Life in Bhubaneswar goes at a slow pace but time passes fast. Before I realized already 4 days of my vacation is over, and before I realize my entire vacation will be over just like the twinkling of an eye. So it's better to make the best out of it.
This year's Makar Sankranti festival fell on a Sombaar (Monday), making it a very special and auspicious occasion. Bhubaneswar being the capital city harboring multiple government offices with salaried class people saw relatively less crowded on its roads as today was a government holiday here.
I just discovered that I am left with barely 500 Rupees ($6) with me. So I rushed to the local bank to withdraw some cash (I don't carry an ATM card here). To my dismay I found the local SBI (State Bank of India) branch closed due to Makar Sankranti. So I had to borrow Rs.500 from my father just in case and promised to return him the money the next day. My father said - "Don't be silly. You can keep the money with you. There is no need for you to return it. Rather feel free to take more money from me to be on the safer side". I replied - "I can manage for a day. Anyway I am carrying credit cards with me in case". Manage and adjust are widely used words.
It was a cool, cloudy morning on the Sankranti day with light wind blowing the dust around. The tree leaves on foliage were desperately trying to shrug off the dust by swaying to the wind. Slowly the wind started to taper and winding up. I accompanied a group of friends for a walk inside the Forest Park. The holiday morning traffic seemed a walk in the park. The floor of the park was filled with few broken twigs and leaves from the wind. There were plenty of "Baul and Krushnachuda" trees inside the park. The mango trees in nascent bloom were adorned with "Baula" (mango flowers) looking like star studded mini Christmas trees protruding out of the dusty, green leaves. Patches of greenish yellow flowers sprinkled all over the walking trail.
The Park was crowded with walkers and a few joggers trying to outrun each other. The walking crowd consisted of many 4 feeters fitting perfectly to the local profile of highly disproportionate figures - slim hands and legs with protruding bellies with muffler wrapped heads looking like Eskimos. Some were seen frantically scanning their smartphones while huffing and puffing ahead, taking a break to text before resuming their walk. A few taller and fitter guys were around, taking longer laps among the dust laden trees.
Completing 5 rounds in the park helped me ameliorate the guilty pleasure of my gluttony. Forest park is a commendable place surrounded by tons of greenery supplying fresh oxygen. The Park gets crowded between 7 to 9 AM, hence if you are looking for plenty of elbow space and privacy during that time, it may not be the perfect place. Otherwise much recommended park for a walk.
Centuries ago Bhubaneswar was the center of Saivaites, unlike many back in those days who were Vaisnavites. There was a division amongst the Saivites and Vaisnavites. Even the kings fought with each other based upon their allegiance to two prominent Hindu Gods. Bhubaneswar is full of temples of Lord Shiva, at least a dozen within couple of miles radius from my house - the most prominent being the Lingaraj temple built by Lalatendu Keshari.
After finishing my brisk walk in Forest Park, followed by a quick shower I took a slow walk to the local Sukhmeswar temple, barely 500 feet from our house. The temple had more than its usual share of devotees today being the double whammy day of Sankranti and Sombaar, with Bhakts (devotees) making a beeline to enter into the narrow entrance of the temple, touching the feet of the Bull, the carrier of Lord Shiva lying near the entrance.
I finished my "Darshan" (beholding of the diety) and started by walk home after ringing the temple bell. Suddenly rang a bell of this episode from one of my prior trips.
Before walking to the temple I drank Tea, followed by Amul Lassi and couple of glasses of PAIDA (young coconut) water freshly plucked from one of the Coconut trees in our backyard. While on my way back from temple I realised my bladder was about to burst as I won't be able to hold on to it much longer. As there was still some distance to be covered (distance is a relative term and not just a number when you walk with controlling nature's call when meters seem to be miles), I thought it would be prudent for me to open the valve midway.
Frantically looking for a spot with privacy, I found a suitable peeing spot by roadside. It was a dry spot near a wet wall, heavily stained by betel leaf saliva and more heavily stenched by rivulets of urine mixed with red saliva. Couple of guys joined me on both sides of me inspecting the site for a location. The guy on my right looked up into the sky while relieving himself. I turned my head to the left and smiled at the other. He reciprocated by smiling back at me, exposing his phalanx of 32 of his dark, betel stained teeth.
We all shook ourselves off the residual droplets, lifted and tightened our pants and bid each other an unspoken good bye. It is another feeling of the pleasure of relieving oneself under open, blue sky, something I rarely do these days. A la a doggie I managed to leave my scent behind, may be back one day to reuse the spot. It is the best way to recycle these wall urinals lurking around the smart city. No place to wash hands, I knew it will be a few minutes before I reach home to do so - sincerely wishing of not getting an opportunity to shake hands with someone. Feeling completely light and relieved, I started trudging my way back towards home.
Soon my wish was to be belied. On my way back, I saw a familiar face, a neighborhood Mausa (Uncle) rushing towards me - "HAIO KEBE FOREIGN RU ASILA. KETE DINA ACHHA" - "Hey when did you come from abroad (Foreign in Odia is the term used here to denote a nation outside India, especially Western Countries). How long are you staying", extending his hands for a warm welcome handshake. I did a "Namaskar" to him, thinking there won't be a need for any handshake. But he insisted on shaking my hands. So, reluctantly I took my hand forward, squinting my nose, hesitantly extending my right hand towards him. The smiling person at the other side shook his hands we me enthusiastically for a good few seconds.
