some small ones had discovered a way out. They climbed a lemon tree and collected handfuls of lemons. We were a bit close to the tree and one of the monkeys jumped onto Munu’s chest and quickly climbed another tree. We were a bit shocked by this and as Father-In-Law tried to frighten the culprit monkey, it glowered back and made threatening noises - it certainly wasn’t afraid. Then we drove around a bit more and returned home. Munu slept for the rest of the day and the night. I dozed a bit through the day, but slept soundly through the night.
Thursday 14/10
After breakfast Father-In-Law and I went to the local branch of Bank Of Baroda and opened a bank account (NRE). Deposited the £800 draft I had with me. Because I wanted to withdraw some local money I had to take the draft to the main branch, get it cleared, and return to the local branch. The exchange rate was Rs.47 to the Pound. Withdrew Rs.3000 and had a cheque book issued. This took most of the morning. After lunch we were taken to the "Rock Garden" where everything is made from waste material. The chap who designed this has won a prestigious award for it. The place is like a maize with winding trails and pathways. Unfortunately the water was turned off for some reason. There were also lots of models of different creatures and persons. Near the entrance there is a soft drinks bar where we had ice cold orange to drink. This was nice as the temperature was probably about 27 degrees centigrade. Unfortunately Munu was sick again. I had to carry him most of the way. Outside Munu wanted to buy most things from the pavement stalls. He eventually settled for a harmonica for Rs.10. I wanted to keep shopping to a minimum because I already have enough luggage to look after. We proceeded to the "Lakeside" then. Its nice scenery here - the big lake is framed by mountains in the distant. There is boating, snacks and fun fair rides for children, but most are closed as we are too early. Apparently this place comes alive from 6pm onwards. It’s now 4.45pm and we are feeling a bit tired so returned home.
Friday 15/10
Visited the Bank again to open a resident account and also withdrew Rs.1500. Went to Pinjore Gardens which has been used for many film locations. These gardens are on 7 levels. As we approached the entrance we noticed a camel ready for a ride and Munu volunteered enthusiastically. Afterwards we entered the gardens through a large entrance (after purchasing an entry ticket). There’s water flowing down the middle with pathways and gardens either side. The water flows into an impressive building which has steps leading down either side. At the bottom you discover the water flowing like a miniature waterfall as it drops some 15 feet to this level. Now the above pattern is repeated for the 7 levels. We only reached level 3 as Munu was still feeling lethargic and wanted to go back to the car. However his interest perked up as we discovered monkeys kept in cages on this level. He enjoyed feeding them bananas and we all had a good laugh as the monkeys displayed their acrobatic skills trying to hold onto the hard won bananas. When we returned home there was a man waiting outside the house. The In-Laws knew him and discovered that he had been waiting an hour. The sisters were visiting their brother’s residence not far away.
I’m a bit concerned about Munu’s appetite. He only seems to be living on mango juice. Mother-In-Law made chips for him which he ate with relish and had 3 platefulls.
Saturday 16/10
10am we left to visit the Wife’s Nan - Munu’s Great Nan. In the car there’s myself, Munu, Father-In-Law, Lila and the man who we met last evening. We headed into the Punjab. The man got off at Nawanshar, where he said he will catch a bus for the rest of his journey. The next stop was Jullunder and here Lila got off to catch a train to wherever (not familiar with the name). We arrived at our destination of Poonia late afternoon. Here Munu met his Great Nan, 3 aunties and 5 cousins. We also met the wife’s Uncle, who was in bed not feeling well. Munu started playing with the goat straight away and then mixed in fairly quickly with his cousins who showed him the rest of the animals - 2 oxen, 3 water buffaloes, and lots of dogs and puppies. Before nightfall he had all the kids screaming as he chased them with a frog in his hand. At night we slept on a thick mattress bed in a room, whilst all the household slept outside under the veranda in the typical Indian rope beds.
Sunday 17/10
Father-In-Law got me up at 6am and said he want’s to leave early. Munu and myself were ready by 7 and we did not leave until 9. I suppose just because he dresses up like a woman he expects us to be likewise (in the sense how long he takes to get ready). We do not have beards to tie up or long hair to place under turbans, or to use any perfumes, etc...
Munu wanted to stay longer, but Father-In-Law was in a hurry. He asked when we could return again and I had to tell him that its unlikely during the rest of this trip.
Our destination today is Mirpur - my Mother’s immediate younger sister. By looking at the road map I informed Father-In-Law the whereabouts of this village, but he does not trust my judgment. He stopped at a friend’s house at Banga to ask. The man was out and the lady didn’t know. As we continued through this town I asked Father-In-Law to stop somewhere so I could purchase small tubs of mango juice for Munu. He was not keen on stopping, but did in the end. I looked around but could not see the little drinks anywhere. As we were leaving the town Father-In-Law stopped by a fresh fruit juice extractor stall. Munu selected the pineapple and we ordered 2 glasses, Father-In-Law did not want any. When the glasses came Munu took one look and refused to drink it as some pulp was in there. I had to have both glasses.
At Nawanshar I spotted the drink tubs and bought 16 of them. Here Father-In-Law got me to ask some people about Mirpur - none knew. I then asked a military man (there are quite a few in the Punjab since the trouble with Sikh militants). He also does not know but recognised a place called Jadhla which is nearby, and indicated towards the place I was aiming for anyway. At the junction for Jadhla Mirpur is on the right, whereas Jadhla is on the left. We arrived at my Auntie’s at 1pm. How old she looked, hair all grey, and lots of wrinkles - I have not seen her for 12 years. Her second son Bilu is also there. After a cup of tea the Father-In-Law leaves for his homeward journey. She performs all her cooking on a paraffin stove and Munu was fascinated by this and also by seeing mice scurrying about. He tried to catch them.
My aunt is a sad woman, for her Husband was knocked off his bicycle and dumped and later died. Her eldest son (my age) has become an alcoholic since. Her next daughter is happily married, but the next 2 sons (Bilu and Soddi) are a lazy pair - in the sense of finding a job and also like their drink. She’s trying to find a match for her second daughter. Her youngest son (Jasvir) seems to be the only good apple. He’s working for his Brother-In-Law in the printing business in New Delhi and has learnt fast. His older brothers were also offered this job, but Bilu did not complete the training and Soddi only lasted 3 months. Now they do odd jobs in the village when they feel like it!
Soddi was away at a wedding. My Aunt worried about him when he hadn’t come home by dusk and went out looking for him. She had to give up. He returned later fully tanked up and was sick through most of the night.
There’s no toilet facilities here and my body was warning of signs of diarrhoea (I suspect the 2 glasses of pineapple juice to be the cause). I had to go to the fields twice, second time in pitch black. Munu had expressed an interest in going also, but soon changed his mind. I had go again in the morning.
Monday 18/10
Another thing that fascinated Munu was a rat box type trap he found in the room we were to sleep in. Auntie told him that a big rat visits at night and as yet he has not been caught. Munu literally spent hours playing with the trap, and hurting his hand in the process. Before bedtime he carefully baited the trap with fresh food and was determined to catch the rat. During the night the trap shut and the rat was caught - Bloody Noisy Thing! Auntie moved the trap outside and I could still hear the noise of the rat trying to escape. In the early hours of morning, while I was asleep Auntie said she had carried the trap to pond and released the trapped rat. She said she had visions of Munu handling the rat, so released it before he awoke. Munu was thrilled to find that his baited trap had actually caught the creature, but disappointed to find that it had been released.
I asked Auntie to accompany Munu and myself to a couple holy shrines I had to visit, but she declined the offer for 2 reasons. One was that she had never been to either place so would not be able to guide me, and the second was that she still has her 2 sons to look after. However she would accompany us to my place of birth and place us in the hands of Gurbax Ram who will be able to help us. He is the man my mother entrusted with looking after our original village house and property in the town.
We caught the 1pm bus to Nawanshar. I had to visit the toilets at this bus stand, before catching another bus to Garhshanker. Here we alighted near our town property of 4 shopfronts with very large garden at the back (approximately 50 by 20 metres). We had a look around and then proceeded to catch a bus to the village. The bus was empty at first but then became jam packed before leaving. Munu became upset by this and I had trouble consoling him because I also had to look after the 2 large bags with us. The journey was only 2.5 KM, but was horrendous due to the crowding, and we had trouble getting off having to squeeze out of the bus. How the conductor still managed to issue tickets and move about is beyond me.
