Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Times Passion Trail


I decided to celebrate the big 33 a little differently this time, partying with a complete bunch of strangers rather than surrounding myself with people I am close to, which is the way I like to spend important days, especially ones like my birthday. This was a curated trail organized by TOI called the Royal Food Trail in Madhya Pradesh, and given I’m a foodie and the fact that anyone would love a royal treatment, it made sense to consider a tour like this. Although it went completely against something Geet would want to do, it eventually turned out to be one of the best trips we have been on, and here are some of the highlights:
1)      The fact that this is organized by TOI, ensured there was sufficient awareness translating to over 3000 entries, and giving TOI an opportunity to handpick the 24 participants on the Trail. This was probably the best part of the tour, as it ensured a group of like minded individuals, who got along like a house on fire, making the entire trip truly memorable.
2)      Some of the experiences on the trip were totally impossible to replicate. Dining with the royal family while hearing their stories. Staying in the very rooms that the Kings and Queens once lived in. Savoring certain delicacies that we may never get to try again, including some that were prepared by the current day Maharaja of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh.
3)      Visiting places like Maheshwar and Dhar that is nearly impossible for people like Geet and me to have ever considered on our own, and thereafter, having the time of our lives visiting them.
The whole tour was a concerted venture between TOI, Yatra.com and the MP Tourism Board. TOI was largely involved in the branding and scouting for bytes, while Yatra.com and the MP Tourism Board were somehow trying to keep the act together in spite of the rants from some of the travelers given a bunch of gaffes on the trip.

Thursday, Aug 20
The group convened outside the Bhopal airport, where Manoj from Yatra.com stood holding a “Times Passion Trail” board. There were 2 flights each from Bombay and Delhi, bringing in people from these cities, as well as other cities who took the connecting flights from Bombay/Delhi given this was the only way to get to Bhopal. So once everyone came together, we began our journey towards Jahan Numa Palace where we were to spend Day 1.
Radhika from the group who was later christened Radhe Ma was the first to make an impression given her large personality and an even larger voice. She herself stated that she kept the group entertained during the day while Suraj took over the reins at night, which was completely true given how the next 4 days transpired. Suraj was the next person we got to know who picked us out from the group to have breakfast with, and he was this typical advertising guy who was never short of pearls to share, some of them being:
·         In today’s digital world, one needs to isolate one’s self, in order to connect
·         Nothing is real until it is posted in the virtual world. If it is not on virtual, it is not real.
At breakfast, I had some of the best Chicken Sausages I’ve ever had. It’s usually something I don’t enjoy at breakfast, but took it anyway as I wasn’t in the mood to start with Poha and Bhujia which I knew would be staple for the next few days given we were in MP. After a good breakfast and even better conversation, we checked into our second room as the first one that was given to us just prior to breakfast had 2 individual beds instead of a King bed, one of the earliest gaffes from the OC. We had to quickly change and meet at a conference table where Sanjay, the main man from TOI introduced himself, followed by Mr. Gaekwad, the chief architect of the tour, Anita, a historian that we were supposed to take tips from, but was completely ignored by pretty much everyone in the group, and lastly Mr. Syed Akhtar sahab, probably one of the most articulate octogenarians we have met.
The session was an introduction to the tour that was to unravel itself, which included Akhtar sahab taking us through a long list of 50 dishes that hail from MP, including 13 different types of Roti from here.
He also spoke of some of the historic monuments at Bhopal, which included one of the largest and well as one of the smallest mosques in the world, a big lake called Bada Thalab, that was actually man made as our ancestors here were asked to bathe in 7 different types of water bodies in order to cure themselves of diseases, and there were only 6 lakes in the vicinity which prompted the king to commissione the creation of Bada Thalab which would be the 7th water body that his subjects could use. Akhtar sahab had a wealth of information, and spoke with a dry sense of humour that kept all of us listening with rapt attention in spite of the lack of sleep on everyones faces given the early morning travel everyone undertook. 
Post this session, we had a short 1 hour DYOT which we quickly used to freshen up and change to “semi-casuals” which was the prescribed attire for the dining sessions during this trail as we would be meeting dignitaries, and Sanjay had already met and chided me on wearing shorts which I did thinking we would get some time at least once we land and checkin.
Anyway, we got into the bus and prepared ourselves for a journey to our lunch destination, and we reached in about 2 minutes, as the hotel was just down the road. We were wondering why we even needed a bus ride for this.
