Musafir X in Paradeep

Musafir X, aka Musa, hasn't been doing much travelling of late. In fact other than the namemusafir (Hindi for traveller) there is no remote connection with travelling. He has become a workaholic: an income tax assessor dedicated to the collection of revenue in the service of His Majesty the King... oopsi His Excellency the President of India. He spends weekdays taking hearings and making long statistical analyses and weekends in writing orders; orders that make him a villain in lives of 'em people who earn.

As an assessor he has been posted in Bhubaneswar, in Orissa. Now this is a state Musa is familiar with, yet not so. He is Oriya, but not a resident of Orissa. He can pass off as an 'insider' here, yet his sense of the land is skin deep. He speaks fluent Cuttki Oriya, with a neutral (at times Bihari) accent. A rootless man sent back to his roots. A psycho-analysis of Musa would reveal a sub-conscious antipathy towards the people and the land, an attitude (preconceived notion?) diametrically opposite to that of a real traveller. This thou reader may construe as a reason apart from the work addiction inhibiting his impulse to explore.

Yesterday was different. His work-eat-sleep-work routine had come to a point of strain threatening a breakdown. He realised the occasional highway bike rides were no solution. And opportunity presented in the form of Lakx. Lakx, a fellow tax assessor who had been placed in Rourkela, believes that he still has a life and demands I take him someplace. Doars is little reluctant but finally agrees. The plan is sudden, the destination arbitrary, and weather looks just fine. We pack up in a hired indigo and start off to... wait for it... Paradeep.

Why Paradeep??? Doars had asked, and as I can see you too wonder. Just like that, I would say. We just wanted to get out. God, this has become so tough these days!

The road

Orissa is seeing a nervous pace of industrialisation. The pace of industrialisation is high but arbitrary. There are many biggies ready to vulture upon the ore treasures of this state, yet they have to face infrastructural bottlenecks and local displacement resistance. On the issue of displacement every one conforming to whatever ideology has an opinion (Musa is no different; as with other intellectuals Musa's knowledge of the problem is newspaper-deep). But no one has a win-win solution to the loss-to-life and loss-to-economy. Well, everyone except the dummy intellectuals who simply resort to China-ism... kill 'em all. Throw 'em out. Build up.

However, it cannot be denied that the government is trying all it can to bring in investment. The roads are wide, four lane and you can skii over it. Roadwork is still ongoing at many places. As Lakx and Co (the group name decided upon) drove from Bhubaneswar to Chandikhol via Cuttack, they saw the difference simple infrastructural facilitation has brought about. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack have practically become one city, many suburb apartments having opened up in between the two cities. Property prices are sky rocketing and houses are fast encroaching the traditional zone of influence of Mahanadi.

Doars plans to make a farmhouse by the side of Mahanadi someday. Not that it is some novel idea. Coastal Orissa is mad about houses. An Oriya woman has just two dreams in her life: to make her son an engineer and to build her own house.This explains the preponderance of engineering colleges around Bhubaneswar and the booming price of real estate. While Bhubaneswar costs are just like any other small city, real estate prices are abnormally high. A sad result of this is that the Mahanadi once majestically flowing between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack looks so artificial and mellowed.

But these scenes don't deter the trio. Once they cross Chandikhol and make a detour towards Paradeep its green all around. Musa is surprised by how flat the land is. He is surprised how flat the land can be. Wide stretches of green fields and meadows lay on both sides. The farmer is busy in his field. He was at peace. The cow was busy chewing grass. How at peace she was. What's the difference between the farmer and the cow? Both were limited to their world; both had not seen the world. Ultimately for Musa it is not about the farmer and the cow. It is about why he feels so jealous. Is it because he knows he can never become a farmer?

Lalitgiri en route

There are three major buddhist heritage sites on the road to Paradeep. Lakx and Co skipped Udayagiri and Ratnagiri because these sights demanded a de tour of some 30 KM. Since Lalitgiri was just 2 km off the road they did go down there. And oh reader, that was a decision well taken. For on your journey to Paradeep you will find this the best topping on the travel-cream.

As the name implies Lalitgiri is a hill. The hill is fairly populated and you are sure to find some old fashioned huts made symmetrically on both sides of the road. Musa declares that he would make a hut for himself in the lap of this hill some day. Some day.

Next they visit the ruins of the Buddhist monastery. Well kept by the ASI, not much remains of the Buddhist centre. But what remains shows how grand the monastery must have been. The cows here are not like city cows - they are agile and unfriendly to strangers. They jump and run around if you chase them. And once they become familiar with you they even start playing around.

While the monastery has but been grounded, save but foundations of some congregation and prayer halls, the ASI has done a good job by maintaining a beautiful garden with choice flora. Doars has got a new SLR which he clicks on and on. Later in the day he would wonder why he does not figure in any picture.

The ASI has made a small museum that houses some of the statues still preserved. Inside the museum Lakx and Doars engage in an animated conversation about moksha, rebirth, the boddhisattvas, and mathura school of art. Musa, in the meantime, is awed by a lady's statue made to fantasy proportions. The name sign said 'Prajnaparamita'. The sign did not say who made it. His name is lost now. But whoever he was, he sure must have attained moksha: salvation. For one who has made such fulsome bosoms and has cut out this curvaceous woman has experienced the deepest of bliss. Overcome by clouds of perversion, Musa kept gazing at Prajnaparamita for a long time, his salivating mouth expressing a wide open lust. How beautifully has she been imagined!

After sometime Musa feels guilty. He was reminded of the numerous time in school during Saraswati Puja he had stared at the statue of the Goddess (the makers from whom the statues were procured were in love with their statues; they saw their statues as lovers not mother... as a result Saraswati often came in revealing costumes). He is also aware that Lakx anf Doars are getting suspicious. So he joins them and starts discussing Gandhara and Mathura schools of art.