39. BHOJ TAAL, BHOPAL (MP), IINDIA

(This is second in the five blog series covering our Bhopal trip)

Bhoj Taal, the Pride of Bhopal

Bhopal the capital of Madhya Pradesh and erstwhile Malwa Region has the distinction of having seven lakes in the area but two of them are really large, locally known as the 'big lake' and the 'small lake'. 

The evening was free and we had a couple of hours at our disposal. So we decided to make the best of it by visiting the Big Lake, popularly known as the Bada Talao in Bhopal. We were told that a couple of years ago, it was rechristened by the State Govt. as Bhoj Taal after King Bhoj.

Different type of surroundings on different sides

Going by the folklore, Bhoj Taal is one of the largest man-made lakes in India. It is said that it was built by King Bhoj of Parmar dynasty who ruled this area then called Malwa, almost 1000 years ago, from 1005 to 1055 AD. It is believed that King Bhoj suffered from some skin ailment called Kushtha Rog (Leprosy) and was advised by his physicians to mix water from various sources before taking his bath. He, therefore, got this huge lake built where water from a number of rivers was aggregated. It is also believed that his skin disease got cured by bathing in this water. Later, the city of Bhojpal, now known as Bhopal, grew around it.

As we got down from the car, we heard an announcement soliciting tourists to come for a ride in the last cruise which was sailing off in another 10 minutes. We promptly bought the tickets of Rs 50 each and were comfortably seated on the upper deck which we preferred for a better view as compared to the lower deck which was enclosed with glass walls.

The friendly ducks

Before the cruise started, I noticed the ancient steam engine they have parked on the lake-front. I also noticed that the area was quite neat and clean unlike many other such places in India. There were lovely ducks going around fearlessly. 

Biodiversity Park ...the colours remind me of Fall in US

There are hills on one side to accommodate a bio-diversity park, giving shelter to a variety of birds which flock to this area and there is the city on the other side. Surrounded by hillocks, greenery and the city, the lake has extremely picturesque surroundings and is rightly termed as the Pride of Bhopal.

There is an island in the middle of the lake.
Don't miss the speedboat.

The cruise had started now and we were going around the lake spread over 31 square km. The loud peppy music was playing and the small kid sitting ahead of us was constantly tapping her feet. I prompted her and she started dancing to the beats constantly gazing at me for acknowledgement and approval. I had a great time connecting with her and admiring simultaneously the crystal clear water of the lake.

The setting sun, after losing its dazzle feels more friendly

The cruise lasted for an hour and we watched a beautiful sunset. The rays of the setting sun playing with the blue-green water of the lake made a heady cocktail and I am still high on it. Needless to add, we were the last ones to alight from the cruise.

The sun rays playing with the lake water made a heady cocktail.

*****

38. DELHI TO BHOPAL BY TRAIN

(This is first of the five blog series covering our Bhopal trip)

As I logged on to the Facebook, the chat box popped up.

“Hi Aunty!”

“Hey! Howdy?”

“Gd news 2 share J”

“Tell me fast.”

“Gtng married on 8^th Feb in Bhopal n u hav gotta come.”

“Gr8! Of course! We’ll b there.”

Train journey always fascinates me.

I have a great weakness  for train travel and have loved it right from my childhood. The train started beckoning me and I logged onto http://www.irctc.co.in without any delay and booked our tickets to Bhopal... 50% discount on my ticket and 30% on hubby’s. Wow!!! Benefits of being senior citizens of this country!

The day before the journey, I was ready with everything. Printout of tickets was taken although it is not required anymore. Indian Railways do accept the SMS on mobile as the proof of your on-line ticket. Stay arrangements made, transport arrangements in Bhopal made and a Radio Taxi booked from Easicab for local transportation. Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi leaves at 6 am from New Delhi Railway Station. But from which platform? Another SMS reading “PLAT 12002 011” was quickly sent to 139 and pat came the reply by SMS “Platform No 01”.  Wow! It works. Indian Railway is progressing. 

Incidentally, Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi is one of the fastest trains of Indian Railways covering a distance of 701 kms in 7hrs 45 minutes with very brief stop-overs at Mathura, Agra, Jhansi and Gwalior on way.

On the day of the departure, we got up at 4 am as we were planning to leave at 5am sharp. We got ready and realised that it was already 4.40am, but there was no trace of the cab. I frantically tried dialling their toll-free number, but the voice on the other end kept repeating the pre-recorded menu. And then, there was this most disturbing SMS, “Dear Customer, due to non-availability of the cabs in your area, we cannot process your booking. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.” 

We panicked. What do we do now? I immediately scrolled down the contacts in my mobile and there was this Himachal Taxi Service in the vicinity. A call to them was responded by a sleepy voice but a very encouraging response. “Yes. Taxi is available. Please give your address. The cab will be there in 2 minutes,” and sure enough, even before we locked up the house, the cab had reached. Don’t they say the old is gold?

As the cabbie was speeding away, I asked him, “How will you get a passenger on the return from New Delhi Railway station? What is the system there? Do you wait in a queue or what?”

His reply astonished me, “No Ma’am. We do not ever take any passengers from the railway station or for that matter even from the roadside.”

“But why?” I was curious.

“See I am driving the taxi and wearing a seat-belt and can't move. If I happen to pick up a baddy, he may kill me from behind and run away with the taxi. We always pick up passengers from their residences for our own safety.”

I was amazed. We almost always feel insecure in a cab thinking the driver may turn out to be a criminal and here was a cabbie who was actually scared of passengers without credentials!

Service on the train was excellent.

Anyway, we reached the railway station well in time and boarded the train. Then on, it was a feast on wheels. First came mineral water bottles followed by a number of free newspapers. Soon we were served the first round of tea complete with Tata Tetley teabags, Marie Biscuits, Chocolates etc.

The sumptuous breakfast.

Tea over, it was time for breakfast which consisted of fruit juice followed by a tray load of goodies, corn flakes, with choice of hot or cold milk, eggs with choices, omelette or boiled, cutlets, idly, sambar, upma and bananas. One could also opt for aloo parathas. Oh, my my…were we spoilt for choices!

The ravines of Bhind & Muraina as seen from the train

By noon, we were hungry again and before we could even express our need for lunch, there came mixed vegetable soup with breadsticks and butter. This was again followed by a big tray of lunch comprising 2 hot parathas, chicken curry, dal, veggies, rice, curd, pickles, salad. At the end of it all, I felt guilty that I had to leave half the food. Next was the good old Butterscotch ice cream as dessert to which I said, “Noooo…no more. Enough is enough!”

The rocks stand like walls as we near Bhopal

Chair reclined to invite a lovely post-lunch snooze and we reached Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh (MP) which is said to have been established as "Bhojapal" by King Bhoj in the 11^th century, bringing our highly enjoyable 8 hour train journey to an end.

The wires are the birds' night shelters..as seen on our return journey.

*****