We walked about 300 metres to reach Gurbax Ram’s residence and what a surprise he had (time is 3.15pm). It took him a few moments to recognise me. He showed us inside and made introductions with the rest of the family of wife + 3children (2 boys and a daughter). We then visited our house, a 2 story building, I suppose it would be classed as semi-detached. As one walks in through the centrally located door there is a hand water pump on the left screened by a 4 ft. high wall. In front beyond the courtyard (about 15 ft.) is a locked door. Here all our old belongings are kept. We proceeded up the stairs on the right and met the lodging family of a Nurse, her husband and 2 sons. She has lived here a long time and was single when I met her 12 years ago. The staircase is against a wall and ahead are the living quarters, a large room which serves as a lounge/dining/bedroom. The kitchen is opposite past the stairs and above the house entrance. We had a cup of tea and returned to Gurbax’s house.
As I still had a upset tummy, and there were no toilets here, Gurbax took me to a deserted wild outcrop, which I had to visit twice before bed. Later in the early part of the evening whilst Munu was playing with the village children blowing up crackers, and Auntie was seeing some old friends, and Gurbax was working in the fields as he had taken up farming, I walked along a trail I remembered where I used to play with my friends as children. I had to venture inside a sugarcane field to do my dirty deed, when the call was urgent. I returned just as it started to get dark.
Tuesday 19/10
Gurbax suggested we rest today so that he can round off his field work and tomorrow we will visit the first shrine. After breakfast I took Munu around the village, through the alleyways and showed him my ex-school. It looked like it was shut down as the state of it did not look impressive, but I found out later that it was still used. Gurbux’s eldest son Paala took Munu to town on his bicycle whilst Auntie and I walked there. Munu had enjoyed himself when we met him. We visited our property again and met 2 of the shopkeepers, who are brothers, and they bought us tea and a mango juice for Munu, which he was still living on. Auntie then caught a bus to return home and I took Munu for a walk towards the main bus stand which is further on. When we got, there you’ve guessed it, we visited the toilets. Munu said he wanted to go but was not impressed by their sight as they are the crouching type, and so did not use it. We had a drink at a stall and Munu became desperate for the use of the loos and this time was not very fussy at all (I wonder why!) and ended up using the one shown earlier. I then purchased a torch and a windup robot for Munu and returned back to the village. The robot although worked at the shop now did not - I can only assume that Munu in his excitement to show others had wound the spring too far. Watched T.V. to end the day.
Wednesday 20/10
At 9.30am today we left on 2 bicycles for Ramchaari, one of the shrines we had to visit. Gurbax on one and myself on the other with Munu sitting on the carrier at the back of my mode of transport. I was in the lead and cycling fast but not at full speed and Gurbax had trouble keeping up, so I dropped the pace slightly. We cycled for about an hour to reach our destination. We carried out our duties and took photographs. We had some tea and got ready to leave. Munu kept playing with the puppies and was reluctant to leave. He sat on the crossbar on the return journey and later admitted that his bum was hurting.
Thursday 21/10
We left at 6am this morning to catch a bus for our second shrine.
It was bitterly cold and dark this early. Munu wanted to sleep. Gurbax borrowed a spare bed to sit on from the household next to the bus stop. The bus came at 6.30 and took us to Una, via Nangal through a range of mountains. They looked so awesome and the change of scenery was lovely as we crested bend after bend and the valleys, zigzagging our way. This journey took 2 hours. Here we had to catch another bus which left just before 10am. The mountain range negotiated earlier was nothing compared to the ones we were on now. What a 2 ½ hours epic bus ride. I could not believe another bus behind us wanted to overtake and did at the smallest opportunity. Most of the bus drivers in India seem to be on a suicide mission, luckily our current one seems to be a calm one. The mountains were endless, as the bus kept going up and down and zigzagging winding its way forever onward. I could not keep count of the number of times the bus was passing a sheer drop on one side or the other. The driver stopped the bus for a break sometime where we had some cold soft drinks. Our bus trip ended at Shah Talai. From here we shared a taxi with a mother and son to take us to the steps of the shrine. It took about 10 minutes and cost us Rs.15. Last time I was here I had walked up this part of the trip carrying my 2 daughters, Jasvir on my shoulders and Anita in my arms (ages nearly 3 and 2).
Now we had lots of steps to climb, and a few beggars to pass. It wasn’t long before Munu wanted to be carried. It was lively here as we passed shopkeepers on both sides trying to allure customers either into buying or renting rooms for the night.There were a lot of steps we had to climb, all made from marble and most were inscribed with names of people who had paid for them. We stopped to rest about half way up after passing the shops. Here was a space made with a bench for such a purpose. Monkeys were roaming having no fear of the sheer drop on one side and a cliff continuing on the other. Shortly we continued to climb the steps again towards a bright building. This was the building in which we have to pay homage, which we will do later. So we continued on climbing yet more steps to reach another level. Here there’s a couple of food shops and a toy shop. We went up another 2 levels to reach the food hall where food is served free. We were given steel tray and a glass each. The tray was filled with rice and daal, and the glass with water. No spoons were given and Munu and myself found it awkward to eat with our fingers. At least Munu ate well. We then had to wash up our dishes and leave.
We then searched for a room for the night and after asking around we came back to the level of the food shops. In between is an entrance where the rooms and bedding can be booked. I had to leave a deposit of Rs.100 and promise to donate Rs.51 when checking out. We found our room at the next lower floor of this building, and after laying down the bedding on the concrete floor, we ventured out to explore the territory.
We went up 2 levels again, to the place where we had eaten earlier and looked at the models set in the alcoves. They appear to have a warm glow to them perhaps because of the bright colours. We took a few photographs and went lower. We followed another path past a restaurant and saw a colony of monkeys passing. We arrived at a dry fountain pool, and also climbed to the spot where Baba Balik Nath (the saint who discovered this place) placed his mark. Saw lots more monkeys roaming about. Then we returned towards our apartment. The toy shop was like a magnet pulling Munu in. He would not budge until I bought a machine gun for him. Then he wanted to return to the room and play with it. After a short while he said he was going to sleep. Gurbax and I explored a bit further and took more photographs at the lower level. Then we climbed more steps to the highest point where there were more decorated alcoves. We returned to find Munu fast asleep. We ate the packed lunch Gurbax had brought with him, and had some tea from the shop upstairs and later also retired to the "luxury beds".
Friday 22/10
We got up at 5am, and readied ourselves. Purchased "parshaad" from the shop, after having a very light breakfast and proceeded to the lower level (the big colourful building on the side of the mountain). We went inside and climbed up the stairs to the top where 2 men were sitting either side of the main idol. The parshaad was taken from us and returned after some had been removed into another container. I gave some money, as is the custom, and after our supplication (the act of touching the forehead at a holy place) we returned downstairs. We had to perform more supplications here at each idol or painting. Then we returned to our room. Packed away the bedding and checked it back in upstairs and started on the homeward journey - down the steps.
Caught a taxi at the bottom of the steps, which we shared with others and only paid Rs.10 this time. We caught the 7am bus out from Shah Talai. The driver stopped for breakfast at about 8.15, where we had some samosas and tea, costing Rs.10. The bus pulled into Una about 9.30. We are staying on as this bus is bound for Garhshanker. Myself and Munu got off to answer the call of nature, whilst Gurbax looked after our bags and seats. On our return he went and was away fairly long. When he did appear he said he had difficulty in finding the bus again. Then he noticed his watch was missing. He went in search of it retracing his steps. Meanwhile the driver returned to the bus and started it up. I explained the situation to the conductor, but after a minute the driver got impatient and moved the bus out. Quite a few passengers were shouting for him to stop and he did later upon reaching the exit. I wanted to go and find Gurbax, but could not chance leaving Munu alone. Some people were running for the bus, but Gurbax was not one of them. As these people climbed on the bus started to move again. Just then someone, who got on the bus at the same point as us, shouted that he could see Gurbax running - he had to board it whilst it was still moving. He had to give up on the watch although he still kept looking amongst our bags and the floor.
Gurbax was to receive another shock. He estimated that we should be home around noon, thinking the bus would travel on the same route as yesterday and planning the jobs he would carry out on his fields. But this bus was now on a different route as the places we were passing now were not familiar to me and I pointed this out to him. This bus was not going via Nangal, but via Mahal Pur. Gurbax was not a happy man for the rest of the day. He cursed the driver at every opportunity and kept thinking back to when we were at Una, that if he had known the return route would be different then we could have changed buses there. The bus pulled into the main terminal at Garhshanker at just after noon and the driver switched off the engine and went for a meal. I suggested walking to the next stop if he was in a hurry, but he was still withdrawn so we waited patiently for bus to continue its journey later. We had to catch another bus to the village and arrived home about 1.30pm. After lunch I visited him at the fields and he had calmed down a bit now and was not so moody anymore. Whilst here I saw a field of sugarcanes nearby and sampled some. Munu was not that impressed having to peel the very tough outer skin with the teeth first and then chewing on the centre to extract the sweet juice, and finally spitting out the remains. I loved it as I reminisced my childhood days of doing this.
