The beauty of Madhya Pradesh (MP) took me by surprise; so much so that it never even occurred to me to take photos. Of course, i can only comment on what i saw from the train (i went from chennai to haridwar and back). But indian trains stop often enough to give you ample opportunities for taking in the wonderful sights and sounds of the countryside.....
I had always thought that MP was a nondescript desert, a poor cousin of Rajasthan. The Deccan plateau is already largely dry, semi-arid country with areas of rocky desert. So i thought it would be little different on the northern side of the Vindhya ranges. But i was completely wrong. On the way north, i woke up to find the train crossing the Vindhyas, and what a sight it was!!
The train was speeding through hilly country- the sun had yet risen but the sky was blushing orange in anticipation. The fog swirled down from the hilltops into the deep ravines. The rain gods had been generous during the monsoon, even though the lifegiving deluge was delayed by a month or so, hence the creeks and rivulets were overflowing with water. The forests of the Vindhyas contained only a loose sprinkling of trees with an abundance of grass, wildflowers and low bushes.
The train rattled over countless small bridges- the depth of the gorges is incredible. The railways tracks built through this sort of terrain are quite an achievement I think, architecturally and aesthetically. There are also several tunnels in the Vindhya segment, which always mean lots of fun on Indian trains; the lights often dont work, you might be in the tiolet, the kids are screaming.
As the train screamed north, it slowed down...The terrain also flattened out, but not completely. We entered some sort of a transition zone- there was enough flat land for agriculture, so there small fileds whereever there was space, with little dwellings scattered in the hills.There was the odd train station now- these stations hardly deserved to be called that actually. There is no platform or station building (except for a little shack which i presume is for the stationmaster). Just a signpost nailed into the earth with a name on it. I wondered what purpose the stationmaster served. He simply stood there holding his green flag. There was no one else to seen within kilometres. He would just live in that little shack and hold out flags to all the trains that pass by....
By the time we got to the plateau of MP, it was nearing sunrise. As beautiful as the forests were, there something uniquely charming about the plateau. MP is the mustard growing capital of India- the plateau is full of lush green mustard fields studded with bright yellow flowers. There are also rice, wheat and vegetable fields, but the distinct sparkling green of the mustard really stands out.
The land is relatively flat but still undulating with some small hills and the occasional rocky outcrop. These areas, which are agriculturally useless, are crammed with houses. The miniature peaks all appear to be bursting at the seams with residences, i suppose the farmers dont want to waste precious arable land for housing. It was over one of these villages situated on a massive chunk of rock that sunrise happened. There was just enough fog and winter haze in the air that sunrise was seen clearly- not too bright like on a clear morning and not too dull like on an overcast day.
The sunrise had an enlivening effect on the other passengers; people became extremely chatty and active once the sun began its ascent. I spent the morning reading 'Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance', intermittently gazing out at the idyllic landscape of rural MP. As we went further north, the population became denser and the agriculture more intensive, the villages and townships larger and the train stations looked more like 'normal' stations. The tibetan refugees sitting in my section of the train began chanting their prayers with their japamalas. The kids started to laugh and play. The group of young tamil boys headed for work in a Haridwar factory started their game of cards, taking over where they left off the previous day. In short, the train woke up!!
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