Driving to the Deccan, part 2

When we were leaving the Konark Sun Temple and walking back to the parking lot, with the throngs walking back to their guided tour buses, my mother asked me our next stop. I told her we were going to see the picturesque Chilka Lake, and along with many species of birds, maybe even spot some dolphins. Just as I was telling her this, a man's voice immediately behind my left shoulder said these exact words - "आप झूठ क्यों बोल रहे हैं?", or "Why are you lying?". Despite the crowded space, I wondered why this voice was speaking at such proximity to my ear and turned to look at the speaker. And I was amused to realise that he was indeed addressing me. Turned out, he assumed that my mother and me were part of some guided tour group which was clearly not going to Chilka and he thought I was lying to my mom (he probably assumed we weren't mother-son either), perhaps in a bid to somehow swindle her. Well, at least his intentions were good. And as I laughed my way to the car, I was reassured to see that people still like poking their noses in the general business around them, whether it concerns them or not. Those who know me will know well how much it would have pleased me after the usual sterility of London.

Greatly amusing were also two usages of English, one of the word 'traffic' and the other of 'come in'. Across parts of Bengal and Orissa, most people we asked for directions would give us landmarks of 'traffic', like "turn left from the traffic" or "take right from the second traffic". Yes, they are referring to traffic light signals. It was almost at par with another usage in Orissa and even Andhra, where any traffic intersection, be it a three-way, four-way or seven-way, were all referred to as "four-junction". Not difficult to see how it could mislead someone, but I ain't complaining. And I came across "come in" at the rest house we stayed in at Puri, where the room service would knock on the door, and in the same breath, say "come in" and then walk right in! My folks, who didn't pay attention to this, couldn't understand why I cracked up each time room service came around.

We were on the street somewhere, I think getting back to the rest house from the Jagannath temple. So we got in to the car but could not move since a cow chose that very moment to shit, right on the car's bonnet at that. How do you even prevent something like that? I mean, even if I was angry instead of being busy laughing, it probably wouldn't have been prudent to chase away the cow in the middle of such an important act right outside one hell of an important temple which is bristling with, among others, 80-year old elephant women that I mentioned in my previous post. And I have a feeling, asking the cow politely wouldn't have worked.

At one place, driving from somewhere to somewhere else, my dad stopped to ask for directions. Had I noticed a second earlier the person he was going to ask, I would have asked my father to wait for a minute or so, since the person in question was standing on the side of the road in the middle of what seemed like nowhere, NOT to give us directions, but to take a piss. Anyway, since I noticed a second too late, my father was already asking him and he was telling us where to go and so we went. I could not help but look back to see if he went on to attend the call of nature in the wild, and lo! For as long as he was still in sight, which was a good 2-3 minutes, all he did was walk around with his hands thrust in his pockets! A sudden bout of modesty?

Oh, modesty. You know how young unmarried couples in India are still frowned upon in many places, for even something like holding hands and walking around, how such behaviour is considered entirely immodest. This mentality banishes such couples from public places in many parts of the country and Vizag was no exception. On Thotla Kunda, as we drove around the monastery, and then to the edge of the hill to contemplate the view that the monks of yore must have beheld, I saw the tell-tale signs. Bikes parked strategically, marking occupied spots that harbour couples come there to escape curious eyes and talkative mouths and social scrutiny. I also couldn't help laughing when some of them were visibly uncomfortable at my bringing out the camera. Probably thought I was either a pervert or potential blackmailer. Pity I didn't have time to be either.