Saturday 23/10
Visiting Banks today to sort out my parents deposit accounts, which expired in 1986. They came to do this before but only made it as far as New Delhi and returned to England a week later when my Father became ill. We went nt into Punjab National Bank at 1030 and asked if these accounts could be extended to mature in 1996 - Yes was the answer and the wheels were set in motion. We then proceeded to the State Bank of India. Jasminder’s Mother-In-Law had given me a draft to deposit here. Thinking that this would be really easy I had taken the job on as the account number was also quoted on the draft. How wrong I was. We were sent from counter to counter without anything being solved. They wanted to know what type of account it is and wanted to see the passbook. I could not supply this information as I had not been given it or the passbook. Eventually the first man I had seen took up my cause and promised to solve the mystery. He came back with the account number quoted and it was in somebody else’s name.
Time was moving on and I asked Gurbax to pop back into the other bank and to wait there for completion of the other task. The man behind the counter went off again to do his Sherlock Holmes bit and later came back with a triumphant smile. He took me behind the counter to a chap named Baldev Singh. This man knew Jasminder’s In-Laws and said he has handled their financial affairs before. He offered me a seat and tea, and I accepted both with thanks. He set the process moving to deposit the draft, and we had a chat whilst waiting for the process to complete. Gurbax popped in later to see how I was getting on and then returned to the other bank. The business was concluded about an hour later. Upon meeting Gurbax again I discovered that My Father’s account had been sorted out, but we have to return about the other one on the next working day. I was not thrilled by this because the next working day was Tuesday as Monday is a Bank Holiday. I still have another Bank to go to in Banga.
Later in the afternoon a chap by the name of Gian Chand came to see me claiming that he used to go to school with me. I do not remember him, and its little wonder after what 28 years. Anyway he carried on and when he revealed his age I figured that he must have known my younger brother Kuldip. He had joined the army after school and now is into the "Ratha Swami" religion. He said I should visit Bihar, where if you have a British passport you are assigned 2 butlers, and 1 for an Indian passport holder and they look after you whilst there. He said this place is vast and big crowds go there to listen and all are also fed. He reckons he never used to believe in religion, but has seen the light with this one.
Sunday 24/10
Munu is also beginning to get restless. When I told him of the jobs I still had to carry out he stated that he be dropped off at Chandigarh and then I could carry out all my tasks. After breakfast Munu and myself decided to pop into town and phone the In-Laws and tell them what has happened so far. On the phone Mother-In-Law suggested we spend the holidays with them and return here when the Banks open again. After finding out about transport, we returned to the village and laid out our plans. Gurbax and his family were a bit taken back by the sudden developments, but then started to prepare the dinner. Afterwards we cycled into town - myself, Munu and Paala on one, with me cycling, and Gurbax with the 2 bags on the other.
Caught the 3.15pm bus and the first few minutes were very difficult as the bus was crowded and we had to stand and I also had to look after the 2 large bags with us. After about 5 minutes Munu was offered a seat and sat down. I then managed to slowly squeeze the bags into the luggage carrier above the seats. Standing was a bit more bearable now, and about 10 minutes later the bus started to empty (was it something I said?), and I also managed to sit down alongside my son. The bus stopped at a refreshments bar later and we had some snacks, before continuing.
As we approached towards the end of this journey we passed a big crowd around a stadium. We managed to catch glimpses of giant models of Ravan and Sita, etc. Obviously this was a recreation of some historic scene and today "Desairaa" was being celebrated. We got off the bus about 5.30pm, and hired a rickshaw. This was Munu’s first rickshaw ride and he was fascinated by it. The rider took about 20 minutes and was paid the agreed Rs.10, when Father-In-Law found out he said we’ve been overcharged - it should have been Rs.8 (Oh well! I’ll try not to lose any sleep over Rs.2). I told the In-Laws about the crowd and they replied that they saw it earlier, because it gets too crowded in the evening. Oh well! That’s the Desairaa celebration over and done with. Munu had a good time in the bathroom anyway.
Monday 25/10
Its off to the zoo this morning, apparently it’s very large, and is reputed to compare well with the Delhi zoo for the type and variety of animals and grounds. Munu was very excited on the way and kept asking which animals would be there. His excitement was further increased by seeing big bill boards of different animals depicted at intervals along the road. As we neared the turnoff a policeman was there and asked us where we were going. After telling him he said it’s CLOSED because of the Bank Holiday. What a let down, especially for Munu. Father-In-Law then took us to a large Sikh Temple . Here we went through the process of buying parshaad, performing the act of supplication and eating some parshaad and lungar. There was writings on the walls about the origin of this temple in Punjabi, but I was unable to read it as Munu became impatient and wanted to leave.
Then Father-In-Law drove us miles into the hilly area to a place called Kisoli and showed us the plot of land he has purchased. It’s about 40 by 30 metres surrounded by a 6 foot brick wall, which he had to have built. He said the price of it has almost doubled. When asked if he ever intends to live here he said he does not know. He’s into buying and selling plots now. This one was off the road and there were others around showing signs of building work going on. Munu wasn’t interested and stayed in the car. We then returned home.
Later in the evening the In-Laws took us to an up-market shopping centre, where anything could be purchased if you had the money. All the shops, and there were a lot of them, were lit brightly with friendly staff. The In-Laws were looking at cookers and microwave ovens, Munu was looking at watches and toys, And I was just window shopping. There was a watch that Munu wanted, but I refused to buy it for him for a variety of reasons, one being that he cannot tell the time, another that he already possesses 2 watches and also this analogue watch had a price tag of Rs.395! We had ice cream from a shop with an open window, and after most us finished it we went into another shop. The In-Laws went in first as usual, followed by Munu and then me. Suddenly without a word Munu headed for the door and went outside. I followed apprehensively and discovered that he had seen a sign stating no food in the shop and because he was still eating his ice cream he left. The In-Laws were amazed and commented how sensible he was. I think they were also a bit surprised that he could read and understand what he had read.
As we carried on I noticed a sports shop across the road. Munu and the In-Laws were feeling a bit tired now so I said I would join them in a few minutes, whilst they headed towards a chap selling balloons. In the sports shop I asked if they had table tennis bats made by Butterfly. The assistant displayed 2 Butterfly and another one with good shot marking on the rubbers - the prices were amazing. The Butterfly ones were at Rs.85 and 95, the good shot one was for 130. I bought all 3 and some 3* table tennis balls as well, although these were not really at much of a bargain. I then rejoined the others and we headed back towards the car. Munu was sulking and when the Mother-In-Law found out the reason, that he was after a watch, she stated that she will buy one for him. She then took him to a watch stall on the pavement and asked which one he would like. He turned his nose up and I told her which one he was after and the price. She never mentioned the subject again. Off course Munu was really acting up now. I promised to buy him a watch of his choice from Delhi, but he would not calm down, so he got a clip around the ear-ole. The In-Laws were really looking worried now and I told them he will be okay in the morning. Munu overheard this and stated "No I won’t" angerly. Our return trip was a quite one. The In-Laws had to admit I was right because Munu was ok in the morning.
In the morning Father-In-Law and I had planned to visit the Punjab but this plan had to be shelved, because he had a phone call earlier from the relatives in Nagpur to say they are in the area and will be arriving here this evening or early in the morning. I could not leave especially as I was going to visit them later anyway (Nagpur is about halfway down the Country, near Bombay). We waited until 8pm and Father-In-Law decided that they must be coming in the morning so we had our dinner then. The guests arrived at 9pm and it was a "BIG" crowd.
There was my wife’s Aunt, her husband, their 3 sons, 2 wives of 2 of the sons and 2 little girls of the eldest couple. Also they had a lot of luggage. It’s amazing what you can fit in a Suzuki van!
Tuesday 26/10
Bored! Father-In-Law and the visitors went to see other relatives. I was invited along but Father-In-Law said I should stay. Munu played with Ceaser (In-Laws dog) most of the time and watched TV later. We did see an eagle land on top of a long pole (about 40 ft high) with a rat in its talons. Whilst it tried to eat 2 black crows attacked it, making the eagle flee. The crows ended up with the meal. I would like to have captured it on camera, but the time taken to fetch it would have been too late.
They all returned about 4 pm. We then went to the Rock Garden. I was disappointed to find the water was turned off again. Munu acting like a monkey was climbing everywhere and the oldest little girl (Mauni) was trying to copy him and being told off in the process by her Mother and Grandmother. The Mother got so worked up that she threatened to slap her younger Brother-In-Law (Jockey), because of his encouragement.
We then went to the Lakeside. The kids went on rides. The 2 little girls didn’t want to get off any. We sampled some of the local dishes and returned home.
Wednesday 27/10
Planned to leave for the Punjab at 7.30 am but left at 6.30 am instead. Munu stayed behind with his Nan. The Nagpur mob also left at 6.30 am to visit a Holy Temple at Dara Dun and then to travel onto Delhi. We had planned to meet at Delhi at my Uncle’s house Friday morning and then travel together to Agra and Nagpur. Their 2 oldest sons had taken the train to Nagpur the previous day.
