Travelling to Offbeat places - Vikramshila

Very often people request that they would like to visit any Offbeat place.. Away from the tourist crowd and specially touts. I am too fond of such places.

I decided to visit a small place called "Bateshwarnath" near Kahalgaon, Bihar around 44 KMS from Bhagalpur the "silk city". Me and my brother-in-law decided to go there on Bike, as we knew we would need to travel through area's where we might not get good roads (Although to our surprise, the condition of rural roads where much better than National Highway(NH-80), thanks to pradhan mantri gramin rojgar yogana)..

Bateshwarnath is a place which just looks like a picture postcard.. River Ganges is in full flow and miles till you can see..

Now the surprising element, when we reached there..we could see some tunnels in the hills.. we inquired from the locals about them.. and came to know that they are mines which were used by British People to take stones for make porcelains, ceramic materials. I got more information on internet the company was bengal potteries..and the mining was done extensively during 1919-1936.

We were very eager to go inside and we took a decision.. but nobody knew how long are they and is there any danger inside.. Anyway I used my camera's flash to get some inside view ..We didn't dared to go beyond 50 Meters as it was pitch dark.

We came back and I took some photographs of nearby places and started for ruins of vikramshila, which is around 2 KMs from there.

Again its hard too believe but the ruins of vikramshila have been carefully maintained.. A very good and well maintained museum which tell you about the history of this place..

No wonder why the kings choose such beautiful places for universities. King Dharmapal established three university.. Vikramshila, Nalanda and one more is in Bangladesh..

Now the problem of such offbeat place is like no arrangements of food and water, Even no transportation..That's pretty sad..

If one needs to be at such lovely places, he would need to arrange all these before and don't expect anything from the such places then only he would be able to enjoy such places.

I have uploaded some pictures of my trip.. will be uploading more soon..

An Indian Experience

- By Howe Rokofsky (www.rokofsky.com)

In the name of brevity, I will simply relate to you some of the impressions and how their effect has enhanced my life. After the first few days in Delhi, I was already thinking to myself „How I wish this Indian experience was behind me! Let me go home already!“ It was more about survival than enjoyment. The poverty was all around me, the innumerable touts trying to scam me out of some money, the poor cows languishing all over the city, the stray dogs looking weak and hungry, the stench of urine pervasive. If it weren't for all the business meetings I had there, I would have left Delhi immediately and made my way for the villages, away from the touts, at least.

Then I bought a 21-day train pass and began my travelling in earnest. Every couple of days was a new destination, a new place where I knew no one, where I had to find accommodation, get familiar with the new surroundings, and find someone to wash my clothes. Travelling around Rajasthan, then to the Taj Mahal, then slowly down south to sultry Kerala, I saw everything from camels to elephants, birds of prey, met countless people with countless agendas (most of them just happy to talk to a white man, several inviting me home to meet their families, many wanting to take a photo with me, and, of course, others trying to extract money from me). Although I got lonely at times, travelling alone made it easier to meet people and learn so much about this ancient and incredibly diverse culture.

When the train pass ran out, I enjoyed a few days' repose on the beaches of Varkala, not far from the southernmost tip of the sub-continent. However, after just three days of lying in the sun, I felt again the urge to move and get back inland, to the „real India.“ So I took a 26-hour train ride up to Bombay, where I am now. I'm glad I came here a couple of days early; Bombay is so much like New York, so unlike Delhi! Thanks to the hospitality of a Jain family I met on the internet, I am staying in their home, eating home-made Gujarati food, and my new friend Samir has been answering so many of the questions in my mind about what I've seen around India. Still, there are more questions I can not even venture to formulate! It will take another visit to India to get a better grip on the way things are done here.

No, I did not do the „spiritual trip“ of doing yoga or meditation here; many Westerners come to India for that reason; as far as I'm concerned, those things can be done at home. There is just too much to do and see here!

As for the business end of things, I don't mind mentioning that several „partners“ have been wooing me to come and offer my services to their clients. And, if some of the business meetings materialize into business doings, I will be back very soon.

As strange as it seems, I have not had even one case of belly cramps or anything of the like. Not that I was overly careful either: without actually drinking any of the tap water, I did not avoid it when brushing my teeth or drinking fresh juices out of less-than-clean glasses on the street. And, as much as I tried to live as an Indian wherever possible, I managed to avoid stepping into cow dung on all but three occasions. Not once did I step into one of the innumerable (and deep!) potholes and twist my ankle, a feat I consider extremely lucky. I came here insured to the hilt against illness, injury and theft, but have not had any such incident to speak of.

