Royal Revelation

SHARMISTHA CHAUDHURI VISITS A WELL-KNOWN CITY IN THE HEARTLAND OF INDIA AND REALISES HOW LITTLE SHE KNEW OF THIS GEM

- Sharmistha Chaudhuri

It was very early in the morning. The sun’s warm rays played hide-and-seek through the leaves of the passing trees, falling on the road in patches. The road wound along the edge of a massive lake which my sleep-deprived mind almost mistook for a river. Of course, it couldn’t have been a river because that was the Bada Talab (Upper Lake), I told myself recollecting a colleague’s words from the previous evening. I was in her hometown, a place I’d never really thought much about visiting to be honest, but somehow, now that I was there, the early chill in the air and the golden sunlight juxtaposed against the black road and the blue water—a smile spread across my exhausted face. I’m not sure why but I took that moment as a sign, a sign of things about to go well.

If we think of Bhopal, the gas tragedy of 1984 supersedes any other historical reference. Our history books tell us how an accidental industrial leak at the Union Carbide pesticide plant played havoc with so many innocent lives, how its effects are still prevalent today. A horrific tragedy, but that shouldn’t deter one from making a visit to this beautiful city today. Bhopal is a pleasant surprise, a breath of fresh air away from the bustle of an urban metropolis.