…And Some More
Mat - Well, the actual name is ‘Maant‘ (pronounced as one would ‘Daant’, to scold), with a ‘chandrabindu maatra’ over the ‘aa‘. But Anglicized, it has turned to Mat (pronounced Maat, with the ‘t’ of ‘Tamatar‘). Mat is some 30 kilometeres off Mathura. To reach, there are two routes - one, is to go on the Hathras Road from Mathura. At Raya, a turn on the left will take you through a tedious ten-twelve kilometer drive inwards to reach this sandy hamlet. Again, its a ‘tehsil’ though the official whom I visited pooh-poohed at the tiny place getting such a status ever! There are some 15 schools around the area, which constitutes its biggest ‘landmark’.
The second route is a direct road to Mathura, and a percent better than going via the Raya-road. The road is mostly empty, and even runs through vast, wide empty green fields. I returned from this one, when the sun was about to set. The open expanse in the golden and orange hues of the setting sun, with a shimmering Yamuna snaking through the plains was a nice sight!
Raya - This was en route to Mat. And an awful ride, at that. It’s a dusty, dirty village posing as a town. A single railway line runs parallel to the road. When it reaches the village, it goes precariously too close to civilization; or rather it’s the other way round, the civilization lives too close to the line. There were thelas, shopkeepers, kiosks, vegetable make-shift shops etc, all on the track’s edge - so much so from afar it looked as if the railway line passed right through those shops!
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September 12th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
iss baari mein….!!!
September 12th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
ohh I remember going to Hathras last year..what a bumpy ride I had !!!
ohh & ppl attending nature’s call right next to the railway track…its funny actually…but should not laff….cuz its a pity that our govt can’t provide such basic facilities…..
Sirji bade Sair ho rahe hai..
Excited to hear that a story is on its way !!!
September 12th, 2006 at 10:38 pm
aur sekind main!!! I will come agani and read in details..teh names dont sound so bad this time…
September 13th, 2006 at 9:41 am
aur firangi ke baad main!!
Lagta hai kuch dino main aapki geography itni strong ho jaayegi ki log map reading ke liye ATLAS khareedna chhod denge!!
;-)
September 13th, 2006 at 10:06 am
good to hear about the short story. I look forward to editing it. Yeh cyber cafes ka kya chakkar hai? naya PC kharida tha woh Agra nahi laye? and after reading abt these places I have begun to realise how ignorant I am about North India. thanks to you are manishbhai we are getting geographical, cultural and language education about the North.
September 13th, 2006 at 10:06 am
i agree with gaurav…. but still curious about the nature of ur job…. hope u’ll throw some light on it…
September 13th, 2006 at 10:07 am
oops thanks to you and Manishbhai, galti se and ka are ho gaya.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:24 am
Been here after a while, read all your posts and was disappointed to see the taj mahal view flat had passed by you. But I agree with your Mom, “everything hapeens for the best”, as long as you have tried from your end, the rest is sometimes left to destiny.
But yes, I would still demand some photos…. and hope for the stories to keep coming by.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
Mehak - Oh , that Hathras stretch is simply horrible! And yeah the story will be there shortly
Kaush - Comments ka intezaar rahega…though not much to comment on this post
Gaurav - LOL …
Pri - Not brought the PC as yet… supposed to get a laptop so waiting for that
Anks - Ha ha , dont worry, will write u a mail, cant disclose on the blog…
Apoorva - Well, it did happen for the good… and then, I can still see Taj Mahal even in this house, even though not a wide angle view, but still sth is better than nothing. Every morning i do sit in the balcony and view it
Manish - There is a Kurawali in Mainpuri distt. Prob ur friend refers to that one… will be visiting there also sometime …
September 15th, 2006 at 5:29 am
allright I will do just that..not comment abouyt much
September 17th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Hey Hey…. Same Pinch !!!! btw, ur blog has got a goood loook…
September 19th, 2006 at 9:05 am
time for a new post Deej!
September 21st, 2006 at 4:17 am
Hi Deepak,
Chanced upon your website.
Enjoyed reading some of your thoughts.
Piya
September 21st, 2006 at 10:02 am
istory kidhar hai?
September 21st, 2006 at 4:26 pm
heylo………koi hai????
knock knock……………
yeh ladka phir se gayab ho gaya .ggggrrrrrrrrrrrr
September 22nd, 2006 at 11:56 am
Mai bechara kaam ke bojh ka maara… will be back very soon though
Piya and Deb- A warm welcome here
September 22nd, 2006 at 5:26 pm
“bechara” — yea right!
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:19 am
when do we get more updates?
September 25th, 2006 at 9:55 am
to add to kaush,
“kaam” - yeah yeah sure.