What have I gained from this unlikely experience over the past 6 weeks? Survival is something no one should take lightly: it benefits the soul more than most people realize. One becomes even more adaptable; everything is so different: my imagination did not fathom such things as I've seen here. Surely my senses have been heightened: in addition to avoiding traffic (you take your life into your hands every time you cross the street, even in small towns), it is noticing the little things that make the Indian experience so unique. And I can now appreciate so many things I've taken for granted my whole life: 24-hour electricity, traffic rules, sit-down toilets, paved roads, a roof over my head, and so many other things that will enter my mind once I am home and have had the chance to reflect more deeply. Without hesitation I can say that these 6 weeks have been some of the most educational and enlightening of my entire life. If one can deal with the strange and unusual things in India, one can get through trials and tribulations anywhere, save for war zones.

„India rewards those who go with the flow“: these words are in the Forward of the Lonely Planet guide book. When I originally read that, it seemed trite. But now, I can say that truer words were never spoken...

Is rural tourism in india still a myth ?

In the west, and other developed countries, they call it Farm Tourism, as it largely offers a 'back to nature' experience. Rural Tourism, the nomenclature India has adopted, goes far beyond the western concept. India, it has been aptly said, lives in its villages, and that is where a visitor can get the feel of the real India. The official booklet on the subject says it succinctly. “The rural heartland of India”, it points out, “is home to an array of endowments, each distinctive, with lifestyle redolent of art, craft, culture and natural heritage. Rural tourism thus connects the visitor from the frenetic present with the traditional assets of communities whose domain lies off the beaten track. It recognizes the role of women in civil society, the primacy of human development and the preservation of heritage”. This country has more compelling reasons to aggressively promote rural tourism. One, is the immense potential for employment of rural youth, the other, is that it could check the rapid rural migration which is having an adverse effect on cities. Besides, rural tourism could not only revive pride in rural life-styles, but also help improve the quality of life in villages. And so, this segment of tourism, though new to India and well established elsewhere, fits in with the government's avowed policy of improving the lot of the rural masses.

The tourism ministry has since launched a major rural tourism project, covering the whole country, in association with UNDP (United Nations Development Fund). Some fifty villages have already been chosen, where access and basic infrastructure like accommodation, food and guides are being provided. To quote again from the official booklet, “virtually every corner of rural India possesses a craft or traditional skill, preserved and passed on by the gurus to their pupils……Patachitra painting and Gotipura dance in Raghurajpura, Ikat style weaving in Pochampally, metal mirrors and Vaastu Vidya in Aranmula, the Chanderi weave in Pranpur, embroidery in Hodka ….. the list is endless”. “For the visitor”, it adds, “rural tourism will add value through packaged programmes in art and craft, imparted by skilled local artisans. And village entertainment groups will unveil local history, and cultural, natural and oral treasures.”

Even before the tourism ministry had stirred in a big way, Haryana State, bordering Delhi, had made a pioneering effort. It came out with a colour brochure and an evocative theme. Opening with the famous quote from poet Rabindranath Tagore on his brush with nature, it asked, “When was the last time you chased chickens, roamed in the fields with pure wind on your face…found yourself jiggling up and down to the thrills of a bullock cart or a tractor ride?” “Rural tourism,” it added, “seeks to awaken the child in you …to experience the unforgettable whiff of the countryside…to plant baby seeds…enjoy the delights of organic food and experience many spontaneous joys of nature that you may never have known before.”

Initially, Haryana tourism began its foray into rural holidays in association with a dozen or so farms around Delhi. They are located in the Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rohtak and Karnal districts. To take just one example, there is the Surjivan Farm, close to the Classic Golf Resort, 50km from Delhi. Spread over fifty acres, it is based on the concept of 'back to nature', which the Haryana brochure says “includes nature living, nature food, nature care and nature farming, with a breathtaking variety of plants.” For accommodation, it has ethnic huts, a dormitory and even conference facility. There are day packages, overnight stays and group tariffs. Activities include a choice of organic farming, herbal park excursions, orchards and vegetable gardens, a village safari, cattle feeding, cow milking, camel rides and bonfires. Golf and rock climbing can also be arranged.