Aligarh
It’s not the first time I am in Aligarh. But each time the feeling is the same. It’s like stepping into time-machine and setting the knob to the late seventies/early eighties of Delhi. There is indeed a quaint charm that never fails to attract, be it the cemented roads, or the old-fashioned houses and shops and a general aura of languidness that permeates in the very air that passes over Aligarh. It forces open nostalgic childhood memories - especially, of all those holidays spent in Ludhiana, in my nanihaal. The city exemplifies tehzeeb and the welcome and the hospitality that I receive here is tremendous and very touching.
Yesterday, while sitting at Deepak Restaurant at Aligarh’s ‘most happening’ area - the Centre Point - I viewed the place with interest. And the first thing that crossed my mind was the movie Chameli Ki Shaadi. Remember the place where Anil Kapoor dates Amrita Singh the first time - the Pinto Restaurant? Deepak Restaurant seemed to have jumped out from that movie’s set - the same long sofas with mica-covered tables and waiters in loose cotton and crumpled ‘uniforms’, worn for the sake of wearing one. It’s a place where the local Majnu will get his besotted Laila, sit in the corner-most table and chat non-stop, nonsense-nothings over a slow intake of one Coke (well, if only Campa Cola was still there, the setting would have been complete!). It’s an outlet that has those over-used menu cards covered in stained plastic. And, it’s a place that would invariably play some old hit Hindi film song.
After a widely successful meeting, my colleague and I chose to ‘discover’ the town. Earlier, the visits were always hectic - meetings and more meetings, and even if we stayed the night, we usually ended up being too exhausted to venture out. But yesterday, despite the fatigue, we decided to ‘hit it’.
Earlier, when I had asked about Aligarh’s night life, another colleague (and a local here) raised his brows lewdly and asked, ‘What kind?’ ‘ Well, not the kind that you are hinting to,’ I replied hurriedly, in a mock-horror tone, and added, ‘I am sure there must be more to the night activities than just that.’ Though within the ambit of ‘that’ there seems to be a lot happening - including an amusingly horrifying tale about how a man was smuggled into some girls’ hostel, ‘raped’ seventeen times and left to die off; how the ’sex mafia’ of these womens’ hostel operates and should some man (say, a lover of some inmate) cross the dreaded gates, he is bound to be ’sexually abused’!!!
As it turned out, there wasn’t actually much to do.
So we went to the only market that would be open on Tuesdays - a ladies one, at that. Amir Nishan, quite near the Medical Road leading to Medical College, is a long and thin road stacked with shops on both sides selling colorful saris, suits, dupattas and other knick-knacks, covering from the low to middle class and some very high-profile shops as well, with the store names written on iron boards in English and Urdu. Intermittanly, there were the ubiquitous snacks-walas selling gol-gappas and sundry other ‘Indian fast-food’. The market was alive and vibrant, brightly lit and extremely colorful.
We strolled the entire length, upto Dodhpur, where it ends and another one takes over - more general in its category this time. There were kirana stores, and biryani houses, and other general item shops. Somewhere we also noticed an old bank, with signage that seemed to have stayed there right from the time of its installation.
As we loitered, my colleague started humming ‘Rukh se zara naqaab hatado mere huzoor‘ and I naughtily reprimanded him - wrong choice of song! The place was full of women in the hijaab.
We returned to the hotel as the shopkeepers called it a day and the shutters downed. It was an enjoyable, lazy and laid-back evening - a slice of time I will treasure in my memories, and one that will remain fossilized in its multi-hued nostalgic contours on my mind and on this space.
Powered by Zoundry
Enjoyed the post? Subscribe to Random Expression's RSS Feed
In case you find this site entertaining and useful please contribute your own bit by making a nominal donation.
A fresh way to contact me - New Contact Form added to the site. We love to hear from you, keep writing in!
August 8th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Shukar hai….update kara…..ab padhti hu
~~Mehak
August 8th, 2007 at 9:24 am
My God DJ….what a lovely desc of the place…esp ‘Deepak Restaurant’…long sofas with mica-covered tables and waiters in loose cotton and crumpled uniforms….over-used menu cards covered in stained plastic…..playing some hit hindi old song…
& the ladies market…reminded me of a market called ‘Rainak bazaar’ & surrounding area in Jalandhar selling saris, suits, dupattas, jewellery, bangles, jootis…& in between one finds these li’l thelas with soo much variety & colour!!
