I watched "Shiva" when I was 9 years old and till this date that's my most memorable movie experience. I did not know who Ram gopal varma was as I was too young to care about who the director of any movie was. Later, down the years I came to know about his movies but very little about him. Ramu was my most favorite director along with Maniratnam in those days. I formed a mental picture about what this guy was like through his movie. But in those days, as there weren't any TV channels and as I had no access to any film magazines, I never read any interview of his except from listening to some people saying that he is a very arrogant person.
After the advent of internet, I think in 1999 I came across this fansite for RGV and for the first time I read some of his interviews. I was shocked on reading some of them as RGV from those interviews turned out to be very different from what I imagined. Even till today, after reading/watching hundreds of interviews of him, I still get those shocks. I think that is most unique trait of the maverick Ram gopal Varma.
My fascination with most of the actors, directors dies out after knowing everything there is know about them (professional and personal). Infact, most of them are very normal and uninteresting and there is very little that is worth knowing, especially the big ones. Probably, this is why I still follow every interview of RGV with a great interest. I never get to understand him and just when I think I am getting closer, RGV says something that will make you wonder if you know him at all.
One thing that has been most common about this man is that he talks very little about his personal life. I am not interested in personal lives of any celebrities but RGV is an exception. I used to read interviews of every actor/technician/writer who has ever worked with RGV with a hope that they will reveal something about this man that I don't get to know directly from his interviews. The most curious aspect of RGV's career to me was how a guy with no practical expereince in any department of cinema and with no friends/relatives in that field got a chance to direct a movie, that too in telugu where the issues like family, caste and experience matter a lot. I never really got a concrete answer to that question from anybody.
A sigh of relief. After 16 years, the wait is finally over. The man never ceases to amaze me. RGV in his blog started writing about his first break and reading about the behind the scenes of "Shiva" is the best history lesson (if history is the right word) ever.
Waiting for more from RGV......
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
The Golden triangle tour
I did not step my foot out of my home state Andhra pradesh till I was 18. Even at 18, I went outside AP only for a day to Chennai to get my visa for USA. I distinclty remember that during my second grade in Kendriya Vidyalaya, our Social Studies text book had a separate chapter for each Indian State. I used to love that book and especially the pictures in it. My personal favorite was Qutub Minar. I don't know why, but I used to think that Qutub Minar was the tallest construction ever and I used to dream about it. Any way, years passed but I never got a chance to visit those places.
Atleast, after I grew up and started making my living out here in USA, I roamed around the world and visited a lot of places. But my parents (especially my mother. Dad atleast roams the city) never got a chance to see the world outside our home. So, I planned this North India trip last year and this year during my India trip, we did it. So, here is my Travelogue:
Starting Point: Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh:
We booked our travel package with Southern Travels, Vijayawada. Looks like this organization is very famous with most of the South Indians (especially telugu people). They charged a very minimal amount, in my opinion, for the actual trip but very unfair amount on the hotel stay. The people at the hotel were very indifferent and rude as well, (more on this later).
We took a train (GT) from Vijayawada to Delhi and as per our Railways, it's a Superfast express. The train and calling it a Superfast express is a big joke. I would have reached Delhi faster if I started out on my bike. Thought the journey was pretty slow, I got a chance to take a closer look at many villages, small towns of my India. I almost felt ashamed of not travelling and not knowing my own country. Maharastra was vast , wild and wonderful. I think we passed through a national reserve during our journey. I got to see some wild animals and many many many monkeys in this region.
The train finally reached Delhi nearly after 27-30 hours. After getting to the hotel (only after 2 hours of waiting did we get a room, which we reserved a week ago) and getting freshed up, we took a local tour with some local travel agency. The fare was Rs 120 per person and in my opinion that's a steal.