We arrived at Banga at 8.30 am at Balbir’s house (Father-In-Law’s acquaintance), but were told by his good Lady that he had just left 5 minutes earlier to catch a bus to Jullunder. Father-In-Law decided to see if he can catch him and drove the car to and through the Bus stand honking his horn. He was not to be seen and we returned back to the residence. We had traditional Indian breakfast of prontais with mango pickle and mugs of tea. After this the good Lady accompanied us to the bank that I had some business with. It’s a good job that she did because I would not have found the bank easily, the town had grown so much in 12 years. She presented our case to the clerk (another Lady) and then informed us that it should take about an hour to sort out, after which she took her leave. My Father had deposited a fair amount of money in a fixed account which had matured in ‘91. I was just extending the date to ‘96, so that interest would not be lost. Received the document at 10.45.
We then drove to Garhshankar to continue the enquiry into extending my Mother’s fixed deposit account, which also matured in ‘91. They cannot trace the account and asked us to return later, whilst they looked into it. We had a glass of tea opposite our town property. Kishori Lal was the stall owner and chatted briefly. He also mentioned that he used to go to school with my older brother.
The village was the next stop. Told that Gurbax was at the fields, I borrowed a cycle to let him know that we were here. After meeting him he said he will be over shortly. Father-In-Law wants to see our house, so took him round and had tea with the occupiers. Later Gurbax arrived followed by another man who said he was Sugli. I remembered that name from my childhood - he was the eldest of 2 sons of a blind woman only a couple of doors away. We returned to Gurbax’s house and had yet more tea. We asked if Gurbax would accompany us to the town, because Father-In-Law wanted to see our property there and to have a chat with him. He said he will meet us there.
We went back to the bank and were told that the account was closed, so the only way to extend it is for my Mother to be present here. Saw the Manager and he gave us forms for my Mother to sign and send back, promising that afterwards the account will be extended. We then met Gurbax at our property. After having a look around Father-In-Law said we have to get rid of the tenants somehow. Courts are out - has to be through a minister. Said our goodbyes and returned to Chandigarh. Arrived about 4 pm. Munu had a good time, but was complaining of toothache.
Thursday 28/10
Plans had been made last night to catch the 8 or 9 am bus to Delhi this morning. Actually caught the 11.30 am De-Luxe with video. Mother-In-Law travelling with us also. Munu complaining of toothache. We visited a Medical shop and got tablets for him. We sat at the back with a man to my left next to the window. The bus pulled out and the conductor came through the bus checking/selling tickets. As he came towards the back the man next to me suddenly got up and rushed out to the front and sat next to someone else. Later he was thrown off the bus. I can only imagine that either he did not have enough money, or that perhaps he was a pickpocket. Anyway I had nothing missing and nobody else complained either. We stopped at a roadside cafe later, and had refreshments here. Some of the passengers amazed me. The bus was ready to go and started to pull out, but stopped when people complained that some passengers had not returned. After about a minute some had arrived. Then a woman got off, I thought perhaps to fetch someone, but later found that she went to the toilets as she had to chase the bus and only just made it before it rejoined the highway. A video film was played lasting the usual 3 hours which passed the time away arriving at Delhi at 5.15 pm.
Hired a Kuli to take the luggage to the 3-wheeler scooter taxis. The Mother-In-Law hired one to take her to the railway terminal, and we hired one to take us to my Uncle’s house. This was Munu’s first time on this vehicle and he loved it. This must be rush hour as there is heavy traffic. It really is amazing the way these vehicles whiz in and out. There is so much movement of people and vehicles that it reminds me of the programmes on ant colonies how everything is congested but still rushing about. I wonder if the eyes would ever tire of seeing this sort of scene. As we got nearer to our destination the driver had to keep asking the directions. I could not help as I was totally lost and also it was dark now. It took 30 minutes to cross a narrow bridge because of congestion and also because of peoples automatic reaction to fill any gap in order to gain even an inch.
We eventually found the dwelling at 6.45 pm and met my Aunt, her 2 sons (Mitu and Bitu) and her daughter (Kalwant). Uncle was still at work. Apparently he usually works till 9.00 pm and sometimes till 11.00 pm, 7 days a week! Munu’s toothache has been getting worse and a swelling is also quite visible now. Took him to the Dentist around the corner. He said he cannot deal with the filling until the swelling goes down. Paid Rs.10 for the check up and tablets. Uncle arrived about 9.30 pm.
Friday 29/10
I was expecting the Nagpur mob to arrive by 10 am and travel with them today. Took Munu to see the Dentist again - closed at 9, but was open at 9.30. The swelling, although reduced was still there and the Dentist gave enough tablets for a few days. At my Aunt’s insistence my Uncle stayed to meet the Nagpur mob. When they had not arrived by noon I suggested he should go to work because we don’t know when they will actually come - so he left. They arrived at 4.20 pm (Uncle and Jockey) saying that they had been ringing the number I gave them all day. Unfortunately that phone was out of order at the moment, which belongs to the people opposite. My Uncle does not have a phone.
After a cup of tea we left in the van and went to Nagpur mob’s relatives at Hari Nagar, a couple of miles away. After another cup of tea I was informed that the food programme is at Makan Singh’s place, and so the van was on the road again. We arrived at a factory in Kirti Nagar. This factory belongs to Makhan Singh and his son Pummi. We went upstairs and met our host in the office. We were offered soft drinks, and later snacks and whiskey. Munu had a tour of the factory - contains lathes for making, spare parts. I later visited the shop floor also and met Pummi again after 12 years. He hasn’t changed much. Later we proceeded to Makhan Singh’s house, situated at Rajouri Garden. All the streets have changed. I remember them as very clean, but now most places looked dirty and neglected. The house also has no atmosphere any more. I stayed here many weeks the last time.
After dinner I was asked as to when I would be coming to stay here, and also that we need to go to Anand Pur Sahib for Munu - NEWS TO ME!This is another one of the famous Sikh temples situated in the Northern part of India. I was told that it was Gurmit’s wish, she having uttered it the last time she was here. November the 6th was suggested. We travelled back to Hari Nagar and spent the night at some other relatives nearby.
Saturday 30/10
Up at 6am and left on our epic journey at 8am. We stopped at a Black Commando base 30 minutes later so Jockey could meet his friend. Whilst there we observed lots of black crows. There was one with a damaged wing. A dog cornered this one in a ditch and carried it away in its jaws. All the other crows made a lot of noise and were flapping about in a panic, but the dog ignored them. We left about 15 minutes later on the journey to Agra. We stopped at a roadside Hotel for breakfast at about 10.30 am and had spicy prontais stuffed with moolies and tea, before continuing with the journey. We arrived at our destination at 1pm at my Uncle’s eldest son’s In-Laws. We had lunch and rested. My Uncle planned to take us to see the Taj Mahal later in the evening.
Uncle, myself and Munu went to see the Taj Mahal, driving in the van. We got there in about 20 minutes. We joined a long queue to get in, with the tickets costing 3 Rs. each. Whilst in the queue we noticed some monkeys roaming around on the surrounding buildings. There was also a police presence there guiding the queue along. We entered through first one big entrance and then made it through the second after about 20 minutes. The sight was amazing.
There before us stood the world famous Taj Mahal. It was just like the postcards I had seen. I was slightly disappointed because I imagined it to be a lot bigger. I tried to get Munu to pose for a few photographs, but just for a change he was in a sulking mood again. Uncle kept repeating his opinion saying he could not understand why people want to see the Taj Mahal so much - its only stone! So between Munu and Uncle I was really enjoying myself. We slowly made our way to the building. On reaching the base we climbed steps to make our way to the entrance.
Upstairs we had to remove our shoes and walk barefoot. Uncle left us at this point and said he will be around. First we walked all around the monument. Munu kept on wanting to use the camera and finally wore down my resistance. After taking a couple of photographs, guess what! He dropped it. Anyway we finished walking all the way round and proceeded to go inside, following a queue. We had a choice of either to explore at this level or to follow most of the people down the steps leading into the building. We chose the latter. At the bottom is a large room with two tombs inside. One is larger than the other and both are made of marble with lots of patterns and inscriptions on them. The atmosphere is very oppressive, hot and closed, with people making whimpering sounds. We came out quickly. The place is also closing and so we now do not have the option of exploring this level. Uncle’s waiting for us as we came outside.
After retrieving our footwear we walked at a leisurely pace toward the water gardens. Here Munu and myself took more photographs - he was in a better mood at the moment- wonder how long it will last. As we were leaving, going through a huge gate I noticed a plaque set into the wall. It told of the reason for this monument. It was built as a monument for the queen after she died giving birth to her FOURTEENTH child.
