Jani Silks and Saris, Al-Ameen Ladees Corner, Shaque Cycal Mart, Bande Nawaz ‘Pull’ Meals Hotel, Gulab Marraige Bandsets, Sharanabasappa Printers, etcetera, etcetera.
These are some of the hoards and banners one would find in Gulbarga, a small district in the northern tip of Karnataka. Small, because the entire town could be circled within a radius of about 5 kilometers. This is not even one-tenth of Bangalore!
In my short stay of four days, I managed to square up the entire town with the able assistance of a rickshaw wallah cum guide. One hundred and fifty bucks was the deal. Muslims and lingayats dominate the place. Harmony prevails and people gracefully accept the customs and practices of one another. It is not a very scenic place form where you can bring back a lot of pictures! But,scenic beauty need not be the only reason behind liking or not liking a place. Hence, the attempt to present a review of what I felt was lively in the place. The turbans that people sport are exquisite and it is one of the reasons why one must try to visit the place. It has around four to five thick layers wound tightly around the head and brow to withstand the scorching heat. Each layer has a bright color with a certain artistic design. The other reason is the quintessential jowar roti and brinjal curry which is the typical culinary delight of the place. Since this was my first visit to Gulbarga, I kept my ears and eyes peeled, to the get the complete feel of the place.
Here are some of the minute details I managed to gather during my research. For a rather small district, it is quite astonishing to note that it has 147 petrol pumps in all! (Courtesy: rickshaw wallah, but I was half way through the counting). I wonder how many Bangalore would have. It has ‘only’ 2 engineering colleges and 2 medical colleges again in sharp contrast to that of mighty Bangalore. This is not an attempted mockery at the place but just an attempt to furnish the figures.
The rickshaw wallah who looked stunning in his uniform and thick vermillion on the forehead seemed very religious. This was even more evident when he took me to 5 temples one after the other, out of which the one which was pretty worth it was the Dargah, since it was a first of sorts for me. He took liberty in pulling out his age old handkerchief and tying it around my head (it’s a custom in dargahs). The place was quiet and overhauled with the typical Muslim scents and the holy ash, rich sweets and richer Urdu. The blessings from the peacock feather come with a price! The glass etching on the walls and roof top were illustrious.
But the monument that stood out was the partly mutilated yet classy fort. It was the show stealer of the day, hands down. The architecture leaves you spell bound. Every nook and corner of the district is visible from the top. It’s not just the man power and wealth to be able to build such a structure which is worth estimating, but also the incredible aesthetic sense of the people involved in the construction. The subtle rock carvings, the spiral stairs and the mighty tombs are anything but conventional and very much beyond the time it was built. The very fact that it has withstood the wrath of nature and unruly people for eons gives you a faint idea about its stature.
Finally, I know that it’s always easy to distantly and romantically appreciate a new town or village and that pursuing life there would have its own constraints and difficulties. Yet, Gulbarga will remain in the by lanes of my memory of quite some time.
Prateek M
4th SEM, CSE
These are some of the hoards and banners one would find in Gulbarga, a small district in the northern tip of Karnataka. Small, because the entire town could be circled within a radius of about 5 kilometers. This is not even one-tenth of Bangalore!
In my short stay of four days, I managed to square up the entire town with the able assistance of a rickshaw wallah cum guide. One hundred and fifty bucks was the deal. Muslims and lingayats dominate the place. Harmony prevails and people gracefully accept the customs and practices of one another. It is not a very scenic place form where you can bring back a lot of pictures! But,scenic beauty need not be the only reason behind liking or not liking a place. Hence, the attempt to present a review of what I felt was lively in the place. The turbans that people sport are exquisite and it is one of the reasons why one must try to visit the place. It has around four to five thick layers wound tightly around the head and brow to withstand the scorching heat. Each layer has a bright color with a certain artistic design. The other reason is the quintessential jowar roti and brinjal curry which is the typical culinary delight of the place. Since this was my first visit to Gulbarga, I kept my ears and eyes peeled, to the get the complete feel of the place.
Here are some of the minute details I managed to gather during my research. For a rather small district, it is quite astonishing to note that it has 147 petrol pumps in all! (Courtesy: rickshaw wallah, but I was half way through the counting). I wonder how many Bangalore would have. It has ‘only’ 2 engineering colleges and 2 medical colleges again in sharp contrast to that of mighty Bangalore. This is not an attempted mockery at the place but just an attempt to furnish the figures.
The rickshaw wallah who looked stunning in his uniform and thick vermillion on the forehead seemed very religious. This was even more evident when he took me to 5 temples one after the other, out of which the one which was pretty worth it was the Dargah, since it was a first of sorts for me. He took liberty in pulling out his age old handkerchief and tying it around my head (it’s a custom in dargahs). The place was quiet and overhauled with the typical Muslim scents and the holy ash, rich sweets and richer Urdu. The blessings from the peacock feather come with a price! The glass etching on the walls and roof top were illustrious.
But the monument that stood out was the partly mutilated yet classy fort. It was the show stealer of the day, hands down. The architecture leaves you spell bound. Every nook and corner of the district is visible from the top. It’s not just the man power and wealth to be able to build such a structure which is worth estimating, but also the incredible aesthetic sense of the people involved in the construction. The subtle rock carvings, the spiral stairs and the mighty tombs are anything but conventional and very much beyond the time it was built. The very fact that it has withstood the wrath of nature and unruly people for eons gives you a faint idea about its stature.
Finally, I know that it’s always easy to distantly and romantically appreciate a new town or village and that pursuing life there would have its own constraints and difficulties. Yet, Gulbarga will remain in the by lanes of my memory of quite some time.
Prateek M
4th SEM, CSE
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