by Aline Dobbie
Crawford Market – Mumbai
Indians are conscious of those who are disadvantaged and do give to charity but sometimes it appears to the western eye that there could be more spontaneity and more giving from the heart. The Hindu philosophy, as in my own Christian thinking, covers the credo ‘give and you shall receive’ but I am often irritated by the calculating way some hugely wealthy people only give if they receive public recognition. The good thing is, however, that the Indian press has no inhibitions about revealing scandal and corruption, and exposes anything and everything that could taint the country; pushy, self-publicising individuals inevitably reveal themselves to most discerning onlookers the world over.
Mani Bhavan is the Mahatma Gandhi Museum and really well maintained and interesting. This house was Gandhiji’s base between 1917 and 1934 and there is also a research library. Gandhiji even wrote a letter to Hitler suggesting world peace! I liked it.
I went shopping at the Cottage Industries shop and found it worthwhile. However, having had a parcel shipped supposedly by DHL for which I had paid by Visa card, I was the victim of a ‘scam’. Usually, when one pays for courier delivery, the item arrives within a week. My parcel did not arrive and as I had the email address I entered into correspondence, which, on the face of it was extremely concerned and helpful. However, when a parcel did arrive a month later it had similar items to those I had chosen but not the actual items. I thanked them, but another month later my original items arrived all sewn up in cotton in the customary old Indian way. It was delivered by the Royal Mail. I then had a demand from FedEx to pay again for the couriered parcel. This was all very vexing and thank goodness for Visa card who reimbursed me. So the lesson is that perhaps in government emporia do not go down the path of paying for courier services unless dealing with a very senior member of staff. Certainly, in the Cottage Industries shop someone was up to something and had not reckoned on my tenacity. I would personally never use anyone other than DHL as a courier as a result of that bad experience.
I went on a visit to Elephanta Island which was worthwhile, but tiring. The boat trip takes one hour and is pleasant. Once there, it is quite a long walk to the base of the steps, but there is a sort of toy train in which to ride. The path up to the summit, where the caves and statues are, is lined with the usual tourist stalls, which sell an amazing amount of goods including the most atrocious-looking ornaments whose designs obviously originated in the West. The climb on a warm day is pretty exhausting and one loses pints through perspiration! Monkeys badger one as one stands to rest. The latrine was rudimentary!
The caves, however, with their carvings, are amazing and, before they were defaced or damaged, must have been quite beautiful. Even now there is a colossal grandeur about the pillars and depictions. Originally known as Gharapuri, ‘the city of Gahra priests’, the island was renamed in the sixteenth century by the Portuguese, in order to commemorate the carved elephant they found at the port. The Shiva sculpture with its three-faced depiction is a very fine example of Hindu architecture. The cave is eighth century and is reached by 100 steps as I have described but the carvings were damaged by the Portuguese. There is an annual dance and music festival at Elephanta in the winter season and this is apparently very worthwhile.
The other thing I did was to go and consult an Ayurvedic physician. This appointment was arranged for me by someone who was kind enough to accompany me and who believes implicitly in this man’s advice and knowledge. It was an interesting experience because the individual in question is massive in size, obese is the word that springs to mind, and he sits amidst his pills and potions and cures derived from the herbal plants of India. I found him unattractive and a bit superficial. That does not mean that other Ayurvedic physicians would give this first impression. To me this man looked like a banya or merchant, not in anyway medical. Moreover, I did not think anything of the hygiene of the place but, of course, this was India. Foolishly, I took his powder in my cabin luggage and when it was put through rigorous investigation in the departure lounge at Mumbai Airport the official asked me what it was. Well, fortunately, it had a pungent smell of spice like nutmeg or cinnamon and the official dismissed it but someone trying to be officious could have made much of it and I resolved never to do something like that again. I did not follow his advice and threw away his medicine. However, I also sought the advice of a homeopath and found him meticulous and worthwhile.
