Bharat Jodo Yatra: My journey.

Dear reader, the way I am going to go about it is like this:

1. As things unfold and happen to me, I am going to post them on Facebook and Instagram, because that is the easiest and fastest way to get them out from my phone. You can follow me there if you want your fix quickly. (Note that on Facebook, my posts are marked as ‘Friends Only’ and you may not be able to read them. But rest assured, they are all here. So, read on.)
2. As and when I have Internet access, time, and a place to sit and do this, I will transfer the content here on this blog. All the different posts will be collated, the time and location mentioned, and their Facebook links given at the beginning of every post.
3. I have started at the point I left my home to go to Nanded to join the Yatra. I will end when I return. This post itself will be continuously updated with my thoughts and insights, photos and videos, observations and commentary, and all other random ideas I may have from time to time, all of which may not have a direct connection to the Bharat Jodo Yatra, but will give you a juicy piece of my life during the period I attended it, including stuff not necessarily about the Yatra in particular. I hope that works for you.
4. Note that these are a collection of thoughts that flowed when I was in the moment, and not something that was recollected at leisure with the benefit of hindsight or much introspection. So, what you get is fresh and instinctive. What you don’t get is the depth or analysis. I presume you’d do that in your head, just as I hope you will forgive the brevity (and any typos that may have inadvertently crept in due to the whole writing being ‘in the moment’).

And with that out of the way, here we go:

04 November 2022, 0500h IST, The Gadgil home, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

And we’re off! In new boots.

P.S.: Spent the last hour in the parking struggling with the gear shifter, which was supposed to be adjusted to my boots but refused to shift beyond first. And now, I am sweaty, greasy, and tired even before the ride begins. Sigh! I guess I have to get used to an uncomfortable style of shifting up, at least until I find a more permanent solution to this. Well, what’s done is done. Time to bash on regardless.

 

04 November 2022, 0730h IST, Smile Stone Restaurant, Pune-Ahmednagar Highway, Maharashtra, India.

And after an uneventful ride, except for the discomfort of the new boots (I am getting cramps, but more importantly, am unable to shift up easily, and this issue needs to be addressed as soon as I am back in Pune), we arrived at our breakfast point. An idli, dosa, and filter coffee later, we are off again.

 

04 November 2022, 0815h IST, Armoured Corps Centre & School, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India.

Made like a gun.

 

04 November 2022, 0935h IST, Underkhel Village, Ashti, Maharashtra, India.

I realised I cannot resist an off-road. And then, there’s the windmills!

P.S.: Got up and down. No mess, no fuss, no slips, no falls. Me sitting all the way back, staying away from the front brake, and keeping my wits about me. Am so chuffed!

All thanks to Shohrat Shankar, who has coaxed, pleaded, pushed, helped, demonstrated, and basically led from the front in getting all of us at Bikers’ Creed India to try (and hopefully, like) off-roading.

 

04 November 2022, 1000h IST, Dhamangaon Village, Ashti, Maharashtra, India.

My entire right exhaust pipe fell off. And there weren’t even rough roads. LOL.

Thank goodness I have a chase car and Vikas, my right-hand man. He had gone ahead. But I’ve called him back. Now, to find nuts & bolts, which are lost, and then, wait for the part to cool before attempting a fix.

 

04 November 2022, 1255h IST, Beed, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Friends, diaries (like the one I maintain online on SM and on my blog) have a failing: They only provide the reader with a small slice of the diarist’s life. Now, typically, the only parts of their life worth writing about are the eventful, juicy, anomalous ones, where shit happens. Or goes down.

The problem with this is that people who only know the diarist from their writing tend to miss the trees for the wood and presume that that particular sliver of time presented by that particular article or post is everything there is to the story, or indeed the life of the diarist. One cannot be further from the truth.

This selection bias needs active debunking. So, here goes: I am chronicling my journey to and participation in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I write about the beautiful and the ugly, the joyful and the painful, and the fantastic and the outstanding experiences I am passing through. The trouble is, as explained above, I only write about anomalies and not the mundane, because otherwise there’s nothing to report on an uneventful, unremarkable, boring day. It is only interesting to my readers, and hence to me, if something out of the ordinary happens.

And so, I end up talking of accidents and falls, beautiful windmills and off-roads, fears and exhilarations, great or horrible food and interesting people. Unfortunately, that is taken to be all of it.

It isn’t. We are all smart enough to know that. Let us not fool ourselves into thinking that my entire life is about exciting and thrilling stuff. Or that my entire experience of 12,000km in 3 months of riding is about a machine part failing.

Let me tell you a story: Long ago, when my parents were fighting the then government to exonerate my brother of charges of pilot error (in an accident in which he lost his life), the media started calling the MiG-21s ‘flying coffins’ and attributed that phrase to us. We protested vehemently and wrote several letters and emails, gave interviews and even called up senior journalists and had press conferences to distance ourselves from that stupid and patently wrong accusation. It did not help. My brother loved his MiG and died what he loved doing. The aircraft had served the IAF well and we were proud of its record. We even had an actual MiG-21 in our backyard. But nothing worked. Even today, whenever there is an incident involving a MiG, it is called a ‘flying coffin’ and we get ‘credited’ with the quote.

Ditto the RE Interceptor 650. It is the best motorcycling decision of my life. I am extremely happy with that machine. She has given me far less trouble than what I deserve for the abuse I put her through. I am part of a group of over 250 motorcyclists with different brands, and there is no brand that has not broken down, caused trouble, frustrated the rider, and needed emergency repairs on the road. The RE Interceptor is not an exception.

The small failure in the exhaust pipe fasteners, no doubt caused by my own aggressive style of riding, is now repaired. By a roadside mechanic. In 30 minutes. For ₹50. Beat that!

So, once again, a request: Stop saying shit about this motorcycle and this brand on my wall. Especially about my BattleCat. It hurts me. And her. Thank you.

