A TOUR TO THE RAJPUTANA Chapter-1

Chapter 1

On the train

We, three of us, Mom, Dad and I are on the train now, already having spent one night listening to the engine stop and start off again, and somehow trying to sleep as it would keep us rocking. But, I had given up trying. Not because of the disturbance that the train would create, in my mind I was much too excited and preoccupied to see in real what I had read so much about, what all I had imagined it to be.

All the stories of the great Ranas of Mewar were flushing through my mind as the train wooshed past the lands between Delhi and the"Rajputana".

We started off on 9th November 2015. Today it's 10th, and I had got up early, rather rose up, as I was just lying down with my eyes open as if the roof of the train was a screen, filming tales from the history. It was 5:45 am when I peeped out of the window to watch the transient trees, villages and miles of farmlands as they would move into oblivion.

"By this time we must be in the mid-way of Chittor and Udaipur", Dad says. We are to go to Udaipur first, as per plan, then we will further head towards the majestic destinations of Chittor and Ajmer. 

Looking at the fields I get transported to the old world, one in which numerous wars for justice were fought and lives were laid down defending the motherland.

The sun is rising now, slowly but perfectly from behind the hills. The brilliance is such that it seems as though the sun marks a "vijay tilak" on the forehead of the hills to make sure that they win over the ravages of time and nature, and stand upright for years to come and pass by.

Our train is called "Mewar Express". The name rings in my ears as Mewar was the kingdom of Maharana Pratap. Suddenly, a loud horn breaks the silence and the train halts. The station is "Rana Pratap Nagar".

"What's the next station?" I ask.

The staff replies "Udaipur". 

That's our station! We start packing things up at once. The sun is in full bloom leaving a bright enough day for us to explore.

(D.P.) 

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