I just wish we readers get our daily dose of posts here from now on!! Common, be regular na!
August 8th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Let me get this right.
1. Chilled, laid back place.
2. Men get gang raped (I like to take that as sex with multiple women at the same time)
3. There is a womens market (which again means abundant women).
Why havent you moved there for good?
August 9th, 2007 at 4:52 am
ahem ahem, haseeen shaher, poorani yaadien, humnaam restaurant aur women galore! Aligarh sounds like the place to be (for the unfairer sex that is)
BTW there are so many quaint little towns in India with their own charms and secrets! This desription reminded me of the little towns in gujarat and rajasthan we used to visit as kids often!
Shukr hai update to kiyaaaaa. (okay now running off before you fire the “update” question at me)
August 9th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Hmm… now this place is on my list of places to visit!
August 10th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Hi,Deepak..grt to see ur posting regularly…and, this seems to be one nice historic trip-Aligarh..(Hope to visit someday)….cheers..and,I’m at blogspot now.Do change the link in ur bookmarks.
August 12th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Hey Deepak,
Hoping to read the review of Chak De ! Saw it yesterday and loved it immensely…
August 13th, 2007 at 6:26 am
[…] Deepak Jeswal presents Aligarh posted at Random Expressions. […]
August 13th, 2007 at 10:09 am
My IIT roommate is from Aligarh, and he would be pleased to read this post. And I am pleased to read that at last Deepak finds something pleasant about UP
Time to visit Lucknow.
August 13th, 2007 at 11:16 am
[…] Well, Deepak Jeswal opens up some cultural awareness for us as we visit Aligarh in India via the post at Random Expressions. We hear all about what sounds like a very comfortable day with comfortable people to share it with! Deepak made a comment that I found very appropriate, yet not one I would ever think to use. The comment was that this day we’re allowed to share will “remain fossilized in its multi-hued nostalgic contours on my mind and on this space.” Nice choice of words! I like that phrase! […]
August 14th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
deepak restaurant! lol
liked the description… specially the chameli ki shaadi angle…. but this post was a bit of a let down after the generally colourful descriptions of obscure places this blog generally has….
August 14th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
[…] Article Most in Need of Pictures: Deepak Jeswal writes about Aligarh in India via the post at Random Expressions, and the descriptive text definitely left me wanting to see it for myself. […]
August 15th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Mehak - Thanks…lots happening around me off line, that’s y the low turnout of posts…
Apoorva - Ha ha ha …
Kaushi - LOL, u update too now …
Sudipta - Hope u like it too…though there is nothing much ‘touristy’ thing to do there.
AmitL - So finally you also abandon Rediff
Probably, one of the last ones from my known ones…
Prakash - Loved the movie. Saw it on the first day itself
Excellent film!
Manish - Prob. coz I am now about to leave UP
issliye ab nostalgic toh hounga hi na…
Sunflower - Thanks…and a very warm welcome to the blog!
August 16th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
warm welcome!!!!! oho…. ot should be more like warm welcome back…. hmmmm…. u didn’t read the comment dhyaan se DJ….
August 17th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Well, I thought you were an erstwhile regular here. But then my ego puffed up to say that you are a new reader who has gone and read all my older posts as well
Anyways, the uptake is that I haven’t recognized you (though I see Juneli has done so) … so how about leaving the lukka-chuppi game aside and spilling the poor thick-headed owner of this space. In case, you feel the need to be ‘anon’ well, you can always mail me.
September 17th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Hi Deepak,
I’m from Aligarh and its been some years since I’ve been home! Also, its been years since I thought about Deepak, Centre Point Amir Nishan AND Dodhpur, wow !! Chameli ki Shhadi was a great comparison for the overall ‘mahaul’. Deepak used to make excellent ‘paranthas’ of all kinds, did you try those? LOL @ the obviously-untrue but-really-desperate-stories-about-women’s-hostels…some stories never die, they simply change their audience! Also, did you get to visit the Univ? God, I so miss the place!!!Thanks for the great penpic (or, keyboard pic)!