Day 8

Day 8                                                                                 13/12/16

For the one last time..

It was the last day in Hampi. No one was really ready to leave the place. Spending nine days in the town had made me feel homely at Hampi. I again decided to have a boatride for one last time, to roam about for the one last time, visit the temple for the one last time and capturing pictures and memories of Hampi in my camera….

                                          People in Hampi captured in my camera

Day 7

Day 7                                                                                                                                12/12/16

     The Iron Lady!

Yesterday I had spotted some interesting person involved in different jobs. One of them was a lady who    owned a beauty parlor and tattoo shop. That lady had helped me on the first day to find the directions. I felt that I should talk to her. She smiled at me and told her name is Laxmi.  I went up to her house. It was a small house in which two rooms were congested together. But within that such a small area she had set up her parlor and her house stuff as well. She gave me a warm welcome and offered me some breakfast of her own. I spent a lot of time with her watching how she handles clients and how she works. While doing her work she shared about her whole life with me. I didn’t know what comfort I gave her but she let her heart out and talked. She was taking care of her aged mother all by herself. She faced a hard life after her father passed away. She graduated by earning for her and her family. Laxmi got married to a man he loved. He was from Himachal. But even her marriage didn’t work out. Her husband got trapped in drinking and her son was in his custody. She divorced him on a condition that permitted her to see her own son only once in a year. Surprisingly her in laws were supportive in this. She started her beauty shop. Eventually she learnt a lot of things such as hair wrap, tattoos etc. She had diploma in tourism and also works as a guide. Tenants suffer here a lot as the landlords get richer every year and they have to pay increment in the rent every year she said. She told me about how Hampi has witnessed change over the years. Social life there is not settled. As foreign tourist visit the place in a large number,  sometimes young children adapt wrong habits. They either run after these tourists or try to imitate them. She feels that Hampi is no longer safe.

Despite from the family crisis she went through, working 2 jobs for living, living alone, she seemed as if she enjoys her life. She doesn’t complain nor does she have any regrets about her decisions in life. Living independently has given her confidence, she has foreigner friends that visited her shop and she learns different craft forms from them. All she was concerned about now she is living in her hometown with her mother and she is happy. She spoke to me for almost 2 hours. It was a great experience. A conversation to a stranger that turned into a lifetime inspiration. She appreciated the work and research we all were trying to do there but also she reminded me that now you know the situations of Hampi, so try to do something for the locals suffering here. Make sure some good changes will happen.

Laxmi's small house cum parlor.

Day 6

Day 6                                                                                                             11/12/16

 Trying to indulge in Hampi! Trying to be a part of the town

 It was Sunday and most of us decided to stay back in the hotel and relax. Somehow I felt that now I need to talk to the locals to understand what is Hampi now? I went to Hampi with few of my classmates. And I roamed in the town all by myself. I knew the lanes in Hampi, I knew the places now. I went to the Hemakuta Hills and sat in one of the temples there. That place was beautiful and one could see all the area of Hampi in one glance, sitting there. I sat, I drew, I wrote, I observed. Sometimes spending some time alone for yourself and recalling, interpreting of your experience is a good learning process. Practically, tried to take the essence of the place.  

My desire was to talk to people that day. I had a contact number of a person who was a guide but was living in Hampi since his birth. So I thought he must know about Hampi far more than just the history. It turned out to be true as he had lot of to share. He cherishes the memories of his childhood when Hampi really was a lively place according to him. There was no UNESCO intervention; it was not a world heritage site. It was just a holy place for them. A lot changed when UNESCO took over the place. They want Hampi to be protected, restored and clean. That meant displacement of the houses and shops around the main temple. Displacement of people. For the locals this is still like a nightmare. Now they feel that Hampi has lost its glory, its religious importance. They even state that the number of tourists is decreasing.

I noticed the conditions of Hampi from the point point of view of the locals. And that was fascinating. I felt that now people should be my focus.  

Day 5

          Day 5                                                                                                               10/12/16

    Not every day is a perfect one!

Sometimes when you are in a group, everybody has his own opinion about things and has an action plan to work out. But when these opinions clash and differ from each other, adjustment and sensible behavior is a must. In a group of intellect people quarrels, arguments are bound to be happen. This day something like that happened and ruined my morning. So in the morning time, I practically could not do anything. But you have to keep at it. So I decided to go with my plan in the second half.

   Ali came to help

As I had planned I went to Hajarirama temple to meet the person from ASI department. He was a knowledgeable person and took out time from his busy schedule just to provide his help. That day I felt that I have understood that temple, palace, and the ruins completely. I wanted to know the meaning of the carvings, the stories of common people of that time, and I got everything. Apart from that he shared his own opinions about the place and whether really it was destroyed by the Muslims? His contention made us belief in what he was saying. The 40 minutes of the conversation that took us back into those times were involving. After that we saw other places such as queen’s bath, Lotus mahal, Elephant stable, Zanana enclosure etc. These structures were built in Indo-Islamic architecture showing the harmony between these two cultures. 

                                                                    Mr. Ali

                              

                                               Carvings Hajarirama Temple

                                               A bold figure of a women hunting

                                           The intersection of the heads od a bull and an elephants
                                         shows the healthy relation between vaishnavaits and shivaits.

                                                       A madari ( monkey charmer)

                                                 Hampi festival elephant processions.

                                              Arab and the King having a conversation

                                                       Celebration of Holi(color)festival.

                                                Trade of horses and the khsatriya ( warriors)

The Concert in Hampi!

Indeed a break from whatever we were doing for past few days. A musical concert was arranged in Hampi by government and social activists. It was a great concert and for the first time I got to hear the musician, singer Prem Joshua live! The allurement of Hampi was seen even more in the night. The shrine of the temple was lit and seemed as if it is made out of the gold.

Although it was a great concert, my friend and I took a detour and went back to the Virupaksha temple. That beauty of that structure enhanced more in the night!  The reason for going there was an interesting person, the shoe keeper of the temple. His name was Siddhesh. We were totally surprised when he started talking fluently in English. He had a job in a factory in Bangalore but fate made him come back to his native town. He met with an accident which is why he had to leave the job and whatever money he had earned over the years were gone in his treatment. So he took the job as a shoe keeper in the temple and now he has find his solace within the walls of the scared temple. He knew the stories of Hampi in his own perspective and was happy to share with us. That day I realized that if you really look carefully around you, even the simplest people can teach you greatest things. 

The Concert

The glimpses of the Virupaksha temple in the night.

                                                      Mr. Siddhesh