 

04 November 2022, 1345h IST, Hotel Sunrise, Beed, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

A quick and simple lunch of mixed vegetables, palak paneer, and tandoori roti/naan, and off we go once again.

 

04 November 2022, 1515h IST, Gevari Road, Bhend Budruk, Maharashtra, India.

Marigolds. Cotton. Empty roads. Silence. Me. And BattleCat.

 

04 November 2022, 1805h IST, River Godavari at Somthana, Maharashtra, India.

At the Godavari, the Ganga of the South (Dakshin Ganga), taking a break to charge the phone, the helmet, and the soul. We are about 125km from our destination, Nanded Railway Station. You have to be here to experience the silence of nature, with only the gurgling waters, the rustling grass, and the mating calls of birds interrupted by a rhythmic metallic clang of an ironmonger working at a distance in the nearby village. Of course, there’s an occasional truck that passes over the new bridge, but other than that, all I need is a book, a thermos of tea, and a chatai, and I’ll never leave this place!

 

04 November 2022, 2035h IST, Ashirwad Lodge, Shivaji Putala, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

My digs for the next 5 nights, at least. If, as I have declared, I meet interesting people and see myself contributing more than just symbolic support to the idea of a hate-free India, I may stay longer (perhaps in a slightly better place, with real windows). If not, I will be back on the 10th night in my home town, Punyangari.

Well, off I go now. Tomorrow is a day we’ve decided to take off, to take stock, check & repair (if necessary) the motorcycle and the car (and ourselves too; my already-skinned knees have become worse because of the armoured riding denims that chaff at just the wrong place), find out good (simply hygienic will do; perhaps the best bet is a langar, given we are in a Sikh holy city) places to eat, see where we can park the vehicles without worry (the hotel advertises ‘free parking’ but when asked, they said they meant that we were ‘free to park anywhere on the street; I kid you not), and rest & recuperate (the roads right outside and inside Nanded are some of the worst I have seen in my life; I was saddling, which is standing on the footrests of the motorcycle and gently holding the front wheel steady while allowing the rear wheel to dance around on bad and no road conditions, for an hour over 7km just before the city limits). My walk starts on the morning of the 6th.

But before that, I cleaned and inspected all my gear, lined up all my clothes and shoes (I really deserve a medal for making this hotel room look at least half as decent as Virat’s), put my equipment for charging (that includes, just FYI, a mosquito killing racquet!), bought bottles of water & soap (they don’t give soap), arranged my toiletries in the loo, made my bed the way I like, had a shower (or rather, a bucket bath, because the shower is u/s, that’s ‘unserviceable’ in military-speak), cleaned the bathroom (though could not dry it because they have nothing to dry it with), washed the dusting cloths used to clean the gear & hung them to dry, ordered pizza for Vikas and I, and then made myself a drink. Cheers! I think I’ve earned this.

Good night, everyone. Hope you enjoyed the journey vicariously as much as I did in reality.

 

05 November 2022, 0815h IST, Ashirwad Lodge, Shivaji Putala, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Good morning from Nanded. I realised that most towns and cities (even metropolises) have wide roads, which can be noticed early in the mornings or late nights. In fact, I also believe that the problem isn’t the number of vehicles (though that contributes too). The roads seem wide enough to take all the cars and buses and trucks and two-wheelers that will be thrown at them as the day progresses.

The problem is our, and this seems a very specific subcontinental issue, complete lack of civic sense, refusal to follow rules, impatience to the point of suicide (yes, have you noticed how, when some random driver sees, indeed knows for certain, that if they were to insert their vehicle in that open space in a Tetris-like manoeuvre, they’d not just block traffic and inconvenience others, but become part of it themselves, inconveniencing and delaying their own selfish selves, they still go right ahead and do it anyway?), and a total absence of courtesy or empathy, which needs one to imagine oneself in the other person’s place and act accordingly.

But then, these seem to be problems that are not confined to our behaviour on the roads, but generally in life and probably responsible for the miserable state of society we find ourselves in. It is, in short, our making. And we must lie now in the bed we made. Or get the courage to wake the fuck up and remake that bloody bed, if not for us, the sloth-like creatures rolling in our own filth, but at least for our future generations who don’t deserve this filthy bed we made.

Erecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in the town square is one thing. Emulating him is altogether another. Let’s hope we find it in ourselves not just to Bharat Jodo, but also, once we are united, to Bharat Bandho.

 

05 November 2022, 0845h IST, Vazirabad Chowrasta, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

For those who were wondering, the Bharat Jodo Yatra seems to be reaching Nanded on the 10th of November 2022 by end of the day and Rahul Gandhi is speaking at the Nava Mundha Maidaan at 1700h IST.

That means, given that it travels 25-30km a day, the Yatra is 150-180km away, which is about 3 hours driving from where I’m staying.

If I must reach the start point tomorrow at 0530h (the walking starts at 0600h), I need to start from Nanded at 0230, which means I need to sleep by 1800h today evening tops to keep my energy levels high for tomorrow.

That gives me 8-9 hours to explore the city and get stuff done. Chalo then, off we go.

 

05 November 2022, 0940h IST, Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

At one of the four holiest Gurdwaras in the world, where the last human (because the Granth Sahib is considered an eternal Guru) Guru, Gobind Singh Ji spent his last days. One is not allowed to film inside the sanctum sanctorum but it is to be seen to be believed. I have always found Gurudwaras to be reflective of the Sikh society: welcoming, dignified, generous, indeed generally big & friendly, and instantly giving the impression of a safe sanctuary.

Also, saw the Guru Ka Langar, but could not partake in it because we had to be elsewhere by 1000h today.

It isn’t that there aren’t oppressive, needlessly aggressive, illogical, and some even downright silly ideas within that religion, like every faith and dogma, whether or not it involves a SCOTU, but, and I have said it in the past, if I had to, at gunpoint or with a knife at my throat, be forced to choose a religion I’d have the least regrets about, I’d choose to be Sikh. That’s saying something.

