In the search of answers to my Curiosity . . .

Landfill visits in Bhopal

Landfill Pilgrimage by a man from Youth Alliance - Delhi , Chennai, Bangalore and now Mumbai. Each time it happened, it arose the curiosity within me about what it really is or could it impact others so much.

To search for the answers of awakening curiosity I thought of trying myself and go on a similar trip though not being sure if I could really do it or would be able to step into it.

I asked my friend if we could go to landfills Bhopal this Sunday and his obvious response was why we need to go there , upon which I replied to search for same answer.

Google showed me that the landfills in Bhopal has been relocated from Bhanpur to Adampur Chaawani in 2014 and 3 years I thought are enough for relocation as all the newspapers told same. This morning we drove 23 KMS to Adampur Chaawani in search of landfills, asking people about the same but on reaching there we were told it is still at the same location which was 20 KMS in the opposite direction. My friend was irritated but I didn't want to go back reaching so close .

The drive in the opposite direction and we could make out by smell through a distance that we are close to the landfills. The first sight made me think about the place being called as a Landfill or dumpsite as there was no structure for trash to be seen only a vast vacant land with huge heaps of mountains of dump.

I was almost ready to trek those mountains and reach the top, but soon a man came and stopped us and said that we can't go inside without the permission from Nagar Nigam (which was suppose to shut because of Sunday). He didn't even agree for 5 minutes even after requesting for 20 minutes, may be because of the ongoing issues for relocation and he supposedly assumed us as reporters.

After all the pleading attempts in vain I just stood there for next some minutes and observe. I was shocked when the man told that it is more than 20 years old trash and how could the local bodies even think of relocating this to a new place when it is not being looked since 20 years and piles of mountains are being created.

I could only see the plastics all over the vast area and returned with numerous questions and thoughts in mind.

"Can we really do something when our smallest utility to biggest necessity is into that trash?"

'"Are we as a user really responsible for this environment that we have created or as a producer?"

With these questions in my mind i came back. 

In the Search of Abode of Peace

Shantiniketan 'March 2016

This day reminds me of last year when it was same date and my friend's birthday and a trip happened because I hate get togethers for the sake of Birthdays and Anniversary celebrations, not because I don’t like birthdays but these social occasional gatherings are so boring. School was fun because it was a day to escape regular school uniforms and dress in casual ones. Till the time I came in college I preferred escaping from the city and common people around to the place with new people and be myself.

Last year on this day we were in Calcutta and it was my friend's birthday on 6th March and I suggested to take a day off and en-route to Shantiniketan (2 hours journey from Calcutta). We heard it as a place owned by Tagore Family with his homes and Viswa Bharti University.

When asked by our colleagues and friends we were told it demands not more than a half day visit and nothing much is there. But there was something in the name of it that tempted me and so as a part of self research I asked to the ravel friend of mine about the place and she shared the details about the stay in the village and Shanibarer Haat(Market which occurs only on Saturdays and thus the name).

Incidentally birthday was falling on Sunday so we planned for the weekend. It was Saturday early afternoon when out train reached Shantiniketan, hired an auto for Shakuntala Stay in Sonajhuri Village. While Auto ride it seemed like a regular town, we passed through Tagore house, Kopai River and soon reached at our stay.

The place was located in the interiors of the village surrounded by forest. The atmosphere of the surrounding was a energy booster as we were tired due to scorching heat and Journey.

The place offered cultural and natural touch with people singing and dancing. I soon freshened up and my hungry belly couldn't wait. The interiors and aesthetics were enough to give me more tempts. 2 months already in Calcutta and I had never taste the Bengali Cuisine.

Did I say Bengali Cuisine? Yes because the resort presents authentic & traditional Bengali cuisine even for the vegetarian people like me. Soon we were served with warm and aromatic bhaat(Rice) with Posto Bora in green lotus leaves. Before this I have never loved rice this much and I ate like it was my last meal.

After waking from almost an hour sleep due to the heavy lunch, I thought we missed the Shanibarer haat so rushed outside and the whole atmosphere was spellbound. It was spread across a huge area with Baul singers, Dancers and local artisans displaying art and handifcrafts with traditional delicacies like rabdi and chaat. Baul Gaan or baul sangeet is one of the oldest type of songs with rich heritage & culture in its background. I was just lost in the beauty of it, in the music of the bauls, colours of the handicrafts, various dance forms and it seemed like the perfect blend of culture and traditions.

The Bauls were singing till late night and I couldn't really understand the words being in Bengali but the music was so powerful and pleasing. That night we were just strolling around and saw a light from distant. Moving towards the light it just got multiplied, increasing the curiosity we moved closer and we couldn't believe what our eyes saw. There were thousands of Jugnoo(Glow worms) on the ground, it felt like the twinkling sky.

It is not the picture of the same place but feeling was same.

And people said there was nothing in Shantiniketan and it is a half day trip. I couldn't have asked for more from this place but there was another day, excited and curious for the next day I slept.

Next morning started with the walk in the nearby Adivasi gram(village) which was in the interiors of the forest. We passed through the tall rows of trees.

As we were approaching the village we could see the mud huts from distance. Reaching nearer there were narrow muddy lanes, children playing, and women doing the household chores. We were just walking around visited a number of houses of the painters, carpenters and artisans. This village was different from the villages I have visited before because it was pure and untouched unlike the villages which are full of tourists nowadays.

Reaching back to our stay and while conversation with a man who was associated some theater in Mumbai told us about the visit in the same gram and he talked about the beautiful artist house. While he was describing that particular house we thought we have missed the house as it was in the corner in the last lane in the right from where we must have took the left and returned. Wished to visit again but as per the time we had to check out our stay and visit the normal touristy place about which the Wikipedia and other people told about. For next some hours we were walking in the homes of Tagore Family, Viswa Bharti Campus, resting ourselves under the tree due to the scorching sun and had cold rabdi.

I still wanted to go back to the village and see that house. we waited for the sun to rest and went to the village, passing the forest and rows of trees again and walking in search of the last house and finding our way. The lane we missed in the morning, the house which anyone could have guesses that it was artists house seeing the exteriors. Going inside it was beautifully painted with small artistic windows with beautifully placed terracotta utensils. It was worth the second visit.

I was still gathering the thoughts of the past two days as it was the time to leave the place with the wish to visit it every time I get bored of the daily monotonous life and city.

I still remember the feeling of the Baul's music inside and the sights of glow worms to colourful haat. Sonajhuri still offers the lost charm of Shantiniketan with the winding village roads, untouched forests and the Adivasi Gram.