New Delhi Tour in 8 hours
The guy who took us in to the bus was very dishelved and shouted at us in hindi for being late. I thought he was a spare driver or the cleaner of the bus. Surprisingly after the bus started, he took the mike in his hand and started speaking, " Good morning , 'the' ladies and 'the' gentlemen. Welcome to the New Delhi tour". I was taken aback. This guy was our guide and to my surprise ,he spoke understandable english if not good and was very knowledgable in his area. Our first stop was at Laxmi Narayan temple in Mandir Marg.
Birlas have built a lot of temples all over India but I think this was the best among what I have seen so far. It was very spacious and peaceful, except for some local guys running around foreigners. Unfortunately no photography was allowed.
After visiting the temple, we were asked to board the bus on the other side of the raod. There was a subway that we took to get to the other side and it's the single most horrible experience of the entire journey. The subway stinked of urine, piss and god knows what...the smell was unbearable.
After Mandir Marg, we stopped at the Indira Gandhi memorial. This place was formerly the home for our late PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi and her family. After her death, they made it into a musuem. The museum had a lot , really a lot of pictures of her and her family. Also were some of her personal stuff, her favorite books, clothes e.t.c.
Seeing the clothes Mrs Gandhi wore on her day of assasination was a little creepy and so was the place where she was shot down.
After the museum, the next stop was near the Parliament house and President's house. As per our guide, tourists were not allowed near the Parliament house. So, we had to stop nearly a couple of hundred meters away from it and just take a look. This part of the city was really good looking wide wide roads and disciplined traffic. This makes me wonder when we really have the intelligence and the resources to build such roads, why can't our govt apply the same model to the whole city. Because, outside this region and except for some wealthy areas, the rest of Delhi was really really ugly.
After this, our guide showed the residence of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh while driving. We could not stop at these locations for the obvious reasons. Next was "India Gate". I still don't know (even after the grueling lectures from school and after even more grueling lecture by our guide) the difference between India Gate and Gateway of India (in Mumbai) and what they stand for for. Anyway, the architecture and the locale were very impressive.
It was time for lunch and here is the interesting part with the travel agencies. During this entire trip of 3 days, they take us to specific location for lunches/dinners which according to them is the best place in the town. They would not let us eat else where. Obviously, they have a commision from the restaurant owners. I don't have a problem with that but what I have a problem with is paying Rs 60 for a single plate of Idly.
After lunch, I was told we will be visiting Qutub Minar. I got goose bumps after seeing the Minar even from a half kilometer. I loved this sight even more than Taj Mahal. Somehow, Qutub minar was my childhood favorite and seeing it for real made me immensely happy.
I don't exactly remember the history surrounding the Qutub Minar but the area was some sort of fort for one of the local kings. I used to think that Qutub Minar by itself would be an isolated construction in a desolated area. Not true. There were lot of Mughal forts just near the Minar and it was really breathtaking. The detail of the stone carvings was mind boggling. Here's one snap.
We were already very tired and did not even have the energy to wait in line to get into the Lotus temple. The line was just too long. So, we just saw the temple from the outside. Ofcourse, it was brilliant.
The final stop of our Local Delhi tour was Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial. After looking at sprawling acres of just vacant land I would be convinced if somebody was to claim that half of Delhi's area belongs to family of Gandhi's funerals, homes, memorials and museums. No offense to any Gandhi (whom I respect and revere) but when thousands of people are homeless in that very city, I thought it made no sense in having hundreds of acres for a funeral.
We drove through Shakthi Sthal after this but our guide did not make a stop as it was already dark and this concluded our Delhi Tour.
Day Two: Jaipur
After a night's stay in Delhi, we had to start at 6:00 am in the morning for the next destination Jaipur. When people used to say that Delhi, agra , Jaipur are not that far from each other , I used to think that the distance between each place would be nearly 50 to 70 km. I was surprised to learn that it's nearly 300 km during my trip. Anyway, we reached Jaipur at Lunch time and the first tourist spot was Amber Fort.
As per our guide, the city was built around 9th century and after Muslim invasion some of the hindu constructions were demolished to make way for mosques. Still, there are some hindu constructions (note this, from 9th century) left untouched in this vicinity. We took a Jeep to get to the top of the Amber Fort and the sight of the town from the top of the fort was breath taking. Mughals indeed knew how to live.