P.S.: On return, the ‘Juta Ghar’ person informed me that I’d need to wait since my shoes are being polished. This community, I tell you!!!

 

05 November 2022, 1155h IST, Hotel Grand Maratha, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Quick observation: Vikas and I have been roaming around central Nanded and thereabouts (for the past 2 hours, having walked over 8km) entering and checking out restaurants and bars (also trying Google, TripAdvisor, and the good old FB) to have a beer (optional) and lunch (veg, non-veg no bar), and I have yet to find a single one, even a simple eatery, that I will be comfortable eating with my family.

Maybe I am looking at the wrong place, maybe I am looking for the wrong things, maybe I am expecting metropolitan standards of food, hygiene, service, and so on. But whatever the case, I am appalled at the lack of decent food places in a town that is the constituency of a former CM (Ashok Chavan, INC). Just abysmal, the situation.

We finally settled on a seedy-looking but rather grandiosely named Hotel Grand Maratha (recommended by online and offline sources), which is so dimly lit, so dirty, so depressing, so unclean, so dingy that it is what a Mithun Chakraborty ‘action’ movie would be if it were an eating joint. The food was so-so, the service and staff was as if we were watching Fawlty Towers in real life, and the experience was enough to want me to order Domino’s to my even seedier lodge room every day just so I could avoid this.

What’s with you, small-town India? I have had wonderful experiences on the road in the 2000s when I used to take my bike and hit the road often. Have things changed so much? What gives?

Unrelated (kind of) question: Why is the paper napkin in such restaurants so unabsorbant of any liquid, water or oil? It would work better as a butter paper than something you can use to wipe your hands dry. Anyone know why? I can’t believe it is less expensive to produce a paper that does not absorb liquids than one that does.

 

05 November 2022, 1230h IST, Nandi Motors, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

If you are in the holy city of Nanded, you cannot miss paying homage at the Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib, which I dutifully did a couple of hours ago.

And now, here’s me paying homage at the Royal Enfield showroom where the BattleCat is getting a spa treatment, with a massage (tightening of all fasteners) and deep cleansing (greasing and pressure wash).

 

05 November 2022, 1620h IST, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Someone on my mother’s FB wall, where she posts her Bharat Jodo Yatra updates (she is walking locally in Pune every morning with a small group) just told her that first, she needs to do something for Indian society before posting about her mere walk.

If he were a random person, I would have asked him to Google ‘Kavita Gadgil’.

He is a relative who not only knew Abhijit, but about his MiG-21 crash, my mother’s relentless 7-year fight to exonerate him of the blame, her contribution to saving hundreds of pilots’ lives (before my mother started her fight, we were losing approximately 12.5 pilots a year; by the time she finished, 1.5; source: Bharat Rakshak website), and the respect with which today she is viewed by men in uniform, the media, and the society around her generally. He knows about Rang De Basanti, the movie made on my brother’s crash and my mother’s fight. He knows about the numerous state and national awards she was bestowed with. He knows about her work in the aviation community. He knows about her work with children. He knows about her work in the local village, where she and Baba settled later. He knows that while, if any one of us were asked to state our ‘contribution to society’, we’d probably need to write an essay, there are schoolchildren that are asked to write essays about her in their exams.

Even with all this, according to this man, she needs to prove herself before preaching (which she is also practising, and in spades) about Bharat Jodo.

But then, he is a bhakt. And thus, totally beyond all logic, reason, thought, or even empathy, emotion, or redemption. He is lost. And does not wish to be found.

What do you do with a drowning man who, when thrown a lifeline, refuses to take it because he does not believe he is drowning? First, you reason with him. Then, you try and force him to save himself. And then, you let him die.

 

06 November 2022, 0130h IST, Ashirwad Lodge, Shivaji Putala, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Ready to walk for India.

Day 60: 6th November 2022 – corrected
Padayatra Movement Schedule

06:00 Padayatra Resumes from Peddama Temple Ramapur village Service road
https://maps.google.com/?q=17.996773,77.930099

10:00 Morning Break adjacent to the entrance of Kamlapur village.
https://maps.google.com/?q=18.068947,77.896957

16:00 Padayatra Resumes from Nizampet Village, Narayankhed.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZWW7H4sbqMY5HmjX7?g_st=iw

19:00 Evening Break at Massanpally Cross. https://maps.google.com/?q=18.167381,77.887970

Night Halt at Papaneshwar Mandir Medda Kodapgal, Jukkal, Kamareddy
https://maps.google.com/?q=18.288054,77.755341

 

06 November 2022, 0620h IST, Rampur, Telangana, India.

And it starts!

 

06 November 2022, 0703h IST, Rampur, Telangana, India.

Jai Hind!

 

06 November 2022, 0745h IST, Tirmalapur, Telangana, India.

My ‘I was this close to Rahul Gandhi’ moment. I wish I could fanboi over him as so many of my friends do. I just can’t. I am simply not into cult worship. That is what has got us into this mess today. Surely, emulating that cannot be a way out!

 

06 November 2022, 0801h IST, Tirmalapur, Telangana, India.

I have a dear friend, Darshan Mondkar, an atheist, who (tongue-in-cheek) keeps asking for food from religious folks on their festivals, his favourite being Biryani on Eid. He also makes a big deal out of it because Muslims are a minority under great stress in today’s India and especially their festivals are always targeted by the majoritarian Hindutvawadis. So, he makes it a point to make them smile, and feel wanted. This picture of a Biryani shop with the Indian tricolour would warm the cockles of his heart, if not fill his stomach, since the shop, being too early for business hours, is yet not open to serve their fare.

 

06 November 2022, 0806h IST, Tirmalapur, Telangana, India.

If anyone claims to have understood India, they haven’t.