I think one of my lasting impressions of Mumbai is that even the privileged live in rabbit hutches. The poverty and overcrowding of the most disadvantaged leads to the pictures of India that none of us enjoy; sadly, it is a reality for huge numbers and I marvel at their courage and determination to improve their lives given even the slightest opportunity. No, curiously, it is the immensely wealthy, who are content to live in a boxed up world of air-conditioned flats in this power house of India, that mystify me. When I was last there all the social chat was about a proposed 60-storey apartment block which had its various floor plans and apartments sold off the drawing board. I privately thought that some clever entrepreneur is trying to outdo the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur for the prestige factor. Having lived in the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur right next to the Petronas Towers and had a superb view from our suite of the cityscape on both sides, I know that regretfully nothing they do will rival that building or view. Moreover, I think someone in China is building the world’s newest tallest building as I write.
After my visit to Elephanta Island, I went to the Taj and had a light meal. In actual fact, I had not been back to the building since 1951, when, as a small child, we had lived there for a few days following the extreme worry of my late father’s massive coronary whilst on the train from Kolkata to Mumbai. We had been on our way to board a P&O liner bound for Britain. As it was, my father was very fortunate to survive the coronary and had to recuperate in Mumbai for months before we flew home to the UK. My memories of the old Taj building with its central well and graceful staircases go back to that time; it is possible that I do not like Mumbai for that reason, a childhood feeling of insecurity and alarm and memory of the worry and anguish of my mother and my father trying to be brave.
Mumbai is, however, a very good ‘jumping off’ point for lots of wonderful historic places like Ellora, Ajanta, Aurangabad, all of which are in the modern state of Maharashtra. This state was created in 1960 and is the third largest in India. The industrial might of this state accounts for a quarter of the nation’s output.
Maharashtra’s history is documented from the second century BC with the construction of its first Buddhist caves. Buddhism was a major influence here but, gradually, Hinduism supplanted it and, though Islam had a footing during the Moghul dominance in the North, it has made little long-term impact. Shivaji is considered Maharashtra’s greatest warrior and hero. He was a Maratha chieftain who united the various local cliques and fought off potential invaders from the coast, but he also moved northwards and exploited the internecine struggles of the Moghuls. He was, however, captured in 1664 when defeated in battle at Surat, the ancient port of Gujarat. Aurangzeb imprisoned him at the Red Fort in Agra but he was able to escape and lived till 1680, by which time he had united the Marathas into a unified force and stable prosperous state. Aurangzeb actually left Delhi and came and ruled from Aurangabad (which did not yet have that name) but, though he raised the city walls and did all in his power to protect his southern lands, the Marathas persisted in their quest. When Aurangzeb died in 1707, the city was renamed in his honour and came under a new ruler – the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Modern Aurangabad is a thrusting commercial city with the added attraction of shopping malls, restaurants and bars and the old city as a tourist destination. There is a Muslim minority which has to somehow make an uneasy peace with the extreme right Hindu Shiv Sena party. Mumbai wallahs fly here for long weekends as there are so many places to see as well as good hotels in which to enjoy themselves. Daulatabad is a day trip away and has an incredible old fort that w
as briefly the fourteenth century Muslim capital of India. Again, this is a hilltop fort on top of a massive volcanic outcrop. Previous to its Muslim occupation, it was known as Deogiri ‘Hill of the Gods’. At Khuldabad, which is a Muslim walled town, one can visit the tomb of Emperor Aurangzeb. He really was the last of the great Moghuls; after him the dynasty waned. The nicest of the five-star hotels is the Taj Residency which is not too close to the airport The Bibi-Ka-Maqbara is the mausoleum for Aurangzeb’s wife but, although it is very fine, it in no way competes with the exquisite Taj Mahal. Indeed what could?
