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Old 13th January 2010, 12:37   #1
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Delhi - Patna - Delhi

Date: 19th Dec, '09

I love my clients. They are so good and nice to me - always. This client of mine who stays in Patna, wanted me to visit him to discuss some new business deals. Though I was reluctant to go, somehow agreed. My biz class ticket by IC for going and by Jet for return, arrived on email. An Innova was supposed to be at my disposal.

The Indian Airline flight was supposed to be at 7:05 am. I hated that as I'm not a morning person. A sweet voice called me on 18th to inform that the timing was rescheduled due to winters and foggy conditions and now would leave at 9:30. Thank God for small mercies. Packed my camera and left for the airport. Nothing to check-in and with the camera bag slung on the shoulders, walked through the counters and security and boarded. My seat was 1A - window. But luck doesn't always work. A PYT on 1C, who came in after me piped - Uncle, can I sit near the window?

Cursed her under my breath for calling me uncle, and chivalrously gave up my seat with a plastic smile smothered across my face. There went my plan for shooting some pictures from the window.

Take off at 10 and I walk out of the Patna airport around 12:15. There was this guy (forgetting his name) with a placard in his hand with my name on it and the next moment I was ensconed in the back-seat of Innova. Now this client of mine has his office at Danapur which is 25 Kms outside of Patna city. Reached his office at 1 pm and by 1:45 pm the business deal was over and sealed. he wanted me to take out for lunch and I politely refused saying I would rather do sightseeing since my return flight was at 8:50 pm. He instructed the Innova's driver and I was off at 2 pm to my first destination - The Patna Sahib Gurudwara. Birthplace of Guru Gobind Singhji Maharaj.

The Patna Sahib Gurudwara

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-patnasahib.jpg

Birthplace Plaque

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-birthplace.jpg

Inside the Gurudwara

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-inside.jpg

Sanctorum

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-sanctorum.jpg

Sanctum Sanctorum

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-sanctorum1.jpg

To be continued.......
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Old 13th January 2010, 14:25   #2
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Are the city roads in Patna and the road leading to Danapur good in NItish Kumar's Glowing Bihar?
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Old 13th January 2010, 14:26   #3
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Wah Wah!! sirji, you went to my place . Your travelogue might present a different perspective for my hometown.
I am all glued and stuck to this thread now. I want to see all the photos that you took. Please please!!!!!.
I thought it's a road trip after I saw the thread. But though I was little disappointed to read that you went by air, your pic just planted a smile on my face.
I would definitely like to know all what you thought about the city.

HVK sir: Trust me , there are lots of road works going on in and round Patna, I have been there twice in last three months in October and December. Last I was there in March 2009 and there has been perceptible difference. Roads are generally good inside the city but traffic is still a mess.

Last edited by Fordmanchau : 13th January 2010 at 14:29.
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Old 13th January 2010, 15:13   #4
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Nitish Kumar is more popularly known as "sushashan baabu". I asked the same question from the Innova's driver. He was all praise for the development work undertaken by the JD(u) Govt. He said that Nitish needs another term to undo all the wrong committed during the last 15 years mis-rule by the "laalten baba".

The driver told me that the roads have been widened, tarred and I could see flyover work going on at many places. The road to Danapur from airport is good if you mean devoid of potholes etc. It is tarred but the traffic is very heavy and congested. For a person used to very wide roads of Delhi & New Gurgaon, the slow crawl was frustrating.

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Originally Posted by hvkumar View Post
Are the city roads in Patna and the road leading to Danapur good in NItish Kumar's Glowing Bihar?
I wish I had done this by road but the very thought of traversing the western & eastern UP and then Bihar somehow deters me.

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Originally Posted by Fordmanchau View Post
Wah Wah!! sirji, you went to my place . Your travelogue might present a different perspective for my hometown.
I am all glued and stuck to this thread now. I want to see all the photos that you took. Please please!!!!!.
I thought it's a road trip after I saw the thread. But though I was little disappointed to read that you went by air, your pic just planted a smile on my face.
I would definitely like to know all what you thought about the city.

HVK sir: Trust me , there are lots of road works going on in and round Patna, I have been there twice in last three months in October and December. Last I was there in March 2009 and there has been perceptible difference. Roads are generally good inside the city but traffic is still a mess.
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Old 13th January 2010, 15:42   #5
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Patna Sahib is situated a bit on the periphery of the town but the lane leading to it is heavily congested. The car was crawling. The ongoing work for the construction of a flyover just at the approach of Patna Sahib area near the Patna Sahib Rly. Station adds to the already exisitng mess. No wonder, the driver tried his best to dissuade me.