Can anyone decipher this? Dargah, Indian tricolour, Nandi bull, agarbattis, 786, saffron, green, white, garland of flowers. No? Let’s not even try. Let us just let this be. This is the syncretism we keep speaking of. No one knows what it is, and yet it is. Beautiful. And very Indian.

 

06 November 2022, 1005h IST, Nizampet, Narayankhed, Telangana, India.

My first day’s Yatra is done. Already? But it isn’t even 1000h yet.

OK, a few observations:

• Rahul walks slowly. I had read that he keeps a ‘blistering pace’. That is not true. He can’t. He has to meet people, engage with them, pose for photos, visit homes and chai tapris, and do what politicians do to connect with people.
• I needed a jacket in the morning and a cap in the afternoon. I brought none. Lesson learnt.
• The Yatra has an overwhelming response but there are some elements that are there just to see him, which is true for any celebrity. They cause a lot of chaos and near-stampede situations. It is literally unsafe to walk right behind him, as I did for a couple of hours.
• This whole Yatra is a massive logistical exercise. The Youth Congress seems to be shouldering a lot of responsibility. There are many young, committed, and professional Congress workers slogging their backsides off to make it look so easy.
• Rahul, and the INC have learnt from the master (stroker) himself, and realised the utmost importance of optics. The visuals you see need a dozen cameras from all angles, sound engineers, lighting, direction, and some nifty editing to look so good. And make him look even better. The ladies swooning over him should know that while he is probably spontaneous within the script, there is indeed one (a script) and that is not a bad thing. Every meeting, every interaction, every visit, every cup of tea is, if not choreographed, at least pre-planned. After all, he is a Z+ category protectee. He can’t go about meeting people as openly as he wants to, and indeed does, but within the parameters set by the Yellow Book. There are, without doubt, breaches, also without doubt encouraged by him, and surely without doubt at a huge risk to his personal safety. But they seem to be limited.
• The organisation is taking great care of all the Yatris. Food, transport, flags, tees, bags, and seating area, are all provided (I was told, by the local Congress committees), though toilets and beds are limited to the pass holders.
• One other lesson the Congress seems to have re-learnt (because it was the Mahatma who taught it first, and Modi who perfected it later) is to connect a political position or event into a spiritual journey and to manage it like a festival. Indians love a good celebration. There were bands and dance troupes, longest flag contests and free food & drink offers, colourful tee shirts & bags and music, DJs and loudspeakers, the whole shindig, with bells & whistles. This may not appeal to educated urban dwellers and we may even cringe at some parts. But the bulk of the votes doesn’t come from us. And the Congress and Rahul have realised this.
• A surprising observation was the shockingly unfit crowd, with few exceptions. I expected at least the rural youth to not sweat and pant for air so much, but most people, young and old, seemingly urban and the obviously rural, men and women were simply struggling to keep up. Is it pollution? Social media addiction? Tobacco (gutkha, for example)? Laziness? Or am I imagining things? I, at 50, hardly broke into a sweat, leave alone breathe heavily or step labouriously like most around me. What gives, eh?
• The ideal way is to walk with the Yatra but at either end, far ahead or just behind. Then, you can make friends and meet amazingly interesting people. Like local social workers, policewomen, farmers, unemployed youth, mothers, and those like them who understand what the Yatra is about and why they are walking.

All in all, a good first impression. I will return tomorrow and continue to report on the progress. Here are some moments, instances, and events I captured on the way.

 

06 November 2022, 1017h IST, Nizampet, Narayankhed, Telangana, India.

Me with the Indian tricolour. Just like that. The feel of the Tiranga flying free in the winter afternoon’s sunny breeze is something to be experienced. By the way, there were at least a dozen flags extended my way when I asked for one, and there are a few dozen Indians standing on the other side of the camera shouting ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Bharat Jodo, Nafrat Chhodo‘ as I stood there with a silly grin on my face.

 

06 November 2022, 1137h IST, Deglur, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

The aircraft on top of this Gurudwara apparently has actual reclining seats with actual seat belts and lighting inside.

Also, to hear a big, hulking Sikh (in the traditional costume and wearing a large sword and an impeccably tied turban) speak Hindi with a Hyderabadi accent is an experience you are not prepared for. At all.

 

06 November 2022, 1248h IST, Kollapally Toll Plaza, Telangana, India.

You know how I keep speaking of my life being a series of serendipitous coincidences, both good and bad, and how I rarely have to do anything to either be happy or hurt? Well, it happened again.

This morning, when I reached the starting point as published last night, it was swarming with policemen & women, CRPF battalions, and Black Cat commandos eating bananas and drinking tea and saluting each other. No, it wasn’t a scene from a black comedy. The location I got was for the RV (rendezvous) for the security forces, where they were gathering, having breakfast, and generally chit-chatting.

Initially, I got mistaken as one of them and was smartly saluted, until I approached one of the junior-most of them and used my ‘non-officer’ voice (yep, I have, throughout my life, been mistaken so often for a military officer that I have developed a squeaky, even childish, naive-to-the-point-of-stupid, unmistakably ‘civilian’ voice, which I switch to when I have to stop the embarrassing salutes and ‘Jai Hinds’ and establish my non-military credentials; on a related note, why do you think I, coming from a military family, grow and maintain a beard so diligently?) to ask where the Yatra’s starting point is. He quickly realised I was a newbie and switched to his ‘police’ voice & tone, to tell me that they switched the starting point late last night and it is a dozen-odd kilometres further North, and that I shouldn’t be here as this is only for ‘shecortee’ people.

I wanted to confirm it and tried calling my contact, but he was busy and did not take my call. Finally, when the whole team (perhaps of 200 uniformed personnel) started to mount up and move out, I beckoned to Vikas to come up alongside so I could get in the car and follow the convoy. The policeman I spoke to (and one more, perhaps his buddy) asked if they could hitch a ride and I said, of course they could. So, we went to the starting point and chatted along the way. Seems they were part of the ‘Rope Party’ that uses a thick cable-like rope to cordon off some parts where Rahul walks, allowing only certain pass-holders entry inside. Anyway, we talked like two Indians on opposite berths in a train, and when we arrived at the destination, we parted and forgot about it as quickly.

