Bye Bye Patna

We wake up at 8 30 today due to sleeping late last night after watching the Football World Cup final which came to a nail bitting finish. We were all delighted that the team we loved won.We saw Cards distributed like sweets at Soccer City in Johannesburg.

Closer home, there is a rush to go have breakfast and after bath we make our way back to the airport flying to Delhi on our way back home. As the taxi crawls away from our hotel, we take back all the wonderful memories we had during our stay at Patna.

Colour and Sound

The Diary wakes up by 7 30 today sans any alarm. Sometimes the body tells you when it is time to rise. Today we plan to visit all the other Gurudwaras in the city.We get dressed and head for

breakfast at Samrat, a top end hall at the hotel. After a breakfast of bread, jam eggs and a glass of orange juice The diary joins the group and we head to visit the Gurudwaras.We stay there for a few hours praying to God to take care of us and our families.

The celebrations for extendng the Gurudwara continue from yesterday and the Gurudwara appears bright and colourful.

The Governor of Bihar arrives with 3 posh police escorts. It is the first time the diary gets to see high end cars in Patna.

The announcements are loud and it was not possible for anyone else to speak for even if you do, they could hardly hear you. Meanwhile the Chief Priest of Patna Sahib makes a public appearance and a crowd gathers outside his room seeking his blessings. As we sit next to him and listen to him in devotion, An elderly woman appears looking extremely disturbed at her son's neglect for studies Timely advice is given and the woman appears happy.

We sit for the Langar and leave the Gurudwara soon after. We then go on to visit the last Gurudwara in our itinerary called Guru Ka Bagh. The story behind this Gurudwara goes on to describe something like this.

The ninth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji transformed a dry barren land to a beautiful flowering vegetation.

We also plant a sapling there and later on we return to our hotel. Late evening we head to the restaurant Takshila for dinner and feast on the Non Vegetarian delicacies they have to offer. Chicken,Mutton and fish are served and we enjoy the meal. We head back and get ready to watch the Finals of the Football World Cup between Netherlands and Spain. As Spain reigns supreme over the opposition we exult in joy and go to bed by half past 2.

Patna Pagalpanti

The song Nagada-Nagada rang loud and clear at 5 AM in the morning. My uncle had advised me the previous night to be ready and get out of the house by 5 30 am. As soon as I got up, I rushed to the bathroom and brushed my teeth.

I had a quick bath and rushed out of the house grabbing my bag to the waiting car outside. As I got in we shut our doors and drove straight to the airport.

Our exodus of Delhi and Patna came to wraps at 3 :15 pm as we arrived at the

Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport by the IndiGo flight.

The view outside is hazy but as they say that every cloud has a silver lining our Hotel, Hotel Chanakya is quite pleasant.

People are friendly and old myths are busted.The courteous hotel staff help us settle in our rooms.The hotel has weird stupid lifts where if you happen to enter from one side,The exit will be at the other end.These sometimes are really confusing and can cause problems if someone isnt well versed with it. Though it can also make you laugh. We have our schedule panned out.

We rest for awhile and order a coffee to relax in our air conditioned room. Some take a short nap. The day so far has been tiring. In the evening head to Gurudwara Patna Sahib. The birthplace of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji the 10th Guru of the sikhs.

The stories carved on the stone slabs wind our memories back to the childhood of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Before we reached the Gurudwara an unforgettable incident took place which forced to be written in the diary. The ride to the Gurudwara was anything but easy.

Firstly due to the supposed strike in the city, not many autowallahs obliged to ferry us. Hence we had to force our way and somehow manage to get one to take us there. The auto witnessed a mad rush by all of us and the 13 of us scrambled like mad goats into the compact auto much to the fright of the driver. The ride was bumpy giving us the real feel of Patna City which still has to do quite a lot to get itself on the Indian Map. The autoride was nothing short of excitement even though it wasnt very comfortable.

And because of this, the 17 km journey seemed like it lasted forever. A whole hour and a half galloped away and the crummy auto rickshaw slowly crawled to the Gurudwara.

We spend the whole day there and after dinner return to the hotel.