Day of 285 facts of pride about India giving smiles – The sincere and humble locals of Jharsuguda town.
I found myself on official work in a remote part of eastern India. I had never heard of Jharsuguda ever in my life and I wondered what was in store for me there. We had heard of Maoist rebels or tribal problems there, but all this did not deter me from exploring the place myself! The presence of some giant aliminum Company townships has changed this place from a sleepy unknown village to a growing bustling town.
Jharsuguda has no airport so reaching it is only possible by train or road and it was an adventure by itself. I had only one hour connecting time from the nearest airport Ranchi to go to the station and my flight from Mumbai was 45 minutes late! I actually sent frantic messages again and again to the pilot to try to makeup time and we reached Ranchi 30 minutes late…it was the first time I ever ran fast in front of amused onlookers towards the taxi stand..and I reached the station just 1 minute before the train set off!
The taxi driver’s of Jharsuguda seem to have a nature that is completely service oriented. It is such a pleasant change as compared to some rude rickshaw drivers of big metros!
I decided to take an early morning walk at a Jharsughuda corporate complex from 5am to 7 am. Dawn here happens at 4.48 am! A very friendly security guard ensured I was walking in the correct direction. He was so thrilled when I asked to pose with me for a picture! And he immediately gave me two fresh ripe mangoes straight from the tree. Love the genuine warmth of the locals!
I decided to start the day by visiting a very unusual looking temple that had a big circular hole in the middle of its traditional dome. And this local person at the bus stop whom I asked for directions actually walked with me till I reached the correct pathway.
Even the local priest in the temple did what he should be doing…praying with devotion and not trying to take advantage of an obvious touristy looking person like me!
After office work I went another temple that was situated in top of the hill. The view of Jharsuguda from the Pahadeshwar temple was an added bonus.
But what really gave me goosebumps was the continuous loud beating and ringing of drums and bells as all the locals gathered with simple devotion for the evening aarathi…the pitch darkness without current seemed to increase the glow on the diety figure and the light from the oil lamps fliickered everywhere like dancing shadows! A memorable experience indeed.
My driver spoke so highly about local cricketers and hockey players. The respect and pride in his voice for his local hero’s made me admire his quality of simple adulation which I feel is missing among city bred people like me..
My urban friends told me there was nothing to see or do in such a small place like Jharsuguda, yet my simple local driver happily showed me what he considered as special sightseeing spots. A huge ancestral house done up ornately of a local business oriented family caught my fancy. He proudly pointed out the first ever mall which set the trend to change the village into a small town. I even saw a fashion show happening in the open and a huge crowd of admirers.
The oldest temple of this town next to the commercial railway station area was done up fully by broken mirror pieces. Another new temple of Kali Devi was still being done up. After trying many attempts in the darkness to get the perfect photo of the temple with the flash, I got a miraculously got a brightly lit up night photo of the marble temple without the flash.
And my driver patiently waited for me as I did some hurried shopping for leechees and the locally made Sambhalpuri cotton Saree. Any other city driver would have rushed me up and would surely not have waited for so long. He still drove at a slow safe speed and was genuinely surprised when I gave him a handsome tip with an instruction to buy something for his future wife, as he was supposed to get married next month.
The quality of simplicity, sincerity and service orientation What a profound lesson the locals of Jharsuguda have taught me!
So which fact about India gave you a smile today?
Please share your experience of facts about India that made you smile.
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