The Pink City

I could tell you that the key to driving in India is simply remembering to tap on the horn every 15 seconds and maintaining camel eyes (just looking straight ahead like you don’t see anyone else) because that’s what drivers here do. But it’s much more than that and you need to have nerves of steel.

The over 130-mile drive from Agra to Jaipur is not for the feint of heart and it was an interesting experience. It took me about 6 hours moving on a frequently congested narrow road, that included camels, herds of goats, tractors, buses, industrial trucks, bulls bathing in large mud holes on the road’s shoulder, motorcycles carrying up to 4 people, overloaded jeeps and vehicles carrying 25 passengers or more hanging off the sides and sitting on the roofs. The photo is one such diver we encountered on route.

After experiencing road transportation in India it is very evident why an economist told me there are three constraints to India’s continued growth: Infrastructure, infrastructure and infrastructure. It takes an inordinate amount of time to get from place to place in India, whether by road, rail or even air.

The government has built 3,355 miles of highways, with another 1,600 under construction and an additional 3,700 miles planned. The massive growth in domestic and international air travel is why dozens of new airports are being built or upgraded. All together India will spend about $150 billion infrastructure between 2005 and 2010. China invested more than that ($200 billion) in the year 2005 alone. Of course it is easier to get things done in a command control economy.

I hired someone for the drive to Jaipur but there was no way I could rest with the horns constantly beeping as we passed vehicles and obstacles by the slimmest of margins. Pushpendre and Sunil were brothers who took turns driving and only understood a few sentences of English – so we listened to music tapes as I snapped photos along the way.

I made one stop at Fateh Pur Sikri, which has interesting architecture and is the tomb of a Muslim Saint.
www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Archit/Fateh.html

Jaipur was painted pink to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876. There are beautiful forts high on hilltops and the Rajasthani food is wonderful, especially for vegetarians. However, there’s also overcrowding and high unemployment in this city of 3 million.

I had dinner tonight at Chokhi Dhani, which means ‘special villlage’ and emphasizes Rajasthani food and entertainment like puppets, magic shows, acrobatic dancing. I went with Gopal Khanna’s (State of Minnesota CIO) brother Deepak. I sampled Pakoras (fried snack) and Chana Chor Garam (chick peas, chili pepper, lime, and salt). Deepak’s son is headed to the University of California Santa Barbara in a few weeks for graduate studies in electrical engineering. Another example, of a high-achieving Indian headed to the U.S. for higher education.

Last night I was received by the Mayor of Agra, who had heard of my India Center initiative at the U of M and wanted to acknowledge my efforts in broadening a Minnesota and India connection and collaboration.

Thanks for posting the comments to my travels !