Cut to an hour later, when I met my contact, got the pass, but was told that this may not get me in the cordon, though I could try. So, when Rahul started walking and cordon was pulled up, I saw literally dozens of people being physically lifted and thrown out of it by the SPG, CRPF, and the police, because they believed them not to belong inside for whatever reason. I decided to use my charm and so, spotting a policewoman, asked her politely if I could enter the roped off space. I thought this should be easy. You see, I am a real charmer with the ladies. She asked me to kindly fuck off. In a Hyderabadi accent. ‘Abhi nahi hona. Jao.’

I was stymied. I didn’t have a plan B. Just then, a colleague of hers from behind her told her to let me in. Guess what? In the 200-odd policemen of the ‘Rope Party’, I managed to land the one I had given a lift to the starting point!!

That’s it. That’s the story. Serendipity wins. Like always. I am the luckiest man alive.

 

06 November 2022, 1305h IST, Ashirwad Lodge, Shivaji Putala, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Just struck me: Maybe I should just take the BattleCat and travel through India, documenting strange and interesting experiences. Maybe, there’s money to be made as a weird & wild travel influencer. Who knows what the future holds, eh?

You think I can be the male Shenaz Treasury? 😛

 

07 November 2022, 0508h IST, Fathlapur, Telangana, India.

The advantage of waking up early and being anal about time is that typically, one reaches well ahead for most meetings and events and gets to see how the backend works.

Which is what I was recording when the AICC coordinator there jumped on me and asked me to refrain from photographing the preparation, even if it was an innocuous picture of the camera dolly van. He said that the behind-the-scenes activity is not for public consumption. That even if they are on a public road in the open and there is no such restriction for disallowing photography, he would prefer I keep this a secret.

So, of course, I had to post this.

 

07 November 2022, 0624h IST, Fathlapur, Telangana, India.

Say anything, the mood at the Yatra‘s start, especially as Rahul arrives, is electric, to say the least, though ‘Bharat Jodo’ shouted in the same vein as ‘Bharat Chhodo’ probably was in 1942 does not have the same ring to it.

What is surprising though, given the sheer size of this mass of humanity turning up to join this man walking across the length of the country, I have not spotted a single OB van or reporter of literally any television channel. Not. A. Single. One.

P.S.: I am hoping that will change at the public meeting at Menoor, Kamareddy tonight and I can see some media presence, as is expected of any journalist worth their salt to report reality. Or maybe that is too high a bar for today’s Indian media.

Day 61: 7th November 2022

Padayatra Movement Schedule & Entry into Maharashtra

06:00 Padayatra Resumes From Fathlapur Bus stand, Kamareddy distt.
https://maps.google.com/?q=18.378096,77.676353

10:00 Morning Break at Shekhapur
https://maps.google.com/?q=18.453924,77.668953

17:00- 18:30 Public Meeting at Menoor, Kamareddy https://maps.google.com/?q=18.485502,77.649948

20:30 Padayatra Resumes from Mirjapur Hanuman Mandir, Kamareddy Telangana. (11:00km from the morning break point) https://maps.google.com/?q=18.519245,77.602760 (Carrying UnityTorches/ Ekta Mashal)

MAHARASHTRA

Day:61 Monday, 7th November 2022

21:15 to 22:00 Welcome By MPCC at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue, Kalamandir, Degloor. https://maps.app.goo.gl/weCGq99yso7AG2B59?g_st=iwb

22:10 Yatra resumes (Carrying Unity Torches/Ekta Mashal)

00:10 (Effectively 8th November) Yatra break at Gurdwara Yaadgari Baba Zoravar Singh ji, Fateh Singh ji. Followed by Gurunank Gurupurab Ardas. https://maps.google.com/?q=18.624151,77.586731

Night Halt at chidravar Mill, Degloor, Nanded,
https://maps.google.com/?q=18.543606,77.571609

 

07 November 2022, 0638h IST, Bichkunda, Telangana, India.

There are heaps of paddy drying on the roadside this time of the year. And people are being extremely respectful of it, touching their foreheads reverentially if they accidentally stepped on some. Indeed, the order and cleanliness of a crowd of Indians at a public event in this case is exemplary.

By the way, everyone is wishing everyone else.

Good morning. Namaskaram. Jai Jagat.

 

07 November 2022, 0644h IST, Kandarpalle, Telangana, India.

He insisted I take a bottle because I might feel thirsty. We got talking. He is a farmer and their village got together to distribute water for this leg of the Yatra. He says nobody should crave in thirst. By taking water from him, he claimed I am doing HIM a favour by giving him a chance to serve another human. He and his past 4 generations have been Congress supporters and he says he voted BJP in 2014 and wants to atone for it.

 

07 November 2022, 0732h IST, Binny Rice Mills, Pedda Eklara, Telangana, India.

Finally, journalists! Unfortunately, no one of note or of a national channel or newspaper. All of them look like third-stringers who have been given a punishment assignment.

I tried talking to some of them, but other than TV9 Telugu news channel, no one was interested. The TV9 chap too, once he realised I wasn’t any functionary or spokesperson, petered off and stopped engaging.

Not one of them looks the least interested in getting off that bus and speaking to any common Yatris or doing anything other than somehow waiting for this to be over.

I asked one of them whether they would report the large number of people coming to walk. He said, reporting back to his editor is his job. Whether it gets any coverage in the next day’s papers is not in his hands. I agree.