 The lunch venue was at Rail Coach Restaurant, which was a restaurant created out of an actual train. It was so authentic that when people walk in, you can actually feel the train shake, giving the aging shock absorbers in the trains underbelly, providing the impression of the train being in motion. They even set up TV screens for windows on one side, which had a scenery video on loop to once again add to the effect. Even the entrance was just like that of a train station, as there was an entire platform with sign boards around the train restaurant. We were just admiring all of this, with HP for company, who we were having a first and last serious conversation with, as he turned out to be the next funniest in the gang after Suraj and Radhika, when suddenly some well built security guards started walking around the restaurant with the organizers and we started to get the feeling that somebody important is going to join us. Within a few minutes, there was some commotion outside, and we started to strain ourselves out to see who it was, and it actually turned out to be Shivraj Chouhan, CM of MP! He entered the restaurant from the door where we were the very first table, and happily shook hands with all of us there. He then sat on one of the tables for a brief moment, laying out some sound bytes, before stepping out for some photo ops that all the participants were thronging to be a part of.
Geet and I were obviously not being very pushy and found ourselves lining the corners, because of which we got cut out when the photo actually appeared in the next days TOI edition, but we still managed to get a “selfie” with him that Geet very nicely went and asked him for. The whole thing was quite an experience that caught us completely off guard, and was a really neat touch by the organizers.
After the tryst with politics, we got back to food, the reason we were here in the first place, with a culinary experience of the Bundelkhandi cuisine. We had Dal Soup, Gujan ki Sabji (an Arbi dish), Indrahar (a Kofta curry), Bhata Bharta (from which we got a really strong flavor of mustard) and Peas Muna, which we had with Lochai (poori) and Bhopali Veg Biryani, and finally topped them off with Bhopali Jamun that is like the Jamuns we get here, but with an interesting filling. The entire menu was vegetarian, which we got to know was arranged given the presence of a government dignitary there, but we didn’t really complain as just about every dish tasted brilliant. I was also surprised to know that all dishes were prepared with mustard oil, although the flavor was strong only in the Bharta given the cooking style. 
Post a scrumptious lunch, the group decided to walk back given the short distance, and catch up on another short 1 hour DYOT before we stepped out again to visit a museum nearby followed by a boat ride on the Bada Thalab. The museum was really impressive for an Indian one. Most museums we see here start and end before you realize it, and the ones abroad tend to go on and on. This one was a really huge and well designed museum, with artifacts from all around the country, describing the origin of the human civilization, starting from Homo Sapiens to the various tribes that exist even today.
This was followed up with a boat ride that offered one of the best sunset views we have ever seen. The Bada Thalab is a really big lake and you are constantly getting the view of the sunset from different angles and backgrounds, and Geet and I went ballistic on the photos.
I was just thinking to myself that I possibly could not have asked for a better birthday, in spite of the fact that nobody around me knew about it, as the lunch and sunset were truly great experiences on their own. But the highlight of the day was actually still to come.
 Geet and I changed into dinner attire once we returned from the boat ride, and walked up to the dining area which was completely transformed with candle lights all around the entrance arch, followed by lights that lined up the lawns leading up the grand ball room. It was the prettiest setup we have even seen at a dinner that wasn’t someone’s wedding, and my elation knew no bounds when I noticed Chivas being served at the bar. I quickly got to downing a few drinks with Galauti Kababs and Chicken Liver Quiche, when members of the Royal Family here began interacting with us. There were 4 couples in all, which included the parents, two sons and a nephew with their spouses. The parents were grandchildren of General Obaidullah Khan, who was the last of the Begums that ruled Bhopal, and it was interesting to hear about the matriarchal style of leadership that existed here in the 19th and early 20th century. The younger couples that we were chatting with were really cool people to hang out. They have studied abroad, worked in Bombay, and now run this property along with 2 others that the family still owns.
 Just as we were chatting with all of them, I notice a cake being brought out with my name on it. Geet was busy with Sanjay a while back, and I figured now that this is what she was plotting. I cut the cake just as the Qayali band singing in the background all this while started “happy birthday to you” in Qayali style. Listening to them, cutting the cake, and being wished by everyone in the group, it was something I could never have thought would happen.
 The night only got even better from here, as when we got into the grand ball room, Geet and I noticed our names right next to one of the royal couples, and we spent the rest of the night chatting away with Lady Anjali Jaisalmer, who is a descendent of a Rajasthan Royal Family, a Hindu Pathan, who married the Muslim Pawars of Bhopal. She was regaling us with stories of how their wedding created a lot of news given a Hindu Muslim union among Royalty that was completely unheard of, and more importantly, how she practices Islam right now, and abstaining from all alcohol, in spite of being a complete socialite most of her life.