On our return journey to our hosts we popped into a local market. Apparently shoes are very cheap here, costing about a quarter of the prices in Delhi. Unfortunately I did not discover this fact until too late. We then drove through another market street where Munu bought a multicoloured leather belt for Rs.15.
Back at our hosts house plans to leave at 5 am were changed at the insistence of Ranjit’s Brother-In-Laws (3 of them) wanting to take us all on a picnic tomorrow. Lots of meat dishes and drinks were served. Munu really tucked into the food, probably making up for the last few weeks.
Sunday 31/10
After breakfast we all went to Akbar’s palace at Fatipursikh. It took about an hour to drive there. The palace is situated on a hill. Pedestrian entrance was through a giant gate/archway, similar to the ones at the Taj Mahal. Here there are 2 of these, whilst there were 3 at the Taj Mahal. The doorway is about 25- 30 feet high with the arch about 100 feet high. Inside is a large courtyard with a few a small buildings inside. We went into the smartest one constructed from marble. This houses the tombs of Akbar and his wife). A guide told us that Akbar had 3 wives, a Muslim, a Hindu and I can’t remember the third one. It’s rumoured that wishes made here do come true. Inside was again very hot, oppressive and closed. Munu made a wish here. I don’t know if its come true or not. I wonder if he remembers what it was - I shall have to ask him.
One of Ranjit’s Brother-In-Law asked the guide where did Akbar go for the call of nature. The guide inquired why he wanted to know. He replied "because I need to go!". We did not hear the answer as we were in fits.
Leaving the tomb we passed a water garden. Some people were washing their faces and feet here. We carried on and went through another large gate. Here was large steps (about 2 X 2 feet) leading down to the approach road. After visiting the shops located to one side of the gate we went back out through the entrance.
Outside Munu spotted a snake charmer with a mongoose and a basket (probably containing snakes). We walked around the fort to discover how huge it is. I went alone down some steps and ended inside another courtyard. I really felt dwarfed with being surrounded by giant pillars and doorways. The place was very eerie and quiet, and gave the impression that I was intruding on a giants residence. There’s a sheer drop on two sides of the courtyard, with a magnificent view. I left then feeling a need to get out. I would like to have investigated every nook and cranny, but had to think of my responsibility to Munu.
I found Munu upstairs and he had been looking and calling for me. We then rejoined our party to have a picnic, of snacks, food and of course booze. There was a Muslim gentleman standing nearby for a long time. Later we discovered that he wanted the booze bottles when we had no further use for them. Before we left the place Uncle and I had a walk through the gardens. They were nicely looked after with neat hedgerows and lawns. It was again another courtyard with shelter all the way around. We could hear some singing and followed the sound through another gate at the far end.
A group of some 30 people were gathered here and appeared to be in a frenzy state of a religious song. They looked as if they belonged to the Hari Krishna band. They soon finished and climbed into a bus and drove off. We then wandered back to our party and left for home.
Later in the evening Jhoki took myself and Munu to the local market to try the "REAL THING"- coke. Then he took us to a fayre. It was very crowded and we had to purchase tickets to get in. Inside there were all sorts of rides and stalls. Munu had a ride on an elephant and a horse, after which we returned to our accommodation and went to bed. Most of the household was already asleep.
Monday 1/11
At 5am we started our journey to Nagpur. Our hosts being religious people debated whether to visit the Sikh Temple at Gwalior and decided against it, which they were to regret for the rest of the journey. The roads from here were very bad causing the van to go at a snail’s pace at many places. We crossed over a railway line and stopped to investigate a thumping noise coming from the roof of the van. Noticed that the roof rack carrier is collapsing. Tightened all the nuts and carried on. Had to stop again later as one leg of the carrier now free and unable to grip. The luggage was removed from the top and shoved into the van making the passengers very cramped indeed. About an hour later we stopped at the next settlement for repairs at a welders shop. The carrier underwent a major overhaul of straightening the brackets and welding on extra pieces to add strength. The repairs took an hour after which the carrier was refixed to the roof and reloaded. Then our journey continued.
Later (about 10am) we stopped at another settlement for breakfast. We had pakoras (vegetable bhajia), bread + jam and tea. We left about 30 minutes later. Further on we had to stop again as the rear passenger tyre burst. After changing it with the spare, and eating more bread + jam we continued once again. We arrived at a place called Sagar about 5pm. We visited a family here, the motive being to perhaps arrange a marriage between Lali’s brother and the girl living at this residence. We ended up leaving at about 6.45pm. There’s no daylight now. At about 9.30pm we stopped again at a roadside cafe to have a meal. The women and children all fast asleep and did not leave the van. After the meal it was onward again with our journey - seems to go on forever.
Tuesday 2/11
Johki and Uncle had shared the driving, but about 4am Uncle began to fall asleep at the wheel. Tried to wake Jhoki but to no avail. I offered to drive and Uncle seemed surprised, but then agreed after perhaps realising that Jhoki and himself could not drive anymore. I had difficulty negotiating 2nd gear as Jhoki’s leg/crotch was in the way. Also found that the brakes aren’t very efficient, only work when the brake pedal is fully pressed down to the floor. Its ironic that most of the vehicles here have a message advertised on the side advising to use dipped lights at night, yet everyone drives on full beam. Another habit is that they drive in the middle of the road and will not move to one side to give way. If there is an oncoming vehicle they just keep the horn pressed down and it is a battle of nerves as to who stays in the middle and who gives way. The trucks and buses do not give way. The policy seems to be the bigger the vehicle the pushier they are.
I did not join in this game and kept to the side whenever there was oncoming traffic. The only problem with this is that with the other vehicles driving on full beam you haven’t a cat in hell’s chance of seeing the road ahead, and thus to avoid potholes ( and these are big potholes!). You certainly know when you hit one, or two, or.. We later turned off this main road onto a narrower one. This road was much quieter, but even this caught me unawares. As we approached a settlement we suddenly heard a very loud bang from beneath the van. I was then told that I had just gone over a speed barrier (like a sleeping policeman). I tried to spot them from then onwards, but unfortunately by the time I did recognise them I could not slow the van down in time, (because of faulty brakes) unless I used the brakes as emergency. So we had a very noisy and bumpy ride.
Finally we reached our destination at 5.15am - a village called Sawri near Bhandara. We all went to bed. Awoke about 10.30am. Visited a social club in the evening and played badminton and table tennis. Munu’s asthma played up, due to running on the badminton court. He had to use his inhaler once we came back.
Wednesday 3/11
Munu visited the dentist with Jhoki. I went with Uncle to see various sites of his contracts. He is a contractor in the building trade and a very successful one. The buildings being constructed are multi story. It was strange seeing scaffolding made of long pieces of timber about 5 inches in diameter, and lashed together with rope.
Munu and Jhoki met us at one of these sites and then we went into Nagpur to visit Jasvir and Pummi, who are brothers and share the same Grandparents as Munu. Car journey took about 40 minutes, last part was very rough as the roads in and around Nagpur are in need of very bad repair, whole chunks of the road were missing at many places.
At the household Jasvir’s wife and children and Pummi’s wife greeted us. The menfolk were still at work. After a cup of tea Uncle decided to visit a few places. I went with him whilst Munu and Jhoki stayed behind to play with the children and their pet parrot. Whilst in town Uncle asked me try a local South Indian dish. It consisted of a plain doughnut (without sugar or jam), a white saucer shape about 3 inches in diameter made from rice, a sauce and yellow daal (a type of pulse). I tried it but did not like it. My stomach still feels funny every time I think of it.
After visiting a few places we returned to the household at about 5 pm to discover that Jhoki and Munu were not there. Apparently they left at 4.30 pm saying they would return in about 30 minutes. An hour later Jasvir phoned to say he’s on his way home. Jhoki and Munu arrived at 6.15 pm and explained that they had visited the zoo. Uncle getting impatient and decided to leave because he still had another visit to make for a motor winding he wanted. We all said our farewells and started off and stopped again half way down the street as Jasvir arrived in the opposite direction riding on a motorbike.
We returned to Jasvir’s house and Jhoki went to get the motor winding. We then had drinks, later followed by a meal. The chicken dishes were very tasty and Munu could not get enough of it. This was from a local hotel nearby. I had trouble eating though as my stomach was still upset from the afternoon speciality. On departing Jasvir promised to visit me at Uncle’s place on Friday, because I intended to leave on Saturday. Just then Pummi arrived. He’d been to Uncle’s house. He’d had problems with his Landrover which was still broken down. He said Bobby (Uncle’s youngest son) was also there, but now was on his way back to the College residence where he’s staying, whilst studying. Uncle decided to drive there so that we could meet him.
We arrived there about 10.30 pm to discover that he was not there yet. We then proceeded on to Sawri (Uncle’s village). About 11 pm we stopped as the traffic was at a standstill. We then discovered, through other people, that there’s been a bad accident ahead between a truck and a van. The van driver had to be cut out after loosing a foot. We arrived home about midnight.