Caveat: Please remember that I am not an investigative journalist, but simply a Yatri trying to speak to as many people as possible. There is no way to tell when someone is telling the truth except for the sincerity in their voice (as judged by me on the spot). So, please take everything I ‘report’ here as an exercise in ‘presumption of truth unless otherwise proven’ because I take everyone at face value. There is no other way, to be honest, that I know of.

 

07 November 2022, 0835h IST, Telangana, India.

Telangana is so beautiful!

 

07 November 2022, 0844h IST, Mainur, Telangana, India.

Trying an-only video post for the first time.

Observations:

1. I need to have a way to switch cameras from front to back on the fly. Perhaps there already is, I just need to discover it. Nobody wants to stare at my face while I speak.
2. I am so bald, I think I could pass off as Nirav Modi in disguise.

What else could I do to make this better? Or should I stick to writing (‘Don’t quit your day job’, as my more loving friends will advise)?

 

07 November 2022, 0856h IST, Mainur, Telangana, India.

What is the one thing you can find on all Indian roads, including those that are better than even the best German ones, but rarely abroad?

Cattle excretions. Fresh as well as dried. Old and new. Green and brown. Cow dung and urine. Goat droppings. And also bullshit drivers who have no regard, not just for the law, but for their own or others’ safety.

Jai ho!

 

07 November 2022, 0921h IST, Kamareddy, Telangana, India.

Preparations on in full swing for the public meeting at 1730h IST. I won’t be attending it, unfortunately. I have decided to keep walking and then join up with some mates who have come from Pune and Mumbai. We’ll probably go to the Gurudwara at night for the Ardas together at midnight. Let’s see how the day pans out.

I plan to attend Rahul’s public meeting at Nanded on the 10th though.

 

07 November 2022, 1011h IST, Madnoor, Telangana, India.

चलते-चलते एक किस्सा याद आया। फरमाऊं?

 

07 November 2022, 1108h IST, Deglur, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Today’s walk ends. For me.

Now, I shall meet up with Darshan, my friend, have lunch, and return to Nanded to Ashirwad Lodge, from where, after some rest, I shall attempt to attend the Yatra from Deglur (carrying the ‘Torches of Unity’; I wonder if they are going to hand over the fire to everyone walking, or do we use our mobile phone torches, which may have limited battery life, or do we just walk while some selected people hold the torches) and then on to the Ardas being offered for Guru Purab at the Gurudwara I visited yesterday (the one with the plane on it!). The last bit is at midnight, and I am not sure I will be there for either the torch march or the prayer session. Let’s see.

 

07 November 2022, 2225h IST, Deglur, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

This is electrifying!!

 

07 November 2022, 2250h IST, Deglur, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Long story short, I was stopped 6km before the event at Deglur because I was coming from Nanded (I had gone to the lodge to rest) by the security cordon. I jumped out and walked 4.5km in the pitch dark (thankfully, I had the good sense to pack a torch, which I grabbed as I jumped out of the car and asked Vikas to park somewhere) before I found a kind policeman who gave me a lift on his motorcycle (the road was completely void of all humans, was surrounded by thick jungle, and it was so dark, it was scary) but in the process, dropping and losing the only pair of reading glasses I had carried on the trip.

Funny thing (because it happened the second time): The said policeman escorted me through all the barricades and plonked me in the Press Gallery, thinking I was a reporter (the vague-looking badge with the BJY lanyard must have given him that impression), and I got front row view of the entire spectacle, arriving just in time to see Rahul walk up the stage,

Oh, and did I mention I ran into Yogendra Yadav (who I casually extended my hand to, and he took it absentmindedly) and then into Kumar Ketkar (an old family friend, a noted journalist, and an INC RS MP) and his equally accomplished wife, Shardaa Sathe, who asked me to say hello to my mum.

Serendipity seems to follow me without me doing anything about it. It is, for lack of a word, serendipitous. And for those of you who were wondering why I attach the hashtag ‘Adventure‘ to my posts, I hope you see the point.

 

07 November 2022, 2340h IST, Deglur, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

As clean as a football stadium in which the Japanese team has just finished its game!

 

08 November 2022, 0315h IST, Hotel Tulsi Comfort, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

I walked for 28km today: 20km this morning, 4.5km in the evening on the way to the Deglur public rally, and then, 3.5km back, by which time the traffic was released, and Vikas and the car came to pick me up halfway at a restaurant which was, unfortunately, closed. I was famished, having had no breakfast and only a light lunch with all this walking. I decided to take the car to Nanded and see if I could get a bhurji-paav at the station or something.

Just then, I saw four men twiddling their thumbs, waiting for something. On enquiry, it turned out that they could not get in touch with their driver and were loathe to walk the 12km to the Gurudwara where they knew he was parked. I offered to drop them, to their utter and pleasant surprise. Somehow, five of us and Vikas fit into my car, and soon, we were off. Turns out of the four, three, Sagar, Hamed, and Shadab are from Aurangabad and Rohit is from Pune. They had come to walk the entire length of Maharashtra (14 days) and were very excited with the prospect of being able to contribute towards the protection and defence of the idea of India.

We discussed politics and our respective cities, life and well, politics, and I dropped them off. but before that, we exchanged numbers, and I sent them tomorrow’s Yatra route, which due to my connections in the Congress, I get in advance. They were thrilled that they could now plan their day with this information. Thank yous and byes were said. And I left for Nanded. Still hungry.

Suddenly, I received a call from Rohit, ‘Hey, you said you were hungry, right? Would you like some hot pasta and sandwiches?’ Apparently, Rohit woke up his hotelier friend who owned this place in Nanded (but was vacationing in Tamil Nadu) at 1 in the morning and insisted he finds a way to feed me! A location was sent, and Vikas was pointed in the direction. On arrival, I noticed that the four of them had beaten me to it and were already at a table! Food was ordered promptly. And it arrived, piping hot. Pasta in red sauce, pasta in white sauce, vegetable club sandwiches, peri-peri fries, cold drinks, water. It was a feast unimaginable at 2 in the morning.

