The joy of discovering!

There is a strong sense of joy in discovering simple things. I realise it everytime I spend a day with my wife and kids. Since the kids are growing up fast, the quality of interaction is different each time.

Today we decided to drive down to a historic place called Mandav (also known as Mandu, around 100 kms from Indore). We got late in deciding this, and then I got late on some conference calls (bad things these conference calls!!) and started at 12 noon. But we were back home by 8 pm, with everyone totally delighted with the experience! (I did not expect that initially)

I discovered several simple things today.

A large patch of the NH3 (Agra Bombay road) - which earlier was rickety, patchwork-laden, and hardly a highway - has undergone massive transformation. It now resembles a proper 6 lane international standard highway. I had not driven down this road for some months, and did not realise that a replica of my favourite Mumbai-Pune expressway has been created right in my backyard! Great job NHAI.

I love driving on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The maintenance of the greenery along the dividers is so good it's deligtful always. Flowers of all colours! (that is something I am afraid will not be repeated in my region as my experience with the Mhow-Dewas concrete bypass of 40 km length dictates.. the green belt inside the divider has been reduced to weeds. Funds had been allocated for proper greening of the entire divider belt, it never happened. It was a scam reported by local newspapers, but all officers responsible got away scotfree.)

The natural beauty of Mandav is outstanding, more so in this season. All shades of green are visible. I have tried to capture some pictures to share that. For a nature-lover or a Green-lover, Mandav is a paradise. It almost makes one wish he were a herbivore! Oohhh... chomp, chomp, chomp, regurgitate!

There is this curious fruit you find in Mandav, exceptionally different tasting, called Mandu-ki-imli. Gorge yourself on it because you are not likely to find it anywhere else. Techincally, it is Baobab seeds, locally known as Mandu's tamarind (or Mandu ki Imli). Mandav is the only place in the whole of Asia where these can be found, they say. Here are pictures of the fruit and the tree as well.

Being a teacher is a bad idea during such vacations as you are distracted by wrong use of langauge everywhere :-) An example is this signboard. The words "pedal" and "nauka" are wrongly spelt in Hindi.

The MP Tourism has a healthy circuit running across the state. Mandu is a favourite desitnation of tourists, both Indian and Foreign. They have upgraded their facility here recently. The lake is pristine - simple, raw and untarnished. But with each passing year, I fear (like I do for my favourite destination Goa) that construction and/or commercial activity may pick up.

Here are some more pictures of the beautiful roads (that seem to never-end), and the surrounding hills, some of which are breathtakingly beautiful and virgin.

Playing with the monkeys at the lakeside was fun. I regret we are destroying their natural feeding habits. Fortunately, the monkeys at Mandu were not aggressive, like their bretheren I have encountered at many other places of pilgrimage or hill-stations (some are so dangerous they may pose a threat to babies left untended.) 

 

Here is a video link as well, of the encounter with the monkeys!

Mandu is a beautiful destination (of historic value - I won't delve into all that, as that's a very long story).

You will expect no private party to get rights to aggressive marketing on the streets and trees. I was surprised to find enterpreneurial zeal going on rampage in Mandu through the main street. It is hugely distracting as the only signboards you expect in a place like Mandu are direction boards put up by the government. Honestly, anything else is a letdown. An example of what I mean is shown here. Tourism authorities - are you listening?

Around 8 years ago, I had visited Mandu when a BEAUTIFUL fossil museum - reportedly funded by local MP's fund and created by a renowned craftsman /artist -was just inaugurated. I was thrilled to visit "Ashmadha" museum then. It was beautiful. Great models of what the Dhar district (Mandu lies in Dhar district) region was like crores of years ago. The fossil remains of sea-creatures of that age and documentary descriptions etc. were all neatly displayed inside the building, even as two huge concrete dinosaurs stood sentinel in the garden outside. The very next year, I was horrified to find the museum fall into disrepair due to almost zero maintenance.

We Indians are excellent at creation, superb at inaugurations, and horrible at maintenance. We need to really improve on "maintenance" in everything we do. Everything.

While driving back, I always prefer taking a less-travelled kachha road almost 20 kms long. It winds its way through very small villages, towns and farmlands - the real India. It ultimately connects to the highway. You see lots of activity even on a Sunday evening - tractors plying, young men in groups standing and chit-chatting, farmers carrying their produce, women tending to kids / carrying water, etc. This truly is the real India - in the heartland.

Anyway!

Sometimes, it is best for some places to be left untouched. That's the best development one should contemplate for such places. Their natural existence is their joy. Mandav is one such place. It's a fantastic experience at minimal cost. Highly recommended!

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