Car was parked inside the Gurudwara and thankfully no festival was nearing else I would probably have to walk from somewhere. I've visited a number of Gurudwaras in Delhi and also the Harminder Sahib, Amritsar. But Patna Sahib is unique in one sense; almost at all the places the "kadha prasad" is wheat flour halwa cooked in desi ghee.

Here in Patna Sahib, the prasad is "pinni prasad" and made in laddoo form. After you enter the premises and deposit your footwear, you shall see huge "kadahis" containing pinni prasad and kar sevaks making hundreds of laddoos out of that. I thought of taking the photograph after having darshan, but totally forgot.

Because of the congestion, must time was wasted visiting the Gurudwara and it was nearly 3 pm. Since Ganga flows through the city I asked the driver to take me to Gangaji to pay my obeiscance as I'm "chora Ganga kinaare waala" (from Varanasi).

He took me to a ghat called Ganga Ghat that also was a jetty and he informed me that this was built by Shatrughna Sinha during his stint as Minister for shipping & transport. The jetty area was baricaded and guarded but Gangaji can be approached from the side through the sandy beach. The famous Gandhi Setu connecting Patna & Hajipur is built here.

Faith of billions

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-gangaji.jpg

Boats parked

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-boats.jpg

Gandhi Setu

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-setu.jpg

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-gandhisetu.jpg

Gangaji can never be cleaned

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-pollution.jpg

Parking space

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-parked.jpg

Faith

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-faith.jpg

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-faith1.jpg

The way of life for some

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-life.jpg

To be continued.....
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Old 13th January 2010, 17:51   #6
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It will be prudent to mention here that after a very very long time, I was travelling on Indian Airlines as Jet didn't have a flight in the morning suitable to me. To the credit of IC, they served a delicious brunch on board. Hence, I wasn't feeling hungry during my sightseeing.

While discussing about the places of interest, names like Gandhi Museum, Golghar, Gandhi maidan, Zoo etc., had cropped up. I am not much of a museum person. The last I had visited was the Prince of Wales in Mumbai in 2006. The Golghar was intriguing and I can visit any zoo anytime, manytime...

The next stop was Golghar. As the name mentions it is a round house. But while I was conjuring up images of a round structure, what I saw literally stunned me. This was constructed by the British to store grains. A huge granary. The walls are nearly 4 feet thick and there are three openings at the base to take out the grains. It used to be topped up from the top that is pretty high and has steep stairs to go up. The driver said that it would be difficult for me to climb and that spurred me to go up.

Golghar

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-golghar.jpg

The steep stairs to the top

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-golgharstairs.jpg

The Top

Why is it that we keep our heritage filthy??

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-top.jpg

The view from the top

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-topview.jpg

The climb down

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-golgharstairs1.jpg

Funnily, I didn't see any ASI Board or so. There wasn't any ticket for entry to the complex. It means it is at the mercy of God knows who...

After visiting Golghar I drove past Gandhi Maidan, that was made famous by the Late Jai Prakash Narayan with that historic rally. There was function of some Para Military organisation that was going on, hence didn't go in.

The next stop was the zoo. It was 4:30 pm. Somebody said it closes at 6 pm. But at the ticket counter I was told that it would close at 5 pm. After buying the entry ticket and fees for the still camera hurried in. The light conditions were getting low. I had not carried the tripod. The 18~135 lens was a non-VR. The zoo attendants were goading the animals into the cage. A bit disappointed and dejected I returned.

Now I was feeling hungry and asked the driver if I could get something to eat. There wasn't any nearby.

As we drove out of the Zoo area, the driver saw a hand cart selling something and said " litti aur chokha khayba"? I asked him what it was and he said they are wheat flour balls filled with gram flour called "sattu" and chokha is a chutney prepared from mashed and ground potato & brinjal. Something akin to Daal, Baati of Rajasthan. Had a plate. Dunno if it was due to the hunger or it was really good, the stuff was delicious.

Having filled my stomach with the local delicacy, I told the driver to drive me around the city. He took me through the VVIP area past CM's residence, Governor's residence, Laloo's residence and then we reached airport by 7 pm. Signed the duty slip, gave Rs.500 as tip and went inside the terminal. Checked in, and waited for my turn.

This was Jet flight and my favourite airline. Boarded and the flight took off on time. Was served dinner on board. Reached Foggy & Smoggy Delhi where the driver was waiting for me. Reached home by midnight and snuggled into the bed.