We gorged on it. And continued to talk, this time making plans for me to ride to Aurangabad and see the syncretism of Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, and to visit the famous caves, of course.

I was not allowed to pay.

As I sit here in my hotel room writing about this, sipping on my nightcap, ready to hit the sack so I can get some shuteye before reveille at 0530h tomorrow, I wonder at how the Universe seems to conspire to bring me immense joy and unbearable pain, both without me ever having to lift a finger. Serendipity is my fairy Godmother.

 

08 November 2022, 0625h IST, Vazirabad Police Station, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

As I hurtle towards the Gurudwara on the outskirts of Deglur (remember the one with the plane on it?), which is the start point for today’s Yatra, I am introspecting on what I saw over the last few days. Not just saw, but heard others speak candidly as an eavesdropper and sometimes, an informal interviewer. Specifically about Rahul.

So, here goes. He seems to be everything we liberals think he is. He is suave, sophisticated, kind, gentle, intelligent, fit, sharp, a good listener, generous, and soft-spoken. He is great at one-on-ones where he makes you feel like, even within the din that is constantly surrounding him, he is, for that moment, totally absorbed in you and your story. He has a soft touch, and when he hugs you or holds your hand, women claim it does not feel creepy but indeed warm and comforting. He has a quirky sense of humour and is known to let down his hair and bring it when he wants.

The one thing he isn’t is a great orator with a sense of the moment. He is unable to rouse the crowds even when he is presented with the opportunity, the resources, and the megaphone. He is perhaps the least charismatic of all the leaders I have heard speak. And I have heard Aditya Thackeray. Last night, at Deglur, he had the ears of tens of thousands of people. He could have done literally anything with it. He could have played the crowd that was already rooting for him and needed very little to believe anything he said. He could have said something that could have lit the spark inside.

Instead, he chose to speak of rising prices of cooking gas! As a national mass leader, he has to speak of higher things, of loftier issues, he has to raise the mundane to the spiritual, the everyday to the inspiring. He has to lead. And last night, he didn’t. He lost the crowd after the first few sentences.

Luckily, his team knows this. And he starts his speeches by stating that this Yatra is not about speeches but about healing, about connecting, about unifying. It is time to stop talking and start walking. That he will, therefore, not speak beyond a couple of minutes. I think that’s a great strategy. Until it meets reality. The truth is that politics is as much about oratory and optics (light and sound?) as it is about action. He needs to be tutored by a professional, and he must take this seriously. If, as I suspect, he already has a professional tutor and is learning public speaking, let me say both the student and the pupil are doing a bad job.

That said, for me personally, his ability to give rousing speeches matters less than all his other qualities, some of which I have been witness to first hand, and the fact that he is the only leader who is recognised pan-India. Also, he isn’t a genocidal maniac with a narcissistic streak and a small penis complex. But then, that’s a low bar.

To summarise, Rahul may or may not be the leader you asked for. But he is most definitely the one you need.

And before I go, here’s a picture of another Gandhi who wasn’t that great an orator himself as compared to his contemporaries, but changed humanity through his ideas and actions.

 

08 November 2022, 0900h IST, Deglur, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

And the blue flags come to the party! Jai Bhim!

 

08 November 2022, 1040h IST, Atkali, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Inside a Bharat Yatri Camp.

Later edit: I was not in Camp 2. I was in Camp 1. I got them mixed up in the report. Apparently, the story I refuse to tell (the one involving Jairam Ramesh and him asking me to take lunch) because you people would find it incredible that serendipity could and does play such a role in my life, has to do with me ending up on the Camp 1 side. But that’s for my autobiography, maybe. For now, note the correction about the camps, s’il vous plaît.

 

08 November 2022, 1645h IST, Alandi, Deglur-Nanded Road, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

My last but one day comes to an end with one regret: I wish I had my video running when I started from Khatgaon Phata where Rahul will lead the Bharat Jodo Yatra towards Shankar Nagar, a day’s walk from Nanded.

 

08 November 2022, 1700h IST, Khatgaon, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

My day’s highlights:

1. Discussed social media strategy with Jairam Ramesh (if I tell you how serendipity led me into his path, you’d think I’m making stuff up).
2. Discussed the intricacies of Umar Khalid’s case with Kanhaiya Kumar.
3. Discussed the ideal way to appoint judges with Justice BG Kolse Patil.
4. Discussed the life-saving work of the Youth Congress during Covid with B V Srinivas.
5. Discussed who has how good a chance to win in HP and Gujarat with Yogendra Yadav (no photo, unfortunately).
6. Discussed mass media and outreach with Manish Tyagi (he must have been the friendliest, sweetest senior Congressman I met today).
7. Discussed the falling standards of worldwide journalism with Kumar Ketkar.

And met a dozen Bharat Yatris ranging from a farmer from Amethi to a neurosurgeon from Hubli to a CA from Mumbai and a sportsman from Kashmir, and ate with them, walked with them, joked with them, chatted with them, and understood their world view and political ambitions. All of this properly, without hurry, without pressure from their side to wrap up the conversation, even exchanging numbers. Just surreal!

A day so well-spent that I could not have scripted this if I wanted.

 

08 November 2022, 1802h IST, Shankar Nagar, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

The end of a good day! And I still look cool for a 50yo, even though one side of my moustache looks lighter than the other!

 

09 November 2022, 0423h IST, ACS College, Shankar Nagar, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

I will not be posting further today. I was thinking of taking a rest day.

For one, because of the mobile network jammers, there is very slow, if at all any, network in the rest camps (and after yesterday’s experience, I’d like to enter one again today, if possible). It is impossible to post. And VERY frustrating.

And secondly, I seem to have caught a cold, probably as an allergic reaction to dust from 25,000 pairs of feet walking around me in Marathwada yesterday.