Thursday 4/11
Looks like a day with Aunt today. After breakfast she showed Munu and myself around a plot where they plant vegetables. The sugar cane here was thicker and longer than the one in the Punjab- maybe because we are now later on into the season or because its hotter here. I peeled it with my teeth and chewed on the centre- it was very sweet. Munu only sampled it.
After lunch Uncle took us to Surjit’s workplace, situated on the Main Bhandara Road. It was a garage for fixing vehicles Munu then went off with Jhoki on a motorbike, whilst Uncle took me to one of his contract buildings. We had visited this one before. Uncle had a word with some of the people on site, mainly to find out how the job was progressing. We then continued into Bhandara, stopping on the way for an ice cream. Here we sat outside Kala’s spare part shop drinking the real thing. This was a busy part of the town and there was always something going on, what with a bustling market nearby. I imagine one could sit here all day without getting bored.
In the evening, having returned home Aunt, Lali, Munu and myself went to the local market in the village. After a short while Aunt carried on shopping whilst we went to the park nearby. Just as darkness was approaching we returned home. Visited the social club later on to play table tennis and badminton.
Friday 5/11
Jhoki took myself and Munu to another one of their contracts. This one was just on the outskirts of the village. Here they had to provide fencing for a very big area and the labour were busy making concrete posts. Ranjit seems to be in charge of this one. Jhoki then drove the van up a steep slope onto a hill. At the top this place is appropriately named Hilltop. This is a picnic area with great scenery showing views of surrounding countryside. Munu is being a right pain as he refuses to walk or let me walk around for a bit of exploring. He expects me to carry him around- well he’d better think again.
We ended up leaving Hilltop rather prematurely and went on a long drive, ending near some fields. Jhoki showed us the fields that they had recently bought. Jhoki mentioned that they’ve seen snakes here fairly often and advised us to be careful- Munu promptly jumped on my shoulders.
Went on another drive across country and stopped at a river’s edge. We were about 10 metres above water level and looking down. The river bed was very wide, about 100 metres across, with the water only occupying about a third and flowing fast. Its hard to imagine water filling up the full width, and must be frightening if it ever does.
We returned home for lunch and I was offered a beer by Surjit, which I drank. I was dozy for the rest of the day. Munu was fascinated to learn that Surjit had killed 2 large snakes in this room a few years ago. He asked many questions and wanted to go snake hunting. Jasvir did not arrive today as he’d promised. In the evening we went to the social club and played table tennis only as the badminton wasn’t available due to the hall being used for cards tonight.
Saturday 6/11
Jasvir phoned to say he would be visiting today, but Aunt had words with him telling him that he was supposed to come yesterday, and now had missed the opportunity because we were going shopping today. We went to Nagpur and visited a few shops. They bought clothing gifts for us, a shirt and trousers for me and 2 shirts, a pair of shorts and a pair of trousers for Munu (of our choice).
Uncle and Aunty are a religious pair, but Aunty is more so. She said she used to have a problem eating Indian sweet treats, due to her teeth playing up, but since she’s been to a certain temple she’s been cured- she repeated this a few times, I think to impress on us how important prayers are. Immediately she bought some sweet speciality and asked us to join her in eating some. It was delicious but then as Aunty took one bite she cryed out- her tooth problem was back with a vengence. Off course we didn’t pull her leg afterwards- well not much anyway!
After a couple of more shop visits we went into a Restaurant to eat lunch. We had sholay patturai, and finished off with Raas Malawi- the sholay patturai were ok but not as good as in the Punjab.
We then visited Lali’s parents, who live in Nagpur. Munu impatient to leave. One of Lali’s brothers took him outside to get sweets for him. They later returned and Munu came in excitedly saying that they have a table tennis table upstairs and wanting to play. Lali’s brother, myself and Munu then went to the games room. It was on the fifth floor. This building seems to be unfinished as yet. The walls are without decor and one side of the games room containing the table tennis table has a wall about 4 foot high. There’s a floor space of about 10 feet, behind this wall and then a wall with a very big opening, maybe for a window and then a sheer drop to the ground below.
Munu played his wild tactics as usual of hitting every ball as hard as possible- he has no patience to place or guide the ball. After a few minutes I managed to pursuade him to let me play Lali’s brother. We had a good game which I lost 21-19, the bat not being able to produce the speed and spin I’m used to. More games would have been interesting but Munu intervened. Soon we left to return home.
At home we heard Lali shouting "snake, snake,...". We all rushed into the garden and Uncle had a big stick (latti) with which he killed it. We then observed that it was a baby, black and green striped, and about 10 inches long and very thin. Uncle then wrapped it up in a cloth and set it alight. This made Munu’s day, although he wanted to get his pen-knife and kill the snake with it.
Later on we had a phone call from Chandigargh. Makhan Singh wanted to know when we were returning. We arranged to meet him at Anand Pur Sahib on Wednesday morning. I thought we would travel with him from Delhi, but he said he has to go back to the Punjab and will travel to our meeting place from there.
Sunday 7/11
Going on a picnic today. After about an hour we stopped at a road junction and were met by Bobby, Pami and his wife, and Jasvir’s wife and children. The picnic site was at a lakeside. To reach it the vehicles had to travel over boulders and gravel as the road has not been constructed yet. Uncle had a bottle with him which put us in a realy relaxing mood. Bobby and Jhoki left the site and later only Jhoki returned.
Munu wants to have a dip in the lake - told him to go ahead. He said he’s afraid of being told off by the women, as they’d told all the children to keep out as there are crocdiles in the lake. Finally managed to convince him that its ok. Soon after other children joined in as well. Munu found some tiny frogs, but not many survived after being in his hands - he’s got a tendency to pull bits off.
We went for a walk after the picnic up a series of steps towards the top of this mountain. We did not go far as the children started to tire. Later we started on the homeward journey. Once again we stopped at the road junction. We had a glass of tea each and parted company with the troup we met earlier.
Back home Munu played badminton in the garden , with anyone available using a bed tilted on its side as a net. Bobby appeared suddenly and also played. Later he took us to the club where we played badminton on a court. Munu wanted to play longer than half an hour but other people were waiting to use the court. Then played table tennis, before returning home.
Monday 8/11
All packed and left for Nagpur at 9.30am, with Uncle after saying our goodbyes. At Nagpur Uncle went to see a man who’s supposed to buy our train tickets. He’s not there, apparently gone home for something. We went to the bazzar and bought a suit for Gurmit (Munu’s choice), and then back to find the man with the tickets. He was there this time and handed the tickets over. The train time is 1.10pm. Uncle now proceeded to drive to Jasvir’s house.
On the way he bumped into a cyclist who ended up on the road surface, at a road junction. Two policemen were there and one of them helped the cyclist to get up, whilst the other told Uncle to back the car - then carried on as if nothing had happened! I think the cyclist was shaken but not injured.
We arrived at Jasvir’s house about 11.30am. His wife said he’s just popped out at 11 and will be back shortly. Uncle asked for the lunch to be made in a hurry as we hadn’t much time. Whilst we ate he asked some to be packed in a bag. No sign of Jasvir and we left at 12.15pm. The traffic is heavier now and Uncle’s panicking. We arrived at the railway station at 12.55pm. Uncle bought himself a visting ticket and guided us to our train. We said our goodbyes and the train moved off at 1.10pm. Uncle had told me that this is a fast train and should get us to Delhi in 16 hours.
After a while the train did not strike me as a fast one because it kept stopping at stations at a frequency of about 10 minutes. It stopped at Kalmeshwar at 1.35, at Matpanjra at 1.55, at Pandhurna at 2.45, at Alma Junction at 3.35, at Betul at 3.55, etc. Munu’s fallen asleep and I also had a snooze.
We reached the outskirts of Bopal at 7.40pm. Munu still asleep on bottom bunk. A waiter was going around the train taking orders and I ordered a dish of pooria, instead of rice. I received my order at the station. Munu stayed asleep while I popped out to have a cup of tea. When I returned I noticed that the people we were sitting opposite were still ordering food through the train window and one member of their party was outside on the platform waiting for the food while it was being cooked. The train started to move off and a girl of about 12 years old suddenly started screaming "PAPA, PAPA,.." because they thought he missed the train, but about 30 seconds later he walked into the carriage.
I opened the food that was packed for us in Nagpur and it did not look appetising as the chappaties and the daal and vegetables were all mixed up. I ate some of the pooria and vegetables instead. It was rather good. The vegetables were a mixture of potatoes and peas. I packed it up again for later.
Munu woke up about 10pm and had some pooria to eat. Then he tried to sleep on the top bunk, but after 10 minutes came back down to sleep on the lower one again, where I was trying to sleep. It was a bit cramped so once Munu fell asleep I went to sleep on the upper bunk.