The caves overlooking the mausoleum are interesting but again are no competition for those at Ellora and Ajanta; however, in themselves they are a good example of rock art. I just feel that the potential for Buddhist tourism is yet to be reached in this whole area. One day soon, the authorities will realise how important all of this is but, as yet, there appears to be inertia about the place, rather like Gwalior, though it has to be said some of the modern development is unpleasant and diminishes the beauty of the focus of attention. Ellora is Maharashtra’s most visited ancient site. There are 34 Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves. The site’s major attraction is Kailash temple, built in the eighth century, which is apparently the world’s largest monolith and is quite simply spectacular. The Jain caves to the north of the main group were the result of the Digambara sect (as was the Sonagiri set of temples of which I wrote earlier). Sadly, because Ellora is not as isolated as Ajanta, Aurangzeb in a fit of religious zeal commanded that the heathen idols be defaced. In the last two years of this century, we know that the Taliban did that in Afghanistan to the massive Buddhist rock art that the experts are now trying valiantly to reconstruct sympathetically.
Ajanta is much further away and the 166 km road trip takes a few hours by car so it is wise to set out really early in the morning after a good breakfast in the hotel. These caves were discovered in 1819 by a tiger-hunting party of British officers and men. At the height of its influence, Ajanta sheltered more than two hundred monks as well as a large community of painters and sculptors and artisans. Indications are that this was started in the second century BC. Both these sites should be visited between October and March. The monsoon may also be a good time to visit as with Mandu but this area can become dangerous with swollen rivers and waterfalls, although the greenery and water enhances the beauty of the whole experience. Any visit after March until the rains would, however, be unwise as the heat and humidity is overpowering.
Both Ellora and Ajanta have been sympathetically renovated and care has been taken to ensure that there is no further degradation from flash lights and the heat of powerful lights. I think three days is required to comprehensively see Aurangabad, Ellora and Ajanta, and actually four would be better to give one a chance to relax and catch one’s breath after experiencing so many quite spectacular sights.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Gir National Park, Nagarahole,
Kaziranga and Pench Tiger Reserve
“The Earth like cloth consists of strands
Where worn, we ought to mend it.
For no one knows, which thread, once torn
May suddenly just end it.”
Henry Gibson
There are two ways in which to visit Gir, either fly from Mumbai to Rajkot, which is 175 km away or take a train to Sasan Gir or Junagadh, again from Mumbai. There is also now an air service to Diu from Mumbai. This is probably what I will use because it allows one to have a holiday by the sea at Diu which is charming and unspoilt and the drive to Gir is not too long. Depending on the amount of time available, I think the train is better in that one sees the countryside around and absorbs the landscape and terrain. Huge car journeys are only for the dedicated as I have already written and most people want to just arrive!
Gir Forest and Sanctuary is magnificent with rugged hilly terrain particularly in the northern and western areas with the Gir Hills reaching a height of 530 metres or approximately 2000 feet. This famous lion sanctuary lies at the bottom of the Saurashtra peninsular in Gujarat.
Gir is home to the Asiatic Lion of which I will speak, but is also home to the largest leopard population of any park in India. There are now approximately 300 lions in the park and Gir has proved to be one of the great success stories because at the turn of the twentieth century it was reckoned that only 20 lions remained.
Lions are thought to have entered the Indian subcontinent around 6000 BC and, during the Indus Valley Civilization, lions were present in many parts of the country. They were also found in what is now Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, as we now know it, and Iran. From 275 BC through to 188 AD, lions were found in great numbers all over the Indian subcontinent except in the south.
The great Mauryan emperor Ashoka used the lion as his icon and symbol in the famous rock pillars and, as I said earlier, urged the first message of conservation on his people. Tragically, once firearms became available, lions were exterminated from most parts of the country. In 1870, the last lion surviving outside Gir was shot at Dessa. Mercifully, Lord Curzon, the great Viceroy (who is often vilified these days, but had foresight for his time) declined the invitation to shoot lions at Gir, but asked the then Nawab of Junagadh to consider protecting and conserving the last remaining handful of lions. By 1913, the population of the Asiatic Lion plummeted to about 20. Then, in 1944, a British cavalry officer is reported to have shot 80 lions during a three-year stay in the region.