Throughout dinner, not only were we engaged in a deep discussion with her, but were continuously served food and drinks by waiters who just stood behind us at all points of time, when not in the process of bringing the next dish, that it looked like we could just snap our fingers and they would appear next to you the next instant. We were served dish after dish of complete extravaganza, and even learned a lot about them:
·         Dungar Mutton: Dungar is Onion skin that is fried, and with minced mutton, the taste was simply divine
·         Bateyr: This is Quail here, and although the meat was not something I tried, the gravy was awesome
·         Mutton Nihari: Absolutely the tastiest Mutton Gravy to date
·         Machi ki Sheekh: Never knew Sheekh kababs could be made from fish as well! And another interesting trivia here was that Sheekh was the kabab format used for the working class, which Galauti or Kakori was used for the royals. Of course, we were trying out different cuisines from that era, and made sense to try some dishes that even the working class used to have back then
·         Yakhni Pulao: Again, the tastiest Mutton Rice I’ve ever had. And another tidbit here; Pulao is again the delicacy for the Royalty, while Biryani was for the working class. Difference was that Pulao is cooked in the meat stock while Biryani is just Dum style
There were a whole host of dishes and I’ve mentioned the top ones here, and the way they were being served, we were completely full after the first round of starters and main course with Roti and gravy. So when they gave the palette cleanser, I thought it was a dessert, given it was paan flavoured kulfi on ice cubes. I was in for a complete shock when they served the highlight main course, Yakhni Pulao, just after this. But somehow the palette cleanser had actually done the trick, and we gorged on the Pulao as well. After all of this, the dessert comes by, and by this time we were seriously starved for space in the stomach, so Geet and I just took one dish between the 2 of us. Right across the table were Kapil, Sahana and HP, and they ended up taking only 1 dish between all 3 and giving us smiles from there. In spite of starting out with the noble intention to only take a few bites from the 3 desserts that were offered on 1 plate, Geet and I still devoured the Shahi Tukda, again the most brilliant Shahi Tukda we’ve ever had.
All in all, it was just the most wonderful dinner we have ever been a party of. The Royal Family were such a delight to hang out with. Geet even exchanged numbers with Anjali, and we chatted around for a bit more time before we got back to our rooms to crash out.

Friday, August 21
I diligently woke up early and landed at the breakfast counter by 8am which was the time given to us to assemble, and found nobody else apart from 2 waiters still trying to set the place up. So I called Manoj from Yatra.com, and he too groggily picked up his phone. So I realized people were pretty passed out from the party the previous night, which in itself was a stretch as nobody got any rest for the whole day after a Red Eye flight in the morning. So I got back to my room and found Geet attending some work calls and furiously tapping away at her laptop at the same time.
So I basically had too much free time for myself and decided to hit the 25mt long swimming pool, followed by an awesome sauna that was available on the premises. Post a refreshing work out, we caught up with the rest of the crew at 9:30am and enjoyed the sausages and poha once again at Jahan Numa before we checked out and began our long journey towards Maheshwar.
We traveled for 2 hours and took a lunch break at a place called Dodi where Radhika was joking saying it belonged to the Dodi of Al Fayad. Suraj had smartly packed some Yakhni Pulao from the previous night, that one of the “royal” waiters promptly parceled for him when he asked them to, and both of us were chomping on it as the spread available was once again vegetarian just like the previous day. We were craving for some beer as well, and Sanjay very nicely had some stock in his caravan, which was a separate vehicle that was following our bus everywhere, much to the contempt of the people on board. Suraj, HP and a few others had a bit of this beer that was available in the caravan, along with the Yakhni Pulao and a few dishes that were once again really good – the Sabudana Kichdi for example. It had pomegranate and peanuts in it, and tasted nothing like the crap you get in Bombay.
 We continued on our journey after lunch, and weren’t even allowed to take a tea break during the long 4 hour travel, as we wanted to catch the sunset at Maheshwar. The ride didn’t seem as long though, as we were being entertained by Mr. Amit Bhardwaj, the photographer on the tour, who turned out to be far more than just a photographer. He kept cracking one joke after another, and people like Radhika and Suraj who were the entertainment so far were also spellbound to hear the stuff Amit was cracking. He made the lousy planning and terrible driving by our bus driver feel much lighter, and we ended up reaching Hotel Akhilya Fort well after dusk missing the entire sunset, and once again had very little time to quickly change and congregate at the sit out area.
 Geet and I took our time to get ready though, as we just couldn’t get over the room that was given to us. Being one of the only three couples on board, and having celebrated a birthday the previous day, the organizers decided to give the best room available on the property to the two of us.