Would love to visit Patna again at leisure and like to explore Nalanda, Rajgir etc...

Hope you've enjoyed the travelogue..

Last edited by gd1418 : 13th January 2010 at 18:09.
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Old 14th January 2010, 02:42   #7
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Rs. 500 tip? You certainly are a generour sould GD Sir.
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Old 14th January 2010, 03:38   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gd1418 View Post
As we drove out of the Zoo area, the driver saw a hand cart selling something and said " litti aur chokha khayba"? I asked him what it was and he said they are wheat flour balls filled with gram flour called "sattu" and chokha is a chutney prepared from mashed and ground potato & brinjal. Something akin to Daal, Baati of Rajasthan. Had a plate. Dunno if it was due to the hunger or it was really good, the stuff was delicious.
Litti chokha on a winter day does wonders for the soul (oops stomach!). Was introduced to it in Hazaribagh and it is actually available in Dilli Haat also (along with the authentic momos the Bihar stall there sells!)

Here is a poster from the much maligned and much misunderstood state I had captured on a trip to Bodhgaya.

Delhi - Patna - Delhi-biharpride_web.jpg
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Old 14th January 2010, 10:50   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gd1418 View Post
does it actually say in the "parking space" foto-
"Patna mein pavitra Ganga ke IRELAND par"?
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Old 14th January 2010, 12:49   #10
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Thank you Amit. What I forgot to mention was when I was at gangaghat, he asked me if he could have lunch somewhere nearby and come back in half hour. I said yes and gave 500 for that and didn't ask for change. Tipped another 500 at the end of the day. He was good and gentle. I kept my camera bag inside the car instead of lugging it everywhere. Carried only the camera.

He said that next time if I visit Patna, then only he would do my duty.. BTW, is that the only thing you saw out of the whole travelogue?

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Originally Posted by WanderNomad View Post
Rs. 500 tip? You certainly are a generour sould GD Sir.
@kaiser: why do you think I took this snap and posted?

Quote:
Originally Posted by kaiserketkar View Post
does it actually say in the "parking space" foto-
"Patna mein pavitra Ganga ke IRELAND par"?

Last edited by gd1418 : 14th January 2010 at 13:01.
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Old 14th January 2010, 12:57   #11
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To the point travelogue GD Sahab !! Love the crisp-n-clear information and details Looks like you had a great day
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Old 14th January 2010, 13:04   #12
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Thanks Ashish. I indeed had a good time. One more thing, while waiting in a traffic jam near a popular market, I saw a very funny Bhojpuri film title on a poster - "tohar ghaghariya mein mach raha bhookamp".

I still ROTFL, recalling that poster...

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To the point travelogue GD Sahab !! Love the crisp-n-clear information and details Looks like you had a great day

Last edited by gd1418 : 14th January 2010 at 13:07.
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Old 14th January 2010, 13:08   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gd1418 View Post
Thanks Ashish. I indeed had a good time. One more thing, while waiting in a traffic jam near a popular market, I saw a very funny Bhojpuri film title on a poster - "tumhar ghaghariya mein mach raha bhookamp".

I still ROTFL, recalling that poster...
ROTFL... I would love to see your reaction once you'll know the name of the sequel of the said movie i.e. "tumhar choli mein bhi mach raha bhookamp"
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Old 15th January 2010, 09:41   #14
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Hmmm..nice and crisply written travelouge.

I have not been to Patna yet, but would love to go there soon. But tell me, how come you havent heard of Litti-Chokha since you are from Varanasi? This was our fav picnic preparation alongwith kheer on almost every New Year's Picnic, and I am from a place close to Sonebhadra distt.
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Old 15th January 2010, 10:17   #15
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Very good question Devdath. My grandfather came from Karnataka to study in Kashi as it was the seat of learning and settled there and built & acquired properties. The area - Hanuman Ghat where he settled was and is a predominantly South Indian mohalla. We were a conservative Brahmin family and eating out or mixing with others was frowned upon.

As long as I was in Benaras, that is till 1971, before my father settled in Delhi, I do not have any memory of eating outside. The only North Indian eatable I knew and heard of was the Aloo Poori, Rabri-Malai & Sattu.

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Hmmm..nice and crisply written travelouge.

I have not been to Patna yet, but would love to go there soon. But tell me, how come you havent heard of Litti-Chokha since you are from Varanasi? This was our fav picnic preparation alongwith kheer on almost every New Year's Picnic, and I am from a place close to Sonebhadra distt.
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