Visit to the Cleanest City in India

By Raj Lakshmi Dube

My sister and I are avid travelers. Both of us are above 74 years with our children settled. We are in average health, as long as our bodies are functioning, we are free to indulge ourselves. This year we zeroed in on Indore, the cleanest city for the seventh year. Having made arrangements for travel and stay, I met her in Delhi and both of us boarded the flight to Indore. Our itinerary included the nearby places like Mahakaal in Ujjain, Kal Bhairav, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar and Mandu.

We landed at Indore airport in the afternoon. The spick and span airport was not a surprise, as all airports are always neat and clean. After boarding the hotel cab as we proceeded towards the city, we observed that there was not a single piece of polythene on the road and neither were there small mounds of trash on the edges of the road. Although metro rail construction was in progress, yet the construction material was stacked within the perimeter of the site. I asked the cab driver, “What will happen if I throw some waste paper or some stuff out of the cab?” He replied that ‘first of all the worker on the roadside will stop us and ask us to pick it up. If we do not do so, he will call the police and a heavy fine will be levied. That would deter us from any future behaviour of the kind”. We were also informed that all roads were cleaned at night and streets were even washed with sprays of water.

After some spicy lunch, we rested and, in the evening, we decided to visit the night market. When the Johri Bazaar at the edge of Rajwada closes at night, it is the time for the night bazaar. The hawkers lay out their tables and counters and most of them cook chaat and snacks there itself. We took only one precaution – that of not having anything precooked or drink anything cold. Copra bondas, samosa and kachori were our dinner. Having had our fill, we came out of the side lane to wait for a vehicle to take us back to the hotel. The main road was guarded by two police vans. Two policemen approached us, we obviously looked like tourists, and told us that there is very little crime in Indore and we need not worry about our safety under their watchful eyes, as they are very strict with the criminals.

Next was the day to visit Ujjain to worship Mahaakal. The seat of Shiva the destroyer of evil, and God of death. After a short walk from the car parking, we arrived at the temple. First, we had to offer prayers and perform Abhishek of the Shivalinga at the entrance, near a pond. It seems that this Shivalinga grants permission to visit the main Deity. The day being in mid-week, there were fewer devotees, so we could reach the sanctum quickly. On arriving at the sanctum, we had darshan of the Mahakaal. The Linga was covered in silver and a priest sat in front worshipping, pouring water and reciting mantras. The sparkling form was a great sight to behold. After receiving prasad, we moved on and came out in a courtyard which had a number of smaller temples around it dedicated to different Gods. We worshipped at some of them, and bought some Prasad to be carried home and shared with family and friends.

Since we had finished the darshan early, we proceeded to visit the Kaal Bhairav temple, which was not very far from the Mahakaal temple. Joining the serpentine queue, after about one hour, we reached the sanctum and prayed to God. The most interesting part was the Prasad or offering of alcohol to the Diety. I saw worshippers bringing bottles of VAT 69 and ABSOLUTE as offerings. The liquor shop was located at the parking itself. The priest poured some alcohol in a tumbler by his side and returned the rest to the devotee, which became Prasad (what an evening they would have had). To the disappointment of my son, we did not offer THAT Prasad to God.

Next day was a full day of travel. Early in the morning after breakfast, we left for Omkareshwar, which is about 80 kms from Indore. It is said that the Shiva appeared here in the form of Omkaar to defeat the asuras (demons).  The temple is located in Mandhata near Khandwa City. Omkareshwar is one of the twelve jyotirlingas in the country. A jyotirlinga is the form of God which appears from the earth by itself. As we neared the temple, we were stopped by a person in saffron clothes, he introduced himself as one of the priests and promised us Jal Abhishek of the God for a fee of Rs 500 for both of us, which sounded very reasonable. He took off on his motorbike with his saffron stole flying in the wind like wings of an orange bird. We followed in the cab. After parking the car, we crossed a bridge on River Narmada. What a beautiful and breathtaking sight, huge width and sparkling water, shimmering in the sunlight. Following the footsteps of our saffron priest, we crossed over and reached the precinct of the temple where we bought Prasad from a shop known to him. Removing our shoes, we followed the queue and reached the inner sanctum and had a clear darshan of Omkareshwar and poured the water we were carrying over the form of the Deity. Thereafter, we followed our savior out of the hall. He then sat us on a bench and managed to extract Rs 5000 on the pretext of feeding 21 Brahmins and poor persons. We returned the same way we had come over the bridge. Here my sister wanted a photograph to be clicked, I raised my mobile and looked for my spectacles, which I always wear around my neck. The spectacles were missing, panic ensued. We retraced our steps and met our priest once again. He ran around enquiring from all and sundry about my specs from the head priest, the cleaning person and other devotees, but no sign of my sight enhancers. I prayed to God and made an agreement, that I would sincerely believe in him if I would find my lost spectacles. Unbelievable or was it a miracle that my spectacles were lying on the seat of the cab, though a bit twisted, so friendship renewed with Shiva.

After lunch, we proceeded to Maheshwar. Maheshwar was the seat of Holkars and is famous for the sarees and dress material of silk woven with cotton threads. Ahilyabai Holkar had encouraged the women of Maheshwar to start weaving such cloth. We saw it being woven on handlooms, so had to buy a few. We also visited the balcony of Vaada (residence of Ahilyabai) from where, early morning, she would have the first darshan of River Narbada. The royal residence has been converted to a heritage hotel managed by the successors of Ahilyabai’s daughter. We returned late in the evening. As I was very hungry, I ate a slice of stale bread lying in the room from the previous day. Result, I fell sick, cooped up in the hotel the whole of the next day. The programme for the day, visit to Mandu, went for a toss.

The last day we checked out at 12 p.m. and asked the cab driver to take us around the local sights of Indore before dropping us at the airport. We visited the Ganesha temple and Hanuman temple. The temples had cloth bag ATMs where you insert Rs 10 and a cloth bag spews out. Never seen such neat and clean temples anywhere. The most amazing visit was that of the Lal Mahal. It was so named because of a garden full of red roses. Built by Yashwant Rao Holkar-II, is still pretty well maintained although restoration of the palace was underway. The marbles, and carpets matching the ceiling paintings and all other paraphernalia were imported from Italy, the dance floor would swing when the dances were in progress. A journey to the past ended at 4 p.m. at Indore airport.

On the return journey I mulled as to why we cannot replicate the example of Indore. If heavy fines are the only way to teach the people cleanliness and healthy living, then so be it. A few weeks ago, my article on the “Clean and Smart City” was published by a prominent daily newspaper, wherein I had added some pictures of trashcans and the livestock around it. Imagine my disgust when, after a few days I drove on my regular route to find the trashcans totally missing and trash spread around on the ground encroaching on part of the road. If Indore can do it, why can’t Dehradun? This suggests that there is a lack of willingness or commitment among political leaders or decision-makers to address the issue effectively. It could stem from a variety of factors, such as lack of resources, competing priorities, political agendas, bureaucratic obstacles, or a lack of understanding or concern about the problem. Hope to see a cleaner Doon before I depart from this world.