I had work in Jamnagar and so landed up in Rajkot on 26th Oct morning at 7 AM.
I took a car at Rajkot airport for the 2 hour journey to Jamnagar.The road was good and the weather was balmy at that hour in the morning.
The car driver ( Zakir) stopped for breakfast at a roadside eatery--- it wasn't 5-star, I can assure you that.The tea stall owner was frying fresh ghatias ( something like our ompudi).This a favourite breakfast dish in Kutch and is meant to be eaten with onion smeared with red chili powder and raw green chillies---- yes, you got it right--- raw green chillies. I said no, thank you to the green chillies and proceeded toeat the ghatia with the onion masala.Truly enjoyable and then I topped it off with a glass of tea.
One would normally associate Saurashtra with dryness but the landscape was very green.The menfolk in this area wear a particular kind of dress.The upper portion is like a kind of frock and the chudidar is very loose and baggy.Both garments are usually in spotless white.
The common mode of public transport is a motorized tricycle fitted with a Bullet engine.The sides are very colourfully painted and the vehicle vies for attention with the riotous coloured clothes of the womenfolk.
Dwarka is around 140 Km from Jamnagar and another common sight in the area is the groups of people trudging on the road to these pilgrim destinations.It's not that they can't afford to travel by vehicle but a way of penance.Travelling in company probably eases the hardship.And then there are the camel driven carts--- Jamnagar is as different from Chennai as chalk and cheese.
Regretfully, I couldn't make the trip to Dwarka this time but I'll probably do this in my next visit.
Jamnagar was a princely state and there are vestiges of the old buildings still in sight.
The roar of fighter planes overhead reminds me that there is an airbase nearby.Remember that Jamnagar is a mere 10 minutes away from Pakistan and there are plenty of assets to protect.
The work has been satisfactorily completed and I head back to Chennai tomorrow.The car driver reminds me that Jamnagar is home to exquisite bandhini sarees and dresses but I'm not adventurous enough to buy.
Meanwhile I had a relaxing time watching "Khoon Bhari Maang" and a couple of meaningless Vinod Khanna movies and lots of songs from old Hindi films.
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