Trip to Jodhpur

 Last month Monica and I went to Jodhpur for a short vacation during Holi weekend. Jodhpur is also referred to as the "Blue City" as the exterior paint of most houses is Blue and therefore when seen from the hill top, the entire city appears to be blue. It is around 600 kilometers from Delhi and the flight typically takes around an hour and fifteen minutes to reach. It is best known for the majestic Mehrangarh fort and Umaid Bhawan Palace.  Jodhpur Airport is probably one of the smallest airports in India. I am also told that it is one of the earliest airfields in India with history dating back to 1920s. 

While we were planning this vacation, I mentioned to Monica about how Jodhpur sees a fairly high influx of lower middle class Hindu Sindhi refugees from the desert region of Sindh ( Thar). Every now and then one does tend to write in the newspapers about these refugees and as we were going there, I was keen to meet them. Monica was supportive of my plans. 

Once in Jodhpur, I made enquiries both at the hotel as well as from our cab driver about where these families are based. Whilst most of them were aware about "people from Pakistan" ( as the migrants are referred to by the locals) , sadly none of those whom I enquired from were aware about the exact location. As always, Google came to my rescue and after few minutes of searching on the internet, I made enquiries about Anganwad Basti. Thankfully, our cab driver, Sampatraj Parjapat, was aware about Anganwad village and hence all seemed to be on track. 

We left our hotel for Anganwad Basti at around 4.30 in the afternoon. Whilst it was hot and sunny and not the best time to be outdoors, I still decided to leave then as with Monica accompanying me , I wanted to be back before sunset. I was told Anganwad village is on the outskirts of Jodhpur and from where we were , it would roughly take around 45 minutes to reach. What I was expecting to be an easy ride turned out to be a long and difficult one as no one knew where exactly the Basti was. Both Sampatraj and me were relying on the usually spot on Google maps to take us to the exact location  but it unfortunately failed miserably this time. After taking directions from locals a few time and driving on "kuccha" roads , we finally reached the Basti. During this entire journey I was constantly contemplating if it was safe to carry on with the trip or should I return back.  To be in the middle of nowhere with a driver whom one had barely met a day ago seemed worrying. I still decided to continue. 

At the entrance of Basti, there was an old man smoking " bidi".  As soon as he saw us, he inquisitively came forward to enquire about what we were looking for. As I did not know anyone, I asked him in Sindhi if I could meet " Mukhi" ( Sarpanch) . The man asked me to follow him and we went inside the Basti to Mr. Teekam Thakur's house. I introduced my self and Monica to Saeen Teekam as fellow Sindhis who had come to meet them. Saeen Teekam immediately took us inside his hut and the warmth and affection with which he and his mother greeted us was extraordinary. In no time, around 20 people gathered after hearing that a Sindhi couple had come to meet them. All my worries vanished and the next half an hour was pure bliss. Saeen Teekam told us that most families here are  originally Kolis who were settled between Mirpur Khas and Umerkot region in Pakistan . Most villagers here speak Sindhi, Gujrati and now Hindi and migrated around 7-8 years back. There are around 1000 people staying in the basti. Most men usually work as daily labourers and a couple of NGOs run sewing classes for women. There is no electricity in the village so everything plunges into darkness post 6.30/7 o clock. Till recently, everyone had to walk for around 800 metres to take out water from the well but thanks to a good samaritan, the water piplelines have recently been laid so water is now available within Basti itself. Teekam was happy that the kids after a long hiatus had finally secured admission in a local government school. 

Saeen Teekam ( Middle) with his mother (right) and a friend 

I had never expected that we will receive such warmth and affection from everyone in the village. Teekam also took us to see the replica of Mata Hinglaj Bhawani's ( Kuldevi of Sindhi Community) replica that they have created in the village. Upon my asking Teekam about whether he had visited Mata's temple in Lasbela, Balochistan , Tikam proudly replied that he had been there twice. I was also ecstatic to see that a number of villagers still read Bhagwad Gita in Arabic Sindhi. It reminded me of my maternal grandfather, (Late) Shri L.P. Khemani who too used to read Bhagwad Gita in Sindhi. 

Mandir in Saeen Teekam's hut 

Me at Saeen Tikam's home with the kids 

Mata Hinglaj Bhawani's Mandir 

Saeen Tikam with fellow villagers 

What was originally planned as a leisure trip turned into an emotional journey. Living in a metro city like Delhi, it is difficult to imagine  the level and the amount of hardship that these migrant families have to bear. The zeal and the positive energy with which they face such challenging circumstances truly reflects the Sindhiyat and Sindhi spirit of not giving up and to fight and triumph against all odds. I can only pray to Lal Saeen that tough times for Saeen Tikam and the entire village end soon.  

I also take this opportinity to wish all community members a Happy Cheti Chand and New Year. May Jhule Lal continue to bless and guide us all. 

PS: All photo credits to my wife Dr. Monica Budhwani