It was called Nagarkhana and was situated outside the main property, on elevated stilts, such that it oversaw the main Maheshwar Temple, the Narmada river just behind that, which was a view that was directly visible from either the bed in the room itself, or the humongous balcony available just outside the room. This was apparently the actual bedroom where Queen Akhilyabai Holkar used to stay once upon a time, and their family was known to have done done so much for the people here, that the airport at Indore is actually credited to them and called Akhilyabai Holkar airport.
Once we got ready and stepped out to the dining area, we met Mr. Richard Holkar, who is the current descendent of this very family, and chatted with him as we soaked in the brilliant view of the Narmada that was visible from this place. There were once again really good drinks available, and the entire group came dressed up looking really grand. We enjoyed some traditional Maheshwari cuisine after this, which included Katahal (jackfruit) Pulao, Goolar (Plum) Duck, Corn Kichdi (probably the best version of Kichdi I’ve had till date) and many other dishes that were finally topped with a dessert that was fruit stuffing in a poached apple. The entire meal was simply stunning, served by a bunch of waiters that were not as grand as the ones at Jahan Numa, but just as efficient, as they were managed by an incredible lady who lived here called Kunta Bai. Geet spent a lot of time chatting with her and even tipped her graciously before leaving, as she felt Kunta Bai reminded her a lot of her late Grandma.
 After lunch we checked out the only other room apart from ours that was located outside the main property, called Maharaja Tent, where Sahana and Priyanka were staying. This was an actual Tent set up on the lawn to maximize the space available, and offered an equally brilliant view like the one we had, but instead of a balcony, they had a small indoor pool where they could sit in.
Quite a lot of people looking for a night cap landed up here and were preparing themselves for a Laphroig bottle that HP had brought with him, but Geet and I were just not in the mood for it given how much food we had just stuffed ourselves with. So after chatting around for a bit, we hit Nagarkhana and slept like logs.

Saturday, August 22
 Geet and I woke up to a beautiful view of the sunrise, visible direct from our bed as we intentionally kept the curtains open in order to enjoy this view in the morning. The sight of the sun, albeit covered by clouds, marked with the views of the temple and river, completed one of the best morning views for us. We got ready early and took a walk down to the Narmada river, where a huge bunch of people dressed in orange were taking their morning dips as part of their religious rites in the river. It was one of those religious sights you see being romanticized on documentaries of India. I was beginning to get a craving to take a dip myself in the river, but decided to favor my better judgment and simply continue behaving as tourists and taking more photos.
 Once we got back, Mr Gaekwad was explaining to us over breakfast how the location of Akhilyabai Fort is in such a manner that you are likely to sleep completely dreamless and really deep. This was actually true for us, and apparently for everyone else as well as they completely agreed with him.
Over breakfast, I ordered Scrambled Egg in Maheshwari style, which was eggs that had carrot and some herbs as stuffing and tasting gorgeous. I had these with bacon, which was a beautiful fusion dish that I just couldn’t seem to get enough of. Geet ordered the same dish, but in Omelet version, and Kapil and Bimmy from the group also ordered the same dishes after trying it out from us.
A quick DYOT session after breakfast, we started off once again towards the banks of the river for a boat ride that was arranged for us. The entire group went on 3 boats to a temple that was located bang in the middle of the river, were some people in the group got off to pay their respects, while the lazier ones like us remained on the boats while Amit continued taking our photos and cracking jokes like “thoda fitness dikhayie pls”.
The weather also continued to remain gracious to us, with sufficient cloud cover minus the rains, which ensured the boat journey was very peaceful. Once we embarked on shore, the group went shopping at a sari factory adjacent to our Hotel where they were getting fresh Maheshwari sari’s to purchase. Geet didn’t pick any given how expensive they actually were, but the rest of the group ensured some heavy business for the day.
We then checked out from our rooms and had lunch at the Akhilyabai Holkar Hotel itself before starting off on our journey towards Mandu where we were to spend the last night of the trip, with a lunch spread that actually turned out to be the last great meal of the trip, but little did we know at that point.
There were just the basics that Kunta Bai had prepared; Luchi with Dal and Paneer Palak, Rice with Mutton Roganjosh, and the dishes were simply out of the world. The Mutton Roganjosh with plain rice was just the most delectable Mutton Gravy dish we’ve had and none of us could stop ourselves from repeating it over and over again. Sipping on beer from glasses that were shaped like the conches that were probably used to announce the arrival of kings back in the day only added to the effect, and the group of us that included Radhika, Archana, Kapil, Bimmy, HP, Sahana, Suraj, Geet and me, sat on a table in a room that was away from the rest, which was perfect for us given the amount of noise we generated. It was an absolute blast of a lunch before we once again hit the road for another slow bus ride. Amit joined the group to once again provide the entertainment, and just before dusk set in, we reached our Hotel at Mandu. Now this Hotel was a huge disappointment given how the last 2 days were. The rooms were dilapidated, and the only saving grace was the view of the lake from the rooms. But we weren’t complaining much as we already savoured some amazing moments so far, and moreover, were only spending a very short time at this Hotel here, as we would be driving to Dhar, 30kms away in Innovas for dinner later in the night.