Whenever I read of these appalling deeds, I am covered in shame for the shallow thinking and futile ambitions of some of my race who have ‘enjoyed’ themselves in India. I know that hunting lions in ancient times was a royal privilege and a symbol of manliness. The motif of a king stabbing a lion was the royal seal of the kings of Assyria and the Mesopotamian Kings decorated the walls of their palaces with hunting scenes. Man pitting himself against nature has been a universal theme since the beginning of pictorial history but, truly, in the time of the British rule and the zenith of the maharajahs’ glory, hunting and killing appeared to reach extremes that today we would find difficult to comprehend, let alone condone. Reading royal diaries and accounts of King George V’s shooting parties I found it repugnant that he took so much pleasure in killing thousands of pheasants and partridge at Sandringham. In the medieval days, when kings went hunting, admittedly for sport, the stag or the hind was brought back for the feast. By having royal deer forests at least the animals were protected from extermination by the ordinary man. No-one ate lions or tigers or leopards and trophy killing is just man’s vanity and desire to boost his own ego.
Albert Einstein wrote “Any society which does not insist upon respect for all life must necessarily decay.”
How right he was and in fact today the societies which glorified themselves through wanton shooting and needless trophyism are in decay and being replaced by much more thoughtful appreciative people who see themselves as custodians of the land.
The lion population may have increased in Gir from 177 in 1976 to 327 in 2001 but, until their numbers reach 500, the species will continue to be listed as highly endangered. The worry now is that Gir may have reached its capacity for a lion population. Worryingly, 54 lions have died in the past two years, and lions are beginning to be seen outside the park as far away as Porbandar. Inevitably, if they are viewed as a threat to humans the whole conservation topic becomes political.
Lions, unlike tigers and leopards, live in social groups called prides. Each pride comprises five to seven lions, which need at least 40 sq. km of territory in which to move around. The lions of the Gir sanctuary ideally require 2,500 sq. km of land, but Gir’s total area is only 1,412 sq. km including a 257 sq. km national park at its core. Ideally, they require an extra 1000 sq. km and if you consider that they share this area with over 300 leopards (panthers as they are often called in India) and a huge population of around 46,000 antelope plus 10,000 cattle herders and approximately 30,000 cattle, it is obvious that the park is under strain.
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sp; Interestingly, the migration of lions southwards to places like Kodinar and Una has been welcomed by people there. Ram Kumar, the deputy conservator of forest at Gir Sanctuary has an explanation. Lions do not attack people like tigers or panthers do, and their presence keeps away the nilgai and wild boar which destroy crops. The lions in turn subsist on the villagers’ cattle. Villagers do not protest because they are compensated by the Forest Department. This is a symbiotic relationship with human beings, but at no time should one forget that lions are carnivores.
In 1999, the Kruger Park in South Africa which is immense and truly wonderful and where I saw my first lions in 1970, lost half of its 2000 lions to illness in a few months; that brings up the debate as to whether it is wise to concentrate the Asiatic Lion in only one place. There have been ideas of translocation to places like the Kuno Palpur Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. This was a good and practical idea but, when the Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh governments locked horns over the sharing of the Narmada River’s waters, the sharing of lions became linked. Moreover, a chief minister of Gujarat discarded the idea of translocation on purely parochial grounds declaring them the pride of Gujarat, which indeed they are but surely politicians can see a little beyond their noses?
The following is an account by Annie Hayes-Watkins’s of the beautiful experience she and her friend Julie had on a visit to Gir. They are both devoted to wildlife and their impressions mirror my own. Fortunately, Julie’s fall from the jeep at Ranthambhore was not a long-term injury and they had a superb time at Gir.
