I was born in Agra. Fifteen years hence I
may not consider myself a proud Agraite (and I have compelling reasons for
doing so) but there are some memories of the town of my childhood that are
still etched in my mind besides the Taj Mahal ofcourse!.
Dalmoth, Petha and Gajak: The cacophony of the vendors on the trains
that run on the Agra route make sure no commuter passing by Agra misses to
taste the savories that have achieved an iconic status. Dalmoth and petha - vanity
and pride of any Agraite. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Dalmoth
and petha is to any Agraite what vada pav is to a Mumbaite. As a kid, I remember occasionally gorging on
this humble sweet candied pumpkin during my breakfast, lunch and dinner (and
the next day of course was dedicated to nursing the stomach aches). Thankfully,
after I moved out of Agra, I had to cut down on my craving but gift packs of
dalmoth and petha have been a ‘must’ item on my vacation shopping lists. Sinful
indulgence isn’t easy to ignore you see!
Seth gali: I attribute my love for spicy
things in life to Seth gali. Though it must be more than twenty years back that
I last visited the place, the Seth gali
ka bhalla and crisp elongated golgappas still kindle my gastronomic
sensibilities. Interestingly, those days, the dingy chat outlets served the
golgappas in saucers and the water in small tea cups. Damn the gods if the slurp
of that tangy water didn’t stir your soul. Every spicy session therefore was
well complimented with a piping hot plate of gulab jamuns. Of course, others
like Bhagat Halwai and chat centre at Sadar Bazaar charmed the Agra foodie with
the same fondness over the years but Seth gali to me remains an incredible
experience that is more felt than tasted.
Sadar Bazaar: Away from hustling-bustling
Raja ki Mandi and Kinari bazaar bylanes, walking along the clean, wide roads of
Sadar Bazaar was always a joy. I loved frequenting the Modern bookstore on main
road, walking down to Laxmi Vilas Palace for a crispy paper dosa and then
stuffing myself with cone ice cream from the Kwality ice cream parlour while
engaging in window shopping.
Six-seater tempos: These unsightly
transport modes bellowing smoke wherever they rumble have only added to the
chaotic conditions of the city. However, in the absence of any public transport
system, you can only be thankful this cheap option at least existed. Never mind
if it accommodated not six but eight to ten passengers, two dangling from the
driver’s seat and others compressed to capacity on other passenger’s lap. I too
have taken rides on these diesel monsters, occasionally obliging strangers leaning
all their weight (and with all their might) on my feet without a protest. I am
told the vehicles are now banned for environmental reasons. I only wait to see
if that has made Agra’s skyline any clear?
Pedal rickshaws: Nothing better characterizes
the pace of city life at Agra… slow and squeaky. Having travelled in pedal
rickshaws all through my school and college years it amazes me when I wonder
how I managed to reach the school before assembly time back then. Sheltered by
the canopy of the rickshaw, it’s been a joy ride racing back home on a sunny
afternoon after a shopping spree or enjoying the rains while the front wheel
wedged through the rain water. Occasionally, when the brakes failed, some of
the joy rides even ended into mishaps but pedal rickshaws still allure the
Agraite in me.
Bachoomal & Sons: There was no birthday, no Diwali, no Durga
Puja celebration that was complete without buying the latest from this fashion
stopover. I and my sister have had
numerous occasions to dress in some really gorgeous outfits from the
Bachoomals. This was a luxury that my parents happily indulged us in even though
I know the price tags even for those days were fancy. Bachoomals have long been
lost the competition to the burgeoning lifestyle malls but am sure for our
generation the name springs nostalgic fashion celebration.
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