 Again a quick 1 hour DYOT session followed, after which the boys were asked to assemble earlier in order to get turbans tied on our heads. All of us wore our best formals and headed towards Dhar for the Darbar that was setup there for us. It was a fairly awkward session when it started off, as we were asked to stand up one by one and salute to the Maharajah who was announced on to the throne in the typical fashion we have seen on old soaps. Then there was some singing about the stories of the dynasty here. Finally we were asked to compulsorily take a tour of the palace when all we really wanted to do was grab a drink. It was at this point that one of the members of the royal family came up to us and in polished English, which completely defied the attire he wore, implored us to be less formal and go ahead and have a drink first. They were offering drinks that were not of the same quality we were getting earlier, but Old Monk was still available in the 12 year old edition, and that was more than enough for me.
When we began drinking and having the food from here, we realized that all of this setup was nowhere near the class of royalty we experienced so far on this trip, but the incredible thing was the effort they put in organizing this. The entire Royal Family went about doing their chores and serving all of us throughout the evening, and didn’t have a morsel of food or drink on their own. The food was also prepared by them, with some of the dishes cooked by the Maharajah himself. Suraj kept joking saying that cooks from Bihar are anyway called Maharaj and hence its not very different. But the fact was that these people were indeed descendents of the kings from here, and today don’t have anything to show for it, apart from trying really hard to give us a whiff of the royalty that once existed. We really felt bad for all of them here and completely mesmerized by how the royal family treated us.
There was one time towards the end when each of us were called up by Sanjay and the Maharajah handed out Silver Cuff Links for all the boys, and when the girls were being called up, he didn’t like the gifts that were being given to them, and instead asked his staff to get some silverware from the house itself. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough silverware to give to all the girls there, and the Maharajah was so upset that he said he will personally ensure all the girls got their gifts once they get back, as he wasn’t happy with the gifts that were currently available. That was just too sweet of him. At the end of it all, the Maharajah even made a closing speech, and when he was done, gave the mic to his wife to speak as well, and even she spoke articulately in English. I was completely stumped by their diction, knowledge and character, all of it in spite of living in near poverty. The poverty is not really an exaggeration, as there was one time when we were trying to go the loo, and were asked to use the one in the Maharajah’s bedroom itself rather than the public one outside, and even his own bathroom was barely holding itself together.
Overall, it was actually a humbling experience for us, with the only loss being the inability to enjoy the food here all that much. There were some dishes among the starters that we enjoyed, like the Kaleji (Mutton Liver), Mutton Samosa, Corn Kachori and Maratha Fish Fry. The main course consisted of some dishes like Black Fowl Chicken and Egg Halwa that we were looking forward to, but really didn’t taste that great. But the good thing about not eating too much was that we ended up drinking long into the night sitting out at the lawn once we returned to the Hotel in Mandu with the entire gang. There were surprisingly a huge group of people who congregated for the night cap, including the organizers, being the last day we were out here.
We kept cracking jokes through the night, and got back to our rooms only once we finished the bottle of Laphroig along with some of the remanents of the 12 year OMR that we picked from the Durbar.

Sunday, August 23
Breakfast was extremely basic at Hotel Mandu and we began our journey towards Indore by about 11am. We were to reach by 1pm, grab lunch and Geet and I would be the first ones leaving from the group as we had an earlier flight at 3:30pm. But by the time we reached, it was past 2pm, and Geet and I barely made it to the airport. The rest of the group leaving to Bombay had a flight at 5pm, and they too ended up missing lunch given some sessions that were planned prior to the last meal. So for all of the Bombay folk, the awesome lunch at Maheshwar the previous day was pretty much the last good meal we had for the trip.
It was a bit disappointing with the organizing, as the entire trip felt like they were just about trying to keep it together, rather than going an extra mile to create delight. It may have been expected given it was being organized by the Times, with so much of hoopla going behind some of the moments along the trip like the CM visiting us, meeting Richard Holkar, and dining with the royals from different regions, some of which were even covered in the TOI editions. But anyway, I really didn’t want to complain too much as they did give us some moments that would last a lifetime, the most important of which were the friends we made over this trip. Something we are sure will stick for a long time given we share one very important passion – Food!

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