I am an iliterate of Mughal history but my dad is an expert in it. He devoured history books during his teenage years and can narrate the story as movie director would. He was really fascinated with the tour and that made my tour worth it. I too was bowled over by the ancient construction but after the hours of guided tour, I can't really remember which building is what and who constructed it. So, instead of misquoting the locations, I will just insert the pictures for the ones that I am not aware of what they are.
( The construction in above picture is Jal mahal. We were told we cannot stop at this location as the water really stinks. Tourism board has done less than impressive job in preserving this monument. Looks like it is going to get a make over. http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/sep/29spec1.htm)
Above is Hawa Mahal. In addition to Delhi's Qutub minar, Hawa mahal used to be another favorite of mine during my school days. The way I pictured it during my schooldays and the way the Mahal is actually located are strikingly different. I used to think Hawa mahal was some sort of fort and would be located far far from the actual city. However, the fact is that it is not actually a Mahal but just a facade built for the royal women to watch the proceedings on the street.
Different people have different tastes. I loved Qutub Minar and my father's favorite was Jaipur fort. My mother liked the obvious, Taj mahal and it was my brother who went crazy after knowing Jantar Mantar. It was indeed incredible that in those days, centuries ago, our ancestors developed methods to calculate time right down to a second with such tools. Not just time, there were several constructions in this place which were used to draw astronomical charts, to find the birth signs of any individual, instruments that were used to name a person e.t.c. Most of the instruments you will get to see in this locations use a single tool to calculate everything : shadows from the sun rays.
Day 3: Fathehpur Sikri, Agra and Mathura
After spending the night in Jaipur, we had to start at 3:00 am on the following day as there was a long day ahead. Fathehpur Sikri before lunch and Taj mahal after it. Mathura in the evening and return to Delhi by night.
We did not get enough time to stroll and look around Fathehpur Sikri as our guide rushed us. The better option is to go on a 5 day tour instead like our 3 days.
Taj Mahal is indeed a beauty and looking at it I forgot all the monuments that I visited on the tour. It is unbelievable to think that Shahjahan even dreamt of constructing such a beauty in those years and it is difficult to even imagine what the construction workers had to go through in realizing his dream. Apparently, Shah jahan had a proposal to build another Taj mahal (in black) and even laid the foundation for it but even before he could start the construction, he was arrested by his own son (Aurangazeb) and was imprisoned in his own fort, where he eventually died. A romantic story indeed.
After Agra, we headed back home to Delhi and on the way was Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna. The place gave me goosebumps because of the Hindu-Muslim sensitiveness of the area. The area was invaded by some Muslims some centuries ago and they have built some mosques near by. So, all you see in this area are hindu temples surrounded by mosques. One can imagine the tension whenever a hindu-muslim riot should be triggered in a place like this.
This concluded our Golden triangle tour and the following day our flight back to hyderabad was at 3:00 pm. We planned to visit Aksharwadam temple before hitting the airport but unfortunately it rained very hard and we had to cancel our plans. For my mom and dad, it was their first time boarding a flight and I loved accompanying them.
Atleast, after I grew up and started making my living out here in USA, I roamed around the world and visited a lot of places. But my parents (especially my mother. Dad atleast roams the city) never got a chance to see the world outside our home. So, I planned this North India trip last year and this year during my India trip, we did it. So, here is my Travelogue:
Starting Point: Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh:
We booked our travel package with Southern Travels, Vijayawada. Looks like this organization is very famous with most of the South Indians (especially telugu people). They charged a very minimal amount, in my opinion, for the actual trip but very unfair amount on the hotel stay. The people at the hotel were very indifferent and rude as well, (more on this later).