But, decided to go anyway. If I can. Seems the roads are closed, and I’ll have to use some jugaad to get around the blockade again. This hiding from the cops and flanking them to get to a Congress event gives me the whole revolutionary vibes. LOL.

That said, today looks tough to hoodwink them. Shecortee ish tight! So, I may, after all, have to return and rest for the day. Perhaps the mind and the body need a break too. After all, I do have a life other than this. And a livelihood to earn.

By the way, an interesting observation over the last few days dealing with politically aware/ambitious people: After your name, the first thing they want to know is your caste. And it is very matter-of-fact. I cringed on day 1. But now, I understand them, and Indian politics, a little better. So, I can say that it is an important question. They need to place you, and once your name gives you away as a non-Muslim/non-Christian (your actual beliefs don’t matter), the next level of sorting is caste. Then, constituency. And only then, everything else. Your answers to those questions, in fact, decide the topic, content, and tone of the conversation. I find that fascinating.

Later edit: I have decided to walk. Already finished half of the first leg and met some really interesting people (ask me about Prabhjyot from Delhi). And walked for an hour with Kanhaiya Kumar and talked about the SC decision on the EWS quota. It (both, the conversation and his opinion on the topic) was enlightening, to say the least, and not all of it in a good way. Deserves a separate post. Or maybe not. Maybe you’ll need to buy me a beer and listen to my ramblings for an hour to hear the juicy bits (trust me, they are juicy).

 

09 November 2022, 0829h IST, Naigaon, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Emotion v/s fact-based logic.

Last night’s speech from Rahul Gandhi brought memories of a discussion Kanishka Sinha and I had in Mumbai a few months back.

Here it is. Tell me if you’d rather have this written down for easier engagement and sharing. And let me know what you think of what I said.

 

09 November 2022, 0859h IST, Naigaon, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

For all those uncles whose problem with the Bharat Jodo Yatra was that they used plastic bottles for water (no kidding; yesterday, when I posted about the farmer atoning for his sins, some unclejis came at me with righteous indignation about the use of plastic, as if it is that farmer’s responsibility alone to ensure that temperatures do not rise above 2 degrees, while everything else this Yatra is achieving is negated by that farmer’s actions), here you go: Filtered tap water with glasses. Khush? Next objection, please.

Or do you think that the INC & Rahul Gandhi and his ‘stupid march to nowhere’ still has not cleared the high bar of perfection you (who are perfect, of course) have set to deserve your much sought-after OK?

 

09 November 2022, 1527h IST, Degaon, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

It is Urdu and Hindi, Punjabi and Haryanvi, Dhaba, Hotel, and Restaurant in Maharashtra. And it is all of it at once. That’s my India. More than the sum of its parts. Much more.

 

09 November 2022, 1634h IST, Krushnoor MIDC, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

I met Mohanrao en route on my last leg, literally, because I sprained my ankle and was walking excruciatingly slowly. He started walking with me and enquired if I was in pain. I said yes. He offered to massage my foot. For free. Just so that he could be of service. Of course, I declined.

But, what the hell, dude? Such people exist! And they are around us.

 

09 November 2022, 1725h IST, Krushnoor MIDC, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Today was indeed eventful. An early morning detour via jungles to flank the police cordon, an ankle sprained, a stomach bug, a splitting headache, a swollen foot, and fever.

But I have not let this hamper my Yatra. So, I completed it nevertheless, albeit with the slowest 11km I have ever clocked, even when I had a blazing fast 13km this morning.

After all the good, joyful moments serendipity gave me, I really shouldn’t grudge her one day. What say?

And now, I need to inspect my body to see if it can withstand 14 hours of hard riding tomorrow.

As they say in the news, watch this space.

 

10 November 2022, 0625h IST, Shivaji Putala, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

And the journey back begins.

 

10 November 2022, 0625h IST, Navghat Bridge, Nanded, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Gently flows the Godavari.

 

10 November 2022, 0728h IST, Kandhar Fort, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

There’s a castle. With a bloody moat!! Called Kandhar (yep, like the Afghan town) Fort. On the way from Nanded to Latur. And it’s fascinating.

 

10 November 2022, 1133h IST, Barshi-Latur Highway, Latur, Marathwada, Maharashtra, India.

Advantages of having a chase car: Was feeling excessively sleepy. Used the car to take a 20-minute power nap, followed by a Thums Up Charged (with enough caffeine to revive a dead man), which has been my go-to drink for the past 6 days of this adventure. Also, charged my helmet (I don’t know why but it’s been discharging rather quickly today). And now, on with the ride.

 

10 November 2022, 1439h IST, Tembhurni, Maharashtra, India.

Was getting cramps and was looking for salt (I already have enough water). And then I spotted these. Juicy. Sweet. Salty. Just a perfect snack before lunch (hopefully in 20 minutes at Indapur).

 

10 November 2022, 1513h IST, Tembhurni, Maharashtra, India.

Lunch!!

Later edit: Finished in 14 minutes flat, which included clicking the pic, posting about it, and then commenting on how delicious it was. Boy, was I hungry or was I hungry! Say anything about the Yatra, you cannot deny what it does to your body. I think I have the appetite and metabolism of someone a decade younger than I. And this, with just under 100km under my belt! I cannot imagine how even fitter RaGa will be by the time he is in Srinagar.

 

10 November 2022, 1959h IST, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Finally, the end of my journey and my adventure with the Bharat Jodo Yatra is with the two women who love me more than I entirely deserve but somehow have gotten used to. So good to be back! Jai Hind. Jai Jagat.

This concludes the series. As I said, if you want to know other juicy, not-for-public, perhaps even scandalous details, you need to come to Pune and buy me a beer. Or two.

 

11 November 2022, 1006h IST, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Ah. If only all mornings were like this. Lemon cake baked by Baby bear to welcome me back, freshly brewed ginger tea, and the little one on the piano. Heaven!

P.S: Those are my spare reading glasses.