My friend Kirana, who is writes a lovely travel blog, just wrote one on the Gol Gumbaz, the highest dome in the world. That touched a nerve, because it’s been a long standing bucket list item – in fact, was planned for just pre Covid.
The reason Bijapur is on the list, though, is the same as the one that made me jump at the prospect of travelling to Cherrapunji (for long the place with the highest rainfall in the world) last year. It’s also the same impulse that made me eagerly volunteer to go to Kharagpur for some crappy workshop in my very first job – I went from Jamshedpur, and spent a fairly average day there – but came away super satisfied that I had seen India’s longest Railway Platform! In 2019, when some friends asked me if I was interested in going to Varanasi with them, (a city I had HATED when I last visited it with my family, due to my memories of the filth and squalor, and the fact that I had my period and my Ganges-mad-granddad wanted me to take a dip in the holy river (fortunately my mum intervened)); I immediately said yes, because they were going on to Bodh Gaya, and I struck a deal with them that we would also visit Nalanda – the oldest university in India, and one of the oldest in the world!
Yes, you’re right – all these are places I remember from the GK books, and the long list of India’s “finest” (longest/ biggest/ highest etc)
OK, time for a quiz then : In India, which is the –
Highest Gateway
Highest Multiple Arch Dam
Largest Monastery
Longest Train Service
Oldest Refinery
Smallest River
But this is not a travel blog – its about the impulse in us which makes us slaves to superlatives – best/ biggest/ first/ fastest/ most…
Maybe it’s an Indian thing – we are born competitive – after all, with 1.3 billion people, how else do you stand out. It’s the Indian parent stereotype, isn’t it?
But actually, its not the “-ests” but generally the “-ers” which drive most of us – these could be comparative vs. the Sharmas or, against our own selves.
One of the most iconic ads of my generation was the Rin ad – which went “bhala uski kameez meri kameez se safed kaise”….
Totally comparative. In fact, some of the Rin ads were banned later – because they were directly comparing P&G’s Tide.
But, honestly, this is what keeps us going right? This search – bigger house, more salary, better college, higher number of steps, lesser number of calories. And it’s a good way to be actually – most of us need a goal to strive for, otherwise rudderless lives generally tend to lose focus. So, irrespective of who this benchmark is – the person next door, or our own standards, an “er” is not a terrible way to live. I think what is important is to a) find benchmarks that make sense b) focus on the process of getting the “er”, and by implication, c) not get disheartened and demoralised if the “er” is looking harder to get than initially hoped for.
But how about when it is physically impossible to better – when say old age slows you down so you start doing lesser? I see my dad. Pre covid, he was an active 85 year old. Come lockdown, and he can hardly walk from one end of the room to another – he is frail”er”, weak”er”, slow”er”….how does it feel I wonder to be seeing these “ers” – the ones trending downwards…..Food For Thought?
Answers to Quiz (in order): Buland Darwaza; Idukki; Tawang; Himsagar Express; Digboi; Arvari
joshsang 