We took a train (GT) from Vijayawada to Delhi and as per our Railways, it's a Superfast express. The train and calling it a Superfast express is a big joke. I would have reached Delhi faster if I started out on my bike. Thought the journey was pretty slow, I got a chance to take a closer look at many villages, small towns of my India. I almost felt ashamed of not travelling and not knowing my own country. Maharastra was vast , wild and wonderful. I think we passed through a national reserve during our journey. I got to see some wild animals and many many many monkeys in this region.
The train finally reached Delhi nearly after 27-30 hours. After getting to the hotel (only after 2 hours of waiting did we get a room, which we reserved a week ago) and getting freshed up, we took a local tour with some local travel agency. The fare was Rs 120 per person and in my opinion that's a steal.
New Delhi Tour in 8 hours
The guy who took us in to the bus was very dishelved and shouted at us in hindi for being late. I thought he was a spare driver or the cleaner of the bus. Surprisingly after the bus started, he took the mike in his hand and started speaking, " Good morning , 'the' ladies and 'the' gentlemen. Welcome to the New Delhi tour". I was taken aback. This guy was our guide and to my surprise ,he spoke understandable english if not good and was very knowledgable in his area. Our first stop was at Laxmi Narayan temple in Mandir Marg.
Birlas have built a lot of temples all over India but I think this was the best among what I have seen so far. It was very spacious and peaceful, except for some local guys running around foreigners. Unfortunately no photography was allowed.
After visiting the temple, we were asked to board the bus on the other side of the raod. There was a subway that we took to get to the other side and it's the single most horrible experience of the entire journey. The subway stinked of urine, piss and god knows what...the smell was unbearable.
After Mandir Marg, we stopped at the Indira Gandhi memorial. This place was formerly the home for our late PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi and her family. After her death, they made it into a musuem. The museum had a lot , really a lot of pictures of her and her family. Also were some of her personal stuff, her favorite books, clothes e.t.c.
Seeing the clothes Mrs Gandhi wore on her day of assasination was a little creepy and so was the place where she was shot down.
After the museum, the next stop was near the Parliament house and President's house. As per our guide, tourists were not allowed near the Parliament house. So, we had to stop nearly a couple of hundred meters away from it and just take a look. This part of the city was really good looking wide wide roads and disciplined traffic. This makes me wonder when we really have the intelligence and the resources to build such roads, why can't our govt apply the same model to the whole city. Because, outside this region and except for some wealthy areas, the rest of Delhi was really really ugly.
After this, our guide showed the residence of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh while driving. We could not stop at these locations for the obvious reasons. Next was "India Gate". I still don't know (even after the grueling lectures from school and after even more grueling lecture by our guide) the difference between India Gate and Gateway of India (in Mumbai) and what they stand for for. Anyway, the architecture and the locale were very impressive.
It was time for lunch and here is the interesting part with the travel agencies. During this entire trip of 3 days, they take us to specific location for lunches/dinners which according to them is the best place in the town. They would not let us eat else where. Obviously, they have a commision from the restaurant owners. I don't have a problem with that but what I have a problem with is paying Rs 60 for a single plate of Idly.
After lunch, I was told we will be visiting Qutub Minar. I got goose bumps after seeing the Minar even from a half kilometer. I loved this sight even more than Taj Mahal. Somehow, Qutub minar was my childhood favorite and seeing it for real made me immensely happy.
I don't exactly remember the history surrounding the Qutub Minar but the area was some sort of fort for one of the local kings. I used to think that Qutub Minar by itself would be an isolated construction in a desolated area. Not true. There were lot of Mughal forts just near the Minar and it was really breathtaking. The detail of the stone carvings was mind boggling. Here's one snap.
We were already very tired and did not even have the energy to wait in line to get into the Lotus temple. The line was just too long. So, we just saw the temple from the outside. Ofcourse, it was brilliant.
The final stop of our Local Delhi tour was Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial. After looking at sprawling acres of just vacant land I would be convinced if somebody was to claim that half of Delhi's area belongs to family of Gandhi's funerals, homes, memorials and museums. No offense to any Gandhi (whom I respect and revere) but when thousands of people are homeless in that very city, I thought it made no sense in having hundreds of acres for a funeral.
