My adventures began much before I reached Chhattisgarh. In transit from Bangalore to Raipur, I was looking forward to spending one evening with friends and family in Hyderabad. My plans were rudely interrupted when I fell off a bus and suffered a ligament tear in my right ankle. Thanks to my minor crash, I indefinitely cancelled my trip to Chhattisgarh and took a compulsory time-out in Hyderabad.
My injury became my family’s excuse to deter me from going into a politically unstable state that had very recently witnessed the police massacre by the naxalites in Dantewada. Rightly concerned about my safety, they used sweet-talk, drama and finally blackmail to convince me to return to Bangalore. This song and dance continued over the next two days before I decided to do what I thought was right…and took a leap of faith.
DAY 1
The air was filled with anticipation and excitement when I got off the airplane from Hyderabad into Raipur; when this host city’s landscape took me back the development growth chart at least 15 years. The lack of choices was also a bit unnerving when the sole taxi service provider at the airport signed me up to car pool to the Panri Bus Stop with a tall, big middle-aged stranger who could easily pass off as a Hindi movie scoundrel’s right hand man.
Once at the bus stop I tried to maintain a low profile; but my bright red roller suitcase and mineral water bottle were an obvious giveaway. My appearance came with pros and cons as I was soon charged way more for a meal at a roadside restaurant but also received king club seating in a white plastic chair strategically placed in the shade. This provided some much needed respite from the sun, who had planned to greet me into Raipur with a customary welcome tan. From my luxurious position, I also witnessed a bullied monologue between the local police, a runaway teenage boy and the travel company. These public guardians were making their best efforts to force the bus travel agency to put the frightened boy onboard one of the few buses plying to his village. Soon after, I left to proceed to my destination and I still wonder if that lost boy found his place where his dreams can grow.
Disobeying the Indian rule of time; our bus punctually rolled in and out of the bus stop at 11:30am and both the driver and conductor very efficiently hurried all passengers to our seats. I had noticed that the market area was mostly male dominant but when I realized that I was the only woman onboard, I experienced quivering heart syndrome. In defense, my brain quickly began to concoct plans to maintain my safety, when I became distracted by the many women and families that boarded at subsequent stops.
My journey was filled with small and large conversations with all those who were excited about this alien travelling beyond their big city. I particularly enjoyed it when a 7 year old boy was fast asleep on my shoulder reminding me of my own child. And it was also fun to chat with two young women who were returning home victorious after their day’s earnings of Rs.100/- for their 10 hours of hard work as day laborers. The scenic views sculpted by Mother Nature were captivating and so were the classic and innovative repetitions sung by street vendors trying to sell their chai, kulfi, and biskuts as the bus periodically stopped bathroom breaks. The bus made its final stop into Jagdalpur at around 7:30pm. The sun bid me farewell and the friendly mosquitoes greeted me as I proceeded to look for my host on this warm April evening.
My host Pradyut Bhattacharjee represented PRADAN, the organization that was hosting my stay in Jagdalpur. His passion and zeal were instantly contagious and it was very easy to feel comfortable in his company. The 4 wheeler rented by him drove us straight to my hotel.
Hotel Parth Palace was located on a busy road in the heart of the town. As I checked into the hotel, I noticed shirtless men that filled the corridors with cigarette smoke. Suddenly, the lack of visible female residents made me cautious of my environment. However, I decided to trust my host’s choice of accommodation for me and entered my room. As I settled into my new environment, my new lizard friend danced on the ceiling above; sending me into a trance right away.
Room 111 at Hotel Parth Palace, Jagdalpur became my new address for the next three nights.
To be continued...