Post handshake, he rolled his hands over his lip and chins, making me squint and raise my nose further. Hope someone recorded this handshake moment, it could very well get million plus hits on YouTube a la the greatest handshakes in history - Chamberlain with Hitler, Nixon with Chairman Mao, Ronald Reagan vs Mikhail Gorbachev and so on. Glad I didn't meet any more Mr. Fortunates on my way to shake hands with. More later...
I just discovered that I am left with barely 500 Rupees ($6) with me. So I rushed to the local bank to withdraw some cash (I don't carry an ATM card here). To my dismay I found the local SBI (State Bank of India) branch closed due to Makar Sankranti. So I had to borrow Rs.500 from my father just in case and promised to return him the money the next day. My father said - "Don't be silly. You can keep the money with you. There is no need for you to return it. Rather feel free to take more money from me to be on the safer side". I replied - "I can manage for a day. Anyway I am carrying credit cards with me in case". Manage and adjust are widely used words.
It was a cool, cloudy morning on the Sankranti day with light wind blowing the dust around. The tree leaves on foliage were desperately trying to shrug off the dust by swaying to the wind. Slowly the wind started to taper and winding up. I accompanied a group of friends for a walk inside the Forest Park. The holiday morning traffic seemed a walk in the park. The floor of the park was filled with few broken twigs and leaves from the wind. There were plenty of "Baul and Krushnachuda" trees inside the park. The mango trees in nascent bloom were adorned with "Baula" (mango flowers) looking like star studded mini Christmas trees protruding out of the dusty, green leaves. Patches of greenish yellow flowers sprinkled all over the walking trail.
The Park was crowded with walkers and a few joggers trying to outrun each other. The walking crowd consisted of many 4 feeters fitting perfectly to the local profile of highly disproportionate figures - slim hands and legs with protruding bellies with muffler wrapped heads looking like Eskimos. Some were seen frantically scanning their smartphones while huffing and puffing ahead, taking a break to text before resuming their walk. A few taller and fitter guys were around, taking longer laps among the dust laden trees.
Completing 5 rounds in the park helped me ameliorate the guilty pleasure of my gluttony. Forest park is a commendable place surrounded by tons of greenery supplying fresh oxygen. The Park gets crowded between 7 to 9 AM, hence if you are looking for plenty of elbow space and privacy during that time, it may not be the perfect place. Otherwise much recommended park for a walk.
Centuries ago Bhubaneswar was the center of Saivaites, unlike many back in those days who were Vaisnavites. There was a division amongst the Saivites and Vaisnavites. Even the kings fought with each other based upon their allegiance to two prominent Hindu Gods. Bhubaneswar is full of temples of Lord Shiva, at least a dozen within couple of miles radius from my house - the most prominent being the Lingaraj temple built by Lalatendu Keshari.
After finishing my brisk walk in Forest Park, followed by a quick shower I took a slow walk to the local Sukhmeswar temple, barely 500 feet from our house. The temple had more than its usual share of devotees today being the double whammy day of Sankranti and Sombaar, with Bhakts (devotees) making a beeline to enter into the narrow entrance of the temple, touching the feet of the Bull, the carrier of Lord Shiva lying near the entrance.
I finished my "Darshan" (beholding of the diety) and started by walk home after ringing the temple bell. Suddenly rang a bell of this episode from one of my prior trips.
Before walking to the temple I drank Tea, followed by Amul Lassi and couple of glasses of PAIDA (young coconut) water freshly plucked from one of the Coconut trees in our backyard. While on my way back from temple I realised my bladder was about to burst as I won't be able to hold on to it much longer. As there was still some distance to be covered (distance is a relative term and not just a number when you walk with controlling nature's call when meters seem to be miles), I thought it would be prudent for me to open the valve midway.
Frantically looking for a spot with privacy, I found a suitable peeing spot by roadside. It was a dry spot near a wet wall, heavily stained by betel leaf saliva and more heavily stenched by rivulets of urine mixed with red saliva. Couple of guys joined me on both sides of me inspecting the site for a location. The guy on my right looked up into the sky while relieving himself. I turned my head to the left and smiled at the other. He reciprocated by smiling back at me, exposing his phalanx of 32 of his dark, betel stained teeth.
We all shook ourselves off the residual droplets, lifted and tightened our pants and bid each other an unspoken good bye. It is another feeling of the pleasure of relieving oneself under open, blue sky, something I rarely do these days. A la a doggie I managed to leave my scent behind, may be back one day to reuse the spot. It is the best way to recycle these wall urinals lurking around the smart city. No place to wash hands, I knew it will be a few minutes before I reach home to do so - sincerely wishing of not getting an opportunity to shake hands with someone. Feeling completely light and relieved, I started trudging my way back towards home.
Soon my wish was to be belied. On my way back, I saw a familiar face, a neighborhood Mausa (Uncle) rushing towards me - "HAIO KEBE FOREIGN RU ASILA. KETE DINA ACHHA" - "Hey when did you come from abroad (Foreign in Odia is the term used here to denote a nation outside India, especially Western Countries). How long are you staying", extending his hands for a warm welcome handshake. I did a "Namaskar" to him, thinking there won't be a need for any handshake. But he insisted on shaking my hands. So, reluctantly I took my hand forward, squinting my nose, hesitantly extending my right hand towards him. The smiling person at the other side shook his hands we me enthusiastically for a good few seconds.
Post handshake, he rolled his hands over his lip and chins, making me squint and raise my nose further. Hope someone recorded this handshake moment, it could very well get million plus hits on YouTube a la the greatest handshakes in history - Chamberlain with Hitler, Nixon with Chairman Mao, Ronald Reagan vs Mikhail Gorbachev and so on. Glad I didn't meet any more Mr. Fortunates on my way to shake hands with. More later...
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