We drove through Shakthi Sthal after this but our guide did not make a stop as it was already dark and this concluded our Delhi Tour.
Day Two: Jaipur
After a night's stay in Delhi, we had to start at 6:00 am in the morning for the next destination Jaipur. When people used to say that Delhi, agra , Jaipur are not that far from each other , I used to think that the distance between each place would be nearly 50 to 70 km. I was surprised to learn that it's nearly 300 km during my trip. Anyway, we reached Jaipur at Lunch time and the first tourist spot was Amber Fort.
As per our guide, the city was built around 9th century and after Muslim invasion some of the hindu constructions were demolished to make way for mosques. Still, there are some hindu constructions (note this, from 9th century) left untouched in this vicinity. We took a Jeep to get to the top of the Amber Fort and the sight of the town from the top of the fort was breath taking. Mughals indeed knew how to live.
I am an iliterate of Mughal history but my dad is an expert in it. He devoured history books during his teenage years and can narrate the story as movie director would. He was really fascinated with the tour and that made my tour worth it. I too was bowled over by the ancient construction but after the hours of guided tour, I can't really remember which building is what and who constructed it. So, instead of misquoting the locations, I will just insert the pictures for the ones that I am not aware of what they are.
( The construction in above picture is Jal mahal. We were told we cannot stop at this location as the water really stinks. Tourism board has done less than impressive job in preserving this monument. Looks like it is going to get a make over. http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/sep/29spec1.htm)
Above is Hawa Mahal. In addition to Delhi's Qutub minar, Hawa mahal used to be another favorite of mine during my school days. The way I pictured it during my schooldays and the way the Mahal is actually located are strikingly different. I used to think Hawa mahal was some sort of fort and would be located far far from the actual city. However, the fact is that it is not actually a Mahal but just a facade built for the royal women to watch the proceedings on the street.
Different people have different tastes. I loved Qutub Minar and my father's favorite was Jaipur fort. My mother liked the obvious, Taj mahal and it was my brother who went crazy after knowing Jantar Mantar. It was indeed incredible that in those days, centuries ago, our ancestors developed methods to calculate time right down to a second with such tools. Not just time, there were several constructions in this place which were used to draw astronomical charts, to find the birth signs of any individual, instruments that were used to name a person e.t.c. Most of the instruments you will get to see in this locations use a single tool to calculate everything : shadows from the sun rays.
Day 3: Fathehpur Sikri, Agra and Mathura
After spending the night in Jaipur, we had to start at 3:00 am on the following day as there was a long day ahead. Fathehpur Sikri before lunch and Taj mahal after it. Mathura in the evening and return to Delhi by night.
We did not get enough time to stroll and look around Fathehpur Sikri as our guide rushed us. The better option is to go on a 5 day tour instead like our 3 days.
Taj Mahal is indeed a beauty and looking at it I forgot all the monuments that I visited on the tour. It is unbelievable to think that Shahjahan even dreamt of constructing such a beauty in those years and it is difficult to even imagine what the construction workers had to go through in realizing his dream. Apparently, Shah jahan had a proposal to build another Taj mahal (in black) and even laid the foundation for it but even before he could start the construction, he was arrested by his own son (Aurangazeb) and was imprisoned in his own fort, where he eventually died. A romantic story indeed.
After Agra, we headed back home to Delhi and on the way was Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna. The place gave me goosebumps because of the Hindu-Muslim sensitiveness of the area. The area was invaded by some Muslims some centuries ago and they have built some mosques near by. So, all you see in this area are hindu temples surrounded by mosques. One can imagine the tension whenever a hindu-muslim riot should be triggered in a place like this.
This concluded our Golden triangle tour and the following day our flight back to hyderabad was at 3:00 pm. We planned to visit Aksharwadam temple before hitting the airport but unfortunately it rained very hard and we had to cancel our plans. For my mom and dad, it was their first time boarding a flight and I loved accompanying them.
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