Tuesday 9/11
I came awake about 6am and finished off the rest of the food. Munu still asleep and stayed in that state until I awoke him at 7.15am, when the train reached the outskirts of Delhi. During that period I saw many people squating down near the railway line having their comfort breaks. The train pulled into our station at Hazzmin Nazmuddin at 7.30am. We left the station and hired a 3 wheeler taxi to take us to the bus station at Kashmiri Gate (charge of Rs.85). The driver left us in the taxi and tried to find more passengers. After about 5 minutes he came back, he had failed to find any more, and we pulled out of the station. The journey on the taxi took about 45 minutes. One of the vehicles I saw during the ride was a motorcycle with a normal front wheel but the rear had 2 very fat large tyres, like the ones you see on cross country tractor bikes. Behind this was constructed a trailer with seats on it on which sat the passengers. This was another form of taxi.
From the bus stand we caught a De-Luxe coach to Chandigarh, which left at 9am. The coach arrived at Chandigarh about 2.20pm. We hired a rickshaw and arrived at my In-Laws at 2.45pm. In the evening we visited the modern shopping centre again, where I had purchased table tennis bats previously. The intention was to visit the shop where Munu had seen the watch he was after. Having parked in a different place to last time, we were having trouble with our bearings to see where that shop was. As we were wondering around it was Munu who recognised the shop he wanted to visit to buy a toy. This toy cost Rs.69- it was a spinning top on a hand held platform, shaped like a giant table tennis bat. Munu was so excited by this that he did not even mention the watch!
Wednesday 10/11
At 9am we left for Anand Pur Sahib (Sikh Temple). Munu in jovial mood this morning- he laughed all the way. We arrived at 10.45 and parked the car in the car park and had a wonder around the stalls nearby. No sign of Makhan Singh. Mother-In-Law stayed in the car while we walked up a gradient towards the Temple. We had tea about half way and looked around the shops. Munu sighted a sword and wants to buy it. I was reluctant to gather baggage so told him that I would buy one in Delhi. I bought a book called Tales of Truth (Sikh Martyrs), written in English. Meanwhile Father-In-Law had walked up to the Temple and discovered that Makhan Singh was alredy at the top and waiting for us. He had arrived at 10.30 with another passenger , a woman named Gian Kaur. Father-In-Law went down to fetch the car, while we walked up.
All together now Makhan Singh led us towards a side building where he bought "Parshad"- its a Blessing, pudding given in shrine. he then led us into the Temple, after removing our shoes and covering our heads. After receiving our blessings we left the Temple at 11.30, and visited another 2 Temples nearby (10 minutes journey in the car). At the second temple Munu said he wants to visit the toilet, told him to go behind a bush and he refused. Told him that there are no toilets here, but he would not do it in the fresh open air. What a drama we had on the return journey to the In-Laws residence.
On the journey here he had laughed all the way, but now cried continuously and loudly making his Nana and Nani very nervous. Makhan Singh in the lead, but not aware of our predicament, passed a petrol station. Nani calling him names under the sun for not stopping. I can’t understand why they didn’t stop anyway as we were in independant cars. Nana was also panicking and now put his foot down to overtake Makhan Singh. Eventualy we came to another petrol station and stopped only to discover that they do not have any toilet facilities. On hearing this Munu calmed down and said that he will wait until we get home.
We got back about 2pm and Munu headed straight for the toilet. We had tea and snacks, while Makhan Singh had a couple of short stiff drinks. At 3.10pm we left with Makhan Singh and Gian Kaur for our jouney to Delhi. He predicted that we should get there about 7-8pm. How wrong he was!
Our first stop was on the outskirts of Chandigarh where a Restaurant was being made ready to bring into service. A Sirdar had drinks brought for us. While Makhan Singh and I sipped our whiskey Munu played with a swing and a see-saw. It was interesting watching him trying to balance the see-saw with rocks. He was completely absorbed in this game. A few minutes later a priest in the guise of Hanuman (monkey God) came preaching. Makhan Singh let him carry on and gave him some money and received blessing and a packet of some powder. We left at about 4pm.
Made good time whilst daylight, but slow going once the sun went down. In the dark the trucks use full beam so making night driving dangerous. It’s strange that the advice printed on the trucks is to use dipped beam. Oh well I suppose its different rules for different people. We stopped at a roadside snack bar round about 7pm. Gian Kaur had water, Munu had snacks, while Makhan Singh and I had a couple of stiff drinks from his whiskey bottle under the car seat.
Continued journey for about hour and half and stopped at a roadside hotel for a meal and drinks. Makhan singh had a leg message and the chap then tried to message my scalp, but I declined the offer. While we had our drinks Munu eyed fireworks at a stall nearby. We left at about 9.15 and arrived at Gian Kaur’s relatives at about 10. After waking them she was dropped off. Makhan Singh decided that as it was so late we would spend the night at his house and he would take us to my Uncle’s house in the morning. Arrived in about 30 minuets and we were shown to a room, by Makhan Singh’s wife, with 2 double beds in it, one being occupied by 2 boys who were in noddy land. Munu and I slept in the other.
Thursday 11/11
In the morning I opened my eyes to see the 2 boys getting ready and leaving shortly afterwards- they must have wondered who we were and when we had arrived. It was about 7am then and we got up an hour later. Phoned Maamie ji (Auntie) to explain why we had not arrived there last night and also added that we will come after breakfast. At about 9.30 we were dropped off at our destination by Makhan Singh, who left after having a cup of tea.
Later we caught a rickshaw to take us to my Maasie’s (Auntie’s) house, my mother’s youngest sister Balbir. She has a boy aged 4 and a girl aged 9. Her husband is away working abroad in the Middle East. While we chatted the kids played enthusiastically together using a ball, so much so that Munu became short of breath and his asthma started playing up. I had to ask my cousin Mitu to go home and fetch Munu’s inhaler. Having used the inhaler Munu was into a pillow fight with the children. We all had lunch and it was time to leave. The children were not keen to leave having so much fun, but we walked to the main road and caught a rickshaw.
Friday 12/11
Going to the see the Zoo today with Bitu as our travelling guide. We caught a bus which went to the Parliament House passing India Gate. Here we walked to the Thai building at Canaught Place to OK our plane seats and then caught another bus to take us to the Zoo. It was a 5 minutes walk from the bus stop, and we arrived to find that the Zoo’s closed on Fridays. We walked around the Old Fort nearby intending to try boating, but were unsuccessful in finding the place. The Old Fort has huge buildings, corridors and doors which we walked around. Having given up on boating we proceeded to a business fair convention which was being advertised by large colourful balloons in the air. It took about 20 minutes to get there, but it was a long 20 minutes as I had to carry Munu all the way.
Once inside the gates Bitu said he’ll try to locate Appu Ghar. I didn’t know what this meant until he found the place eventually, because this convention is covering a huge ground. It’s a fun fair and Munu’s eyes lit up when we approached it. Munu went on most rides including bumper cars with Bitu. He bought an elephant hat from a stall, and had a ride on a horse before we started on our homeward journey. Bitu asked if I would like to visit a bazaar, but I declined the offer as the thought of having to carry Munu most of the time did not appeal to me, especially as my shoulders were already aching.
In the evening we visited my mama (uncle) Harbans Singh. This is the first time I’ve seen him since leaving India 28 years ago, my memories of him are through a child’s eyes. On my previous visit he was working abroad. He appeared so small, thin and shrunken and I had expected a larger man. His wife has a grey head of hair with her characteristic twisted mouth and front protruding teeth, a defect she’s had as a child, but she has a nice personality. Munu is a bit unsettled here and keeps asking to go home and wrestling with me. He settled down for a while when fireworks were brought, but once they ran out he again wanted to leave. We left after a meal.
Saturday 13/11
We visited my Maasie Charno today, who has 2 daughters aged 5 and 11. Bitu travelled with us. While we were having a cup of tea a street vendor was heard to be nearby. Bitu and Munu went outside and Munu came back with a noisy toy- a balloon tied to a reed pipe. He would blow through the reed to inflate the balloon and then watch and listen with a smug look on his face, to hear and watch the balloon deflate through the reed. The younger girl was fascinated and kept trying to take the toy, even though the balloon had burst by now. We did not meet her husband as he’s away working abroad, but we met her Father-In-Law, and her younger Brother-In-Law. The Father-In-Law walked with the aid of a walking stick, and the Brother-In-Law I was informed had a serious drinking problem.
After lunch we left with my Maasie walking with us down the road. She stopped at a firworks stall and introduced us to her youngest Brother-In-Law, who is a partner on this stall. He gave Munu quite a few fireworks to take along. We then caught a rickshaw from the main road and headed for my cousin Menghna Singh’s house. He’s my Maasi Satya’s eldest son. Upon reching his place we discovered it boarded up, and a neighbour told us that he has moved to a new location and gave us the address and instructions on how to get there.
We popped into a shop and whilst I bought refreshments Bitu phoned his mum. She instructed us to return home as my Uncle had returned home early, due to Diwaali day. We caught a rickshaw back and started the celebrations. We had a good drink today. My Uncle invited the man opposite for a drink and tried to get him drunk. He only succeded in getting drunk himself. This was one of those memorable evenings that Munu will not forget for a while. He was continueously letting off fireworks for 3 hours, along with Mitu, Bitu and the kids from opposite. For the first time Munu did not sleep on my bed, but with his Uncles who have a room at the front of the house.
Sunday 14/11
A trip to the zoo today with Bitu. I took my camera along, but when I tried to use it it seems to be faulty. I don’t seem to have much luck with cameras. On my last trip to India I was snapping pictures everywhere, but upon returning to England and viewing the results had proved to be a great diappointment as the lens on the camera was not opening most of the time- the clicking I’d heard had been just the mirror going up and down. Upon dicovering this I sold my Practica camera outfit and purchased a Pentax and here I was having trouble again.
The zoo is sited on large grounds and I found it tiring because Munu had to be carried most of the time. The monkeys were very entertaining as usual with their antics. A white tiger was walking backwards and forwards on the other side of the enclosure. There was an elephant with one foot chained down. The reptile house was a great diappointment as most of the bays were empty. Where there was something to look at such as a snake we nearly got crushed as a group of people tried to push in to have a closer look. Upon leaving we went to a snack stall and had goal guppais- these are made from flour in a circular shape and fried to make it rise into a semi-sphere. The stallholder makes a hole in the top and dips it into a bucket containing savioury watery liquid and passes it to a customer, who then puts it in his mouth and crushes it. The process is repeated until you’ve had your money’s worth. It’s very refreshing.
On our way back home we had to travel by 2 buses. In between disembarking off one and embarking on another we saw a gathering and wandered over to have a look. People were gathered around a man sitting on the pavement with small bright green snakes on his hands. He also had lots of lizards and was well into a speech advertising an oil made from these creatures which cures all ailments.
Monday 15/11
We walked to Ajit Mama’s house with Mami ji whose our guide today. His children appeared distant and unfriendly. My late Mama Darshan’s daughter was anti everyone, apparently since finding out who her real father was. The children give the impression of being Hindu rather than Panjabi. Munu was very restless here and we left after only a cup of tea, although we should have stayed for a meal. Ajit Mama is working abroad at the moment.
We shopped around locally today in Sagar Pur. Munu found a wrist watch he liked and I paid Rs 200 for it. Mami ji purchased bangles and a few other ornaments.
Munu and I were due to visit Makhan Singh and his family between 4-5pm today, and arrived at their residence at 5pm at Rajouri Garden on a scooter ride costing Rs 35. Makhan Singh not there and his wife Masi ji Naranjan Kaur said he had to go and pay his respects, because the sick person whom he went to see previously had died. Munu was quite happy here enjoying playing happily with Pami’s boys. Passed away the time chatting with Masi and Pami’s wife who joined us later.
The brothers Pami and Munghi, sons of Makhan Singh came home at about 7pm. Munghi said he will be back shortly, going to his room. We only saw him briefly much later when his wife’s friend and son came to meet them and they all left together. He and his wife had stayed in their room in between. Pummi played the host, having dinner later and discussing old times. We also discussed general family matters and had a good laugh especialy when I mentioned the relationship between Gurmit and Munu, the fact that 2 separate meals are prepared by Gurmit, one for Munu and the other for us. He did eat roti tonight with yogurt. At about 9pm I said we had to leave and Pami sent out a worker to fetch a scooter. He returned to say he could not find any. Then Pami said he would take us. Pami’s wife and 2 boys came with us in his car. We had some trouble finding Sagar Pur, but arrived there in the end using a long route. We said our goodbyes from the bus stand and walked home.
Tuesday 16/11
Visited my cousin Binder today. Munu liked it here as he played with Binder’s son who’s 9 years old. We talked mostly about Binder’s brothers- what a useless lot, except for the youngest. Mengha has become an alcholic since his father died in strange circumstances. The others do not hold any jobs. The youngest works hard with Binder’s husband on the Printing Press. After lunch Binder came with us to the bus stop, and had us wait at the wrong bus stop for 30 minutes before realising our bus stop was around another bend.
We caught a bus to Tilk Nager for a bit of shopping. During the journey our bus touched a car alongside on the left. The car oweners were heavily built sikhs, one about 35 and the other about 45. They pulled the bus driver out of the bus and started laying into him and swearing and cursing at the same time. Then they demanded his papers, which they took and told him to follow the car with the bus. They turned left and when the bus turned left there was no sign of the car. The bus driver demanded why nobody helped him, including his 2 conductors, and what should he do now. He drove the bus to the end of the road, turned it around and stopped. One of the passengers told him to go to the Police station and report the matter there. After a bit more discussion he decided to do just that and when we arrived there the other car was there. We got off and caught another bus to complete this part of the journey.
After shopping we waited to catch a bus back home, but Munu reluctant to catch it. After many crowded buses had passed we decided to catch a rickshaw instead. We arrived home to find both Masis had arrived. I carried out most of the packing. After tea both Masis said their farewells and left. Mama ji arrived later with a sword, but said he was unable to find certain books in Panjabi, which my sister had requested. He said he has been cycling across Delhi since 1pm. Later still Jasvir came with Hardial Singh (Binder’s brother and husband) and left about 9.30pm. At 11.35pm we left for the Airport in a 3 wheeler. It was a cold night.
Wednesday 17/10
We arrived at the Airport at 00.15 and said our farewells to Mama ji, who had travelled with us, and went inside. I paid airport tax of Rs 600 and checked our my luggage. After passport checks we went into the lounge and visited the duty free shop. The time was 1am and we now had a long wait. During the wait I spent 2 dollars to purchase crisps and drinks. At 2.45am we went through the security check for gate 9. When we got there there were lots of people and all the seats were taken, so we like other people sat on the carpetted floor. Munu fell asleep and I had to rouse him when at 3.15am when we were allowed to board the plane, which took off at 3.30am.
Munu slept most of the journey back to England. When breakfast was served Munu said he liked the look of the fish on his plate. He would not believe me when I told him that it was an omellete, but he insisted it was fish. After tasting it he said he does’t like this fish. He ate some of the food, wasting most of it. I on the other hand devoured my tray. The plane landed at Heathrow at 7am UK time. We had a long walk to the passport checks and a very long queue had formed when we got there. All went smoothly and we went in search of our luggage. Upon arriving I discovered that the luggage coveyor belt was totally surrounded by a mass of people. I managed to find a gap to wait for our luggage and found I did not have to wait long before our first suitcase arrived, and the other one not too long after that. We were out by 8am and did not recognise anyone waiting for us.
I phoned Jazz to tell her that we had arrived and she said her husband should get there shortly. I was unsure where to wait and decided to wait in the arrivals area and Tersaim arrived shortly. He drove us to his house where we had a cup of tea and I drove away from there at 9.45 am. We arrived home at 12.30pm and found Harmony waiting in the house. We met Gurmit an hour later and Jasvir and Anita after they finished School.
I went to bed at 5pm and was awoke an hour later with a message to say I was needed on the telephone. I had great trouble in trying to think where I was and it took me about 30 minutes to wake up properly. My Mother was on the phone and I had great difficulty in concentrating on the conversation. Later that evening, because of Jazz’s mix up in bookings, I played a league table tennis match against Ledbury Aztecs. I was very sluggish and lost for the first time ever to Mike Keeley and Bill Nelson, though I still beat Cliff Knock. The result was a 7-3 win due to my team playing well.
Thursday 18/11
Went to work for 8am start and finished at 5.15pm. In the evening went to Whitecross speech night.
Friday 19/11
To work again 8am- 5.15pm. In the evening visited Hereford table tennis club and lost to Ted Andrews in 3 games. I experienced early signs of a cold coming on.
Saturday 20/11
I fitted a blind and took a new order in the morning. My stinker of a cold has started with sneezing and nose dripping the rest of the day.
Sunday 21/11
Went to play in the table tennis tournament today between 8.30am- 5pm, which I’d entered before my trip. Our visitors, My Parents, and my Sister’s family are going back to London today, and my Father and my Sister’s husband Harpal are restless today because I suspect they are keen to get back home. I popped back at lunchtime about 2pm and just caught them to say farewell. At the competition I won the top male and Anita won the cadet girl categories. My cold was improved today, probably due to playing all that table tennis.
Monday 22/11
Off to work again during the day and table tennis in the evening at Whitecross.
Tuesday 23/11
Work during the day and "THE FIRST EVENING OFF!" AND NOW OFF UNTIL FRIDAY. HOORAY!!!!!